Patents by Inventor Stephen Mwaniki Muasya

Stephen Mwaniki Muasya has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Black tea manufacture
    Patent number: 7108877
    Abstract: A process for manufacturing a fast infusing black leaf tea. The process involves (a) withering tea leaves to a moisture content between 64 and 70%, (b) macerating the withered leaves tea leaves by the controlled application of both shear and compression forces sufficient to disrupt the majority of cells within the tea leaf, to introduce morphological changes in the tissue and to redistribute the cell contents, (c) fermentating the resulting dhool, (d) firing the leaves to arrest the fermentation and (e) drying and sorting the fired leaves to give black leaf tea. The black leaf tea shows a rate and degree of infusion typical of CTC teas, while maintaining the appearance of orthodox tea.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2006
    Assignee: Unilever Bestfoods, North America, division of Conopco, Inc.
    Inventors: Ruth Louisa Blair, Michael Alan Cooper, Clive Stanbra Harris, Stephen Mwaniki Muasya, Andrew David Parry
  • Black tea manufacture
    Publication number: 20030064130
    Abstract: A process for manufacturing a fast infusing black leaf tea. The process involves (a) withering tea leaves to a moisture content between 64 and 70%, (b) macerating the withered leaves tea leaves by the controlled application of both shear and compression forces sufficient to disrupt the majority of cells within the tea leaf, to introduce morphological changes in the tissue and to redistribute the cell contents, (c) fermentating the resulting dhool, (d) firing the leaves to arrest the fermentation and (e) drying and sorting the fired leaves to give black leaf tea. The black leaf tea shows a rate and degree of infusion typical of CTC teas, while maintaining the appearance of orthodox tea.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2002
    Publication date: April 3, 2003
    Applicant: Unilever Bestfoods North America, Division of Conopco, Inc.
    Inventors: Ruth Louisa Blair, Michael Alan Cooper, Clive Stanbra Harris, Stephen Mwaniki Muasya, Andrew David Parry