Tea bag with lid and method for extracting tea beverage

Abstract

To provide a tea bag with a lid capable of securing a sufficient space in which tea leaves perform vertical motion inside a bag body including the tea leaves when placed onto a teacup and a technique related to the tea bag with a lid.SOLUTION: A tea bag with a lid 1 includes a lid member 3 and a bag body 5 deposed on a back surface 32 of the lid member 3 through a connection member 7. The lid member 3 is a sheet-like member for blocking the entire opening area of the teacup. The bag body 5 is a permeable member including tea leaves of a tea beverage. The lid member 3 is configured to be able to switch a closed state ST3 folded so as to pinch the bag body 5 and an opened state ST1 to be expanded from the closed state ST3 to extend planarly. The bag body 5 is configured to extend in an opening / closing direction of the lid member 3 to make the volume of an inner space SP bigger than the closed state ST3 when the lid member 3 is switched from the closed state ST3 to the opened state ST1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tea bag with a lid and the related art. [Background technology]

[0002] A tea bag with a lid that covers the opening of a teacup has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The tea bag (1) described in Patent Document 1 includes a sheet-like lid member (5) for covering the entire opening (3a) of a cup (3), and a bag (7) made of a water-permeable material and containing tea leaves (M) for a tea beverage, which is provided on the back surface of the lid member (5) (see FIG. 2 in Patent Document 1). A part of the bag (7) is heat-sealed to the back surface of the lid member (5). Therefore, when the lid member (5) is arranged so that the in-plane direction of the lid member (5) is horizontal, the bag (7) hangs down from the back surface of the lid member (5). This allows the bag (7) to be immersed in hot water poured into the cup (3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-144565 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When hot water is poured onto tea leaves for black tea or other tea beverages, jumping occurs due to thermal convection. The principle of jumping is that when hot water is poured onto the tea leaves, the lighter tea leaves float up, then the tea leaves absorb the hot water, gain weight, and sink. After this, oxygen in the hot water adheres to the tea leaves, causing them to float again, after which the oxygen attached to the tea leaves pops off, and the leaves sink to the bottom again due to their own weight. By repeating this process, the tea leaves move up and down, i.e., jumping occurs. This type of jumping brings out the original aroma and flavor of the tea beverage.

[0005] In order to efficiently move the tea leaves up and down in the jumping described above, it is necessary to secure a space (movement space) in which the tea leaves can move up and down relatively freely. However, with the envelope-type tea bag including the bag body (7) described in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to secure a space sufficient for the tea leaves to move up and down inside, which makes it difficult for jumping to occur.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a lidded tea bag and related technology that can ensure sufficient space for the tea leaves to move up and down inside the bag containing the tea leaves when attached to a teacup. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a tea bag with a lid, comprising a sheet-like lid member for covering the entire opening of a teacup, and a water-permeable bag body that is directly or indirectly attached to the back surface of the lid member and contains tea leaves for a tea beverage, wherein the lid member is configured to be switchable between a closed state in which it is folded to sandwich the bag body, and an open state in which it is unfolded from the closed state and extends in a flat plane, and wherein the bag body is configured to expand in the opening and closing direction of the lid member when the lid member is switched from the closed state to the open state, so that the volume of the internal space becomes larger than that of the closed state.

[0008] Here, it is preferable that the container further includes a connecting member that connects the back surface of the lid member and the outer peripheral surface of the bag body, and a first connecting portion of the connecting member that is connected to the back surface of the lid member approaches the bag body in the closed state and moves away from the bag body in the open state, and a second connecting portion of the connecting member that is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the bag body moves to the side where the first connecting portion moves away from the bag body, thereby making the volume of the internal space larger than in the closed state.

[0009] The present invention also provides a method for extracting tea beverages using a tea bag with a lid, comprising: a sheet-like lid member for closing the entire opening of a teacup; and a water-permeable bag body attached directly or indirectly to the back surface of the lid member and containing tea leaves for a tea beverage, wherein the lid member is configured to be switchable between a closed state in which it is folded to sandwich the bag body, and an open state in which it is unfolded from the closed state and extends in a plane, and wherein the bag body is configured to expand in the opening and closing direction of the lid member when the lid member is switched from the closed state to the open state so that the volume of the internal space is larger than that of the closed state, the method further providing a method for extracting tea beverages using a tea bag with a lid, comprising the steps of pouring hot water into the teacup, unfolding the lid member from the closed state to switch it to the open state, and placing the lid member on the rim of the teacup and immersing the bag body attached to the back surface of the lid member in hot water. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the covered tea bag and the method of extracting tea beverage of the present invention, when the cover member is switched from the closed state to the open state, the bag body expands in the opening and closing direction of the cover member, and the volume of the internal space of the bag body increases. Therefore, when the tea bag is attached to the teacup, it is possible to secure sufficient space for the tea leaves to move up and down inside the bag containing the tea leaves.

