Patent Publication Number: US-2022227537-A1

Title: Tea bag holder

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The subject matter of the present application pertains to the field of beverage accessories. It is particularly related to a tea bag holder that is removably attachable to a beverage container, and methods of use therefor. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A tea bag, used or unused, must be carefully handled at all times. In general, tea bags are physically delicate. Unused tea leaves are susceptible to damage from moisture, air, sunlight, heat, and strong odors. A used tea bag is damp, will leak, and may stain other objects. One tea bag may be reused multiple times, which requires careful storage between uses so as to appropriately discharge moisture, avoid contamination, and prevent accidental leaks and stains. At the same time, consumers often drink tea throughout a day or a commute using a portable disposable cup or reusable travel mug. Conventionally, a used tea bag is placed on a spoon or napkin, is placed in an additional disposable container, or stays in a beverage container with the tea beverage. Therefore, a need exists for a device to promote portability or reuse of a tea bag while reducing the waste and damage associated with handling a used tea bag. 
     The present disclosure is directed to overcoming one or more problems of the prior art, including portability, ease of reusing tea bags, cleanliness, cost, difficulty of assembly, etc. The present disclosure is particularly applicable to use with individual tea bags. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a method of using a tea bag, including providing a holder having a closeable storage area, attaching the holder to a beverage container, placing the tea bag in the closeable storage area. 
     In another aspect, the step of attaching is performed by encircling a band about the beverage container. 
     In another aspect, the method further includes closing the closeable storage area of the holder. 
     In another aspect, the method further includes removing the tea bag from the closeable storage area, and placing the tea bag in a liquid in the beverage container. 
     In another aspect, the method further includes transporting the beverage container while the holder is attached thereto. 
     In another aspect, the holder is part of a lid for the beverage container. 
     In another aspect, the method further includes draining moisture from the tea bag to a separate area. 
     In another aspect, the closeable storage area is an insert within the holder, the insert having a permeable wall. 
     In another aspect, the step of placing the tea bag in the closeable storage area is performed with the tea bag in a used state, and the method further includes removing the tea bag from the closeable storage area, and reusing the tea bag in the beverage container. 
     In another aspect, the step of placing the tea bag in the closeable storage area is performed with the tea bag in an unused state, and the method further includes removing the tea bag from the closeable storage area, using the tea bag with a liquid in the beverage container, replacing the tea bag in the closeable storage area, the tea bag being in a used state, wherein the closeable storage area has a permeable surface, and draining moisture from the tea bag to a separate area via the permeable surface. 
     In yet another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a holder for a tea bag, the holder having a resilient strap, a pouch, and an insert. The pouch includes a front wall, a rear wall, sidewalls, an opening, and a closure for the opening. The insert has a permeable surface, and is configured to hold and drain moisture from a tea bag and the pouch is configured to hold drained moisture. 
     In yet another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a holder for a tea bag, the holder having a lid and a storage area. 
     In yet aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a method of storing a tea bag, comprising providing a holder, attaching the holder, placing the tea bag, and closing. The holder has a closeable storage area. The holder is attached to a beverage container. The tea bag is placed in the holder. The closeable storage area of the holder is closed. 
     In yet another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a method of storing a used tea bag, comprising providing a holder, attaching the holder to a beverage container, the holder having a closeable storage area and a permeable surface. The method further includes placing the used tea bag in the holder, closing the storage area of the holder, and draining moisture from the used tea bag to the beverage container. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing Summary and the following detailed description will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention. In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a side elevation view of a tea bag holder and a container according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2A  is a side elevation view of a tea bag holder and a container according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2B  is a partially exploded perspective view of the tea bag holder of  FIG. 2A ; 
         FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of a tea bag holder according to a third embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan view of a tea bag holder according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a top plan view of a tea bag holder according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6A  is a side elevation view of a tea bag holder according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6B  is a top plan view of the tea bag holder of  FIG. 6A ; 
         FIG. 6C  is a bottom perspective view of an aspect of a lid for the tea bag holder of  FIG. 6A ; 
         FIG. 7A  is a side perspective view of a tea bag holder according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 7B  is a side view of the tea bag holder of  FIG. 7A  with a portion removed. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not considered limiting. Words such as “front”, “back”, “top” and “bottom” designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made. This terminology includes the words specifically noted above, derivatives thereof and words of similar import. Additionally, the terms “a” and “one” are defined as including one or more of the referenced item unless specifically noted. The phrase “at least one” followed by a list of two or more items (such as “at least one of A, B, or C”) means any individual one of A, one of B, or one of C as well as any combination of two or three thereof. 
