Striped drinking straw and method of making the same
OwnerErik Lipsoninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Extruded, striped drinking straws are formed by coextruding at least two polymers of different color through a common extruder to form an elongated tube. An oscillator consisting of a pair of rolls supported for rotation about their central axes, extending normally to the extension of the tube, bear against opposed sides of the tube and are reciprocated in opposing directions so as to rotate the tube by a gear and spline mechanism. A straight puller draws the tube out of the extruder and through the twisting oscillator and a cutter forms the tube into straw lengths at the output of the puller.
Claims5
The method of extruding a striped drinking straw, comprising:
- feeding two polymers of different color into an extruder to extrude a tube having longitudinal stripes extending along its length;
- feeding said tube to an oscillator comprising means for twisting the tube about its central axis, in alternating directions, in timed relation to its extrusion;
- feeding the tube from the oscillator to a straight puller;
- and
- cutting the tube fed from the puller into straw-shaped lengths.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.