U.S. patent application number 15/972575 was filed with the patent office on 2018-11-22 for tea bags and filters with variable porosity and custom steeping cycles.
This patent application is currently assigned to All Turtles, Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is All Turtles, Inc.. Invention is credited to Dennis Kitainik, Phil Libin.
Application Number | 20180332985 15/972575 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 64270287 |
Filed Date | 2018-11-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180332985 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Libin; Phil ; et
al. |
November 22, 2018 |
TEA BAGS AND FILTERS WITH VARIABLE POROSITY AND CUSTOM STEEPING
CYCLES
Abstract
A container that controls combining a soluble material with a
solution includes a body that holds the soluble material and a film
that covers the body and having pores therein, where flow through
the pores is impeded after a pre-determined amount of time
following the soluble material in the container being combined with
the solution outside the container. The soluble material may be
tea. The solution may be water. The body may have a frame that
supports the film. The pores may contract to impede flow
therethrough. The pores may contract in response to temperature of
the solution, in response to a pH level of a combination of the
solution and the soluble material. and/or in response to being
exposed to water. The container may include beads disposed proximal
to the pores, where the beads expand to impede flow through the
pores.
Inventors: |
Libin; Phil; (San Francisco,
CA) ; Kitainik; Dennis; (San Jose, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
All Turtles, Inc. |
San Francisco |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
All Turtles, Inc.
San Francisco
CA
|
Family ID: |
64270287 |
Appl. No.: |
15/972575 |
Filed: |
May 7, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62509347 |
May 22, 2017 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 85/804 20130101;
A47G 19/16 20130101; B01D 67/0088 20130101; B01D 2201/186
20130101 |
International
Class: |
A47G 19/16 20060101
A47G019/16 |
Claims
1. A container that controls combining a soluble material with a
solution, comprising: a body that holds the soluble material; and a
film that covers the body and having pores therein, wherein flow
through the pores is impeded after a pre-determined amount of time
following the solution being combined with the soluble material in
the container.
2. A container, according to claim 1, wherein the soluble material
is tea.
3. A container, according to claim 2, wherein the solution is
water.
4. A container, according to claim 1, wherein the body has a frame
that supports the film.
5. A container, according to claim 1, wherein the pores contract to
impede flow therethrough.
6. A container, according to claim 5, wherein the pores contract in
response to temperature of the solution.
7. A container, according to claim 5, wherein the pores contract in
response to a pH level of a combination of the solution and the
soluble material.
8. A container, according to claim 5, wherein the pores contract in
response to being exposed to water.
9. A container, according to claim 1, further comprising: beads
disposed proximal to the pores, wherein the beads expand to impede
flow through the pores.
10. A container, according to claim 9, wherein the beads expand in
response to temperature of the solution.
11. A container, according to claim 9, wherein the beads expand in
response to a pH level of a combination of the solution and the
soluble material.
12. A container, according to claim 9, wherein the beads expand in
response to being exposed to water.
13. A container, according to claim 1, further comprising: an
indicator, coupled to the container, that indicates when flow
through the pores is impeded.
14. A container, according to claim 13, wherein the indicator
changes color in response to the pores being impeded.
15. A container, according to claim 14, wherein the indicator
measures pH of a combination of the solution and the soluble
material.
16. A container, according to claim 1, wherein the amount of time
varies according to at least one of: density of the pores per unit
area of the film, size of the pores, or material used for the
film.
17. A container, according to claim 16, wherein the soluble
material is tea and the solution is hot water and wherein the
amount of time is used to control a strength of a beverage that
results from combining the tea and the hot water.
18. A container, according to claim 1, wherein the soluble material
is tea and the solution is hot water and wherein the container is a
bag that holds the tea.
19. A container, according to claim 18, further comprising: an
indicator, coupled to the bag, that indicates when steeping of the
tea is complete.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Prov. App. No.
