EP0875467A1 - Improvements in or relating to infusion packages - Google Patents
Improvements in or relating to infusion packages Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0875467A1 EP0875467A1 EP98302945A EP98302945A EP0875467A1 EP 0875467 A1 EP0875467 A1 EP 0875467A1 EP 98302945 A EP98302945 A EP 98302945A EP 98302945 A EP98302945 A EP 98302945A EP 0875467 A1 EP0875467 A1 EP 0875467A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- string
- neck
- tag
- pouch
- infusion
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
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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
Definitions
- the present invention relates to infusion packages, or more specifically tea balls that have a string and tag.
- Tea bags have been made as pouches or tea balls. Examples of these are disclosed in US patent specifications US 1,672,518; US 1,775,347; US 2,115,122; US 2,146,096; CH 165,348 and EP 686,574. They all have strings and tags to provide convenient and hopefully mess-free handling.
- the tea ball design therefore retains an advantage for the consumer. They have their place but they difficult to make at the high speeds required to be economic today. Attaching the tags and transporting, collating and packing the completed bags is a difficult task as the strings and tags need to be controlled.
- the tag of the tea ball described in the aforementioned US 1,672,518 has a tag that includes a yolk portion for clipping the tag to the bag, however there is no teaching or suggestion that the string should be wound around the neck of the tea ball. A loop of string remains thus constituting only a partial solution to the problem of tangling.
- the present invention may in broad terms be said to be an infusion package comprising a pouch of porous material that is gathered together at its neck to contain an infusible substance, a string that is attached to the neck, and a tag that is attached to the free end of the string, the package being characterised in that when the string is wound around the neck of the pouch it remains wound by virtue of a yolk portion in the tag that can receive the neck.
- the infusion package may optionally include means for securing the pouch in a closed state and the string can be passed through the closure means as it is looped around the periphery of the package so that when the ends of the string are pulled in opposite directions the looped portion of the string causes any excess liquid contained in the package to be expressed.
- Figure 1 shows an infusion package of the invention with the string in an unwound state.
- Figure 2 shows the same infusion package shown of Figure 1 but with the string neatly wound around the neck of the pouch and the tag clipped in place to keep it that way.
- Figure 3 shows a squeezable version of the infusion package of the invention prior to use.
- Figure 4 shows the same infusion package shown in Figure 3 but in a used state.
- an infusion package 1 that comprises a pouch 5 that is made of porous material that has been gathered together at its neck 10 to contain an infusible substance 15, a string 20 that is attached to the neck, and a tag 25 that is attached to the free end of the string.
- the infusion package maximises the extraction of infusible solids from the infusible substance that is contained in the package.
- the tag 25 has a yolk portion 30 that is shaped to receive the neck 10 of the pouch 5.
- the tag can be made of tough paper, cardboard, plastic, or indeed any material that is suitable for the purpose.
- the yolk portion shown in the Figures is rounded but it need only be shaped in a manner that allows the tag to be clipped to the neck of the pouch.
- the porous material can be any material that is suitable for enabling water to infuse within the pouch without allowing any solid contents to leave the pouch, for example filter paper, nylon mesh, gauze, muslin or some other similar material or fabric.
- the pouch is preferably formed from a substantially square or circular piece of porous material.
- the infusible substance 15 can be any suitable infusible substance or mixture of infusible substances, preferably being suitable for preparing a beverage. That could be coffee, cocoa, or herbs but for present purposes the infusible substance is tea which is intended to include black, green, oolong, rooibos, mate or any other variety or product of a tea plant. It might also be desirable to include some instant tea or coffee, milk powder, sweetener or flavouring.
- the preferred porous material is muslin as that allows consumers to readily see, touch and smell the contents of the bag but also affords an appropriate material to encourage and not hinder infusion.
- Strings are often attached to known tea balls by a staple or other metal clip. Some consumers find that undesirable as they perceive that metal ions may dissolve into the infusion. It can also represent a significant material cost to the manufacturer. Strings are often attached to the tags of known tea balls, or indeed other infusion packages, by a staple or other metal clip, with the same disadvantages. In the infusion package of the present invention these problems are preferably avoided, or at least alleviated, by knotting the string to the bag and gluing the other end of the string to the tag. Suitable methods and materials are known in the art.
- the string 20 should be wound around the neck of the pouch and the tag clipped to the neck to keep the string in place. That can be accomplished by any suitable art-known means.
- tea balls Like most tea bag designs, used tea balls generally contain a significant volume of liquid. This can be aesthetically unpleasant and create a real risk that as the tea ball is removed from the cup for disposal some of the liquid remaining in the tea ball will drip onto and even stain the user's clothing or the table linen. For these reasons it is fortunate that the infusion package of the present invention can readily be adapted to take on a squeezable form. Such a bag is illustrated in Figures 3 and 4.
