WO2007040391A1

WO2007040391A1 - A system comprising a filling device and a pouch, as well as such filling device and such a pouch

Info

Publication number: WO2007040391A1
Application number: PCT/NL2006/000498
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marinus Barbara Arnoldus Maria Stas
Original assignee: Stas Marinus Barbara Arnoldus
Priority date: 2005-10-06
Filing date: 2006-10-03
Publication date: 2007-04-12
Also published as: NL1030126C1

Abstract

The invention relates to a system consisting of a pouch (1) made of a foldable material and a filling device (3) for filling the pouch. The pouch comprises a spout-like filling element (5) and the filling device comprises a conical fulling spout (2) , which spout-like filling element is configured to receive the filling spout. The filling device furthermore comprises dosing means and conveying means for transporting the coffee to the pouch. The conveying means comprise mechanical conveying means and/or means (22,28,29) for generating a forced air flow and/or means (14) for producing vibrations.

Description

A system comprising a filling device and a pouch, as well as such a filling device and such a pouch.

DESCRIPTION The invention relates to a system comprising a pouch for use in a device for preparing an extract from ground coffee, which pouch is configured as an envelope of a water-permeable filter material comprising a circumferential edge.

Such pouches are frequently used these days, in particular in so- called coffee preparation devices, which are produced and sold under the name of Senseo Crema by Sara Lee/Philips, for example. Such pouches, also called coffee pads, contain a fixed amount of a product to be extracted, for example ground coffee, with which an envelope made of a water-permeable filter material has been filled at the factory. A drawback of the pouches that are currently known is that the amount of product to be extracted that is present in the pouch is determined in advance by the manufacturer and cannot be varied by the user, therefore.

The object of the invention is to provide a system by means of which a user of the known coffee preparation device can fill a pouch with a desired amount of a selected type of coffee himself.

According to the invention, the system is to that end characterised in that the system furthermore comprises a filling device provided with a filling spout, and in that the circumferential edge of the pouch comprises a filling element which is configured to receive the filling spout. Preferably, both the filling element and the filling spout are conical in shape, so that the filling element is held in place on the filling spout during filling also if no means of attachment are used, for example by exerting manual force.

An advantageous embodiment of the system is characterised in that the filling element is made of a foldable material, so that the filling element can be folded inwards once the pouch is filled, so that on the one hand no coffee can fall from the pouch and on the other hand the filled pouch can be used in an existing coffee preparation device without any problem. An additional advantage is the fact that the pouch can be easily removed from the coffee preparation device after the coffee has been prepared by taking hold of the filling element.

A further advantageous embodiment is characterised in that the filling device is provided with dosing means and with conveying means for dosing ground coffee and subsequently transporting it through the filling spout. Preferably, the conveying means comprise mechanical conveying means and/or means for generating a forced air flow and/or vibrating means and/or scraping means, so that stagnation of the flow of ground coffee or caking of the coffee in the filling spout is prevented at all times.

According to another aspect of the invention, an advantageous embodiment is characterised in that the dosing means comprise grinding means as well as a switch connected to the grinding means, in particular a time switch. This makes it possible to fill the pouch with a predetermined amount of freshly ground coffee, which may significantly improve the quality of the extract and which ensures a constant quality.

Another advantageous embodiment is characterised in that the grinding means are connected to the conveying means, so that grinding and filling can take place in one operation. Preferably, the grinding means are configured to introduce the freshly ground coffee into a forced air flow, which forced air flow carries the freshly ground coffee into the pouch. This is possible because the water- permeable filter material from which the pouch is made also permeates air.

Another advantageous embodiment is characterised in that the grinding means and/or the conveying means are mechanically connected to scraping means, which prevent ground coffee from caking in the filling spout.

The invention also relates to a filling device as part of a system as described in the preceding paragraphs.

The invention also relates to a pouch as part of a system as described in the preceding paragraphs. The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the appended figures, in which:

Figure 1 shows a possible embodiment of a pouch according to the invention;

Figure 2 schematically shows a possible embodiment of a filling device for ground coffee;

Figure 3A is a plan view of said filling device;

Figure 3B shows a possible embodiment of vibrating means incorporated in the filling device;

Figure 4 schematically shows a possible embodiment of a filling and grinding device for coffee beans;

Figure 5A schematically shows a filling spout provided with a clamping device;

Figure 5B schematically shows a filling spout provided with a safety switch;

Figure 5C schematically shows a filling spout provided with a clamping device and a sealing device.

