WO2024008416A1 - Shielded pod for extracting a beverage, particularly coffee - Google Patents

Shielded pod for extracting a beverage, particularly coffee Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2024008416A1
WO2024008416A1 PCT/EP2023/066234 EP2023066234W WO2024008416A1 WO 2024008416 A1 WO2024008416 A1 WO 2024008416A1 EP 2023066234 W EP2023066234 W EP 2023066234W WO 2024008416 A1 WO2024008416 A1 WO 2024008416A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
water
pod
bag
edible substance
shield
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2023/066234
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Luca Mastropasqua
Gianluca GIAMBA
Giuseppe Cutuli
Bruno Dellapietra
Original Assignee
Illycaffe' Spa
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Illycaffe' Spa filed Critical Illycaffe' Spa
Publication of WO2024008416A1 publication Critical patent/WO2024008416A1/en

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
    • B65D85/70—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for materials not otherwise provided for
    • B65D85/804—Disposable containers or packages with contents which are mixed, infused or dissolved in situ, i.e. without having been previously removed from the package
    • B65D85/8043—Packages adapted to allow liquid to pass through the contents

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a shielded pod for extracting a beverage, in particular for the extraction of coffee.
  • espresso coffee machines In machines for extracting a beverage, for example espresso coffee machines, it is known to use prepackaged single- serving portions of an edible substance, typically in powder form, which are placed in a chamber into which a flow of hot water is subsequently injected under pressure, so as to infuse the edible substance in an environment, preferably under pressure, typically of a few bar or a few tens of bar.
  • the edible substance is typically ground roasted coffee.
  • the single- serving portions can be provided as capsules (i.e. as bodies made of a material impermeable to water and containing a dose of edible substance in powder form) or as pods, i.e. bags that are fully permeable to water and which are typically made by interposing a cake of compressed powdered substance (typically ground roasted coffee) between two substantially circular sheets of filter paper, which are heat-sealed along the entire periphery of the cake and which keep the powdered substance compacted.
  • An example of these pods are the pods known from the patent US 4,555,894 or the single servings according to the E.S.E. (Easy Serving Espresso) standard, the latter having a diameter comprised between 43.5 mm and 44.5 mm, a thickness between 9.1 mm and 10.6 mm, and containing 7 grams of ground roasted coffee.
  • the extraction chambers for conventional pods also have a thickness that decreases toward the periphery, not least because their shape is substantially complementary to the pod.
  • the flow of water that is fed to such chamber and which passes through the pod substantially perpendicularly from its entry face to its exit face also passes through peripheral regions of the cake which, owing to their reduced thickness, contain a smaller quantity of edible substance per unit of volume.
  • the edible substance at the peripheral regions of the cake is not optimally infused, and full and efficient use is not made of the incoming flow of water for the purposes of extraction of the beverage.
  • the aim of the present invention is to provide a pod for the extraction of beverages which is capable of improving the known art in one or more of the above-mentioned aspects.
  • an object of the invention is to improve the efficiency of extraction of the beverage from pods containing an edible substance in powder, granule or leaf form using hot water under pressure, preferably if the edible substance is ground roasted coffee.
  • Another object of the invention is to devise a pod that is fully compatible with existing beverage extraction machines and which does not require modifications to their structure and operation, with particular reference to the structural and dimensional characteristics of the extraction chambers that receive the pod.
  • a further object of the invention is to provide a single-use, disposable pod that can continue to have the characteristics of compostability, where present, of the corresponding existing pods.
  • the present invention sets out to overcome the drawbacks of the background art in a manner that is alternative to any existing solutions.
  • Another object of the invention is to provide a pod for the extraction of beverages that is highly reliable, easy to implement and of low cost.
