WO2001064083A1

WO2001064083A1 - A diffuser

Info

Publication number: WO2001064083A1
Application number: PCT/AU2001/000209
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter Multari
Original assignee: Peter Multari
Priority date: 2000-03-01
Filing date: 2001-03-01
Publication date: 2001-09-07
Also published as: AUPQ592900A0

Abstract

A chamber (1) having substantial form stability and being of adequate dimension to contain a charge of solid or soluble or partially soluble flavouring agent sufficient to make at least one cup of flavoured drink when dissolved in liquid but not of such large capacity so as to prevent immersion and movement within a conventional cup; the chamber (1) being permanently sealed or at least closeable so as to maintain a charge of solid flavouring agent therein; a significant proportion of the surface area (67) of the chamber being liquid permeable so as to permit the ingress and egress of liquid throughout the chamber (1) and about the flavouring agent therein; the chamber (1) being capable of sitting on a non-liquid permeable base surface (4) with small non-permeable walls upstanding therefrom so as to form a reservoir; a ridge or ridges (12) above said non-permeable base surface adapted to prevent liquid running down the external surfaces of the non-liquid permeable base surface (4) therebelow; handle means (3) affixed to the chamber (1) to facilitate control thereof whilst the container is fully immersed in liquid and in particular to assist in removal of the chamber (1) from a fully immersed position without wetting the fingers of the user.

Description

A DIFFUSER

The present invention relates to diffusers for preparing drinks such as tea and coffee and in particular to a diffuser of a type which will contain rather than leak water droplets after usage.

For many years tea bags have been utilised as a convenient way to prepare tea. The use of tea bags obviates the necessity to collect individual tea leaves from the liquid prior to drinking. Typically tea bags provide a measured portion of tea contained within a fabric pouch through which water may flow in order to leach the desired flavouring from the tea. A tea bag is of course usually provided with a string to facilitate removal of the tea bag from the liquid without wetting the user's fingers. Unfortunately however if one does not desire to squeeze the tea bag with one's fingers in order to try and exhaust all the liquid from the tea bag prior to removing it from a position immediately adjacent a cup a tea bag invariably continues to drip liquid from the pouch for a considerable period of time after usage. This dripping is obviously undesirable insofar as tea stains carpet, furniture, clothing and many other articles into which it may come into contact. Furthermore placing the tea bag in a saucer after removal from a cup simply results in liquid in the saucer which drains down to the base of the cup. Liquid on the base of the cup will then drip whilst the cup is being utilised for drinking purposes thereby still resulting in stains to carpet, clothing or furniture. There are of course other substances from which flavour may be diffused such as ground coffee beans and similar problems are experienced when coffee is provided in small bags. The coffee or tea bag is however relatively convenient compared to the alternatives of straining tea leaves from a tea pot or utilising a large plunger in connection with ground coffee.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to ameliorate one or more of the abovementioned disadvantages with existing methods of diffusing flavour from drink flavouring substances such as tea leaves and coffee beans or at least to provide the market with an alternative.

According to the present invention there is provided a chamber having substantial form stability and being of adequate dimension to contain a charge of solid soluble or partially soluble flavouring agent sufficient to make at least one cup of flavoured drink when dissolved or partially dissolved in liquid but not of such large capacity so as to prevent immersion and movement within a conventional cup; the chamber being permanently sealed or at least closeable so as to maintain a charge of solid flavouring agent therein; a significant proportion of the surface area of the chamber being liquid permeable so as to permit the ingress and egress of liquid throughout the chamber and about the flavouring agent therein; the chamber being capable of sitting on a non-liquid permeable base surface with small non-permeable walls upstanding therefrom so as to form a reservoir; a ridge or ridges above said non-permeable base surface adapted to catch liquid running down the external surfaces of the upper portion of the chamber from reaching the external surfaces of the non-liquid permeable base surface; handle means affixed to the chamber to facilitate control thereof whilst the container is fully immersed in liquid and in particular to assist in removal of the chamber from a fully immersed position without wetting the fingers of the user.

Two embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tea bag in accordance with the present invention; and

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a tea bag in accordance with the present invention differing slightly from that depicted in figure 1.

It should be appreciated that the two embodiments hereafter are described with reference to tea bags although the invention is not restricted to tea bags and could just as easily be utilised in conjunction with ground coffee beans or other flavouring carriers.

According to the embodiment of figure 1 there is depicted a rigid tea bag comprising a chamber 1 being rectangular in configuration and being fabricated from thermoplastic material. The top side 2 of the chamber is provided with elongated thermoplastic handle 3. In this embodiment the Handle is rigid as opposed to flexible as would be a string in connection with a conventional tea bag. This assists in handling the chamber both when swirling it through a cup of tea as well as when draining water by inverting same so as to hold a permeable side lowermost and finally laying the chamber to rest in the desired orientation. The top side 2, the bottom side (not fully visible) 4 and back (not visible) 5 are all planer in configuration and are not water permeable. The three other sides (one of which is not shown) and the remaining two of which are labelled 6 and 7 are water permeable as they are provided with small perforations 8 through which water may pass but which perforations are sufficiently small that tea leaves may not pass therethrough. The interior of the chamber (not shown) is filled with a charge of tea (not shown) sufficient to make one cup of tea. It will be appreciated that the lower portion 9 of side 6 as well as the lower portion 10 of side 7 at the right hand side 11 of side 7 where these sides meet non-permeable base 4 and non-permeable back 5 are non-water permeable so as to form a wall about side 4 and similarly about side 5. The function of these walls 9, 10 and 11 as well as walls on the side opposite to 7 not visible in this view corresponding to walls 10 and 11 is to ensure that after the majority of water is drained from chamber 2 by orienting the chamber such that a perforated side is lowermost any remaining leaching of liquid from the tea leaves will not be capable of escaping from the chamber provided the chamber is sat upon a relatively horizontal surface with side 4 or side 5 lowermost. It will be additionally observed that walls 9, 10 and 11 extend into outwardly extending peripheral trough 12 which extends along each of walls 9, 10 and 11 and walls corresponding to 10 and 11 not visible in this view outwardly from the container commencing at a position adjacent the intersection between walls 9, 10 and 11 and their respective co-extensive sides 6 and 7. The purpose of trough 12 is to catch any further droplets of water which may escape from perforations 8 or any other portion of the container above trough 12 once the main body of water is exhausted from the chamber and the chamber is sitting on one of the non-permeable sides.