[0011] Furthermore, the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 does not describe at all any specific structure for ensuring sufficient space for the tea leaves to move up and down inside the bag containing the tea leaves when the teacup is attached. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a tea bag with a lid according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is an exploded view of a tea bag with lid, disassembled into (a) the lid member and (b) the bag body and connecting member. [Diagram 3] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing how the cover member is switched from an open state to a closed state or from a closed state to an open state. [Figure 4] A diagram showing the state in which a tea bag with a lid is immersed in hot water poured into a teacup. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] <1. Embodiment> A tea bag with a lid and a method for extracting tea beverages according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. In the following, a tea bag with a lid 1 shown in Figure 1 will be illustrated as an example of the tea bag with a lid according to the present invention.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the lidded tea bag 1 is composed of a sheet-like lid member 3 having a front surface 31 and a back surface 32, a bag body 5 provided on the back surface 32 of the lid member 3, and a connecting member 7 connecting the back surface 32 of the lid member 3 and the outer peripheral surface of the bag body 5.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 2(a), the lid member 3 is configured as a substantially circular sheet-like member and is mainly made of paper. When the lidded tea bag 1 is in use, the front surface 31 of the lid member 3 faces upward, and the back surface 32 of the lid member 3 faces downward. The front surface 31 and the back surface 32 of the lid member 3 are provided with a coating layer such as polypropylene (PP). Note that, although the present embodiment illustrates a case in which the lid member 3 is mainly made of paper, it may be made of another material such as plastic.

[0016] When in use (when extracting tea leaves), lid member 3 is placed on the opening of teacup TC (see FIG. 4) to cover and close the entire opening of teacup TC (see FIG. 4). When the entire opening of teacup TC is closed by lid member 3, the hot water in teacup TC is kept warm, thereby shortening the steeping time. Diameter D1 (see FIG. 2(a)) of lid member 3 is larger than diameter D2 (see FIG. 4) of the opening of teacup TC so that lid member 3 can close the entire opening of teacup TC.

[0017] The lid member 3 has a fold line PL formed for mountain folding the front surface 31 and valley folding the back surface 32. The fold line PL is formed linearly at approximately the center of the lid member 3 so as to divide the lid member 3 into two.

[0018] The bag 5 is a water-permeable member that contains tea leaves for tea beverages such as black tea. In this embodiment, the bag 5 is made of nylon mesh. Note that the bag 5 is not limited to nylon mesh, and may be made of other water-permeable materials such as nonwoven fabric or nonwoven paper.

[0019] The bag body 5 is indirectly attached to the back surface 32 of the lid member 3 via two symmetrical connecting members 7. Each connecting member 7 is mainly made of paper and includes an arm portion 71 and a back surface adhesive portion 73. As shown in FIG. 1, the back surface adhesive portion 73 is adhered in a surface-to-surface contact state to the back surface 32 of the lid member. More specifically, the back surface adhesive portion 73 is adhered to the outer periphery of the back surface 32 in a direction perpendicular to the fold line PL. The back surface adhesive portion 73 is an example of a "first connecting portion" according to the present invention.

[0020] Further, the end of arm portion 71 on the opposite side (the bag body 5 side) to back surface adhesive portion 73 is connected to the outer circumferential surface of bag body 5. In the following description, this end is also simply referred to as the "bag body adhesive portion." Note that the bag body adhesive portion is an example of the "second connection portion" according to the present invention.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 3, the lid member 3 is configured to be switchable between an open state ST1 extending in a plane via the above-mentioned fold line PL and a closed state ST3 folded in half. Note that state ST2 in Fig. 3 shows a state in the middle of switching from the open state ST1 to the closed state ST3 or from the closed state ST3 to the open state ST1. The switching operation is performed by a user (such as a purchaser of the tea bag with lid 1) manually opening and closing the lid member 3.

[0022] In the closed state ST3 in which the lid member 3 is folded in half along the fold line PL, the bag body 5 is clamped by the back surface 32 of the lid member 3, and the internal space of the bag body 5 is compressed. In the closed state ST3, the connecting member 7 approaches the bag body 5 together with the back surface 32. Before use, the lidded tea bag 1 is stored in the storage bag in the closed state ST3 in which the lid member 3 is folded. When used, the lidded tea bag 1 is removed from the storage bag, and the lid member 3 is unfolded from the closed state ST3 to the open state ST1 in which it extends flat.

[0023] When the lid member 3 is switched from the closed state ST3 to the open state ST1, the back surface 32 expands in the opening / closing direction of the lid member 3 (the direction perpendicular to the folding line PL), and the back surface adhesive portion 73 connected to the back surface 32 moves away from the bag body 5. When the back surface adhesive portion 73 moves away from the bag body 5, the arm portion 71 connected to the back surface adhesive portion 73 also expands in the opening / closing direction of the lid member 3. When the arm portion 71 expands in the opening / closing direction of the lid member 3, the bag body adhesive portion connecting the arm portion 71 and the bag body 5 also expands in the opening / closing direction (i.e., the back surface adhesive portion 73 moves to the side away from the bag body 5), and the bag body 5 expands in the opening / closing direction of the lid member 3. As a result, the bag body 5 compressed in the closed state ST3 expands in the opening / closing direction of the lid member 3, and the volume of the internal space of the bag body 5 becomes larger than that of the closed state ST3.

