JP7737681B2 - Tea Bag Holders and How to Use Them - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tea bag holder and a method for using it, and in particular to a tea bag holder that is simple in structure, stable, and convenient to use, and a method for using it.

Tea bags that allow you to easily brew tea or black tea have been commercially available for some time. A typical tea bag contains green tea or black tea leaves inside a nonwoven fabric bag with a hanging string attached to the top of the bag. To brew tea, simply operate the hanging string and move the bag up and down in a cup filled with hot water, and you can easily enjoy your tea.

Furthermore, prior art related to the above-mentioned tea bags includes tea bags that can be used in any cup size, even if the cup does not have a dedicated lid, by keeping the hot water in the cup warm and effectively steaming the tea leaves in the hot water, allowing the tea leaves to be optimally extracted, resulting in delicious tea.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a tea bag in which a bag containing tea leaves is suspended by a string from the underside of a lid made of a plate that is larger than the container opening, the string being attached to the center of the underside of the plate so that its length can be adjusted, and a tab is provided on the end that protrudes from the surface of the lid.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-8742

However, the tea bag described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that the lid is formed in a flat plate shape, which means it does not fit well into the container opening. Furthermore, an appropriate thickness is required to increase strength, which creates problems in terms of cost and storage.

The object of the present invention is to solve the above problems by providing a tea bag holder that can be manufactured with a simple structure, is easy to use, has appropriate strength, and is easy to attach to a cup, as well as a method for using the same.

After extensive research to solve the above-mentioned problems, the inventor discovered that the above-mentioned objective could be achieved by providing specific notches and insertion pieces in the main body, leading to the completion of the present invention.

In other words, the tea bag holder of the present invention is characterized by comprising a circular sheet-shaped main body, a notch formed from the center of the main body toward the edge, a curved or approximately L-shaped insertion piece formed on one side of the notch, and an insertion portion formed on the other side into which the insertion piece is inserted.

In addition, in the present invention, it is preferable that the insertion piece and insertion portion are formed by cutting a slit in the main body, and it is preferable that multiple insertion portions are formed. Furthermore, in the present invention, it is also preferable that steam exhaust holes are drilled in the main body.

The method of using the tea bag holder of the present invention is characterized by placing the string of the tea bag at the base end of the notch, inserting the insertion piece into the insertion portion to form the main body into a cone shape, and placing the main body over the rim of the opening of the cup so that the tea bag is immersed in the hot water.

Furthermore, the preferred method of using the tea bag holder of the present invention is to place the main body over the rim of the opening of the cup, and after the tea leaves have steeped, pull up the knob of the tea bag string while holding the main body, bringing the tea bag into contact with the central recess of the main body, and squeeze the bag while holding the main body with your fingers to squeeze out the moisture inside the bag.

With the tea bag holder of the present invention, the insert piece can be inserted into the insert section to form the main body into a cone shape, which maintains appropriate strength and improves ease of attachment to the cup opening. Furthermore, by providing multiple insert sections, it can accommodate cups of various sizes.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a tea bag holder according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the state in which the insertion piece is inserted into the insertion portion. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tea bag holder. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the state in which the insertion piece is inserted into the insertion portion. FIG. 10 is a side view of the state in which the insertion piece is inserted into the insertion portion. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the state in which a tea bag is attached to the tea bag holder. FIG. 10 shows the state in which the tea bag holder is attached to the cup opening. FIG. 10 shows the state after use. FIG. 10 is a plan view of another preferred embodiment, a tea bag holder.

The tea bag holder of the present invention is characterized by its simple structure, ease of use, suitably excellent strength, and excellent attachment to a cup.
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the tea bag holder of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present invention, the tea bag used in the tea bag holder 1 of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as the effects of the present invention can be obtained, but examples include flat and tetra-type nylon mesh tea bags with thread tags (string 21, knob 22), flat and tetra-type soilon mesh tea bags with thread tags (string 21, knob 22), and flat and tetra-type nonwoven fabric tea bags with thread tags (string 21, knob 22).