With respect to figure 2 it will be observed that there is a protuberance 13 corresponding to trough extensions 12 of figure 1. The protuberance 13 rather than physically directing stray droplets back into the tray portion of the chamber comprised of non-permeable sides and walls thereabout may simply restrain droplets from falling away from the container by adhesion. A rounded protuberance such as 13 is also easier to manufacture with conventional injection moulding equipment than a sharp edged trough as depicted in figure 1 at 12 having an acute angle between the trough and the side of the container to which the trough is attached.

It will be appreciated that in use a tea bag in accordance with the present invention may simply be placed in a saucer or on a side coffee table after exhausting the majority of water therefrom without the concern that it may drip or leak onto the table or saucer provided of course the tea bag is placed in the correct orientation as depicted in figures 1 and 2 or alternatively with side 5 lowermost.

It will be appreciated that a variety of embodiments apart from those above described may be devised without departing from the scope and intendment of the present invention and for example although it is necessary that one side of the container and associated walls need to exhibit some form of stability so as to be capable of acting as a drip tray the remaining sides of the container may be fabricated from relatively flexible material akin to conventional tea bags. It is similarly not essential that both sides 4 and 5 have walls thereabout so as to be capable of acting as a drip tray as depicted in figure 1. Similarly handle 3 need not necessarily be rigid and the tea bag need not necessarily be substantially cubic in configuration as depicted. It is also envisaged that the rigid chamber may incorporate a second chamber therein of porous filtration material in order to prevent fine solid flavouring agent particles entering the liquid phase.

It is also the case that fully soluble flavouring or sweetening agents or other substances may be included in the initial charge within the chamber along with the partially soluble flavouring carrier. For example sugar could be included within the chamber in the desired concentration.

Claims

The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. A chamber having substantial form stability and being of adequate dimension to contain a charge of solid soluble or partially soluble flavouring agent sufficient to make at least one cup of flavoured drink when dissolved or partially dissolved in liquid but not of such large capacity so as to prevent immersion and movement within a conventional cup; the chamber being permanently sealed or at least closeable so as to maintain a charge of solid flavouring agent therein; a significant proportion of the surface area of the chamber being liquid permeable so as to permit the ingress and egress of liquid throughout the chamber and about the flavouring agent therein; the chamber being capable of sitting on a non-liquid permeable base surface with small non-permeable walls upstanding therefrom so as to form a reservoir; a ridge or ridges above said non-permeable base surface adapted to prevent liquid running down the external surfaces of the upper portion of the chamber reaching the external surfaces of the non-liquid permeable base surface therebelow; handle means affixed to the chamber to facilitate control thereof whilst the container is fully immersed in liquid and in particular to assist in removal of the chamber from a fully immersed position without wetting the fingers of the user.

2. A chamber in accordance with claim 1 hereof wherein the height of the non-permeable walls above the non-permeable base comprise less than twenty percent of the height of the chamber.

3. A chamber in accordance with claim 1 hereof wherein the ridge or ridges which prevent liquid running down the external surfaces of the upper portion of the chamber reaching the external surfaces of the non-liquid permeable base surface are externaly extending troughs which re-direct liquid from the external liquid permeable surfaces of the chamber to the interior of the chamber within the reservoir.

4. A chamber in accordance with claim 1 hereof wherein the water permeable nature of the surface area of the chamber is due tomultiple perforations in that area of adequate dimension to restrain within the chamber solid flavouring agents which are not completely soluble.

5. A chamber in accordance with claim 1 hereof wherein the chamber is fabricated of rigid thermoplastic material.

6 A chamber in accordance with claim 1 hereof wherein the flavouring agent is tea leaves and the water permeable surface of the chamber comprises perforations of a size adequate to restrain the passing of tea leaves.

7. A chamber in accordance with claim 1 hereof wherein the flavouring agent comprises completely water soluble granulated matter of a dimension which cannot pass through perforations in the water permeable surfaces of the chamber.

8. A chamber in accordance with claim 1 hereof wherein the basic form of the chamber is rectangular cube having a non-permeable base and non-permeable walls upstanding therefrom so as to form a reservoir with the non-permeable walls extending into a liquid permeable area thereabove; the permeable and non-permeable sections of the wall being separated by an externaly directed drip trough; handle means being provided adjacent the upper extremity of the chamber.

9. A chamber in accordance with claim 1 hereof wherein the solid flavouring agent is tea leaves or freeze dried coffee in combination with a sweetener.

10. A chamber in accordance with claim 1 hereof wherein the solid flavouring agent is tea leaves or freeze dried coffee in combination with a sweetener and whitener.

11. A chamber in accordance with claim 1 hereof wherein the chamber is fabricated from rigid thermoplastic material and the solid flavouring agent therein is housed within a porous filtration material within the chamber.

12. A chamber in accordance with claim 1 hereof wherein there are two or more sides of the chamber which can act as a non-liquid permeable base surface and associated reservoir.