An Improved Tea Infuser.
Year: 1899

page_text: An Improved Tea Infuser.
We, JAMES HENRY COOK, Hotel Manager, of "The Pitman Hotel," Corporation
Street, and CHARLES WILLIAM BANKS, Jeweller, of 16, Buchfield Road, both
of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to tea infusers such as are used to produce a cup of
freshly made tea without the use of a tea-pot
Hitherto spoon infusers have been made with a hinged cover in some cases
and with a sliding cover in other cases; both of such old style infusers have dis-
advantages; the infuse with hinged cover is bulky and cumbious occupying
considerable space when packed and such infuser is apt to burst at the hinge-
joint.
"
The infuser with a sliding cover is apt to get choked between the slide recesses
formed in the slide-clips so that the clips burst off when the cover is slidden
into position, to remedy the defects herein before described we construct our
"improved tea infuser' without either hinges or slide-claps, as hereinafter
described. In carrying out our invention we provide the lower part in the form
of a spoon, on the forward tip end of the spoon shaped under part of our improved
infuser we form a lip which projects inwards about a sixteenth of an inch more
or less
The bottom of the spoon and the handle may be pierced out of one piece of
metal so as to form the bowl shaped perforated bottom of our infuser as part of
its handle, we can however in some cases pierce out the lower part of the spoon
shaped infuser so as to present to view a handle with upper part of a spoon in
the form of a rim into which we compress any suitable perforated bowl: different
meshes can then be provided in quantities and pierced handle parts also also pro-
vided so as to make up our improved infusers in various patterns of mesh.
We next provide the cover which may be compressed out of one piece of
sheet metal, or cast as one piece, or which may consist of a bowl shaped band
into which can be inserted any desired pattern of perforated bowl; to the rear
part of such cover at the upper junction face-edge thereof we provide two knobs,
one on each side
In using our "improved tea-infuser" the required amount of dry tea would
be placed in the bowl of the lower part, the cover would then be connected by
passing the front tip end of the cover under the lip of bottom part and then
pressing the cover onto the under part, thereby also pressing the two knobs
over the outer surface of the lower part of infuser, the cover being thereby
secured to its lower part in a sufficiently rigid manner to withstand the expan-
sion of the swolen tea leaves during the time the benificial qualities of the tea
pass through the perforations of the infuser into the tea-cup or other vesel
wherein our "improved tea-infuser" is used
It will be readily understood that when our improved infuser is removed it

page_text: can be quickly emptied of the waste exhausted tea leaves and easily cleaned
and also that the parts will pack within a small space
We prefer in some cases to dispense with the forward tip turned over part of
the lower part of our improved infuser and to rely on the action of the covel
knobs which when pressed over the outer surface of the lower part would also
press the heel end of the cover against the front part of handle and thereby
also press the front tip end of the cover closely against the upper junction face
edge of lower half of our improved infusei
Altho we consider one knob on each side sufficient to make a safe connection
nevertheless we can when found advantageous use two or more knobs on cach
side of the cover
D
1
1000
ALFRED WILLIAM TURNER,
Cobden Buildings, 671, Corporation Street, Birmingham,
Agent for the Applicant.
E An improved Tea Infuser.
"
JAMES HENRY Cook, Hotel Manager, of "The Pitman Hotel, Corporation
Street, and CHARLFS WILLIAM BANKS, Jewelle, of 16, Buchfield Road, both
of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in end by the following statement.--
This invention relates to tea-infusers such as are used to produce a cup of
freshly made tea without the use of a tea-pot
Hitherto spoon infusers have been made with a hinged cover in some cases,
and with a sliding cover in other cases, both of such old-style infusers have dis-
advantages, the infuser with hinged cover is bulky and cumbious, occupying
considerable space when packed, and such infuse is apt to buist at the hinge
joint
The infuse with a sliding cover is apt to get choked between the slide recesses
formed in the slide-chips, so that the clips burst off when the cover is slidden
into position, to remedy the defects herein before descubed we construct our
improved tea infuser without either hinges on slide-chips, as hereinafter
described.
"
We will now proceed to descube with reference to the accompanying drawings,
the manner in which our invention is constructed and used
Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the improved tea infuser with cover
in position
Figure 2 represents a section of Figure 3 ou the hue, A, B, but with cover
raised above the spoon-bowl
Figure 3 represents a plan of improved infuser and its cover, the handle being
broken-off.
Figure 4 represents a plan of infuser-cove
Figure 6 represents an infuser-bowl with clipping-lip
Figure 6 represents an end view of a cover slotted to suit the arch of spoon-
handle
In carving out our invention we provide the lower part in the form of a
spoon on the tip forward end of the spoon-shaped part we in some cases form
a lip which projects inwards about one sixteenth of an inch more or less
The bottom of the spoon and the handle may be pierced out of one piece of
metal so as to form the bowl-shaped perforated bottom of infuser as part of its

