KR102273064B1 - Disposable cold brew capsule - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a disposable cold brew capsule that extracts coffee uniformly and quickly by raising water from the bottom to the top in a plurality of columns filled with ground coffee.
As the disposable cold brew coffee capsule of the present invention is filled with ground coffee and has a plurality of columns dividing the capsule into a plurality (the cross section of the column is 4 to 20 times more than the entire cross section of the capsule) small) coffee in the column can be uniformly invaded, so the consistency of concentration and taste can be secured.
In addition, the disposable cold brew coffee capsule of the present invention eliminates the use of a water supply pipe (inlet pipe) or filter located outside as a pipe for directly supplying water flowing in from the outside to the bottom of the column is located in the center of the capsule. can do.
In addition, since the disposable cold brew coffee capsule of the present invention has a structure in which coffee is extracted independently for each column, the coffee extraction rate can be controlled by adjusting the column size or height, and the flow rate (water pressure) of supplied water.
As such, the present invention can provide a coffee capsule that extracts cold brew in a short time with room temperature or cold water.

Description

Disposable cold brew capsules

The present invention relates to a single-use cold brew capsule, and more particularly, to a single-use cold brew capsule that extracts coffee uniformly and quickly by raising water in a plurality of columns filled with ground coffee from bottom to top.

Cold brew (or Dutch coffee) is coffee extracted from coffee powder by dropping water uniformly. Also called water drip coffee, it is generally used for 4 to 24 hours using room temperature water. Coffee that has been brewed over a long period of time.

Since this cold brew is extracted using water at room temperature, it has a relatively low caffeine content compared to drip coffee, which is extracted in large amounts at a high temperature of 65° C. or higher, but has a deep and soft taste.

In addition, coffee is aged over time and has a more unique taste and aroma, and consumer demand for aged Dutch coffee is increasing, especially in summer.

However, the existing cold brew method has disadvantages in that water is absorbed into the coffee grains through a natural fall method and then released and extracted, so that the size of the device increases as well as taking too much time. For this reason, there was a problem in that it was difficult to sufficiently supply Dutch coffee despite the increase in demand for Dutch coffee.

Korean Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-2019-0082522 discloses a cold brew coffee extracting apparatus using hydroponic tea. In the above-mentioned publication, water is supplied to the lower part of the extraction unit by the water head difference so that the coffee particles can be poured into the water in the process of flowing out to the upper part, so that the floating direction of air bubbles between the coffee particles and the moving direction of the water are matched to achieve a high flow rate. It is disclosed that coffee can be extracted.

However, the above patent still has limitations in that coffee extraction takes more than 1 hour, and a supply tank of a considerable volume, an extraction container or extraction cap, a pipe, and the like must be provided. In addition, the above publication uses a gravity retrograde method in which water moves from the lower part to the upper part by a head difference, but the flow of water rising between the coffees from the lower part to the upper part is spread over the entire extraction container (10 cm inner diameter, 7 cm height). It does not rise uniformly (because the rate of rise in the lower filter state, coffee filling state, and the center of the container is faster than in the surrounding area, and the side part is relatively slow, because the water rise rate or the degree of coffee wetness is not uniform throughout the container) , it is difficult to ensure uniformity of concentration or taste.

In addition, in the above patent, since the water inlet pipe is located in the lower part of the extraction container, a lower filter for preventing backflow of coffee is absolutely necessary, and a pressure loss as much as that located in the lower part occurs.

In addition, the disclosed patent is provided with an extraction cap and an extraction column on the upper portion of the extraction container, and the extraction time is delayed because the elevated coffee extract is discharged after passing through the extraction cap.

On the other hand, capsule coffee refers to espresso extracted by putting ground coffee contained in a dedicated capsule for one cup of coffee into a dedicated espresso machine for the corresponding capsule coffee. These capsule coffees are pressurized inside to 2 to 12 bar with an espresso machine (water above 70° C.), and coffee is extracted within a few minutes.

Korean Patent No. 10-1400596, Korean Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-2018-0108596, etc. disclose coffee capsules in which coffee is extracted by pressurization and hot water. However, there was no capsule coffee that extracts cold brew in a short time with room temperature or cold water.

The present invention is to provide a cold brew capsule coffee in which cold brew is extracted in a short time with room temperature or cold water.

