Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02777990 2012-05-08
DRINKING STRAW FOR PROPORTIONING CONCENTRATE AND DILUENT IN THE MOUTH
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to drinking straws for beverages where the
beverage is a mixture of
two or more liquid components. With this invention, the components are mixed
in the mouth
and the mixing ratio is controlled by the user.
Background
It is commonly held that there are four basic tastes ¨ sweet, sour, salt and
bitter. A
misconception, widely held, is that different areas of the tongue exclusively
detect different
basic tastes. The tip of the tongue, for example, was once thought to only
taste sweet. This myth
has been debunked; nevertheless, it is a fact that taste buds are concentrated
around the
perimeter of the tongue. The present invention directs the flavoured
components of a beverage
to taste sensitive areas of the tongue and the unflavoured component to areas
insensitive or less
sensitive to taste.
The invention has been primarily developed for imbibing beverages which are
commonly
prepared by combining two or more liquid components, usually including a
flavour concentrate
and a diluent.
When used to consume soft drinks comprised of syrup and carbonated water, the
present
invention allows the user to reduce the intake of syrup relative to carbonated
water while still
experiencing the full taste of the syrup since the syrup is being directly
conveyed to the taste
sensitive areas of the tongue.
The physics of Fluid mechanics holds that as a fluid moves through a conduit,
the fluid in
contact with the outer walls is motionless and that the velocity of the fluid
increases with
distance from the outer walls. In the case of a fluid travelling through the
mouth, the fluid close
to the tongue travels much slower than the fluid slightly farther away. If
syrup is introduced near
the surface of the tongue it will travel over the surface of the tongue at a
velocity slower than the
carbonated water above, lingering over the taste buds and giving the
impression to the user of
the invention that the liquid is richer in syrup than it actually is.
The tubes referred to could also be called basic drinking straws or siphons.
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A person using a straw to drink a liquid can increase the velocity at which
the liquid enters the
mouth by increasing the vacuum in the mouth. This is called sucking and is one
of the most
basic instincts. The rate at which a liquid enters the mouth through a
drinking straw may be
reduced by plugging or partially plugging the end of the tube with the tongue
or by reducing the
vacuum in the mouth. One may use the tongue, in effect, as a valve to control
the flow into the
mouth from the tube.
In the case of the invention, at least two tubes (11, 12) enter the mouth. The
diluent tube (11)
enters the mouth at the lips (16) and the flow in the diluent tube (11) is
controlled through
sucking action. The concentrate conveying tube (12) contacts the tongue and
the flow is
regulated, relative to the flow of diluent, by either blocking, partially
blocking or unblocking the
end of the tube (12) with the tongue (15).
Soft drinks are prepared by combining syrup with carbonated water. For the
purpose of
explaining the function of the invention for imbibing soft drinks, the syrup
is the flavour
concentrate and the carbonated water is the diluent. There is no calorie
content in carbonated
water. Imbibing carbonated water hydrates the body and has other beneficial
effects. On the
other hand, soft drink syrup is either high in sugar or contains artificial
sweetener. There is a
perception among some that artificial sweeteners are carcinogenic or otherwise
bad for one's
health. Sugar consumption is problematic for those trying to control their
weight or their blood
sugar. The invention allows the user to control, in the mouth, the ratio of
syrup to carbonated
water thereby reducing the intake of sugar or artificial sweeteners. In
addition to providing the
user with this control, the invention delivers the syrup directly to the
tongue. If the syrup covers
the taste sensitive areas of tongue, the user perceives that the beverage is
rich in syrup, when in
fact only a portion of the mouth contains syrup. To their benefit, the user
may consume less
sugar or artificial sweeteners and more water.
The benefits of this invention are not limited to soft drinks. Like soft
drinks, highballs are drinks
made by mixing two liquid components together. In the specific example of a
"Screwdriver",
vodka and fresh orange juice are combined. The user of the invention may
perceive that their
mouth is full of vodka, when, in fact, it is primarily filled with orange
juice. The user therefore
may adjust the mix ratio in order to consume less vodka and more orange juice
which is a much
healthier situation. Another example would be chocolate milk. Chocolate syrup
is high in sugar,
the consumption of which may lead to high blood sugar. It is also high in
calories; the
consumption of too many calories can cause obesity. On the other hand, milk is
very nutritious.
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The invention could be used for milk and chocolate syrup with benefit to the
user. Often, the
flavour concentrate is higher in calories than the diluent and, in those
cases, the invention can
be used to reduce calorie intake.
The benefits of the invention are not limited to reducing the consumption of
calories, sugar,
artificial sweeteners and alcohol. Flavour concentrates, high in salt, such as
condensed beef
broth, could be imbibed with hot water using the invention with healthier
consequences.
Generally, the diluent is a less expensive than the flavour concentrate and
therefore use of the
invention could impart financial in addition to health benefits to the user.
Prior Art
A design in the prior art, Canada Patent Number 2 240 716, describes an
apparatus for adding a
beneficial agent to a liquid. The beneficial agent is a powder or solid, not a
liquid. Another
design, Canada Patent Number 4 487 432, describes an elongated tube containing
flavouring
concentrate in the form of solid pellets intended to be used as a drinking
straw. Canada Patent 2
620 628 describes a hollow tube coated on the inside with an edible
composition. Canada
Patent 2 621 747 describes a drinking straw filled with food. Canada Patent 2
644 062 describes
a drinking straw filled with pellets which adds an active ingredient to liquid
passing through. In
none of these designs is the mixing taking place in the mouth nor are all the
components
liquids. The prior designs remain useful for their stated purposes while the
present invention
provides the user the health and financial benefits of moderation while
allowing them to
continue to enjoy their favourite beverages.
