SACHET DE THE AVEC ETIQUETTE INTERIEURE

TEA BAG WITH INNER TAG

Abrégé français

L'invention concerne un sachet de thé (1) comprenant une poche scellée (30) pourvue d'une étiquette intérieure (50) placée à l'intérieur de cette dernière ou nichée entre les lobes (31a, 31b) d'une poche (3) à lobes multiples. L'étiquette intérieure contient un texte (60) ou un autre message constitué de lettres, de mots, d'images, de symboles ou d'autres indications, imprimés sur l'étiquette ou créés au moyen d'une technique de découpage. Lorsque la poche scellée devient mouillée et translucide, le texte ou le message apparaît à l'utilisateur.

Abrégé anglais

A tea bag (1) including a sealed pouch (30) having an internal tag (50)
disposed inside the sealed pouch or nestled between the lobes (31a, 31b) of a
multi-lobed pouch (3) .The internal tag containing text (60), or other message
comprised of letters, words, images, symbols or other indicia imprinted
thereon or created using a cut-out technique. When the sealed pouch becomes
wet and translucent, the text, or other message, is revealed to a user.

Revendications

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A filtration bag comprising:
a sealed pouch;
an internal tag sealed within said sealed pouch; and
a substance disposed within said sealed pouch and partially or fully
surrounding said
internal tag,
wherein, said sealed pouch is made of a material which is opaque when dry and
translucent when wet.
2. The filtration bag of claim 1, wherein said filtration bag is a tea bag and
said
substance is dried tea leaves.
3. The filtration bag of claim 2 wherein said material is a non-woven fiber
fabric.
4. The filtration bag of claim 2, wherein said material is a non-woven
cellulose
material.
5. The filtration bag of claim 2, wherein said material is an unbleached
paper.
6. The filtration bag of claim 2, wherein said internal tag is made of a water-
resistant material.
7. The filtration bag of claim 2, wherein said internal tag comprises text or
other
markings or cut-outs disposed thereon that become visible when said sealed
pouch is wet.
-7-

8. The filtration bag of claim 7, wherein said text or other markings are made
of
a non-toxic dye-based ink which is water-resistant or water insoluble.
9. The filtration bag of claim 7, wherein said text or other markings are made
of
a temperature-stable ink or marking
10. The filtration bag of claim 2, further comprising a gripping string
attached to
said internal tag and extending through an edge of said sealed pouch to form a
free end
outside of said sealed pouch.
11. The filtration bag of claim 10, wherein said gripping string is slidably
coupled
to an opening formed in said edge of said sealed pouch.
12. The filtration bag of claim 10, further comprising an external tag
attached to
said free end of said gripping string.
13. The filtration bag of claim 12, wherein said external tag contains text or
other
markings.
14. The filtration bag of claim 2, wherein said pouch has a circular,
triangular,
hexagonal, oval or other non-rectangular shape.
15. A method of providing a hidden message to a user, the method comprising:
-8-

providing a message on a tag;
sealing the tag within a sealed pouch, wherein the pouch is opaque when dry
and
translucent when wet;
covering the tag with a substance within the sealed pouch;
wetting the sealed pouch;
revealing the message on the tag while the pouch is wet.
16. The method of providing a hidden message to a user according to claim 15,
further comprising shaking the sealed pouch so that the substance within the
sealed pouch
settles towards a bottom portion of the sealed pouch.
17. The method of providing a hidden message to a user according to claim 15,
further comprising lifting the tag to a top portion of the sealed pouch by
pulling a string
attached to the tag,
wherein the string is slidably coupled to an opening formed in an edge of the
upper
portion of the sealed pouch.
18. The filtration bag of claim 2 , wherein said sealed pouch comprises
multiple
lobes, with a gap formed between said multiple lobes.
19. The filtration bag of claim 18, wherein a tag with text or other indicia
thereon,
is located between said multiple lobes in said gap, and
wherein further, said tag is attached to said multiple lobes, such that said
text or other
indicia is revealed when said tea bag becomes wet and translucent.
-9-

