Retention of Tags for Food and Beverage Preparation Bags

This invention relates to the retention of tags associated with food and beverage preparation bags, so that the tag will not enter the container in which the food or beverage is being prepared.

In the fast food preparation of beverages, soups and foodstuffs, ingredients such as tea leaves or food materials are placed in a bag to be steeped in a liquid such as hot water. The usual preparation bag is attached to an identification tag by a connecting element such as a string. The tag not only provides information about the item being prepared, it also permits sanitary manipulation of the bag by use of the tag alone.

Unfortunately, the tag often enters the container, for example, in the case of tea, when hot water is poured into a tea cup containing the tea bag.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to counteract the tendency for the tag of an associated bag to enter the container in which the item is being prepared. A related object is to restrict the tendency for the tags of tea bags to enter the tea cup or mup in which tea is being prepared.

In accomplishing the foregoing and related objects, the invention provides for retaining the tag of an associated preparation bag on an outer projection of the container in which the preparation is being made.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention the projection is positioned on the container near the upper rim thereof.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the projection is near and above any handle used with the container, and the projection and handle are proportioned to capture the tag. For the purpose the projection is desirably curved towards the upper part of the handle and is shorter than the width of the handle. The upper part of the handle is desirably planar at an angle of between fifteen and forty-five degrees, preferably thirty degrees with respect to the supporting base of the container.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, an opening is provided between the projection and the handle that is sufficiently wide for the connector or string connecting the bag to its associated tag, but narrower than the tag itself.

Other aspects of the invention will become apparent after considering several illustrative embodiments, taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tag retainer cup being used in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a tag retainer cup similar to that of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an alternative tag retainer cup in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the tag retainer cup of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another alternative tag retainer cup in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the cup of FIG. 5.

Turning to the drawings a tag retainer cup 10 being used in accordance with the invention is shown in FIG. 1. The cup 10 includes a projecting lip 11 positioned at the upper rim 12 of the cup 10 above a handle 13. The lip 11 desirably projects downwardly towards the handle 13 as shown, and is at the same axial position as the handle 13.

As depicted by FIG. 1, the tag retainer cup 10 is used by placing a preparation bag, such as a tea bag 21, into the bowl, i.e., inner portion, of the cup 10. The connector or string 22 that links the bag 21 with an identification and handling tag 23 is initially seated against the curved inner edge 14 of the projection 11.

In addition, the upper edge 15 of the handle 13 is proportioned to facilitate the seating of the string 22. In particular, the upper edge 15 is straight, i.e. planar, at an angle of elevation of between fifteen (15) and forty-five (45) degrees with respect to the plane of the container base 17. The preferred angle for the upper edge 15 is thirty (30) degrees. In addition the gap 16 between the edge 15 and the projection is wider than the string 22, but narrower than the edge dimensions of the tag 23, taken with respect to the face of the tag.

When a liquid, such as hot water W, is poured into the cup 10, the engagement of the string 22 with the projection 11 prevents the tag from being drawn into the container 10, as could otherwise be the case. In addition the placement of the retention projection 11 by the handle 13 limits the extent to which the retained tag can interfere with the hand H of the user.

Structural details of a cup 10', similar to that of FIG. 1, are shown in the cross sectional view of FIG. 2.

An alternative embodiment is shown in FIG. 2, where a hook-like projection 31 with an inner retention surface 34 is included with the handle 13 of a cup 10". Cross sectional details are shown in FIG. 4.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 5, where a hook-like projection 51 with a tag retention inner surface 54 extends directly outward from the outer wall 19 of the bowl portion 18 of a cup 10'". Cross sectional details are shown in FIG. 6.

While various aspects of the invention have been set forth by the drawings and specification, it is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is for illustration only and that various changes in parts, as well as the substitution of equivalent constituents for those shown and described may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.