  • FIG. 1 shows a pod according to a first embodiment of the invention
  • FIG. 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view, taken along an axial plane, of the pod of Figure 1;
  • FIG. 3 is a perspective view from above of the annular shield of the pod in the previous figures;
  • FIG. 4 is a perspective view from below of the annular shield of the previous figure
  • FIG. 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view of an extraction chamber containing the pod of Figure 1, during the step of extraction of the beverage;
  • FIG. 6 shows a pod according to a second embodiment of the invention
  • FIGS. 7a-7b show a first production apparatus of pods like the pod of Figure 1;
  • FIGS. 8a-8b show a second production apparatus of pods like the pod of Figure 1;
  • FIG. 9 shows a third production apparatus of pods like the pod of Figure 1.
  • a pod for the extraction of beverages according to the invention comprises a bag that is constituted by water-permeable material and which is closed along its entire periphery so as to retain inside it an edible substance 10 in the form of compacted particulate, for example in powder, granule or leaf form.
  • the bag is preferably obtained by fixing together two sheets 13 or 113 and 14 or 114 of the water-permeable material, which is a filtering material that, in addition to allowing water to pass through, keeps the edible substance 10 inside the bag and allows the extracted beverage to leave it.
  • the water-permeable material of the preferred embodiments is filter paper.
  • the bag can be a single serving of the E.S.E. type.
  • the edible substance 10, which completely fills the inside of the bag, i.e. the inner pocket formed by fixing together the sheets 13-14 or 113-114 of filtering material along a closed line, is any food substance of the ones commonly contained in single servings used in machines for the extraction of beverages using a flow of water 31 , in particular water that is hot and under pressure, which passes through the bag from an entry face 11 or 111 thereof to an exit face 12 or 112 thereof.
  • such substance 10 is ground roasted coffee, for example with a particle size lower than 1.5 mm.
  • the temperature of the water is between 94 °C and 100 °C and the pressure of extraction of the beverage is of the order of tens of bar.
  • the weight of the single dose of ground roasted coffee contained in the pod is approximately 7 grams.
  • the pod 1, 100 comprises an annular shield 2 which is impermeable to water and is applied to the entry face 11 or 111 in order to reduce the surface of the latter that can be passed through by the incoming flow of water 31 which is fed in order to extract the beverage.
  • the shield can be made of any material, rigid, semirigid or flexible, that is adapted for food use, for example a polymeric material or a metallic material, optionally eco- sustainable.
  • the pod 1 has the impermeable annular shield 2 applied to the entry face 11 of the bag so that at least one layer of the filtering material 13 is interposed between the shield 2 and the edible substance 10 contained in the bag.
  • the impermeable annular shield 2 is applied to the entry face 111 of the bag so as to be interposed between at least one layer 113 of the filtering material and the edible substance 10 contained in the bag.
  • the annular shield 2 can be fixed to the filtering material 13, 113 directly during the production of the filter paper, which then is wound on a reel together with the shields 2, as in the case of the reel 73 of Figure 9.
  • the annular shield 2 comprises a central opening 21, preferably circular in shape and with a small extension with respect to the entry face 11, 111 of the bag, so that a perimeter portion 23 of the shield 2 all around the opening 21 faces the cake of the edible substance 10, covering a perimeter band of it and shielding it from a direct passage of the incoming flow of water 31.
  • the central opening 21 can have a diameter comprised between 10 mm and 40 mm, more preferably between 24 mm and 32 mm. These diameters are particularly preferred if the bag is a single serving of the E.S.E. type.
  • the thickness of the annular shield 2 can be comprised between 200 microns and 400 microns.
  • the annular shield 2 which is shaped substantially like a truncated cap, also has a substantially flat perimeter flange 22 which is used to fix the shield 2 to the layer of filtering material 13 or 113, for example using heatsealing, ultrasound welding or adhesive bonding.
  • the annular shield 2 has, in particular, an inner face 23 which is concave toward the edible substance 10 so as to cover, along an upper peripheral band, and in particular partially above and partially to the side, the cake of edible substance 10 inside the pod 1, 100, all around a central axis that passes through the entry faces 11, 111 and the exit faces 12, 112 of the bag.