20. The filtration bag of claim 18, wherein at least one tag with text or
other
indicia thereon, is located between one or more of said multiple lobes of said
tea bag, such
that a said text or other indicia is revealed when said tea bag becomes wet
and translucent.
21. The filtration bag of claim 1, wherein said substance is one of tea,
coffee,
herbal tea, hot chocolate, instant drink mix, or any other substance intended
to make a drink.
22. The filtration bag of claim 19, wherein said tag is attached to said
multiple
lobes by a staple.
23. The filtration bag of claim 19, wherein said tag is attached to said
multiple
lobes by a string.
24. The filtration bag of claim 1, further comprising means for revealing said
internal tag.
25. The filtration bag of claim 24, wherein said revealing means comprises a
string attached to said internal tag and extending through an edge of said
sealed pouch to
form a free end outside of said sealed pouch,
wherein, said string is slidably coupled to an opening formed in said edge of
said
sealed pouch.
-10-

26. A bag comprising:
a sealed pouch made of a material which is opaque when dry and translucent
when
wet;
an internal tag sealed within said sealed pouch comprising text or other
markings or
cut-outs disposed thereon that become visible when said sealed pouch is wet;
a substance disposed within said sealed pouch and partially or fully
surrounding said
internal tag;
a gripping string attached to said internal tag and extending through an
opening
formed in an edge of said sealed pouch to form a free end outside of said
pouch, wherein said
gripping string is slidably coupled to said opening formed in said edge of
said sealed pouch;
an external tag attached to said free end of said gripping string comprising
text or
other markings;
wherein said text or other markings disposed on said internal tag is made of a
non-
toxic dye-based water-resistant ink.
27. A bag comprising:
a pouch made of a material which is opaque when dry and translucent when wet
comprising a first and a second end, wherein said first and second ends are
attached together
at an attaching portion to form multiple lobes with a gap formed between said
multiple lobes;
an internal tag disposed in said gap comprising text or other markings or cut-
outs
disposed thereon that become visible when said sealed pouch is wet;
a gripping string attached to said internal tag and extending through said
attaching
portion to form a free end, wherein said gripping string is slidably coupled
to said attaching
portion of said sealed pouch;
-11-

an external tag attached to said free end of said gripping string comprising
text or
other markings;
wherein said text or other markings disposed on said internal tag is made of a
non-
toxic dye-based water-resistant ink.
-12-

Description

CA 02517840 2005-08-26
WO 2004/094253 PCT/US2003/007277
TEA BAG WITH INNER TAG
BI-~~I~GI~OITI~~h OF THE Il~~EI~1TI0I'~T
[O1] There are many products or packages which provide hidden items or
indicia. The
hidden items or indicia are either hidden inside the product or appear on a
surface of the
product upon activation. Examples include toys in cereal boxes, fortunes in
fortune cookies,
or words which appear by rubbing, providing heat, water, etc., to a surface of
a product.
[OZ] In the case of tea bags, standard external tags have had indicia, such as
words, quotes
or logos applied to them. In U.S. Patent No. 3,989,279 to Levy, similar hidden
indicia is
placed on an outer surface of the tea bag itself. Thus, for example, when the
surface of the
bag gets stained by brewing tea, words or symbols appear. However, the hidden
indicia
disposed on the surface of the bag may get rubbed-off or worn-off prior to
use,.which would
result in only partial words or symbols being displayed to a user upon
activation. A non-
toxic, durable, heat resistant, water-resistant, inexpensive ink that changes
from invisible to
visible from tea stain though common tea preparation techniques, would
probably be very
challenging at best.
[03] It is therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a bag,
such as a tea bag,
that provides a visible message to a user from a tag within the bag upon
submersing the bag
in a liquid.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[04] In an illustrative, non-limiting implementation of the present invention,
a tea bag is
provided. The tea bag includes a sealed pouch, an internal tag, and dried tea
leaves disposed
inside the sealed pouch along with the internal tag. The tag may alternatively
be placed
-1-

