초록 ▼

The present embodiment provides a straw that is bent near its middle portion to form a reservoir compartment to store a liquid for cooling. When a user sips from the straw, hot liquid from a container enters the reservoir compartment, where it begins to cool towards the surrounding air temperature.

The present embodiment provides a straw that is bent near its middle portion to form a reservoir compartment to store a liquid for cooling. When a user sips from the straw, hot liquid from a container enters the reservoir compartment, where it begins to cool towards the surrounding air temperature. When the liquid in the reservoir compartment reaches an acceptable drinking temperature, the user again sips from the straw, which allows him to drink the cooled liquid from the reservoir compartment, and to draw additional hot liquid from the container into the reservoir compartment for cooling.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A device for lowering the temperature of hot liquids, comprising: a. a container, comprising a rim, an inside surface, an outside surface, a top elevation and a bottom elevation;b. an elongated tubing comprising an inside diameter and an outside diameter, comprising:i. a first end comprising an i

1. A device for lowering the temperature of hot liquids, comprising: a. a container, comprising a rim, an inside surface, an outside surface, a top elevation and a bottom elevation;b. an elongated tubing comprising an inside diameter and an outside diameter, comprising:i. a first end comprising an inside diameter and an outside diameter;ii. a second end, comprising an inside diameter and an outside diameter;iii. a first u-shaped bend comprising an inside diameter, an outside diameter, an upper section, and a lower section;iv. a second u-shaped bend7 comprising an inside diameter, an outside diameter, an upper section and a lower section;v. a first straight section from the first end to the first u-shaped bend;vi. a second straight section from the first u-shaped bend to the second u-shaped bend;vii. a third straight section from the second u-shaped bend to the second end;viii. wherein the first, second, and third straight sections are about the height of the container so that the entire length of the elongated tubing is about three times the height of the container to minimize the length of the elongated tubing;ix. wherein the elongated tubing is bent in a single plane;x. wherein the second u-shaped bend is bent in the opposite direction of the first u-shaped bend so that both bends are in a single plane;xi, wherein the first end of said elongated tubing is submerged in a hot liquid in the a container, and the second end of said elongated tubing is placed in the user's mouth; and the first u-shaped bend is bent tightly so that the outside diameter of the first end is in contact with the inside surface of the container, and part of the outside diameter of the second u-shaped bend is in contact with the outside surface of the container so that the elongated tubing may be clipped over the rim of the container of many diameters and wall thickness so that it remains stationary;c. a reservoir compartment formed in the lower section of the second u-shaped bend to allow hot liquids to cool through heat conduction by directly contacting a single solid wall of a material formed between the inside diameter and the outside diameter of the second u-shaped bend and heat convection from the outside diameter of the second u-shaped bend into the surrounding air; andd. wherein the first end and first straight section and the reservoir are made of different materials. 2. The invention of claim 1, wherein the first u-shaped bend is a bend of about 180 degrees at about one-third of its length from the first end and the second u-shaped bend is a bend of about 180 degrees in the opposite direction at about one-third of its length from the second end to form the reservoir compartment. 3. The invention of claim 2, wherein the elongated tubing is configured so that when the first end is submerged in the container, where the second end remains outside of the container where the cooled liquid exits at a point about 1 to 5 inches higher than the top elevation of the container, and the reservoir compartment remains outside of the container at a point lower than the top elevation of the hot liquid in the container, to allow hot liquids to cool through heat conduction into the material comprising the walls of the elongated tubing and heat convection from the exterior walls of the elongated tubing into the surrounding air. 4. The invention of claim 3, wherein the first end and first straight section of said elongated tubing are made of a material with a low rate of thermal conductivity selected from the group consisting of plastic, glass, wood, and paper to decrease the rate of heat transfer from the liquid in the container. 5. The invention of claim 4, wherein the reservoir compartment and second u-shaped bend of said elongated tubing is made of a material that is metal to increase the rate of heat transfer to the surrounding air. 6. The invention of claim 4, wherein the reservoir compartment of said elongated tubing is made of a material that is thermochromic to visually notify the user when the temperature of the liquid in the reservoir compartment has reached an acceptable temperature to drink. 7. The invention of claim 4, wherein said elongated tubing has a cross-sectional area wherein the cross-sectional area is selected from the group consisting of circular, non-circular, oval, triangular, square, and rectangular. 8. The invention of claim 1 wherein the elongated tubing has a diameter of about ¼-inch to ¾-inch. 9. The invention of claim 5, wherein the third straight section that extends from the reservoir compartment to the second end of the elongated tubing and the second end is comprised of a material with a low rate of thermal conductivity selected from the group consisting of plastic, glass, wood, and paper to decrease the rate of heat transfer from the reservoir compartment to the second end of the elongated tubing to prevent the user from burning his lips on the second end of said elongated tubing. 10. The invention of claim 1, wherein the reservoir compartment formed in the lower section of the second u-shaped bend is between about ¼-inch to ½-inch from the bottom of the container to allow the reservoir compartment to continue to cool liquid from the container until the elevation of the liquid in the container is about ¼-inch to ½-inch from the bottom of the container, which is the same elevation as the reservoir compartment, to allow the user to continue to cool the liquid in the container until it is nearly at the bottom of the container. 11. The invention of claim 1, wherein the reservoir compartment formed in the lower section of the second u-shaped bend is between about ½-inch to 2-inches from the bottom of the container to allow the reservoir compartment to cool liquid from the container until the elevation of the liquid in the container is about ½-inch to 2-inches from the bottom of the container, which is the same elevation as the reservoir compartment, to allow the user to continue to cool the liquid in the container until it is about ½-inch to 2-inches from the bottom of the container, after which when the liquid in the container is at a level below the bottom of the reservoir compartment, the liquid in the elongated tubing is siphoned back through the reservoir compartment and into the container, where the last remaining ½-inch to 2-inches of liquid in the container, so that it remains at a warm temperature until the user completes drinking the liquid. 12. The invention of claim 5, wherein the second straight section of said elongated tubing that extends from the first u-shaped bend to the reservoir compartment is comprised of a material with a low rate of thermal conductivity selected from the group consisting of plastic, glass, wood, and paper to decrease the rate of cooling of liquid in the container. 13. The invention of claim 5, wherein the second straight section of said elongated tubing comprises a metal material with a high rate of thermal conductivity to increase the rate of cooling of liquids in the reservoir compartment and the second u-shaped bend into the surrounding air.