62/509,347, filed on May 22, 2017, and entitled "TEA BAGS AND
FILTERS WITH VARIABLE POROSITY AND CUSTOM STEEPING CYCLES", which
is incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This application is directed to the field of food packets
with filtering properties, and more particularly to tea bags and
filters with variable porosity for adaptive tea brewing.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Tea is the most popular brewed beverage on the planet and is
second only to drinking water among world's liquid refreshments.
The tea market represents 6% or nearly $11 billion in consumer
dollars spent in food service beverage category in 2014. Between
2010 and 2015, tea saw a 16% increase in menu occurrences. Within
the 10-year period, 2006-2015, global tea production has grown from
3.5 to 5.2 million metric tons and, according to industry
forecasts, is expected to grow faster through the next decade. In
particular, an outlook for black tea production is at 2.9% annual
increase, reaching 4.17 million metric tons by 2023. The size of
the global tea beverage market in 2013-2021 is estimated to grow
from 34.9 billion to 44.3 billion US dollars.
[0004] In each of the top 24 countries with highest per capita tea
consumption, an average person consumes annually over 1 kg (35.3
oz.) of tea. While the US holds only 70th place in annual per
capita tea consumption, the beverage can be found in 80% of US
households, and on any given day, over 158 million Americans, that
is, over 50% of the US population, are drinking tea. The South and
the Northwest represent two regions with the greatest concentration
of tea drinkers. Among diverse age groups, US millennials are most
likely to drink tea at 87%, compared with the 80% average for all
US consumers. Both tea consumption and tea import have grown in the
US in 2015 (US is the world's third largest tea importer).
[0005] The consumption of hot tea has been growing steadily over
the 2010-2015 period, as consumers embrace its health benefits,
which range from maintaining proper fluid balance and antioxidant
properties to reducing risks of certain cancers, neurological
decline and osteoporosis and playing a positive role in an overall
metabolism. Total category sales for hot tea have increased more
than 15% over the last 5 years. The structure of tea consumption in
the US is characteristic for the Western world: 85% is black tea,
14% is green tea and the small remaining amount is split between
oolong, white and dark tea.
[0006] In 2015, more than 69% of hot tea purchased in the U.S. was
bagged tea. Herbal teas were at about 30% and loose teas made up
about 1% of purchases. The dynamics of consumption, however, gives
the preference to loose tea, which continues to grow in both
dollars and units sold and shows a trend to enjoy maximum benefits
from quality teas.
[0007] Proper steeping of hot tea plays an important role in
consumer satisfaction with the beverage. A characteristic of a
successful steeping process are the right tea, the right water, the
right water temperature and the right steep time. Different tea
varieties have a broad range of optimal steep times, ranging from
one to three minutes for white teas to two-three minutes for most
green teas, three-to-five minutes for black teas and five-to-seven
minutes for many herbal teas. Over-steeping teas of most varieties
is not, generally speaking, considered unhealthy and is sometimes
intentionally done by certain consumers and in some cultures.
However, a common result of over-steeping is a bitter taste due to
excessive release of tannins, which is undesirable for many tea
lovers and leads to loss of ideal taste for delicate tea
varieties.
[0008] Since hundreds of millions of people use bagged teas in busy
office and work environments and have no time to read specific
steeping instructions on tea bags or cans of loose tea or to
carefully control steeping time even if known, both knowing the
right moment to pull out the tea bag from a cup and avoiding
over-steeping tea become problematic and negatively affect the tea
culture.
[0009] Accordingly, it would be useful to have a mechanism to
control the steeping process to eliminate over-steeping of
freshly-brewed tea and indicate to consumers when a cup of tea is
fully steeped and ready for drinking.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] According to the system described herein, a container that
controls combining a soluble material with a solution includes a
body that holds the soluble material and a film that covers the
body and having pores therein, where flow through the pores is
impeded after a pre-determined amount of time following the
solution being combined with the soluble material in the container.