  • the annular shield 2 is of the flexible type, for example made of elastomer, then advantageously it will have a shape memory in order to restore, when cold, the above mentioned concave shape if it is squashed or deformed during manufacture or storage.
  • the cake of edible substance 10 inside the pod 1, 100 exposes only a central portion of its upper surface to the incoming flow of water 31, central portion which corresponds to the portion of greatest thickness of the cake delimited in an upward region by the opening 21, while the peripheral regions of the cake that have a lower thickness than the above mentioned central portion are covered by the shield 2.
  • the annular shield 2 is applied exclusively to the entry face 11 or 111.
  • the pod 1 can also comprise, in addition to an annular shield 2 applied to the entry face 11 or 111 as described above, a second annular shield 2 applied to the exit face 12 or 112.
  • an extraction chamber 4 adapted for the pod according to the invention is an extraction chamber that is per se conventional and used for the extraction of espresso coffee from pods like those in the US patent 4,555,894 or like E.S.E. pods.
  • the extraction chamber 4 can comprise a lower seat 44 for placing the pod 1 or 100 and an upper cap 43 for clamping the pod 1 or 100 on the lower seat at the perimeter flange 22, so as to ensure a watertight seal all around the pod.
  • the opening 21 of the annular shield 2 of the pod 1 or 100 defines a gap 45 between the pod 1 and the upper cap 43 when the pod is accommodated in the extraction chamber 4.
  • the cap 43 comprises at least one passage 41 for introducing the flow of water 31 under pressure into the extraction chamber 4, while the lower seat 44 comprises a plurality of holes 42 for the flow 32 of the beverage extracted from the pod 1, 100.
  • the holes 42 are preferably distributed over an area of extension that is greater than or equal to that of the opening 21.
  • the incoming flow of water 31 wets the volume of edible substance 10 that has the greatest thickness, i.e. substantially a central portion of the pod, while the perimeter region of the pod, where the cake of the substance 10 has a lower thickness, is essentially not affected by the direct flow of the fluid.
  • the annular shield 2 forces the water to pass through the thickest part of the pod and not through the thinner peripheral region of the cake of edible substance 10.
  • the efficiency of extraction of the beverage is therefore increased, in that the incoming water is used entirely for extraction from the region that is richest in the edible substance 10 (the thickest region), to the detriment of the peripheral region of the cake, which in conventional solutions is in any case not efficaciously extracted and which can be the cause of preferential paths or short-circuits for the water, which degrade the quality of the extracted beverage.
  • the shielded pod 1 or 100 according to the invention can be manufactured using any apparatus for the production of prepackaged pods, which is adapted to fix the annular shield 2 on a face of the bag containing the cake of edible substance 10.
  • a first production apparatus 50 comprises a conveyor 52 that intermittently advances one or more rows of annular shields 2 which are optionally released by a magazine 51 and which are placed on the conveyor 52 so as to present their concave face 23 upwards.
  • a second ribbon of filtering material 14 unwound from a second reel 54 is placed over the cakes 15 thus deposited and then fixed to the assembly constituted by the first ribbon of filtering material 13 and by the annular shield 2.
  • the second ribbon of filtering material 14 is fixed to such assembly using a welding device 56 (such as a heat-sealing device) which optionally is adapted to compact the cakes 15.
  • the cakes 15 result to be thus transformed into a strip of pods 1 joined together, which moves forward up to a cutting station 57 where finally the pods are individually separated.
  • a second production apparatus 60 comprises a conveyor 62 on which a second ribbon of filtering material 14, unwound from a second reel 74, is laid and held longitudinally.
  • the conveyor 62 intermittently advances the second ribbon of filtering material 14.
  • cakes 15 of edible substance 10 are released onto the second ribbon of filtering material 14 that intermittently moves forward.
  • a heat-sealing device 66 fixes the first ribbon of filtering material 13 (unwound from a first reel 63) onto the second ribbon of filtering material 14 with the cakes 15 arranged therebetween and a magazine 61 releases pre-glued annular shields 2 onto the strip of bags obtained at the heat-sealing station 66.
