WO2023228222A1

WO2023228222A1 - Hard capsule for coffee or other soluble products with flexible wings

Info

Publication number: WO2023228222A1
Application number: PCT/IT2022/050337
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giovanni IOVINE
Original assignee: Iovine Giovanni
Priority date: 2022-05-23
Filing date: 2022-12-20
Publication date: 2023-11-30

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hard capsule for coffee or other soluble products characterised by the presence of flexible wings, spaced apart from each other, whose movement, under pressure, inside the percolation chamber of a coffee machine, allows, through the overlap with a membrane that acts as a closing top, for a better sealing of the capsule, simplification and facilitation of the extraction of the capsule from the machine and, with the overlap of the wings with the membrane, the possibility of creating codes that are readable through optical reading devices.

Description

HARD CAPSULE FOR COFFEE OR OTHER SOLUBLE PRODUCTS WITH

FLEXIBLE WINGS

'k'k'k'k'k'k'k'k

As is well known to the professionals, beyond their apparent simplicity, capsules for the preparation of beverages, although they consist of a small rigid container, in most cases in aluminium or plastic or a similar material, mostly cylindrical or cone-shaped, can be distinguished from each other by a series of technologies or measures that are adopted by the manufacturers to make them more efficient.

There are many capsules on the market that, having to adapt to the di f ferent types of machine and more precisely to the di f ferent types of percolation chamber, try to meet di f ferent functional needs including sealing, ease of extraction and the possibility of using the capsule to perform di f ferent functions .

In case of poor sealing, for example , on the top wall of the capsule the hot water may not be able to have adequate pressure to penetrate inside with the consequence that the cof fee or drink may be of poor quality .

In addition, in almost all the capsules on the market there is a di f ficulty in extracting the capsule from the machine , since following the infusion the capsule is not immediately removable given the state of the edges .

Finally, the capsules on the market may in some cases be engraved on the edges or on the base to allow optical recognition by the machine , for example to perform a given beverage delivery programme . In this case , the recognition system may not read the codes during use due to problems related to the incisions on the same that , when subj ected to handling and heat , do not retain the initial state that is intelligible for the machines .

Over time , a series of solutions have been adopted to overcome these critical issues .

Patent B02009A000086 describes a capsule for infusion products adapted to be held tightly between the upper and lower parts of a percolation chamber without deformations occurring in the lower wall of the capsule , deformations that can af fect the extraction of the liquid from the capsule . This purpose is achieved through the creation of a capsule in plastic material or thermoformed plastic material , equipped with a thick upper edge while the lower part is characterised by an annular edge that extends beyond the lower wall of the capsule . The annular edge of the capsule rests on the lower part of the percolation chamber while the bottom wall of the capsule , equipped with holes for the escape of the infused drink from the capsule, is equipped with reinforcement ribs that prevent possible deformation of the wall itsel f . The invention referred to in patent BS2011A000129 describes a capsule for the production of an infused beverage , made of paper, but which should allow an optimal and precise sealing of the capsule in a percolation chamber . The capsule is equipped with an annular peripheral edge suitable for fitting into a support surface that surrounds a percolation chamber of a cof fee machine when the capsule is inserted into said chamber . The paper with which the tray body of the capsule is formed has a reduced thickness and/or consistency, such as to give the walls of the tray body a low rigidity and therefore a high deformability . Unlike B02009A000086 , this capsule is not at all rigid and the perimeter edge in paper, even i f of increased thickness , does not guarantee a perfect seal and pressure resistance of the capsule inserted inside the percolation chamber . The softness of the capsule would allow an adaptation to di f ferent percolation chambers , but the paper capsule , swollen under pressure after being used, would not be easily extractable from the cof fee machine .

The patent US4136202A describes a truncated cone- shaped capsule that is closed with a programmed bursting membrane . When a certain pressure level is exceeded within the capsule , the membrane breaks along a burst line , thereby forming an opening in the membrane through which the beverage will flow from the capsule . It is not possible to accurately determine the pressure resi stance of the closure membrane which, under pressure , could break before the time needed to obtain an ideal infusion .