The present invention is to provide a cold brew capsule coffee capable of uniformly infiltrating the entire capsule filled with coffee.

The present invention is to provide a cold brew capsule coffee capable of ensuring uniformity of concentration or taste.

The present invention is to provide a disposable cold brew coffee capsule having a significantly reduced volume and simplified structure.

In one aspect the invention provides

As a cold brew capsule 100 sealed after a small amount of ground coffee is filled, water is injected into the capsule without pressure to extract coffee, but the capsule 100 is

The capsule is divided into a plurality, the upper portion is opened, and a plurality of columns (column) 50 filled with ground coffee therein;

a water supply pipe 40 for supplying water to the column bottom;

and a discharge part 60 communicating with one side of the column upper part and draining the extracted coffee to the outside of the capsule,

Water is supplied to the bottom of the column through the water supply pipe, and water is extracted from the coffee powder while rising from the bottom of the column, and the extracted coffee liquid is discharged through the discharge unit. .

As the disposable cold brew coffee capsule of the present invention is filled with ground coffee and has a plurality of columns dividing the capsule into a plurality (the cross-section of the column is 4 to 20 times more than the entire cross-section of the capsule) small) coffee in the column can be uniformly invaded, so it is possible to ensure uniformity of concentration and taste.

In addition, the disposable cold brew coffee capsule of the present invention is a coffee powder and coffee powder due to the ascending force (increasing pressure) of the water flowing in from the lower part in the process of moving water from the lower part of the column to the upper part (at a very slow speed), and the falling force by gravity. Contact area and invasion time can be increased.

In addition, the disposable cold brew coffee capsule of the present invention eliminates the use of a water supply pipe (inlet pipe) or a filter located outside as a pipe for directly supplying water flowing in from the outside to the bottom of the column is located in the center of the capsule. can do.

In addition, since the disposable cold brew coffee capsule of the present invention has a structure in which coffee is extracted independently for each column, the coffee extraction rate can be controlled by adjusting the size or height of the column, the flow rate (water pressure) of supplied water, and the like. For example, the disposable cold brew coffee capsule of the present invention having an inner diameter of 3.5 cm, a height of 4.5 cm, and 6 columns can extract cold brew in about 5 to 20 minutes.

As such, the present invention can provide a coffee capsule that extracts cold brew in a short time with room temperature or cold water.

1 is a perspective view of a disposable cold brew coffee capsule that is an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view with the cover removed from FIG. 1 ;
3 is a perspective view of FIG. 2 ;
4 to 6 are cross-sectional views of FIG. 2 .
7 shows an example of a coffee capsule coupled to a coffee appliance (water supply).

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the description or drawings of the following embodiments. That is, the terms used herein are used only to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, terms such as "comprises" or "have" described in this specification are intended to designate that the features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification exist, but one or the It should be understood that the existence or addition of the above other features or numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof is not precluded in advance.

1 is a perspective view of a disposable cold brew coffee capsule which is an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view with the cover removed in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of FIG. 2, and FIGS. 4 to 6 are cross-sectional views of FIG. to be.

1 to 6 , the disposable cold brew capsule 100 of the present invention includes a plurality of columns 50 , a water supply pipe 40 , and a discharge unit 60 formed in the capsule.

The disposable cold brew capsule of the present invention may include a housing 10 , a cover 20 , a bottom part 30 and a communication hole 41 .

1 to 6 , the disposable cold brew capsule of the present invention can contain about 5 to 50 g of ground coffee having a diameter of 2 to 7 cm and a height of 3 to 10 cm.

The disposable cold brew capsule of the present invention may have a volume of 10-385ml, 20-200ml, 30-150ml, 30-100ml, 30-75ml.

The disposable cold brew capsules of the present invention are sealed and distributed after coffee is filled. Alternatively, the disposable cold brew capsule of the present invention is closed by covering the water supply pipe communicating with the outside air, the hole 21 formed in the cover, and the discharge hole 61 on the bottom surface with a sticker, a thin film, etc., and remove these when extracting coffee can also be used.