  • the cakes 15 result to be thus transformed into a strip of pods 1 joined together, which intermittently moves forward up to a cutting station 67 where finally the pods are individually separated.
  • a third production apparatus 70 comprises a conveyor 72 on which the second ribbon of filtering material 14, unwound from a second reel 74, is laid and held longitudinally.
  • the conveyor 72 intermittently advances the second ribbon of filtering material 14. Under a reservoir 75 of the edible substance 10 cakes 15 of edible substance 10 are released onto the second ribbon of filtering material 14 that intermittently moves forward.
  • a third reel 73 is constituted by the first ribbon of filtering material 13 on which annular shields 2 have been fixed in advance, and therefore said annular shields are unwound from the reel 73 integrally with the first ribbon of filtering material 13.
  • a heat-sealing device 76 fixes the assembly constituted by the first ribbon of filtering material 13 and by the annular shields 2 integral with it onto the second ribbon of filtering material 14, with the cakes 15 interposed.
  • the cakes 15 are thus transformed into a strip of pods 1 joined together, which intermittently moves forward up to a cutting station 77 where finally they are individually separated.
  • the invention fully achieves the intended aim and objects.
  • the annular shield By virtue of the annular shield, the flow of water is prevented from finding a preferential channel toward the outer edges of the pod, and the passing of the liquid only through the pod's central part is facilitated.
  • the end result in the cup is optimized by making it constant, and the crema is made more compact (thus improving the body) and persistent.
  • the invention is compatible with all the main machines that use pods of the E.S.E. type.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Apparatus For Making Beverages (AREA)

Abstract

A shielded pod (1) for the extraction of beverages, which comprises a bag made of water-permeable material, preferably filter paper, the bag being filled with an edible substance (10) from which a beverage is to be extracted by means of a flow of water (31) that passes through the bag from an entry face thereof (11) to an exit face thereof (12), characterized in that it comprises an annular shield (2) which is impermeable to water and is applied to the entry face (11) in order to reduce the surface thereof that can be passed through by the flow of water (31) in order to extract the beverage.

Description

SHIELDED POD FOR EXTRACTING A BEVERAGE, PARTICULARLY COFFEE
The present invention relates to a shielded pod for extracting a beverage, in particular for the extraction of coffee.
In machines for extracting a beverage, for example espresso coffee machines, it is known to use prepackaged single- serving portions of an edible substance, typically in powder form, which are placed in a chamber into which a flow of hot water is subsequently injected under pressure, so as to infuse the edible substance in an environment, preferably under pressure, typically of a few bar or a few tens of bar. The edible substance is typically ground roasted coffee.
The single- serving portions can be provided as capsules (i.e. as bodies made of a material impermeable to water and containing a dose of edible substance in powder form) or as pods, i.e. bags that are fully permeable to water and which are typically made by interposing a cake of compressed powdered substance (typically ground roasted coffee) between two substantially circular sheets of filter paper, which are heat-sealed along the entire periphery of the cake and which keep the powdered substance compacted. An example of these pods are the pods known from the patent US 4,555,894 or the single servings according to the E.S.E. (Easy Serving Espresso) standard, the latter having a diameter comprised between 43.5 mm and 44.5 mm, a thickness between 9.1 mm and 10.6 mm, and containing 7 grams of ground roasted coffee.
One disadvantage of the conventional pod depends on the fact that the cake of the edible substance in powder form contained in it has a thickness that decreases toward the periphery. The extraction chambers for conventional pods also have a thickness that decreases toward the periphery, not least because their shape is substantially complementary to the pod. As a consequence, the flow of water that is fed to such chamber and which passes through the pod substantially perpendicularly from its entry face to its exit face, also passes through peripheral regions of the cake which, owing to their reduced thickness, contain a smaller quantity of edible substance per unit of volume. As a consequence, the edible substance at the peripheral regions of the cake is not optimally infused, and full and efficient use is not made of the incoming flow of water for the purposes of extraction of the beverage.