- an infusion package or bag 1 that comprises a pouch 5 that is made of porous material that has been gathered together at its neck 10 and contains an infusible substance (not shown).
- the pouch 5 is kept closed by closure means 15.
- the package also has a string 20 and a tag 25.
- the closure means 15 can simply be something that keeps the pouch closed. It may for example take the form of a ring or collar, be that of a metal or a plastics material, or some other fastening device such as a staple or clip. However some consumers find metal fasteners to be undesirable as they perceive that metal ions may dissolve into the infusion. It can also represent a significant material cost to the manufacturer. Plastic fasteners may be perceived as "cheap and nasty" and a possible source of contaminating chemicals. For these reasons in a preferred embodiment of the infusion package of the invention the closure means is formed from a knotted portion of cotton, thread or other suitable string material. The thread is preferably wound around the neck 10 of the bag a few times before being knotted so that it will withstand the stresses that may be exerted on the bag.
- the string 20 passes through the closure means 15 as it loops around the periphery of the package so that when the ends of the string are pulled in opposite directions the looped portion of the string will express any excess liquid contained therein.
- the tag 25 comprises two tag portions 25a and 25b.
- One end of the string 20 is attached by some suitable means to tag portion 25a and the other end of the string 20 is attached by some suitable means to tag portion 25b.
- the tag portions 25a and 25b are separable by tearing along a line of perforations 30.
- both ends of the string 20 could be attached to a unitary tag and the bag 1 could be squeezed by holding the neck 10 of the bag 1 in the hand and using the tag to pull both ends of the string away from the bag.
- the closure means might take the form of a disc and the pouch 5 could be squeezed against it as the ends of the string are pulled away from the neck be that in the same or in opposite directions.
Abstract
An infusion package comprising a pouch (5) of porous material
that is gathered together at its neck (10) to contain an
infusible substance (15), a string (20) that is attached to the
neck, and a tag (25) that is attached to the free end of the
string, the package being characterised in that when the
string is wound around the neck of the pouch it remains
wound by virtue of a yolk portion (30) in the tag that can
receive the neck.
Description
The present invention relates to infusion packages, or
more specifically tea balls that have a string and tag.
In AD 780 Lu Yu wrote in his "Book on Tea" that tea could
be brewed between two sheets of paper but the invention
of the tea bag as we know it is more commonly attributed
to an American, Mr Sullivan, at the beginning of this
century. He is said to have distributed small samples
of his tea in tiny silk sacks which he later found
customers were simply placing in a tea pot and using
unopened.
Tea bags have been made as pouches or tea balls.
Examples of these are disclosed in US patent
specifications US 1,672,518; US 1,775,347; US 2,115,122;
US 2,146,096; CH 165,348 and EP 686,574. They all have
strings and tags to provide convenient and hopefully
mess-free handling.
Nowadays heat-sealable filter paper is commonly used for
making planar single chambered or more complex double
chambered infusion bags at high speeds and volumes.
Strings and tags are common as machines for making planar
infusion packages have been developed to add them to or
make them with the bags.
However the amount of solids extracted from an infusible
material is directly proportional to the surface to
volume ratio of the infusible material and the infusing
liquid. That means the most efficient shape for an
infusion package is of equal width in all three
dimensions, ie spherical. When standard rectangular tea
bags are immersed in hot or cold, they tend to swell a
little but their construction prevents them from even
approximating a spherical shape. Indeed infusible
material is substantially restricted to circulating in
two dimensions.
The tea ball design therefore retains an advantage for
the consumer. They have their place but they difficult
to make at the high speeds required to be economic today.
Attaching the tags and transporting, collating and
packing the completed bags is a difficult task as the
strings and tags need to be controlled.
Storing tea balls that have strings and tags can also
create problems as the strings and tags inevitably
intertwine and form knots. This means the purchaser can
be greeted by an infuriating and unsightly mess of
tangled strings, tags and bags.
In spite of the above problems tea balls are still
available today, although usually as up-market products
that contain a particularly high quality tea. The price
of such products reflects that and the generally much
slower method of manufacture.
We have however developed an infusion package in the tea
ball style with a string and tag that avoids or at least
alleviates the problems concerned with controlling the
strings by providing the tag with a yolk portion which
when the string has been wound around the neck of the
pouch enables the tag to be clipped to the neck of the
pouch and keep the string in place.
The tag of the tea ball described in the aforementioned
US 1,672,518 has a tag that includes a yolk portion for
clipping the tag to the bag, however there is no teaching
or suggestion that the string should be wound around the
neck of the tea ball. A loop of string remains thus
constituting only a partial solution to the problem of
tangling.
