CAPSULE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF COFFEE

• US 20120328740A1
• Filed: 09/16/2011
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: La San Marco SpA (SEB SA)
• Original Assignee: La San Marco SpA (SEB SA)
• Inventors: Nocera, Roberto
• Application Number:
  US13/235,075
• Publication Number:
  US 20120328740A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/82
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/3623 Cartridges being employed with tape of cartridges A47J31/3652
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/3685 Brewing heads therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/8061 Filters

Abstract

Machine, capsule, method for the preparation of drinks, particularly coffee, even more particularly “Americano type coffee” or filter coffee or filtered coffee in which the capsule is shaped with an essentially cylindrical form with a mouth, this capsule containing a predefined proportion of preparation for drink according to a filling factor in the range from 35 to 90%, preferably in the range from 40 to 85%, even more preferably in the range from 45 to 75%.

Claims

1. A capsule for the preparation of drinks, particularly coffee, even more particularly “

American type coffee”

or filter coffee or filtered coffee, characterised in that said capsule is shaped with an essentially cylindrical shape with a mouth, said capsule containing a predefined proportion of said preparation for drink according to a filling factor in the range from 35 to 90%, preferably in the range from 40 to 85%, even more preferably in the range from 45 to 75%.

2. The capsule for the preparation of drinks, particularly coffee, even more particularly “

American type coffee”

or filter coffee or filtered coffee according to claim 1 characterised in that said capsule has an essentially cylindrical form consisting of an internally hollow casing defining said housing open on correspondence of a side and closed on the opposite side by means of a bottom equipped with a holed grid which puts in communication the inside of said housing with the outside of said capsule to allow the passage of the liquid during the preparation of the drink, said housing being able to contain said predefined preparation proportion for drink.

3. The capsule for the preparation of drinks, particularly coffee, even more particularly “

American type coffee”

or filter coffee or filtered coffee according to claim 2 characterised in that said open side of said capsule is circularly shaped with diameter in the range from 30 to 60 mm, preferably in the range from 45 to 55 mm, even more preferably 50 mm, the height of said capsule being in the range from 20 to 40 mm, preferably in the range from 25 to 35 mm, even more preferably 30 mm, said capsule having a thickness of the casing included in a range from 0.8 to 1.2 mm, preferably 1 mm.

4. The capsule for the preparation of drinks, particularly coffee, even more particularly “

American type coffee”

or filter coffee or filtered coffee according to claim 3 characterised in that said capsule is structurally shaped so as to support pressures up to 10 bar.

5. The capsule for the preparation of drinks, particularly coffee, even more particularly “

American type coffee”

or filter coffee or filtered coffee according to claim 2 characterised in that said capsule includes a first circular filter fixed on said bottom of said capsule, said first filter being a paper filter, and further characterised in that said open side of said capsule is covered by a second circular filter fixed in correspondence of said open side of said capsule, said second filter being a paper filter.

6. The capsule for the preparation of drinks, particularly coffee, even more particularly “

American type coffee”

or filter coffee or filtered coffee according to claim 2 characterised in that said capsule has a second edge in correspondence of said bottom and further characterized in that said capsule has a first edge in correspondence of said mouth, said second edge and said first edge being counter-elements shaped in such a way as to obtain a retaining condition during the distribution of said liquid for the preparation of the drink.

7. A machine for the preparation of drinks in capsules, particularly coffee, even more particularly “

American type coffee”

or filter coffee or filtered coffee shaped and structured to operate with said capsule according to claim 1 and of the type comprising a boiler with a resistance intended for the heating of a liquid for the preparation of drinks, a pump intended to put under pressure said liquid for the preparation of said drinks within said boiler, a hydraulic group, intended for the feed of said liquid from said boiler through said capsule containing a preparation proportion for drink with formation of said drink, conveying means of said drink from said capsule to a collection container characterised in that said hydraulic group includes a distribution valve blocking the distribution of said liquid for the preparation of drinks from said boiler to said capsule until a second operating threshold value is exceeded by the hydraulic pressure applied by said liquid for the preparation of drinks, said second operating threshold value being between 4 and 10 bar, even more preferably 4 and 6 bar.

8. The machine for the preparation of drinks, particularly coffee, even more particularly “

American type coffee”

or filter coffee or filtered coffee according to claim 7 characterised in said machine includes a hydraulic activation piston, said piston exiting from a body of said hydraulic group following the putting under pressure of said hydraulic activation towards said capsule placed within an insertion duct for the capsules, the exit direction of said piston being an essentially orthogonal direction with respect to a mouth feeding the liquid in said capsule, said piston coupling with an edge of said capsule, the exit of said piston causing a compression retaining said capsule against a counter-piece obtained in correspondence of a conveying bottom of said duct.

9. The machine for the preparation of drinks, particularly coffee, even more particularly “

American type coffee”

or filter coffee or filtered coffee according to claim 7 characterised in that said piston comprises at least one contrast spring system exerting a contrast force to the exit movement of said piston, said first spring system being calibrated to allow the movement of said piston when the hydraulic pressure exerted by said fluid reaches a first operating threshold value, said first operating threshold value being between 2 and 4 bar.

10. The machine for the preparation of drinks, particularly coffee, even more particularly “

American type coffee”

or filter coffee or filtered coffee according to claim 7 characterised in that the activation of said piston occurs by means of the same liquid as the one used for the preparation of the drink, which penetrates an expanding chamber of said hydraulic group causing said piston to advance.