     At the outset, it is understood that this invention is not limited only to the particular embodiments, methodology, materials, and modifications described herein, and as such may vary. It is also understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, which is limited only by the appended claims. In general, in the illustrated embodiments, similar parts are given similar reference numerals, e.g., pouches/holders  20 / 120 / 220 / 320 / 420 / 520 / 570 / 620 , and these parts may have all or some of the same features. Generally, a tea bag “holder” as described is a term applicable to any of the pouches/holders  20 / 120 / 220 / 320 / 420 / 520 / 570 / 620 . Likewise a “closeable storage area” as described is a term applicable to insert  160 , storage area  570 , or any of the other pouches/holders  20 / 120 / 220 / 320 / 420 / 520 / 620 . 
     Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods, devices or materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the invention, the following example methods, devices, and materials are now described. 
       FIG. 1  shows an exemplary embodiment of a tea bag holder  10 , also referred to as a “tea trap,” constituting a resealable pouch  20  attached to a beverage container  12  having a lid  14 . The pouch  20  includes a top wall  22 , bottom wall  24 , sidewalls  26 ,  28 , front wall  30 , and rear wall  32 . In some embodiments, the pouch  20  is formed from the front wall  30  secured directly to the rear wall  32  without any sidewalls, providing a slim, envelope-like structure. 
     A resealable closure  34  is formed in the front wall  30 . The resealable closure  34  may be, for example, a zip-top, a slider seal, a press seal, a double zipper seal, hook and loops fasteners, a tacky material, or any other type of resealable closure. A flap extending from the rear wall  32  may be provided to function as the resealable closure  34 , with or without additional fastening means to hold the flap closed against the front wall  30 . In alternative embodiments, the closure  34  may not be resealable. In other embodiments, the closure  34  may be configured to independently maintain an open position to aid insertion and removal of a tea bag. 
     The rear wall  32  of the pouch  20  contains a receiver for mounting the pouch to a band  40 . In the illustrated embodiment, the receiver includes two openings  36 ,  38  that are sized to allow the band  40  to pass through. This configuration allows a slidable relationship between the pouch  20  and the band  40 , so that the pouch can be adjustably positioned about the beverage container  12  or the pouch can be reformed if bunching occurs during use. 
     The band  40  is preferably resilient, and may be an elastic band such as a rubber band formed in a loop with a diameter sized to stretch to fit about and encircle the various sizes of most beverage containers  12 . In one exemplary embodiment, the band  40  is a polymer-rubber blend that is about ⅛ of an inch wide. In particular, the band  40  may be formed of a blend of 55% polyester and 45% rubber. In another exemplary embodiment, the band  40  is a rubber band with a width of 1/16 of an inch and a thickness of 1/32 of an inch. The relatively small width and thickness reduce manufacturing costs while promoting portability and ease of use. 
     The band  40  is sized to fit around a beverage container and may have a circumference of about 5 to about 9 inches, preferably about 7 inches. In one embodiment, for assembly, a strip of material of about 8 inches in length is threaded through the receiver openings  36 ,  38  and tied, resulting in a circumference of about 7 inches. 
