GB2566735A

GB2566735A - Device for infusion

Info

Publication number: GB2566735A
Application number: GB1715497.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Milne Downey Donald
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2017-09-25
Filing date: 2017-09-25
Publication date: 2019-03-27
Also published as: GB201715497D0

Abstract

An infusion device comprising: a sachet 11 formed of porous liquid-resistant walls, a thread 12, and a tag 13 comprising flaps 14, 15 moveable towards each other, the sachet having a top region 22 and a bottom region 19. The thread has a first part which extends from above the top of the sachet downwardly over a first outer face of the sachet and under the bottom region of the sachet and upwardly over a second face of the sachet, there being a loop on the second outer face adjacent to the top region of the sachet through which the thread passes to form a noose around the sachet, the tag being slidable downwardly along the first part of the thread into contact with the sachet for the flaps to squeeze the sachet. The loop may be formed by a section of the second part of the thread, and may be formed by one or more bridge means attached to the second outer face. The bridge means may be attached by sewing, welding, stapling or adhesive. The thread may also have a third part connected to the second and configured to loop around the sachet so the first and third parts are slidingly received by the tag.

Description

Device for Infusion

The present invention relates to a device for infusing a infusionable substance. Devices of this type are known. A common example is a tea bag, which is often in the form of a sachet formed of porous, waterresistant paper or plastics material containing tea. Such tea bags are usually provided with a paper tag connected to the sachet so that the user can hold the tag to manipulate the sachet in hot water without the user's fingers contacting the water.

A drawback of known tea bags is that when withdrawn from the infusing hot water, they drip which is a nuisance. Moreover, the drips represent infused liquid which is wasted. Furthermore, the used teabag is relatively saturated with concentrated infusate which is normally unusable.

The present invention related to an improved infusing device. The improved device of the invention is defined, in one aspect, by claim 1 of the set of claims following this description. In another aspect, the improved device is defined by the other independent claim (claim 5) of the set of claims following this description. Optional and/or preferred features of the invention form features of other claims of the set of claims.

The invention is now described with reference to the non-limitative embodiments shown in the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

Figures 1, 2 and 3 are each perspective views of three embodiments;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment of Fig. 3 after use;

Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 are each perspective views of four further embodiments.

Reference is first made to Fig. 1 wherein the infusion device is indicated generally by reference 10. The device 10 comprises a sachet 11 formed from porous paper or plastics material, preferably biodegradable material. In use, the sachet 11 contains infusionable substance, usually tea (not shaown). The device comprises a thread or cord 12 and a tag 13 which is mounted to slide along the thread or cord 12. The tag 13 is formed stiff paper or card and folded at fold 16 to provide two flaps 14, 15 which are effectively hinged to each other. The thread or cord 12 extends, in normal use, downwardly from a knot 17 at its top end, through a suitable hole (not shown) in the fold 16 of the tag 13, and over one side 18 of the sachet 11, under the bottom 19 of the sachet and upwardly over the other side 20 and over the top 21 of the sachet, the thread being attached to a top region of the side 18 at region 22 by any suitable means, which in this instance is by sewing, The part 23 of the thread or cord which extends over the top region 21 of the sachet loops over the part of the thread extending in an arch or loop or bight downwards over the said one side 18 of the sachet so as, in effect, to form a noose around the sachet. It will be appreciated that upwardly pulling the thread 12 while restraining the top of the sachet 11 will cause the noose to tighten around the sachet resulting in expulsion of infusate liquid from the sachet 11.

A significant point in relation to the embodiment of Fig. 1 and other embodiments is that the upward pull on the thread 12 causes the bottom region of the sachet 11 to be moved upwardly (as shown) towards the top region thereof thereby squashing the sachet 11 and its contents in a vertical sense thereby promoting the expulsion of liquid from the sachet. Another significant point is that the flaps 14, 15 of the tag 13 can be slidden down along the thread or cord 12 so as to be located on respective opposite sides 18, 20 of the sachet llwhereupon the flaps may be used to squeeze the sides 18, 20 of the sachet together (e.g., by the user squeezing the flaps towards each other) to expel further amounts of liquid from the sachet 11. The combined actions of the thread and the flaps squeezes and squashes the sachet to cause expulsion of much of the infused liquid from the sachet. This is further described with reference to Fig. 4 hereof.

The embodiment of Fig. 2 is largely similar to that of Fig. 1 except that the thread or cord is wound around the sachet in the opposite sense to that of Fig. 1 and the part 23 of the thread or cord is attached to the top region of the side 18 of the sachet 11 by means of a staple 24, The working of this embodiment, described below, is substantially the same as the working of the embodiment of Fig. 1.