In addition, the disposable cold brew capsule of the present invention is not a method of extracting by pressing 2 to 12 bar with an espresso machine, but a non-pressurizing method in which cold water or room temperature water is injected and extracted. The non-pressurized method is a method that does not apply pressure to the inside of the cold brew capsule. However, in the disposable cold brew capsule of the present invention, the water pressure or flow rate at which the injected water can rise from the bottom of the column filled with coffee to the top is provided during coffee extraction.

The housing 10 forms the side wall of the capsule. The capsule including the housing may be made of a thermoplastic material or a biodegradable plastic. For example, thermoplastic materials that can be used include polypropylene (PP), ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH), poly-ethylene terephthalate (PET), etc., and biodegradable plastics can be potato or corn starch-based plastics. have.

The housing 10 may have a cylindrical shape or a cylindrical shape, but is not limited thereto. For example, it may be a square prism, a hexagonal prism, an octagonal prism, a cup shape, and the like.

The cover 20 may cover the housing to prevent the coffee powder filled therein from leaking to the outside.

The cover 20 may be provided with a plurality of holes 21 through the top and bottom. The holes 21 may be formed to be positioned one at an upper portion of each column 50 . The hole 21 can discharge the air remaining between the coffees to the outside of the capsule along with the rise of water, and offset the pressure generated inside the column when the coffee is discharged to the discharge unit 60, so it is generated in each column pressure can be kept the same.

For example, if the pressure generated inside the column is irregular when the coffee extract produced by elevating the column is discharged through the communication hole 62 of the discharge unit 60 at the top, the flow of water to the column with low pressure is reduced. It becomes so fast that water cannot flow evenly through each column.

In addition, the hole 21 may be formed to have a size smaller than the size of coffee powder.

The bottom part 30 forms the lower part (bottom surface) of the housing. The bottom part 30 may be screwed or fused to the housing.

The water supply pipe 40 supplies water to the bottom part. The water supply pipe 40 is located in the center of the housing and extends from the bottom to the top of the cover, and water can be injected from the top of the cover to the bottom.

7 shows an example in which the coffee appliance (or the supply water tank 200) is coupled to the upper part of the water supply pipe 40. Referring to FIG. 7, the supply water tank 200 includes a storage unit 210, a connection part ( 220) and a pressure control hole 230. The protrusion of the water supply pipe is inserted and coupled to the inside of the connection part, and the speed (flow rate) of water falling through the pressure control hole 230 can be adjusted.

The water supply pipe 40 is located inside the capsule, and the lower end of the water supply pipe is blocked at the bottom. The water supply pipe 40 communicates with the column at a lower portion and includes a communication hole 41 for providing water to the bottom of the column.

The communication holes are formed in the water supply pipe 40 in the same number as the number of columns since water must be simultaneously supplied to each column 50 .

The bottom part 30 may include a fine pattern 31 radially formed from the outer surface of the water supply pipe toward the housing.

The fine pattern 31 may be a groove repeatedly formed on the bottom part 30 . The water flowing out from the communication hole 41 at a predetermined water pressure may be rapidly distributed radially (in the housing direction) along the groove of the fine pattern 31 .

The column 50 divides the inside of the capsule into a plurality.

The column (50) has an upper opening so that ground coffee can be filled therein.

The column (column) 50 may be formed in two or more, preferably 3 to 20, preferably 4 to 18.

The column is an empty column having a predetermined height. There is no particular limitation on the cross-sectional shape of the column. For example, the cross section of the column may have a sectoral shape as shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 . In addition, the cross section of the column may have a polygonal shape such as a circle, a quadrangle, a pentagon, a hexagon, or an octagon.

The plurality of columns may have the same volume.

The column is formed to include a partition wall 51 extending from the outer surface of the water supply pipe to the inner wall of the housing. 1 to 6 , the column may include two partition walls and an inner wall of a housing.

