LU101279B1 - Capsule for the preparation of a drink - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a capsule intended to contain a substance for the preparation of a drink by placing said capsule in the housing (7) of a piston (6), said capsule comprising a body (1) having a rim (4). and a sealing ring (10) which is attached to the lower wall (4b) of said rim by having an upper face (10a) resting on said lower wall and a free lower face (10b), said capsule having an internal bearing (13) and an external bearing surface (14) each projecting from the rim (4) in an axial direction, forming between them a groove (15) which is arranged to sealingly receive the peripheral edge (11) of the piston (6) during the preparation of the drink, at least the external bearing surface (14) being formed on an internal wall of a ring (16, 16b) formed in one piece on the free lower face (10b) of the sealing ring (10).

Description

CAPUSLE DESCRIPTION FOR THE PREPARATION OF A BEVERAGE The invention relates to a capsule for containing a substance for the preparation of a beverage. It also relates to a system for the preparation of a drink by means of such a capsule, said system comprising a piston which has a housing in which said capsule is intended to be arranged to allow the preparation of said drink.

Such capsules are intended in particular for the preparation of a hot drink such as coffee, tea or infusion. To do this, systems are known in which the housing of the piston is equipped with a device designed to inject under pressure a liquid extracting the drink, for example hot water, through said capsule and the substance it. contains, in particular by piercing said capsule by means of injection pins of such a liquid provided for this purpose in said housing.

During the preparation of a drink, the piston device injects approximately 50 milliliters of extractor liquid into the housing, and approximately 45 milliliters of this liquid are actually used for said preparation. Thus, following this injection, approximately 5 milliliters of extractor liquid remains in the housing, and may possibly escape therefrom by leakage.

To limit the leaks of liquid extractor from the housing, documents EP-2 966 006 and EP-2 951 108 disclose a capsule which has an upper rim with an upper wall on which a cover is intended to be associated after loading the substance. for the preparation of a drink, as well as a bottom wall which is equipped with a sealing structure comprising inner and outer rings of substantially triangular sections, between which extends a sealing lip, also of rectangular section . Thus, when the capsule is placed in the housing of the piston, the peripheral edge of said housing is positioned between the outer and inner rings, crushing the sealing lip, the piston - ring - lip assembly forming a sealing baffle. to limit leaks when injecting the extractor liquid into the capsule.

In particular, the capsules described in these documents comprise a body made of a plastic material, and the sealing structure is formed integrally with said body. Advantageously, the body is produced by injection and molding of a plastic material, which allows the sealing structure to be easily produced at the same time as said body.

Since plastic materials can be relatively difficult to recycle, it is desirable to limit their use.

To do this, capsules made of metallic material, in particular aluminum-based, are also known. These capsules have the advantage of being easy to manufacture, in particular by stamping a metal sheet, while being easy to recycle, the metal constituting the body being able in particular to be recovered by melting said body, after having extracted the residues of it. the substance it contained.

However, it is problematic to form a sealing structure as described above on such capsules, insofar as the very fine dimensions of the rings and of the sealing lip do not allow them to be obtained by stamping.

To overcome these drawbacks, document EP-1 816 935 describes a cap, in particular made of aluminum, in which a silicone-based sealing ring is attached, in particular by overmolding, to the lower wall of the

| 3 LU101279 edge for receiving the cover. Thus, when the peripheral edge comes to rest under the rim, it exerts a local compression on a free lower face of the ring, which makes it possible to limit liquid leaks.

