US20140260121A1

US20140260121A1 - Device and method for bagging a consumable product for steeping

Info

Publication number: US20140260121A1
Application number: US13/838,243
Authority: US
Inventors: Yukie Jaqueline Tokuda; Keenan K. Leon Guerrero; Michael Andrew Vyvoda
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-03-15
Filing date: 2013-03-15
Publication date: 2014-09-18
Also published as: WO2014145738A1

Abstract

A product bagging device and method are disclosed for providing a ready-made custom bag of fresh, high-quality tea or other beverage. The device allows users to select from a wide variety of fresh, quality teas or other products. The device then bags the product at the time of selection to ensure freshness, and dispenses the bag into a cup together with a quantity of liquid so that it may be quickly and conveniently carried away, for example from a point-of-sale location or at a user's home.

Description

BACKGROUND

Steeped tea beverages and mixtures allow a consumable product to soak in water or other liquid to release flavor, nutrients or other properties of the product to the liquid. The most commonly steeped beverage is tea, which in the US is typically consumed from mass-produced tea bags. This type of tea is generally of lower quality and inferior flavor, due to the product being made using low-cost tea leaves and tea dust that are steeped and consumed long after being bagged.
High-quality tea beverages generally are made by steeping fresh, high-quality loose-leaf teas and generally are found at quality restaurants and high end tea and coffee houses. Given the need to maintain freshness to preserve flavor, high-quality teas typically are not bagged and then shipped for later sale and consumption; however, when they sometimes are bagged before shipment, the teas are generally expensive and of limited selection. High-quality, loose-leaf teas typically are steeped fresh, for example in a tea pot, and then consumed. Sometimes tea is manually inserted into an unsealed (but folded) bag about the size of the palm of one's hand, for steeping at the point of sale or consumption. This method requires manual dexterity and thus typically is time-consuming and messy. It also commonly results in tea leaves escaping from the bag and directly into the beverage. Current practices have not integrated convenience, freshness, variety, high quality and cost control in one solution. Therefore, there is a need for a device that can provide fresh, high-quality tea of abundant varieties in a convenient and economical “to-go” setting such as point-of-sale or home use.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present technology relate to a tea bagging device and method for providing a ready-made custom bag of fresh, high-quality tea or other beverage. The device allows users to select from a wide variety of fresh, quality teas or other products. The device then bags the product at the time of selection to ensure freshness, and dispenses the bag into a cup for steeping so that it may be quickly and conveniently carried away, for example from a point-of-sale location or at a user's home.
In embodiments, the device includes a roll of bag stock and a feed assembly for feeding bag stock through the device. The device further includes a bag forming assembly and a product dispensing assembly. As the feed assembly feeds bag stock through the device, the bag forming assembly forms it into bags of custom sizes and the product dispensing assembly loads a custom amount of the selected tea or other consumable product into a newly formed bag. In embodiments, a fully formed bag with a customized product is dispensed into a cup. A water dispensing assembly then fills the cup with water or other liquid customized as to temperature and amount.
In one example, the present technology relates to a device for forming a bag containing a consumable product, the bag being made from a supply of bag stock, the device comprising: a processing device for receiving a plurality of requests in succession from consumers requesting a plurality of different mixtures containing different consumable products; a bag forming assembly for forming a plurality of bags from the bag stock in succession for the plurality of different mixtures contemporaneously with the processing device receiving the plurality of requests for the different mixtures; and a product dispensing assembly for dispensing the different consumable product into at least partially formed bags contemporaneously with the processing device receiving the plurality of requests for the different mixtures.
In another example, present technology relates to a device for forming a bag containing a consumable product, the bag being made from a supply of bag stock, the device comprising: a product dispensing assembly for dispensing a product from a feed pipe into an at least partially formed bag; a bag feeding assembly for feeding the bag stock around the feed pipe; a bag forming assembly for forming a bag including an edge seam along an edge of the bag stock fed around the feed pipe, and first and second end seams transverse to the edge seam, the second end seam being formed after the product dispensing assembly dispenses the product into the at least partially formed bag; a cutting mechanism for severing the bag for receipt into a receptacle; and a liquid dispensing mechanism for dispensing a quantity of liquid into the receptacle to steep the bag.
In a further example, the present technology relates to a device for forming a plurality of bags containing different consumable products and different amounts of consumable products, the plurality of bags being made from a supply of bag stock, the device comprising: a product dispensing assembly for dispensing consumable product from a feed pipe into an at least partially formed bag; a bag forming assembly for forming the plurality of bags each including an edge seam along an edge of the bag stock fed around the feed pipe, and first and second end seams transverse to the edge seam, the second end seam being formed after the product dispensing assembly dispenses consumable product into an at least partially formed bag; a cutting mechanism for severing a bag of the plurality of bags for receipt into a receptacle; and a liquid dispensing mechanism for dispensing a quantity of liquid into the receptacle to steep the bag, wherein the device is portable.
In another example, the present technology relates to a system for forming a bag containing a consumable product, the bag being made from a supply of bag stock, the system comprising: a memory for storing a plurality of user identities and user preferences defined by the plurality of users regarding beverages including a steeped consumable product; and a device, comprising: a processing device with access to the memory, the processing device receiving a user identity and retrieving stored user preferences for that user regarding a beverage including the steeped consumable product; and a bag forming assembly for forming the bag from the bag stock in accordance with the user preferences retrieved by the processing device.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an enclosure for a device for forming a ready-made bag of consumable product to be steeped.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an alternative enclosure for a device for forming a ready-made bag of consumable product to be steeped.

FIG. 3 is a front view of internal components of a device for forming a ready-made bag of consumable products to be steeped.