The soluble material may be tea. The solution may be water. The
body may have a frame that supports the film. The pores may
contract to impede flow therethrough. The pores may contract in
response to temperature of the solution, in response to a pH level
of a combination of the solution and the soluble material. and/or
in response to being exposed to water. The container may include
beads disposed proximal to the pores, where the beads expand to
impede flow through the pores. The beads may expand in response to
temperature of the solution, in response to a pH level of a
combination of the solution and the soluble material, and/or in
response to being exposed to water. The container may also include
an indicator, coupled to the container, that indicates when flow
through the pores is impeded. The indicator may change color in
response to the pores being impeded. The indicator may measure pH
of a combination of the solution and the soluble material. The
amount of time may vary according to density of the pores per unit
area of the film, size of the pores, and/or material used for the
film. The soluble material may be tea and the solution may be hot
water and the amount of time may be used to control a strength of a
beverage that results from combining the tea and the hot water. The
soluble material may be tea and the solution may be hot water and
the container may be a bag that holds the tea. The container may
include an indicator, coupled to the bag, that indicates when
steeping of the tea is complete.
[0011] The proposed system offers a tea stick as a replacement for
a tea bag and a modified construction of a tea filter for loose
tea, whereby a body of the stick or a pocket of the filter is made
of a material or constructed in a way that provides varying
porosity, so that the pores are gradually closed (gradually
contract) as steeping progresses, following various physical and/or
chemical characteristics of the partially brewed tea, so that
contact between tea leaves inside the bag or filter and the freshly
brewed tea outside the bag/filter is cut off once the tea is fully
steeped. A steeping cycle may be customized for various tea
varieties. Additionally, a handle of the tea stick or a portion of
the filter bag outside the cup may have an indicator (such as an
indicator strip) that changes color at an end of the steeping cycle
under influence of capillary absorption of brewed tea, thus
displaying to a consumer readiness of the tea for drinking.
[0012] The body of the tea stick, partially or completely submerged
into hot water at a start of steeping, may have several alternative
constructions securing varying porosity of the body and custom
steeping cycle: [0013] A surface of the body portion of the stick
may be made of a water-resistant plastic film made of a polymer
which gradually changes volume either (1) on reaction with water,
(2) at elevated temperature (above 60 Celsius or so), (3) in
response to pH change, or (4) a combination of the above. The film
may have nanopores to allow for the passage of water and dissolved
tea components (tannins, alkaloids, colloidal cellulose, etc.). The
surface may be optionally mounted on a light metallic, plastic or
other internal frame. Chemical properties of the polymer may ensure
that a surface of the film expands under an influence of kinetic
characteristics and/or pH value produced by the steeping process,
which leads to gradual closure of the pores. The pores may be fully
open on initial immersion in hot water, thus allowing the brewing
process to take place, but as the volume of the plastic changes,
the pores may gradually close over a period of several minutes,
stopping further brewing after a desired time has elapsed. The size
and density of artificial pores are tuned to particular values of
the above characteristics or pH, so that full closure of the pores
and isolation of the body from exterior water (to prevent further
steeping) comes precisely at an end of an ideal steeping cycle for
a particular variety of tea leaves that partially fill the body of
the tea stick. [0014] Instead of self-closing pores, the surface
may be made of a neutral non-stretching polymer or other film and
pores may have constant size through the steeping process. [0015]
The custom steeping cycle is instead achieved by adding a polymeric
bead hanging in (fastened to) each pore and possessing the
above-mentioned property to expand under an influence of chemical
parameters and/or temperature of the steeping process to impede
flow through the pores. Similarly to the first construction, the
enlarged beads may protrude from the pores at the end of the
steeping cycle and close the interior of the tea stick submerged in
the water.
[0016] Empty filter pockets for loose tea may also have one or both
of the above constructions.
[0017] It may also be possible to vary both the initial
permeability of the film (by varying the density of pores per unit
area) and the pore closure time (by varying the pore size and, to
some extent, the material properties) to adjust a strength of the
tea to consumer preferences. In other words, it may be feasible to
have, for one and the same variety of tea, sticks for bagged tea
and filters for loose tea that may be corresponding to weak tea,
regular tea, and strong tea and marked accordingly.