Legend and List of Figures
The figures use the following legend:
11. Diluent Tube
12. Flavour Concentrate Tube
13.0ptional Additional Flavour Concentrate Tube
14. Divergent Nozzle or Diffuser
15. Tongue
16. Lips
17. Teeth
18. Cup / Container
19. Flavour Concentrate
20. Optional /Complementary Flavour Concentrate
21. Diluent ( e.g. Carbonated Water and Ice)
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22. Pierceable pouch surface, disc or liquid boundary
Figure 1 shows the simplest version of the invention. A tube (11) conveys
diluent (21) from the
cup (18) to the mouth at the lips (16). A tube (12) conveys flavour
concentrate (19) from the
bottom of the cup (18) to the tip of the tongue (15).
Figure 2 is similar to figure 1 with a diffuser (14) added to the end of the
flavour concentrate
tube (12). The diffuser (14) serves to distribute flavour concentrate over
taste sensitive areas on
the surface of the tongue (15).
Figure 3 is similar to figure 2 except that the flavour concentrate conveying
tube (12) runs
through the diluent conveying tube (11).
Figure 4 is similar to figure 2 with an additional tube (13) conveying a
different, separate and
distinct flavour concentrate (20) from the cup (18) to the diffuser (14) on a
different taste
sensitive area of the tongue from that of the diffuser (14) attached to the
end of tube (11).
Examples of Intended Use
Please refer to figure 1. One way of using the invention would be to put a
small amount of
flavoured syrup (19) in the bottom of a cup (18) and fill the balance of the
cup with ice and
carbonated water (21). Place the invention (11, 12) in the cup (18) with the
upper end of the
invention (11, 12) in the mouth with the tube (11) just inside the lips (16)
and the tube (12)
touching the end of the tongue (15) where the taste buds are concentrated. By
partially blocking
the end of the tube (12) with the tongue (15), the user is able to vary the
ratio of carbonated
water (21) to syrup (22) to the user's own liking and can allow the syrup (22)
to linger on the
tongue (15) while the carbonated water (21) is swallowed. In the most basic
configuration, the
difference in the specific gravity between the denser flavoured syrup (19) and
the lighter
carbonated water (21) is relied upon to keep the two liquids separate in the
cup.
Please refer to figure 4. Figure 4 illustrates a more elaborate expression of
the invention. For this
second example, we use the invention to enjoy a Spanish coffee. The first
flavour concentrate
(19) would be 15 mL coffee liqueur (19), the optional additional flavour
concentrate (20) would
be 15 mL orange brandy (20) and the diluent (21) would be 120 mL of fresh hot
coffee (21). The
amount of liqueur (19 and 20) in this example is intended to be about half of
that in a typical
Spanish coffee. Reducing the amount of liqueur imbibed and by extension the
amount of
alcohol imbibed is a health benefit to the user.
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15 mL of coffee liqueur (19) would be placed in the bottom of a glass (18) and
a wax paper disc
(22) would be placed on the surface (22) of the coffee liqueur (19). This disc
(22) would have
the same diameter as the glass at the surface (22) of the coffee liqueur and
have a hole in it in a
convenient location, the same diameter as the tube (19) in order to
accommodate the tube (19).
15 mL of orange brandy (20) would be carefully layered on top of the wax paper
disc (22).
Another wax paper disc (22) the same diameter as the glass at the surface of
the orange brandy
(20) with two holes conveniently located and sized to accommodate the two
tubes (12 and 13).
120 mL of fresh hot coffee (21) would be carefully layered above the disc
(22). When the user
sucks on the invention inserted in the mouth as illustrated, coffee enters the
mouth above the
tongue (15) and below the palate, while coffee liqueur (19) is supplied to one
side of the tongue
(15) through tube (13) and distributed over taste sensitive areas of the
tongue (15) by means of a
divergent nozzle or diffuser (14). With the diffuser, coffee liqueur (19) is
protected from being
washed off the surface of the tongue because the material of the diffuser
stands between the
diluent and the flavour concentrate.
If a pouch is attached to the container end of the long tube, the pouch would
be filled with
flavoured syrup and placed in the bottom of the container or cup.
Alternatively, the longer tube
may be connected to the pouch which in turn is attached to the side of the
container or cup
while the shorter tube is inserted into the container or cup.
The diluent and the flavour concentrate may be kept distinct and unmixed by a
number of
means. The easiest, most economical way is to let gravity keep them separate.
The drink
components may be carefully layered into the cup in the same way a mixologist
might make a
Shirley Temple. The denser liquids are placed closer to the bottom of the cup
and gravity keeps
them separate. A disc or discs may be used to keep the liquids separate. Each
disc would have
holes in it to allow one or more tubes through into liquid or liquids below. A
liquid component
such as the flavour concentrate may be placed in a pouch and that pouch placed
in the cup or
attached to the side or bottom of the container. In some cases, the difference
in the polarity of
the different components can be relied on to keep the component liquids
separate. A difference
in density is also required because even though the components of different
polarity won't mix,
it is necessary that the components stay in place relative to each other. In
other words, the
flavour concentrate must stay below the diluent and if the specific gravity of
the two liquids is
the same, they could end up side by side instead of one on top of the other.