Figure 1 is a plan view of the tea bag holder of the present invention, Figure 2 is a plan view of the insert piece inserted into the insert portion, Figure 3 is a perspective view of the tea bag holder, Figure 4 is a perspective view of the insert piece inserted into the insert portion, and Figure 5 is a side view of the insert piece inserted into the insert portion. The illustrated tea bag holder 1 comprises a circular sheet-shaped main body 2, a notch 3 formed from the center of the main body 2 toward the edge, a curved insert piece 5 formed on one side 4 of the notch 3, and an insert portion 9 formed on the other side 8 into which the insert piece 5 is inserted.

The main body 2 has a diameter of approximately 9.0 to 12 cm and is made of thin paper, taking cost and hygiene into consideration. A curved insertion piece 5 is located on one side 4 (left side in the figure) of the slit 3 formed in the main body 2. The insertion piece 5 consists of small curved portions 6 on both ends and a large curved portion 7 in the center, and is formed by cutting a slit into one side 4 of the slit 3. The paper material is not particularly limited as long as it achieves the effects of the present invention. Examples of suitable paper materials include water- and oil-resistant paper that has been treated with a Harville process, and paper with a three-layer structure (polyethylene/paper/polyethylene) with thermoplastic synthetic resins such as polyethylene on the front and back of the paper, such as the paper used in milk cartons.

An insertion portion 9 into which the insertion piece 5 is inserted is disposed on the other side 8 (right side in the figure) of the notch 3. The insertion portion 9 is made up of curved portions 10 at both ends and a straight portion 11 in the middle, and is formed by cutting a notch into the other side 8 of the notch 3. A plurality of the insertion portions 9 are provided on the other side 8. In particular, it is preferable that two to four insertion portions 9 are provided, and it is even more preferable that three insertion portions 9 are provided.

By wrapping the side portion 4 inward in the circumferential direction from the notch 3 and inserting the insert piece 5 into the insert portion 9, it can be formed into a triangular pyramid shape in side view, as shown in Figure 5. This allows the opening 25 of the cup 24 to be effectively covered, as shown in Figure 7. Note that since multiple insert portions 9 are installed, they can be adjusted appropriately to fit the size of the opening 25 of the cup 24.

In another preferred example, the main body 2 is provided with a steam exhaust hole 12. The steam exhaust hole 12 is formed with a small diameter, allowing for efficient steaming of the tea leaves immersed in the hot water and adjustment of the water temperature. Furthermore, multiple steam exhaust holes 12 may be installed.

Figure 9 is a plan view of another preferred example, a tea bag holder. The tea bag holder of the present invention is not limited to the above structure, and as shown in Figure 9, it may have a body 31 with a generally L-shaped notch 32 formed therein, which has a corner 33 and a tip insertion piece 34. Alternatively, the tea bag holder 30 may have a structure with multiple insertion pieces 35 on the left side of the notch 32 in a plan view, into which the corner 33 is inserted, and multiple insertion pieces 36 on the right side of the notch 32 in a plan view, into which the tip insertion piece 34 is inserted.

Next, how to use the tea bag holder of the present invention will be explained with reference to Figures 6 to 8. Figure 6 shows the state in which a tea bag is attached to the tea bag holder, Figure 7 shows the state in which the tea bag holder is attached to the cup opening, and Figure 8 shows the state after use.

First, as shown in Figure 6, the string 21 of the tea bag 20 is placed at the base end 13 of the slit 3 in the main body 2, one side portion 4 of the main body 2 is folded inward in the circumferential direction, and the insertion piece 5 is inserted into the insertion portion 9. Then, the tab 22 is placed at the top of the main body 2, and the bag 23 is placed at the bottom.

In this state, as shown in Figure 7, the bag 23 is immersed in a cup 24 filled with hot water A, and the main body 2 is placed over the opening 25 of the cup 24. At this time, because the main body 2 has a conical shape, the main body 2 is held stably over the opening 25, improving airtightness.