If water is continuously (or intermittently) injected into the bottom of the column (drip from the top, pumped from the side, etc.), the water may rise from the bottom of the column to the top. The amount of water supplied may be 0.05 ml/s to 0.5 ml/s, 0.1 to 0.5 ml/s, or 0.15 to 0.4 ml/s.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7 , when the supply tank 200 is positioned on the capsule 100, it can rise from the bottom of the column to the top by the difference in water pressure (the difference in water head between the supply tank and the rising water in the column). . That is, since the supply water tank 200 is located at the top of the capsule 100 of the present invention, a water pressure difference according to the height (the difference in height between the supply water tank water surface and the capsule discharge parts 60 and 62) occurs, and water rises in the column can be

In particular, as shown in FIG. 7 , when the pressure control hole 230 is formed in the supply water tank 200 , it may rise from the bottom of the column to the top by the height difference between the pressure control hole 230 and the discharge units 60 and 62 . can In this case, it is possible to extract coffee at a uniform speed by preventing a decrease in the water supply flow rate due to a decrease in the water level in the supply tank (ie, a decrease in the head head).

The column has a cross section that is 2 to 20 times (preferably 4 to 20 times) smaller than the entire cross section of the capsule, and blocks water from moving to the side through the column barrier, so that the rising rate of water according to the position in the column or The coffee infiltration rate can be maintained uniformly.

Since the coffee capsule of the present invention has a structure in which coffee is extracted independently for each column, the higher the column height and the wider the column cross-section, the stronger the coffee can be extracted (however, if the cross-section is too wide, the rate of water rise or coffee invasion) The extraction rate or concentration can be controlled by adjusting the speed (cannot maintain the speed uniformly), the flow rate of supplied water (relative to time), the water head difference, or the water supply rate.

In addition, even when there is no water head difference in the column (for example, when only about 1/2 of the water supply pipe is filled with water, the height of water is not higher than the top of the capsule, so the water does not rise to the top of the capsule as a water head difference), may rise to the top of the column by capillary action.

That is, the column has a structure that can increase the capillary force that rises by water permeating between the filled coffee powders. For example, the present invention fills only about 1/2 of the water supply pipe with water (hereinafter, 1/2 water level) and maintains 1/2 water level, and capillary force even when dropping water above 1/2 water level As a result, water permeates into the coffee and rises to the top to extract coffee.

The discharge unit 60 communicates with the upper side of the column to discharge the extracted coffee to the outside of the capsule. The discharge unit 60 may be formed in the capsule in various ways.

1 to 6 , the discharge unit may be formed on the inner wall side of the housing, or the discharge unit may be formed on the water supply pipe side.

When the discharge part is formed on the side of the water supply pipe, the discharge part may be formed to include another partition wall between the outer surface of the water supply pipe and the column partition wall.

1 to 6 , when the discharge part is formed on the inner wall of the housing, the discharge part 60 includes the inner wall of the housing, the partition wall extending to the housing, and the second partition wall 61 branching from the partition wall and extending to the housing. ), and an upper portion of the partition wall or the second partition wall may include a hole 62 communicating with one side of the upper part of the column.

In the above, the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail as an example, but these descriptions merely describe and disclose exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that various changes, modifications and variations can be made from the foregoing description and accompanying drawings without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

Claims (5)

As a cold brew capsule 100 sealed after filling a small amount of ground coffee, water is injected into the capsule without pressure to extract coffee, but the capsule 100 is
housing 10;
a cover 20 covering the upper portion of the housing;
a bottom portion 30 positioned at the lower end of the housing;
a water supply pipe 40 located in the center of the housing and extending from the bottom to the top of the cover to provide water from the top of the cover to the bottom;
a plurality of columns (50) formed including a partition wall (51) extending from the outer surface of the water supply pipe to the inner wall of the housing and filled with ground coffee powder;
a communication hole 41 communicating with the column at a lower portion of the water supply pipe to provide water to the bottom of the column;
and a discharge part 60 communicating with one side of the upper part of the column and extending to the bottom, wherein the discharge part 60 includes the inner wall of the housing, a partition wall extending to the housing, and a second branching from the partition wall and extending to the housing A partition wall 61 is included, and a hole 62 communicating with one side of the column upper part is formed in an upper portion of the partition wall or the second partition wall,
Disposable cold brew, characterized in that water is supplied to the bottom of the column through the water supply pipe, and the water rises from the bottom of the column to extract coffee liquid from the coffee powder, and the extracted coffee liquid flows out through the discharge unit capsule. delete The single-use cold brew capsule according to claim 1, wherein the bottom part (30) includes a micropattern (31) radially formed from the outer surface of the water supply part in the direction of the housing. delete The single-use cold brew capsule according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of columns have the same volume.

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