Infusion container

Details Infusion container Infusion container

1998-06-01

1999-07-20

Alexander, Reginald L.

Foods and beverages: apparatus

Beverage

Infusors

99322, 99323, A47J 3120

Patent

active

059243546

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a container, such as a teapot, for infusing an infusible substance, and in particular to such a container in which the infusible substance may be isolated from the infusing liquid to stop infusion after a given period of time.
When infusing substances such as tea or coffee in a liquid, such as hot water, it is usually desirable to be able to stop further infusion once the infusion has reached the required strength. This can be achieved by removing either the infused liquid or the infusible substance from the container in which infusion occurs, but this is not always practical. Thus the infused liquid is often left in contact with the infusible substance after the desired infusion strength has been reached, such that any remaining liquid is then infused too strongly.
A number of containers for infusing liquids have therefore been developed in which the liquid and infusible substance can be isolated one from another in the same container in use, whereby infusion may be stopped without the need to remove either component from the container.
Ideally such containers would be relatively easy and inexpensive to produce, simple and effective to use and sufficiently robust to withstand the repeated, frequent use to which they are likely to be subjected.
One such container is described in EP-B-0569435. That container has a filter insert including a plunger which can be depressed to isolate the infusible substance from the liquid when it is desired to stop infusion. However, it is a relatively complex and thus expensive mechanical arrangement and, furthermore, prior to use the plunger shaft stands proud of the container, which is both ungainly and potentially exposed to being knocked over accidentally. Other prior art containers similarly suffer from drawbacks.
There is a demand for an improved container of the type discussed and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an alternative, improved such container, which is particularly, but not exclusively, suited to infusing infusion bags, such as tea and coffee bags.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an infusion container for receiving an infusing liquid and an infusible substance, and having a pivotal member mounted to the container and pivotable by a user to move through at least part of the interior of the container in such a way as to substantially isolate the infusible substance from the infusing liquid.
The present invention uses a pivotal member to isolate the infusible substance from the liquid and thereby halt the infusion process at a time chosen by the user. This is a mechanically simple arrangement which can isolate the infusible substance from the liquid for all liquid levels in the container up to the normal maximum fill level. A pivotal arrangement can be sufficiently robust to withstand repeated use and does not require any complex (and thus expensive) components which might be more susceptible to damage and wear and tear. Such an arrangement is also more compact than a linearly moving plunger, for example, and thus does not affect substantially the external dimensions of the container during use.
Although the pivotal member can take any suitable form and have any suitable pivotal arrangement, it is preferably generally in the form of a paddle having a single pivot near or at one end thereof. The pivotal member can then extend from that pivot into the container's interior. This arrangement achieves the necessary pivotal action and is of a shape suitable to strain solids from a liquid, without any unnecessary complexity.
The pivotal member is preferably coupled to a handle operable by a user to pivot the pivotal member. The handle and pivotal member may be integral with the handle extending externally of the container, beyond the pivotal mounting of the pivotal member. In this way pivotal motion of the handle can be directly translated to pivotal motion of the pivotal member without any further moving parts. A handle which extends externally of the container can b

REFERENCES:
patent: 2099996 (1937-11-01), Beling
patent: 3217923 (1965-11-01), Price
patent: 3517604 (1970-06-01), Coors
patent: 4181071 (1980-01-01), Outlaw
patent: 4785723 (1988-11-01), Sheen
patent: 4996086 (1991-02-01), Gerlowski et al.

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