JPS624307B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention relates to an infusion package, for example, an infusion package for black tea, green tea, etc.

PRIOR ART In the prior art, there existed infusion packages such as those disclosed in British Patent No. 1,575,845. The infusion package includes a bag made of liquid-permeable material having a stable bottom of a large volume surrounding a three-dimensional interior space and containing the substance to be infused. The bag has a crease that transforms the bag from a stable shape of large volume to a flattened shape of relatively small internal volume, and a tensioning device fixed to the bag.

The disadvantage of this package in the conventional technology is that
Before brewing, it is expanded into a stable shape with a large volume, and having such a stable shape with a large volume means that
Less restraint on the tea leaf particles and pre-filling of air in the extra volume when the bag is expanded to prevent collapse when the bag is immersed in liquid and immersed. However, in the conventional packaging, expanding the bag into a stable shape with a large volume requires manual work on both sides of the crease. It had to be opened outwards. Although the bag cages of the prior art were equipped with a tensioning device such as a string as mentioned above, this only served to suspend the bag in the hot water.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) Therefore, in the packaging according to the prior art, before brewing, the bag must be manually opened on both sides of the fold so that it has a large volume. This required a lot of painstaking work.

The present invention overcomes such inconveniences in the prior art and eliminates the need to manually increase the volume of the bag before brewing, and the bag automatically maintains a stable shape with a large volume by simply pulling the tension device. The purpose is to obtain a decoction package that will give the desired result.

Means for Solving the Problems The infusion package of the present invention is characterized in that the bag, which is formed of a liquid-permeable material and contains the substance to be infused, has an upper seam, a lower seam, and a stable shape of a large volume. a fold that flattens the bag into a configuration with a relatively small internal volume, the fold intersecting the top seam and being generally parallel to the bottom seam, and having a crease that flattens the bag into a shape with a relatively small internal volume, the fold intersecting the top seam and being generally parallel to the bottom seam, and having a It has a tensioning device that is fixed and expands the bag from its collapsed, flat configuration.

(Operation) By pulling the tensioning device, the bag is expanded into a stable shape with a large volume surrounding the three-dimensional refractive index. When the bag is expanded, air enters the extra volume, which prevents the bag from collapsing when it is immersed in liquid; It comes into the. The liquid is free to move around the infused material, so that the entire surface area of all the infused material is in contact with the liquid.

(Example) Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 3 show perspective views of an embodiment of the infusion package of the invention in various states. The brewing package 10 comprises a bag 12, a plastic strip 13 forming a tensioning device, and a tab 14. Band 13 and tab 14 are connected by staples 15. Band 13 is glued to top seam 17 as shown in FIG. Of course, the band 13 can also be fixed to the upper seam 17, for example by heat sealing. Also, instead of the belt 13, an ordinary string may be used. As used herein, the term "pulling device" includes a string, a thin elongated plastic strip, or any other elongated member by which a bag can be dipped into and pulled out of a cup or pot.

FIG. 2 shows a packet or wrapper 18 that encloses the brewing package 10. As is well known in the art, tab 14 may be a portion that is torn away from the sidewall of packet 18, and the packet sidewall is perforated to facilitate tearing.

FIG. 3 shows the bag 12 expanded into a substantially tetrahedral shape. This is the shape of a pot that is ready for brewing tea.

The bag 12 is closed at its upper end by an upper seam 17 extending laterally across the top or upper end and at its lower end by a lower seam 21 extending laterally across the bottom or lower end. It also includes a cylindrical main body portion 20. The upper seam 17 and the lower seam 21 are not parallel, but intersect with each other when viewed from above or below. In particular, in the illustrated embodiment the seams intersect at approximately right angles. In this embodiment, the seams are also perpendicular to the axis or longitudinal direction of the body portion 20. The side seam 22 forming the cylindrical body portion 20 is clearly visible in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3. The material from which the bag 12 is made may be liquid permeable paper or other materials well known in the art.

The term "approximately tetrahedral shaped" means that the cylindrical body portion 20 may be exactly tetrahedral shaped if desired, but that the cylindrical body portion 20 may be formed into four sharp flats with distinct folds in the body portion of the bag. It is noted that there is no need to create sides, and a somewhat rounded portion may be left between the top seam 17 and the bottom seam 21 as shown.

Bag 12 can be formed into a flattened shape as shown in FIG. 1 by means of fold lines 23, 24, and 25. Fold line 24 crosses at or near the center of upper seam 17 and extends generally parallel to lower seam 21 . Folds 23 and 25 are upper seam 1
Starting from each end of this on both sides of 7, fold 24
They meet at point 24' above. Decoction package 1
0 is folded along the folds and packaged in a packet 18, which is then placed in a small carton along with a number of other infusion packages.

Band 13 is attached to top seam 17 on or near fold line 24 . Thus, as the bag 12 is withdrawn from the packet 18, it begins to open and air enters the bag 12. This prevents the bag 12 from collapsing when immersed in liquid.

For most effective use, top seam 1
7 can be pulled until it is in a straight or almost straight position. This causes the bag 12 to approximate a tetrahedral shape and maintain a stable, expanded three-dimensional shape. Line 26 in FIG. 3 indicates the level of dry tea in the erected bag 12.
As can be seen from this figure, a large portion of the internal space is left free in the bag 12, which not only does not hinder the expansion of the tee, but also allows for a large amount of slack, allowing for better contact between the liquid and the tee. A better flow of tea and liquid and therefore better infusion is possible. The bag of the brewing package according to the invention can accommodate tea in less than half the expanded bag volume without increasing its overall height and width over conventional bags. As an actual example, the height of the bag is approximately 57.2 mm (21/4
″), and the width is approximately 38.1 mm (11/2″). This is the same height and width as the widely available T-Bag.

