EP2960181A1 - Capsule for preparing infusions - Google Patents
Capsule for preparing infusions Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP2960181A1 EP2960181A1 EP13779244.6A EP13779244A EP2960181A1 EP 2960181 A1 EP2960181 A1 EP 2960181A1 EP 13779244 A EP13779244 A EP 13779244A EP 2960181 A1 EP2960181 A1 EP 2960181A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- capsule
- hollow space
- sealing member
- skirt
- inner chamber
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
- 239000002775 capsule Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 174
- 238000001802 infusion Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 63
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 72
- 239000011796 hollow space material Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 53
- 238000000605 extraction Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 20
- 239000007924 injection Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 16
- 238000002347 injection Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 16
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 5
- 238000009825 accumulation Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 239000011888 foil Substances 0.000 claims description 28
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims description 15
- 239000013013 elastic material Substances 0.000 claims description 6
- 238000005192 partition Methods 0.000 claims description 6
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 11
- -1 for example Substances 0.000 description 10
- 235000013361 beverage Nutrition 0.000 description 6
- 241001122767 Theaceae Species 0.000 description 5
- 229920001971 elastomer Polymers 0.000 description 5
- 239000003978 infusion fluid Substances 0.000 description 5
- 229920001684 low density polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 5
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 4
- 239000004702 low-density polyethylene Substances 0.000 description 4
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 4
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 description 4
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 description 4
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 description 4
- 229920000573 polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 4
- 238000002360 preparation method Methods 0.000 description 4
- VGGSQFUCUMXWEO-UHFFFAOYSA-N Ethene Chemical compound C=C VGGSQFUCUMXWEO-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- 239000004743 Polypropylene Substances 0.000 description 3
- 239000004411 aluminium Substances 0.000 description 3
- XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium Chemical compound [Al] XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 3
- 230000005489 elastic deformation Effects 0.000 description 3
- 229920001903 high density polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 3
- 239000004700 high-density polyethylene Substances 0.000 description 3
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 3
- 229920001155 polypropylene Polymers 0.000 description 3
- 239000004698 Polyethylene Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000005030 aluminium foil Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000000796 flavoring agent Substances 0.000 description 2
- 235000019634 flavors Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 235000013305 food Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 230000001788 irregular Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000004806 packaging method and process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000004952 Polyamide Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000004793 Polystyrene Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000000712 assembly Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000000429 assembly Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004888 barrier function Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229920000704 biodegradable plastic Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000009826 distribution Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000806 elastomer Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000005484 gravity Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000004615 ingredient Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000001746 injection moulding Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000009545 invasion Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229920000126 latex Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000004816 latex Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000013011 mating Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000149 penetrating effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229920002647 polyamide Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920002223 polystyrene Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920005989 resin Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000011347 resin Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 235000014347 soups Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 229920003002 synthetic resin Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000000057 synthetic resin Substances 0.000 description 1
- 210000002105 tongue Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 230000003313 weakening effect Effects 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
- B65D85/70—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for materials not otherwise provided for
- B65D85/804—Disposable containers or packages with contents which are mixed, infused or dissolved in situ, i.e. without having been previously removed from the package
- B65D85/8043—Packages adapted to allow liquid to pass through the contents
- B65D85/8055—Means for influencing the liquid flow inside the package
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
- B65D85/70—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for materials not otherwise provided for
- B65D85/804—Disposable containers or packages with contents which are mixed, infused or dissolved in situ, i.e. without having been previously removed from the package
- B65D85/8043—Packages adapted to allow liquid to pass through the contents
- B65D85/8064—Sealing means for the interface with the processing machine
Definitions
- the invention relates to a capsule for preparing infusions comprising first and second capsule parts connected to each other such as to delimit an inner chamber containing an infusion product and a sealing member provided on the outer surface of said capsule and which on the side corresponding to the inner chamber side forms a hollow space delimited between said first and second capsule parts, said sealing member being deformable such as to provide a watertight seal between a fixed part and a movable part of a machine housing said capsule for preparing said infusion, by causing a pressurized fluid to pass between an injection side and an extraction side of said capsule.
- the system for preparing infusions such as coffee, tea, soups or the like from capsules of individual or multiple portions in which pressurized hot water is introduced is known.
- the capsule is inserted in the capsule holder of a machine for preparing infusions, the capsule holder being formed by a fixed part and a movable part having a shape mating with that of the capsule.
- the fixed and movable parts trap and perforate the capsule on two opposite sides; the injection side and the extraction side.
- the pressurized hot water is introduced through the injection side at a pressure of between 1 and 20 bar and becomes impregnated with the infusion product.
- the ready prepared infusion exits through the extraction side towards the corresponding cup once the water has completely passed through the capsule inner chamber.
- the capsule Owing to the high working pressures, achieving a correct seal between the fixed part and the movable part of the capsule holder is essential for obtaining an infusion having optimum organoleptic properties.
- FR2617389 discloses a capsule for the preparation of an express beverage containing an infusion product.
- the capsule is provided with a frustoconical cup open at the larger base thereof. Furthermore, the cup is provided at this larger base with a rim acting as a sealing member in the machine. Before its use, the capsule is hermetically sealed at the larger and smaller bases thereof by means of sealing covers that must be removed for preparing the infusion.
- an inner step facilitating the elastic deformation of this region.
- the step is covered by a cover of filter material that prevents the infusion product grains from coming out once the sealing cover has been removed from the larger base, but allows the water to pass.
- Said capsule has the problem of being complicated and expensive to manufacture, since it requires three sealing covers for its correct operation.
- EP1700548 discloses a capsule that is designed to be inserted in a beverage production device and to be perforated on an injection side and an extraction side. Then, a pressurized fluid penetrates in the capsule through the injection side to interact with the ingredients and to drain a beverage from the capsule through the extraction side.
- the capsule comprises a main body shaped as a cup and a closing foil; or a lenticular capsule with two opposite coincident walls, comprising a hollow sealing member on the outer surface of the capsule, to provide a sealing effect between the enveloping member of the beverage production device and the capsule support. This capsule simplifies the capsule according to FR2617389 since it avoids the covers that must be removed prior to preparing the infusion.
- the sealing member does not always work satisfactorily since it can cause the closing force of the machine not to be uniform around the entire perimeter of the sealing member. Owing to this the sealing member can be become irregularly deformed, affecting the hermetic closing of the capsule holder. An irregular deformation of the sealing member can reduce the pressure of the injected water and therefore affect the organoleptic properties of the infusion beverage.
- a capsule for preparing infusions of the type mentioned at the beginning characterized in that it further comprises separating means between said hollow space and said inner chamber extending in the longitudinal direction of said capsule and being formed such as to prevent the accumulation of said infusion product in said hollow space.
- the most popular state of the art capsules are frustoconical and are provided with a rim projecting radially outwardly from the larger base and incorporating the deformable sealing member formed from an annular rim that is provided with an inner step on the face corresponding to the inner chamber of the capsule forming a hollow space that facilitates the deformation when the capsule holder bears on this point.
- a closing foil adhered to the rim seals the side of the capsule through which the infusion is extracted.
- the machines adapted to this type of the capsules there are those in which the infusion extraction direction is vertical and those in which the direction is horizontal.
- this type of the capsules has the problem that between the packaging and the final use, the infusion product, for example grains of ground coffee, accumulates and clogs in the afore mentioned hollow space.