FIG. 4 is a side view of internal components of a device for forming a ready-made bag of consumable products to be steeped.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of internal components of a device for forming a ready-made bag of consumable products to be steeped.

FIG. 6 is a view of bag stock being formed into bags including consumable products according to an embodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 7 is a view of back stock being formed into bags including consumable product according to an alternative embodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of a computing device for use with the present technology.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are together a flowchart illustrating the operation of bag forming device according to embodiments of the present technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present technology will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1-9B, which in general relate to a tea bagging device and method for providing a ready-made custom bag of fresh, high-quality tea. It is understood that the present invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the invention to those skilled in the art. Indeed, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents of these embodiments, which are included within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, in the following detailed description of the present invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be clear to those of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without such specific details.
The terms “top” and “bottom,” “upper” and “lower” and “vertical” and “horizontal” as may be used herein are by way of example and illustrative purposes only, and are not meant to limit the description of the invention inasmuch as the referenced item can be exchanged in position and orientation. Also, as used herein, the terms “substantially,” “approximately” and/or “about” mean that the specified dimension or parameter may be varied within an acceptable manufacturing tolerance for a given application. In one embodiment, the acceptable manufacturing tolerance is ±0.25%.
While embodiments are described below with respect to a device which may be used to form a ready-made teabag, it is understood that the device may be used to form and fill a sealed bag with a variety of other consumable products in further embodiments. In addition to tea, these consumable products may include for example herbs and spices, coffee, fruits, vegetables and a variety of other products that may be bagged for steeping in water, alcohol, oil, or other liquids. It is also conceivable that bags formed according to embodiments of the present technology include non-edible consumable products, such as for example bath salts and other bath products, or air freshener beads that permeate aroma into an open space.
As explained below, it is a feature of the present technology that it is able to produce a ready-made bagged product for steeping. That is, the device is able to enclose fresh tea leaves or other product into a bag right at the time it is to be steeped and consumed to ensure freshness. Forming the fresh product in a bag allows it to be dispatched into a cup which can then be taken “to-go.” That is, carried away while the bagged product is steeping, or the bag can also be taken to-go to steep later while on the go. This avoids a problem of conventional quality tea servings of having to wait while or until the tea has steeped. As explained below, a device according to the present technology further allows the production of bags of different consumable product, possibly of varying sizes, in rapid succession, and the dispensing of liquid in different quantities and at different temperatures.
Referring initially to FIG. 1, there is shown a tea bagging device 100 including an enclosure 102. Enclosure 102 can be formed of any of a variety of materials, including for example plastic and metals such as aluminum and stainless steel. The enclosure 102 may include a variety of doors, seams and hinges to allow access to the internal components (explained below) within the enclosure 102. The enclosure 102 may be supported on a countertop or other surface. Alternatively, the device 100 may be mounted on a wall or otherwise from its side.
The enclosure 102 may include an opening 104 for receiving a cup into which the device deposits a bagged consumable product and liquid. The enclosure 102 may further include a user interface 110 allowing a user to control and interact with the tea bagging device 100 as explained hereinafter. User interface 110 may alternatively be a standalone device separate from enclosure 102, and connected to the device 100 via a cable or wireless connection. As shown in FIG. 1, the enclosure may be comprised of substantially flat planar surfaces in the form of a cuboid, but other shapes are contemplated. For example, FIG. 2 shows an enclosure with substantially elliptical or spherical sidewalls.
FIGS. 3 and 4 are front and side views, respectively, of the components and assemblies mounted within the enclosure 102. These components and assemblies include a roll of bag stock 112 from which product-filled bags may be formed, and a feed assembly 114 for feeding bag stock 112 through the device 100. The device 100 further includes a bag forming assembly 116 and a product dispensing assembly 120. As the feed assembly 114 feeds bag stock 112 through the device 100, the bag forming assembly 116 forms it into bags of custom sizes and the product dispensing assembly 120 loads a custom amount of the selected tea or other consumable product into a newly formed bag. In embodiments, a fully formed bag with a customized product is dispensed into a cup seated within the opening 104 of the enclosure 102. A liquid dispensing assembly 122 then fills the cup with water or other liquid customized as to temperature and amount. Each of these assemblies and components is explained in greater detail below.
Bag stock 112 may be continuous length or ribbon of flat material having a width of for example between 100 mm and 170 mm. It is understood that the width of the bag stock 112 may be wider or narrower than that range in further embodiments. For convenience, the continuous ribbon of bag stock may be wound into a roll which can be easily mounted on a shaft or roller as explained below to supply a continuous length of bag stock for forming bags. In further embodiments, the bag stock may instead be folded sheets in a stack.
As explained below, as the bag stock is fed through the device 100, the bag forming assembly 116 folds the flat bag stock lengthwise so that opposite edges of the bag stock come together and are sealed to each other to form a continuous cylinder having an edge seam. Thereafter, discrete lengths of the cylinder are sealed and cut to form the individual bags. As opposed to starting with a flat material, bag stock 112 may begin as a continuous cylinder (i.e., it is formed into a cylinder before being loaded into the device 100). In such embodiments, the portions of the bag forming assembly 116 described below which seal the edges together along the edge seam may be omitted.
