Tea bag tab patent design (image source: patent filing)
Say what you will about tea bags, but there is no shortage of creative and unusual designs documented in the files of the U.S. Patent Office. Our initial exploration of this topic appeared in this overview of novelty tea bag designs and inventions, but there are still plenty of inventive concepts worth highlighting.
One of the more unusual examples is a decorative tea bag tab, patented in 1993 as a character-style tea bag tag design. The design features an illustrated figure holding a crystal ball. While the inventor, William Lipton, shares a well-known surname, it is unclear whether he is connected to the famous tea brand.
Another recurring challenge inventors try to solve is what to do with a dripping tea bag after steeping. One early attempt appears in this 1954 spring-loaded tea bag holder device, which was designed to contain drips. A more recent approach can be seen in this modern tea bag holder and stirring device design, combining multiple functions in a single tool.
Other inventions take a different approach. For example, this 1940 tea bag design with a built-in drip tray substitute replaces the traditional paper tag with a small tray-like feature. Similarly, this 1969 conceptual solution for managing tea bag drips attempts a more complex mechanical approach—though its practicality is open to interpretation.
Tea bag strings and tags present another minor but persistent inconvenience. One clever idea is found in this tea bag tag clip designed to attach to a cup handle, helping keep the string in place and out of the tea.
Finally, a particularly inventive concept appears in this tea bag design featuring a hidden message revealed during steeping. As described in the patent, the text or image becomes visible as the tea bag becomes wet and translucent, adding an interactive element to the brewing experience.
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