- the infusion product for example grains of ground coffee
- the sealing member is oriented horizontally, all the coffee blocks the hollow space in an uncontrolled fashion. This can cause irregular deformations of the sealing member leading to a worsening of the seal in this point and an increase of the effort necessary to close the capsule holder.
- This same effect is more noticeable in the case of vertical extraction machines, since all the coffee accumulates by gravity at the bottom of the capsule.
- the capsule according to the invention guarantees that no relevant amount of infusion product penetrates or can accumulate in the hollow space provided below the sealing member that can cause the negative effects observed in the state of the art capsules, in which the hollow space forms part of the inner chamber of the capsule. Furthermore, this configuration also simplifies the state of the art capsules where a filter foil was provided on the step forming the hollow space, since it allows one element to be avoided, but furthermore increases the useful volume of the inner chamber or otherwise allows a more compact capsule to be produced. The increase of the useful volume in a radial direction allows the amount of coffee inside the capsule to be increased and the infusion obtained to be improved.
- the invention further includes a number of preferred features that are object of the dependent claims and the utility of which will be highlighted hereinafter in the detailed description of an embodiment of the invention.
- the separating means can close the hollow space completely such as to prevent the infusion product from getting in.
- this is not essential for the invention, since depending on the particle size of the product, it can be enough to leave slight opening separating the inner chamber from the hollow space below the sealing member.
- the sealing member can be configured to be highly deformable, since this opening allows the sealing member to become deformed freely without being supported on the side corresponding to the inner chamber of the capsule.
- said separating means leave an opening between said hollow space and said inner chamber comprised between 0 and 0.5 mm.
- the opening extends in a longitudinal direction, but alternatively it could extend in a radial direction.
- the grain size distribution is such that there is a not to be neglected proportion of grains having a diameter over 0.5 mm.
- the amount that can pass through will not be sufficient to fill the hollow space, since the larger diameter grains cooperate with the separating means to block access to the hollow space.
- the particle size is finer, namely, grains of diameters below 0.3 mm in a proportion of up to 20% of the mixture.
- the opening between said hollow space and said inner chamber is comprised between 0.1 and 0.3 mm.
- the 80% of grains of diameter greater than 0.3 mm cooperate with the opening of the separating means to prevent the massive entrance of fines in the hollow space and thereby they allow the sealing member to deform freely.
- the separating means are a perimetrical skirt integral with said first and/or second capsule parts, said skirt facing said hollow space as a partition wall relative to said inner chamber.
- the skirt can be formed completely in the first or the second part, but it is not outside the scope of the invention that both the first and the second part may have an integrated semiskirt.
- the separating means comprise at least two concentric skirts, one skirt being provided on said first part and a second skirt provided on said second part and both consecutive skirts are offset from one another and configured such as to form a labyrinth. This reduces even more the possibility of grains penetrating in the hollow space below the sealing member, since the grains have to cover an even longer path.
- the perimetrical skirt comprises a plurality of interruption points around its entire perimeter.
- said separating means comprise at least two concentric skirts comprising said plurality of interruption points, and in that the interruption points of two consecutive skirts are offset from one another such as to form a labyrinth.
- the second part is a foil and the skirt consists of a fold in said foil. Thanks to it, the amount of material used in the capsule is reduced.
- the separating means are a perimetrical skirt, said skirt facing said hollow space as a partition wall relative to said inner chamber and said annular skirt is formed by an elastic material different from the material of said first or second capsule parts.
- This embodiment blocks the hollow space completely preventing completely the entrance of infusion material, but however it does not prevent the deformation of the sealing member because the skirt is made from elastic material.
- the said separating means are a ring independent from said first and second parts arranged such as to allow the free deformation of said sealing member.
- This embodiment is particularly appropriate for the case that the capsule is made from a sheet-like material, such as for example aluminium.
- the said first and second parts are externally convex and are connected along a rim adjacent to said sealing member.
- said first part is a frustoconical cup comprising an annular rim projecting radially outwardly from its larger base, being open at said larger base, and constituting said sealing member, a hollow step being provided below said sealing member and said second part is a foil sealing said cup at the support surface of said capsule on said rim.
- the injection side and said extraction side face each other.
- Figs. 1 and 2 show two alternatives of known state of the art capsules.
- the state of the art capsule 201 shown in Fig. 1 is formed by a frustoconical cup 202 with the smaller base closed and the larger base open. A rim 214 project radially outward from the larger base.
- the capsule 201 has a foil 204 adhered to the rim 214.
- the cup 202 and foil 204 delimit an infusion chamber 216 to contain an infusion product 208, such as coffee, tea, broth or the like.
- the capsule 201 is conceived as a single dose capsule that works with known machines for preparing infusions adapted specifically to the outer form of the capsule. The machine, better to be seen in Fig.
- the capsule 3 is provided with a capsule holder formed by a fixed part 100 and a movable part 102, moveable relative to the fixed part 100.
- the cylinder 102 moves in the direction of arrow A (see Fig. 2 ) to trap the capsule 201 in the capsule holder by compressing the sealing member 218.
- the movable part 102 perforates the capsule 201 through its smaller base with punches 106.
- the foil 204 that closes the larger base of the cup 202 is also perforated by pyramid-like projections 110.
- the pump 104 causes an infusion fluid, such as, for example, water at a temperature close on 100 °C, or a fluid containing mainly water, to flow through the perforations in the larger and smaller bases of the capsule 201.
- the capsule of Fig. 2 represents a step ahead relative to the capsule of Fig. 1 , since therein in the area adjacent the larger base of the cup 202, a diametrical step forming a hollow space 220 is formed below the sealing member 218.
- the purpose of this hollow space 220 is to allow the free deformation of the sealing member 218 during the closing of the capsule holder.
- the infusion product gets into the hollow space 220 and makes the homogenous deformation of the sealing member 218 difficult and therefore fluid losses can also occur through the sealing member.
- the organoleptic properties of the infusion as also the repeatability of the preparation process are affected.
- a first embodiment of the capsule 1 according to the invention is to be seen in Figs. 3 and 4 .
- the capsule 1 also comprises first and second parts 2, 4 connected to each other to delimit an inner chamber 6 containing an infusion product 8, such as coffee, tea, broth or the like.
- the first part 2 is also a frustoconical cup, with the smaller base closed and the larger base open.
- the smaller base corresponds with the injection side 14 of the capsule, whereas the larger base corresponds with the extraction side 16.
- the rim 28 also projects radially outward from the larger base.
- This cup can be made from any type of material that can be perforated by means of the punches 106.
- food grade plastics such as, for example, bioplastics, polythenes, polystyrenes, polypropylenes, polyamides or others are applicable.
- LDPE low density polyethylene
- Another preferred material in this case is a mixture of 50% of high density polyethylene HDPE and 50% of low density polypropylene LDPE.
- other percentages or materials such as, for example, aluminium, are not discarded.
- the second part 4 of the capsule 1 is in this case a foil also made from material perforatable by the projections 110 and which seals the extraction side 16 of the capsule 1.
- the foil is an aluminium foil reinforced with a polyethylene foil to conserve the organoleptic properties of the product contained in the chamber 6.
- the aluminium foil may be omitted.
- the foil forming the second part 4 is adhered to the support surface 38 of the capsule when it rests on the rim 28 of the cup.
