US2728671A - Porous container of a dry infusion commodity and cover combination - Google Patents

Description

1 7, 1955 J. YOUNG ETAL POROUS CONTAINER OF A DRY INFUSION COMMODITY AND COVER COMBINATION Filed Aug. 26, 1954 H I. m m m m 2 m, m m I I I w INVENTORS JULIUS YOUNG BY BENJAMIN W.GOLMAN ATTO R N EY United States Patent POROUS CONTAINER OF A DRY INFUSION COMMODITY AND COVER COMBINATION Julius Young, Detroit, and Benjamin W. Colman, Berkley, Mich., assignors to Pakko Laboratories, Inc., Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application August 26, 1954, Serial No. 452,274

9 Claims. (Cl. 9977.1)

This invention relates to a cover and bag combination, in which said bag is made of a porous material such as paper and contains a dry infusion commodity such as tea or coffee, and more particularly to a combination of the cover and bag which provides for covering a cup of boiling or hot water into which the bag, directly secured to the cover is immersed.

This invention is closely related to our copending patent application bearing the same title as above, Serial No. 427,451, filed May 4, 1954.

The inventive construction here disclosed and claimed provides a cover for a cup and secured directly to the cover by heat sealing means is a suspendable immersible bag. The cover which folds over compactly about the bag is arranged with peripheral edges that may also be sealed together or closed in some manner about the bag, making a compact container package that has the highly desirable and useful functions which are described below. The median portion of the cover folds about one edge of the bag and the bag is there secured to the cover. When the cover is opened up, the bag is suspended therefrom ready for immersion in Water or other liquid, the

cover being of a size to substantially cover the liquid, container so as to assist in retaining heat therein for as long a period as the cover overlies the cup.

The preferred embodiment here described and shown takes the form of a porous paper bag of tea leaves and shreds secured to a paper cover coated or laminated with a heat sealing material such as polyethylene.

Up to the present time, the use of dry infusion commodities in porous containers, such as tea bags and coffee bags, has presented several problems. Among these are the difiiculty of anchoring a tea bag, for example, positively to a cup of hot water so as to avoid having to fish it out with a spoon or the fingers. Oftentimes, the tag and string go into the cup along with the bag, making for a messy disposal problem. Again, there is the problem of keeping the tea hot during the steeping operation. Because tannin is extracted more readily at elevated temperatures, as the temperaturegoes down in an uncovered cup, the extraction rate decreases sharply. To more completely extract the tannin, squeezing of the bag is strongly recommended. There has, heretofore, been no easy or simple way of doing this, Without considerable messiness and dripping. And finally, the problem of what to do with a wet soaking tea bag, how to dispose of it without dripping on a tablecloth or dirtying extra dishes or littering up the saucer along the cup of tea, has certainly been present.

Some efforts in the past have been directed toward a solution of one or the other of these many problems. However, the inventive construction here disclosed, for the first time, solves all of them in an extremely easy, simple and economical manner by the use of a single component, inventively arranged in the construction.

The invention comprises -a device in which a dry infusion commodity, such as tea or coffee, is contained in a porous bag or pouch of paper which is directly secured to a cup cover. A fold line is provided across the cover, preferably through its center, and. the bag is secured substantially along this line.

The construction has for an object the provision of a heat containing cover for a cup filled with hot or boiling water.

Another object is to provide a construction in which a porous bag of a dry infusion commodity is suspended directly from a cup cover, so that the bag is not lost in the cup ofv hot water.

A further object is to provide a cup cover that is a receptacle for the bag of water infused material, after use in making a beverage.

Still another object is to provide a cup cover so arranged that it will fold about the bag of water infused material after use, for squeezing the bag substantially free of water.

Another object is to provide a cup cover that will receive the water expressed bag for deposit therewithin, without adjustment or modification of the construction.

Additional objects will become apparent from the description of the invention given below. Reference may be had to the appended drawing, forming an integral part hereof, and in which Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the inventive tea bag package construction.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig 3 is a top plan View of the expanded opened package.

Fig. 4 is a vertical view, partially in section, showing the opened package in position on a cup.

As shown in the several views of the drawing, the tea bag package 10 comprises a top cover 12 and a tea bag The top cover 12 may be rectangular or circular in form. As seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the cover 12 is provided With integral leaf portions 16 adapted to fold together about a line 18. The cover 12 is coated with a heat seal coating material 20, such as polyethylene, on the underside thereof. The attachment portions 22 closely adjacent the fold line 18 are arranged to heat seal the tea bag 14 therebetween.

