Filter pouch cleaner and method for cleaning coffee or tea maker

A filter pouch cleaner for cleaning coffee and tea makers, has a top and bottom filter layer made from tea bag paper. The top and bottom filter layers are joined together along and adjacent to their outer edges to form a sealed pouch therebetween. The pouch is filled with a powdered cleaner compound that includes trisodium phosphate, sodium metasillicate and sodium perborate, along with soda ash as a filler. To facilitate the biodegradability and the safety of the cleaner compound, tripolyphosphate and a trace of blue dye powder are included in the cleaner compound.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to coffee and tea makers, and more particularly to a 
filter pouch cleaner that facilitates the cleaning of the brewing and 
dispensing equipment of a tea or coffee maker. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Millions of cups of coffee and tea are brewed and consumed each and every 
day. As each pot of coffee or tea is brewed, the brewing cycle releases 
coffee and tannin oils from the coffee and tea. These oils are deposited 
as a brown oily residue on the coffee and tea makers' brewing and 
dispensing equipment. The oily residue tends be acidic and, thus, tends to 
sour the taste of the coffee or tea, especially when the residue is left 
to build up over a long period of time. Thus, it is desirable to clean the 
brewing and dispensing equipment, i.e., the brew basket, pot or server, 
spouts, sight glass, etc., to avoid brewing harsh or sour tasting coffee 
or tea. 
Currently, cleaning procedures vary from using salt and ice to using 
bleach. Many liquid commercial cleaners have been developed for glass 
decanters, airpots, and glass lined thermal servers. Powders such as urn 
cleaners have also been developed. These powders usually comes in bulk 
supply, which requires the user to measure an amount to be used, or may 
come in a measured amount in an envelope. The user will normally, in the 
case of a liquid cleaner, squeeze a soft plastic bottle with a tilt top 
closure into the pot or server and, in the case of a powder, merely place 
the loose powder into an open filter in the brew basket, and then add hot 
water or run the brew cycle to activate the concentration of the cleaner. 
In either case, using these cleaners to clean the coffee or tea makers is 
less than convenient since it requires a certain amount of manipulation 
and, in some cases, measurement of the cleaner. 
Also, these cleaners commonly include such harsh chemicals as hypochlorite. 
Hypochlorite has a chlorine bleach smell that may linger after the cleaner 
is used. 
For safety reasons, some of the liquid cleaners include a coloring dye to 
indicate that the liquid in the pot or dispenser contains a cleaning 
agent. 
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to have a coffee or tea 
maker cleaner that comes in a convenient, ready-to-use (RTU) 
configuration, that does not include harsh chemicals that leave a chlorine 
bleach smell, and that includes a coloring dye for safety reasons. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The filter pouch cleaner of the present invention serves to conveniently 
clean a coffee or tea maker. It preferably has a top filter layer and a 
bottom filter layer that are constructed out of tea bag paper. The top and 
bottom filter layers are joined together along and adjacent their outer 
edges forming a sealed cavity between the top and bottom filter layers. 
The cavity of the filter pouch cleaner is preferably filled with a 
powdered cleaner compound which preferably includes trisodium phosphate, 
soda ash, sodium metasilicate, sodium perborate, tripolyphosphate, and a 
trace of blue dye powder. 
An object of this invention is to provide an improved filter pouch cleaner 
for coffee and tea makers. 
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become 
apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now in detail to the drawings, therein illustrated is a novel 
filter pouch cleaner 10 of the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 1-3, 
the filter pouch cleaner 10 is shown to comprise a filter pouch 11 which 
includes a top filter layer 12 and a bottom filter layer 14. As shown in 
FIGS. 2 and 3 respectively, the top and bottom filter layers 12 and 14 are 
preferably substantially square or circular in shape. The top and bottom 
layers 12 and 14 are joined together preferably by forming a seal 16 along 
and adjacent their edges 15. The seal 16 forms a sealed cavity 17 
substantially centered between the top and bottom layers 12 and 14. The 
cavity 17 is preferably filled with a pre-measured amount of powdered 
cleaner compound 18 prior to sealing the top and bottom layers 12 and 14. 
