WO2014197985A1

WO2014197985A1 - Apparatus for brewing tea

Info

Publication number: WO2014197985A1
Application number: PCT/CA2014/050538
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robert Krul
Original assignee: Robert Krul
Priority date: 2013-06-10
Filing date: 2014-06-10
Publication date: 2014-12-18

Abstract

An apparatus for brewing tea includes a set of associated components including a cup, a perforated basket carried on a top of the cup with the basket depending into the water and a cover. A timer is mounted on one of the set including an input manually operable by the user arranged to select one of a plurality of pre-set countdown times and a display for indicating to the user when the selected pre-set time has elapsed. The timer can be on the cup, for example on the handle, on the cover or the basket. The basket can include a temperature sensor.

Description

APPARATUS FOR BREWING TEA

This invention relates to an apparatus for use in brewing tea.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known that the brewing of tea and particularly the speciality tea blends currently available that timing of the period of infusion of the tea from the leaf into the water is of paramount importance.

Many tea making systems are available where the tea leaves are located in a container for mixing with the water and are then dispensed from that container into a cup or other receptacle by operation of a valve controlled by a timer. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is one object of the invention to provide an apparatus for use in brewing tea which allows the user to time the operation.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus for use in brewing tea comprising:

a plurality of associated tea making components including:

a drink receptacle having an open top arranged to contain a quantity of water for brewing the tea;

a perforated basket for containing the tea arranged to be manually placed by a user on the open top with the basket depending into the water in the receptacle and arranged to be manually removed from the open top when infusion of the tea into the water is complete; and a timer mounted on one of the associated tea making components so as to be carried therewith;

wherein the timer comprises:

an input arrangement manually operable by the user arranged to select one of a plurality of pre-set countdown times;

and a display for indicating to the user when the selected preset time has elapsed.

Preferably the timer is arranged to provide pre-set countdown times of one minute, three minutes and five minutes. These are known and accepted to be the suitable times for infusing green tea, black tea and herbal tea so that these times can be pre-programed into the timer. However other timings can also be provided.

Preferably the display of the timer is visual so as to provide no sound. This enables the system to be used in restaurants where sound beeping throughout a tea drinking area would be distracting to other customers.

Preferably the timer is very simple in construction since it is dedicated to the tea making system with no other requirements for other timings so that it consists of a housing carrying three pre-set buttons one of which can be selected and a visual display. Also a single button can be used for input where for example one press provides the first timed interval, two presses provide the second timed interval and three presses provides the third interval with a fourth press acting to halt the countdown and re-set the timer.

Preferably the associated tea making components include a cover to be located over the open top with the basket in place. In this case the timer can be mounted on the cover.

In another alternative the timer is mounted on the basket for example on an outwardly projecting handle of the basket or on a peripheral ring of the basket which sits on a peripheral edge of the open top.

In another alternative the timer is mounted on the drink receptacle for example on a handle of the drink receptacle.

The cup can include a notch in the side wall to allow the handle to sit more effectively in position. It is preferred that the system is designed and arranged as a coordinated set of parts which match is size so that the basket sits effectively in the cup and properly presents the handle toward the user to view the timer. However the basket can be used with other cups not matched in size.

Preferably the tea in the basket is a measured quantity of tea supplied in an individual container such as an individual sachet where the tea is simply contained in a sealed sachet which can be torn along one edge and the contents directly poured into the basket, thus avoiding measuring spoons to dispense from a bulk container and avoiding conventional perforated infusion bags. Thus the system is simplified to provide direct and simple control by the user of the tea supplied and the placing of the measured quantity into the basket. This avoids any complex machines and valve system which must be cleaned. The use of a very simple and therefore very inexpensive timer allows the timer to be placed onto one of the components of the system very simply. It can even be disposable. The fact that it is attached to one of the components ensures that it is readily available to the user of the system without a further separate item. The system as a whole gives the user the best experience in that the tea is brewed simply and directly by the user at the table without delays causing the tea to become over-infused and without the use of complicated valves and operating systems.

Yet further, the mesh design includes a temperature sensor in the wires making the mesh to as to read out the proper temperature into the timing device screen. For instance, the tea infuser screen includes a wire filament added to the screen design that will detect the temperature of the water so as to know when it is suitable to place the tea into the water. For example, green teas and some other teas need the hot water to only be in the 85 degrees C range for proper infusion. The tea infuser should be taken out when the water temperature reaches 70 degrees C due to cooling of the water during the steeping process. This read out is also provided on the timing unit so as to allow the customer to know when the right time is to take out the infuser. So, not only is timing important, but temperature also, so the user has the options in the timing unit to be able to determine when is the right time to drink the tea and/or when is the right time due to temperature to insert the infuser into the water in the container.

It is another key point of the invention therefore that there is provided a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the water in the receptacle and there is provided a display providing information to the user dependent on the sensed temperature, where the display can be associated with or separate from the timer display.

Preferably the display is arranged to provide information to the user as to when a predetermined temperature is reached, as opposed to actual temperature readings. That is the brewing of green tea requires typically a lower temperature and hence the display may simply be an LED which changes condition to on or off when the water has cooled to the required temperature. In this way the device can simply include four separate LEDs indicating timing selected and indicating when the temperature is reached so as to start the timing..

