DE20307017U1 - Filter for use in teapot comprises cylinder with perforated walls, plate on threaded spindle being mounted inside this which supports tea leaves and can be raised out of tea to prevent it becoming too strong - Google Patents

Abstract

The filter for use in a teapot comprises a cylinder (1) with perforated (2) walls. A plate (6) on a threaded spindle (4) is mounted inside this. The plate supports the tea leaves and can be raised out of the tea using the spindle to prevent it becoming too strong.

Description

kiuiän .& partner

·· ·· PATENT ATTORNEYS ·· ··
EUROPEAN PATENT AND TRADEMARK ATTORNEYS · MANDATAIRES EN BREVETS ET MARQUES EUROPEENS

DR. RER. NAT. ROLF E. WILHELMS DR. RER. NAT HELMUT KILIAN DIPL.-PHYS. ECKART POHLMANN DIPL-ING. LEONHARD HAIN (1955-1994)

Eduard-Schmid-Straße 2 D-81541 Munich Telephone (0049) (89) 62 42 98 Fax (0049) (89) 62 42 98 E-mail: info@wkp-patents.de

G11300DE

Christoph Kilian
81479 Munich

Tea filter insert for teapots

The invention relates to a tea filter insert for teapots.

There are tea filter inserts made of glass or porcelain that match the respective teapot. These inserts are essentially cylindrical or truncated cone-shaped bodies, the upper edge of which rests on the edge of the teapot's opening, reaches down to the area of the bottom of the teapot and is provided with openings in its lower area.

These tea filter inserts are filled with tea leaves and placed in the pot. The tea leaves are then poured over with boiling water and the pot is filled. After the brewing time has elapsed, the insert is removed from the pot by hand.

Christoph Kilian G113 00DE

lifted and parked.

Also known are tea filters in the form of textile, liquid-permeable bags, which are attached by their band to a wire ring that can be placed over the opening of the teapot. The method of use is the same as with the filter inserts made of glass or porcelain.

All of the known filters have the disadvantage that after the tea has brewed, the entire filter insert has to be removed from the pot to avoid the tea remaining on the leaves and becoming bitter. It is unavoidable that the filter insert will drip out of the openings, which is why special precautions must be taken when removing it to avoid unpleasant soiling of tablecloths and the like.

The object of the invention is to create a tea filter insert that does not have to be removed from the pot in order to remove the tea leaves from the tea.

This problem is solved by a tea filter insert with the features of claim 1.

Advantageous developments of the invention are the subject of the subclaims.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. la, Ib and Ic show the tea filter insert in different designs and positions of use, inserted into a teapot;

Fig. 2 shows a preferred embodiment of a filter insert in a vertical section;

Fig. 3 shows the filter insert of Fig. 2 in plan view;

Fig. 4 a cover for the filter insert in vertical section;

Fig. 5 the cover of Fig. 4 in plan view; and

Fig. 6 shows another embodiment of the tea filter insert, inserted into a commercially available teapot.

Christoph KiIian

G11300DE

According to the embodiment of Fig. 2, the tea filter insert has a filter body 1 which is cup-shaped and has openings 2 in the lower area. The openings are sized so that tea leaves in the filter body are retained, but tea liquid can pass through. On its opening edge, the filter body 1 has a flange 3 with which it can sit on the edge of the filling opening of a teapot.

In the axis of the filter body 1 there is a threaded spindle 4 which can be rotated by hand and which is rotatably mounted on a pin 5 which projects inwards from the bottom of the filter body 1. A sieve plate 6 is in threaded engagement with the threaded spindle 4. The sieve plate 6 has dimensions corresponding to the inner cross section of the filter body 1. It is held in the filter body 1 in a rotationally fixed manner. In the example shown, this is done by a rib 7 which runs parallel to the axis on the inner wall of the filter body 1 and engages in a corresponding notch 8 in the sieve plate 6.

If the threaded spindle 4 is rotated, the sieve plate 6 in the filter body 1 moves up or down depending on the direction of rotation. The thread pitch of the threaded spindle is selected so that not too many revolutions are required to move the sieve plate 6 from the very bottom to the very top in the filter body 1, but at the same time smooth movement is ensured.

