CN111511660A

CN111511660A - Optimized coffee pod for beverage preparation

Info

Publication number: CN111511660A
Application number: CN201880082210.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: J·帕科; C·S·P·海德尔; C·塔隆; S·奥代
Original assignee: Societe des Produits Nestle SA
Current assignee: Societe des Produits Nestle SA; Nestle SA
Priority date: 2017-12-20
Filing date: 2018-12-19
Publication date: 2020-08-07
Also published as: US20200339342A1; CL2020001585A1; AU2018392643A1; EP3728075A1; WO2019121881A1; MX2020007194A; JP2021507738A; PH12020550469A1; KR20200097244A; CA3085217A1; BR112020009353A2; SG11202003645WA

Abstract

The invention relates to a container (1) containing a coffee ingredient, comprising a chamber delimited by a coffee delivery wall (4) and an injection wall (3) that can be pierced or otherwise opened to circulate water under pressure, the entire chamber being filled with the coffee. At least one portion of said injection wall (3) has the shape of a semi-toroidal ring or a semi-toroidal polyhedron so as to define an annular chamber portion (2).

Description

Optimized coffee pod for beverage preparation

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a coffee container, in particular a container for containing coffee in compacted form, said container being intended to be extracted in a beverage preparation machine.

Background

Most coffee preparation systems that operate with disposable ingredient containers comprise a series of ingredient containers that have only one fixed predetermined size. A problem with such containers having a fixed size is that, although the selection of the appropriate ingredients (blended coffee, ground size, roast type, etc.) depends on the type of beverage eventually used for preparation (short, medium, tall, coffee alone or mixed with other ingredients), the quality of the beverage obtained therefrom is almost never optimal.

More specifically, it has been found that short cups such as "jaceba" or "espresso" (typically delivering 10ml to 25ml of beverage to the cup) can use an inordinate amount of ingredients in the container, which results in insufficient extraction of the coffee, and ultimately bitter, low flavor and off-taste. Furthermore, even if the taste characteristics of a short cup can be controlled by appropriately controlling the specific coffee blend, the problem is that too much coffee is used with respect to the amount of coffee finally prepared and delivered into the cup, which is an unreasonable override according to the cup volume target.

In contrast, tall cups such as "extended coffee" or "mugs" (i.e., beverage amounts in the cup in excess of 130ml) typically use undersized coffee amounts (capsules too small to hold enough ingredients) to extract all of the flavorants into the bulk water passing through. This can result in over-extracted flavors and result in a diluted, low quality beverage.

In the best case, containers with small volumes, such as pods, pads or capsules, usually contain a limited weight of coffee due to the convenience of storage and small environmental impact (5 to 6 g); thus, they provide a premium, low cup. The disadvantage of over-extraction when preparing a taller cup still remains.

In order to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks, systems have been devised which can accept ingredient containers of different sizes. The width or more generally the depth (or thickness) of such containers is varied in order to contain an appropriate quantity of coffee relative to the desired quantity of beverage delivered to the cup.

However, such systems require complex machine configurations so that the brewing chamber into which the ingredient container is inserted can be functionally adapted to containers of various sizes and shapes without affecting the safety, functionality or quality of the beverage product. More precisely, in this case, the machine brewing chamber requires movable elements that allow the brewing chamber to increase or decrease its size to adapt its shape wall to that of the capsule. The movable elements in the infusion chamber inevitably increase the complexity of the machine construction and therefore the costs of its development, production and maintenance. In some cases, the machine will automatically set the size/shape of its brewing chamber and require manual operation by the user to properly conform the brewing chamber so that one or the other type of ingredient container can be used correctly. This adds a processing step to the user and is not user friendly.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to obviate the above-mentioned disadvantages of existing beverage preparation systems. In particular, the aim of the present invention is to reduce the complexity of the machine infusion chamber, enabling different quantities of coffee to be extracted from a dedicated ingredient container of suitable size and shape.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention relates generally to an ingredient container, preferably a pod of coffee, having a fixed depth and an adjustable empty space in its center, such that a common container has a "doughnut shape". The size of the central space is adjusted according to the desired quantity of coffee.

More precisely, the invention relates to a container containing a coffee ingredient for use in a food or beverage preparation machine, comprising a chamber delimited by a coffee delivery wall and an injection wall that can be pierced or otherwise opened to circulate water under pressure, the chamber being filled with the coffee. According to the principle of the invention, at least one portion of said injection wall has the shape of a semi-toroidal ring or a semi-toroidal polyhedron, so as to define an annular chamber portion.

