EP0875467A1 - Emballages d'infusions améliorés - Google Patents

Emballages d'infusions améliorés Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0875467A1
EP0875467A1 EP98302945A EP98302945A EP0875467A1 EP 0875467 A1 EP0875467 A1 EP 0875467A1 EP 98302945 A EP98302945 A EP 98302945A EP 98302945 A EP98302945 A EP 98302945A EP 0875467 A1 EP0875467 A1 EP 0875467A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
string
neck
tag
pouch
infusion
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP98302945A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Petronella Margaretha Groenendijk
Robert Hendrikus Agatha Haak
Dario Rea
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Unilever PLC
Unilever NV
Original Assignee
Unilever PLC
Unilever NV
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Unilever PLC, Unilever NV filed Critical Unilever PLC
Priority to EP98302945A priority Critical patent/EP0875467A1/fr
Publication of EP0875467A1 publication Critical patent/EP0875467A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
    • B65D85/70—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for materials not otherwise provided for
    • B65D85/804—Disposable containers or packages with contents which are mixed, infused or dissolved in situ, i.e. without having been previously removed from the package
    • B65D85/808—Disposable containers or packages with contents which are mixed, infused or dissolved in situ, i.e. without having been previously removed from the package for immersion in the liquid to release part or all of their contents, e.g. tea bags
    • B65D85/812—Disposable containers or packages with contents which are mixed, infused or dissolved in situ, i.e. without having been previously removed from the package for immersion in the liquid to release part or all of their contents, e.g. tea bags with features facilitating their manipulation or suspension

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to infusion packages, or more specifically tea balls that have a string and tag.
  • Tea bags have been made as pouches or tea balls. Examples of these are disclosed in US patent specifications US 1,672,518; US 1,775,347; US 2,115,122; US 2,146,096; CH 165,348 and EP 686,574. They all have strings and tags to provide convenient and hopefully mess-free handling.
  • the tea ball design therefore retains an advantage for the consumer. They have their place but they difficult to make at the high speeds required to be economic today. Attaching the tags and transporting, collating and packing the completed bags is a difficult task as the strings and tags need to be controlled.
  • the tag of the tea ball described in the aforementioned US 1,672,518 has a tag that includes a yolk portion for clipping the tag to the bag, however there is no teaching or suggestion that the string should be wound around the neck of the tea ball. A loop of string remains thus constituting only a partial solution to the problem of tangling.
  • the present invention may in broad terms be said to be an infusion package comprising a pouch of porous material that is gathered together at its neck to contain an infusible substance, a string that is attached to the neck, and a tag that is attached to the free end of the string, the package being characterised in that when the string is wound around the neck of the pouch it remains wound by virtue of a yolk portion in the tag that can receive the neck.
  • the infusion package may optionally include means for securing the pouch in a closed state and the string can be passed through the closure means as it is looped around the periphery of the package so that when the ends of the string are pulled in opposite directions the looped portion of the string causes any excess liquid contained in the package to be expressed.
  • Figure 1 shows an infusion package of the invention with the string in an unwound state.
  • Figure 2 shows the same infusion package shown of Figure 1 but with the string neatly wound around the neck of the pouch and the tag clipped in place to keep it that way.
  • Figure 3 shows a squeezable version of the infusion package of the invention prior to use.
  • Figure 4 shows the same infusion package shown in Figure 3 but in a used state.
  • an infusion package 1 that comprises a pouch 5 that is made of porous material that has been gathered together at its neck 10 to contain an infusible substance 15, a string 20 that is attached to the neck, and a tag 25 that is attached to the free end of the string.
  • the infusion package maximises the extraction of infusible solids from the infusible substance that is contained in the package.
  • the tag 25 has a yolk portion 30 that is shaped to receive the neck 10 of the pouch 5.
  • the tag can be made of tough paper, cardboard, plastic, or indeed any material that is suitable for the purpose.
  • the yolk portion shown in the Figures is rounded but it need only be shaped in a manner that allows the tag to be clipped to the neck of the pouch.
  • the porous material can be any material that is suitable for enabling water to infuse within the pouch without allowing any solid contents to leave the pouch, for example filter paper, nylon mesh, gauze, muslin or some other similar material or fabric.
  • the pouch is preferably formed from a substantially square or circular piece of porous material.
  • the infusible substance 15 can be any suitable infusible substance or mixture of infusible substances, preferably being suitable for preparing a beverage. That could be coffee, cocoa, or herbs but for present purposes the infusible substance is tea which is intended to include black, green, oolong, rooibos, mate or any other variety or product of a tea plant. It might also be desirable to include some instant tea or coffee, milk powder, sweetener or flavouring.
  • the preferred porous material is muslin as that allows consumers to readily see, touch and smell the contents of the bag but also affords an appropriate material to encourage and not hinder infusion.
  • Strings are often attached to known tea balls by a staple or other metal clip. Some consumers find that undesirable as they perceive that metal ions may dissolve into the infusion. It can also represent a significant material cost to the manufacturer. Strings are often attached to the tags of known tea balls, or indeed other infusion packages, by a staple or other metal clip, with the same disadvantages. In the infusion package of the present invention these problems are preferably avoided, or at least alleviated, by knotting the string to the bag and gluing the other end of the string to the tag. Suitable methods and materials are known in the art.
  • the string 20 should be wound around the neck of the pouch and the tag clipped to the neck to keep the string in place. That can be accomplished by any suitable art-known means.
  • tea balls Like most tea bag designs, used tea balls generally contain a significant volume of liquid. This can be aesthetically unpleasant and create a real risk that as the tea ball is removed from the cup for disposal some of the liquid remaining in the tea ball will drip onto and even stain the user's clothing or the table linen. For these reasons it is fortunate that the infusion package of the present invention can readily be adapted to take on a squeezable form. Such a bag is illustrated in Figures 3 and 4.
  • an infusion package or bag 1 that comprises a pouch 5 that is made of porous material that has been gathered together at its neck 10 and contains an infusible substance (not shown).
  • the pouch 5 is kept closed by closure means 15.
  • the package also has a string 20 and a tag 25.
  • the closure means 15 can simply be something that keeps the pouch closed. It may for example take the form of a ring or collar, be that of a metal or a plastics material, or some other fastening device such as a staple or clip. However some consumers find metal fasteners to be undesirable as they perceive that metal ions may dissolve into the infusion. It can also represent a significant material cost to the manufacturer. Plastic fasteners may be perceived as "cheap and nasty" and a possible source of contaminating chemicals. For these reasons in a preferred embodiment of the infusion package of the invention the closure means is formed from a knotted portion of cotton, thread or other suitable string material. The thread is preferably wound around the neck 10 of the bag a few times before being knotted so that it will withstand the stresses that may be exerted on the bag.
  • the string 20 passes through the closure means 15 as it loops around the periphery of the package so that when the ends of the string are pulled in opposite directions the looped portion of the string will express any excess liquid contained therein.
  • the tag 25 comprises two tag portions 25a and 25b.
  • One end of the string 20 is attached by some suitable means to tag portion 25a and the other end of the string 20 is attached by some suitable means to tag portion 25b.
  • the tag portions 25a and 25b are separable by tearing along a line of perforations 30.
  • both ends of the string 20 could be attached to a unitary tag and the bag 1 could be squeezed by holding the neck 10 of the bag 1 in the hand and using the tag to pull both ends of the string away from the bag.
  • the closure means might take the form of a disc and the pouch 5 could be squeezed against it as the ends of the string are pulled away from the neck be that in the same or in opposite directions.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Packages (AREA)
  • Medical Preparation Storing Or Oral Administration Devices (AREA)
EP98302945A 1997-04-23 1998-04-16 Emballages d'infusions améliorés Withdrawn EP0875467A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP98302945A EP0875467A1 (fr) 1997-04-23 1998-04-16 Emballages d'infusions améliorés