- the capsule 1 On the outer support surface 38 of the capsule 1, and in particular on the cup rim 28, the capsule 1 comprises a sealing member 10, consisting of an annular region around the cup. On the inner chamber 6 side of the sealing member 10, a diametrical step forming a hollow space 12 delimited between the first and second parts 2, 4 of the capsule 1 is provided, namely the hollow space 12 alone would form part of the inner chamber 6.
- the sealing member 10 can be deformed to guarantee the watertight seal between the fixed and movable parts 100, 102 of the infusion machine housing the capsule 1.
- the fixed part 100 is the one corresponding to the extraction side 16 of the capsule 1 and the movable part 102 to the injection side
- the configuration could be the other way round.
- the part of the capsule holder corresponding to the extraction side 16 of the capsule 1 would be movable, whereas the part of the capsule holder adapted to the injection side 14 would be fixed.
- the infusion is obtained by causing the infusion fluid to pass between the injection side 14 and the extraction side 16 of the capsule 1 at a pressure of between 1 and 20 bar.
- the capsule 1 also comprises separating means 18 disposed between the hollow space 12 and the inner chamber 6 to physically separate both parts.
- separating means 18 disposed between the hollow space 12 and the inner chamber 6 to physically separate both parts.
- the term to separate does not of necessity imply that the inner chamber 6 and the hollow space 12 are isolated from each other in all the embodiments.
- these separating means 18 are a perimetrical skirt 22 extending in the longitudinal direction L of the capsule 1.
- the skirt 22 is integral with the frustoconical cup and it faces the hollow space 12 as a partition wall relative to the inner chamber 6.
- This same figure allows it to be seen how on compressing the sealing member 10 in the direction of the arrow B, this is freely deformed on the side closest to the longitudinal axis L, since in this point the sealing member 10 is not supported until it abuts against the fixed part 100 of the machine.
- the skirt 22 prevents at all times the accumulation of the infusion product 8 in hollow space 12 prior to injection of the infusion fluid.
- the skirt prevents the ingress of the infusion product 8 in relevant amounts.
- the skirt prevents the massive entry of grains in the hollow space 12, these are prevented from clogging at this point and preventing or hindering the free deformation of the sealing member the 10 when closing the capsule holder and harming the gasket function of the sealing member 10.
- Another important advantage of the capsule according to the invention consists of the force required for closing the machine being reduced and its comfort of use being increased.
- Figure 5 shows a second embodiment of the capsule 1 for the preparation of coffee in individual doses according to the invention.
- the frustoconical cup is made from a combination of high (HDPE) and low density (LDPE) polythene.
- the material consists of 15% of HPDE with a Vicat softening temperature of 128 °C and 85% of LPDE with a Vicat softening temperature of 80°C.
- the capsules 1 according to the invention are provided with the separating means 18 extending in the longitudinal direction L to separate the hollow space 12 from the inner chamber 6.
- the separating means 18 are also a skirt 22.
- an opening 20 is formed that preferably is comprised between 0.1 and 0.3 mm.
- the skirt 22 leaves an opening of 0.25 mm, which allows the massive invasion coffee grains to be prevented when it is wanted to obtain coffee with more intense flavour.
- the perimetrical skirt 22 comprises a plurality of interruption points 24 around its entire perimeter. These interruptions confer elasticity to the cup in the region of the skirt to improve the deformation thereof. Also in this embodiment these interruption points are radial, but they could have other orientations, such as spiral, straight lines parallel to each other or others.
- the opening space they leave is within the same ranges as the opening 20, namely between 0.1 and 0.3 mm to prevent the massive passage of coffee grains.
- Figs. 6 to 8 there is shown a third embodiment of the capsule 1 according to the invention in which the separating means 18 comprise two concentric skirts 22.
- the cup is conceived for coarser infusion products, such as, for example, tea.
- the opening 20 between the hollow space 12 and the inner chamber 6 is between 0 and 0.5 mm, and in particular in this case it is 0,4 mm.
- the interruption points 24 it is not necessary for the interruption points 24 to be as narrow as in the previous embodiment, namely they can be larger than 0.5 mm and preferably smaller than 1 mm.
- the width of the tongues remaining on the skirt be less than the width of the interruption points themselves.
- the interruption points 24 of both consecutive skirts 22 are offset from one another so as to form a labyrinth.
- two interruption points 24 of two different skirts 22 could never be facing one another such as to leave a gap wider than 0.5 mm between them.
- the interruption points 24 of two consecutive skirts 22 will be angularly offset from one another so that they never leave a radial hollow space between them.
- Fig. 9 there is shown an embodiment in which two concentric skirts 22 are also provided.
- the skirts 22 are formed by a plurality of cylinder-like bosses. This allows the dimensions of the continuous sections of skirt 22 to be considerably reduced and therefore the elastic deformation capacity of the sealing member 22 to be improved.
- Fig. 10 shows a capsule 1 in which the first and second parts 2, 4 are externally convex, mirror symmetrical and made from a foil-like material such as, for example, aluminium. However, both parts can also be made from food grade plastics provided that the wall thickness is sufficiently small. Both parts 2, 4 are connected along the rim 28 to delimit an inner chamber 6 and define a lenticular capsule 1.
- the sealing member 10 consists of a perimetrical ring formed in two parts, namely each half is formed respectively on the first and second parts 2, 4.
- the capsule 1 is provided with the hollow space 12 facilitating its deformation.
- the capsule 1 is provided with separating means 18 as a plastic ring 26 independent from said first and second parts 2, 4 and extending again in the longitudinal direction L of the capsule 1.
- the physical separation between the chamber 6 and the hollow space 12 is total, namely there is no opening 20 between the hollow space and the inner chamber.
- the separating means 18 are provided on the second part 4 of the capsule 1, namely on the sealing foil provided on the rim 28 closing the larger base of the frustoconical cup.
- the skirt 22 consists of a fold in the foil generated by heat forming. Because the foil is a thin polyethylene foil, the hollow space 12 can be separated completely from the inner chamber 6. In this case, the apex 30 of the fold bears directly against the underside of the sealing member 10. However, the sealing member 10 can be deformed freely, since the foil owing to its limited thickness of less than 0.2 mm scarcely offers resistance to the deformation.
- the separating means 18 are a perimetrical skirt 22 extending in the longitudinal direction L as a ring of the second part 4.
- the second part 4 is an injection molding of polypropylene.
- the skirt 22 completely closes the hollow space 12.
- the outer diameter of the skirt 22 be substantially equal to the inner diameter of the inner wall of the chamber 6, thereby to allow the free deformation of the sealing member 10.
- the cover closing the cup is provided with a plurality of passages 32.
- the separating means 18 are a perimetrical skirt 22 extending in the longitudinal direction as a partition wall relative to said inner chamber 6.
- the annular skirt 22 is formed by a rubber type elastic material different from the material of the foil forming the second part 4, namely the foil sealing the extraction side 16 of the cup.
- the rubber type elastic material is any one that can have properties similar to rubber, such as, for example, elastomers, synthetic resin, latex or others.
- the annular skirt 22 could be provided on the cup instead of on the foil also touching the foil with its apex.
- Figs. 14 and 15 show two last embodiments similar to the ones described in Figs. 5 to 8 . However, in this case, to increase the elasticity and capacity of deformation in the outer region of the sealing member 10, recesses are provided to increase the pressure of the capsule holder at this point.