The aim of the present invention is to provide a pod for the extraction of beverages which is capable of improving the known art in one or more of the above-mentioned aspects.
Within this aim, an object of the invention is to improve the efficiency of extraction of the beverage from pods containing an edible substance in powder, granule or leaf form using hot water under pressure, preferably if the edible substance is ground roasted coffee.
Another object of the invention is to devise a pod that is fully compatible with existing beverage extraction machines and which does not require modifications to their structure and operation, with particular reference to the structural and dimensional characteristics of the extraction chambers that receive the pod.
A further object of the invention is to provide a single-use, disposable pod that can continue to have the characteristics of compostability, where present, of the corresponding existing pods.
Furthermore, the present invention sets out to overcome the drawbacks of the background art in a manner that is alternative to any existing solutions.
Another object of the invention is to provide a pod for the extraction of beverages that is highly reliable, easy to implement and of low cost.
This aim and these and other objects which will become more apparent hereinafter are achieved by a pod according to claim 1 , optionally provided with one or more of the characteristics of the dependent claims.
Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of preferred, but not exclusive, embodiments of the pod according to the invention, which are illustrated for the purposes of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings wherein:
- Figure 1 shows a pod according to a first embodiment of the invention;
- Figure 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view, taken along an axial plane, of the pod of Figure 1;
- Figure 3 is a perspective view from above of the annular shield of the pod in the previous figures;
- Figure 4 is a perspective view from below of the annular shield of the previous figure;
- Figure 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view of an extraction chamber containing the pod of Figure 1, during the step of extraction of the beverage;
- Figure 6 shows a pod according to a second embodiment of the invention;
- Figures 7a-7b show a first production apparatus of pods like the pod of Figure 1;
- Figures 8a-8b show a second production apparatus of pods like the pod of Figure 1;
- Figure 9 shows a third production apparatus of pods like the pod of Figure 1.
With reference to the figures, a pod for the extraction of beverages according to the invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 1 or 100 respectively in the first and in the second embodiment described herein, comprises a bag that is constituted by water-permeable material and which is closed along its entire periphery so as to retain inside it an edible substance 10 in the form of compacted particulate, for example in powder, granule or leaf form. The bag is preferably obtained by fixing together two sheets 13 or 113 and 14 or 114 of the water-permeable material, which is a filtering material that, in addition to allowing water to pass through, keeps the edible substance 10 inside the bag and allows the extracted beverage to leave it. The water-permeable material of the preferred embodiments is filter paper. For example, the bag can be a single serving of the E.S.E. type.
The edible substance 10, which completely fills the inside of the bag, i.e. the inner pocket formed by fixing together the sheets 13-14 or 113-114 of filtering material along a closed line, is any food substance of the ones commonly contained in single servings used in machines for the extraction of beverages using a flow of water 31 , in particular water that is hot and under pressure, which passes through the bag from an entry face 11 or 111 thereof to an exit face 12 or 112 thereof.
In the preferred embodiments of the invention, such substance 10 is ground roasted coffee, for example with a particle size lower than 1.5 mm. For a pod used to prepare espresso coffee, the temperature of the water is between 94 °C and 100 °C and the pressure of extraction of the beverage is of the order of tens of bar. Typically the weight of the single dose of ground roasted coffee contained in the pod is approximately 7 grams.
According to an aspect of the invention, the pod 1, 100 comprises an annular shield 2 which is impermeable to water and is applied to the entry face 11 or 111 in order to reduce the surface of the latter that can be passed through by the incoming flow of water 31 which is fed in order to extract the beverage.
The shield can be made of any material, rigid, semirigid or flexible, that is adapted for food use, for example a polymeric material or a metallic material, optionally eco- sustainable.
In the first preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated herein (Figures 1-5), the pod 1 has the impermeable annular shield 2 applied to the entry face 11 of the bag so that at least one layer of the filtering material 13 is interposed between the shield 2 and the edible substance 10 contained in the bag.