Bag stock 112 may be formed of a variety of different materials, in part depending on the manner in which the bag stock is to be sealed into individual bags by the bag forming assembly 116. For example, where the bag forming assembly 116 uses heat or ultrasonic energy to seal the bags, bag stock may be a thermoplastic material including for example nylon, polyester, polyethylene or other materials capable of being fused together when heated. Bag stock 112 may alternatively be formed of silk, paper or other fiber, for example where the seams of the bag stock are formed by stitching or sewing. In further embodiments, bag stock may be formed of biodegradable materials including for example biodegradable plastics, corn-based materials or other materials.
Bag stock 112 may further include tags 118 (FIG. 6) affixed by a string at intervals along the bag stock. Alternatively, tags 118 may be affixed by their string to the bag stock as the bag stock moves through the device 100.
The bag feed assembly 114 of the device 100 in general includes subassemblies for loading the bag stock into the device 100, and feeding the bag stock through the device 100 as it is formed into individual sealed bags. The bag feed assembly 114 includes a bag stock queuing subassembly 124, a bag stock guiding subassembly 126, and a bag stock indexing subassembly 128, each of which is described below.
The bag stock queuing subassembly 124 is responsible for supporting the roll of bag stock 112 to provide a continuous length of bag stock 112 to the device 100. The bag stock queuing subassembly 124 may for example include a shaft mounted to the enclosure 102 on which the roll of bag stock 112 may be mounted and dispensed. The shaft may be fixedly mounted to the enclosure, or the shaft may be rotatably mounted to the enclosure by bearings that allow the shaft to rotate with the roll of bag stock as the stock is fed through the device 100. The queuing subassembly 124 keeps the roll of bag stock in proper alignment for feeding into the bag stock guiding subassembly 126, and allows bag stock 112 to be easily replaced with a new roll.
In one example, the end and/or beginning of each roll of bag stock 112 may have a strip of adhesive so that a new roll can be attached to the end of the old roll. There will be a switch or option on the user interface that the operator will use to indicate that a new roll is being installed. When this is activated, the bag forming assembly 116 will skip the sealing steps forming the bag stock into individual bags as described below, and feed enough bag stock material through so that the first seal is made after the strip of adhesive at the start of the new roll has passed the sealing mechanism of the bag forming assembly 116.
The bag stock guiding subassembly 126 of feed assembly 114 may include one or more shafts 134 that support the continuous length of bag stock 112 and guide it to and around a feed pipe 168 of the product dispensing assembly 120 (explained below). Again, these shafts may be mounted to the enclosure so as to rotate or not rotate. Independent of whether they rotate/do not rotate, the shafts 134 may be mounted to the enclosure 102 in a way that allows them to translate under given loads relative to the enclosure so that their axes of rotation may shift slightly up, down, left and right, or any angle therebetween. As the length of bag stock 112 is fed over the shafts 134, this slight play in the shafts absorbs stresses in the length of bag stock 112 that might otherwise tear the bag stock 112. It is understood that the number and position of shafts 134 shown in the figures is by way of example only, and there may be more or less shafts 134, and they may be positioned in different locations, in further embodiments.
The shafts 134 are positioned so that they gradually bend the bag stock around the feed pipe of the product dispensing assembly 120 so that the opposed edges of the bag stock wrap around the feed pipe and come together. In particular, the axes of rotation of the different shafts 134 may lie in different, nonparallel planes from each other as indicated in FIGS. 3 and 4. This allows the bag stock to gradually transition from a flat ribbon when dispensed from the bag stock queuing assembly 124 to its position wrapped around the feed pipe 168 and having a substantially cylindrical cross-section. Once wrapped around the feed pipe 168 and aligned with each other, the edges of bag stock 112 may be sealed together to form the edge seam in the bag stock as explained below.
In one embodiment, the bag stock indexing subassembly 128 may include two pairs of rollers 136, 138. When bag stock 112 is wrapped around the feed pipe 168, the joined opposed edges may form a seam passing between first the upper pair of rollers 136 and then the lower pair of rollers 138. The rollers may be connected to an actuator or a motor (not shown) which drives each of the rollers in each of the roller pairs 136, 138 to advance the bag stock down through the device 100. The actuator may be driven by a DC power supply or a conventional 120 volt AC power outlet. In one example, the actuator may be part number 70155K48 available from McMaster-Carr Supply Co. Inc., Elmhurst, Ill., but other actuators are contemplated. Each of the rollers in roller pairs 136, 138 may include a surface of the high friction material such as for example rubber to prevent slippage between the roller pairs and the bag stock seam.
In embodiments, the rollers 136, 138 of the indexing subassembly 128 may advance the bag stock a discrete length, pause, advance the bag stock another discrete length, pause, advance the bag stock another discrete length, etc. Each of these discrete lengths may be the length of a bag to be sealed and formed as explained below. As is also explained, each of these discrete lengths may be the same as or different than each other.
In the example shown in the figures and described above, the bag stock 112 wraps around the feed pipe so that a seam is formed at the edges of the bag stock which can be gripped and advanced by the rollers of the indexing subassembly 128. In a further embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the bag stock guiding subassembly 126 may wrap the bag stock around the feed pipe so that one edge of the bag stock folds over the opposite edge of the bag stock. (The bag stock queuing subassembly 124 and bag stock guiding subassembly 126 are omitted from FIG. 5 for clarity). In the example of FIG. 5, the bag stock completely wraps around the feed pipe, and there is no protruding seam. In this embodiment, the bag stock indexing subassembly 128 may be comprised of one or more pairs of rollers 138 whose axes of rotation are perpendicular to the direction in which the bag stock 112 is advancing. Rollers 138 may be driven by an actuator (not shown) which advances the bag stock down through the device 100 in discrete lengths as described above.
Referring now to bag forming assembly 116, it may include two subassemblies: an edge seam subassembly 140 forming a seam along an edge of the bag stock 112 (i.e., along the direction the bag stock is advancing), and an end seam subassembly 142 forming seams across the bag stock 112 (i.e., transverse to the direction the bag stock 112 is advancing). Each of these subassemblies is described below.
Edge seam subassembly 140 bonds opposite edges of the bag stock 112 together as the bag stock passes over the feed pipe 168 to form an edge seam in a length of the bag stock. The edge seam subassembly 140 may form the edge seam by a variety of technologies, but in one embodiment, may use heat to melt and fuse the edges of the bag stock 112 together. In one such example, the edge seam subassembly 140 may include a pair of heat plates 144, 146 which may be actuated by an actuator (not shown) to move between a spaced apart position shown in FIG. 3 and an engaged position where the heat plates 144, 146 come together with a length of the bag stock seam positioned therebetween. In one example, the actuator may be part number 70155K48″ available from McMaster-Carr Supply Co. Inc., Elmhurst, Ill., but other actuators are contemplated. The heat plates 144, 146 and actuator can be supported within a housing (not shown) that is mounted to or within the enclosure 102.
