Patent Publication Number: US-2017349370-A1

Title: Tea bag configured to be suspended in a water bottle

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This disclosure claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/343,944 filed on Jun. 1, 2016 which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This disclosure is related to tea bags used to steep tea leaves in a water bottle, and, in particular, to tea bags configured for easy insertion into and removal from the water bottle. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure. Accordingly, such statements are not intended to constitute an admission of prior art. 
     Tea bags typically include a tea containing bag, tea leaves, and a string useful for suspending and manipulating the tea bag within water. Tea containing bags are known to be made from exemplary filter paper, silk, and food grade plastic materials. 
     Tea containing bags are known to be made in approximately a square shape. This square shape is useful for exposing as much surface area as possible in a tea cup to the tea contained within the tea containing bag. However, if such a tea bag is forced within a water bottle, as the tea absorbs water in the steeping process, the bag either becomes too large to remove from the bottle or forcably squeezing the bag out of the bottle becomes a messy process, with tea potentially squirting on the user or the tea containing bag ripping and dumping tea leaves into the tea product. 
     SUMMARY 
     A tea bag is configured to be inserted within a water bottle. The tea bag includes a long, thin tea containment bag configured to be inserted within the water bottle and be removed from the water bottle after steeping without compressing with an opening of the water bottle tea leaves within the tea containment bag as the bag is removed from the bottle. The tea bag additionally includes a tea bag line useful to suspend the tea containment bag within the water bottle. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       One or more embodiments will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary tea bag configured to be inserted within the mouth of a water bottle, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates the tea bag of  FIG. 1  in preparation for being placed within a water bottle, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates the tea bag of  FIG. 1  within a water bottle, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates the tea bag of  FIG. 1 , with tea leaves within the tea bag expanding into a vertical leaf expansion portion, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates the tea bag of  FIG. 1 , along with two additional exemplary embodiments showing different widths of tea bags, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates an additional exemplary embodiment of a tea bag, including a retention ring configured to prevent a tea bag within a water bottle from exiting a mouth of the water bottle, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates the tea bag of  FIG. 6 , with the retention ring positioned between a tea containment bag and the mouth of the water bottle, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a retention ring of the tea bag of  FIG. 6 , the ring flexing to permit the tea bag to be removed from the water bottle, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 9  illustrates an additional alternative exemplary embodiment of a tea bag configured to be inserted within the mouth of a water bottle, in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 10  illustrates an additional exemplary embodiment of a tea bag, including a retention ring incorporated with a water bottle cap safety ring and a wrapped tea containment bag configured to adhered to a side of a water bottle for sale as a unit with the water bottle, in accordance with the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 11  illustrates the tea bag of  FIG. 10  placed within a water bottle, in accordance with the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A tea bag is disclosed for use within a water bottle. The tea bag can be sold separately from the bottle or provided attached to an outside of the water bottle. The tea bag includes a long, thin tea containment bag configured to be inserted or placed within the water bottle through a narrow opening in a top of the bottle. The tea containment bag also includes is configured to permit tea leaves within the bag to expand without the bag becoming wider than the opening of the bottle, thereby permitting easy removal of the bag from the water after the tea is prepared and preventing the tea leaves from being compressed as the bag is removed from the bottle. 
     Referring now to the drawings, wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating certain exemplary embodiments only and not for the purpose of limiting the same,  FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary tea bag configured to be inserted within the mouth of a water bottle. Tea bag  10  is illustrated including tea containment bag  20 , tea bag line  50 , and paper tab  40 . Tea containment bag  20  includes tea leaves  22  within bag  20 . Any sort of tea leaves  22  can be used within the disclosed tea bags. 
     Tea containment bag  20  can be constructed of any material known for use with tea containment bags. Mesh count for such tea bags is typically between 95 and 120 filaments per inch, although any range of mesh count can be used that effectively contains any particular type and size of tea leaves. In one exemplary embodiment, a biodegradable bag material can be used, such as polylactic acid (PLA) mesh. Other, more conventional, bag materials can be utilized, such as a nylon mesh, a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) mesh, or other non-woven fabric meshes known in the art. 