In the second preferred embodiment illustrated herein (Figure 6), the impermeable annular shield 2 is applied to the entry face 111 of the bag so as to be interposed between at least one layer 113 of the filtering material and the edible substance 10 contained in the bag.
In these and in other preferred embodiments of the invention, the annular shield 2 can be fixed to the filtering material 13, 113 directly during the production of the filter paper, which then is wound on a reel together with the shields 2, as in the case of the reel 73 of Figure 9.
The annular shield 2 comprises a central opening 21, preferably circular in shape and with a small extension with respect to the entry face 11, 111 of the bag, so that a perimeter portion 23 of the shield 2 all around the opening 21 faces the cake of the edible substance 10, covering a perimeter band of it and shielding it from a direct passage of the incoming flow of water 31.
The central opening 21 can have a diameter comprised between 10 mm and 40 mm, more preferably between 24 mm and 32 mm. These diameters are particularly preferred if the bag is a single serving of the E.S.E. type.
The thickness of the annular shield 2 can be comprised between 200 microns and 400 microns.
The annular shield 2, which is shaped substantially like a truncated cap, also has a substantially flat perimeter flange 22 which is used to fix the shield 2 to the layer of filtering material 13 or 113, for example using heatsealing, ultrasound welding or adhesive bonding.
The annular shield 2 has, in particular, an inner face 23 which is concave toward the edible substance 10 so as to cover, along an upper peripheral band, and in particular partially above and partially to the side, the cake of edible substance 10 inside the pod 1, 100, all around a central axis that passes through the entry faces 11, 111 and the exit faces 12, 112 of the bag.
If the annular shield 2 is of the flexible type, for example made of elastomer, then advantageously it will have a shape memory in order to restore, when cold, the above mentioned concave shape if it is squashed or deformed during manufacture or storage.
By virtue of the impermeable annular shield 2, the cake of edible substance 10 inside the pod 1, 100 exposes only a central portion of its upper surface to the incoming flow of water 31, central portion which corresponds to the portion of greatest thickness of the cake delimited in an upward region by the opening 21, while the peripheral regions of the cake that have a lower thickness than the above mentioned central portion are covered by the shield 2.
In the preferred embodiments of the invention, the annular shield 2 is applied exclusively to the entry face 11 or 111. However, in other embodiments of the invention, the pod 1 can also comprise, in addition to an annular shield 2 applied to the entry face 11 or 111 as described above, a second annular shield 2 applied to the exit face 12 or 112.
As shown in Figure 5, an extraction chamber 4 adapted for the pod according to the invention is an extraction chamber that is per se conventional and used for the extraction of espresso coffee from pods like those in the US patent 4,555,894 or like E.S.E. pods.
The extraction chamber 4 can comprise a lower seat 44 for placing the pod 1 or 100 and an upper cap 43 for clamping the pod 1 or 100 on the lower seat at the perimeter flange 22, so as to ensure a watertight seal all around the pod. The opening 21 of the annular shield 2 of the pod 1 or 100 defines a gap 45 between the pod 1 and the upper cap 43 when the pod is accommodated in the extraction chamber 4.
The cap 43 comprises at least one passage 41 for introducing the flow of water 31 under pressure into the extraction chamber 4, while the lower seat 44 comprises a plurality of holes 42 for the flow 32 of the beverage extracted from the pod 1, 100. The holes 42 are preferably distributed over an area of extension that is greater than or equal to that of the opening 21.
Owing to the presence of the annular shield 2, the incoming flow of water 31 wets the volume of edible substance 10 that has the greatest thickness, i.e. substantially a central portion of the pod, while the perimeter region of the pod, where the cake of the substance 10 has a lower thickness, is essentially not affected by the direct flow of the fluid. In practice, the annular shield 2 forces the water to pass through the thickest part of the pod and not through the thinner peripheral region of the cake of edible substance 10. The efficiency of extraction of the beverage is therefore increased, in that the incoming water is used entirely for extraction from the region that is richest in the edible substance 10 (the thickest region), to the detriment of the peripheral region of the cake, which in conventional solutions is in any case not efficaciously extracted and which can be the cause of preferential paths or short-circuits for the water, which degrade the quality of the extracted beverage.