The tea bag 14 is made of a highly porous paper material, which is folded and sealed about tea leaves and shreds 24 to form a packet. One edge of the bag 14 is secured directly to the cover 12 between the attachment portions 22 by heat sealing the polyethylene coating 20 to the bag.

The dry infusion commodity may be coffee, flavored sugars or similar materials, other than tea, which are designed for making beverages or other potables. The tea bag 14 is designed to be immersed in water 25 contained in a vessel or cup 26.

The cover leaf portions 16 are brought together about the bag 14, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, to cover the same. The outer peripheral side edges 27 and bottom edge 28 of the leaf portions 16 may be defined by perforated lines 39, and these peripheral edges, 27 and 28, may be heat sealed together is desired. Or, the bottom edge 28 of both leaf portions 16 may be heat sealed alone, leaving the side edges of the package open.

In operation, shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the package 16 is disposed in open arrangement by first stripping the outer peripheral edges 27 and 28 from the cover leaf portions 16 by tearing along the perforated lines 30. The leaf portions 16 are then spread out substantially in a single plane, the attachment portions 22 being somewhat upright. Upon filling the cup 26 with boiling or hot Water 25, the tea bag-14 is immersed therein, the cover leaf portions 16 being suspended upon the upper lip edge of the cup and overlying the hot water in the cup.

The polyethylene coated cover 12 tends to reflect back a substantial amount of the heat emerging from the hot water and acts as a heat insulator as well as a cover. Because the water remains at a higher temperature for a longer period of time, the extraction of tannin is irnproved, and the beverage resulting fromsteeping at higher temperatures is more desirable.

After the tea bag 14 has been sufficiently steeped in the beverage, the cover 12 is raised by grasping the attachment portions 22 or the parallel bottom perforated edges of the leaf portions 16 The cover leaf portions 16 are thenv brought together about the tea bag 14 expressing the surplus liquid therefrom. Squeezing of the tea bag is particularly recommended by the tea producers in their directions for making tea, as it is claimed to produce a better beverage.

After expressing the surplus liquid from the tea bag 14 into the water 25, the package is ready to be deposited upon a table or other place. The enclosing cover leaf portions 16 serve to support the tea bag 14 therebetween and to prevent staining or marking the table, and Whatever liquid is not expressed from the bag remains between the coated leaf portions. Thus, a suit able receptacle for the used tea bag is provided by the cover 12. The entire operational use of the package 10 is performed without the user once coming into physical contact with the tea bag 14, making for a pleasurable use of a difficult and often messy product.

The cup cover 12 may also be formed of paper laminated to aluminum foil, to whose surface may be applied the coating layer of the polyethylene 20. Or the laminate may comprise first a layer of aluminum foil, then a layer of paper and a third coating layer of polyethylene. These optional cover materials are among many which can be selectively employed for the cup cover 12.

Although the preferred embodiment uses a polyethylene coated paper, there are many other materials and methods of sealing which may also be used. For instance, a paper that resists the absorption of moisture may be used with a thin adhesive coating or layer applied to the side and bottom peripheral edges, 27 and 28, to seal the side leaf portions 16 into an envelope about the tea bag 14. Or, the side and bottom peripheral edges 27 and 23 may be stitched together with thread, wire or staples to form the envelope package 10. Any suitable fastening, enclosing or sealing means may be used to secure the side peripheral edges. The cover 12 need not necessarily be made of paper, for plastic, metal or other suitable materials can be employed to serve in this component part of the package.

It is to be understood that the details of construction may be changed and varied in greater or lesser degree without departing from the essence of our invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a beverage infusion package, a cover member comprising paper coated on at least one side with heat sealable polyethylene, said member being designed to cover a vessel for beverage making and provided with a median line for folding said cover into two halves, a porous bag containing a beverage infusion commodity secured directly to the coated side of said cover member along said median line, a portion of said cover member adjacent said median fold line being secured in heat sealed relationship to said bag on both sides thereof and forming an upstanding flange, so that said bag depends from said cover member into said vessel, whereby said halves adjacent said flange may be brought together over said bag after infusion to express excess liquid from said bag.

2. in a beverage infusion package, a cover member comprising a lamination of paper and a layer of heat sealable polyethylene, said cover member being provided with an upstanding flange formed of portions of the lamination closely adjacent and folded about a median line in said cover member and integral side portions in substantially unip'lanar alignment normal to said flange, said side portions being designed to cover a vessel for beverage making, a porous bag containing a beverage infusion commodity secured directly to the polyethylene side of said cover member within said flange portions, said flange portions being heat sealed to said bag on either side thereof so that said bag depends from said flange into said liquid, whereby said cover side portions may be brought together over said bag after infusion to express excess liquid from said bag.