In the embodiment of Fig. 3, the part 23 of the thread is attached to the top region of the side 18 of the sachet 11 by means of a tab 25 which is fused to the top region of the side 18. The tab 25 may be of water-resistant paper or a suitable plastics material (preferably biodegradable) and it may be fused to the sachet by any suitable technique.

In Fig. 4, the used device has been withdrawn from an immersion in infusing hot water (or other liquid) so that the tea (or other infusionable substance), not shown, within the sachet is saturated with liquid which forms drops which drip from the sachet. The drops can be a nuisance to the user, but they can be regarded as a useful resource in the use of devices of the invention. The drops are of relatively concentrated infusate, and the sachet contains further amounts of infusate which would normally be wasted in known devices. Fig. 4 shows how additional quantities of infusate are recovered from the used device. The tag 13 is slidden down the thread 12 into contact with the sachet 11 so that the flaps 14, 15 contact opposite sides of the sachet, causing the sachet to crumple under the tension in the thread or cord. The user uses the flaps 14, 15 to squeeze the sachet, The result of the crumpling and squeezing is that much of the infusate which would otherwise be retained in the sachet is expelled and can be added to the infusate which would normally be obtained. A potential benefit of this is that the amount of tea (or other infusionable substance) required in the sachet for a given strength of recoverable infusate can be reduced, thereby improving the economics arising from devices of the invention.

Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 show devices in which the noose formed around the sachet by the thread or cord is formed in different ways. In Fig. 5, the thread 12 is attached (e.g., by welding, heat-sealing or adhesive) to a top region of the sachet at a location indicated by reference 30, from where it extends downwardly over the side of the sachet and then under the sachet and upward over the other side of the sachet and over the top region thereof where it is formed in a loop 31which passes under the downwardlyextending thread, and finally extends upwards to the location of the tag 13. It will be appreciated that sliding the tag 13 down the thread 12 into contact with the sachet while pulling upwards on the thread causes the sachet to be crumpled and squeezed substantially as shown in Fig. 4.

In Fig. 6, one end of the thread 12 is formed into a loop 32. The thread is wound around the sachet and through the loop to form a noose which can be used to facilitate the crumpling and squeezing of the sachet as explained in connection with Fig. 4.

In the device of Fig. 7, the thread is in the form of a tape 33 which is formed at one end into a loop 34. The loop 34 is maintained in situ by a staple 35 which attaches part of the loop 34 to a top region of the sachet. The remainder of the tape is wound around the sachet and through the loop 34 to form a noose which can be used to crumple the sachet, as explained with reference to Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 shows a device in which the thread is formed into a loop 36 from both ends of which lengths of the thread are wound around the sachet and through the loop 36 to form a noose which can serve to crumple the sachet, as herein described.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A device for infusing an infusionable substance comprising a sachet for containing infusionable substance, the sachet comprising porous, liquid-resistant walls, a thread or cord, and a tag, wherein the sachet has a top region which, in use, is normally at the top of the sachet, and a bottom region which, in use, is normally at the bottom of the sachet, the tag comprising flaps which are movable towards each other, the thread or cord having a first part which extends from above the top region of the sachet downwardly over a first outer face of the sachet and under the bottom region of the sachet and a second part which extends upwardly over a second outer face of the sachet, there being a loop or bridge member at or on the second outer face of the sachet adjacent to the top region of the sachet through which the first part of the thread or cord passes to form a noose around the sachet, the tag being slidable downwardly along the first part of the thread into contact with the sachet for the flaps to squeeze the sachet.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the loop is formed by a looped section of the second part of the thread or cord.

3. The device of claim 1 in which the loop or bridge member is formed by one or more bridge means attached to the second outer face.

4. The device of claim 4 in which the bridge means is attached to the second outer face by sewing, welding, stapling, or adhesive.

5. A device for infusing an infusionable substance comprising a sachet for containing infusible substance, the sachet comprising porous, liquid-resistant walls, a thread or cord, and a tag, wherein the sachet has a top region which, in use, is normally at the top of the sachet, and a bottom region which, in use, is normally at the bottom of the sachet, the tag comprising flaps which are movable towards each other, wherein the thread or cord comprises a first part which, in use, is normally above the top region of the sachet, a second part connected to the first part which extends around a first outer face of the sachet and under the bottom region of the sachet and upwardly over a second outer face of the sachet, a third part connected to the second part and which, in the vicinity of the top region of the sachet forms a loop or bight which loops around the second part of the thread or cord and extends downwardly therefrom over the second outer face of the sachet and under the bottom region and upwardly over the first outer face of the sachet and through the loop or bight and extends upwardly therefrom, the first and third parts of the thread or cord being slidingly received by the tag so that the tag can be slidden along the first and third parts into contact with the sachet whereby the flaps can be used to squeeze the sachet.

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