A universal machine, known in the art and commonly referred to as a 
form-fill-seal machine, is typically used to heat seal the top and bottom 
filter layers 12 and 14 to form the filter pouch 11 and fill the same with 
a pre-measured amount of the cleaner compound 18. 
The filter layers 12 and 14 are preferably constructed from grade 533 or 
25.0 gsm tea bag paper. By utilizing tea bag paper, or equivalent 
material, the filter pouch 11 acts as a storage device for the powdered 
cleaner compound 18 prior to use and as a filter to undissolved solid 
particles of the cleaner compound 18 during cleaning operations. As with a 
conventional tea bag, liquids, such as water, can pass through the tea bag 
paper, but dry or solid particles substantially do not pass through the 
tea bag paper. Since dry or solid particles are substantially prevented 
from passing through the filter layers 12 and 14, the likelihood of such 
particles getting trapped in the coffee or tea maker equipment and salting 
the taste of the coffee or tea, is substantially diminished. Thus, the 
configuration of filter pouch cleaner 10 provides the user with a 
ready-to-use (RTU) cleaning element. Moreover, the user is not required to 
measure any amount of cleaner or tear open any envelopes of pre-measured 
amounts of cleaner to effectively use the filter pouch cleaner 10 of the 
present invention. 
Referring now to the powdered cleaner compound 18, it preferably comprises 
complex sodium based chemicals commonly found in soap and detergent in 
varying concentrations. More particularly, the cleaner compound 18 
comprises two heavy duty non-toxic cleaning chemicals, i.e., trisodium 
phosphate and sodium metasilicate. Trisodium phosphate and sodium 
metasilicate are chemicals that are highly alkaline, i.e., PH values of 
11-13. Because trisodium phosphate and sodium metasilicate are highly 
alkaline they react strongly with the acidic residue from the coffee and 
tannin oils and, thus, act as extremely effective cleaning agents. 
The cleaner compound 18 also includes a natural chemical filler such as 
soda ash. Soda ash is preferable because of its effervescent quality. Soda 
ash foams when it is combined with water and thus, aids in the washing 
process. By foaming, the soda ash helps dissolve the cleaner compound 18 
in the water and put the cleaning chemicals in contact with the surfaces 
to be cleaned. In addition, the soda ash's foaming action helps lift the 
residue off of the surfaces being cleaned. 
Other chemicals included in the cleaner compound 18 are sodium perborate 
and tripolyphosphate. Sodium perborate is preferably included in the 
cleaner compound 18 because of its bleaching and sanitizing qualities. 
Tripolyphosphate is preferably included in the cleaner compound 18 because 
it improves the cleaning action of the compound in hard water, i.e., it 
tends to soften the water, but more importantly, it assists in making the 
cleaner compound more biodegradable. 
Preferably, the chemicals of the cleaner compound 18 are combined, as a 
percentage of the total weight of the cleaner compound 18, in the 
following manner: 
______________________________________ 
27-33% Trisodium Phosphate 
36-44% Soda Ash 
9-11% Sodium metasilicate 
4-6% Sodium Perborate 
13-17% Tripolyphosphate 
Trace Dye Powder 
100% 
______________________________________ 
This preferred combination of chemicals tends to eliminate any smell 
associated with the cleaner compound 18 before or after cleaning the 
coffee or tea maker, tends to keep coffee or tea dispensing mechanisms 
cleaner, and tends to bleach glass and plastic components of the coffee 
and tee makers for a bright and clear appearance. 
The dye included in the cleaner compound 18 enables the user to easily 
determine that the coffee or tea maker is being cleaned and that the 
liquid in the server or dispenser contains the cleaner compound 18. It is 
preferable to use a dye that sustains its color and does not fade while 
suspended in a solution having a high pH value, such as keyamine torquoise 
6. This blue dye powder preferably turns blue then green when it is mixed 
with the coffee and tannin oils from coffee and tea. 