Figure 1 shows a possible embodiment of a pouch 1 according to the invention, together with a filling spout 2 that forms part of a filling device 3. The pouch 1 is in fact a double-walled container made of a water-permeable material, whose two walls are circumferentially joined together by means of a glued joint 4 or a comparable joint. To fill the pouch 1 , a spout-like filling element 5 is provided, which is formed in one piece with the pouch 1 and into which the filling spout 1 can be inserted. The filling spout 2 and the filling element 5 are both slightly comical, so that an adequate seal is obtained during the filling of the pouch 1 without additional measures being required. Once the pouch 1 has been filled, the filling spout 2 is withdrawn from the filling element 5 and the filling element 5 is folded about the fold line AA'. In this condition the pouch 1 is ready for direct use, but it is also possible to fill a number of pouches in succession and store them for later use. Figure 2 schematically shows a possible embodiment of a filling device 3 for ground coffee. In the embodiment that is shown in this figure, the filling device 3 consists of a tubular container 6, which can be filled with ground coffee and which can be closed at the upper side with a cover 7. An electric motor 8 is present in the cover 7, as are a few batteries 9a, 9b, which can drive the electric motor 8. The electric motor 8 is connected, via a shaft 10, to a screw conveyor 11 mounted in the filling spout 12. The filling spout 12 may be provided with a ridge 13, which indicates how far the filling element of a pouch is to be slid over the filling spout 12. The surface of the filling spout 12 may furthermore be provided with a friction- increasing surface, for example in the form of a rough surface or a layer of a friction- increasing material. Disposed near the filling spout 12 is a vibrating element 14, which is likewise driven via the shaft 10. By producing vibrations during the filling of the pouch, the vibrating element 14 ensures that no coffee will cake on the screw conveyor 11 or on the inner side of the filling spout 12. It is also possible, of course, to configure the electric motor 8 so that the filling device 3 can be connected to the electric mains.

Figure 3A shows this filling device in plan view, with the cover 7, the motor 8, the batteries 9a, 9b, as well as a pushbutton 15, by means of which the filling cycle 41 pouch can be started, and a rotary knob 16, by means of which the length of the filling cycle can be set. Figure 3B shows a plan view of a possible embodiment of vibrating means 14 incorporated in the filling device 3. The vibrating means 14 consist of three arms 17a, 17b, 17c made of a resilient plastic material, which are connected to the shaft 10 and which are alternately arrested during rotation of the shaft 10 by a cam 18 formed on the inner side of the tubular container 6. As a result, the rotational speed of the shaft 10, and thus of the screw conveyor 11 , will decrease and suddenly increase again with a jolt, causing any caking coffee to come loose. Furthermore, the arms 17a, 17b, 17c stir the coffee and loosen it before the coffee reaches the filling spout 12.

Figure 4 schematically shows a possible embodiment of a filling and grinding device 19 for coffee beans. In the illustrated embodiment, the filling device 19 consists of a tubular container 20, which can be filled with coffee beans and which can be closed at the upper side with a cover 21 , as well as a tubular fan unit 22, which is connected to the container 20. Disposed within the container 20 is an electric motor 23, which is connected to a grinding mechanism 24 that is known per se, which grinding mechanism comprises a stationary guide wheel 25 provided with radially extending teeth and a grinding wheel 26, likewise provided with radially extending teeth, which rotates during use and which ejects ground coffee on a side 27. The fan unit 22 comprises an electric motor 28, which drives a fan 29 that blows freshly ground coffee being supplied from the side 27 in the direction of the filling spout 30. To enable said air flow, a ring of holes 31 has been formed in the fan units 22, via which air can be drawn in. The air transports the freshly ground coffee via the filling spout 30 to the pouch, in which the coffee remains behind, whilst the air can escape right through the water-permeable and air-permeable material. If desired, a coil spring 32 connected to the electric motor 28 may be provided in the filling spout 30, which keeps the inner side of the filling spout 30 clean. Furthermore, the filling spout 30 may be provided with a flap 33, which is blown upwards by the fan 29 in use and which, in a position of rest, prevents coffee from falling from the device. Preferably, the filling spout 30 is detachably mounted on the fan unit 22, so that it can be easily cleaned. The filling and grinding device 19 may be mounted on a wall by means of a bracket 34, and it further comprises operating elements as described with reference to figure 3A, by means of which the electric motors 23,28 can be turned on and off.

