Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Foraminous material infusion type – or foraminous container... – Having defined support or handle means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-15
2001-02-13
Weinstein, Steven (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Foraminous material infusion type, or foraminous container...
Having defined support or handle means
C426S077000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06187349
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to beverage preparation bags of the type which may be used for brewing or preparing tea, coffee or other hot or cold beverages or the like, and more particularly, is directed to such a beverage preparing bag which includes an enhanced disposal feature.
Beverage bags of the type used for making tea, coffee or other such beverages are generally well known. Although tea bags are referenced throughout the remainder of the present specification, it will be appreciated that the present invention is equally applicable to coffee bags or other porous holders utilized for producing other hot or cold beverages.
A typical beverage bag such as a tea bag is comprised of a porous holder-like structure for housing the tea leaves and a fob, tag, tab or the like attached to the porous holder with a string. In preparing a cup of tea, the porous holder is dropped into a cup of hot water and the tab is draped over the edge of the cup permitting the brewing of the tea to proceed. When the tea has been brewed to the desired strength, the user typically utilizes the tab to lift the porous tea bag out of the cup and, after possibly squeezing additional tea from the tea bag, the user is faced with a problem, what to do with the used tea bag. If the user happens to have a saucer underlying the cup, the used tea bag can be placed on the saucer. With this solution, some of the liquid tea from the tea bag eventually leaks out of the tea bag and into the saucer whereupon it sticks to the undersurface of the cup resulting in a potentially messy situation when the cup is lifted for consumption of the tea. If the user is drinking the tea out of a mug, typically no such saucer is provided and the user is faced with a dilemma with respect to what to do with the tea bag. Typically, the user will either place the tea bag on a napkin or simply place the tea bag on a table or other supporting surface for later disposal. Neither one of these solutions is particularly desirable since neither is terribly attractive and both result in a mess on the table, which eventually must be cleaned up.
There is a need for convenient, elegant solution to the problem of how to depose of a used tea bag in a conventional manner which is not unsightly and will not require additional clean up. The present invention provides an elegant solution to the problem.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly stated the present invention comprises a beverage bag for preparing hot or cold beverages with an enhanced disposal functionality. The beverage bag includes a porous holder for containing a beverage making component, and a tab secured to the porous holder using a string. The porous holder is insertable into a liquid to prepare the hot or cold beverage. The tab may be unfolded to form a butler for receiving the porous holder after the beverage has been prepared.
In another aspect, the present invention comprises a tab secured to a porous holder for receiving a beverage making component. The tab comprises a first layer impervious to a liquid and a second layer secured to the first layer and formed of a moisture absorbent material. The first and second layers form a butler for receiving the porous holder after the beverage has been made.
In a further aspect, the present invention comprises a beverage bag having a porous holder for containing a beverage making component and for being inserted into a liquid for making a beverage. A tab is secured to the porous holder and the tab is unfoldable into a butler which is sized for receiving the porous holder after the beverage had been made. The butler is impervious to liquid on a first surface and absorbent to liquid on a second surface.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2199406 (1940-05-01), Jablon
patent: 2334156 (1943-11-01), Hansen
patent: 2614934 (1952-10-01), Trotman
patent: 2698082 (1954-12-01), Maloney
patent: 2728670 (1955-12-01), Young et al.
patent: 2800408 (1957-07-01), Fimple
patent: 2839406 (1958-06-01), Steinthal
patent: 2986269 (1961-05-01), Goldberg
patent: 3379331 (1968-04-01), Kamlet
patent: 3387978 (1968-06-01), Major
patent: 4153153 (1979-05-01), Herzog
patent: 4726956 (1988-02-01), Christie
patent: 4875574 (1989-10-01), Travers
patent: 2229991 (1990-10-01), None
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld L.L.P.
Weinstein Steven
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