       FIGS. 2A and 2B  show another embodiment of a tea bag holder  100  including a pouch  120  and a band  140 . The pouch  120  is larger, thicker, and more durable than pouch  20 , and as such is suitable for reuse and repeated washing. Similar to the previous embodiment, the pouch  120  includes a top rim  122 , bottom wall  124 , sidewalls  126 ,  128 , front wall  130 , and rear wall  132 . The rear wall  132  may have a slight curvature to better fit against the beverage container  12 , and the front wall  130  may be similarly curved for a streamlined look and feel. The pouch  120  has a lid  134  for closing the pouch. In the illustrated embodiment, the lid  134  is fully removed from the pouch  120 , with a tether  138  retaining the lid in near proximity. Alternatively, the lid  134  may be attached to the pouch  120  by a hinge in the same manner as hinge  552  as shown in  FIGS. 6A-6B  and described below. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2B , the pouch  120  may include an insert  160  that is useful when reusing a tea bag  18 . The insert  160  fits within the pouch  120 , with an optional top rim  162 , bottom wall  164 , sidewalls  166 ,  168 , front wall  170 , and rear wall  172 . The insert  160  is at least partially permeable. In one embodiment, the insert  160  is permeable due to perforations  174  formed in the bottom wall  164 . In this manner, the bottom wall is a permeable surface of the insert  160 . Alternatively, any other wall or walls of the insert  160  may constitute the permeable surface. After use, the tea bag  18  can be placed in the insert  160 , which allows moisture to drain out to the pouch  120 . The pouch  120  retains and stores this moisture to prevent leakage and possibly damage to nearby items. In this manner, the pouch  120  is considered a separate area of the tea bag holder  100  from the insert  160 . The top rim  162  of the insert  160  is sized and configured to receive the lid  134  of the pouch  120 . For example, the top rim  162  and the lid  134  (or a portion of the lid  134 ) can be sized for a friction fit. The top rim  162  and the bottom wall  164  are sized relative to the pouch  120  so that the insert bottom wall  164  is separated from the bottom wall  124  of the pouch  120 . The volume of space defined by this separation contributes to or defines the separate area of the tea bag holder  100  mentioned above. In some embodiments, one or more of the walls  166 / 168 / 170 / 172  of the insert  160  may be spaced from the respective wall  126 / 128 / 130 / 132  of the pouch  120 , providing volume to contribute to or define the separate area of the tea bag holder  100 . 
     The band  140  in the illustrated embodiment of  FIGS. 2A-2B  may be relatively wide and formed of a strong material, e.g., woven nylon or silicone. The band  140  in some embodiments has a width of about ⅛ to about ¾ of an inch. The band  140  may have a greater thickness than the band  40 , such as 1/16 of an inch or ⅛ of an inch. In general, a relatively larger band  140  provides improved holding strength against the beverage cup  12  or other mounting structure, greater frictional engagement with the beverage cup, and is more resistant to accidental breakage than the thin band  40  of the first embodiment. 
       FIG. 3  shows yet another embodiment of a tea bag holder  200  including a pouch  220  and a cozy  240 . The cozy  240  is designed to mount to a beverage container  12  similarly to the band  40 , but also provides insulation. The cozy  240  may have a height  242  that only covers a portion of the beverage container  12 , similar to a sleeve for protecting a user&#39;s hands from heat. Alternatively, the height  242  of the cozy  240  may extend over substantially the entire beverage container  12 , similar to a cozy for maintaining a temperature of a beverage within the container  12 , e.g., a beer can cozy. The pouch  220  may be fixedly secured to the cozy  240 , for example by stitching or permanent adhesive. 
       FIG. 4  shows still another embodiment of a tea bag holder  300  including a pouch  320  attached to a tea bag  18  via a string  16 . Similar to a conventional tethered paper tag, the holder  300  is tethered to the tea bag  18  to allow a user to insert and remove the tea bag  18  from a beverage. Likewise the holder  300  can remain outside of the beverage container  12  while the tea bag  18  seeps inside the container. 
     The pouch  320  can be used to store the tea bag  18  before use or after use. The tea bag  18  may be reused after temporary storage in the pouch  320 . Moreover, the pouch  320  may be easily transported by a user (e.g., by hand, in a pocket, in a backpack, in a purse, and/or in a vehicle) while preventing the used tea bag  18  from leaking or staining. The pouch  320 , similar to previous embodiments, may include a resealable closure  334 . 
     In addition to typical tag functions, the pouch  320  of the holder  300  can be used in the same manner as the pouch  20 / 120 / 220  of the present disclosure with a band  40 / 140  or a cozy  240  for selectively mounting to a beverage container  12 . 
