Foods and beverages: apparatus – Beverage – Infusors
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-08
2002-12-17
Simone, Timothy F. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Beverage
Infusors
C099S297000, C099S299000, C099S306000, C099S323000, C099S495000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06494128
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is related to an infusing container, and more particularly to an infusing container which can automatically open the valve body to drain the liquid. The time taken for automatically opening the valve body is adjustable so as to prevent the infused material from being soaked too long.
FIG. 8
shows a conventional infusing container
8
composed of a cup body
81
, a filtering mesh
82
and a holding tray
83
. The filtering mesh
82
is disposed in the cup body
81
. The cup bottom
811
is conic and formed with a central through hole
812
. A valve body
84
drops due to its own weight to block the through hole
812
. The holding tray
83
is up and down movably fitted on the lower section of the cup body
81
. The holding tray
83
is hollow and has a cross-shaped rib
831
. The center of the rib
831
is formed with a socket
832
in which a downward extending post
841
of the valve body
84
is inserted. When the holding tray
83
is lifted, via the post
841
the valve body
84
is pushed upward to unblock the through hole
812
. At this time, the liquid in the cup body
81
can be drained out through the through hole
812
.
When using such tea-infusing container, a user has to judge the soaking time. After the user infuses the tea in the cup body
81
with hot water, the user needs to wait for a certain period of time to soak and spread the tea. Thereafter, the user puts the cup body
81
at the opening of a cup
9
as shown in FIG.
9
. The holding tray
83
is pressed upward to push away the valve body
84
. At this time, the made tea in the cup body
81
can flow through the through hole
812
and fall into the cup
9
. However, in case the user temporarily leaves or is busy and forgets to watch the soaking time, the tea will be soaked too long in the cup body
81
. As a result, the tea will become bitter and astringent.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide an infusing container including a main body, a cover and an automatically unblocking unit. The automatically unblocking unit includes a barrel body. The bottom of the barrel body is formed with a draining hole. A movable shaft is passed through the interior of the barrel body. The bottom end of the shaft is provided with a water sealing valve positioned in a water sealing section of the barrel body for blocking the draining hole. A circumference of the water sealing section is formed with orifices. The water sealing valve is formed with notches corresponding to the orifice and communicating with the interior of the barrel body. A floating body is fitted around the shaft. An upper section of the shaft is formed with an enlarged projecting section for stopping the floating body. After a liquid flows through the orifices and the notches into the barrel body, the floating body is ascended to drive and lift the shaft. At this time, the water sealing valve is moved upward, whereby the interior of the main body communicate with the draining hole, permitting the liquid in the main body to drain out from the draining hole. Accordingly, the water sealing valve can be automatically opened.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide the above infusing container in which a user can turn the shaft to drive and rotate the water sealing valve so as to selectively aim the notches thereof at a different number of orifices of the water sealing section. Accordingly, the ascending time of the floating body can be changed so as to adjust the time taken for automatically opening the water sealing valve.
The present invention can be best understood through the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:
REFERENCES:
patent: 3631793 (1972-01-01), Bednartz
patent: 3724359 (1973-04-01), Masters et al.
patent: 5125327 (1992-06-01), Winnington-Ingram
patent: 5632193 (1997-05-01), Shen
patent: 5632194 (1997-05-01), Lin
patent: 5813317 (1998-09-01), Chang
patent: 5913964 (1999-06-01), Melton
patent: 5924354 (1999-07-01), Court et al.
patent: 5943946 (1999-08-01), Chen
patent: 5947004 (1999-09-01), Huang
patent: 6164190 (2000-12-01), Tien Lin
patent: 6279460 (2001-08-01), Pope
patent: 6327965 (2001-12-01), Lin Tien
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