WO2015189770A1

WO2015189770A1 - Pre-packaged charge for a powdered food material for the preparation of beverages

Info

Publication number: WO2015189770A1
Application number: PCT/IB2015/054351
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alessandro Doria
Original assignee: Espressocap S.P.A
Priority date: 2014-06-12
Filing date: 2015-06-09
Publication date: 2015-12-17

Abstract

Pre-packaged charge for a powdered food material, comprising a container body (1) intended to contain said powdered food material and to form the brewing/dissolution chamber (501) for said powdered food material, said container body comprising an open end (401) provided with an 5 appropriate sealing surface (411), a bottom wall (201) provided with means (211) for delivering the beverage product, and continuous side walls (101); an intermediate wall (301) is provided between said bottom wall and said brewing/dissolution chamber (501), the intermediate wall (301) being provided with an elastically deformable peripheral lip (321) which is adapted 10 to cooperate with the side walls (231) of said container body.

Description

PRE-PACKAGED CHARGE FOR A POWDERED FOOD MATERIAL FOR THE PREPARATION OF BEVERAGES

TEXT OF THE DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to the prepackaged charges for the preparation of beverages, and in particular concerns the prepackaged charges of food powder material for the preparation of beverages.

The systems of preparation of beverages are widely diffused, for decades now, and in particular for hot beverages, such as infusions, or sim ilar products obtained by extracting or dissolving, usually with water, a food powder material. Among these systems are comprised the machines using prepackaged charges for the preparation of espresso coffee, as well as the machines using prepackaged charges for the preparation of beverages from lyophilized powder or powder substance soluble otherwise.

In general, the approach to the realization of the prepackaged charges used in these systems take into account various factors, including the pressure that must be reached in the infusion chamber formed by the container body of the prepackaged charge, the needs related to the conservation of the content material, requirements relating to the method of delivery of beverage produced, and needs related to the subsequent treatment of the exhausted prepackaged charge.

The fact that the container body of the prepackaged charge is equipped or not with a compartment in which is air-tightly enclosed the food powder material for brewing or dissolution, does not influence a problem that afflicts all systems of the type described above, relative to the behavior of prepackaged charge after the brewing. In fact, substantially in all the solutions until today adopted, the container body of the prepackaged charge, after feeding of water in pressure, continues to drip towards the delivery means of the machine for the preparation of beverages, even when the pressure of feeding is zero, and inevitably taints with a percolate who has on the other hand not even more the characteristics of the beverage, and then it gets worse organoleptic qualities if the same beverage is not quickly removed from its production site. So, in addition to a rapid removal of the beverage it is appropriate an equally rapid removal of the exhausted prepackaged charge, and this involves at least an automatism, which of course complicates the structure of the same machine and makes inevitably increase costs.

The aim of the present invention is therefore to provide a prepackaged charge of food material powder for the preparation of beverages which allows, after the dispensing of the beverage, to eliminate or to minimize the leaching of the liquid which still is inside the container body of said charge prepackaged, once the liquid feeding is stopped.

Object of the present invention is therefore a prepackaged charge of food material in powder form, comprising a container body for containing said powder food material and to form the brewing/dissolution chamber of said powder food material, said container body comprising an open end provided with an appropriate closing plane, and a bottom wall, provided with means for dispensing the beverage prepared in said container body, wherein between said bottom wall, made protruding towards the outside of said container body, and said infusion chamber is provided an intermediate wall, provided with an elastically deformable peripheral lip, adapted to cooperate with the side walls of said container body, in such a way as to avoid the leach out of the liquid at the end of the delivery of the beverage. This result is obtained when the said peripheral lip projecting from said intermediate wall is realized so as to allow the passage of the beverage only above a threshold value of pressure of the liquid which is fed. Advantageously, the lip of said intermediate wall is tapered from the end facing towards said bottom wall towards the end facing the brewing chamber of said container body, or in the direction opposite to that of the feed flow of the liquid under pressure, in so that offer resistance to such flow, within a given pressure value. The section of said lip is increasing from its end designed to make contact with the side wall of the container body toward the end that connects to said intermediate wall.

In a preferred embodiment, said intermediate wall has, on the side facing towards said infusion chamber, a plurality of ribs, intended to act both as diffusers of the flow of the beverage, and as supports for the layer of filter material which delimits the infusion chamber.

Advantageously, the bottom wall is formed as a funnel, and presents, equidistant and radially disposed around the means of dispensing of the beverage, a plurality of reliefs axially projecting, suitable to support said intermediate wall and at the same time suitable to act as diffusers of the flow of beverage ie suitable to airing by creating appropriate turbulence. Furthermore, said intermediate wall is provided with a protruding element, able to be inserted between said reliefs protruding from the bottom wall, in correspondence of said delivery means, while still providing the flow of the beverage.

Further advantages and features will become apparent from the following detailed description of an embodiment of the prepackaged charge according to the present invention, taken, for illustrative purposes and not limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of the prepackaged charge according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation view of the intermediate wall of the container body; Figure 3 is a plan view from above of the element shown in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a plan view from below of the element shown in Figure 2; and

Figures 5A and 5B are two sectional details, relating to two different operational phases of the prepackaged charge of Figure 1.

In figure 1 is illustrated an embodiment of the prepackaged charge according to the present invention; with the numeral 1 is designated the container body of said charge, comprising a continuous frustoconical side wall 101 , which defines in its interior an infusion chamber 501 , an open mouth end 401 , and a bottom wall 201 , formed substantially as a funnel, and centrally provided with the dispensing duct 21 1 , equipped with diffuser means 221. Between the bottom wall 201 and the infusion chamber 501 is positioned an intermediate wall 301 , which shows along its peripheral edge a lip 321 , whose distal end 331 is in contact with the cylindrical portion 231 of the bottom wall 201. Inside the infusion chamber 501 is introduced (not shown in the figure) the edible material intended for infusion or dissolution.