- a plurality of concentric grooves 34 sunken relative to the outer surface of the capsule 1 in the region of the sealing member 10. In case any water could leak out, it could gather in the grooves 34 and thus any liquid leak could be prevented.
- the grooves 34 also allow the surface pressure to be increased in case the sealing member 10 abuts at the end of its stroke and the capsule holder has not been completely closed. By increasing the surface pressure, the grooves could deform plastically and improve the seal even more.
- the grooves could be provided in projection relative to the outer surface of the capsule. Also it should be commented that the form of the grooves is not limited to the triangular form, but could also be rectangular or trapezoidal.
- Fig. 15 there is provided a plurality of uniformly distributed cylindrical orifices 36.
- the orifices 36 improve the deformation of the sealing member because they make the wall less rigid.
- the orifices 36 allow possible losses of liquid to gather and increase the surface pressure that the capsule holder exerts at this point.
- these point orifices 16 do not have to be limited to the cylindrical form, so that within the scope of the invention the orifices 36 can also be prismatic with a polygonal base or pyramid-like with a polygonal or circular base, the latter type being possibly truncated at their apex.
- Fig. 16 there is to be seen another alternative of the capsule 1 according to the invention, starting out from the concept of Fig. 12 .
- the separating means 18 comprise two concentric skirts 22.
- a skirt 22 is provided on the foil or piece of plastic closing the mouth of the cup.
- the other skirt 22 is provided on the frustoconical cup. Both consecutive skirts 22 are offset in the longitudinal direction of the capsule so that they form a labyrinth making the ingress of coffee in the hollow space 12 even more difficult.
- Figure 17 shows another embodiment of the capsule 1 according to the invention, in which the sealing member 10 comprises a layer 40 of rubber type elastic material, resin or the like and different from the material of the capsule 1.
- This highly deformable additional layer 40 can be applied independently, for example, by overmolding or projection.
- any one of the embodiments of Figs. 3 to 13 and 16 can also be provided on the outer surface of the sealing member 10 with a finish of the type of grooves, cylindrical, prismatic or the like orifices or a layer 40 of highly deformable material.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Apparatus For Making Beverages (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- The invention relates to a capsule for preparing infusions comprising first and second capsule parts connected to each other such as to delimit an inner chamber containing an infusion product and a sealing member provided on the outer surface of said capsule and which on the side corresponding to the inner chamber side forms a hollow space delimited between said first and second capsule parts, said sealing member being deformable such as to provide a watertight seal between a fixed part and a movable part of a machine housing said capsule for preparing said infusion, by causing a pressurized fluid to pass between an injection side and an extraction side of said capsule.
- The system for preparing infusions such as coffee, tea, soups or the like from capsules of individual or multiple portions in which pressurized hot water is introduced is known. In this system, the capsule is inserted in the capsule holder of a machine for preparing infusions, the capsule holder being formed by a fixed part and a movable part having a shape mating with that of the capsule. On closing the capsule holder, the fixed and movable parts trap and perforate the capsule on two opposite sides; the injection side and the extraction side. The pressurized hot water is introduced through the injection side at a pressure of between 1 and 20 bar and becomes impregnated with the infusion product. The ready prepared infusion exits through the extraction side towards the corresponding cup once the water has completely passed through the capsule inner chamber.
- Owing to the high working pressures, achieving a correct seal between the fixed part and the movable part of the capsule holder is essential for obtaining an infusion having optimum organoleptic properties. In the described system, it is usual for the capsule to have a perimetrical annular rim in the region where it is trapped between the fixed part and the movable part of the capsule holder to avoid water leaks at this point.
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FR2617389 -
EP1700548 discloses a capsule that is designed to be inserted in a beverage production device and to be perforated on an injection side and an extraction side. Then, a pressurized fluid penetrates in the capsule through the injection side to interact with the ingredients and to drain a beverage from the capsule through the extraction side. The capsule comprises a main body shaped as a cup and a closing foil; or a lenticular capsule with two opposite coincident walls, comprising a hollow sealing member on the outer surface of the capsule, to provide a sealing effect between the enveloping member of the beverage production device and the capsule support. This capsule simplifies the capsule according toFR2617389 - It is an object of the invention to provide a capsule for preparing infusions of the type mentioned at the beginning, that guarantees a correct sealing around the entire perimeter of the sealing member and that therefore allows the preparation of infusion beverages whose organoleptic properties do not depend on the structural characteristics of the capsule itself.
- This object is achieved by means of a capsule for preparing infusions of the type mentioned at the beginning, characterized in that it further comprises separating means between said hollow space and said inner chamber extending in the longitudinal direction of said capsule and being formed such as to prevent the accumulation of said infusion product in said hollow space.
- The most popular state of the art capsules are frustoconical and are provided with a rim projecting radially outwardly from the larger base and incorporating the deformable sealing member formed from an annular rim that is provided with an inner step on the face corresponding to the inner chamber of the capsule forming a hollow space that facilitates the deformation when the capsule holder bears on this point. In turn, a closing foil adhered to the rim seals the side of the capsule through which the infusion is extracted. Among the machines adapted to this type of the capsules, there are those in which the infusion extraction direction is vertical and those in which the direction is horizontal. Thus, this type of the capsules has the problem that between the packaging and the final use, the infusion product, for example grains of ground coffee, accumulates and clogs in the afore mentioned hollow space. If the capsule has a vertical extraction direction, and therefore the sealing member is oriented horizontally, all the coffee blocks the hollow space in an uncontrolled fashion. This can cause irregular deformations of the sealing member leading to a worsening of the seal in this point and an increase of the effort necessary to close the capsule holder. This same effect is more noticeable in the case of vertical extraction machines, since all the coffee accumulates by gravity at the bottom of the capsule.
- On the contrary, with the capsule according to the invention, this effect is successfully prevented in a particularly simple and economic way. The separating means guarantee that no relevant amount of infusion product penetrates or can accumulate in the hollow space provided below the sealing member that can cause the negative effects observed in the state of the art capsules, in which the hollow space forms part of the inner chamber of the capsule. Furthermore, this configuration also simplifies the state of the art capsules where a filter foil was provided on the step forming the hollow space, since it allows one element to be avoided, but furthermore increases the useful volume of the inner chamber or otherwise allows a more compact capsule to be produced. The increase of the useful volume in a radial direction allows the amount of coffee inside the capsule to be increased and the infusion obtained to be improved.
- The invention further includes a number of preferred features that are object of the dependent claims and the utility of which will be highlighted hereinafter in the detailed description of an embodiment of the invention.
- The separating means can close the hollow space completely such as to prevent the infusion product from getting in. However, this is not essential for the invention, since depending on the particle size of the product, it can be enough to leave slight opening separating the inner chamber from the hollow space below the sealing member. This affords the advantage that the sealing member can be configured to be highly deformable, since this opening allows the sealing member to become deformed freely without being supported on the side corresponding to the inner chamber of the capsule. Thus, preferably said separating means leave an opening between said hollow space and said inner chamber comprised between 0 and 0.5 mm. Preferably the opening extends in a longitudinal direction, but alternatively it could extend in a radial direction. As an example, in the case of ground coffee, where the grains have a finer particle size, compared with other products such as tea, the grain size distribution is such that there is a not to be neglected proportion of grains having a diameter over 0.5 mm. Thus, in spite of some grains having a particle size below 0.5 mm and therefore being able to penetrate in the hollow space formed below the sealing member, the amount that can pass through will not be sufficient to fill the hollow space, since the larger diameter grains cooperate with the separating means to block access to the hollow space.