The present invention may in broad terms be said to be an
infusion package comprising a pouch of porous material
that is gathered together at its neck to contain an
infusible substance, a string that is attached to the
neck, and a tag that is attached to the free end of the
string, the package being characterised in that when the
string is wound around the neck of the pouch it remains
wound by virtue of a yolk portion in the tag that can
receive the neck.
The infusion package may optionally include means for
securing the pouch in a closed state and the string can
be passed through the closure means as it is looped
around the periphery of the package so that when the ends
of the string are pulled in opposite directions the
looped portion of the string causes any excess liquid
contained in the package to be expressed.
The infusion package of the present invention will now be
described with reference to the following schematic
drawings wherein:
Figure 1 shows an infusion package of the invention with
the string in an unwound state.
Figure 2 shows the same infusion package shown of Figure
1 but with the string neatly wound around the neck of the
pouch and the tag clipped in place to keep it that way.
Figure 3 shows a squeezable version of the infusion
package of the invention prior to use.
Figure 4 shows the same infusion package shown in Figure
3 but in a used state.
Referring to Figure 1 there is provided an infusion
package 1 that comprises a pouch 5 that is made of porous
material that has been gathered together at its neck 10
to contain an infusible substance 15, a string 20 that is
attached to the neck, and a tag 25 that is attached to
the free end of the string.
Being substantially spherical the infusion package
maximises the extraction of infusible solids from the
infusible substance that is contained in the package.
The tag 25 has a yolk portion 30 that is shaped to
receive the neck 10 of the pouch 5. The tag can be made
of tough paper, cardboard, plastic, or indeed any
material that is suitable for the purpose. The yolk
portion shown in the Figures is rounded but it need only
be shaped in a manner that allows the tag to be clipped
to the neck of the pouch.
The porous material can be any material that is suitable
for enabling water to infuse within the pouch without
allowing any solid contents to leave the pouch, for
example filter paper, nylon mesh, gauze, muslin or some
other similar material or fabric.
The pouch is preferably formed from a substantially
square or circular piece of porous material.
The infusible substance 15 can be any suitable infusible
substance or mixture of infusible substances, preferably
being suitable for preparing a beverage. That could be
coffee, cocoa, or herbs but for present purposes the
infusible substance is tea which is intended to include
black, green, oolong, rooibos, mate or any other variety
or product of a tea plant. It might also be desirable to
include some instant tea or coffee, milk powder,
sweetener or flavouring.
When the infusible substance is tea the preferred porous
material is muslin as that allows consumers to readily
see, touch and smell the contents of the bag but also
affords an appropriate material to encourage and not
hinder infusion.
Strings are often attached to known tea balls by a staple
or other metal clip. Some consumers find that
undesirable as they perceive that metal ions may dissolve
into the infusion. It can also represent a significant
material cost to the manufacturer. Strings are often
attached to the tags of known tea balls, or indeed other
infusion packages, by a staple or other metal clip, with
the same disadvantages. In the infusion package of the
present invention these problems are preferably avoided,
or at least alleviated, by knotting the string to the bag
and gluing the other end of the string to the tag.
Suitable methods and materials are known in the art.
The string 20 should be wound around the neck of the
pouch and the tag clipped to the neck to keep the string
in place. That can be accomplished by any suitable art-known
means.
Like most tea bag designs, used tea balls generally
contain a significant volume of liquid. This can be
aesthetically unpleasant and create a real risk that as
the tea ball is removed from the cup for disposal some of
the liquid remaining in the tea ball will drip onto and
even stain the user's clothing or the table linen. For
these reasons it is fortunate that the infusion package
of the present invention can readily be adapted to take
on a squeezable form. Such a bag is illustrated in
Figures 3 and 4.
Referring to Figure 3 there is provided an infusion
package or bag 1 that comprises a pouch 5 that is made of
porous material that has been gathered together at its
neck 10 and contains an infusible substance (not shown).
The pouch 5 is kept closed by closure means 15. As
before, the package also has a string 20 and a tag 25.
The closure means 15 can simply be something that keeps
the pouch closed. It may for example take the form of a
ring or collar, be that of a metal or a plastics
material, or some other fastening device such as a staple
or clip. However some consumers find metal fasteners to
be undesirable as they perceive that metal ions may
dissolve into the infusion. It can also represent a
significant material cost to the manufacturer. Plastic
fasteners may be perceived as "cheap and nasty" and a
possible source of contaminating chemicals. For these
reasons in a preferred embodiment of the infusion package
of the invention the closure means is formed from a
knotted portion of cotton, thread or other suitable
string material. The thread is preferably wound around
the neck 10 of the bag a few times before being knotted
so that it will withstand the stresses that may be
exerted on the bag.
