WO2016009378A1

WO2016009378A1 - Soft pod for preparing a beverage and method for the production of the pod

Info

Publication number: WO2016009378A1
Application number: PCT/IB2015/055379
Authority: WO
Inventors: Fabrizio ZANETTI
Original assignee: Hausbrandt Trieste 1892 Spa
Priority date: 2014-07-16
Filing date: 2015-07-16
Publication date: 2016-01-21

Abstract

The present invention relates to a soft pod 10 for preparing a beverage. The pod 10 comprises a central disc-shaped body 12 and an outer peripheral edge 14. A preparation quantity 16 for preparing the beverage is enclosed in the central disc- shaped body 12 and the pod 10 is formed by two flexible sheets 181 and 182 of food grade material joined together along their outer perimetral edge 14 so as to form a flat flange 20. In the soft pod 10 according to the invention the outer perimetral edge 14 comprises a notch 22 adapted to facilitate tearing of the two sheets of food grade material.

Description

"Soft for preparing a beverages and method for the production of pod"

* * *

The present invention relates to a soft pod for preparing beverages and to a method for the production of said pod.

In particular the present invention relates to a single-dose soft pod suitable for containing coffee in powder form or another raw material in powder or granule form, intended for the preparation of a beverage.

In the description which follows particular reference will be made to pods containing coffee powder, it being clearly understood that the principles of the present invention may be applied also to other alimentary substances which are generally used for the production of beverages, both by means of percolation or by means of infusion, such as teas or infusions.

Soft pods for preparing beverages, comprising a disc-shaped or lens-like body, are known. This type of pod is obtained by enclosing a quantity of coffee powder between two flexible sheets of food grade material. Once the coffee powder has been introduced and the air removed, the two flexible sheets are joined together along an outer peripheral edge. The pod thus assumes the definitive shape in which the substantially lens-like or disc-shaped body is surrounded by the outer peripheral edge which forms a kind of substantially flat flange.

The food grade material, i.e. material which is suitable for contact with food, forming the sheets may be advantageously a multi-layered material in which a layer of aluminium is laminated together with at least one layer of polymeric material, for example polypropylene or LLDPE/LDPE. In a manner known per se the aluminium layer protects the coffee powder from the external agents which could cause it to deteriorate, such as oxygen and light rays, while the polymeric layer ensures mechanical properties which are adapted to ensure that the pod remains intact during handling and in particular allows the joining together of two sheets in an efficient manner by means of heat sealing.

For this type of soft pod it is envisaged using a dedicated machine provided with a seat which is adapted to receive the pod and be sealed around the flat flange so as to form an infusion chamber. The machine also comprises piercing means which are adapted to create a plurality of holes through which hot water is injected inside the pod at a pressure suitable for production of the beverage.

The pods of this type, although widely used, are not without drawbacks.

In fact, once infusion of the beverage has been performed, the used pod comprises a compostable portion (the coffee powder) and a recyclable portion (the aluminium and the polymer). However, the heat seal forms an extremely strong joint and does not allow the average user to separate easily the two sheets which form the pod. According to the prior art, therefore, the used pods are disposed of in the so-called unsorted part of solid urban waste. It is known to the person skilled in the art that, for a long time now, the authorities concerned have been attempting to reduce the unsorted part of solid urban waste and it is likewise known that there is a growing public awareness on these issues.

It is clear therefore that disposal of the used pod as unsorted waste is inefficient from an ecological and economic point of view.

Moreover, the pods of the known type, although they are theoretically designed to contain preparations for the production of a wide range of beverages, in fact have a limitation as regards the dimensions of the lens-like body, said dimensions having hitherto been defined as standard to ensure interaction of the pod with the respective infusion machine. In reality, not all the beverages which can be obtained by means of infusion require the same quantity of preparation product.

Moreover, while the pods of the known type are designed with dimensions suitable for the production of a single beverage portion, the production of one beverage portion at a time may constitute a limitation during certain conditions of use.

The object of the present invention is therefore to overcome at least partially the drawbacks of the prior art.

A first task of the present invention is to provide a soft pod which allows the average user to separate easily the compostable portion from the recyclable portion.

A second task of the present invention is to provide a type of soft pod which may contain different quantities of preparations for the various beverages.

The object and the tasks are achieved with a soft pod, for preparing a beverage according to Claim 1, and with a method for the production of a pod according to Claim 9.

Advantageous characteristic features of the soft pod according to the present invention are contained in the dependent claims.

