Patent ID: 7147879

Claim:
A package comprising a filter container containing a product capable of flavoring a liquid when contacted with said liquid, an envelope, and a folded pull element; said envelope enclosing said filter container and said folded pull element; said envelope comprising a folded cover sheet, folded along a cover sheet fold line to form overlapping cover sheet portions which are releasably connected to each other to hold the envelope in a closed condition and enclose both the folded pull element and the filter container; said folded cover sheet further including an opening located in the region of the cover sheet fold line; said folded pull element comprising a second folded sheet folded along a pull element fold line to form pull element sheet portions, wherein the pull element fold line is arranged in the folded cover sheet adjacent the cover sheet fold line; said folded cover sheet and said folded pull element both having opposing free edges away from their respective fold lines with said folded pull element being attached to said folded cover sheet adjacent the respective opposing free edges; said opening in said folded cover sheet being sized to allow the pull element to close the opening when the envelope is in the closed condition, but also sized to allow the pull element in the region of the pull element fold line to be used as a grip member and to be grasped and pulled through the opening; said filter container comprising two substantially similar rectangular flat bags connected to each other by a common fold edge, wherein said common fold edge is placed in the vicinity of the grip member which in turn is in the vicinity of the cover sheet fold line when said envelope is in a closed condition; the opposing end edges of the bags, spaced from and extending parallel to said common fold edge, being attached to said respective pull element sheet portions at a distance from the respective free edges of said folded pull element and the pull element fold line; wherein upon releasing the connection between the overlapping cover sheet portions, the envelope is opened and upon holding the envelope with both the cover sheet fold line and pull element fold line and the common fold edge of the bags at the top of the envelope, and moving the cover sheet portions away from each other, the common fold edge of the bags drops below the level of the opposing end edges of the bags and the bottom of the envelope, allowing the bags to be positioned in a cup of liquid to flavor the liquid while being supported in the liquid by the remainder of the package being supported on the rim of the cup, and such that upon finishing the flavoring process, the grip member of the pull element can be grasped in the opening of the folded cover sheet and a portion of the pull element can be pulled through the opening, causing the bags to be pulled back into the folded cover sheet.