- Also, particularly in the case of coffee, it may be necessary to obtain mixtures with finer grains to obtain a more intense flavour. To this end, it is necessary for the particle size to be finer, namely, grains of diameters below 0.3 mm in a proportion of up to 20% of the mixture. For that reason, preferably, the opening between said hollow space and said inner chamber is comprised between 0.1 and 0.3 mm. Again, the 80% of grains of diameter greater than 0.3 mm cooperate with the opening of the separating means to prevent the massive entrance of fines in the hollow space and thereby they allow the sealing member to deform freely.
- The invention also considers the maximum simplification of the structure of the capsule by avoiding complicated assemblies. To this end, preferably the separating means are a perimetrical skirt integral with said first and/or second capsule parts, said skirt facing said hollow space as a partition wall relative to said inner chamber. The skirt can be formed completely in the first or the second part, but it is not outside the scope of the invention that both the first and the second part may have an integrated semiskirt.
- Thus, optionally, the separating means comprise at least two concentric skirts, one skirt being provided on said first part and a second skirt provided on said second part and both consecutive skirts are offset from one another and configured such as to form a labyrinth. This reduces even more the possibility of grains penetrating in the hollow space below the sealing member, since the grains have to cover an even longer path.
- With a view to obtaining a correct elastic deformation of the sealing member without weakening other parts of the capsule in one embodiment it is contemplated that the perimetrical skirt comprises a plurality of interruption points around its entire perimeter.
- In order to improve the barrier formed by the separating means where the interruption points are particularly large, in a preferred embodiment of the invention it is contemplated that said separating means comprise at least two concentric skirts comprising said plurality of interruption points, and in that the interruption points of two consecutive skirts are offset from one another such as to form a labyrinth. Thus, in case that a grain can get beyond the interruption of the first skirt, it will always run up against the second skirt, making it difficult for it to get into the hollow space below the sealing member.
- In an alternative embodiment, the second part is a foil and the skirt consists of a fold in said foil. Thanks to it, the amount of material used in the capsule is reduced.
- In another alternative embodiment the separating means are a perimetrical skirt, said skirt facing said hollow space as a partition wall relative to said inner chamber and said annular skirt is formed by an elastic material different from the material of said first or second capsule parts. This embodiment blocks the hollow space completely preventing completely the entrance of infusion material, but however it does not prevent the deformation of the sealing member because the skirt is made from elastic material.
- Preferably the said separating means are a ring independent from said first and second parts arranged such as to allow the free deformation of said sealing member. This embodiment is particularly appropriate for the case that the capsule is made from a sheet-like material, such as for example aluminium.
- In one embodiment of the capsule the said first and second parts are externally convex and are connected along a rim adjacent to said sealing member.
- Alternatively, said first part is a frustoconical cup comprising an annular rim projecting radially outwardly from its larger base, being open at said larger base, and constituting said sealing member, a hollow step being provided below said sealing member and said second part is a foil sealing said cup at the support surface of said capsule on said rim. This facilitates that the foil sealing the cup does not come off the rim, since the only part that is substantially deformed is the sealing member.
- Finally, to obtain an optimal flow of the infusion fluid through the interior of the capsule, it is contemplated preferably that the injection side and said extraction side face each other.
- Likewise, the invention also includes other features of detail illustrated in the detailed description of an embodiment of the invention and in the accompanying figures.
- Further advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description, in which, without any limiting character, preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
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Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section view of a detail of a capsule according to the state of the art -
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section view of a detail of the capsule according to the state of the art, during the closing of the capsule holder. -
Fig. 3 is a schematic longitudinal section view of a first embodiment of a capsule according to the invention inserted inside the capsule holder of an infusion machine. -
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section view of a detail of the capsule ofFig. 3 , during the closing of the capsule holder. -
Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section view of a detail of a second embodiment of the capsule according to the invention. -
Fig. 6 is a perspective view from below of a third embodiment of the cup of a capsule according to the invention. -
Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section view of a detail of the third embodiment of the capsule according to the invention with the cup ofFig. 6 . -
Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail in perspective of region VIII of the capsule ofFig. 6 . -
Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail in perspective of a fourth embodiment of the capsule according to the invention, corresponding to a region analogous to region VIII inFig. 7 . -
Fig. 10 is a longitudinal section view of a detail of a fifth embodiment of the capsule according to the invention. -
Fig. 11 is a longitudinal section view of a detail of a sixth embodiment of the capsule according to the invention. -
Fig. 12 is a longitudinal section view of a detail of a seventh embodiment of the capsule according to the invention. -
Fig. 13 is a longitudinal section view of a detail of an eighth embodiment of the capsule according to the invention. -
Fig. 14 is a longitudinal section view of a detail of a ninth embodiment of the capsule according to the invention. -
Fig. 15 is a longitudinal section view of a detail of a tenth embodiment of the capsule according to the invention. -
Fig. 16 is a longitudinal section view of a detail of an eleventh embodiment of the capsule according to the invention. -
Fig. 17 is a longitudinal section view of a detail of a twelfth embodiment of the capsule according to the invention. -
Figs. 1 and 2 show two alternatives of known state of the art capsules. - In particular, the state of the
art capsule 201 shown inFig. 1 is formed by afrustoconical cup 202 with the smaller base closed and the larger base open. Arim 214 project radially outward from the larger base. Thecapsule 201 has afoil 204 adhered to therim 214. Thecup 202 and foil 204 delimit aninfusion chamber 216 to contain aninfusion product 208, such as coffee, tea, broth or the like. Thecapsule 201 is conceived as a single dose capsule that works with known machines for preparing infusions adapted specifically to the outer form of the capsule. The machine, better to be seen inFig. 3 , is provided with a capsule holder formed by afixed part 100 and amovable part 102, moveable relative to thefixed part 100. Thecylinder 102 moves in the direction of arrow A (seeFig. 2 ) to trap thecapsule 201 in the capsule holder by compressing the sealingmember 218. Themovable part 102 perforates thecapsule 201 through its smaller base withpunches 106. Likewise, thefoil 204 that closes the larger base of thecup 202 is also perforated by pyramid-like projections 110. Thepump 104 causes an infusion fluid, such as, for example, water at a temperature close on 100 °C, or a fluid containing mainly water, to flow through the perforations in the larger and smaller bases of thecapsule 201. The water becomes impregnated with theinfusion product 208 and leaves thecapsule 201, now in the form of an infusion ready for consumption, through thepassages 108 of thecapsule holder support 100 towards a cup (not shown). However, in thisfirst capsule 201 of the state of the art it is difficult to obtain a watertight seal in the region of the sealingmember 218. This is because thecapsule 201 is not deformed at this area. Thus owing to undesired clearances in the capsule holder or manufacturing tolerances considerable water losses affecting the organoleptic properties of the infusion can appear. - The capsule of