Next, a method for manufacturing the infusion package shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 will be explained with reference to FIG. 4, which shows each manufacturing step. The steps shown in FIG. 4 can be performed automatically and continuously, or partially or wholly manually, and the steps shown in FIG.
Bags are manufactured from. The web 30 is first formed into a tube at a station 31.
This causes the web 30 of liquid permeable material to be shunted 32.
continuously around the periphery, and its both side edges 3
3 and 34 are heat-sealed or sealed to form figures 1 to 3.
This is done by forming a side seam 22 as seen in the figures.

The cylinder thus formed is sealed at a downstream station 35 by, for example, a pair of sealing bars 36. The sealing bar 36 is sandwiched across the width of the tube and heat is applied to bond the adhesive at the top and bottom seams, or if the liquid permeable material of the bag is a thermoplastic material. creates a seam by heat-sealing the materials themselves. These seams are formed so that every other seam intersects each other at 90°. This is accomplished by rotating the pair of sealing bars 36 through 90 degrees or by providing a second pair of sealing bars (not shown) perpendicular to the pair of sealing bars 36 and operating them alternately. be exposed.

Appropriate distribution device 3 for each seam made
8, the contents, for example a dose of tea, are placed. Although the strip 13 may be attached at any stage of the bag manufacturing process, in the embodiment of FIG. 4, the plastic strip 13 is attached to the top seam 17 by stapling or heating at station 40 to form a tensioning device. do.

The next station 42 shears the web 30 into individual packages. A pair of blades 43 is provided for this purpose. These blades 43 may also be rotated 90° to shear each seam to create the upper and lower seams of individual bags, or alternatively a second blade 43 placed 90° offset relative to the pair of blades 43 may be used. A pair of blades (not shown) may be provided and the blades may be operated alternately.

Subsequently, at station 45, the folds 23, 24, 25 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are created. Fold line 24 crosses top seam 17;
It is made approximately parallel to the lower seam 21. This is done by holding down the ends of the upper seam 17 on both sides and folding its central part inward, and can be carried out either manually or automatically. The bag is thus folded and flattened for packaging.

Packets 18 are covered at station 46 as required. If the tab 14 is part of the packet 18, attachment of the tab 14 to the band 13 is done here.

At the final station 48, the infusion packages are packaged in boxes 49 for transport or marketing. Box 49 houses a plurality of packets 18, each containing a folded and flattened brewing package. In this way, more bags can be packaged than if the bags were packaged in their tetrahedral shape.

The bags of the present invention can be made from conventional water permeable sheets used to make conventional tea bags. Preference is given to using so-called heat seal tea bag paper.

The bag according to the invention can contain various types of contents. Generally this is soft plant material such as leaves (actually most leaves, plus a proportion of bamboo shoots and shoots), petals, and flowers from which a drink can be made. The most commonly used infusion materials are:
Tea plant (Camellia synesis)
sinesis), (L) 0. Kunze]. Depending on how long the collected tea leaves are fermented until hot by the natural enzymes in the leaves, the leaves become green, black, or oolong tea. A variety of other soft plant materials, such as pine, chamomile, mint, verbien, linden, hibiscus, cherry blossom, camfrey, and alfalfa, are infused throughout the world as recreational drinks and for medicinal purposes. used for a purpose. Furthermore, the brewing package of the present invention can also be used to brew ground coffee beans.

When the tensioning device is pulled in the infusion package of the present invention, the bag is automatically expanded and air is first admitted into the extra volume so that the bag does not collapse even when it is immersed in liquid. Next, liquid is introduced into the bag to replace this air. The liquid moves freely around the substance being infused, resulting in faster and more effective infusion. It is thus also possible to reduce the amount of substance that is infused. In addition, since it is possible to make a good infusion from a mixed tea, it is also possible to select the mixture of tea relatively freely.

The liquid-permeable material that forms the bag is approximately
It can be reduced by 40%.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the present invention, by simply pulling the tension device, the bag automatically becomes a stable shape with a large volume surrounding a three-dimensional internal space, and the bag itself is expanded to a large volume by hand. Since it is not necessary to do this, a decoction package that is convenient to handle is obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the bag in its folded state for packaging; Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the bags being removed from their respective packets;
The figure is a perspective view showing the bag in an expanded and stable shape during brewing, and FIG. be. 10...Decoction package cage, 12...Bag, 13...Obi, 14...Tab, 17...Top seam, 18...Packet, 20...Body part, 2
1...Lower seam, 22...Side seam, 23,
24, 25...Fold, 26...Line, 31,
35, 40, 42, 45, 46, 48...Station, 30...Web, 32...Show, 3
3, 34...Side edge portion, 36...Sealing bar, 38...
...dispensing device, 43...blade.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An infusion package having a bag made of liquid-permeable material having a stable shape of a large volume enclosing a three-dimensional internal space and containing the substance to be infused, said bag having an upper seam 17
, a lower seam 21 and a fold line 24 which flattens the bag from a stable shape of large volume to a shape of relatively small internal volume;
4 intersects the upper seam 17 and is substantially parallel to the lower seam 21, and is fixed to the upper seam 17 on or near the fold line 24 to form a flat shape in which the bag is folded; Tension device 1 for expanding from
A decoction package characterized by having 3.