The shielded pod 1 or 100 according to the invention can be manufactured using any apparatus for the production of prepackaged pods, which is adapted to fix the annular shield 2 on a face of the bag containing the cake of edible substance 10.
A first production apparatus 50 comprises a conveyor 52 that intermittently advances one or more rows of annular shields 2 which are optionally released by a magazine 51 and which are placed on the conveyor 52 so as to present their concave face 23 upwards.
A first ribbon of filtering material 13, which can be unwound for example from a first reel 53, is placed on these rows of annular shields 2 and at least one reservoir 55 of edible substance 10 releases one or more cakes 15 above the ribbon of filtering material 13 that is overlaid on the annular shields 2. In a station downstream of the reservoir 55, a second ribbon of filtering material 14 unwound from a second reel 54 is placed over the cakes 15 thus deposited and then fixed to the assembly constituted by the first ribbon of filtering material 13 and by the annular shield 2. For example, the second ribbon of filtering material 14 is fixed to such assembly using a welding device 56 (such as a heat-sealing device) which optionally is adapted to compact the cakes 15. The cakes 15 result to be thus transformed into a strip of pods 1 joined together, which moves forward up to a cutting station 57 where finally the pods are individually separated.
A second production apparatus 60 comprises a conveyor 62 on which a second ribbon of filtering material 14, unwound from a second reel 74, is laid and held longitudinally. The conveyor 62 intermittently advances the second ribbon of filtering material 14. Under a reservoir 65 of the edible substance 10 cakes 15 of edible substance 10 are released onto the second ribbon of filtering material 14 that intermittently moves forward. Further downstream, a heat-sealing device 66 fixes the first ribbon of filtering material 13 (unwound from a first reel 63) onto the second ribbon of filtering material 14 with the cakes 15 arranged therebetween and a magazine 61 releases pre-glued annular shields 2 onto the strip of bags obtained at the heat-sealing station 66.
The cakes 15 result to be thus transformed into a strip of pods 1 joined together, which intermittently moves forward up to a cutting station 67 where finally the pods are individually separated.
A third production apparatus 70 comprises a conveyor 72 on which the second ribbon of filtering material 14, unwound from a second reel 74, is laid and held longitudinally. The conveyor 72 intermittently advances the second ribbon of filtering material 14. Under a reservoir 75 of the edible substance 10 cakes 15 of edible substance 10 are released onto the second ribbon of filtering material 14 that intermittently moves forward.
A third reel 73 is constituted by the first ribbon of filtering material 13 on which annular shields 2 have been fixed in advance, and therefore said annular shields are unwound from the reel 73 integrally with the first ribbon of filtering material 13.
Further downstream, a heat-sealing device 76 fixes the assembly constituted by the first ribbon of filtering material 13 and by the annular shields 2 integral with it onto the second ribbon of filtering material 14, with the cakes 15 interposed.
The cakes 15 are thus transformed into a strip of pods 1 joined together, which intermittently moves forward up to a cutting station 77 where finally they are individually separated.
In practice it has been found that the invention fully achieves the intended aim and objects. By virtue of the annular shield, the flow of water is prevented from finding a preferential channel toward the outer edges of the pod, and the passing of the liquid only through the pod's central part is facilitated. In this manner, in general but especially if the edible substance contained in the pod is ground roasted coffee, the extraction of the beverage is evened out, the end result in the cup is optimized by making it constant, and the crema is made more compact (thus improving the body) and persistent. Furthermore, the invention is compatible with all the main machines that use pods of the E.S.E. type.
The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, all the details may be substituted by other, technically equivalent elements.
In practice the materials employed, provided they are compatible with the specific use, and the contingent dimensions and shapes, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.