Patent US20100015307A1 describes an improved capsule containing beverage ingredients designed to be inserted into a beverage production device wherein a liquid under pressure enters the capsule to interact with the ingredients in the capsule and to drain a beverage from the capsule . The improvement tends to provide increased strength and tightness to the pressure of the capsule within the percolation chamber of an extraction machine so as to ensure water tightness during preparation . To this end, the body is formed with a flange edge . The flange edge shape represents the region in which the capsule is crushed by the closing parts of the beverage production device . As the f lange-shaped edge is softer than the capsule body, it can be compressed to compensate for irregularities , tolerance play or gaps within the percolation chamber, to maintain water tightness under the infusion pressure in the capsule casing . The material for the sealing part should be chosen from a thermoplastic elastomer that is resilient , heat and pressure resistant and inj ectable . Preferably, the thermoplastic material is a polypropylene-based "TPE" thermoplastic elastomer.

It is a mixed capsule, made with an aluminium body and flange edging in a softer material. The coupling and welding of the two materials of different natures, in addition to being technically complex, makes the cost of the capsule particularly high.

Patent W02012010317A1 describes a capsule closed by a membrane characterised by an identifier in order to prevent the machine from operating with capsules other than those provided by the manufacturer of the machine itself. This is done through a sensor/detection function present in the coffee machine that reads this identifier and preferably compares it with a stored identifier. The identifier preferably consists of surface regions with different optical properties, for example reflection. These surfaces may be present on the membrane, side wall and/or bottom of the capsules. With such a capsule, according to the invention, it is possible to prevent capsules not intended for a particular coffee machine from being introduced into it. Furthermore, based on the identifier, it is possible for the coffee machine to recognise which type of capsule is in its dispensing chamber and to better identi fy the beverage or food production process , for example , the amount of water whose pres sure and/or temperature are adj usted accordingly . The simple printing of the identi fier does not guarantee the exact operation of the machine since reading errors or the non-readability of some parts of the identi fier are easily veri fiable . The patent is very generic and does not technically explain how the system works in particular . In addition, the capsule has no pressure sealing improvement system inside the machine or additional functionality .

Finally, patent CA2805839A1 describes a capsule provided with an identi fier, which allows for customisation of the beverage produced by the singledose capsule . The identi fier is a barcode that is printed on the capsule . In addition to the barcode on the capsule , there are recesses and swellings arranged separately from each other, such as to fit in special recesses and swellings made in the perforation chamber of the speci fic machine . It is a complex system with regard to the interface of recesses and swellings between the capsule and the percolation chamber of the machine . The capsule does not provide any membrane strengthening system that ensures an improved infusion .

The purpose of this invention is to provide a rigid capsule for beverages that does not have the drawbacks and issues highlighted above , is easy to implement and allows , precisely because of the functional characteristics that it of fers , a better seal of the invention in the percolation chamber, simpli fication and facilitation in the extraction of the capsule from the machine and with the overlapping of the wings at the top, the possibility of creating codes that are readable through optical reading devices .

Furthermore , as will be described below, thanks to the shape of the capsule it will be possible to empty it , once the beverage has been dispensed, simply by tearing the appropriate membrane placed at the base of it and placing the various materials in the di f ferent separate collection containers .

The present invention will now be described, by way of illustration, according to a preferred embodiment which is not intended to be limiting in any way, with particular reference to the accompanying figures and drawings , taking into account that all the embodiments used, without prej udice to their functionality, may vary in si ze and shape without this limiting the present invention : figure 1 shows an exploded perspective view of the capsule components ; figure 2 shows a side view of the capsule with all its components ; figure 3 shows a section of the capsule with the wings depicted; figure 4 shows an aerial view of the capsule with the wings depicted; figure 5 shows a section of the capsule with the wings extended over the membrane ; figure 6 shows an aerial view of the capsule with the wings extended overlapping the membrane ; figure 7 shows a sectional view of the capsule within a percolation chamber of a cof fee dispensing machine showing, under pressure , the movement of the wings as they stretch over the membrane ; figure 8 shows a sectional view of the capsule within a percolation chamber of a cof fee dispensing machine with the wings overlapping with the membrane.