11. The machine for the preparation of drinks, particularly coffee, even more particularly “

American type coffee”

or filter coffee or filtered coffee according to claim 10 characterised in that said liquid for the preparation of the drink enters a feeding channel which puts in communication said expanding chamber with a diffuser which is a chamber having a circular-crown shape essentially centred on said capsule, said liquid for the preparation of the drink penetrating said capsule through said diffuser.

12. The machine for the preparation of drinks, particularly coffee, even more particularly “

American type coffee”

or filter coffee or filtered coffee according to claim 11 characterised in that said diffuser is a chamber having a circular-crown shape closed in correspondence of the surface coupling with the capsule and the flow of the liquid from the chamber towards the capsule occurs through diffusion holes placed uniformly along said chamber having a circular-crown shape.

13. A method for the preparation of drinks, particularly coffee, even more particularly “

American type coffee”

or filter coffee or filtered coffee, by means of capsules according to claim 1, where said method includes the phases of heating a liquid for the preparation of drinks, putting under pressure said liquid for the preparation of drinks within a boiler, feeding said liquid for the preparation of drinks to said capsule with crossing of said capsule, taking said liquid after said phase of crossing of said capsule characterised in that it includes an infusion and remixing phase of said liquid for the preparation of drinks with said preparation for drink within said capsule, said infusion and remixing phase occurring within a housing partially filled up with said preparation for drink according to a filling factor in the range from 35 to 90%, preferably in the range from 40 to 85%, even more preferably in the range from 45 to 75%.

14. The method for the preparation of drinks, particularly coffee, even more particularly “

American type coffee”

or filter coffee or filtered coffee according to claim 13 characterised in that said feeding phase of said liquid for the preparation of drinks to said capsule is a high pressure feeding phase through said capsule with distribution of the drink and temperature control of the preparation liquid of the drink according to a temperature control modality when the drink is distributed, the pressure of the preparation liquid of the drink being preferably between 4 and 10 bar, even more preferably between 4 and 6 bar.

15. The method for the preparation of drinks, particularly coffee, even more particularly “

American type coffee”

or filter coffee or filtered coffee according to claim 14 characterised in that said temperature control occurs by means of calculation of a control value “

p”

on the basis of the temperature measured by a temperature probe in a boiler heated by means of a resistance, the management of the distribution of the power supplied to said resistance present in said boiler occurring according to a percentage of use which goes from a condition in which said resistance is completely off during the whole use cycle to a condition in which said resistance is completely on during the whole use cycle, passing through intermediate conditions of use in which said resistance is on according to percentages of 25%, 50% and 75%.

16. The method for the preparation of drinks, particularly coffee, even more particularly “

American type coffee”

or filter coffee or filtered coffee according to claim 15 characterised in that in the phase when the drink is not distributed said control value p is calculated on the basis of the temperature of the boiler measured according to the following measured temperature ranges, where measured temperature is the temperature of the boiler measured by said temperature probe and preset value is the target temperature value to which the liquid of said boiler has to be maintained;

if (measured temperature Tm)<

(preset value Vi−

20°

C.) then p=4 and resistance on with operating cycle at 100%

if (measured temperature Tm)>

=(preset value Vi−

20°

C.) and (measured temperature Tm)<

(preset value Vi−

10°

C.) then p=3 and resistance on with operating cycle at 75%

if (measured temperature Tm)>

=(preset value Vi−

10°

C.) and (measured temperature Tm)<

(preset value Vi−

5°

C.) then p=2 and resistance on with operating cycle at 50%

if (measured temperature Tm)>

=(preset value Vi−

5°

C.) and (measured temperature Tm)<

(preset value Vi) then p=1 and resistance on with operating cycle at 25%

if (measured temperature Tm)>

=(preset value Vi) then p=0 and resistance on with operating cycle at 0%.

17. The method for the preparation of drinks, particularly coffee, even more particularly “

American type coffee”

or filter coffee or filtered coffee according to claim 15 characterised in that in said phase when the distribution of the drink occurs said control value p is calculated on the basis of the temperature of the boiler measured according to the following measured temperature ranges, where measured temperature is the temperature of the boiler measured by said temperature probe and preset value is the target temperature value to which the liquid of said boiler has to be maintained;

if (measured temperature Tm)<

=(preset value Vi−

1°

C.) then p=4 and resistance on with operating cycle at 100%

if (measured temperature Tm)=(preset value Vi) then p=3 and resistance on with operating cycle at 75%

if (measured temperature Tm)=(preset value Vi+1°

C.) then p=2 and resistance on with operating cycle at 50%

if (measured temperature Tm)=(preset value Vi+2°

C.) then p=1 and resistance on with operating cycle at 25%

if (measured temperature Tm)>

=(preset value Vi+3°

C.) then p=0 and resistance on with operating cycle at 0%.

18. The method for the preparation of drinks, particularly coffee, even more particularly “

American type coffee”

or filter coffee or filtered coffee according to claim 17 characterised in that in said phase when the distribution of the drink occurs the distribution time E is subdivided at least in a first time fraction S and a second time fraction of duration E−

S, in said first time fraction S of distribution said control value p being calculated on the basis of the measured temperature of the boiler and in said second time fraction E−

S said control value p being set to the maximum value 4.

19. The method for the preparation of drinks, particularly coffee, even more particularly “

American type coffee”

or filter coffee or filtered coffee according to claim 18 characterised in that the duration E−

S of said second time fraction is calculated according to the quantity of drink supplied or the distribution time.