The string 20 passes through the closure means 15 as it
loops around the periphery of the package so that when
the ends of the string are pulled in opposite directions
the looped portion of the string will express any excess
liquid contained therein.
This squeezing action is made easier if both ends of the
string 20 are secured to a tag 25. In the preferred
embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 4 the tag 25 comprises
two tag portions 25a and 25b. One end of the string 20
is attached by some suitable means to tag portion 25a and
the other end of the string 20 is attached by some
suitable means to tag portion 25b. The tag portions 25a
and 25b are separable by tearing along a line of
perforations 30.
One skilled in the art would appreciate a number of
variations would be possible. For example both ends of
the string 20 could be attached to a unitary tag and the
bag 1 could be squeezed by holding the neck 10 of the bag
1 in the hand and using the tag to pull both ends of the
string away from the bag. The closure means might take
the form of a disc and the pouch 5 could be squeezed
against it as the ends of the string are pulled away from
the neck be that in the same or in opposite directions.
One might even attach one end of the string to the
closure means and squeeze the bag by pulling the other
end of the string.
Claims (7)
- An infusion package comprising a pouch of porous material that is gathered together at its neck to contain an infusible substance, a string that is attached to the neck, and a tag that is attached to the free end of the string, the package being characterised in that when the string is wound around the neck of the pouch it remains wound by virtue of a yolk portion in the tag that can receive the neck.
- An infusion package according to claim 1 which includes means for securing the pouch in a closed state.
- An infusion package according to claim 2 wherein the string passes through the closure means as it is looped around the periphery of the package so that when the ends of the string are pulled in opposite directions the looped portion of the string causes any excess liquid contained in the package to be expressed.
- An infusion package according to claim 2 wherein the closure means is a staple or clip.
- An infusion package according to claim 2 wherein the closure means is a portion of knotted thread.
- An infusion package according to claim 3 wherein both ends of the string are attached to a single tag that can be split to form two separate tags.
- An infusion package according to any preceding claim wherein the infusible substance is tea.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| EP98302945A EP0875467A1 (en) | 1997-04-23 | 1998-04-16 | Improvements in or relating to infusion packages |
Applications Claiming Priority (5)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| EP97302775 | 1997-04-23 | ||
| EP97302775 | 1997-04-23 | ||
| EP97305759 | 1997-07-31 | ||
| EP97305759 | 1997-07-31 | ||
| EP98302945A EP0875467A1 (en) | 1997-04-23 | 1998-04-16 | Improvements in or relating to infusion packages |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| EP0875467A1 true EP0875467A1 (en) | 1998-11-04 |
Family
ID=27238608
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| EP98302945A Withdrawn EP0875467A1 (en) | 1997-04-23 | 1998-04-16 | Improvements in or relating to infusion packages |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP0875467A1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US7779753B2 (en) * | 2006-04-27 | 2010-08-24 | Yaji, Inc. | Tea ball with string |
| WO2014186688A2 (en) * | 2013-05-16 | 2014-11-20 | Julie Forrest | Tea storage, infusion, and disposal |
Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US1672518A (en) * | 1928-03-06 | 1928-06-05 | Ensko Robert | Tea ball |
| CH165348A (en) * | 1932-07-21 | 1933-11-15 | Rikli Albert | Hanging bags for tea. |
| WO1994007763A1 (en) * | 1992-10-02 | 1994-04-14 | Unilever Plc | Infusion packets |
-
1998
- 1998-04-16 EP EP98302945A patent/EP0875467A1/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US1672518A (en) * | 1928-03-06 | 1928-06-05 | Ensko Robert | Tea ball |
| CH165348A (en) * | 1932-07-21 | 1933-11-15 | Rikli Albert | Hanging bags for tea. |
| WO1994007763A1 (en) * | 1992-10-02 | 1994-04-14 | Unilever Plc | Infusion packets |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US7779753B2 (en) * | 2006-04-27 | 2010-08-24 | Yaji, Inc. | Tea ball with string |
| WO2014186688A2 (en) * | 2013-05-16 | 2014-11-20 | Julie Forrest | Tea storage, infusion, and disposal |
| WO2014186688A3 (en) * | 2013-05-16 | 2015-01-22 | Julie Forrest | Tea storage, infusion, and disposal |
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| 17P | Request for examination filed |
Effective date: 19981105 |
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| RAP1 | Party data changed (applicant data changed or rights of an application transferred) |
Owner name: UNILEVER N.V. Owner name: UNILEVER PLC |
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