WO2008078110A2

WO2008078110A2 - Apparatus for preparing an infused beverage

Info

Publication number: WO2008078110A2
Application number: PCT/GB2007/005012
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gavin Thomson
Original assignee: Gavin Thomson
Priority date: 2006-12-23
Filing date: 2007-12-24
Publication date: 2008-07-03
Also published as: WO2008078110A3; GB0625891D0

Abstract

For a teapot (2), the invention provides an integrated infusing apparatus (1) which is incorporated into a lid for the teapot (2). The apparatus has a main chassis component or outer support (4) which cooperates with a central spigot (5), and a tea container (7). The central spigot (5) is captive in the outer support (4) but is allowed to rotate. The tea container (7) is removable and has tea (10), loose or bagged, placed into it. After hot water (11) is poured into the teapot (2), the tea container (7) is located on the outer support (4) and into a helical screw thread (12) formed on the outer surface of the central spigot (5). The lid (6) is replaced and inter-locks with the central spigot (5). To commence brewing, the tea container (7) is brought into contact with the hot water 11 by turning the lid (6) clockwise which turns the central spigot (5) clockwise, lowering the tea container (7), signifying that the tea is brewing. Once the brewing process is finished, the lid 6 and central spigot (5) are turned anti-clockwise, raising the tea container (7) out of the water (11). The brewing process begins again by simply turning the lid (6) clockwise.

Description

DESCRIPTION

APPARATUS FOR PREPARING AN INFUSED BEVERAGE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an infusing apparatus for preparing an infused beverage such as tea. The apparatus, which may be used with a teapot, permits the control of the brewing exposure of tea in the teapot to allow brew strength selection and to avoid stewing.

The apparatus of the invention can of course be used for the preparation of any infusion beverage other than tea, for example coffee or herbal infusions (ofter refeered to as "herbal teas") but for simplicity and without in any way limiting the invention, the example of a teapot wil be used throughout this specification as an illustrative example of the vessel with which the infusing apparatus according to the invention is intended to be used.

This invention can be used as an integrated device within a dedicated teapot or as an accessory to existing teapots and can be used for controlling brewing of both 'loose' tea leaves and tea 'bags'.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Tea is a drink enjoyed around the world and has been around for many centuries. Tea is available either 'loose' or in a convenient 'bag', both of which begin brewing when they come in contact with hot water. It is traditional for a teapot to be used to carry out this brewing process, allowing for a reasonable quantity to be made and to facilitate pouring into a drinking vessel, namely a cup or a mug. Tea can be brewed in individual cups but this is generally more common with bags, where the bag can be removed after a selected brewing period. Throughout the centuries there have been devices for inhibiting the passing of loose tea from the teapot into the cup, such as a 'strainer', and variations on methods of 'pressing' or capturing the tea within a teapot but little done on lifting the tea out of contact with the water. If tea whether loose or bagged, is left in contact with water for too long this has the effect of stewing the tea which is not desirable to drink. Tea drinkers have particular tastes when it comes to the strength of their tea which relies on the time of brewing, which is more easily controlled with the first cup but immediately undermined for subsequent cups, as the tea becomes naturally stronger through further exposure to the water.

There is much ceremony involved when it comes to tea. It begins with the choosing of the tea, followed by the boiling of the water, followed by the pouring of the hot water into the teapot or cup, followed by the brewing period, followed by the pouring of the tea and then finally followed by the drinking of the tea which is more than likely repeated. As such any inventions with regard to tea should embrace this sense of ceremony.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of this invention is to develop an infusion apparatus incorporated into a lid for a teapot that allows the user to control the exposure of tea to hot water, determining the optimum brew strength of the tea.

The invention provides an infusing apparatus ahaving the characteristc features of claim 1 herein.

The holder may be a tea container that the user can insert loose tea or tea bags into. This tea container is preferably easy to remove from the teapot and easy to replace. This tea container is preferably easy to open and close and may be made from suitable materials that allow the passage of water through to the tea. This container is preferably easy to clean. The lid is preferably constructed as a brew control sub assembly that can be clipped to the top opening of a teapot after pouring hot water into the main body of the teapot vessel. This sub assembly is preferably easy to remove from the teapot so that both the sub assembly and the teapot can be cleaned.

The brew control sub assembly device may either be integrated to a dedicated teapot or be designed as a generic unit for clipping into other teapots. The design of the teapot vessel should not be wholly dictated by the design of the brew controller. The outer support is however engageable with the teapot to prevent relative rotation therebetween when the lid is in position over the water container, so that with the lid in such a position, physical rotation of the lid relative to the water container causes the holder to move linearly along the outer support to lower it into or raise it out of hot water held in the water container.

The rotatable central spigot facilitates the raising and lowering of the tea container into the hot water held in the teapot. This rotating central spigot should be captive to the outer support of the brewing control sub assembly but allowed to rotate freely relative thereto. This rotating central spigot is turned by physical rotation of the lid in one direction for lowering the tea container into the hot water in the teapot and in the opposite direction for raising the tea container out of the hot water.

The lid, which might be captive or otherwise, can be opened or removed to allow hot water to be poured into the teapot and for the tea container to be easily removed and replaced. It can be closed or replaced to aid insulation. This lid will provide the mechanical interface which when turned by the user, will turn the rotating central spigot, raising and lowering the tea container of the brew control sub assembly.

The tea container may be used as a visual indicator for the brewing process. If it is 'up' in the lid, for example as seen through a clear window, it will signify that the brewing process is not occurring, while if it is not seen, it will signify that the brewing process is - A -

occurring.