CA 02517840 2005-08-26
WO 2004/094253 PCT/US2003/007277
internallybetween the lobes of a multiple-lobed tea bag. The internal tag has
text, which may
include letters, words, symbols, images or other indicia, imprinted on it, or
cut into it, for
example, by a punching method, or applied by any other method, so that when
the sealed
pouch becomes wet and translucent, the hidden text is exposed to the user.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[05] Aspects of illustrative, non-limiting embodiments of the present
invention will
become more apparent by describing in detail embodiments thereof with
reference to the
attached drawings in which:
[06] Figure 1 shows a front view of a tea bag in accordance with a non-
limiting
embodiment of the present invention with the internal tag hidden;
[07] Figure 2 shows a front view of a tea bag in accordance with a non-
limiting
embodiment of the present invention with the internal tag exposed;
[0~] Figure 3 shows a front view of a string-free tea bag in accordance with a
non-limiting
embodiment of the present invention having an internal tag.
[09] Figure 4 shows a front view of a non-limiting embodiment of the present
invention
with the multiple-lobed tea bag with the internal tag exposed.
[10] Figure 5 shows a side view of a non-limiting embodiment of the present
invention
with the multiple-lobed tea bag with the internal tag exposed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[1I] The following description of illustrative non-limiting embodiments of the
invention
discloses specific configurations and components. However, the embodiments are
merely
exemplary of the present invention, and thus, the specific features described
below are merely
used to more easily describe such embodiments and to provide an overall
understanding of
the present invention.

CA 02517840 2005-08-26
WO 2004/094253 PCT/US2003/007277
[12] As shown in Fig. 1, tea bag 1 includes a sealed pouch 30 containing a
dried substance,
such as dried tea leaves 70. The tea bag 1 further contains an external
gripping tag 10 which
connects to a hidden internal tag 50 by means of a string 40, which extends
through an
unsealed portion 20 of the sealed pouch 30.
[13] The sealed pouch 30 can be made, for example, of any material currently
used to
manufacture tea bags, or any material having similar properties of a tea bag.
Specifically,
the material should be fairly opaque when dry and translucent when wet.
Examples of
materials suitable for the pouch include a non-woven fiber fabric, a non-woven
cellulose
material, and unbleached paper. In addition, the sealed pouch 30 can be made
larger than a
standard tea bag if so desired. Also, dried substances, other than dried tea
leaves 70, may be
disposed inside the sealed pouch 30. An example of such a dried substance is
ground coffee.
[14] The external tag 10 can be made of virtually any material, including
material currently
used for tags, either on tea bags or other products. The tag material must be
durable enough
to allow a user to grip and pull the tea bag 1 from a container of liquid
without the tag
breaking or tearing. The external tag 10 can also be any desired size. In an
alternate
embodiment, no external tag is provided and the user pulls the bag from a
container of liquid
by pulling the end of string 40.
[15] The internal tag 50 should preferably be made of a suitable material on
which printing
can be applied (printing will be discussed in more detail below). Since the
internal tag 50 is
submerged along with the sealed pouch 30, it may be preferable to provide a
water-resistant
coating or laminate over the internal tag 50 either before or after a printing
process in order to
protect the printing from being damaged. As shown, the internal tag 50 is
rectangular,
however, the internal tag 50 can be formed in any desired shape or size to fit
inside the sealed
pouch 30.
-3-

