Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
  • B65D85/70—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for materials not otherwise provided for
  • B65D85/804—Disposable containers or packages with contents which are mixed, infused or dissolved in situ, i.e. without having been previously removed from the package
  • B65D85/808—Disposable containers or packages with contents which are mixed, infused or dissolved in situ, i.e. without having been previously removed from the package for immersion in the liquid to release part or all of their contents, e.g. tea bags
  • B65D85/812—Disposable containers or packages with contents which are mixed, infused or dissolved in situ, i.e. without having been previously removed from the package for immersion in the liquid to release part or all of their contents, e.g. tea bags with features facilitating their manipulation or suspension
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47G—HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
  • A47G19/00—Table service
  • A47G19/12—Vessels or pots for table use
  • A47G19/16—Tea infusers, e.g. infusing bags, egg-shaped infuses
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
  • B65D85/70—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for materials not otherwise provided for
  • B65D85/804—Disposable containers or packages with contents which are mixed, infused or dissolved in situ, i.e. without having been previously removed from the package
  • B65D85/808—Disposable containers or packages with contents which are mixed, infused or dissolved in situ, i.e. without having been previously removed from the package for immersion in the liquid to release part or all of their contents, e.g. tea bags
  • B65D85/8085—Disposable containers or packages with contents which are mixed, infused or dissolved in situ, i.e. without having been previously removed from the package for immersion in the liquid to release part or all of their contents, e.g. tea bags characterised by an outer package, e.g. wrappers or boxes for enclosing tea-bags