     As the tea leaves  22  absorb water within a water bottle, the leaves will swell up. Tea containment bag  20  is sized originally smaller than the opening of the water bottle such that as the tea leaves swell, the tea containment bag can increase in size with the tea leaves but still be narrow enough to fit through the opening. Tea bag line  50  is attached to the tea containment bag  20  and permits a user to manipulate the bag within a water bottle while it is steeping or to remove the bag from the bottle. 
     Tea containment bag  20  is a long narrow bag. A longitudinal axis can be defined along the long dimension of the bag or in a vertical direction as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . In some embodiments, the bag can be circular in cross-section along the longitudinal axis, although the bag need not be circular in cross-section. In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the material of tea containment bag  20  is selected to resist stretching under forces/pressure that expanding tea can generate against the tea bag material. As a result, vertical side walls  24  of bag  20  remain relatively a same width as the bag  20  before the tea is placed within the water. A vertical leaf expansion portion  25  is provided including an empty portion within bag  20 , such that the expanding tea leaves  22  can expand into portion  25  instead of expanding a width of the bag  20 . In other embodiments, The tea containment bag  20  can be made significantly more narrow than a typical opening of a water bottle, such that some or all of the tea leaf expansion can be accounted for by increasing width of the tea bag, while permitting the tea bag to remain smaller or the same size as the opening of the water bottle, thereby facilitating easy removal of the tea bag after the tea has been prepared within the water bottle. 
     Paper tab  40  is similar to paper tabs known in the art, useful to provide the user with something to hold onto as the user manipulates the tea bag. 
     Close up view  21  of the surface of tea containment bag  20  is illustrated. The fine mesh of the tea containment bag  20  is visible, as are tea leaves  22 . In some embodiments, larger sections  23  of tea leaves  22  may be visible through the mesh. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates the tea bag of  FIG. 1  in preparation for being placed within a water bottle. Water bottle  100  is illustrated including contained water  105  and bottle opening  110 . Tea bag  10  is illustrated including tea containment bag  20 , tea leaves  22  within bag  20 , and tea bag line  50  including paper tab  40 . Tea containment bag  20  is configured to be dropped through opening  110  and be suspended within contained water  105 . Tea bag line  50  is a small thread or similar cord and can be placed over threads of the bottle  100  such that a plastic cap of the bottle  100  can be secured to the threads, thereby trapping line  50  between the cap and the threads. With line  50  trapped between the threads and the cap, tea containment bag  20  is suspended within contained water  105 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates the tea bag of  FIG. 1  within a water bottle. Tea containment bag  20  is illustrated suspended within bottle  100 . Tea bag line  50  is illustrated trapped by secured water bottle cap  120 , with paper tab  40  extending from the secured line  50 . The contained water  105  of  FIG. 2  has been transformed into prepared tea  106  in  FIG. 3 . 
     As tea leaves expand, tea containment bags of the present disclosure are configured to maintain a width of the tea containment bags small enough such that the bags can be easily pulled from the opening of a water bottle.  FIG. 4  illustrates the tea bag of  FIG. 1 , with tea leaves within the tea bag expanding into a vertical leaf expansion portion. Tea containment bag  20  of  FIG. 3  is illustrated. Having been placed in water, the tea leaves have been transformed into expanded tea leaves  22 ′. Line  29  shows the original top of the tea leaves prior to being placed in water. As the water caused the tea leaves to become expanded tea leaves  22 ′, the tea leaves expanded into vertical leaf expansion portion  25  with a new top  28 . Because the tea leaves were able to expand into vertical leaf expansion portion  25 , only minimal pressure is applied by expanded tea leaves  22 ′ outwardly against walls  24 , thereby reducing any significant increase in width of tea containment bag  20 . 
