Foldable Tea Strainer With Thread Squeezing for Leak Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tea infusion devices, such as the tea strainer, require submersion and removal from a vessel, leading to water leakage and staining issues, making the process less hygienic and inconvenient.
Innovation Solution
A disposable tea strainer with a rigid base, foldable design, and a moisture-permeable infusion container equipped with a squeezing mechanism of threads that allows for easy compression and containment of infused tea, preventing leakage and facilitating recycling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the tea strainer is submerged and removed from the vessel, then tea infusion is achieved, but water leakage and staining occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a disposable tea strainer made of compressed cellulose that is discarded after single use. This eliminates the need to clean and reuse the strainer, preventing water leakage and staining issues associated with removing and reusing traditional strainers. The disposable nature ensures hygiene and convenience while avoiding the harmful leakage effect.
2Ease of operation
If a disposable strainer is used, then convenience and hygiene are improved, but the ability to squeeze out infused tea is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The strainer features localized threading structures at specific positions on its surface. These threads are strategically placed to provide squeezing functionality without compromising the overall disposable nature of the strainer. The local addition of threading allows effective squeezing of infused tea while maintaining the disposable convenience and hygiene benefits.
3Ease of operation
If threading is added to the strainer surface, then squeezing capability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The strainer is made from compressed cellulose with inherent porous structure. The threading is integrated into this porous material in a way that leverages the material's natural properties. The threads are positioned to work with the porous structure rather than against it, allowing squeezing functionality to be achieved without requiring complex manufacturing processes. The threading pattern is designed to be simple enough to be incorporated during the compression molding process.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables convenient and hygienic loose tea infusion with effortless recycling, improving the quality and convenience of tea brewing while reducing waste and promoting the use of loose tea over low-quality tea bags.
Implementation Method 1
an easily deformable moisture-permeable infusion container (3)
Implementation Method 2
the infusion container from an easily compressible and moisture-permeable material, for example, from cellulose, from filter paper and the like
Implementation Method 3
a squeezing mechanism consisting of threads (4, 5) and holders (6, 7) at the ends of the threads... to squeeze the infused tea inside the strainer
Data Source
AI summary
A disposable strainer for infusing tea has a rigid base with a fold line along which the base of the strainer is folded once infusion is complete, an easily deformable moisture-permeable infusion container, and a squeezing mechanism consisting of threads, the threads being laid over the surface of the moisture-permeable container of the strainer, and the squeezing mechanism allowing by threads drawing to squeeze the infused tea inside the strainer once the strainer is folded.