The plates 144, 146 may be heated, or may include heating elements where they come together along the seam. When brought together, the plates 144, 146 exert a force of for example 14 ounces on a section of the bag stock seam to seal the section of bag stock together into a cylinder. It is understood the force may be greater or lesser than that in further embodiments.
An example of an edge seam 148 is shown in the vertical shaded area in FIG. 6. FIG. 6 shows a length of bag stock 112 sufficient for two separate bags 150, in this instance, referred to as upper bag 150 a and lower bag 150 b. Upper and lower bags 150 a, 150 b are separated from each other by an end seam 152 formed across the width of the bag stock 112 by the end seam subassembly 142 as explained below. In embodiments, the edge seam 148 for bags 150 a, 150 b shown in FIG. 6 may be formed in two separate cycles of the edge seam subassembly 140. That is, in a first cycle, heat plates 144, 146 may come together to form the edge seam 148 in lower bag 150 b, the heat plates 144, 146 may then move apart, the bag stock indexing subassembly 128 may advance the bag stock 112, and the heat plates 144, 146 may then come together in a second cycle to form the edge seam 148 upper bag 150 a.
The force exerted by plates 144, 146 on the bag stock, the amount of heat applied to the bag stock and/or the length of time the heat is applied may each be predefined for the type of material used as bag stock 112. In embodiments, each of these parameters may be set by a manufacturer of device 100 for use with a particular bag stock material. Alternatively, these parameters may be set by a processing device 180 (described below) upon a user specifying the type bag stock material being used in a setup routine via the user interface 110. In further embodiments, a user may custom set or control one or more of these parameters via the user interface.
It is understood that the edge seam subassembly 140 may form seam 148 along the edge of the bag stock using a variety of other components and according to a variety of other technologies in further embodiments. For example, instead of a pair of plates which form the edge seam 148 along a section of the bag stock at the same time, the edge seam subassembly 140 may instead include a pair of rollers between which the edge seam travels. The rollers may be heated and apply a pressure to form the edge seam in the bag stock as it passes between the rollers.
In further embodiments, the edge seam 148 may be pressed between a pair of plates or rollers as described above, but the seam is formed by application of ultrasonic energy for a predetermined period of time. In a further embodiment, the edge seam subassembly 140 may include a sewing mechanism for stitching the edges of the bag stock together to form the edge seam 148.
Each of the above-described embodiments is capable of forming a robust edge seam 148 where the edges of the bag stock are fused tightly together. However, as the bag formed in device 100 is used fresh (and in embodiments may not be shipped) the seams in the bag 150 need only be robust enough to prevent escape of the product 156 during steeping in further embodiments.
As noted above, the edge seam forms the bag stock 112 into a cylinder. In embodiments of the present technology, the size of this cylinder may be varied by varying the position of the edge seam in the bag stock, to thereby vary the overall size of the bag. As explained below, varying the spacing between end seams formed in the bag stock is another way to vary the overall size of the bag. The position of the edge seam may be varied in a number of ways. In one embodiment, the feed pipe 168 (explained below) may have a variable diameter, which diameter may be controlled by a processing device 180 (also explained below). In embodiments, the diameter of the feed pipe 168 may be adjusted manually or by replacing it with a different feed pipe 168 with a different diameter. As the bag stock 112 wraps around the feed pipe, varying the diameter of the feed pipe will vary the diameter of the cylinder of bag stock formed by the edge seam.
Once wrapped around the feed pipe, edges of the bag stock 112 protrude away from the feed pipe. These edges are grabbed by the edge seam subassembly 140 to form the edge seam 148. In a further embodiment, it is contemplated that the diameter of the formed cylinder and size of the bag may be varied by varying the position of the edge seam subassembly 140 relative to the edges of the bag stock 112 protruding away from the feed pipe. The edge seam subassembly 140 may be mounted on a translating table that moves it closer to or farther from the feed pipe 168 under control of the processing device 180. In this way, the edge seam 148 may be formed closer to or farther from the actual edges of the folded bag stock 112.
After edge seam 148 is formed by edge seam subassembly 140, a first end seam 152 may be formed by end seam subassembly 142. End seam subassembly 142 may be similar in configuration and operation to any of the embodiments described above respect to edge seam subassembly 140, with the exception that instead of forming a seam along the longitudinal edge of bag stock 112, the end seam subassembly 142 forms a seam transverse to the longitudinal edge of bag stock 112. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, end seam subassembly 142 may include a pair of heat plates 170, 172 which operate in a manner similar to heat plates 144, 146 described above. As with subassembly 140, end seam subassembly 142 may operate to form the end seam 152 using technologies other than heat, including for example ultrasonic energy and stitches.
As shown in FIG. 6, once an end seam 152 is formed in the bottom of a bag 150, consumable product 156 may be loaded therein by the product dispensing assembly 120. Referring again to FIGS. 3 and 4, the product dispensing assembly 120 works in parallel with the feed assembly 114 and bag forming assembly 116 to dispense product into a bag 150 as it is being formed. The product dispensing assembly 120 includes a hopper 160 for receiving consumable product and for dispensing discrete amounts of consumable product into respective bags 150 in succession as they are formed.
Hopper 160 may include an open topside with a hinged cover 164 (FIG. 1) for receiving the consumable product from a user. The hopper 160 then funnels consumable product down into a feed pipe 168. As noted above, feed pipe 168 has a length sufficient so that the bag stock 112 may be formed therearound by bag stock guiding subassembly 126 and closed along a protruding edge seam 148 by edge seam subassembly 140. In embodiments, the feed pipe 168 may have a diameter of 50 mm and a length of approximately 20 to 25 cm. However, the diameter and length may be larger or smaller in further embodiments. The end seam forming subassembly 142 may form the end seam 152 in the bag stock beneath the lower end of feed pipe 168. Once an end seam 152 is formed, consumable product may be dispensed into a bag (e.g., upper bag 150 a) through the feed pipe 168 of the product dispensing assembly 120.