The invention may if desired include a mechanism for recording or signalling the infusion time. Preferably the invention may include an automated timer mechanism for the turning of the rotating central spigot which will have the effect of raising the tea container out of the water.

The apparatus of this invention is prefeably made of suitable materials to allow for continued long-term use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which show a teapot with a removable sub assembly that controls the brewing 'exposure' of tea to the hot water inthe teapot. In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the teapot with the sub assembly in position;

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the teapot with the sub assembly removed from the teapot to example how it might be independently washed;

Figure 3 shows a section from side to side of the teapot assembly;

Figure 4 shows a section from side to side of the teapot assembly with the lid off;

Figure 5 shows a section from side to side of the teapot assembly with the lid off and the tea container removed;

Figure 6 shows a perspective view of the tea container open to accept tea;

Figure 7 shows a section from side to side of the teapot assembly with the lid off, hot water added and tea container in position;

Figure 8 shows a section from side to side of the teapot assembly with the lid on, the rotating central spigot turned clockwise and the tea container lowered into the hot water; and

Figure 9 shows a section from side to side of the teapot assembly with the lid on, the rotating central spigot turned anti-clockwise back to its starting position and the tea container raised out of the water again.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the drawings, a brew control sub assembly 1 can clip into a teapot vessel 2 by a clipping detail 3.

The brew control sub assembly 1 has a main chassis component 4, which might be a plastic moulding with integrated mesh, a rotating central spigot 5, which might be a plastic moulding, and an inter-locking lid 6, which might be a clear plastic moulding. The inter-locking lid 6 is preferably independent and removable but may be attached to the main chassis component 4. The rotating central spigot 5 is captive in the main chassis component 4 but allowed to rotate freely. There is a removable tea container 7 which consists of an upper component 8 and a lower component 9. This tea container 7 clips or screws together and can be easily opened and closed. This tea container 7 might be made of a moulding or combinations of metal, plastic and mesh. The tea container 7 has tea 10, loose or bagged, placed into it by the user. After hot water 11 is poured into the teapot vessel 2, the tea container 7 is located into the helical channel 12 of the rotating central spigot 5 by protruding details 13 and into the inner surface of the main chassis component 4 by protruding details 14. The inter-locking lid 6 is then replaced on the main chassis component 4 to aid insulation. The inter-locking lid 6 has an integrated detail 15 on its underside that inter-locks with the rotating central spigot 5 in detail 16 when it is repositioned. The protruding details 13,14 and helical channel 12 may be repeated several times around the circumferences of the main chassis component 4 and tea container 7 to add further stability to the movement.

To commence brewing, the user turns the rotating central spigot 5 clockwise by turning the inter-locking lid 6 with integrated detail 15. This direction might be anti -clockwise as it is dependent on the direction of the helix on the rotating central spigot 5 and is not critical to this invention. As the rotating central spigot 5 moves in a clockwise direction, the tea container 7, which is captive in the main chassis component 4 by protruding details 14 can only move downwards, as it is located into the helical channel 12 by details 13. This has the effect of bringing the tea container 7 in contact with the hot water 11 and brewing commences. The inter-locking lid 6 may have direction arrows 17 to aid with correct raising and lowering movement. If the tea container 7 cannot be seen in the 'up' position this signifies that the tea is brewing and discourages pouring, although pouring can occur at any time.

Once the brewing process has been satisfied, at the discretion of the user, which might be aided by a transparent glass teapot vessel 2, the user turns the interlocking lid 6 anticlockwise, which turns the rotating central spigot 5 anti-clockwise reversing the process, raising the tea container 7 out of the water 11. If the user needs to begin the brewing process again, the inter-locking lid 6 and rotating central spigot 5 are simply turned clockwise again.

It might be possible for the rotating central spigot 5 or the inter-locking lid 6 to have a timing mechanism 18, that after being "charged' by the clockwise movement of the rotating central spigot 5 and lid 6, automatically begins to turn the rotating central spigot 5 with inter-locking lid 6 in an anti-clockwise direction, raising the tea container 7 out of water 11 automatically.

The tea container 7 can be easily recharged with fresh teaby taking out the brew control sub assembly 1, which in turn can be easily removed from the teapot vessel 2 for cleaning.

Claims

1. An apparatus for preparing an infused beverage, comprising a lid for a water container and, depending from the lid, a spigot having a helical screw thread formed thereon or therein, an outer support surrounding or partially surrounding the spigot and having at least one linear guide track formed thereon or therein, and a holder for infusible material mountable around the spigot to be engageable with the helical screw thread but held against rotation by the outer support, the outer support being engageable with the water container to prevent relative rotation between it and the water container when the lid is in position over the water container, so that with the lid in position over the water container, physical rotation of the lid relative to the water container causes the holder to move linearly along the outer support to lower it into or raise it out of hot water held in the water container.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the holder fopr infusible material is an open tray for bags of infusible material or an enclosed container for loose infusible material and is made of a construction that allows water to come in contact with theinfusible material.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the central spigot has a helical screw thread or a number of helical screw threads formed on its outer surface, and the outer support has a cooperating helix-engaging formation on the inner surface of a central aperture through which the spigot extends.

4. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the lid incorporated a viewing window through which the position of the tea container relative to the lid can be viewed as an indication of whether in use the tea container is immersed in the hot water in the water container or raised out of the water.

5. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, further comprising an integrated timing device to indicate brewing times.

6. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, further comprising a automated mechanism for rotating the lid to raise the holder out of the hot water on completion of a predermined infusion time.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined infusion time is user- variable.