The advantages and characteristic features of the present invention will emerge clearly from the detailed description below of a number of examples of embodiment provided by way of a non-limiting example, with reference to the attached drawings in which:

Fig. 1 shows a side view of a first embodiment of a pod according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 shows a plan view of the pod according to Figure 1;

Fig. 2.a shows an enlarged view of a detail according to Figure 2;

Fig. 3 shows a side view of a second embodiment of a pod according to the present invention;

Fig. 4 shows a plan view of the pod according to Figure 3;

Fig. 5 shows a side view of a third embodiment of a pod according to the present invention;

Fig. 6 shows a plan view of the pod according to Figure 5; Fig. 7 shows a side view of a fourth embodiment of a pod according to the present invention;

Fig. 8 shows a plan view of the pod according to Figure 7;

Figs. 9a-9g show in schematic form the steps of a method for manufacturing a pod according to the present invention.

With reference to the attached figures, a soft pod according to the invention for preparing a beverage is denoted in its entirety by 10.

The soft pod 10 comprises a central disc-shaped body 12 and an outer peripheral edge

14.

A preparation quantity 16 for preparing the beverage is enclosed in the central discshaped body 12 and the pod 10 is formed by two flexible sheets 181 and 182 of food grade material joined together along the outer peripheral edge 14 so as to form a flange 20. In accordance with a possible embodiment of the present invention the flange 20 may be flat.

In the soft pod 10 according to the invention the outer peripheral edge 14 comprises a notch 22 adapted to facilitate tearing of the two sheets of food grade material.

In the context of the present invention the pod 10 is defined as "soft" in order to distinguish it from other types of pods or capsules which comprise a rigid container often closed by means of a film.

The flexible sheets 181 and 182 of food grade material may comprise advantageously a layer of laminated aluminium. Advantageously, the flexible sheets 181, 182 may comprise a layer of aluminium laminated together with at least one layer of polymeric material such as polypropylene or LLDPE/LDPE.

Joining together of the two flexible sheets 181 and 182 is advantageously obtained by means of heat sealing, but may also be obtained by means of other technologies known in the food sector. In particular any technology which allows a strong and airtight joint to be obtained and at the same time allows the outer peripheral edge 14 to be made in the form of a flange 20 is suitable. A technology suitable for these purposes is for example bonding.

As already mentioned, the pod 10 according to the invention comprises a notch 22 adapted to facilitate tearing of the two sheets of food grade material. As can be noted from the attached figures, the notch 22 may have different shapes. In particular, as can be noted from Figure 2. a, the embodiment of Figures 1 to 4 comprises a notch in which the portions 221 and 222 are substantially parallel. Differently, the embodiment shown in Figures 5 to 8 comprises a notch in which the portions 221 and 222 are inclined relative to each other in a V shape. Other types of notch are obviously adapted for the purpose of facilitating tearing of the two sheets 181 and 182.

As the person skilled in the art may easily understand, the effect of the notch 22 is that of concentrating the forces applied by the user. In particular, the portions of the flange 20 which are situated alongside the portions 221 and 222 provide an easy grip for the user's fingers. The forces produced by the user in order to tear the sheets 181 and 182 may be equally well contained in the plane of the flange 20 or be perpendicular to the plane. In any case the form of the notch is designed to concentrate these forces at the apex 220 of the notch 22. Owing to this concentration effect, the force applied by the user exceeds locally with ease the force for breakage of the material and thus initiates tearing of the sheets and the pod 10.

In the pod 10 according to the invention the notch 22 is obtained preferably by means of moulding or die-cutting, for example at the moment when the shape is given to the flange 20.

For this purpose, as the person skilled in the art may easily understand, it is important that the apex 220 of the notch should be formed angled or in any case should have a radius of curvature which is sufficiently small, otherwise the concentration effect might not be sufficient to facilitate tearing.

On the other hand, a notch 22 which terminates in an apex which is too pointed, for example a notch obtained using a knife or a pair of scissors, could concentrate excessively the forces and result in unwanted tearing of the pod during normal handling conditions prior to disposal of the used pod.

In accordance with the embodiments shown, in the pod according to the invention a sheet 181 retains a substantially flat form, while the other sheet 182 is locally basin-shaped so as to define the volume of the central disc-shaped body 12 inside which the preparation quantity 16 for preparing the beverage is enclosed. Both the sheets therefore retain a flat shape where they are joined together to form the outer peripheral edge 14 and therefore the flange 20.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, for example those shown in