     Various strategies can be employed to maintain tea containment bags as smaller or the same width as an intended bottle opening size. As a result, the tea containment bags consistent with the present disclosure can include various widths or various shapes.  FIG. 5  illustrates the tea bag of  FIG. 1 , along with two additional exemplary embodiments showing different widths of tea bags. Tea containment bag  20  of  FIG. 1  is illustrated, wherein a width of the bag is illustrated to be less than an opening of an illustrated water bottle opening  110  of water bottle  100 . Tea containment bag  20 ′ is illustrated, wherein bag  20 ′ is wider than bag  20  and is approximately the same width as opening  110  of bottle  100 . Tea containment bag  20 ″ is illustrated, more narrow than bag  20 . 
       FIG. 6  illustrates an additional exemplary embodiment of a tea bag, including a retention ring configured to prevent a tea bag within a water bottle from exiting a mouth of the water bottle. Tea bag line  50  is illustrated including paper tab  40  and optional retention clip  30 . In certain embodiments, a user may wish to be able to drink from a water bottle full of tea with a tea containment bag still within the bottle. 
     Retention clip  30  is attached to tea bag line  50 . In one embodiment, retention clip  30  can be configured as a food-grade quality plastic ring with a split  32 , wherein the ring can be easily deformed. In a normal, resting state, retention clip  30  looks like a ring with split  32  just appearing like a crack in the material of the plastic. However, when deformed by force, the ring can collapse with the material on either side of split  32  displacing each other. In this way, in its resting state, clip  30  can be too wide to fit through an opening of a bottle. However, a user can easily apply a small amount of force to either clip  30  or to tea bag line  50 , thereby causing clip  30  to deform and pass through the opening of the bottle. This deforming action of clip  30  enables a user to drink out of a bottle with a tea containment bag within the bottle, with clip  30  preventing the tea containment bag from being pulled through the opening into the mouth of the user. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates the tea bag of  FIG. 6 , with the retention ring positioned between a tea containment bag and the mouth of the water bottle. Tea bag  10  is illustrated including tea containment bag  20 ″, tea bag line  50 , retention clip  30 , and paper tab  40 . Tea containment bag  20 ″ and retention clip  30  are within water bottle  100 , permitting the tea leaves within bag  20 ″ to steep or create tea with water within the bottle. Cap  120  is installed to bottle  100 . Tea bag line  50  is thin enough that it can fit between the bottle  100  and cap  120  without interfering with the cap  120  being tightened down upon the bottle. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a retention ring of the tea bag of  FIG. 6 , the ring flexing to permit the tea bag to be removed from the water bottle. Retention clip  30  is within bottle  100 . Clip  30  is flexed or in a collapsed state, where force being applied to tea bag line  50  is causing the internal surfaces of bottle  100  to push against sides of clip  30 , and clip portions  34 , normally sitting adjacent to each other proximate the clip split, are displaced, thereby enabling clip  30  to fit through opening  110  of bottle  100 . 
       FIG. 9  illustrates an additional alternative exemplary embodiment of a tea bag configured to be inserted within the mouth of a water bottle. Tea bag  210  is illustrated including tea containment bag  220 , tea bag line  250 , and retention clips  230  and  260 . Tea containment bag  220  is a non-rectangular tea bag, for example, constructed in an oblong shape, with narrow ends  225  and  227  and wider middle portion  226 . Bag  220  can be made of filter paper or any other material known for use with a tea bag. Constriction band  222  is attached to middle portion  226  constructed of food grade nylon or other similar materials and is configured to prevent expansion of middle portion  226  as the tea leaves  224  steep and absorb water, thereby preventing the bag from expanding to a size that is difficult to remove from a water bottle. Retention clip  230  is similar to clip  30  of  FIG. 6 , configured to deform and permit the clip to be placed within the water bottle and prevent the tea bag from coming out of the bottle in an undesired way. Retention clip  260  is configured to remain outside of the water bottle and clip to a neck of the water bottle. Further clip  260  can be located at an end of line  250 , acting as a replacement for a paper tab and providing a user something to grip on to and use to manipulate the tea bag in the water. 