In another embodiment of the device that is shown in figure 4, the grinding means are connected to the conveying means in that the filling device according to the invention comprises only one driving means, for example of an electric motor, provided with a drive shaft which drives the grinding means 25-26 and which also generates the forced air flow. The latter may be realised, for example, by having the drive shaft drive the fan 29 as well. The forced air flow is directed through a guide channel 22, past the ejection opening 27 of the grinding means 25-26, towards the filling spout 30. In another embodiment, the drive shaft of the single electric motor may also drive the scraping means.

Figure 5A schematically shows a filling spout provided with a clamping device 35. The clamping device 35 consists of a spring 36, which is connected to the fan unit 22 and which is provided at the end thereof with a thickened portion made of a roughish material, such as rubber. Before a pouch is placed, a button 38 is pressed, causing the thickened portion 37 to become detached from the filling spout 30, thereby making it possible to slid a pouch over the filling spout 30. When the button 38 is released, the pouch is clamped down between the filling spout 30 and the thickened portion 37.

The button 38 is an optional feature, as in another embodiment the spring 38 may be moved by hand, after which the pouch can be slid over the spout 30. When the spring 36 is released, it clamps the pouch down on the filling spout 30. Figure 5B schematically shows a filling spout 30 provided with a safety switch 39. A strip 40 is attached to the fan unit 22, which strip is held in the position illustrated in a full line by a pouch that has been slid over the filling spout 30. If the pouch should become detached from the filling spout 30, the spring 40 will spring to the position illustrated in a broken line, so that a pin 41 in the fan unit 22 can move to left, seen in the figure, as a result of which the switch 41 connected to the pin 41 will turn off the power supply to the electric motors 23, 28. The switch 39 may also be operated directly by the spring 40, however.

Figure 5C schematically shows a filling spout 30 provided with a clamping device 35 as explained with reference to figure 5A, as well as a sealing device 42. A filling element 43 of a pouch (not shown) that has been slid over the filling spout 30 is held in place by means of the clamping device 35, after which it is filled. After filling, two clamping elements 44a, 44b are moved towards each other, which is done by squeezing two operating elements 45a, 45b together in this embodiment, as a result of which the filling element is sealed. This may be realised, for example, by locally clamping down the filling element 43 very strongly, causing the two walls to fuse together locally, or by incorporating a thermoplastic material in the filling element 43 and heating the clamping elements 44a, 44b. If desired, two cutting elements may furthermore be connected to the operating elements 45a, 45b in a comparable manner, which cutting elements cut off the filling element 43 just above the seal. In this way a large number of pouches can be filled and sealed for later use in a relatively short time.

Claims

1. A system comprising a pouch for use in a device for preparing an extract with a foam layer from ground coffee, which pouch is configured as an envelope of a water-permeable filter material comprising a circumferential edge, as well as a filling device comprising a filling spout, the circumferential edge of the pouch comprising a filling element configured to receive said filling spout, characterised in that the filling device is provided with dosing means and with conveying means for dosing ground coffee and subsequently transporting it to and through the filling spout.

2. A system according to claim 1 , characterised in that the dosing means comprise grinding means as well as a switch connected to the grinding means, in particular a time switch.

3. A system according to claim 2, characterised in that the grinding means are connected to conveying means.

4. A system according to any one or more of the claims 1-3, characterised in that the conveying means comprise mechanical conveying means.

5. A system according to any one or more of the claims 1-3, characterised in that the conveying means are arranged for generating an air flow.

6. A system according to claim 5, characterised in that the conveying means comprise a fan.

7. A system according to claim 5 or 6, characterised in that the grinding means are configured to introduce the freshly ground coffee into the forced air flow.

8. A system according to any one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the conveying means comprise vibrating means and/or scraping means.

9. A system according to claim 8, characterised in that the grinding means and/or the conveying means are mechanically connected to scraping means

10. A filling device as part of a system according to any one or more of the preceding claims.

11. A pouch as part of a system according to any one or more of the preceding claims.