CA 02517840 2005-08-26
WO 2004/094253 PCT/US2003/007277
[16] The string 40 can be any type of string, including string currently used
in the
manufacture of tea bags. The string 40 may be slidably coupled to the sealed
pouch 30 at the
unsealed portion 20. In other words, the string 40 can freely move in an
upward direction
when pulled by the user. Such pulling action slides the internal tag 50 in an
upward direction
inside the sealed pouch 30. In an alternate embodiment, the unsealed portion
20 can be
omitted, so that sealed pouch 30 is sealed on all sides. In this embodiment,
the string 40 is
attached to the sealed pouch 30 during manufacturing and the string 40 would
not be capable
of sliding relative to the sealed pouch when the string is pulled. The
internal tag 50 remains
attached to string 40 in an upper portion of sealed pouch 30 at all times.
[17] Fig. 2 shows tea bag 1 with the internal tag 50 exposed, for example,
after it has been
pulled out of the tea leaves 70. As shown, "text" 60 is imprinted on the
internal tag 50. This
printing can be performed by using a standard printing process. The text 60
can include
logos, messages, questions, quotes, jokes, answers to jokes, different colors,
drawings or
other information based on a manufacturer's preference. Since the internal tag
50 will be
submerged in water along with the tea bag 1, for example, when making tea, the
text 60 must
be safe and non-toxic. For example, the text can be imprinted using dye-based
ink which is
fade resistant, water resistant and bleed resistant. Such types of ink are
well known and
easily accessible by those skilled in the art. In an alternate embodiment, the
text 60 can be a
punch design or cut-out design using a standard punch press method or laser-
cut method.
[I~] Refernng again to Fig. 1, the internal tag 50 is buried in the tea leaves
70. Since the
tea bag 1 is dry and fairly opaque, the text 60 on the internal tag 50 is
hidden from view of
the user. When the tea bag 1 is placed in a liquid, for instance water, to
make tea, the sealed
pouch 30 becomes translucent, and the tea leaves 70 tend to settle to the
bottom of the sealed
pouch 30. Since the string 40 is slidably coupled to the sealed pouch 30, a
user is able to pull
-4-

CA 02517840 2005-08-26
WO 2004/094253 PCT/US2003/007277
the string 40 upward by the external tag 10 to slide the internal tag 50 to
the upper portion of
the sealed pouch 30, as shown in Fig. 2. This enables a user to read the
hidden text 60
imprinted on the internal tag 50 through the now translucent tea bag 1.
According to
additional embodiments, a question, beginning of a quote, a joke or riddle is
provided on the
external tag 10, with the ending or answer being provided on the hidden
internal tag 50.
Therefore, in accordance with certain embodiments, each tea bag 1 contains a
hidden surprise
to the delight and entertainment of the user or others in their company.
[l9] Fig. 3 shows another non-limiting embodiment of the present invention. In
this
embodiment, tea bag 2 does not have a string attached to it and has a circular
shaped sealed
pouch 90. Similar to the previous embodiments,, where a string is attached,
when the circular
shaped pouch 90 is wet, it becomes translucent and the wet tea leaves 70 tend
to settle to the
bottom of the pouch 90, as shown in Fig. 3. When a user manually pulls tea bag
2 out of the
cup of tea, the internal tag 80 containing the hidden text 60 will be revealed
since internal tag
80 does not travel to the bottom of the pouch 90 along with the tea leaves 70.
Similar to
previous embodiments, the internal tag 80 can contain text 60, defined as any
type of
information or image depending on a manufacturer's preference and can be made
in any
shape or size on at least one side of the tag.
[20] Fig. 4 shows a front view of a further non-limiting embodiment of the
present
invention. In this embodiment, tea bag 3 is comprised of multiple lobes, two
lobes (31a, 31b;
Fig. 5), in this example, containing a dried substance such as tea leaves 70.
The tag SO is
attached with a mechanism such as a staple 100 between the lobes adjacent to
the upper
portion of these lobes such that the text 60 is readable when the sealed pouch
30 becomes wet
and the tea leaves 70 settle to the bottom of the lobes.
-5-

CA 02517840 2005-08-26
WO 2004/094253 PCT/US2003/007277
[21] Fig. 5 shows a side view of the embodiment of Fig. 4 having a tea bag 3
with the
configuration of two Iobes 31a, 31b more clearly apparent, such as is
sometimes used with
existing tea bag designs. alternatively, at least tag 50 can be placed inside
the lobes 31a, 31b
with the tea leaves 70 depending on the manufacturer's preference and text 60
space
requirements.
[22] 'The descriptions of the preferred embodiments set forth herein are
provided to enable
a person skilled in the art to make and use the present invention. IiZoreover,
various
modifications to those embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled
in the art. It will
be appreciated that the above descriptions are intended only to serve as
examples, and that
many other embodiments are possible within the spirit and scope of the
invention.
-6-

Dessin représentatif