The product dispensing assembly 120 may further include a mechanism for releasing discrete amounts of product down the feed pipe 168 after an end seam 152 is formed in a lower end of a bag 150. In one embodiment, the mechanism may comprise a wheel having a plurality of receptacles for receiving product around an outer periphery of the wheel. A user may open the cover 164 and place the desired amount of product within a receptacle of the wheel. The wheel then rotates so that gravity releases product within that receptacle down into feed pipe 168.
In a further embodiment, the mechanism may comprise a door covering the feed pipe 168. A user may open cover 164 and place the desired amount of product within the hopper 160. The product remains in the hopper 160 until the door covering the feed pipe is automatically actuated to release the product down into the feed pipe 168. Other mechanisms are contemplated which are able to release a discrete amount of product down into the feed pipe 168 at a desired time in coordination with the formation of a bag 150.
The discrete amount of product which is released down into the feed pipe 168 for loading into a bag 150 may be measured by either volume, mass or both. As explained below, different amounts of product may be loaded into different bags 150 as bags 150 are formed.
In embodiments, there may be a single hopper 160, or a plurality of hoppers 160 into which the user may load and store different product and/or different amounts of product. Product from the respective hoppers is released in successive intervals down into the feed pipe 168 for loading into successive bags 150.
In embodiments, one or more hoppers may be removable from the device 100. In such embodiments, a hopper (possibly empty, possibly not empty) may be removed from the device 100, and replaced with another hopper loaded with a desired amount of product. In another example, multiple hoppers, each with a discrete amount of product, may be mounted within the product dispensing assembly 120 at the same time. In this example, the plurality of hoppers may be part of a cartridge. Product may be loaded into the hoppers of the cartridge, and then the cartridge may be loaded into the product dispensing assembly 120. Thereafter, product from the respective hoppers of the cartridge may be released in successive intervals down into the feed pipe 168 for loading into successive bags 150.
Referring to lower bag 150 b in FIG. 6, once an end seam 152 is formed at the lower portion of a bag, product 156 is dispensed within the bag, and a second end seam 152 is formed at the top of the bag. At this point, the bag 150 is complete and may be severed from the roll of bag stock 112. A cutting mechanism 174 (shown in FIG. 4) may be included as part of end seam subassembly 142 or as a standalone mechanism for severing a completed bag 150 by cutting along dashed line 176 (FIG. 6).
In embodiments, the end seam subassembly 142 may form the end seam 152 with a width such that it forms a seal in both bags after the bags are severed by cutting mechanism 174. As shown in FIG. 6, when cutting mechanism 174 cuts along cutline 176, a portion of the end seam 152 forms the top end seam for the lower bag 150 b, and a portion of the end seam 152 forms the bottom end seam 152 for the upper bag 150 a. In one example, the width of end seam 152 may be 5 mm, though it may be larger or smaller than that in further embodiments.
Once the cut is made along cutline 176, lower bag 150 b is completed and drops out of the device 100, for example into a cup positioned within the device 100 as shown in FIG. 1. After a seam 152 is made in the lower end of upper bag 150 a, it may then be filled with consumable product 156, its upper end sealed with another end seam 152, and then that bag is completed and may be severed. This process may be repeated to form successive bags 150 of consumable products 156.
In the example shown in FIG. 4, the cutting mechanism 174 is positioned beneath the heat plates 170, 172. Thus, either the heat plates 170, 172 and cutting mechanism 174 may move upward so that the cut along cutline 176 may be made through the seam 152 that was earlier formed by the heat plates 170, 172. Alternatively, the bag stock indexing subassembly 128 may advance the bag stock a small amount so that the cutting mechanism 174 can cut through the seam 152 earlier formed by the heat plates 170, 172.
In the embodiment described respect to FIG. 6, the end seam 152 is a single contiguous seam across its width. In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 7, heat plates 170, 172 may apply heat in such a way so as to form discrete seams 152 a and 152 b in seam 152. Thereafter, cutting mechanism 174 may cut along cutline 176 as described above. However, in this embodiment, the cutting mechanism 174 does not cut through any part of the end seam 152 (the mechanism 174 does not cut through any part of the bag stock 112 that is welded together, with the possible exception of edge seam 148). In this embodiment, the seams 152 a and 152 b may be formed at the same time. Alternatively, it is conceivable that the end seam subassembly 142 form seam 152 b, then the lower bag 150 a is severed by cutting mechanism 174, and then the end seam subassembly 142 forms the upper seam 152 a.
In embodiments, the end seam subassembly 142 may form pyramid bags or flat bags. In order to make a flat bag as shown in FIG. 6, the end seam assembly 142 may be in a fixed position with respect to the advancing bag stock 112 so that the end seams 152 formed at the top and bottom ends of a bag 150 lie in the same plane. In order to make a pyramid bag 150 as shown in FIG. 3, the end seam subassembly 142 may be supported on a table so as to rotate 90° (or some other angle) between the top and bottom end seams 152. In further embodiments, the end seam subassembly 142 may be held stationary, and the bag stock guiding subassembly 126 may rotate the bag stock 90° (or some other angle) between the top and bottom end seams 152 to form a pyramid bag.
In embodiments described above, the edge seam 148 is left intact in the finished bag 150. In further embodiments, a trimming mechanism may be provided as part of edge seam subassembly 140, end seam subassembly 142 or as a standalone unit to trim excess portions of the edge seam 148. This trimming mechanism may be similar to cutting mechanism 174 but oriented parallel to the direction the bag stock is advancing so as to trim the longitudinal edge of edge seam 148.
Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 4, once a bag 150 has been formed and severed into a cup within opening 104 of device 100, the liquid dispensing assembly 122 may then dispense liquid into the cup so that the consumable product 156 within the newly formed bag 150 can steep within the liquid. The liquid dispensing assembly 122 can store and heat a quantity of liquid, and be controlled by the processor 180 to dispense the right amount of liquid at the right temperature into the cup for the selected consumable product 156.