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP97302775 1997-04-23
EP97302775 1997-04-23
EP97305759 1997-07-31
EP97305759 1997-07-31
EP98302945A EP0875467A1 (fr) 1997-04-23 1998-04-16 Emballages d'infusions améliorés

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0875467A1 true EP0875467A1 (fr) 1998-11-04

Family

ID=27238608

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP98302945A Withdrawn EP0875467A1 (fr) 1997-04-23 1998-04-16 Emballages d'infusions améliorés

Country Status (1)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0875467A1 (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7779753B2 (en) * 2006-04-27 2010-08-24 Yaji, Inc. Tea ball with string
WO2014186688A2 (fr) * 2013-05-16 2014-11-20 Julie Forrest Stockage de thé, infusion et utilisation

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1672518A (en) * 1928-03-06 1928-06-05 Ensko Robert Tea ball
CH165348A (de) * 1932-07-21 1933-11-15 Rikli Albert Einhängesäckchen für Tee.
WO1994007763A1 (fr) * 1992-10-02 1994-04-14 Unilever Plc Sachets d'infusion

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1672518A (en) * 1928-03-06 1928-06-05 Ensko Robert Tea ball
CH165348A (de) * 1932-07-21 1933-11-15 Rikli Albert Einhängesäckchen für Tee.
WO1994007763A1 (fr) * 1992-10-02 1994-04-14 Unilever Plc Sachets d'infusion

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7779753B2 (en) * 2006-04-27 2010-08-24 Yaji, Inc. Tea ball with string
WO2014186688A2 (fr) * 2013-05-16 2014-11-20 Julie Forrest Stockage de thé, infusion et utilisation
WO2014186688A3 (fr) * 2013-05-16 2015-01-22 Julie Forrest Stockage de thé, infusion et utilisation

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