By "semi-toroidal body or semi-toroidal polyhedron" is meant a tubular structure that is bent and joined to form a closed tube. The tube may have various cross-sections, but is preferably semi-circular, triangular or square. But other types of cross-sections may also be present. The general outer shape of the ring is preferably circular (as will be explained in further detail below in connection with the figures). It may also correspond to other types of rotational shapes such as oval, square, triangular, or have any other type of general shape such as defined in the term "toroidal polyhedron".

The coffee ingredient contained in the annular chamber portion is preferably roast and ground coffee.

Advantageously, the annular chamber portion surrounds a central container portion filled with a second ingredient different from the coffee ingredient contained in the annular chamber portion. In this case, the second ingredient is preferably powdered soluble coffee, or roast and ground coffee having different roasting, grinding and/or powder compaction characteristics than the coffee contained in the annular chamber portion.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the width of the annular chamber is comprised between 5 and 15 mm.

For a range of containers designed to work with a given type of food or beverage preparation machine, different types of containers may be suggested to the consumer, each container within the range having a different ingredient chamber width.

All containers within the same range that are suitable for operation with one machine have a fixed height.

This is particularly important to ensure that several pod chamber sizes are suggested in a range of pods, such variations between different pods not necessarily accommodating the machine brewing chamber closed position in which the pod is functionally inserted.

Rather, the volume variation of the container chamber is obtained by changing the radial dimensions of the container chamber without changing its height, nor its outer boundary (in particular the shape or diameter of the outer edge of the ring).

In a preferred embodiment, the distribution wall is flat and has a square or disc shape.

The dispensing wall is preferably made of a liquid-impermeable material that can be pierced by piercing means of the food or beverage preparation machine.

Advantageously, the injection wall is made of paper or degradable material coated or laminated with a liquid impermeable material.

Furthermore, the central free area of the capsule can resist tearing, damage or piercing by the water injection means of the brewing chamber of the machine.

In an optional but advantageous embodiment of the invention, the coffee contained in the chamber is a compacted coffee powder.

Generally, the injection wall and the dispensing wall are preferably sealed to each other or glued or welded to each other to form a closed chamber.

Drawings

Additional features and advantages of the present invention are described in, and will be apparent from, the following description of the presently preferred embodiments, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective top view of one embodiment of a container according to the present invention;

fig. 2 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the container of fig. 1 in a brewing chamber of a food or beverage machine.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a container 1 for containing coffee ingredients according to the invention. The capsule 1 is designed for insertion and for use in the infusion chamber of a coffee preparation machine of the type using single-use disposable pods.

The container 1 comprises a chamber 2 delimited by a coffee delivery wall 4 and by an injection wall 3 that can be pierced or otherwise opened to circulate water under pressure. Under the effect of the fluid pressure rise inside the container, the coffee delivery wall 4 is pierced (or substantially opened) on at least one, preferably a series of opening elements of the machine to exert an opening (for example, a piercing or tearing force on the material when the pressure inside the container increases due to the injection of water through the injection wall).

The container chamber 2 is filled with coffee, preferably a blend of roast and ground coffee. The chamber is preferably completely filled (no headspace present). In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the injection wall has the shape of a semi-torus so as to define an annular chamber portion, as shown in FIG. 1.

The annular chamber 2 surrounds a central container portion 5 which is empty in the embodiment shown in fig. 1, but may alternatively be filled with a second ingredient different from the coffee ingredient contained in the annular chamber portion. In the present embodiment shown in fig. 1, the central portion is formed by attaching (e.g. sealing or gluing) the injection wall 3 directly to the dispensing wall 4, as is the outer portion 6 of the container surrounding the chamber 2. The width "W" of the annular chamber is 12 mm. The height "H" of the chamber 2 is 8 mm.

As shown in fig. 2, the capsule according to the invention is designed to be inserted in a brewing chamber 10 of a food or beverage preparation machine (the whole machine not shown).

The infusion chamber 10 is of a type known in the art and will not be described in detail hereinafter. It generally comprises two parts, an injection part 11 and a dispensing part 12, which can move with respect to each other to open and close the infusion chamber. Fig. 2 shows the brewing chamber 10 in its open state with a coffee container partially inserted into the insertion slot 13 therein. During insertion, the square outer portion 6 of the container 1 is guided into the groove of the insertion slot. In another embodiment, the outer boundary of the container may have other shapes than square (e.g., circular).