       FIG. 5  shows another embodiment of a tea bag holder  400  that is substantially similar to the holder  300 , but does not have a string between a pouch  420  and the tea bag  18 . In other words, the tea bag holder  400  and the tea bag  18  are readily and completely separable. The holder  400  may be sold with the tea bag  18  by the tea manufacturer or distributor. In this manner, the holder  400  provides the aforementioned pouch functions in a ready-to-use unit. The pouch  420  may be disposable or reusable. In effect, the tea bag holder  400  improves the function of a tear-open package (e.g., a paper or foil envelope) for a single tea bag  18  with a closeable and reusable functionality. The tea bag holder  400  may be mountable to a beverage container  12  via a band  40 / 140  or a cozy  240  as discussed in the previous embodiments. The pouch  420  may be closeable by a releasable closure in the same manner as the previously described pouches  20 / 120 / 220 / 320 . 
       FIGS. 6A and 6B  show an embodiment of a tea bag holder  500  that functions similarly to the previous embodiments by means of a storage area  520  built into a lid  514 . The lid includes a top wall  515  and a bottom rim  516 . The storage area  520  is part of the lid  514  and is enclosed by a cap  550  that is attached to the lid by means of a hinge  552 . A catch  554  or similar latching structure is used to close the cap  550 . In the illustrated embodiment, the storage area  520  is a semicircular volume embodying approximately half of the lid  514 . Generally, the storage area  520  may be any size so long as it can hold the tea bag  18  therein. 
     The storage area  520  functions to hold and protect a tea bag  18  in an unused or used state. As such, the cap  550  may provide a leak-proof seal with a perimeter  556  of the storage area  520 . The leak-proof seal of cap  550  may be, for example, a gasket or the like. 
     In a further aspect shown in  FIG. 6C , the lid  514  has a storage area  570  that is in communication with the beverage container  12  by way of a deformable wall  571 . The deformable wall  571  is formed by a plurality of flaps  572  cantilevered toward a central area  574 . The flaps  572  are strong enough to hold a soaked tea bag  18 , yet one or more openings  574  between the flaps allows moisture from the tea bag to drip down into the beverage container  12 . In this manner, the deformable wall  571  is a permeable surface of the storage area  570 . Alternatively, any other wall or walls of the lid  514  may constitute the permeable surface. The flaps  572  may be flexible and/or resilient, so as to allow for quick and easy insertion/removal of the tea bag  18  from the storage area  520  and to make the storage area  570  closeable. At the same time, the top wall  515  of the lid  512  in a some embodiments is completely enclosed, preventing damage or contamination to the tea bag  18 , or substantially closed with small ventilation opening(s). After use, the tea bag  18  can be placed in the storage area  570  above the flaps  572 , which allows moisture to drain out through the openings  574  to the beverage container  12 . In this manner, the beverage container  12  is considered a separate area from the storage area  570 . 
       FIGS. 7A and 7B  show yet another embodiment of a tea bag holder  600  that is formed into a wall of a beverage container  12 . The storage area  620  may be integrally formed with the beverage container. A permeable wall  670  provides a permeable surface that separates the storage area  620  and the beverage container  12 , while allowing moisture from the tea bag  18  to dip through. The permeable wall  670  as illustrated includes a plurality of openings or perforations  672 , formed in the wall, the wall otherwise being a solid material. In this manner, the permeable wall  670  may be integrally formed with the beverage container  12 ; in other words, the permeable wall is formed of the same material(s) during the same manufacturing process(es). Alternatively, the permeable wall  670  may be formed of a mesh or netting, similar to a typical tea strainer. After use, the tea bag  18  can be placed in the storage area  620 , which allows moisture to drain out to the beverage container  12 . In this manner, the beverage container  12  is considered a separate area from the storage area  620 . 
     The material of the pouch  20 / 120 / 220 / 320 / 420  and storage area  520 / 620  may be opaque, transparent, or semitransparent, and may be formed of various materials such as plastic, silicone, paperboard, and the like. For example, the pouch  20 / 120 / 220 / 320 / 420  may be formed of a rubber, neoprene, a fabric, cardboard, paperboard, or combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the pouch  20 / 120 / 220 / 320 / 420  is formed of an opaque LDPE material having a thickness of about 4 mil. Generally, the pouch  20 / 120 / 220 / 320 / 420  and storage area  520 / 620  may be any shape and size suitable for holding a tea bag. In some embodiments, the front wall  30  and the rear wall  32  are substantially square shaped, with a length of about 3 inches and a width of about 3 inches. 
