Infusion package and assembly

#This application is a National Stage Application of PCT/AU2014/000108, filed 11 Feb. 2014, which claims benefit of Serial No. 2013100144, filed 11 Feb. 2013 in Australia and which applications are incorporated herein by reference. To the extent appropriate, a claim of priority is made to each of the above disclosed applications.

#The present disclosure relates to an infusion package and assembly for infusing an infusible material into a liquid, such as infusing tea into hot water. The present disclosure also relates to a method of manufacturing an infusion package.

#Known tea bags are typically made up of a sealed porous bag that holds tea leaves. At the top of the tea bag a thread is stapled. The thread is attached to a tag to allow a user to hold the tag while the tea bag is able to drop into the hot water to infuse the tea away from the user's hand. Traditional tea bags are square or rectangular in shape. More recently, circular or pyramidal shaped tea bags have been sold. Similarly, known coffee infusion bags comprise a square or circular sealed porous bag designed to hold coffee for deposit into hot water to allow the coffee to infuse into the water for consumption.

#Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

#FIG. 1 is a side view of a first embodiment of an infusion package according to the present disclosure;

#FIG. 1b is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a rigid member of the infusion package of FIG. 1;

#In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof. In the drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilised, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented herein. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in the Figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are explicitly contemplated herein.

#Disclosed in some embodiments is an infusion package comprising a permeable membrane defining an elongate cavity to hold an infusible material; and at least one rigid member extending longitudinally along at least a portion of the cavity such that the rigid member is retained by at least a portion of the permeable membrane.

#In some embodiments, the at least one rigid member is attached to the membrane.