This solution poses a problem as regards the recycling of the capsule. Indeed, before melting a used capsule in order to recover the aluminum therefrom, it is necessary to eliminate the silicone ring by burning it, because its mechanical extraction from said capsule is impossible to implement. However, since silicone is of petrochemical fossil origin, its combustion generates fine particles that are harmful to health and the environment. Document EP-1 839 543 describes a capsule equipped with a ring made of an absorbent material, for example based on paper and / or cotton, said ring having a radial portion disposed resting on the lower wall of the rim and a axi-radial portion disposed in abutment around an upper portion of the side wall of the body. This solution is not satisfactory either, in that the seal is achieved by deformation of the ring under the effect of the pressure of the extractor liquid injected into the housing at the time of preparation of the drink. Thus, there is always a significant risk of liquid leaking out of the housing. The invention aims to improve the prior art by proposing in particular a capsule which is designed to ensure good sealing of the piston housing in order to prevent leakage of the extractor liquid during its injection, this while being easily recyclable with an impact. limited on the environment. To this end, according to a first aspect, the invention provides a capsule intended to contain a substance for the preparation of a drink by placing said capsule in the housing of a piston, said capsule comprising a body having a side wall lined with on either side by a bottom and by a rim surrounding an opening of said body, said rim having a lower wall projecting laterally from said side wall, said capsule being equipped with a sealing ring which is attached to said lower wall in having an upper face resting on said lower wall and a free lower face, said capsule having an internal bearing surface and an external bearing surface each projecting from the rim in an axial direction, forming between them a groove which is arranged to receive sealing the peripheral edge of the piston during the preparation of the beverage, at least the external bearing being formed on an internal wall of a courtyard onne formed in one piece on the free underside of the sealing ring.

According to a second aspect, the invention proposes a system for the preparation of a drink by means of such a capsule in which a substance for the preparation of said drink is packaged, said system comprising a piston which has a housing for the reception. of the capsule, said housing comprising a device arranged to inject under pressure a liquid extractor of the beverage through said capsule, as well as a peripheral edge arranged to be placed in a sealed manner in the groove formed between the external and internal surfaces of said bottom wall.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, made with reference to the appended figures, in which: - Figures 1 and 1a show a capsule according to a first embodiment of the invention, respectively in section axial (FIG. 1) and according to an enlargement of the zone A of FIG. 1 (FIG. 1a); - Figures 2a and 2b show, in a view similar to that of Figure 1a, two stages of the arrangement of the peripheral edge of a piston on a sealing ring fitted to the capsule of Figures 1 and 1a; - Figure 3 shows in perspective view from below a capsule according to a second embodiment of the invention; - Figures 4 and 4a show the capsule of Figure 3 according to views similar to those of Figure 1 and Figure 1a respectively; - Figures 5a and 5b show, in views similar to those of Figures 2a and 2b respectively, two stages of the arrangement of the peripheral edge of a piston on a sealing ring fitted to the capsule of Figures 3, 4 and 4a ; FIGS. Ga, 6b, 7a and 7b are views similar to those of corresponding FIGS. 5a and 5b, with a sealing ring according to respectively an alternative embodiment of the invention. In relation to these figures, a capsule intended to receive a substance for the preparation of a drink, as well as a system for the preparation of a drink by means of such a capsule, are described below.

The capsule comprises a body 1 for packaging such a substance, said body preferably being made of metallic material, in particular aluminum. Thus, the capsule can be easily manufactured, in particular by stamping, but also recycled, in particular by melting said body after extraction of the residues of the substance, in order to recover the aluminum therefrom for later use. The body 1 has a geometry of revolution about a central axis X, with a side wall 2 bordered on either side by a bottom 3 and by a flange 4 surrounding an opening 5 of said body. In known manner, the rim 4 comprises a smooth upper wall 4a on which a cover is intended to be associated, in particular by gluing, to cover the opening 5 after loading the substance into the capsule through said opening. In the description, the terms “lower” and “upper” are defined with respect to the representation of the capsule in FIGS. 1, 1a, 4 and 4a. Furthermore, the terms "axial" and "radial" are defined with respect to the axis of revolution X, to denote a direction respectively parallel and perpendicular to this axis X.