As noted above, different consumable products may be steeped in liquids of different quantities and at different temperatures. The liquid dispensing assembly 122 can heat liquid to the appropriate temperature for a selected consumable product 156 while that product is being dispensed into a bag 150 as described above. Once at the right temperature, the liquid dispensing assembly 122 can dispense the right amount of liquid under the control of the processor 180. In embodiments, liquid may be dispensed from a canister 178 via a tube 179 (FIG. 4) which is separated from the pathway of bag stock 112 and bag 150 to prevent moisture from getting into the bag pathway. Pumps for supplying a customizable amount of liquid such as water are available from Dongguan Zhonglong Motor-Electric Appliance Manufactory Co., Ltd. of Guangdong, China, under their part number and name 25-02G1 DC mini water pump.
In embodiments, a completed and severed bag 150 may simply drop out of the device 100 down into a waiting cup. In further embodiments, a completed and severed bag may drop down onto an angled chute which in turn drops the bag 150 down into a cup waiting at the bottom of the chute. An advantage of using a chute is that rising steam from the cup does not enter the feed pipe. In further embodiments (using a chute or not using a chute), the bag may be formed, dispensed and carried away. In this embodiment, the liquid dispensing assembly 122 does not dispense liquid.
It is conceivable that the liquid dispensing assembly 122 can have separate compartments within canister 178 capable of heating different quantities of liquids to different temperatures. Thus, for example, the liquid from a first compartment may be used in a first cup with a first bag, the liquid from a second compartment may be used in a second cup with a second bag formed after the first bag, the liquid from a third compartment may be used in a third cup with a third bag formed after the second bag, etc. It is also conceivable that the separate compartments can house separate types of liquids, such as for example water, milk, alcohol, oil, etc. Each of these compartments may have its own nozzle for supplying liquid into a waiting cup.
Device 100 may further include a processing device 180 (shown schematically in FIG. 3 and is a block diagram in FIG. 8), which in embodiments may be a microprocessor in communication with user interface 110, bag forming assembly 116, product dispensing assembly 120 and liquid dispensing assembly 122.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram of one example of processing device 180 that can be used in the device 100. In one embodiment, processing device 180 includes one or more central processing units (CPU) 182. Processing device 180 may also include memory 190. Depending on the exact configuration and type of computing device, memory 190 may include a system memory 184 having volatile memory 186, non-volatile memory 188 or some combination of the two. The memory 190 may be implemented on a computer-readable medium, which may be a processor-readable storage device. Such devices may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable memory devices implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Some examples of computer-readable media or processor-readable storage devices are RAM, ROM, EEPROM, cache, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, memory sticks or cards, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, a media drive, a hard disk, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other device which can be used to store the information and which can be accessed by a computer.
Additionally, device 180 may have other features/functionality. For example, device 180 may also include additional storage (removable and/or non-removable) including, but not limited to, magnetic or optical disks or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG. 8 by removable storage 192 and non-removable storage 194. Device 180 may also contain communications connection(s) 196 such as one or more network interfaces and transceivers that allow the device to communicate with other devices wirelessly or via a network cable. Device 180 is also capable of receiving input from and providing output to user interface 110.
User interface 110 may include a variety of soft or hard keys and/or buttons for providing input to the processing device 180, and may have a display for displaying output and feedback from the processing device 180. As noted above with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2, the user interface 110 may be provided on an exterior of enclosure 102, or may be separate from the device 100 and connected thereto via a wired or wireless communications interface.
In addition to user interface 110 and the assemblies within the enclosure 102, the processing device 180 may further receive feedback from a sensor 198 (FIG. 1) within the opening 104 of enclosure 102 as shown in FIG. 1. The sensor 198 may be an optical transceiver for emitting a light or signal capable of detecting when a cup is positioned within opening 102 and/or when a cup is removed from opening 102. Using feedback from the sensor 198, the processing device 180 may control the assemblies within the device 100 to wait to sever a new bag 150 and/or dispense liquid until a cup is sensed within the opening 102. The processing device 180 may also use feedback from the sensor 198 to control the assemblies within the device 100 to wait to sever a new bag 150 to ensure that, once a bag and liquid have been dispensed into a cup, that cup is removed and replaced by a new one before a new bag and additional liquid are dispensed.
Using the above-described components assemblies and subassemblies, the present technology is able to provide a ready-made bag 150 having a customized amount of a selected consumable product. In a further embodiment, the user interface 110 may be omitted, and/or the processing device 180 may be omitted (or have reduced functionality relative to that described above). Such embodiments may include a simple button that initiates formation and filling of a bag when pressed. In further embodiments, even the button may be omitted. The hopper may include a sensor which initiates bag formation and filling when the sensor detects that product has been added to the hopper.
The bags of consumable product are ready-made in that they are made contemporaneously with the request to receive a beverage or mixture containing the consumable product. As used herein, “contemporaneous,” and forms thereof, means that within a short period of time of receiving the request for the beverage or mixture, a bag containing the consumable product is formed and is ready for steeping. In examples, this short period of time may be 10 seconds, 20 seconds, 30 seconds, a minute, or any length of time up to a minute. The short period of time may be greater than a minute in further embodiments.
In embodiments, successive bags 150 may be made in different sizes to receive differing amounts of consumable product 156. In particular, when a given consumable product is selected via user interface 110, the processing device 180 may know the amount of consumable product 156 that needs to be put into a bag 150. With this information, the processing device 180 may control the size of the bag 150 by varying the width of a bag (by changing the position of the edge seam 148) and/or the length of a bag (by changing the distance between top and bottom end seams 152) to accommodate differing amounts of consumable product 156 to be put into the bag. In this way, the device 100 may output successive bags of consumable product 156 with different sizes based on the type of consumable product 156 within the bag 150. The size of a bag may also be varied depending on whether the user has selected a small, medium or large beverage. In embodiments explained below, the size of the bag may also vary based on user preferences. The liquid may also be customized as to temperature and amount.