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a beverage infuser unit made as a disposable filter bag holding an amount of tea, coffee, cocoa, or the like and surrounded by an envelope having an openable or tearable mounting portion.
• These units are widely known as tea bags, some ⁇ times even referred to as 'tea letters' comprising both the inner tea bag and the outer envelope.
• tea bags Although the units may be used for products other than tea, they will here be named tea bags, because this reflects the pre ⁇ dominant use of the units. They are used in vast amounts in private housekeepings and not least in the restaurant trade in a wide sense.
• the envelope of the bag is usable as a used bag receptacle in such a manner that the used bag can be replaced in the envelope and then be laid anywhere without the leaking liquid flowing out from the envelope.
• the used bag in its envelope may even be deposited on a table cloth without causing inconvenience or remorse on the part of the user/customer or particular difficulties for the 'cloth owner*'.
• the used bags will occur as parti ⁇ cular waste without any annoying pollution effect of any kind.
• a first condition will be that the envelope is made of a liquid tight material, while it is normally made of a non-tight paper material. It is realized that economy is a decisive factor, but is has been found that the provision of an envelope of a thin and liquid proof sheet material is sufficiently competitive with paper.
• the waterproof envelopes will also serve to aromatically protect the contents of the bags until they are brought into actual use.
• the problem of how to design the envelopes for facilitating a leakproof replacement of the used tea bags therein may be solved in different manners.
• the envelope and thus also the tea bag it ⁇ self to be an oblong unit having a narrow mouthing por ⁇ tion that is foldable in a manner such that once the used tea bag has been replaced in the envelope, the narrow, open end portion of the latter may be closed by a simple folding of the relevant end of the elongated structure, provided this folding be self-holding.
• the envelope can be left lying on the table with its open end pointing upwardly, whereby no liquid can flow out of the refilled envelope.
• the tea bag member with the said oblong shape, in order to ensure that the length of the envelope mouthing portion required for the closing folding will not amount to, say half the entire length of the envelope, as it might then be difficult to house the used amount of tea in the other half.
• the length or height is increased, it is possible to reduce the width of the bag portion, and thus reduce the material consumption of the envelope.
• the filter material of the bag member should pre ⁇ ferably still be ordinary filter paper and, in order to make it foldable in a self holding manner, the filter bag can be connected with a frame or other reinforcing means able to be folded in that manner.
• the filter bag is provided with an insert consisting of a ⁇ -bent frame wire or a similar structure which is fold ⁇ able as required.
• it could be sufficient to arrange for such frame means only in the closing or folding area itself, but it is preferred to let the frame means extend all over the length of the bag, in order to stiffen the bag to make it easily introduceable into the envelope after use - and also to achieve the said spoon character of the oblong bag.
• Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an infuser packing according to the invention.
• Fig. 2 is a similar view of a packing, partly opened or separated.
• Fig. 3 is a perspective, exploded view of the infuser part of the unit.
• Fig. 4 is a lateral view thereof.
• Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the infuser part in used condition
• Figs. 6 and 7 are lateral views of the unit after use thereof.
• the packing shown in Fig. 1 appears as a closed capsule of a tubular, flat casing 2 made of a flexible and watertight foil or sheet material and closed at both ends, carrying an indication 4 of an end 6 adapted to be opened.
• an end 6 adapted to be opened.
• it is not a condition that this end 6 be closed, but it is preferred anyhow to close the end in some easily openable manner, by peel sealing or in any other suitable manner.
• the casing 2 is accessible for gripping and drawing out its contents, which, as shown in Fig. 2, is a filter bag member 8 having an upper plate portion 10 and an elongated filter bag portion 12 depending therefrom.
• the bag member 8 is preferably made with a reinforcing frame member 14 that may consist of metal wire, carboard, plastic or any other convenient and acceptable material mounted inside a filter bag 16.
• the reinforced bag 16 is then filled with the desired amount of infusing material, and the bag is then closed by means of the plate portion 10, which, as shown in Fig. 3, may be a folded plate member of any suitable material, which is fastened to the top of the bag structure 14, 16 in any suitable manner such as by glueing or welding.
• the unit 8 will be an integral element having a relatively stiff, lower filter bag portion 12 and an upper grip portion 10.
• the bag portion 12 may be lowered into the hot water in a cup or a pot, and it will even be possible to bend out the upper end of this unit 8 such that the unit can be carried on the upper edge of the cup or pot.
• the unit 8 will be applicable as a combined stirring and infusion device owing to the reinforcement of the filter bag 16 by the frame 14 and the stiff engagement thereof with the grip portion 10. Thence, the unit 8 is applicable as a teaspoon for stirring in the water and at the same time being the unit holding the relevant infusion material in a filter bag.
• the infusion material may collect at the bottom of the filter bag 16, after the use of the unit 8.
• the empty casing 2 may have been left lying oh a table surface, but now this casing is gripped and opened at its mounting end as shown in Fig. 5, whereafter the used bag unit 8 is reinserted into the casing 2.
• the top portion of the reinserted unit 8 may be bent upwardly, e.g. as shown in Fig. 6, relatively to the casing 2 being placed in a lying position on a horizontal support surface 18.
• the top part of the unit 8 is bent this will cause an almost similar bending of the mouthing portion of the casing 2, and this will be sufficient to ensure that no water will leave the lying casing holding the used unit 8.
• the used unit may be placed even on a table cloth without causing any damage.
• the said bending may be effected e.g. along a cross line A of the grip portion 10, above the reinforcing frame member 14, but another possibility is to effect a bending of the frame member itself (Fig. 7) , if it is capable of retaining a sufficient bending thereafter.
• the frame may even be provided with kerbs or the like for defining a bending area. It will not be inconvenient to effect the bending in a wet area, as it is done by exterior manipulation of the casing 2. There is no need to attempt to close the casing otherwise.
• the frame will not necessary have to be a preshaped structure mounted inside a filter bag. If it is preshaped of any suitable material, it could be used for the holding of two opposed filter sheets secured to the frame sides by glueing, welding or otherwise, thus forming an integral part of the bag itself. On the other hand, it will not need to be preshaped, as it can be provided by applying to the edges of the bag 16, optionally only to the side edges thereof, some relevant substance which will harden or be hardened into a reinforcing structure. Even the handle portion may be preparedin a similar manner, directly on a top portion of the filter bag member.
• the contents of the bag may be distributed over a relatively long length portion of the bag, corresponding to the contents being present, in a cup of water, in a relatively thin layer almost from the bottom to the top of the water, and it has been found that at least as far as tea is concerned the unit according to the invention has an increased brewing capacity compared with conventional tea bags. In practice this may imply that the bags may hold a reduced amount of tea, which will of course be highly important.
• the top end of the bag unit may be designed in any suitable manner as a relevant handle portion.
• the handle portion could well be of an extended length so as to be permanently foldable all by itself, without any overlapping with the frame member 14.
• the unit considered is of an oblong shape which, however, is not a goal in itself.
• the primary condition is that the casing has a reasonable length in order to be closed as described and thereafter to be laid on the table without readily tilting over into a position, in which it is rested on the folded mounthing portion.
• the latter portion should be of a length shorter than the remaining length, and the entire length should be noticeable, e.g. not less than the height of a cup.
• the casing itself is prepared in such a manner that at least one side thereof, viz. the one to be placed as the lower side on the table, can be folded in a self holding manner, then it will be sufficient to fold up a rather short end portion, as only a small amount of liquid is to be held back in the casing, and it will not matter whether the mounthing is wide or narrow.
• a casing could be designed to take up a conventional tea bag after use, and it would not have to be supplied as a part of the unit from the beginning.
• a permanently foldable strip is secured to the central area of one or both of the sides of the casing, optionally only along a short partial stretch next to the mounthing, whereby the casing material as such may still be easily flexible.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)
• Apparatus For Making Beverages (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=8093683

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (4)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 1993
  • 1993-04-21 DK DK44993A patent/DK44993D0/da not_active Application Discontinuation
• 1994
  • 1994-04-21 WO PCT/DK1994/000159 patent/WO1994023624A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1994-04-21 EP EP94913049A patent/EP0693892A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1994-04-21 JP JP6522645A patent/JPH08508660A/ja active Pending
  • 1994-04-21 AU AU65356/94A patent/AU6535694A/en not_active Abandoned

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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