In particular, the capsule is intended for the preparation of a hot drink such as coffee, tea or infusion. To do this, the system comprises a piston 6 which has a housing 7 in which the capsule is intended to be placed, said housing comprising a device (not shown) which is arranged to inject under pressure a liquid extracting the drink through said capsule. According to one embodiment, the housing comprises a base equipped with such an injection device, in particular in the form of pins arranged to pierce the base 3 of the capsule and inject the extractor liquid through said base. In addition, the upper cap is crossed by relief patterns provided on a base which is placed opposite the housing to hold the capsule there, in order to allow the beverage to flow out of said capsule. Such systems are in particular described in documents EP-1 839 543 and EP-1 816 935. The body 1 has a very thin thickness, in particular of the order of 0.1 mm, at least at the level of the bottom 3, in order to to facilitate its piercing by the injection pins during the preparation of the drink.

In the embodiments shown, the bottom 3 has a substantially radial lower portion 3a, as well as an upper portion 3b which fits generally in a truncated cone with a straight generatrix between said lower portion and the side wall 2. In particular , the upper portion 3b has an axial dimension of the order of 4 mm, forms an angle a of the order of 60 ° with the axis of revolution X, and is connected to the side wall 2 by a rounded fillet 8 with a radius of curvature of between 0.7 and 1.5 mm. In Figures 3 and 4, the bottom 3 has circular-based indentations 9 formed recessed on an outer wall of its upper portion 3b, being angularly evenly distributed around the X axis, said indentations being arranged to facilitate drilling of the bottom 3 by the pins for injecting the extractor liquid. In particular, the indentations 9 have a maximum depth of the order of 0.9 mm, as well as a radius of curvature of the order of 1.5 mm. The upper rim 4 also has a lower wall 4b projecting laterally from the side wall 2, the capsule being equipped with a sealing ring 10 which is attached to said lower wall by having an upper face 10a resting on said lower wall and a free lower face 10b on which the peripheral edge 11 of the piston 6 is intended to come into contact when the capsule is placed in the housing 7, in order to limit the leakage of liquid out of said housing. The ring 10 can in particular be fixed to the bottom wall 4b, for example by means of an adhesive or by heat-sealing. Alternatively, the ring 10 can simply be wedged on the bottom wall 4b. In the figures, the rim 4 comprises a free end which is folded back on itself to form a bead 4c, the ring 10 being wedged laterally between said bead and the side wall 2.

In particular, the rim 4 is connected to the side wall 2 by a rounded fillet 12 with a radius of curvature of between 0.3 mm and 0.4 mm. Furthermore, the bead 4c has a section of substantially circular geometry, with a diameter of the order of 1.3 mm.

The capsule has an internal bearing surface 13 and an external bearing surface 14 each projecting from the rim 4 in an axial direction, forming between them a groove 15 which is arranged to receive in a sealed manner the peripheral edge 11 of the piston 6 during the closing. preparation of the drink, at least the external bearing surface 14 being formed on an internal wall of a crown 16 formed in one piece on the free lower face 10b of the sealing ring 10.

Thus, the outer 14 and inner 13 bearing surfaces, with the peripheral edge 11, form a sealing baffle which makes it possible to particularly reliably limit the leakage of extractor liquid from the housing 7.

Advantageously, the sealing ring 10 is made from an absorbent material, in order to improve the sealing by absorbing the quantities of liquid which pass through the baffle mentioned above. In particular, the ring 10 can be made from an absorbent paper of the blotter type, with a water absorption rate greater than or equal to 200 ml / cm * measured according to the Cobb method, as described by example in standard NF ISO 535. The sealing ring 10 can also be made of a biodegradable and / or compostable material, in particular according to standard EN 13432, which makes it possible to improve the recycling of the capsule by limiting its impact on the environment. According to one embodiment, the ring 10 is made from a cellulosic material, in particular cardboard and / or paper, such a material having good properties in terms of liquid absorption and recycling. Advantageously, the ring 10 can be made of a material based on cardboard and / or recycled paper, which makes it possible to further limit the pollution generated by the manufacture of the capsule.