In a further feature of the present technology, a device 100 may be portable. Device 100 is portable in that it may weigh for example 50 pounds or less and may be lifted and carried by one person, and all of the components, assemblies and subassemblies are contained within a single enclosure.
FIGS. 9A and 9B together illustrate a flowchart of the operation of an embodiment of the present technology. In step 200, the processing device 180 receives a request for a consumable product. This request may be received via the user interface 110 directly from the end consumer of the consumable product or by an operator such as a barista who receives the request from the end consumer and enters the request via the user interface. In step 204, the processing device 180 determines whether it has information stored for the selected consumable product. If not, the processing device 180 may use default settings or prompt the user to input settings indicating the amount of consumable product, amount of liquid and/or temperature of liquid. It may also be that a user can select different sizes of the finished steeped product, e.g., small, medium or large. This information will also be used in setting the amount of product, size of the bag, and amount of liquid to be used.
In step 212, the processing device 180 may display the amount of product and the amount and temperature of liquid to be used. In step 214, the processing device 180 may prompt the user to accept these settings via the user interface. If not accepted, the user may be prompted to enter the product amount, liquid amount and/or the liquid temperature in step 218. It is understood that the steps to 212, 214 and 218 may be omitted in alternative embodiments.
In step 220, the computing device 180 may set the bag and liquid parameters. In particular, the device 180 may set the size of the bag, the amount of liquid, and the temperature of the liquid. In step 224, the product dispensing assembly 120 may provide feedback as to whether there is consumable product loaded in the device 100, and liquid dispensing assembly 122 may provide feedback as to whether there is liquid in the device 100. If not, the user may be prompted to add product and/or liquid in step 226.
If there is enough product and liquid, bag formation and liquid preparation may begin. As it may take some time, the liquid may be prepared (heated or cooled) to the proper temperature in step 228. Step 228 may be performed later in the process in further embodiments. In step 230, the bag stock indexing subassembly 128 may advance the bag stock 112, and in step 232, the edge seam subassembly 140 may form an edge seam 148 in the bag stock. In step 236 (FIG. 9B), a first end seam 152 may be formed. As noted above, after at least one bag has been fully formed, the formation of the second end seam (step 242 below) may occur as part of the same process as forming the first end seam of the next bag.
In step 240, the desired consumable product may be dispensed into the feed pipe 168. In embodiments described above, the product dispensing assembly 120 may include a plurality of hoppers 160, such as for example a cartridge of hoppers 160. In such embodiments, the cartridge including the appropriate product may be selected by the processing device 180 and dispensed into the feed pipe 168.
After the product is dispensed, the second end seam 152 may be formed in step 242 to seal the bag. In step 244, the processing device 180 may receive feedback from sensor 198 to determine whether a new cup is in position within the device. If not, the processing device 180 may prompt the user to put a new cup in position in step 248. Once a new cup is in position, the cutting mechanism 174 may sever the bag into the cup in step 252, and liquid may be added in step 254.
The present technology provides an easy and economical way for user to get a to-go cup of high-quality tea or other beverage. However, it may be that a user wishes to form a bag of consumable product, but not have it steeped in liquid at the time it is formed. In this event, the user may indicate this desire via the user interface 110. Upon recognizing this request, the system can skip steps 244, 248 and 254, and merely sever the bag in step 252 after the second end seam is formed in step 242, so that the device 100 dispenses a ready-made bag of consumable product to the user.
In embodiments described above, the bag is fully sealed around all edges. However, in a further embodiment, the top end seal 152 may be omitted so that a top of the bag remains open. In this embodiment, step 242 is skipped and the bag is severed after a new (bottom) end seam 152 is formed for the next bag. Once the bag with the open top is dispensed, the user can add more or different items to the bag, and steep it by draping the open end of the bag over the cup.
The above-described steps may be repeated to form ready-made bags of consumable product. It is understood that one or more of the above-described steps may be omitted and/or performed in differing order. The system need not wait until a first bag of consumable product is dispensed before receiving a request for a second consumable product. Instead, the processing device 180 may queue up several requests at a time. The device 100 will form successive bags of consumable product per the stored requests until all requests have been fulfilled.
In one mode of operation, the processing device 180 may have default information for use with a selected consumable product. However, in embodiments, the present system may receive and store custom user preferences for the preparation of a bag of consumable product. In this embodiment, each user may create a unique username and/or customized product name, e.g., “Joe Smith” and/or “Joe Smith's herb tea blend.” This information may be entered via the user interface 110 and stored in memory of the processing device 180. After a unique username and/or customized product name have been selected, the user may specify custom preferences for a bag of product that they would like to get. These custom preferences may relate to the type of consumable product, the amount of product to use, the size of the bag 150 to use, the amount of liquid to use, and the temperature of liquid. All this information may be stored in memory of the processing device 180.
Thereafter, whenever the user desires the stored customized bag of consumable product, the user need only enter the username and/or customized product name, and the device 100 automatically produces a bag of consumable product customized to their stored preferences. A single user may create and store multiple customized preferences for different bags of product, each one stored under unique product name.
The username and/or customized product name may be stored in the memory of the processing device 180 associated with a single device 100. In a further embodiment, the username and/or customized product name may be stored on a central server 199 (FIG. 8) in communication with a number of different devices 100 at different locations via a network such as for example the Internet. In such an embodiment, the user may quickly and easily receive a bag of consumable product customized to their particular preferences at any location having device 100 connected to the network.
Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto.

