ctm02@hampshire.edu
Box 169 Hampshire College
Amherst, MA 01002
484-769-0990
Straw Holder
Concept
Some method to position a straw so that it can be easily accessed by someone who cannot use their hands.
Requirements
- Must work on a variety of cups
- Must be easy to use
- Must stay stationary
- Must be food-safe
- Must be alcohol-safe
- Should be as unobtrusive as possible
Competetive Analysis
www.EqualFuture.co.uk
Plastic drinking straw holders Spring clip fits any size cup. Snap this straw holder to the edge of any glass. Designed to hold all straws of all sizes at comfortable angles. The plastic drinking straw holder has eight holes and attaches easily with a spring clamp fastener.
Price: £4.90
WisdomKing.com
This straw holder positions a straw at the correct angle — regardless of its size. Consists of a spring clamp which attaches to the edge of a glass and a stainless steel retainer that holds the straw in place. Latex free.
Price: $9.76
Simple Abilities, Inc.
These plastic straw holders eliminate the problem of a straw rolling around the edge of a drinking glass. This is especially a problem for anyone who cannot hold the straw in place for themselves. With this straw holder, the straw will always be right where you need it. The built in spring clip, grips the edge of the glass. The straw holder portion fits 16T151 and a standard 1/4" (6mm) diameter straw.
Price: 3 for $4.35
Caregiving-Solutions.com
Many people, including some demented patients, are unable to hold on to, or drink from, a glass. The straw holder solves this problem! ...The clip on device mounts on to the edge of any glass or cup, and a straw can be positioned securely in the gadget. Fits any straw under 3/8 of an inch in diameter. Each package comes with 6 clips, so you can put a few in different rooms, such as in the patient's bedroom and/or in the kitchen area. The clips insert with the hand, and require no tools. Each clip can be re-used many times.
Price: $5.99
Allegro Medical
Clip-on holder designed to fit all sizes and straws. Holder clips to the side of a glass or cup to hold a long straw at a proper drinking angle.
Price: $15
Competitor’s Production Methods
- 2 Injection Molded
- 2 Formed Metal/Plastic
- 2 use a pre-made clip
Initial Design
Safe- Strong
- Unobtrusive
- Lends itself to several production methods
- Fits a number of cups
Initial Prototype
Easy to manufacture- Inexpensive to manufacture
- Inaccurate design
- Ugly design
- Too big
- Not very stable
Second Prototype
Thicker plastic makes piece more stable- Improved production method allows for more accurate design
- Still too big
- Thick plastic makes clip hard to operate
Third Prototype
Smaller Design- Clip easier to use
- Improved production method
- “Spring” concept to hold straw
Final Design
Molding Process
Second Attempts
Manufacturing
- Final piece to be made of injection molded High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
- Inexpensive (¢30-50/lb. in bulk)
- Recyclable
- Food-Safe
- Resistant to ethanol up to 100% concentration
- Mold made of 6061 aluminum
Selling Channels
- Internet
- EnableMart
- Caregiving-Solutions.com
- Life@Home
- Senior Emporium
- Direct to Nursing Homes
- Direct to Hospitals
Quantity
- Initial run of 600 parts
- Approx 247,000 people living with spinal chord injury in the US, 47% of which are quadriplegic (about 116,000)
- 0.2% (expected initial market exposure) of 116,000 is a bit less than 300
- Almost 2 million nursing home beds in US
- 5,764 hospitals registered with the AHA
Selling Price
- Competition: $3-$15 per piece
- Wholesale: $250/box of 50 2-packs
- Retail: $10/pack of 2
Packaging
Similar to candy packaging
- Inexpensive
- Do-it-yourself-able
- 3x4” roll (3,000 bags) for $40
- 250 sheets of card stock for $8.39
- Ink for 300 labels for $10.49
- Ship in plain USPS boxes
- 50 packs per case
- Part weight negligible
Final Assessment
- Work on a variety of cups*
- Easy to use*
- Stays stationary
- Food-safe
- Alcohol-safe
- Fairly unobtrusive*
* Room for improvement—see below
Improvements
- Modified to work on cups with larger lips
- Might be possible to make clip more obvious
- Clear plastic could be used to make part less obtrusive
- Alternative plastics might make part easier to use while maintaining required properties