The object of the present invention is a rigid capsule X for coffee and for the dispensing of beverages consisting of a container 101 in plastic or equivalent materials that are also biodegradable, equipped with flexible wings 104 and a membrane 102, of aluminium or equivalent materials that are also biodegradable welded/glued along the edge 106 of the capsule X, of a diameter equal to or greater than that of the edge 106 of the container 101, less than, equal to or greater than the diameter of the container 101 when the flexible wings 104 are extended.

The hard capsule X, therefore, is characterised, in a preferred embodiment, by the presence, in the upper part 103 of the container 101, along its entire circumference, of a series of raised flexible wings

104, of any shape, spaced out from each other by gaps

105.

These flexible wings 104, once inserted inside the percolation chamber Y, not covered by this patent, of any electric or manual coffee machine, not covered by this patent, subjected to pressure, extend over the membrane 102 (Figures 7 and 8) until they completely overlap . The wings 104 and the membrane 102 , once superimposed, are strengthened, creating a single seal block of the capsule inside the cof fee machine creating and ensuring, through the superimposition of the materials and colours used, the possibility of creating custom codes , which can be read by any optical reader present in the machine or in the percolation chamber .

Once the cof fee has been dispensed, the flexible wings 104 retract into their initial position, thus making it easier to remove the capsule from the machine ' s percolation chamber .

In a second alternative embodiment , the wings 104 , once inserted into the percolation chamber Y and the beverage dispensed, superimposed on the membrane 102 will remain lowered, still fulfilling the function of sealing and creating codes .

In a third alternative embodiment , the membrane 102 , of equal diameter to that o f the edge 106 of the container 101 , allows the flexible wings 104 , lowered, to cover the bottom of the percolation chamber Y and create a contrast with the colour of the bottom, so as to create a code in this case too .

In any case , once the beverage has been dispensed and the capsule X has been extracted from the machine , it will be possible to empty the contents , tearing the membrane 102 and then storing the contents in the containers for separate collection .

However, the capsule X can be considered a universal capsule and can be used in practically all families of cof fee and beverage extraction machines , speci fying that water can enter and exit from one or more sides without this af fecting the invention referred to in this patent .

The present invention has been described in relation to its functions by way of illustration, but not limitation, and it is therefore to be understood that changes and/or modi fications , including in relation to the shapes , dimensions and measurements of the invention, as well as to the arrangement of the components that make it up, may be made without departing from its scope of protection .

Claims

1 ) Hard capsule for cof fee or other soluble products with flexible wings , characterised by a container 101 that along its entire circumference has a series of flexible wings 104 spaced apart from each other by gaps 105 and by a membrane 102 sealed/bonded along the edge 106 of the container 101 .

2 ) Hard capsule for cof fee or other soluble products with flexible wings , according to claim 1 , characterised by a membrane 102 sealed/bonded along the edge 106 of the container 101 with a diameter equal to or greater than that of the edge 106 of the container 101 and less than, equal to or greater than the diameter of the container 101 when the wings 104 are extended .

3 ) Hard capsule for cof fee or other soluble products with flexible wings , according to the previous claims , characterised by the fact that it has flexible wings 104 that when subj ected to pressure inside a percolation chamber of any electric or manual cof fee machine stretch out over the membrane 102 until they completely overlap .

4 ) Hard capsule for cof fee or other soluble products with flexible wings , according to the previous claims , where the flexible wings 104 , once the beverage has been dispensed, retract to their initial position .