page_text: handle, we can however in some cases piece out the lower part of the spoon-
shaped infuse so as to present to view a handle with the upper part of a spoon
in the form of a 11m into which we compress any suitable perforated bowl,
different meshes can be provided in quantities and pierced handles also provided
so as to make up our improved infuser in various patterns of mesh
We next provide the cover which may be compressed out of one piece of
sheet metal, or cast as one piece, or which may consist of a bowl-shaped band
into which can be inserted any desired pattern of perforated bowl; To the rear
part of such cover at the upper junction face-edge thereof we provide two knobs,
one on each side.
In assembling the parts we proceed in the following manner.
We provide the spoon-shaped under handle-part A and the bowl B, the bowl B
is pierced with any desned number of passages which may be slits, or oval holes,
or which may be the round holes as shewn at C We next provide the cover as
shewn at D Figures, 3, 4, and 6, and as also shewn at D' Figure 2
In some cases we provide the spoon-shaped under part B with a lip E which
projects inwards in the manner illustrated at Figure 5 and when such lip is
provided the cover can be connected to the under part by passing the front tip-
end F of the cover under the lip and then pressing the knobs G against the
spoon-shaped under part, until the said knobs pass over and grip the under bowl
part
We prefer in other cases to entuely dispense with the lip E and to rely on
the cover-knobs Ct.
The action of the knobs against the under part of our improved infuser 19
as follows:-
The normal shape of the bowl B of spoon before the cover D is pressed on,
is as shewn in section at B¹ Figure 2, and the normal position of the cover D
before being pressed over the under-part B, is as represented at D' Figure 2:
that is to say, the knobs G at the inner bearing points G¹ do not reach to the
outer edges H of the spoon bowl B o 13, consequently when the cover is pressed
over the bowl of infuser, the bearing points (of the knobs G press against the
outer edges H of infuser bowl, compressing such edges inwards slightly and also
pressing the bearing points G¹ of cover outwards slightly, thereby causing the
knobs G to pass over and gup the outer surface of the bowl, as clearly shewn at
Figure 1, at the same time the heel-end J of the cover presses against the
bridge K of the spoon-shaped under-part of infuse, such pressure against the
bridge forcing downwards the front tip end of the cover D closely against the
face-edge of under spoon-peat, thus securing the cover closely against the under
or spoon-shaped part of our improved infuser
Although we only shew two kuobs, one on each side of the cover " these two
only being absolutely necessary" nevertheless we can where found advantageous,
use two or more knobs on each side of the cover I)
In using our improved tea-infuse," the requied amount of diy tea, or
other substance from which to extract the infusion would be placed in the bowl B
of lower-pait, the cover would then be placed over the under-part B and the two
knobs G pressed over the outer surface of the lower part of the improved infuser,
as herein before clearly set forth, the cover being secured by means of the knobs
to the lower part in a sufhciently igid manner to withstand the expansion of
the swollen tea-leaves (or other substance put within the infuser) during the
time the beneficial qualities of the tea or other substance passed through the
perforations of the infuser into the tea-cup or other vessel wherein our "improved
tea-infuser" 18 used
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that
what we claim 18 -
1st. Au infuser for use in the preparation of infusions of tea and the like,

page_text: consisting of a lower perforated bowl-part in combination with an upper per-
forated cover, the cover being secured to the lower bowl-part by means of projec-
tions or knobs which are pressed over the lower part in combination with the
pressure of the heel-end of cover against the arch of underpart, substantially as
illustrated and described
2nd In infusers for use in the preparation of infusions of tea and the like,
the combination of a lower perforated bowl-part with an upper perforated cover-
part, the cover-part taking at its forward end into a recess formed at the tip end
of the lower part and at its ear end connecting to the lower part by means of
knobs in combination with the pressure of the heel end of cover against the arch
of under-part, substantially as illustrated and descubed
Dated the 31ot dov of Vov 1900
JAMES HENRY COOK,
CHARLES WILLIAM BANKS
Witness
ALFRED WILLIAM TURNFR.
International Patent Agent,
Cobden Buildings, 674, Corporation Street, Birmingham.