     Likewise, the band  40 / 140  or cozy  240  may be formed of various materials including rubber, elastics, polyester, fabric, knitted fabric, and combinations thereof. In general, the material of the pouch  20 / 120 / 220 / 320 / 420 , the band  40 / 140 , and/or the cozy  240  may be chosen so as to be machine washable, dishwasher-safe, biodegradable, or recyclable, or combinations thereof. Similarly, the tea bag holder  500 / 600  including the storage area  520 / 570 / 620  may be formed of a plastic, polymer, or metal, and the material may be chosen so as to be dishwasher-safe, biodegradable, or recyclable, or combinations thereof. 
     The various embodiments of the tea bag holder  100 - 600  may be sold individually, in multi-packs, in conjunction with tea bags, in conjunction with beverage containers, or in conjunction with other tea-drinking accessories. The tea bag holder  100 - 600  of the present disclosure may be used for various other beverages including coffee (e.g., single-serve coffee cartridges), protein powder and other workout supplements, flavor packs, sugar packets, and the like. The tea bag holder  100 - 600  of the present disclosure is applicable to any beverage container, mug, travel mug, bottle, and the like. 
     Aspects of the disclosed embodiments  100 - 600  may be substituted or combined in various ways. For example, any pouch  20 / 120 / 220 / 320 / 420  may be combined with any band  40 / 140 / 240  for encircling the beverage container  12 . The storage area  520  may have a permeable portion to drain to the beverage container  12 , similar to the deformable wall  571  or the permeable wall  670 . Instead of the tether  138 , the lid  134  of the pouch  120  may be attached to the pouch by a hinge in the same manner that the cap  550  attaches to the lid  514  by the hinge  552 . Instead of the deformable wall  571 , the lid  514  or the storage area  570  may be perforated similarly to the permeable wall  670 , with access to the storage area  570  provided by the cap  550 . 
     The tea bag  18  of the present application is any applicable permeable bag/pouch having tea, loose leaf tea, herbal tea, or another beverage infuser (coffee, chocolate powder/syrup, protein powder, other powdered mixes, citrus fruit, and the like) that is made to be inserted or steeped into a liquid beverage in the beverage container  12 . The tea bag  18  may be a manufactured product, hand-made, or homemade. The tea bag may be made of porous paper, fabric, woven fabric, silk, nylon or similar materials. The tea bag  18  is considered “unused” when it is substantially dry and has not yet been inserted into a liquid beverage. The tea bag  18  is considered “used” when it has been inserted into a liquid beverage at least once. 
     In “reusing” the tea bag  18  for any of the above embodiments, the used tea bag  18  (which, after use, may be in a saturated or semi-saturated state) is removed from the beverage container  12  and placed in the holder (pouch  20 / 120 / 220 / 320 / 420  or the storage area  520 / 570 / 620 ). In this manner, the tea bag  18  is no longer immersed in any liquid that remains in the beverage container  12 . If the tea bag  18  is placed in the insert  160  or the storage area  570 / 620 , then draining and eventual drying of the tea bag  18  are promoted, such that the tea bag  18  is significantly less saturated after a relatively short period of time. Generally, reuse of any tea bag is more effective if the used tea bag can be drained and dried (partially or completely). Then, the tea bag  18  may be placed in liquid (such as hot water) in the beverage container  12  or in another container, so as to seep and provide a second tea beverage. 
     Having thus described the presently preferred embodiments in detail, it is to be appreciated and will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many physical changes, only a few of which are exemplified in the detailed description of the invention, could be made without altering the inventive concepts and principles embodied therein. It is also to be appreciated that numerous embodiments incorporating only part of the preferred embodiment are possible which do not alter, with respect to those parts, the inventive concepts and principles embodied therein. The present embodiments and optional configurations are therefore to be considered in all respects as exemplary and/or illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all alternate embodiments and changes to this embodiment which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of said claims are therefore to be embraced therein.