The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. 102022000014254 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.
Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

1. A shielded pod (1, 100) for the extraction of beverages, which comprises a bag made of water-permeable material, preferably filter paper, said bag being filled with an edible substance (10) from which a beverage is to be extracted by means of a flow of water (31) that passes through said bag from an entry face thereof (11, 111) to an exit face thereof (12, 112), characterized in that it comprises an annular shield (2) which is impermeable to water and is applied to said entry face (11, 111) in order to reduce the surface thereof that can be passed through by said flow of water (31) in order to extract said beverage.
2. The pod according to claim 1, wherein said annular shield (2) comprises an opening (21) which has a small extension with respect to said entry face (11, 111) of the bag, so that a perimeter portion (23) of said shield (2) all around said opening (21) faces said edible substance, shielding it from a direct passage of the incoming flow of water (31).
3. The pod according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said impermeable annular shield (2) is applied to said entry face (11) of the bag so that at least one layer (13) of the water-permeable material is interposed between said shield (2) and said edible substance (10).
4. The pod according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said impermeable annular shield (2) is applied to said entry face (111) of the bag so as to be interposed between at least one layer (113) of the water-permeable material and said edible substance (10).
5. The pod according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said impermeable annular shield (2) has a shape that is concave toward said edible substance (10) so as to define a shield surface (23) partially above and partially to the side of said edible substance (10) around an axis that passes through said entry face (11, 111) and said exit face (12, 112).
6. The pod according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said bag is composed of two sheets (13, 14; 113, 114) of said water- permeable material which are fixed to each other along their periphery, and said edible substance (10) is a compressed powder interposed between said two sheets (13, 14; 113, 114).
7. The pod according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said bag is a single serving of the E.S.E. (Easy Serving Espresso) type.
8. The pod according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said annular shield (2) is fixed to said water-permeable material.
9. The pod according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said annular shield (2) is concave and is elastically flexible, in order to restore said concave shape if compressed.
PCT/EP2023/066234 2022-07-06 2023-06-16 Shielded pod for extracting a beverage, particularly coffee WO2024008416A1 (en)

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IT202200014254A1 (en) 2022-07-06 2024-01-06 Illycaffe Spa Screened pod for extracting a beverage, particularly coffee.

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4555894A (en) 1983-10-18 1985-12-03 Illycaffe S.P.A. Apparatus for making strips of coherent packets containing ground coffee or the like
WO2013046149A1 (en) * 2011-09-30 2013-04-04 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. System for the production of beverages
WO2020073107A1 (en) * 2018-10-10 2020-04-16 Café Rancheiro Agro Industrial Ltda Single-measure filtered-coffee unit and method for production and infusion of the unit
WO2022084009A1 (en) * 2020-10-21 2022-04-28 Societe Des Produits Nestle S.A. Container enclosing a dose of a food or beverage ingredient, assembly including such a container and a food or beverage preparation machine, and food or beverage preparation process implementing such an assembly
IT202200014254A1 (en) 2022-07-06 2024-01-06 Illycaffe Spa Screened pod for extracting a beverage, particularly coffee.

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4555894A (en) 1983-10-18 1985-12-03 Illycaffe S.P.A. Apparatus for making strips of coherent packets containing ground coffee or the like
WO2013046149A1 (en) * 2011-09-30 2013-04-04 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. System for the production of beverages
WO2020073107A1 (en) * 2018-10-10 2020-04-16 Café Rancheiro Agro Industrial Ltda Single-measure filtered-coffee unit and method for production and infusion of the unit
WO2022084009A1 (en) * 2020-10-21 2022-04-28 Societe Des Produits Nestle S.A. Container enclosing a dose of a food or beverage ingredient, assembly including such a container and a food or beverage preparation machine, and food or beverage preparation process implementing such an assembly
IT202200014254A1 (en) 2022-07-06 2024-01-06 Illycaffe Spa Screened pod for extracting a beverage, particularly coffee.

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