3. In a beverage infusion package, a cover member comprising paper coated on at least one side with heat sealable polyethylene, said member being designed as to size to cover a vessel for beverage making and provided with a median line for folding said cover into two halves, a porous bag containing a beverage infusion commodity secured directly to the polyethylene coated side of said cover member along said median. fold line, said cover member halves having portions thereof adjacent said line heat sealed directly to said bag along both sides of an edge portion thereof to form a flange, so that said bag depends from said cover member into said vessel, whereby after infusion of said bag said cover member halves may be brought together about said bag to express excess liquid therefrom.

4'. The structure defined in claim 3, in which said bag is secured to said cover member within the side edges thereof, said portions adjacent said median line being heat sealed to each other on either side of said bag, whereby an upstanding flange is formed in said cover Ln'ember for grasping said package after infusion of said 5. In a beverage infusion package for use with a beverage making vessel, a cover member for said vessel comprising paper coated on one side thereof with a layer of heat sealable polyethylene, said cover member being provided with a median line for folding said member into two side portions, a porous bag containing a beverage infusion commodity having an edge portion thereof secured directly to the coated side of said cover member along said median line and between said side portions, so that said bag depends from said cover member into said vessel substantially through the center thereof, said cover member side portions having portions thereof closely adjacent said median line heat sealed directly to said bag along either side of said bag edge portion and to each other beyond the sides of said bag edge portion, whereby an upstanding flange is formed medially in said cover member by said side portions for grasping of said package after infusion of said bag and whereby said side portions may be brought together about said bag after infusion thereof to express excess liquid from said bag.

6. The structure defined in claim 5, in which said porous bag is made of paper, and in a substantially rectangular shape.

7. The method of brewing a beverage in a vessel of liquid comprising the steps of suspending a porous container of a beverage infusion commodity secured within and between upstanding medial flange portions of a cover member overlying and covering said vessel in said liquid, said cover member being of paper coated on its underside with heat sealable polyethylene, allowing said commodity to brew a suflicient period of time in said liquid, grasping said upstanding flange portions and removing said cover member from said vessel and said porous container from said liquid, and bringing said cover member down upon two opposite sides of said porous container in compressing effect upon said container, expressing excess liquid from said container, and removing said moist container overfolded by said cover member from over said vessel by said flange portions.

8. The method of brewing a beverage in a vessel of liquid comprising the steps of suspending a porous container of a beverage infusion commodity secured within r un and between an upstanding median flange of a member covering and restingupon said vessel in said liquid so that said container is substantially central in said vessel,

said member being composed of paper coated on its un- V derside with heat sealable polyethylene, allowing said commodity to brew in said liquid a sufiicient period of time, grasping said upstanding flange and removing said container from said liquid, and folding said cover member in two portions along said flange down about both sides of said container in compressing elfect to express excess liquid from said container into said vessel.

9. The method of brewing a beverage in a vessel of liquid comprising the steps of pouring a substantial amount of liquid into said vessel, suspending a porous container of a beverage infusion commodity secured within and between an upstanding median flange of a member covering said vessel in said liquid, said mem- References Cited in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,192,605 Salfisberg Mar. 5, 1940 2,308,241 Hogaboorn Jan. 12, 1943 2,606,836 McCabe Aug. 12, 1952 Trotman Oct. 21, 1952

Claims (1)

1. IN A BEVERAGE INFUSION PACKAGE, A COVER MEMBER COMPRISING PAPER COATED ON AT LEAST ONE SIDE WITH HEAT SEALABLE POLYETHYLENE, SAID MEMBER BEING DESIGNED TO COVER A VESSEL FOR BEVERAGE MAKING AND PROVIDED WITH A MEDIAN LINE FOR FOLDING SAID COVER INTO TWO HALVES, A POROUS BAG CONTAINING A BEVERAGE INFUSION COMMODITY SECURED DIRECTLY TO THE COATED SIDE OF SAID COVER MEMBER ALONG SAID MEDIAN LINE, A PORTION OF SAID COVER MEMBER ADJACENT SAID MEDIAN FOLD LINE BEING SECURED IN HEAT SEALED RELATIONSHIP TO SAID BAG ON BOTH SIDES THEREOF AND FORMING AN UPSTANDING FLANGE, SO THAT SAID BAG DEPENDS FROM SAID COVER MEMBER INTO SAID VESSEL, WHEREBY SAID HALVES ADJACENT SAID FLANGE MAY BE BROUGHT TOGETHER OVER SAID BAG AFTER INFUSION TO EXPRESS EXCESS LIQUID FROM SAID BAG.

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