At least one bearing surface 13, 14 has a slope converging in the groove 15, which makes it possible to ensure the guiding of the peripheral edge 11 in said groove. In the embodiments shown, the internal 13 and external 14 slopes each have a slope converging in the groove 15, which forms a particularly effective guide structure for the peripheral edge 11. Furthermore, the peripheral edge 11 has an internal lip. 11a arranged to come into sealed contact in the groove 15 at least on each of the surfaces 13, 14, said lip having two converging internal and external slopes arranged to slide respectively against the internal surface 13 and the external surface 14 when it is placed in said throat. Advantageously, the ring 10 and the peripheral edge 11 are arranged to allow said edge to come into sealed contact with the ring 10 in three zones, namely the bottom of the groove 15 and each of the surfaces 13, 14, said zones extending generally in two directions, namely radial for said bottom and axial for said spans. Thus, the peripheral edge 11 does not need to compress the ring 10, which makes it possible to guarantee a good seal throughout the duration of the preparation of the drink, and in particular as soon as the capsule is locked in the housing 7. .

In FIGS. 6a and 6b, the peripheral edge 11 further comprises an outer lip 11b arranged to come to bear tightly on a bearing surface 19, in particular essentially radial, formed on the free lower face 10b outside the groove 15, this which makes it possible to form an additional barrier against possible liquid leaks beyond the baffle formed by the groove 15, the walls 13, 14 and the internal lip 11a. In the embodiment shown in Figures 1, 1a, 2a and 2b, the side wall 2 of the body 1 is generally part of a truncated cone of right generatrix between the upper portion 3b of the bottom and the rim 5, and forms with the axis of revolution X an angle β of about 7.5 °. Furthermore, the ring 10 comprises two rings, respectively internal 16a and external 16b each formed in a single piece on the free lower face 10b of said ring, being spaced apart radially forming the groove 15, the external bearing surface 14 being formed on an internal wall. of the outer ring 16b and the inner bearing surface 13 being formed on an outer wall of the inner ring 16a. In the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 4, 4a, 5a, 5b, Ga, 6b, 7a and 7b, the side wall 2 of the body 1 has an upper portion 2a from which the rim 4 extends laterally, the internal bearing 13 being formed on an external wall of said upper portion. As shown in particular in Figure 4, the side wall 2 has a lower portion 2b extending from the conical portion 3b of the bottom 3, the upper portion 2a extending in the continuity of said lower portion by having an outer dimension ®a which is greater than the external dimension ®b of said lower portion.

Thus, the external dimension ®b allows the peripheral edge 11 to have sufficient radial clearance at the level of the lower portion 2b to be able to be guided towards the groove 15. Furthermore, the external dimension ba makes it possible to approach the bearing radially. internal 13 of the external bearing surface in order to ensure radial clamping of the peripheral edge 11 against said internal bearing surface when it is placed in the groove 15. Advantageously, the lower 2b and upper 2a portions have a frustoconical geometry each having substantially the same taper angle B, y, in order to form two similar slopes to facilitate the guiding of the peripheral edge 11 in the groove 15. Furthermore, the upper 2a and lower 2b portions are connected by a slope 2c of frustoconical geometry which is formed in the side wall, the respective taper angles y, B of said portions being less than the taper angle α of said slope. Thus, the slope 2c makes it possible to radially offset the upper portion 2a, and therefore the internal bearing surface 13, as close as possible to the external bearing surface 14, which makes it possible to limit the radial dimension of the groove 15 and to improve the sealing of the contact with the peripheral edge 11. In particular, the angles of taper B, y of respectively the lower portion 2b and the upper portion 2a may be between 7 ° and 11 °, the angle 5 of the slope 2c being of the order of 55 °.

At least one crown 16, 16a, 16b can be formed by a fold 17 formed in the material constituting the ring 10. In Figures 7a and 7b, the ring 10 comprises a single crown 16 formed by a fold 17 at the level of d 'a central area 10c of said ring, said central area having a reduced thickness to facilitate the formation of said fold.

