Modular bendable straw with secure connection

Abstract

An extendible flexible drinking straw segment ( 10 ) fabricated so as to be collapsible after having been extended and capable of being bent into many different configurations. The drinking straw segment ( 10 ) has male and female tubular end sections ( 14 ) and ( 12 ) respectively, capable of being joined together in liquid-tight junction ( 20 ) or to other like drinking straw segments to form a longer structure. The segment ( 10 ) provides a flexible, accordion-like, tubular zone ( 18 ) intermediate the end sections ( 14 ) and ( 12 ). In a further embodiment the male end 34 would be externally threaded and the female end 32 would be internally threaded. Like drinking straw segments are connected using a threaded connection. In another embodiment, each straw section is made of a rigid plastic, e.g., a food grade high density plastic. In this embodiment, when the straw sections are connected together, the straw looks continuous. There is a series of ridges on a male end element which mate with a series of innermost portions of the female end section.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A flexible drinking straw segment comprising:
 a male end element;   a flexible accordion-like main body joined to said male end element at one end thereof; and   a female end element amenable to the insertion of said male end element so as to form a liquid-tight junction and joined to the other end of said flexible main body, wherein the straw is unitarily formed in one piece of plastic, and wherein the female end element is constructed the same as the flexible main body and having at least two innermost projections, and wherein the male end has a tubular shape with at least two radially outwardly extending ridges located at a distance apart equal to the distance apart of the two innermost projections and having an outer radius of at least one mil more than an inner radius of the two innermost projections, a distance along the tubular shape of the male end such that when the male end element is inserted into the female end element, the two innermost projections of the female end element are abutting the at least two radially outwardly extending ridges.   
     
     
         2 . The flexible drinking straw segment of  claim 1  wherein said male end element may be used as a mouthpiece. 
     
     
         3 . The flexible drinking straw segment of  claim 1  wherein said female end element may be used as a mouthpiece. 
     
     
         4 . The flexible drinking straw segment of  claim 1 , wherein a free end of the female element has a radius less than a maximum radius of the main body of the straw segment. 
     
     
         5 . A flexible drinking straw system, wherein there are a plurality of identical straw sections, each straw section comprising:
 a male end element;   a flexible accordion-like main body joined to said male end element at one end thereof; and   a female end element having the same accordion-like structure as the main body and amenable to the insertion of said male end element so as to form a liquid-tight junction and joined to the other end of said flexible main body, wherein the straw is unitarily formed in one piece of plastic, and wherein the female end element is constructed the same as the flexible main body and having at least two innermost projections, and wherein the male end has a tubular shape with at least two radially outwardly extending ridges located at a distance apart equal to the distance apart of the two innermost projections and having an outer radius of at least one mil more than an inner radius of the two innermost projections, a distance along the tubular shape of the male end such that when the male end element is inserted into the female end element, the two innermost projections of the female end element are abutting the at least two radially outwardly extending ridges, and wherein a free end of the female element has a radius less than a maximum radius of the main body of the straw segment.   
     
     
         6 . The flexible drinking straw system of  claim 5 , wherein the male end element of a first straw section is disposed in the female end element of a second straw section, and wherein the outer portion of the main body of the first straw section and the outer portion of the female element of the second straw section mate such that the accordion-like structures of each look like one continuous straw. 
     
     
         7 . The flexible drinking straw system of  claim 5 , wherein each of the male end elements have at least three ridges spaced apart the same distance as three innermost projections of the female end elements. 
     
     
         8 . The flexible drinking straw system of  claim 5 , wherein each of the male end elements have at least three ridges, and at least two of the ridges are spaced apart the same distance as two innermost projections of the female end elements, and one of the ridges is spaced less than the distance of the two innermost projections of the female end elements. 
     
     
         9 . The flexible drinking straw system of  claim 5 , wherein each of the male end elements have three ridges space apart the same distance as three innermost projections of the female end elements, such that the ridges abut the three innermost projections when the male end element is inserted into the female end element. 
     
     
         10 . The flexible drinking straw system of  claim 5 , wherein there are at least four straw sections. 
     
     
         11 . The flexible drinking straw system of  claim 5 , wherein there are at least four straw sections connected together. 
     
     
         12 . The flexible drinking straw system of  claim 7 , wherein when the first and second straw sections are connected together only one male end element is visible. 
     
     
         13 . The flexible drinking straw system of  claim 5 , wherein when the first and second straw sections are connected together only one male end element is visible. 
     
     
         14 . The flexible drinking straw system of  claim 7 , wherein there are at least four straw sections. 
     
     
         15 . The flexible drinking straw system of  claim 6 , wherein there are at least four straw sections connected together. 
     
     
         16 . The flexible drinking straw system of  claim 14 , wherein when the first and second straw sections are connected together only one male end element is visible. 
     
     
         17 . A flexible drinking straw structure comprising: at least one flexible drinking straw segment comprising; a male end element; a flexible zone joined to said male end element at one end thereof; and a female end element amenable to the insertion of said male end element so as to form a liquid-tight junction and joined to the other end of said flexible zone, wherein the male end element has external threads and the female end element has internal threads such that the male and female end elements may thread together. 
     
     
         18 . The flexible drinking straw structure of  claim 17  wherein said drinking straw segments are joined together in liquid-tight junction.