On the side of the intermediate wall 301 facing the interior of the container body 1 are formed the reliefs 31 1 , while from the opposite side of the same wall 301 protrudes a sleeve 341 provided with a plurality of radial apertures 351. The reliefs 21 1 , together with a annular bulge 121 , corresponding to the inner peripheral edge of the bottom wall 201 , support the layer 1 1 1 of filter material, interposed between the bottom wall 201 and the powder edible material enclosed in the infusion or dissolution chamber 501 of the container body 1 . The bottom wall 201 is provided with a plurality of pads 241 , axially projecting and angularly equidistant with respect to the dispensing duct 21 1.

In Figure 2 there is illustrated a side elevation view of the intermediate wall 301 shown in section in Figure 1 ; to same parts correspond same numbers. In the figure are highlighted both the reliefs 31 1 and the sleeve 341 with its radial holes 351. From Figure 3, which illustrates in plain view the same intermediate wall 301 , it is shown the arrangement of the said reliefs 31 1 on the surface of the intermediate wall 301 the same; these reliefs provide due support to the layer of filter material 1 1 1 , as is evident from Figure 1 and also contribute to form swirling flows in the flow of the beverage to be dispensed. Figure 4 instead shows the structure of the lower side of the intermediate wall 301 ; also in this case, to the same parts correspond same numbers. The operation of the prepackaged charge according to the present invention will appear evident from the following, with particular reference to Figures 5A and 5B of the accompanying drawings. In the figure 5A it is shown a detail illustrating the condition in which stays the lip 321 before the feeding, within the infusion chamber 501 of the container body 1 of the prepackaged charge, of a flow of liquid intended to extract or dissolve the edible powder material contained in said charge. The lip 321 stands, with its distal end 331 , elastically against the cylindrical portion 231 of the bottom wall 201 . Upon supply of the liquid inside the infusion chamber of the container body, when it is achieved within a given pressure value, symbolized by the arrow 20 in Figure 5B, the lip 321 gives up its seal against the wall 231 , and allows the beverage thereby produced to flow towards the delivery duct 21 1. At the time when the feeding is interrupted, the pressure decrease of the liquid allows for the return of the distal end 331 of the lip 321 to contact the portion 231 of the bottom wall 201. By this way is prevented that the liquid still contained within the container body percolate from the delivery duct at the end of preparation of the beverage. Moreover, one can advantageously provide that, even without providing a true airtight, the lip is able to function as a kind of valve capable of delaying the release of the beverage produced and thus allowing to provide a dissolution or brewing conducted in a way more homogeneous and more controlled. Appropriately calibrating the thickness variation of the lip 321 from its distal end 331 to its proximal end connected to the intermediate wall 301 , and suitably designing the taper, i.e. the inclination of said lip with respect to its point of contact with the bottom wall, is thus possible to achieve a degree of control over the conditions of preparation and dispensing of the beverage.

Suitably, both the pads 241 that the holes 351 of the sleeve 341 contribute to the generation of turbulent flows in the beverage to be dispensed through the duct 21 1 . The prepackaged charge according to the present invention therefore allows to overcome the drawbacks made apparent by the available state of the art, relatively to the liquid leach out after the dispensing of the beverage, and is also able to significantly improve the quality of the beverage itself, and positively influence the brewing or dissolution process.

Claims

1. Pre-packaged charge for a powdered food material, comprising a container body (1 ) intended to contain said powdered food material and to form the brewing/dissolution chamber (501 ) for said powdered food material, said container body comprising an open end (401 ) provided with an appropriate sealing surface (41 1 ), a bottom wall (201 ) provided with means (21 1 ) for delivering the beverage product, and continuous side walls (101 ); an intermediate wall (301 ) is provided between said bottom wall and said brewing/dissolution chamber (501 ), the intermediate wall (301 ) being provided with an elastically deformable peripheral lip (321 ) which is adapted to cooperate with the side walls (231 ) of said container body.

2. Pre-packaged charge according to claim 1 , wherein said bottom wall (201 ) is formed to be convex towards the outside of said container body, and thus concave towards the inside, said intermediate wall (301 ) being arranged in such a way as to delimit said concavity.

3. Pre-packaged charge according to claim 1 or 2, wherein there is provided a layer of a filter material (1 1 1 ) arranged on said intermediate wall (301 ) and facing said brewing/dissolution chamber.

4. Pre-packaged charge according to claim 2 and claim 3, wherein said layer of filter material (1 11 ) is coupled both to said intermediate wall (301 ) and to a boundary area between said bottom wall (201 ) and said side walls (101 ).

5. Pre-packaged charge according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 4, wherein the lip (321 ) of said middle wall is tapered from the end facing said bottom wall (201 ) to the end facing the brewing/dissolution chamber (501 ) of said container body.

6. Pre-packaged charge according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 5, wherein said lip (321 ) increases in cross-section from its distal end (331 ) to the end which connects to said intermediate wall (301 ).

7. Pre-packaged charge according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 6, wherein said lip (321 ) is formed integral to said intermediate wall (301 ).

8. Pre-packaged charge according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 7, wherein said intermediate wall (301 ) has a plurality of reliefs (31 1 ) axially protruding from the side facing said brewing chamber (501 ).

9. Pre-packaged charge according to any one of the preceding claims 2 to 8, wherein the bottom wall (201 ) is shaped as a funnel with a delivery duct (21 1 ) arranged centrally thereof, the bottom wall (201 ) having a plurality of axially protruding pads (241 ) which are arranged radially and equally spaced about said delivery duct (21 1 ).