At least one crown 16, 16a, 16b can also be formed by an extra thickness 18 in the material constituting the ring 10, as shown in Figures 2a, 2b, 5a, 5b, 6a and 6b.

Claims (18)

| LU101279 CLAIMS 1. Capsule intended to contain a substance for the preparation of a drink by placing said capsule in the housing (7) of a piston (6), said capsule comprising a body (1) having a side wall (2) lined with on either side by a bottom (3) and by a rim (4) surrounding an opening (5) of said body, said rim having a lower wall (4b) projecting laterally from said side wall, said capsule being equipped with a sealing ring (10) which is attached to said lower wall by presenting an upper face (10a) resting on said lower wall and a free lower face (10b), said capsule being characterized in that it has an internal bearing surface (13) and an external bearing surface (14) each projecting from the rim (4) in an axial direction, forming between them a groove (15) which is arranged to sealingly receive the peripheral edge (11) of the piston (6) when preparing the drink, at least the ext reach erne (14) being formed on an inner wall of a ring (16, 16b) formed in one piece on the free underside (10b) of the sealing ring (10). 2. Capsule according to claim 1, characterized in that the sealing ring (10) is made from a biodegradable and / or compostable material. 3. Capsule according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the sealing ring (10) is made from an absorbent material. 4. Capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the sealing ring (10) is made from a cellulosic material, in particular cardboard or paper. 5. Capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the body (1) is made of metallic material, in particular of aluminum. 6. Capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that at least one bearing surface (13, 14) has a slope converging in the groove (15). 7. Capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the ring (10) comprises two rings respectively internal (16a) and external (16b) each formed in one piece on the free lower face (10b). ) of said ring being radially spaced apart, forming the groove (15) between them, the outer surface (14) being formed on an internal wall of the outer ring (16b) and the internal surface (13) being formed on an external wall of the internal crown (16a). 8. Capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the side wall (2) of the body (1) has an upper portion (2a) from which the rim (4) extends laterally, the bearing surface inner (13) being formed on an outer wall of said upper portion. 9. Capsule according to claim 8, characterized in that the side wall (2) comprises a lower portion (2b) extending from the bottom (3), the upper portion (2a) extending in the continuity of said portion. lower by having an external dimension (Da) which is greater than the external dimension (®b) of said lower portion. 10. Capsule according to claim 9, characterized in that the lower (2b) and upper (2a) portions are connected by a slope (2c) formed in the side wall (2). 11. Capsule according to claim 10, characterized in that the lower (2b) and upper (2a) portions each have a frustoconical geometry, the taper angle (B, y) of which is less than the taper angle (5). slope (20). 12. Capsule according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the lower (2b) and upper (2a) portions have a frustoconical geometry each having substantially the same taper angle (B, y). 13. Capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that at least one ring (16, 16a, 16b) is formed by an extra thickness (18) in the material constituting the ring (10). 14. Capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that at least one ring (16, 16a, 16b) is formed by a fold (17) formed in the material constituting the ring (10). 15. Capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the rim (4) comprises a free end folded back on itself to form a bead (4c), the sealing ring (10) being wedged laterally between said bead and the side wall (2). 16. System for the preparation of a drink by means of a capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 15 in which a substance is packaged for the preparation of said drink, said system comprising a piston (6) which has a housing (7) for receiving the capsule, said housing comprising a device arranged to inject under pressure a liquid extracting the drink through said capsule, as well as a peripheral edge (11) arranged to be placed in a sealed manner in the groove (15) formed between the outer (14) and inner (13) bearing surfaces of said lower wall. 17. System according to claim 16, characterized in that the peripheral edge (11) comprises a lip (11a) arranged to come into sealed contact in the groove (15) at least on each of the surfaces (13, 14). 18. System according to one of claims 16 or 17, characterized in that the peripheral edge (11) comprises an outer lip (11b) arranged to come to bear tightly on a bearing surface (19) formed on the free lower face (10b). ) outside the throat (15).