To fill the teapot insert, the sieve plate 6 is placed at the bottom of the filter body, the teapot insert is then filled with tea leaves and placed in a teapot (see Fig. Ib), after which hot water is poured through the insert. After the tea has been brewed, the threaded spindle 4 is turned by hand so that the sieve plate 6 moves upwards and the tea leaves are lifted out of the tea so that they can no longer affect the taste of the tea liquid. This

Christoph KiIian Gl13 0ODE

4 -

In this way, the tea leaves are removed from the tea liquid without the dripping and contamination problems of the state of the art mentioned above occurring.

To rotate the rotating spindle, a handle 9 can be attached to the threaded spindle 4 below the lid 15 of the teapot (see Fig. Ib, Ic and 6).

In an embodiment shown in Fig. 1a, the handle 9 rotatably passes through the lid 15 of the teapot, so that the threaded spindle 4 can be rotated without removing the lid of the teapot. The handle 9 for the threaded spindle is then simultaneously the handle of the lid 15 of the teapot. In order for the lid 15 to be removed from the teapot, the connection between the handle 9 and the threaded spindle 4 must be detachable. This can be done, for example, via a square extension 10 at the upper end of the threaded spindle and an internal square 11 at the lower end of the handle 9, into which the square extension 10 detachably engages.

Alternatively, the inner square 11 can also be part of the teapot lid 15, in which case the lid 15 of the teapot must be turned to move the sieve plate.

The sieve plate 6 can be designed in the form of a perforated plate or, as shown in Fig. 3, a net 14 can be provided which is held by a frame formed from a ring 12 with cross-shaped supports 13.

In a preferred embodiment, a lid 18 is provided as the upper end of the filter body 1, which rests on the upper edge of the filter body 1 and is penetrated by the rotating spindle 4. The lid 18 has the advantage that the swollen tea leaves lifted out of the tea liquid are pressed against the lid 18 and squeezed out and do not swell out of the tea filter insert when the sieve plate is lifted.

Fig. 6 shows another embodiment of the tea filter insert, which is designed in its edge area so that

Christoph Kilian

G11300DE

that it can be used together with a standard teapot without any modifications to the lid.

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Claims (10)

1. Tea filter insert for teapots, the tea filter insert having a cup-shaped filter body ( 1 ) which can be filled with tea leaves and which can be guided through the lid opening of the teapot, can be placed with its upper edge on the edge of the lid opening of the teapot and, with the upper edge sitting on the edge of the lid opening of the teapot, reaches into the lower region of the teapot, the filter body being permeable to liquid in its lower region at least, but tea leaves being restrained, characterized in that a support ( 6 ) for the tea leaves which essentially corresponds to the inner cross section of the filter body is provided in the filter body ( 1 ), the height of which is adjustable between the region of the base and the region of the upper edge of the filter body in the filter body. 2. Tea filter insert according to claim 1, characterized in that a rotatable threaded spindle ( 4 ) extending upwards from the bottom of the filter body ( 1 ) is provided in the filter body ( 1 ), that the support ( 6 ) is in threaded engagement with the threaded spindle via a bore, and that the support ( 6 ) is received in the filter body ( 1 ) in a rotationally fixed manner. 3. Tea filter insert according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the support is a sieve plate ( 6 ). 4. Tea filter insert according to claim 3, characterized in that the sieve plate ( 6 ) is formed by a net ( 14 ) stretched over a frame body ( 12 , 13 ). 5. Tea filter insert according to claim 3, characterized in that the sieve plate ( 6 ) is formed by a perforated plate. 6. Tea filter insert according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a lid ( 18 ) is provided which can be placed on the opening edge of the filter body ( 1 ) and through which the threaded spindle ( 4 ) passes. 7. Tea filter insert according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a handle ( 9 ) for rotating the threaded spindle is provided at the upper end of the threaded spindle ( 4 ). 8. Tea filter insert according to claim 7, characterized in that when the teapot lid ( 15 ) is placed on it, the handle ( 9 ) is covered by the teapot lid ( 15 ). 9. Tea filter insert according to claim 7, characterized in that the handle ( 9 ) is detachably connected to the threaded spindle ( 4 ) and passes through the teapot lid ( 15 ). 10. Tea filter insert according to claim 7, characterized in that the handle ( 9 ) is firmly connected to the teapot lid ( 15 ).