Claims

We claim:

1. A device for forming a bag containing a consumable product, the bag being made from a supply of bag stock, the device comprising:

a processing device for receiving a plurality of requests in succession from consumers requesting a plurality of different mixtures containing different consumable products;

a bag forming assembly for forming a plurality of bags from the bag stock in succession for the plurality of different mixtures contemporaneously with the processing device receiving the plurality of requests for the different mixtures; and

a product dispensing assembly for dispensing the different consumable product into at-least partially formed bags contemporaneously with the processing device receiving the plurality of requests for the different mixtures.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a liquid dispensing assembly for dispensing liquid into a receptacle into which one of the plurality of bags is dispatched.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the consumable products is tea.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the consumable products is from a group consisting of herbs, spices, coffee, fruit and vegetables.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the product dispensing assembly dispenses a first quantity of a first consumable product into a feed pipe when a first bag is at least partially completed, and wherein the product dispensing assembly dispenses a second quantity of a second consumable product into the feed pipe when the second bag is at least partially completed.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the bag forming assembly forms the first and second bags with different widths than each other.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the bag forming assembly forms the first and second bags with different lengths than each other.

8. The device of claim 5, wherein the first and second quantities have a different volume than each other.

9. The device of claim 5, wherein the first and second quantities have a different mass than each other.

10. A device for forming a bag containing a consumable product, the bag being made from a supply of bag stock, the device comprising:

a product dispensing assembly for dispensing a product from a feed pipe into an at-least partially formed bag;

a bag feeding assembly for feeding the bag stock around the feed pipe;

a bag forming assembly for forming a bag including an edge seam along an edge of the bag stock fed around the feed pipe, and first and second end seams transverse to the edge seam, the second end seam being formed after the product dispensing assembly dispenses the product into the at-least partially formed bag;

a cutting mechanism for severing the bag for receipt into a receptacle; and

a liquid dispensing mechanism for dispensing a quantity of liquid into the receptacle to steep the bag.

11. The device of claim 10, further comprising a processing device for receiving a request for a mixture containing the consumable product

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the receptacle is a to-go cup which is ready to be carried away after receiving the bag and the quantity of liquid.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein the liquid dispensing assembly dispenses a first amount of liquid into a first receptacle into which a first bag is dispatched and the liquid dispensing assembly dispenses a second amount of liquid into a second receptacle into which a second bag is dispatched.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the first and second amounts of liquid are different than each other.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the first and second amounts of liquid have different temperatures from each other.

16. A device for forming a plurality of bags containing different consumable products and different amounts of consumable products, the plurality of bags being made from a supply of bag stock, the device comprising:

a product dispensing assembly for dispensing consumable product from a feed pipe into an at-least partially formed bag;

a bag forming assembly for forming the plurality of bags each including an edge seam along an edge of the bag stock fed around the feed pipe, and first and second end seams transverse to the edge seam, the second end seam being formed after the product dispensing assembly dispenses consumable product into an at-least partially formed bag;

a cutting mechanism for severing a bag of the plurality of bags for receipt into a receptacle; and

a liquid dispensing mechanism for dispensing a quantity of liquid into the receptacle to steep the bag,

wherein the device is portable.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the device runs off of a 120 volt AC current.

18. A system for forming a bag containing a consumable product, the bag being made from a supply of bag stock, the system comprising:

a memory for storing a plurality of user identities and user preferences defined by the plurality of users regarding beverages including a steeped consumable product; and

a device, comprising:

a processing device with access to the memory, the processing device receiving a user identity and retrieving stored user preferences for that user regarding a beverage including the steeped consumable product; and

a bag forming assembly for forming the bag from the bag stock in accordance with the user preferences retrieved by the processing device.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising a liquid dispensing assembly for dispensing a liquid in accordance with the user preferences retrieved by the processing device.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising product dispensing assembly for dispensing the consumable product into an at-least partially formed bag in accordance with the user preferences retrieved by the processing device.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the memory is part of the device.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the memory is part of a central server connected to the device by a network.