The injection part comprises a series of injection needles 14 able to pierce and partially protrude through the capsule chamber 2 when the capsule is inserted inside the brewing chamber 10 and the brewing chamber is closed around the capsule to prepare the beverage. The height of the spike is less than the height H of the chamber so that the spike never contacts the dispensing wall of the container. The injection part 11 comprises a water inlet 15 connected to a fluid system (water source, for example connected to a water pump and preferably to the tank of a water heater by means of a pipe) of the beverage machine, which is able to deliver water, preferably hot water, under pressure to the infusion chamber for injection inside the coffee container through the needles 14.

The dispensing part 12 of the brewing chamber 10 comprises a series of opening elements 16 as described above, which come into contact with the surface of the dispensing wall when the brewing chamber is closed.

When water is injected inside the container, the fluid pressure therein increases, which presses the dispensing wall 4 against the opening element 16 until the material of the dispensing wall opens to let out coffee prepared by mixing water and coffee. The coffee then flows towards the cup (not shown) through the collection chamber 17 and the dispensing outlet 18 of the dispensing member 12.

For a given type of food or beverage preparation machine, only one size of coffee container can be suggested to the consumer. However, according to the principles of the present invention, a whole range of containers may be suggested, each having a different width W of the ingredient chamber, which allows to vary the amount of coffee contained therein and thus the amount of coffee that can be prepared therewith. It is important that only the width of the annular chamber varies from one type of capsule to another, so that different types of capsules can be used by the same machine, without the need to use complex brewing chambers that need to accommodate all the different types of capsules. In particular, the present invention eliminates the need for complex adaptive systems that can increase or decrease the distance between the injection part and the dispensing part of the infusion chamber according to the height of each different container of the proposed range.

All containers within the same range that are suitable for operation with one machine have a fixed height H.

For the preparation of short cups such as jatropha or espresso (i.e. cups having a capacity of 10 to 25ml and having a high quality crema), a small container containing roast and ground coffee is used. In this case, the volume of the dosing chamber of the container is comprised between 3.5ml and 15ml, preferably between 9ml and 11 ml.

To prepare a medium cup of coffee (80ml to 130ml), a medium size container was used. In this case, the volume of the container dosing chamber is comprised between 15ml and 17 ml.

To prepare a high-serve coffee such as american or extended coffee (i.e., a quantity of beverage in the cup in excess of 130ml), a large or extra-large container may be used in which roast and ground coffee is contained, and then a high-serve coffee is obtained without over-extracted flavor. In this case, the volume of the pod ingredient chamber is comprised between 17ml and 115ml, preferably between 17ml and 20 ml.

In all the above examples, the coffee powder contained in the chamber 2 may be in a loose state or in a compacted state.

It was found that the capsule according to the invention provides an optimal solution to provide an optimal qualitative and quantitative coffee cup from 10ml up to 500ml without increasing the complexity and cost of the beverage preparation machine.

It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its attendant advantages. Accordingly, such changes and modifications are intended to be covered by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A capsule (1) containing a coffee ingredient for use in a food or beverage preparation machine, comprising a chamber delimited by a coffee delivery wall (4) and an injection wall (3) that can be pierced or otherwise opened to circulate water under pressure, said chamber being filled with the coffee,it is characterized in thatAt least one portion of said injection wall (3) has the shape of a semi-toroidal body or a semi-toroidal polyhedron so as to define an annular chamber (2).

2. The coffee container (1) according to claim 1, wherein the coffee ingredient contained in the annular chamber (2) is roast and ground coffee.

3. The coffee container (1) according to claim 2, wherein said annular chamber (2) surrounds a central container portion (5) filled with a second ingredient different from the coffee ingredient contained in said annular chamber (2).

4. The coffee container (1) according to claim 3, wherein the second ingredient is powdered soluble coffee, or roast and ground coffee having different roasting, grinding and/or powder compaction characteristics than the coffee contained in the annular chamber (2).

5. The coffee container (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the width of the annular chamber (2) is comprised between 5 and 15 mm.

6. The coffee container (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 5, wherein the dispensing wall (4) is flat and has a square or disc shape.

7. The coffee container (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 6, wherein the dispensing wall (4) is made of a liquid-impermeable material which is pierceable by piercing means of the food or beverage preparation machine.

8. The coffee container (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the injection wall (3) is made of paper or degradable material.

9. The coffee container (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 8, wherein the injection wall (3) and the dispensing wall (4) are sealed to each other or glued or welded to each other to form a closed chamber.

10. The coffee container (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 9, wherein the coffee contained in the chamber is compacted coffee powder.