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Infusion/strainer device and method for manufacturing the strainer

Infusion/strainer device and method for manufacturing the strainer description/claims

This application claims priority from U.S. application Ser. No. 29/277,510, filed Feb. 28, 2007, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

1. Field of the Invention

Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate generally to a staining or infusing devices and, more particularly, to an improved straining device that may be used for the preparation of various types of beverages and foods, such as tea, coffee, soup, or the like.

2. Related Art

It is often desirable to prepare an individual serving of a beverage or a food, such as tea, coffee, soup, or the like, without using cumbersome equipment such as coffee pots, tea pots, microwaves, etc. It is also desirable to collect and add various additives such as sweeteners or flavorings to such a beverage or a food in order to enhance flavor. Further, it is often desirable to stir or mix the serving being prepared. And, it is desirable to prepare such an individual serving of a beverage or a food in a simple, efficient, and rapid manner that minimizes the number of utensils necessary for preparation and clean-up.

Strainers for individual beverage servings are known in the art. Further, straining spoons for the preparation of beverages have also been developed. For instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,946,652, 4,215,628, and 4,338,338 disclose various straining devices for making beverages, such as tea. However, each of these prior art devices may provide one benefit, but be lacking in other areas, and none enables concurrent delivery of both the strained or infused substance (tea, coffee, etc.) and additives (sugar, etc.) and enable using the device for stirring.

The conventional straining devices suffer from numerous long-standing but unresolved disadvantages. For example, conventional straining spoons fail to efficiently dispense the beverage ingredient that is pre-filled therein. Since only one of the walls of conventional straining spoons has apertures formed therein, such conventional straining spoons only permit the free flow of liquid into and out of the compartment having the beverage ingredient from a single side of the straining spoon. Additionally, conventional straining spoons are complicated and expensive to manufacture. Indeed, conventional straining spoons consist of compartment defined by two walls with a beverage ingredient pre-filled therebetween. But, such pre-filling methods are complex and are relatively expensive to implement, thereby making it prohibitive to be disposable.

Accordingly, there is a need for an infusion/straining device which allows preparation of an individual serving of a beverage or a food without using cumbersome equipment. There is also a need for a straining device which allows for an increased flow of liquid to/from the beverage ingredient and which thereby allows the desired beverage or food to be prepared in a quick and efficient manner. Lastly, there is a need for such a straining device to be suitable for many of the purposes for which spoons are typically employed, such as stirring and collecting and adding various additives to a beverage or a food. Moreover, there is a need for a straining device which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture. Further, there is a need for an infusion/straining device which can be manufactured using conventional beverage strainers such as teabags and coffee bags, without requiring complex and expensive pre-filling techniques or using electrical machines in the beverage making process.

The following summary is provided in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects and features of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention, and as such it is not intended to particularly identify key or critical elements of the invention, or to delineate the scope of the invention. The sole purpose of this summary is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented below.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to an infusion or straining device that addresses many of the problems discussed above, and other needs which are not expressly mentioned above. Also, the present invention is not required to overcome the disadvantages described above, and an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may not overcome any of the problems described above.

In various embodiment of the invention, a disposable spoon is provided which is pre-loaded with the substance for making a beverage, such as tea leaves or coffee powder or particles. Unlike conventional mechanical metallic tea strainers, the inventive teaspoon is disposable and ready to use (i.e., the tea leaves are pre-filled), and it can also be used as a conventional teaspoon to add sweeteners or other additives. The inventive spoon may be easily and cheaply manufactured using conventionally available technology.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a straining device comprising: a handle; a frame, which is positioned an end of the handle; and a compartment, containing a medium to be strained, wherein the compartment is supported by the frame; wherein the compartment comprises a top porous surface; wherein the compartment comprises a bottom porous surface; and wherein the compartment is configured so as to dispense the medium through at least one of the top porous surface and the bottom porous surface.

The medium to be strained may be disposed between the top porous surface and the bottom porous surface.

The medium to be strained may comprise a beverage ingredient, tea, coffee, a food ingredient, instant soup powder, a medicine ingredient, etc.

The top porous surface may be configured so as to generally preclude sweetener granules from entering the compartment.

The frame may be formed around a border of the compartment.

The frame and the compartment may form an assembly that is generally concave in shape.

The frame and the handle may comprise a plastic material.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

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