     Bags are disclosed herein describing tea leaves for use in making a tea drink. It will be appreciated that the bags disclosed herein can be used with any herbal drink making product requiring herbs to be steeped in water. 
     A volumetric capacity of a tea containment bag can be determined. Similarly, a dry volume and a wet or saturated volume of any particular type or composition of tea can be determined, tested, or estimated. According to the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , a vertical leaf expansion portion or open space within the tea containment bag can be determined, wherein, once the tea leaves expand, the tea containment bag is full. Such a full state can be calibrated, for example, to make the saturated volume of the tea slightly more than the volumetric capacity of the tea containment bag. In this way, the soaked or saturated tea leaves are compressed by the tea containment bag. Compression of leaves against the bag reduces an amount of water that is left within the bag, thereby reducing messy drips from the bag when the bag is removed from the water bottle. Further, with the compression of the tea leaves, the tea containment bag is inflated to a rigid shape, thereby making manipulation and removal of the tea containment bag from the mouth of the water bottle easier. 
     In one embodiment, a vertical leaf expansion portion is left at a top of a tea containment bag to account for expansion of the soaked tea leaves. In another embodiment, larger tea leaves or leaves that leave significant interstitial space or open volume between the tea leaves can be utilized. By accounting for expansion of the tea leaves when they are soaked by including interstitial volume between the tea leaves, a tea containment bag that initially appears full and, once soaked, is full or slightly compressed can be achieved. In another embodiment, tea or herbal powders are known in the art, wherein the dry volume and the soaked volume are very close to each other. With such an ingredient, the tea bag can be provided with a full or nearly full tea containment bag, and due to the small change in volume in the powder or similar substance, the bag remains full after being soaked. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates an additional exemplary embodiment of a tea bag, including a retention ring incorporated with a water bottle cap safety ring and a wrapped tea containment bag configured to adhered to a side of a water bottle for sale as a unit with the water bottle. Tea bag  310  is illustrated including tea containment bag  320 , tea bag line  350 , and retention ring  340  attached to tea bag line  350 . Retention ring  340  is formed integrally with water bottle cap  342  and can function as a safety ring as is known in the art, being installed to a factory sealed water bottle and breaking away from the cap  342  when a consumer applies a torque to cap  342  in order to remove it from a bottle. Retention ring  340  stays in position around a neck of the water bottle and can therefore suspend the tea containment bag  320  within a water bottle. Tea containment bag  320  can optionally be stored within an exemplary clear plastic wrap  330 , the wrap being useful for instance to permit the wrapped tea containment bag to be adhered to a side of a water bottle. Wrap  330  includes an exemplary tear away notch  332  permitting a user to easily tear top  334  away from the rest of wrap  330 , thereby permitting the user to easily remove the tea containment bag  320  from the wrap  330 . In one exemplary embodiment, line  350  can exit wrap  330  near or at notch  332 , thereby permitting one to easy remove top  334  from line  350 . 
     Exemplary tea leaves  322  are provided as larger leaves that can be placed within tea containment bag  320  with significant interstitial space between the leaves. In this way, the bag  320  can appear to be filled when still dry, with leave expanding when soaked into the interstitial spaces between the leaves. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates the retention ring  340  initially attached to the cap  342  and outside of wrap  330 . An alternative embodiment is disclosed, wherein the retention ring  340  is not initially attached to the cap, and wherein the ring  340  and the line  350  are both initially contained within wrap  330 . 
       FIG. 11  illustrates the tea bag of  FIG. 10  placed within a water bottle. Water bottle  305  is illustrated. Cap  342  is removed, and tea containment bag  320  has been placed within the bottle. Retainer ring  340  remains in place upon a neck of bottle  305 . Line  350  connects retainer ring  340  to tea containment bag  320 . Wrapper  330  is illustrated adhered to bottle  305 , with top  334  ripped away from wrapper  330 . Tea leaves  322 ′ are illustrated, now soaked or saturated with water. 
     The disclosure has described certain preferred embodiments and modifications of those embodiments. Further modifications and alterations may occur to others upon reading and understanding the specification. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this disclosure, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.