Preferably, about eighty to ninety grams of the cleaner compound 18 is 
filled into the cavity 17 of the filter pouch 11 to clean a three gallon 
size coffee or tea maker, about 21 grams of the cleaner compound 18 is 
filled into the cavity 17 of the filter pouch 11 to clean 75 ounce or 1/2 
gallon size coffee or tea makers, and seven to ten grams of the cleaner 
compound 18 is filled into the cavity 17 of the filter pouch 11 to clean a 
four cup size coffee or tea maker. 
In operation, the packaging configuration of the filter pouch cleaner 10 
enables it to be used in substantially all known coffee and tea brewing 
environments. Due to the vast number of different coffee and tea makers, a 
generic coffee maker 20, as shown in FIG. 4, will be used, for exemplary 
purposes only, to illustrate the operation of the filter pouch cleaner 10. 
Turning to FIG. 4, a coffee maker 20 is shown to comprise a water reservoir 
22, a water delivery component 24 operably coupled to the water reservoir 
22, a brew basket 26 attached to and below the water delivery component 
24, a heating element 40 mounted on top of a base 42 and a coffee pot or 
server 32 removably mounted on top of the heating element 40 and 
interposed between the heating element 40 and the brew basket 26. During 
the coffee brew cycle, oils from the coffee tend to collect as a residue 
in the brew basket 26, on the brew basket's spout 30, on a receiving spout 
36 in a lid 34 on the coffee pot 32 and on the coffee pot's 32 glass 
reservoir 38. To clean these items, the filter pouch cleaner 10 is simply 
taken in its RTU configuration, i.e., the filter pouch 11 is left in tact 
and is not torn open, and placed in the brew basket 26 substantially 
centered on the base 28 of the brew basket 26. However, prior to placing 
the filter pouch cleaner 10 into the brew basket 26, it is preferable to 
substantially spread out the cleaner compound 18 within the cavity 17 of 
the filter pouch 11. The user can spread the cleaner compound 18 out by 
placing the filter pouch cleaner 10 in a substantially flat manner onto 
the substantially flat and horizontally oriented palm of his or her hand, 
and then gently bounce or shake the filter pouch cleaner 10 atop of his or 
her hand until the cleaner compound 18 is substantially evenly distributed 
within the cavity 17. 
Once the filter pouch cleaner 10 is in place within the brew basket 26, the 
normal brew cycle of the coffee maker 20 is run. Hot water enters and 
fills the brew basket 26 from the water delivery component 24. The water 
soaks through the filter layers 12 and 14 of the filter pouch 11 and 
dissolves the cleaner compound 18. Once dissolved, the effervescent soda 
ash begins foaming and thus mixing the cleaner compound 18 with the water 
and putting the other chemicals in contact with the surfaces to be 
cleaned. The filter pouch cleaner 10 advantageously cleans, bleaches and 
sanitizes more than one piece of the coffee maker 20 at the same time 
during the brew cycle. Thus, when the brew cycle is complete, the brew 
basket 26, the brew basket's spout 30, the spout 36 in the lid 34 of the 
coffee pot 32, and the glass reservoir 38 of the coffee pot 32 are 
cleaned, bleached and sanitized. The filter pouch 11 of the filter pouch 
cleaner 10 is then conveniently tossed into the trash. 
Similarly, a site glass 46, a dispensing mechanism 48, a spout 50 and the 
surfaces of an internal chamber of a typical thermal coffee server 44, as 
shown in FIG. 5, will be cleaned, bleached and sanitized at the end of a 
brew cycle. 
Also during the brew or cleaning cycle, the liquid in the pot 32 will 
advantageously appear blue and then green as a result of the blue coloring 
dye in the cleaner compound 18 mixing with the oils from the coffee. This 
blue and green coloring indicates to the user that the coffee maker 20 is 
being cleaned and, thus, will tend to diminish the likelihood that the 
user will mistake the liquid in the pot 32 for coffee. 
While the above description contains many specificities, these should not 
be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as 
an exemplification of one preferred embodiment thereof. Other variations 
are possible. 
Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be determined not by 
the embodiments illustrated above, but by the appended claims and their 
legal equivalents.