After the tea leaves have steamed, the bag 23 containing the hot water A is removed from the cup 24. At this time, while holding the main body 2, the handle 22 is pulled up, bringing the bag 23 into contact with the central recess of the main body 2. In this state, by squeezing the bag 23 while holding the main body 2 between your fingers, the moisture inside the bag 23 can be squeezed out, making post-use disposal easier.

Furthermore, after removing the bag 23, as shown in Figure 8, the main body 2 is turned upside down and the used bag 23 is placed on it. This allows the used bag 23 to be disposed of without soiling the tray or table.

As described above, the tea bag holder 1 of the present invention is characterized by comprising a circular sheet-shaped main body 2, a notch 3 formed from the center of the main body 2 toward the edge, a curved insertion piece 5 formed on one side of the notch 3, and an insertion portion 9 formed on the other side 8 into which the insertion piece 5 is inserted.Therefore, it can be manufactured with a simple structure, has appropriate strength, and is easy to attach to a cup.

In addition, depending on how the tea bag holder is used, the string 21 of the tea bag is placed at the base end of the notch, the insertion piece 5 is inserted into the insertion part 9 to form the main body 2 into a cone shape, and the main body is placed over the periphery of the opening of the cup so that the tea bag 20 is immersed in hot water, allowing tea to be enjoyed easily and simply with the tea bag 20.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, tea bags 20 containing various types of tea leaves can be efficiently steamed and brewed, making it easy to drink delicious tea. Furthermore, various designs and photographs can be printed on the surface of the tea bag holder 1. For example, by changing the design or printed photograph to suit tea brewing methods, types of tea, company logos, tourist destination guides, and various situations, a visual effect can be created, making the tea brewing time more enjoyable.

1 Tea bag holder 2 Main body 3 Notch 4 One side 5 Insertion piece
6 Small curved portion 7 Large curved portion 8 Other side portion 9 Insertion portion 10 Curved portion 11 Straight portion 12 Steam exhaust hole 13 Base end 20 Tea bag 21 String 22 Knob
23 Bag 24 Cup 25 Opening 30 Tea bag holder 31 Main body 32 Notch 33 Corner 34 Tip insertion piece 35 Insertion portion 36 Insertion portion A Hot water

Claims (6)

A tea bag holder characterized by comprising a circular sheet-shaped body, a notch formed from the center of the body toward the edge, a curved or approximately L-shaped insertion piece formed on one side of the notch, and an insertion portion formed on the other side into which the insertion piece is inserted. The tea bag holder of claim 1, wherein the insertion piece and insertion portion are formed by cutting a slit into the main body. The tea bag holder according to claim 1 or 2, wherein multiple insertion portions are formed. The tea bag holder according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the main body is perforated with steam exhaust holes. A method of using a tea bag holder comprising a circular sheet-like body, a body portion comprising a notch formed from the center of the body toward the edge, a curved or substantially L-shaped insert piece formed on one side of the notch, and an insert portion formed on the other side into which the insert piece is inserted,
The method for using the tea bag holder is characterized in that the string of the tea bag is arranged at the base end of the notch, the insertion piece is inserted into the insertion part to form the main body into a cone shape, and the main body is placed over the periphery of the opening of the cup so that the tea bag is immersed in hot water. A method of using a tea bag holder comprising a circular sheet-like body, a body portion comprising a notch formed from the center of the body toward the edge, a curved or substantially L-shaped insert piece formed on one side of the notch, and an insert portion formed on the other side into which the insert piece is inserted,
A method of using the tea bag holder according to claim 5, characterized in that the main body is placed over the rim of the opening of the cup, and after the tea leaves have steamed, the user pulls up the string tab of the tea bag while holding the main body, bringing the tea bag into contact with the central recess of the main body, and squeezing the bag while holding the main body with their fingers to squeeze out the water inside the bag.