Fig. 2 represents a step ahead relative to the capsule ofFig. 1 , since therein in the area adjacent the larger base of thecup 202, a diametrical step forming ahollow space 220 is formed below the sealingmember 218. The purpose of thishollow space 220 is to allow the free deformation of the sealingmember 218 during the closing of the capsule holder. However, it is not always possible to achieve this objective satisfactorily, since as has been explained in the foregoing paragraphs in relation to documentEP1700548 , the infusion product gets into thehollow space 220 and makes the homogenous deformation of the sealingmember 218 difficult and therefore fluid losses can also occur through the sealing member. Again, the organoleptic properties of the infusion, as also the repeatability of the preparation process are affected. - A first embodiment of the
capsule 1 according to the invention is to be seen inFigs. 3 and 4 . In this case, thecapsule 1 also comprises first andsecond parts inner chamber 6 containing aninfusion product 8, such as coffee, tea, broth or the like. - In this embodiment the
first part 2 is also a frustoconical cup, with the smaller base closed and the larger base open. As it is to be seen hereinafter, the smaller base corresponds with theinjection side 14 of the capsule, whereas the larger base corresponds with theextraction side 16. Therim 28 also projects radially outward from the larger base. This cup can be made from any type of material that can be perforated by means of thepunches 106. For example, food grade plastics such as, for example, bioplastics, polythenes, polystyrenes, polypropylenes, polyamides or others are applicable. In this embodiment shown a low density polyethylene, better known as LDPE, having a Vicat softening temperature of 80°C, according to ISO 306 test. Another preferred material in this case is a mixture of 50% of high density polyethylene HDPE and 50% of low density polypropylene LDPE. However, other percentages or materials, such as, for example, aluminium, are not discarded. - The
second part 4 of thecapsule 1 is in this case a foil also made from material perforatable by theprojections 110 and which seals theextraction side 16 of thecapsule 1. Preferably the foil is an aluminium foil reinforced with a polyethylene foil to conserve the organoleptic properties of the product contained in thechamber 6. However, depending on the circumstances the aluminium foil may be omitted. Thus, the foil forming thesecond part 4 is adhered to thesupport surface 38 of the capsule when it rests on therim 28 of the cup. - On the
outer support surface 38 of thecapsule 1, and in particular on thecup rim 28, thecapsule 1 comprises a sealingmember 10, consisting of an annular region around the cup. On theinner chamber 6 side of the sealingmember 10, a diametrical step forming ahollow space 12 delimited between the first andsecond parts capsule 1 is provided, namely thehollow space 12 alone would form part of theinner chamber 6. - As has been seen in
Fig. 2 , thanks to thishollow space 12, the sealingmember 10 can be deformed to guarantee the watertight seal between the fixed andmovable parts capsule 1. Once thecapsule 1 is within the machine and themovable part 102 of the capsule holder compresses it against thefixed part 100 in the direction of arrow B ofFig. 4 , thecapsule 1 is perforated on theinjection side 14 with thepunches 106 and on theextraction side 16 with theprojections 110. In spite of this, it should be observed, that the fixed andmovable parts fixed part 100 is the one corresponding to theextraction side 16 of thecapsule 1 and themovable part 102 to the injection side, the configuration could be the other way round. In this case, the part of the capsule holder corresponding to theextraction side 16 of thecapsule 1 would be movable, whereas the part of the capsule holder adapted to theinjection side 14 would be fixed. Finally, the infusion is obtained by causing the infusion fluid to pass between theinjection side 14 and theextraction side 16 of thecapsule 1 at a pressure of between 1 and 20 bar. - The invention contemplates that to obtain an optimal seal in the region of the sealing
member 10 during the injection of the infusion fluid, thecapsule 1 also comprises separating means 18 disposed between thehollow space 12 and theinner chamber 6 to physically separate both parts. However, the term to separate, does not of necessity imply that theinner chamber 6 and thehollow space 12 are isolated from each other in all the embodiments. - As is to be seen in
Fig. 4 , these separating means 18 are aperimetrical skirt 22 extending in the longitudinal direction L of thecapsule 1. In this embodiment, theskirt 22 is integral with the frustoconical cup and it faces thehollow space 12 as a partition wall relative to theinner chamber 6. This same figure allows it to be seen how on compressing the sealingmember 10 in the direction of the arrow B, this is freely deformed on the side closest to the longitudinal axis L, since in this point the sealingmember 10 is not supported until it abuts against thefixed part 100 of the machine. Simultaneously, theskirt 22 prevents at all times the accumulation of theinfusion product 8 inhollow space 12 prior to injection of the infusion fluid. That is, from the time of packaging the infusion product in the inner chamber to the use of thecapsule 1 to prepare the infusion, the skirt prevents the ingress of theinfusion product 8 in relevant amounts. By preventing the massive entry of grains in thehollow space 12, these are prevented from clogging at this point and preventing or hindering the free deformation of the sealing member the 10 when closing the capsule holder and harming the gasket function of the sealingmember 10. Another important advantage of the capsule according to the invention consists of the force required for closing the machine being reduced and its comfort of use being increased. - Hereinafter, the capsules of
Figs. 5 to 9 and11 to 16 are structurally similar to that ofFigs. 3 and 4 , whereby, for all the common features reference is made to the description of these two earlier figures. On the contrary, all those novel features not described in previous paragraphs will be described hereinafter. -
Figure 5 shows a second embodiment of thecapsule 1 for the preparation of coffee in individual doses according to the invention. In this case, the frustoconical cup is made from a combination of high (HDPE) and low density (LDPE) polythene. In particular, the material consists of 15% of HPDE with a Vicat softening temperature of 128 °C and 85% of LPDE with a Vicat softening temperature of 80°C. As already commented, thecapsules 1 according to the invention are provided with the separating means 18 extending in the longitudinal direction L to separate thehollow space 12 from theinner chamber 6. In this embodiment, the separating means 18 are also askirt 22. Between thehollow space 12 and theinner chamber 6, and more particularly between the foil and the base ofskirt 22, anopening 20 is formed that preferably is comprised between 0.1 and 0.3 mm. In this particular embodiment, theskirt 22 leaves an opening of 0.25 mm, which allows the massive invasion coffee grains to be prevented when it is wanted to obtain coffee with more intense flavour. In this embodiment it is also to be seen that theperimetrical skirt 22 comprises a plurality of interruption points 24 around its entire perimeter. These interruptions confer elasticity to the cup in the region of the skirt to improve the deformation thereof. Also in this embodiment these interruption points are radial, but they could have other orientations, such as spiral, straight lines parallel to each other or others. Furthermore, the opening space they leave is within the same ranges as theopening 20, namely between 0.1 and 0.3 mm to prevent the massive passage of coffee grains. - In
Figs. 6 to 8 there is shown a third embodiment of thecapsule 1 according to the invention in which the separating means 18 comprise twoconcentric skirts 22. As in the previous case, to improve the deformation capacity of thecapsule 1 in the region of the sealing member 10 a plurality of interruption points 24 is provided. In this case, the cup is conceived for coarser infusion products, such as, for example, tea. Thus, preferably, theopening 20 between thehollow space 12 and theinner chamber 6 is between 0 and 0.5 mm, and in particular in this case it is 0,4 mm. However, in this embodiment it is not necessary for the interruption points 24 to be as narrow as in the previous embodiment, namely they can be larger than 0.5 mm and preferably smaller than 1 mm. It is also worthwhile commenting that at no time will the width of the tongues remaining on the skirt be less than the width of the interruption points themselves. Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is contemplated that the interruption points 24 of bothconsecutive skirts 22 are offset from one another so as to form a labyrinth. Thus, two interruption points 24 of twodifferent skirts 22 could never be facing one another such as to leave a gap wider than 0.5 mm between them. However, particularly preferably, the interruption points 24 of twoconsecutive skirts 22 will be angularly offset from one another so that they never leave a radial hollow space between them. - In