Thus preferably the temperature sensor is provided in the basket for example as one wire in a wire mesh forming the basket.

The timer itself can also include the temperature sensor which extends from the timer body to enter the water. Thus the timer could be a separate item removable from the basket which can be attached by the user onto the basket with a component also detecting the water temperature. The timer body can then be removed for washing.

Yet further the timer could be formed as part of the cup or receptacle so that it directly measures the water temperature and provides this information to the user as part of the display.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view through a first embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the components of Figure 1 with the cover removed.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the basket of a second embodiment.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view through a third embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention.

Figure 5 is a top plan view on an enlarged scale of the timer of Figure

1 or 4.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The apparatus for use in brewing tea comprises a plurality of associated tea making components including a cup 10 having a wall and base defining an open top 11 arranged to contain a quantity of water for brewing the tea and from which the user can drink the tea. The cup may be of any conventional arrangement from any suitable material and includes a cup handle 10A.

A perforated mesh basket 12 is provided for containing the tea and arranged to be manually placed by a user on the open top so that a peripheral ring 13 sits on the top of the cup with the mesh 14 depending downwardly from the ring into the water in the receptacle. The ring is preferably of a size to sit on the cup but it can be larger or smaller since a handle 15 extends outwardly to one side to allow the basket to be lifter and to locate the basket on the cup. The handle 15 is arranged to be manually removed from the open top when infusion of the tea into the water is complete.

A timer 16 mounted on one of the associated tea making components so as to be carried therewith and in Figure 1 this is mounted on the handle 15.

The timer is of a simple construction and includes an input 7 manually operable by the user arranged to select one of a plurality of pre-set countdown times and a display 18 for indicating to the user when the selected pre-set time has elapsed. The display can include a count-down display 18A and a flashing indicator 18B when the count-down in complete. The manual input can comprise three buttons 17A, 17B and 17C each for a separate time interval. In the method, the cup is filled with water from a source 19 and a measured quantity of tea is supplied in an individual container such as an individual sachet 20.

The timer is arranged to provide pre-set countdown times of each of the buttons of one minute, three minutes and five minutes.

The display 18 of the timer is visual so as to provide no sound.

In one particularly simple arrangement the display and input buttons can be incorporated together so that the button forms an LED which is actuated by the user by pressing the selected button following which the LED defined by that button changes condition to turn on or turn off when the time selected by that button is reached. Thus the device is very simple and can comprise a very simple housing with three LED buttons acting both as input and display. This device can be manufactured as an integral part of one of the three components or as an element which is inserted into place on a tab of one of the components.

The associated tea making components include a cover 21 to be located over the open top with the basket in place and in an embodiment not shown the timer is mounted on the cover.

As shown in Figure 2 the timer is mounted on the outwardly projecting handle of the basket. In Figure 3 the timer is mounted on the peripheral ring 13 of the basket which sits on a peripheral edge of the open top.

In Figure 4 the timer is mounted on the handle 10A of the drink receptacle.

In Figure 1 there is provided a temperature sensor 40 provided as one wire 41 in a wire mesh forming the basket for detecting the temperature of the water in the receptacle and the timer 16 includes a display 18C providing a display to the user of the sensed temperature.

In Figure 3 the temperature sensor is provided as a finger or other element 42 extending from the display 16 to the water.

In Figure 4 the sensor 43 for the temperature is provided as part of the cup 10.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. Apparatus for use in brewing tea comprising:

a plurality of associated tea making components including:

a perforated basket for containing the tea arranged to be manually placed by a user on the open top with the basket depending into the water in the receptacle and arranged to be manually removed from the open top when infusion of the tea into the water is complete;

and a timer mounted on one of the associated tea making components so as to be carried therewith;

wherein the timer comprises:

an input manually operable by the user arranged to select one of a plurality of pre-set countdown times;

2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein the timer is arranged to provide pre-set countdown times of one minute, three minutes and five minutes.

3. The invention according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the display of the timer is visual so as to provide no sound.

4. The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the timer consists of a housing carrying three pre-set buttons.

5. The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the timer consists of a housing carrying three pre-set buttons each of which form LED so as to define the display.

6. The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the associated tea making components include a cover to be located over the open top with the basket in place.

7. The invention according to claim 6 wherein the timer is mounted on the cover.

8. The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the timer is mounted on the basket.

9. The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the timer is mounted on an outwardly projecting handle of the basket.

10. The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the timer is mounted on a peripheral ring of the basket which sits on a peripheral edge of the open top.

11. The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein the timer is mounted on the drink receptacle.

12. The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 11 wherein the timer is mounted on a handle of the drink receptacle.

13. The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein the tea in the basket is a measured quantity of tea supplied in an individual container.

14. The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 13 wherein the measured quantity of tea is supplied in an individual sachet.

15. The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 14 wherein there is provided a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the water in the receptacle and wherein the timer includes a display providing information to the user dependent on the sensed temperature.

16. The invention according to claim 15 wherein the display is arranged to provide information to the user as to when a predetermined temperature is reached.

17. The invention according to claim 15 wherein the temperature sensor is provided in the basket.

18. The invention according to claim 15 wherein the temperature sensor is provided as one wire in a wire mesh forming the basket.