[0018] Additionally, a strip or other geometric configuration made
from an indicator that changes color when certain chemical
characteristics of the aqueous solution reach a values of fully
steeped tea (for example, a pH value for the fully steeped
condition of a particular variety of tea) may be mounted inside or
on a surface of a handle of a tea stick or on an outside portion of
an empty tea filter pocket. A small absorbing portion of the strip
or other material attached to the strip may protrude inside the
body or the pocket to take advantage of capillary absorption of the
tea and to change color at a time of completion of the steeping
process, letting the user know that the tea is ready for
drinking.
[0019] Indicators may be further customized to show readiness for
different tea strengths.
[0020] There exist polymers such as alginate, PMA, PMEP, PMAETMA,
and PNIPA whose volume changes as a function of pH and/or
temperature. It may be possible to adjust a threshold pH at which
polymer volume change occurs, and a magnitude of the volume change,
by adding, removing, or protecting (derivatizing so as to make
unreactive) pH-sensitive functional groups (amino groups or
carboxylic acid groups, depending on the polymer) on the chain ends
and/or side chains--the more pH-sensitive groups are present, the
earlier (closer to neutral pH) the volume change occurs, and the
greater (within limits) the magnitude of the change.
[0021] Also, it may be possible to adjust the rate of the volume
change by cross-linking the polymer in such a way that the
cross-links will gradually hydrolyze at elevated temperature and/or
due to a change in pH (for example, with ester and/or hydrazone
cross-links)--the more cross-links and the more resistant the
cross-links are to hydrolysis, the slower the volume change takes
place, and the later (farther from neutral pH) volume change begins
(if the cross-links hydrolyze due to pH change).
[0022] Additionally, there exist acid-base indicators such as
cyanidin-3-glucoside which change color at an approximate pH of
brewed tea and which are non-toxic and safe for use in food
products.
[0023] The material for tea sticks and filters should be food grade
and, ideally, biodegradable.
[0024] Other potential applications of the system described herein
may include unified sticks for soluble medicine that may provide
different strengths of the medicine in one stick depending on the
conditions, such as an initial water temperature and, for example,
a presence of a small amount of salt or soda in water. In this
case, multiple indicators may be provided to distinctively color
code different strengths of the solution.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] Embodiments of the system described herein will now be
explained in more detail in accordance with the figures of the
drawings, which are briefly described as follows.
[0026] FIG.s 1A-1B are schematic illustrations of assembled tea
sticks and tea filters with custom steeping cycles, according to an
embodiment of the system described herein.
[0027] FIG.s 2A-2B are schematic illustrations of two different
constructions of the surface of a tea stick or a tea filter,
according to an embodiment of the system described herein.
[0028] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the customized
steeping process, according to an embodiment of the system
described herein.
[0029] FIG. 4 is a system flow diagram illustrating system
functioning in connection with a customized and controlled tea
steeping process, according to an embodiment of the system
described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS
[0030] The system described herein provides a tea stick as a
replacement for a tea bag and a modified construction of a tea
filter for loose tea and methods of control of steeping process,
along with indicators of readiness of the fully steeped tea for
consumption.
[0031] FIGS. 1A-1B are schematic illustrations of assembled tea
sticks and tea filters with custom steeping cycles.
[0032] FIG. 1A is a schematic illustration of an assembled tea
stick 110, which may include two principal parts: a body 120 and a
handle 125. The body 120 is covered with a polymer film 130 with an
optional frame 135 and has pores 140, representing openings in the
body 120 of the stick 110, allowing hot water to enter the body 120
and contact loose tea leaves 150 placed at a bottom of the body
120. The handle 125 may have an indicator element or strip 160 that
changes color at an end of a steeping cycle under the influence of
capillary absorption of brewed tea, as explained elsewhere
herein.
[0033] FIG. 1B schematically illustrates a modified tea filter 170.
Here, loose tea leaves 150' are poured into a pocket 180 to form a
layer 155 at a bottom of the pocket 180. A plurality of pores 140'
play the same role as the pores 140 for the tea stick 110, while an
indicator strip 190 may be attached to a back side of the pocket
180.
[0034] FIGS. 2A-2B are schematic illustrations of two different
constructions of a surface of a tea stick or a tea filter.