[0024] Conversely, when switching from the open state ST1 to the closed state ST3, the bag body 5 is clamped and compressed by the back surface 32 that is folded in the closed state ST3 through the reverse operation to that described above, so that the volume of the internal space of the bag body 5 becomes smaller than that of the open state ST1.

[0025] Next, a method for extracting tea beverages such as black tea using the above-mentioned tea bag with lid 1 will be described.

[0026] First, in the first step, hot water is poured into the teacup TC shown in Fig. 4. Next, in the second step, the covered teabag 1 in the closed state ST3 is removed from the storage bag, and the cover member 3 is opened in the opening and closing direction (the direction perpendicular to the folding line PL) to switch from the closed state ST3 to the open state ST1. In the third step, the cover member 3 in the open state ST1 is placed on the rim of the teacup TC, so that the bag body 5 provided on the back surface 32 side of the cover member 3 is immersed in the hot water. After the bag body 5 is immersed in the hot water, when a predetermined time (the extraction time set by the tea leaves) has elapsed, the bag body 5 is removed from the hot water and discarded.

[0027] According to the embodiment described above, when the cover member 3 is manually switched from the closed state ST3 to the open state ST1, the bag body 5 expands in the opening and closing direction of the cover member 3, and the volume of the internal space of the bag body 5 becomes larger than that of the closed state ST3. Therefore, when the bag body 5 is attached to the teacup TC, it is possible to ensure sufficient space inside the bag body 5 containing the tea leaves for the tea leaves to move up and down (i.e., jump).

[0028] In particular, according to the embodiment described above, when the lid member 3 is switched from the closed state ST3 to the open state ST1, it can be placed on the teacup TC immediately, and the installation operation is also simple.

[0029] Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, since the bag body 5 is provided on the rear surface 32 of the cover member 3 via the connecting member 7, it is possible to realize the expansion and contraction structure of the bag body 5 associated with switching between the open state ST1 and the closed state ST3 with a relatively simple configuration.

[0030] <2. Modifications> The covered tea bag and tea beverage extraction method according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and improvements are possible within the scope of the claims.

[0031] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the bag body 5 is indirectly provided on the back surface 32 of the lid member 3 via the connecting member 7, but the present invention is not limited to this. The bag body 5 may be directly provided on the back surface 32 of the lid member 3. Specifically, the bag body 5 may be configured so that a part of the outer peripheral surface thereof is heat-sealed to the back surface 32 of the lid member 3. More specifically, the bag body 5 may be configured so that a part of the outer peripheral surface thereof is heat-sealed to a position on the back surface 32 that expands in the opening and closing direction as the lid member 3 is opened and closed.

[0032] In the above embodiment, the cover member 3 is formed in a substantially circular shape, but is not limited to this. The cover member 3 may be formed in another shape (e.g., rectangular) as long as it can cover the entire opening of the teacup TC. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1 tea bag with lid 3 Cover member 5 Bag body 7 Connection parts 31 Surface 32 Back side 71 Arm 73 Back adhesive part PL line SP interior space ST1 open state ST3 Closed state TC Tea Cup

Claims

1. A tea bag with a lid, A sheet-like lid member for closing the entire opening of the teacup; A water-permeable bag body that is directly or indirectly provided on the back surface of the lid member and contains tea leaves for the tea beverage; Equipped with The lid member is configured to be switchable between a closed state in which the lid member is folded so as to sandwich the bag body and an open state in which the lid member is unfolded from the closed state and extends in a planar shape, The bag body is configured so that when the lid member is switched from the closed state to the open state, the bag expands in the opening and closing direction of the lid member, making the volume of the internal space larger than that in the closed state.

2. A connecting member is further provided to connect the back surface of the lid member and the outer peripheral surface of the bag body, A first connection portion of the connection member that is connected to a rear surface of the lid member approaches the bag body in the closed state and is separated from the bag body in the open state, The present invention relates to a tea bag with a lid, and more particularly to a tea bag with a lid and a tea bag with a lid.

3. A tea bag with a lid, A sheet-like lid member for closing the entire opening of the teacup; A water-permeable bag body that is directly or indirectly provided on the back surface of the lid member and contains tea leaves for the tea beverage; Equipped with The lid member is configured to be switchable between a closed state in which the lid member is folded so as to sandwich the bag body and an open state in which the lid member is unfolded from the closed state and extends in a planar shape, A method for extracting tea beverages using a tea bag with a lid, characterized in that the bag body is configured so that when the lid member is switched from the closed state to the open state, the bag body expands in the opening and closing direction of the lid member, so that the volume of the internal space becomes larger than that in the closed state, Pouring hot water into the teacup; a step of expanding the lid member from the closed state to switch it to the open state; placing the lid member on the rim of the teacup and immersing the bag provided on the back surface of the lid member in hot water; A method for extracting tea beverages comprising the steps of:

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