Integrated Infuser Lid With Retractable Basket for Brewing Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing insulated beverage container lids do not provide a convenient means to brew loose consumable products like tea or control brewing time without opening the container, leading to overbrewing and bitterness.
Innovation Solution
A removable lid with an integrated beverage infuser and transfer mechanism that allows the brewing basket to be deployed and retracted within the container without opening the lid, enabling control over brewing time and accommodating both loose and packaged brewable products.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the lid is kept closed to prevent spilling and maintain temperature, then beverage safety and thermal insulation are improved, but the ability to control brewing time is lost leading to overbrewing
Solution Approach 1:
The lid is segmented into functional zones: a sealed rim portion for preventing spills and maintaining temperature, and an infuser assembly with independent deployable basket that can be operated without opening the lid. This segmentation allows the lid to simultaneously provide thermal insulation while enabling brewing control through the infuser mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The infuser assembly acts as an intermediary mechanism between the user and the beverage. It provides a controlled interface for introducing and removing infusible materials without compromising the sealed environment of the lid, thus maintaining thermal insulation while enabling brewing time control through deployable and retractable basket mechanisms.
2Ease of operation
If the lid is opened to remove teabag or control brewing, then brewing time control is improved, but heat loss and spill risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The infusible material is extracted into a separate infuser basket that can be deployed and removed independently from the main lid structure. This allows the brewing process to be controlled without opening the lid, as the basket can be lowered into the beverage and then retracted for removal through the lid's opening mechanism without compromising the sealed environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The infuser basket is designed with dynamic deployable and retractable features, allowing it to move between stored and operational positions. This dynamic mechanism enables brewing time control by deploying the basket when needed and retracting it when brewing should stop, all without requiring the lid to be opened, thus maintaining thermal insulation and spill prevention.
3Ease of manufacture
If a simple lid design is used, then ease of manufacture and device simplicity are improved, but the ability to infuse and control brewing is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The infuser assembly is merged with the lid structure, combining the functions of sealing, insulation, and brewing control into a single integrated component. The infuser basket, holder, and lid form a unified assembly that can be manufactured as one unit or pre-assembled components, maintaining manufacturing simplicity while adding brewing functionality through the integrated infuser mechanism.
4Ease of operation
If the infuser basket is always deployed, then brewing convenience is improved, but the ability to stop brewing and control timing is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The infuser basket operates through periodic deployment and retraction cycles. The basket is deployed to begin brewing, held in position during the brewing period, and then retracted to stop brewing and allow removal of the infusible material. This periodic action enables precise brewing time control while maintaining ease of operation through the automated or manually-actuated deployable mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated beverage infuser and lid are adapted for use with an insulated drinking vessel for brewing a consumable product, such as tea, in an insulated travel mug, tumbler, or the like. The lid includes a main body adapted for movable receipt on a drinking vessel that forms a downwardly directed, open-ended cavity. A fluid-permeable brewing basket defines an enclosable receptacle for removable receipt of the brewing consumable product. The basket is movable between a stowed position, substantially within the cavity above the liquid level of the hot water in the tumbler, and a deployed position, below and substantially outside of the cavity for submersion in the hot water contained in the drinking vessel. A lever arm forms a part of the transfer mechanism and has a portion that penetrates the main body to the outside thereof so that the transfer mechanism can be operated by an individual without removing the lid from the insulated drinking vessel, tumbler, or the like.