[0035] FIG. 2A illustrates self-closing pores 210 made in the
surface 130, gradually closing (contracting) during steeping, as
explained elsewhere herein, to impede flow through the pores
210.
[0036] FIG. 2B illustrates constant-size pores 220 in the surface
130 with polymeric beads 230 hanging in or fastened to each of the
pores 220 optionally using a thin frame 240. The beads 230 expand
during steeping, as explained elsewhere herein, to impede flow
through the pores 220.
[0037] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration 300 of a customized
steeping process using the tea stick 110 with self-closing pores
140, showing three phases of the steeping process. Initially, the
tea stick 110 with the pores 140 fully opened is placed into a cup
310, either already filled with hot water 320 or with the hot water
320 is added when the stick is already in the cup 310. The hot
water 320 has an initial pH value 325 corresponding to a start of
the steeping process. The hot water 320 flows through the pores 140
into the body of the stick 110, contacts loose tea leaves 150 at
the bottom of the stick 110 and flows back into the cup 310, as
depicted by arrows 330.
[0038] At an intermediate phase of the steeping process, the pores
140 start to contract, as illustrated by smaller openings 340 in
the pores 140; a resulting semi-brewed tea 350 has an intermediate
pH value 355 and flow of liquid through the partly closed pores 340
is less intense than initial flow through the pores 140.
[0039] Finally, fully brewed tea 360 with a final pH value 365
corresponds to fully closed pores 370. A flow of liquid inside the
stick is impeded and an indicator element 380 changes color to
signal to the user that the tea is ready.
[0040] Referring to FIG. 4, a system flow diagram 400 illustrates
system functioning in connection with a customized and controlled
tea steeping process. Processing begins at a step 410, where it is
determined whether a tea stick is used, like the tea stick 110,
described above. If not, processing proceeds to a step 420, where
loose tea leaves are added to a tea filter like the tea filter 170,
described above. After the step 420, processing proceeds to a step
430, where the tea filter is placed into a tea cup. After the step
430, processing proceeds to a step 450, where hot water is poured
into the tea cup.
[0041] If it was determined at the test step 410 that a tea stick
was used, processing proceeds from the step 410 to a step 440,
where the tea stick is put into the tea cup. After the step 440,
processing proceeds to the step 450, described above, where hot
water is poured into the tea cup. The step 450 can be independently
reached from the step 430. After the step 450, processing proceeds
to a step 460, where tea steeping progresses, pores are gradually
closing (or beads expanding) and steeping intensity declines, as
explained elsewhere herein. After the step 460, processing proceeds
to a test step 470, where it is determined whether the tea is fully
steeped. If not, processing proceeds back to the step 460.
Otherwise, if the tea is fully steeped, processing proceeds to a
step 480, where flow through the pores is impeded and steeping
stops, as explained elsewhere herein (for example, at the final
phase, depicted in FIG. 3). After the step 480, processing proceeds
to a step 490 where the indicator strip or other element changes
color and notifies the user that the tea is ready. After the step
490, processing is complete.
[0042] Note that the system described herein may be adapted to
control an amount of time any soluble material is mixed with a
solution. The soluble material may be medicine, coffee, other
consumable food or drink, non-consumable soluble material, etc.
Also, the solution may be a liquid other than water, including
non-consumable liquids. The system described herein relies on the
addition of the solution to cause flow through pores in the surface
of the container to eventually be impeded based on a characteristic
of the solution (e.g., temperature) or on a characteristic of the
combination (e.g., pH of the combination).
[0043] Various embodiments discussed herein may be combined with
each other in appropriate combinations in connection with the
system described herein. Additionally, in some instances, the order
of steps in the flowcharts, flow diagrams and/or described flow
processing may be modified, where appropriate. Subsequently, system
configurations and decisions may vary from the illustrations
presented herein. Various existing and future materials may be used
for the surface of tea sticks and tea filters, beads, indicator
strips and other system components.
[0044] Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those
skilled in the art from a consideration of the specification or
practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the
specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with
the true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the
following claims.
* * * * *