Figures 5 to 8, the pod 10 also comprises a tongue 24 which extends from the flange 20. The tongue 24 is intended to facilitate the extraction of the pod 10 from the respective seat of the infusion machine at the end of preparation of the beverage. The presence of the tongue 24 is particularly advantageous because, in view of the possibility of separating each pod 10 into its compostable and recyclable portions, the possibility of manually extracting the single pod 10, once the single beverage dose has been prepared, allows the user to perform the separation operation on each occasion. Alternatively, if the pod 10 were automatically unloaded from the said machine into a special container, the user would have to perform all in one go the separation operation for all the used pods, for example when the container of the machine is full of used pods.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, for example those shown in Figures 1, 2, 5 and 6, the central disc-shaped body 12 of the pod 10 encloses a relatively small volume which is adapted to contain a relatively small portion of preparation product. This small portion may for example correspond to a volume of about 18 cm³ or, in the case of coffee powder, to a mass with a weight of about 7 g. Such a dose is suitable, for example, for soluble substances such as lemon tea or camomile (about 6.5 g per dose), soluble barley (about 3 g), infusions such as tea leaves, mint, liquorice, nettle and wild berries (about 2 g).

The pod according to the invention is able, however, to contain quantities which are also larger, as can be noted for example from the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 4, 7 and 8. In these embodiments, the central disc-shaped body 12 of the pod 10 encloses a relatively large volume adapted to contain a relatively large portion of preparation product. The volume may for example correspond to about 34 cm³ which, in the case of coffee powder, corresponds to a weight of about 14 g. Such a quantity is suitable, for example, for beverages such as ginseng (about 15 g) or chocolate beverages.

A possible sequence of steps for the production of a pod according to the present invention with reference to Figs. 9a-9g will now be described.

Fig. 9a shows a step in which the material 30 which will form the two sheets of the pod described further above is prepared for use. In the case of aluminium or other material suitable for the purposes mentioned further above, the material may be provided for example in roll form.

Fig. 9b shows the step during which the sheet 182 is positioned inside a basin-shaped mould 32 and then formed by means of a press ram 34 which may be heated.

Fig. 9c shows a step in which the product is dosed inside the basin-shaped sheet 182. Then, as shown in Fig. 9d, pressing of the product inside the basin of the sheet 182 is performed, followed by suction of the outer part which will form the flange, in order to eliminate any residual product of the previous dosing operation.

During the next step, shown in Fig. 9e, the sheet 181 with a substantially flat configuration is arranged in position.

The step of closing the pod, shown in Fig. 9f, is then performed, whereby said step, as mentioned further above, may be performed by means of sealing or bonding, and the pod then undergoes a cutting step during which the shape of the pod described further above is created.

In accordance with a possible embodiment of the present invention, the step may for example comprise die-cutting of the edge of the pod.

In accordance with a possible embodiment of the present invention, shown in Figure 9g, the pod may undergo a step for checking the weight.

The person skilled in the art may easily understand how the pod 10 according to the invention overcomes at least partly the drawbacks of the prior art.

In particular, the pod according to the invention allows the average user to tear easily the sheets 181 and 182 and thus perform separation of the compostable portion from the recyclable portion.

Moreover, the pod according to the invention is able to contain different quantities of preparation products for the various beverages.

The person skilled in the art, in order to satisfy specific requirements, may make modifications to the embodiments described above and/ or replace the parts described with equivalent parts, without thereby departing from the scope of the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. Soft pod (10) for preparing a beverage, comprising a central disc-shaped body (12) and an outer peripheral edge (14), wherein:

a preparation quantity (16) for preparing the beverage is enclosed in the central disc- shaped body (12);

the pod (10) is formed by two flexible sheets (181, 182) of food grade material joined together along the outer peripheral edge (14) so as to form a flange (20);

and wherein the outer peripheral edge (14) comprises a notch (22) adapted to facilitate the tearing of the two sheets of food grade material.

2. Pod (10) according to claim 1, wherein the sheets (181, 182) comprise an aluminium layer laminated together with at least one layer of polypropylene or LLDPE/ LDPE.

3. Pod (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the joint between the sheets (181, 182) is obtained by means of heat sealing.

4. Pod (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the notch (22) is obtained by moulding or die-cutting.

5. Pod (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a sheet (181) maintains a substantially flat conformation, and the other sheet (182) is locally basin-shaped, so as to define the volume of the central disc-shaped body (12).

6. Pod (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a tongue

(24) which extends from the flange (20) .

7. Pod (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the central discshaped body (12) encloses a volume of about 18 cm³.

8. Pod (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the central disc-shaped body (12) encloses a volume of about 34 cm³.

9. Method for the production of a pod according to any one of claims 1-8, comprising the steps of:

providing a first sheet of food grade material (182) inside a basin mould, and forming the sheet by means of a press ram suitable for engagement with the basin mould;

dosing the product inside the basin sheet (182);

pressing the product;

cleaning the outer edge of the basin sheet (182);

joining a sheet having a substantially flat conformation (181);

joining together the outer peripheral edge (14) of the sheets (181, 182) so as to form a flange (20).