US3550528A

US3550528A - Teabag squeezer and holder

Info

Publication number: US3550528A
Application number: US786881A
Authority: US
Inventors: Thomas Montague O'neill
Original assignee: THOMAS MONTAGUE O NEILL
Current assignee: THOMAS MONTAGUE O NEILL
Priority date: 1968-12-26
Filing date: 1968-12-26
Publication date: 1970-12-29
Anticipated expiration: 1987-12-29

Description

I United States Patent 1111 3,550,528

[ 72 1 Inventor Thomas Montague O'Neill [56] References Cited 148 College Ave., Poughkeepsie, N.Y. UNITED STATES PATENTS V 12603 1,163,507 12/1915 Carroll 9. 100/211 [2 1 pp M 786331 2,308,241 1/1943 Hogaboomu. 99/771 [221 Flled Dec-26,1968 2,688,914 9/1954 Eckler 100/211 [451 Palemed 2.800.408 7/1957 Fimple 99/771 3,159,096 12/1964 Tocker 100/211 Primar ExaminerBilly J. Wilhite [54] TEABAG SQUEEZER AND HOLDER Attorneys-Charles E. Baxley and Thomas E. Tate 3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs. [52] US. Cl. 100/211, ABSTRACT: This invention is directed to a teabag holder and 99/77.]: 100/234 squeezer having a pair of from and rear panels hingedly con- [51] Inn Cl B30b 5/02 nected along their top edges. The side edges of the panels are [50] Field of Search 99/7711; connected by triangular bellows-folded gussets and a perlOO/l 10, 211, 234; 146/39 forated inner liner is secured to the inner faces of the panels.

PATENTED UEC29 I970 INVENTOR. gaze 0771 maa 7770 A RNEYS:

TEABAG SQUEEZER AND HOLDER THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to new and useful improvements in the packaging of teabags and particularly seeks to provide a novel combined squeezer and holder for used teabags that enables any remaining liquid to be expressed therefrom without coming into contact with the users fingers.

Heretofore, many efforts have been made to provide devices that could be used to squeeze any remaining liquid from a used teabag, but most such devices are deficient in that edge portions of the teabag protrude thus pennitting free liquid to appear on the exposed edges and in that any free liquid that is expressed through-the faces of the teabag will have a delayed drip from the inner faces of such devices.

However, a teabag squeezer and holder constructed in accordance with this invention overcomes the above mentioned deficiencies and enables the liquid remaining in a used teabag to be squeezed out without any messiness or delayed dripping.

Therefore, an object of this invention is to provide a teabag squeezer and holder having front and rear panels hingedly connected at their top edges and having their side edges connected by generally triangular bellows-folded gussets so that the holder will have a wedge-shaped void when opened for the reception of a teabag.

Another object of this invention is to provide a holder of the character stated having a perforated inner liner coextensive with the inner faces of the front and rear panels for retaining any residual liquid that may be expressed from the faces of a teabag when the panels are squeezedtoward each other after the teabag has been drawn into the wedge-shaped void.

A further object of this invention is to provide a holder of the character stated that is usable with either single or multicompartment teabags.

A further object of this invention is to provide a holder of the character stated that serves as a protective package for a fresh teabag prior to use and as a disposable package therefor after use.

With these and other objects, the nature of which will be apparent, the invention will be more fully understood by reference to the drawings, the accompanying detailed description and the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a teabag squeezer and holder constructed in accordance with this invention and shows the holder in its flattened condition prior to the reception of a teabag;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation thereof, but showing the holder in its fully opened position;

FIG. 3 is a transverse section taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

F IG. 4 is a horizontal section taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1, but with the holder partly open.

Referring to the drawings in detail the invention, as illustrated, is embodied in a packagethat includes a teabag 5 having an immersion string 6 extending from the center of the upper edge thereof and an outer combined holder and squeezer generally indicated 7.

The holder 7 is adapted to receive and retain substantially the entirety of the teabag 5 with the bottom thereof exposed and includes matching front and rear panels 8.8 hingedly connected along their top edges by a fold line 9. The side edges of the panels 8 are connected by a pair of generally

triangular gussets

10,10 that are normally folded inwardly along fold lines 11,11 to form a bellows fold and are adhesively or otherwise secured to the inner faces of the panels 8.

An inner liner 12, preferably formed from a transversely folded flattened tube, is coextensive in area with the inner faces of the panels 8 and is adhesively secured thereto. The inner exposed ply or face of the liner 12 is provided with a multiplicity of perforations 13, although both plies of the liner may be so perforated if desired. These perforations 13 define a multi licity of cavities which collectively retain any liquid that may e expressed from the used teabag as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

The materials for the panels 8, gussets 10 and liner 12 may be any suitable sheet material such as coated or uncoated paperboard. Preferably however, the panels 8 and gussets 10 should have an outer coating of a waterproof or water resistant material such as wax or polyethylene; and at least the exposed inner face of the liner 12 should be similarly coated.

Prior to use, the teabag may be drawn into the holder 7 by the string 6 and the holder will then serve as a protective package for the teabag.

After use, the wet teabag is again drawn into the holder 7 by the strings 6 and the

panels

8,8 are squeezed toward each other to compress the teabag and express therefrom any residual tea solution. Most of the expressed liquid will be forced out of the exposed bottom of the teabag, but there generally will be a small amount of residual liquid at the middle and upper zones of the teabag that ordinarily would take an appreciable time to reach the bottom and would cause messy dripping as the teabag is moved to its point of discard. However, this type of dripping is avoided through the use of the holder 7 because most of the small amount of residual liquid will be expressed out through the faces of the teabag and will be received into and retained by the cavities defined by the perforations 13. Furthermore this entire operation of teabag disposal is clean insofar as the use is concerned, since his fingers need not touch the wet teabag at any time.

It is of course to be understood that substitution of materi als, variations in arrangements and proportions of parts may be made within the scope of the appended claimsv Iclaim:

l. A teabag holder and squeezer having a pair of generally rectangular front and rear panels formed from sheet material and hingedly connected along their upper edges, a pair of generally triangular gussets connecting the side edges of said panels, and a perforated liner secured by its edges to the inner faces of said panels and coextensive therewith so as to form an open space between each panel and its liner.

2. The teabag holder and squeezer of claim 1 in which said gussets are bellows-folded inwardly between said panels.

3. The teabag holder and squeezer of claim 2 in which said liner is formed from a flattened tube of sheet material and in which said perforations extend through at least the exposed inner face thereof.