Fig. 9 there is shown an embodiment in which twoconcentric skirts 22 are also provided. However, in this case, theskirts 22 are formed by a plurality of cylinder-like bosses. This allows the dimensions of the continuous sections ofskirt 22 to be considerably reduced and therefore the elastic deformation capacity of the sealingmember 22 to be improved. -
Fig. 10 shows acapsule 1 in which the first andsecond parts parts rim 28 to delimit aninner chamber 6 and define alenticular capsule 1. Again, in the region of theinner chamber 6 the sealingmember 10 consists of a perimetrical ring formed in two parts, namely each half is formed respectively on the first andsecond parts member 10, thecapsule 1 is provided with thehollow space 12 facilitating its deformation. Also in this case, thecapsule 1 is provided with separating means 18 as aplastic ring 26 independent from said first andsecond parts capsule 1. In this case, the physical separation between thechamber 6 and thehollow space 12 is total, namely there is noopening 20 between the hollow space and the inner chamber. - In the embodiment of
Figs. 11 to 13 , the separating means 18 are provided on thesecond part 4 of thecapsule 1, namely on the sealing foil provided on therim 28 closing the larger base of the frustoconical cup. - In
Fig. 11 , theskirt 22 consists of a fold in the foil generated by heat forming. Because the foil is a thin polyethylene foil, thehollow space 12 can be separated completely from theinner chamber 6. In this case, the apex 30 of the fold bears directly against the underside of the sealingmember 10. However, the sealingmember 10 can be deformed freely, since the foil owing to its limited thickness of less than 0.2 mm scarcely offers resistance to the deformation. - In the embodiment of
Fig. 12 , the separating means 18 are aperimetrical skirt 22 extending in the longitudinal direction L as a ring of thesecond part 4. In this case, thesecond part 4 is an injection molding of polypropylene. Theskirt 22 completely closes thehollow space 12. However, it is contemplated that the outer diameter of theskirt 22 be substantially equal to the inner diameter of the inner wall of thechamber 6, thereby to allow the free deformation of the sealingmember 10. In this case, to guarantee the exit of the infusion through theextraction side 16, the cover closing the cup is provided with a plurality ofpassages 32. - In the embodiment of
Fig. 13 , the separating means 18 are aperimetrical skirt 22 extending in the longitudinal direction as a partition wall relative to saidinner chamber 6. Unlike the forms ofFigs. 11 and 12 theannular skirt 22 is formed by a rubber type elastic material different from the material of the foil forming thesecond part 4, namely the foil sealing theextraction side 16 of the cup. Thus, the rubber type elastic material is any one that can have properties similar to rubber, such as, for example, elastomers, synthetic resin, latex or others. Alternatively theannular skirt 22 could be provided on the cup instead of on the foil also touching the foil with its apex. -
Figs. 14 and 15 show two last embodiments similar to the ones described inFigs. 5 to 8 . However, in this case, to increase the elasticity and capacity of deformation in the outer region of the sealingmember 10, recesses are provided to increase the pressure of the capsule holder at this point. - In
Fig. 14 , there is provided a plurality ofconcentric grooves 34 sunken relative to the outer surface of thecapsule 1 in the region of the sealingmember 10. In case any water could leak out, it could gather in thegrooves 34 and thus any liquid leak could be prevented. Thegrooves 34 also allow the surface pressure to be increased in case the sealingmember 10 abuts at the end of its stroke and the capsule holder has not been completely closed. By increasing the surface pressure, the grooves could deform plastically and improve the seal even more. Alternatively, the grooves could be provided in projection relative to the outer surface of the capsule. Also it should be commented that the form of the grooves is not limited to the triangular form, but could also be rectangular or trapezoidal. - In
Fig. 15 , there is provided a plurality of uniformly distributedcylindrical orifices 36. Again, theorifices 36 improve the deformation of the sealing member because they make the wall less rigid. Furthermore, theorifices 36 allow possible losses of liquid to gather and increase the surface pressure that the capsule holder exerts at this point. Also again, thesepoint orifices 16 do not have to be limited to the cylindrical form, so that within the scope of the invention theorifices 36 can also be prismatic with a polygonal base or pyramid-like with a polygonal or circular base, the latter type being possibly truncated at their apex. - In
Fig. 16 there is to be seen another alternative of thecapsule 1 according to the invention, starting out from the concept ofFig. 12 . In this case, the separating means 18 comprise twoconcentric skirts 22. However, there could also be more than two. Askirt 22 is provided on the foil or piece of plastic closing the mouth of the cup. Theother skirt 22 is provided on the frustoconical cup. Bothconsecutive skirts 22 are offset in the longitudinal direction of the capsule so that they form a labyrinth making the ingress of coffee in thehollow space 12 even more difficult. -
Figure 17 shows another embodiment of thecapsule 1 according to the invention, in which the sealingmember 10 comprises alayer 40 of rubber type elastic material, resin or the like and different from the material of thecapsule 1. This highly deformableadditional layer 40 can be applied independently, for example, by overmolding or projection. - Finally, it should be commented that in spite of not having been shown in detail any one of the embodiments of
Figs. 3 to 13 and16 can also be provided on the outer surface of the sealingmember 10 with a finish of the type of grooves, cylindrical, prismatic or the like orifices or alayer 40 of highly deformable material.
Claims (13)
- A capsule for preparing infusions comprising[a] first and second capsule (1) parts (2, 4) connected to each other such as to delimit an inner chamber (6) containing an infusion product (8) and[b] a sealing member (10) provided on the outer surface of said capsule (1) and which on the side corresponding to the inner chamber (6) side forms a hollow space (12) delimited between said first and second capsule (1) parts (2, 4),[c] said sealing member (10) being deformable such as to provide a watertight seal between a fixed part (100) and a movable part (102) of a machine housing said capsule (1) for preparing said infusion, by causing a pressurized fluid to pass between an injection side (14) and an extraction side (16) of said capsule (1),
characterized in that[d] it further comprises separating means (18) between said hollow space (12) and said inner chamber (6) extending in the longitudinal direction (L) of said capsule (1) and being formed such as to prevent the accumulation of said infusion product (8) in said hollow space (12). - The capsule for preparing infusions according to claim 1, characterized in that said separating means (18) leave an opening (20) between said hollow space (12) and said inner chamber (6) comprised between 0 and 0.5 mm.
- The capsule for preparing infusions according to claim 2, characterized in that said opening (20) between said hollow space (12) and said inner chamber (6) is comprised between 0.1 and 0.3 mm.
- The capsule for preparing infusions according to anyone of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said separating means (18) are a perimetrical skirt (22) integral with said first and/or second capsule (1) parts (2, 4), said skirt (22) facing said hollow space (12) as a partition wall relative to said inner chamber (6).
- The capsule for preparing infusions according to claim 4, characterized in that said perimetrical skirt (22) comprises a plurality of interruption points (24) around the entire perimeter thereof.
- The capsule for preparing infusions according to claim 5, characterized in that said separating means (18) comprise at least two concentric skirts (22) comprising said plurality of interruption points (24), and in that the interruption points (24) of two consecutive skirts (22) are offset from one another such as to form a labyrinth.
- The capsule for preparing infusions according to claim 4 to 5, characterized in that said separating means (18) comprise at least two concentric skirts (22) one skirt being provided on said first part (2) and a second skirt provided on said second part (4) and in that said two consecutive skirts (22) are offset from one another and configured such as to form a labyrinth.
- The capsule for preparing infusions according to anyone of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said second part (4) is a foil and in that said skirt (22) consists of a fold in said foil.
- The capsule for preparing infusions according to anyone of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said separating means (18) are a perimetrical skirt (22), said skirt (22) facing said hollow space (12) as a partition wall relative to said inner chamber (6) and in that said annular skirt (22) is formed by an elastic material different from the material of said first or second capsule (1) parts (2, 4).
- The capsule for preparing infusions according to anyone of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said separating means (18) are a ring (26) independent from said first and second parts (2, 4).
- The capsule for preparing infusions according to anyone of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that said first and second parts (2, 4) are externally convex and are connected along a rim (28) adjacent to said sealing member (10).
- The capsule for preparing infusions according to anyone of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that said first part (2) is a frustoconical cup comprising[a] an annular rim (28) projecting radially outwardly from its larger base,[b] being open at said larger base, and[c] constituting said sealing member (10),[d] a hollow step (12) being provided below said sealing member (10) and in thatsaid second part (4) is a foil sealing said cup at the support surface (38) of said capsule (1) on said rim (28).
- The capsule for preparing infusions according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that said injection side (14) and said extraction side (16) face each other.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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ES201330210U ES1078818Y (en) | 2013-02-22 | 2013-02-22 | Capsule to prepare infusions |
PCT/ES2013/070396 WO2014128315A1 (en) | 2013-02-22 | 2013-06-20 | Capsule for preparing infusions |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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EP2960181A1 true EP2960181A1 (en) | 2015-12-30 |
EP2960181B1 EP2960181B1 (en) | 2018-04-25 |
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Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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EP13779244.6A Active EP2960181B1 (en) | 2013-02-22 | 2013-06-20 | Capsule for preparing infusions |
Country Status (3)
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EP (1) | EP2960181B1 (en) |
ES (2) | ES1078818Y (en) |
WO (1) | WO2014128315A1 (en) |
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EP2996521B1 (en) | 2013-05-17 | 2018-05-02 | Koninklijke Douwe Egberts B.V. | A beverage preparation system, a capsule and a method for forming a beverage |
EP3007994B1 (en) * | 2013-06-13 | 2019-07-03 | Goglio S.p.A. | Cartridge for soluble products with sealing member |
WO2019149875A3 (en) * | 2018-02-01 | 2019-09-26 | K-Fee System Gmbh | Portion capsule for preparing a beverage in a beverage preparation machine, method for producing a portion capsule, machine for producing a portion capsule, and method for producing a beverage using a beverage preparation machine and portion capsule |
US10730691B2 (en) | 2013-05-17 | 2020-08-04 | Koninklijke Douwe Egberts B.V. | Beverage preparation system, a capsule and a method for forming a beverage |
US10960453B2 (en) | 2014-11-14 | 2021-03-30 | Koninklijke Douwe Egberts B.V. | Method of forming a cup-shaped body for a beverage capsule |
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DK3089639T3 (en) | 2014-01-03 | 2018-08-06 | Douwe Egberts Bv | EXCHANGED SUPPLY PACK FOR A BEVERAGE DRAFT MACHINE, DOSING UNIT, PUMP COLLECTION AND MANUFACTURING PROCEDURE |
ES2546900B1 (en) * | 2014-02-27 | 2016-04-19 | Amv Caps, S.L. | CAPSULE TO MAKE INFUSIONS IN MACHINES |
CA2981764A1 (en) * | 2015-04-27 | 2016-11-03 | Spresso Novo Cap Ltd. | Capsule for use with a beverage production machine |
KR102648072B1 (en) | 2015-05-15 | 2024-03-18 | 코닌클리케 도우베 에그베르츠 비.브이. | Capsules, systems for preparing potable beverages from such capsules and methods of using such capsules in beverage preparation devices |
PL3134331T3 (en) | 2015-05-15 | 2018-12-31 | Koninklijke Douwe Egberts B.V. | A capsule, a system for preparing a potable beverage from such a capsule and use of such a capsule in a beverage preparation device. |
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GB201809708D0 (en) * | 2018-06-13 | 2018-08-01 | Obrist Closures Switzerland | Beverage capsule |
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FR2617389B1 (en) | 1987-06-30 | 1991-05-24 | Desaltera | FILTER CARTRIDGE AND MACHINE FOR THE PREPARATION OF AN EXPRESS BEVERAGE |
ES2297791T3 (en) | 2004-10-25 | 2008-05-01 | Nestec S.A. | CAPSULE WITH HERMETIC CLOSURE MEDIA. |
WO2010116284A2 (en) * | 2009-04-08 | 2010-10-14 | Ethical Coffee Company Sa | Brewing device and capsule for preparing a drink |
-
2013
- 2013-02-22 ES ES201330210U patent/ES1078818Y/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2013-06-20 WO PCT/ES2013/070396 patent/WO2014128315A1/en active Application Filing
- 2013-06-20 EP EP13779244.6A patent/EP2960181B1/en active Active
- 2013-06-20 ES ES13779244.6T patent/ES2674981T3/en active Active
Cited By (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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EP2996521B1 (en) | 2013-05-17 | 2018-05-02 | Koninklijke Douwe Egberts B.V. | A beverage preparation system, a capsule and a method for forming a beverage |
US10273076B2 (en) | 2013-05-17 | 2019-04-30 | Koninklijke Douwe Egberts B.V. | Beverage preparation system, a capsule and a method for forming a beverage |
EP3375333B1 (en) | 2013-05-17 | 2020-07-08 | Koninklijke Douwe Egberts B.V. | A beverage preparation system |
US10730691B2 (en) | 2013-05-17 | 2020-08-04 | Koninklijke Douwe Egberts B.V. | Beverage preparation system, a capsule and a method for forming a beverage |
EP2996966B1 (en) * | 2013-05-17 | 2021-01-06 | Koninklijke Douwe Egberts B.V. | A beverage preparation system, a capsule and a method for forming a beverage |
EP3656259B1 (en) | 2013-05-17 | 2022-11-09 | Koninklijke Douwe Egberts B.V. | Capsule and method for forming a beverage |
EP3007994B1 (en) * | 2013-06-13 | 2019-07-03 | Goglio S.p.A. | Cartridge for soluble products with sealing member |
US10960453B2 (en) | 2014-11-14 | 2021-03-30 | Koninklijke Douwe Egberts B.V. | Method of forming a cup-shaped body for a beverage capsule |
WO2019149875A3 (en) * | 2018-02-01 | 2019-09-26 | K-Fee System Gmbh | Portion capsule for preparing a beverage in a beverage preparation machine, method for producing a portion capsule, machine for producing a portion capsule, and method for producing a beverage using a beverage preparation machine and portion capsule |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
ES1078818Y (en) | 2013-06-10 |
EP2960181B1 (en) | 2018-04-25 |
ES1078818U (en) | 2013-03-12 |
ES2674981T3 (en) | 2018-07-05 |
WO2014128315A1 (en) | 2014-08-28 |
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