Beverage preparation from a substance compacted into a cake

• US 6,025,000 A
• Filed: 06/20/1995
• Issued: 02/15/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nestec SA (Nestle SA)
• Original Assignee: Nestec SA (Nestle SA)
• Inventors: Yoakim, Alfred, Schaeffer, Jacques, Rossier, Roland, Fond, Olivier, Pleisch, Jean-Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): WEINSTEIN, STEVEN L
• Application Number:
  US08/492,732
• Time in Patent Office: 1,701 Days
• Field of Search: 426/433, 426/435, 426/77, 426/595, 426/144, 426/112, 99/295
• US Class Current: 426/433
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 65/466 Bio- or photodegradable packaging materials
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/36 for bakery products, e.g. biscuits
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/8043 Packages adapted to allow liquid to pass through the contents B65D85/808 takes precedence; filters or reusable cartridges for coffee or tea makers, not used as packages A47J31/06
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/8046 Pods, i.e. closed containers made only of filter paper or similar material

Abstract

A powdered substance, which is suitable for preparation of a beverage with an extraction fluid and which is compacted in a form of a cake, is extracted for preparation of a beverage. The compacted substance cake is contained within a sachet between two sachet sheets which, prior to extraction of the substance, protect the substance against oxygen and water vapor and which extend to sealed edges for containing the substance within the sheets prior to and during extraction. In effecting extraction, one sheet is perforated first to provide at least one opening for injection of extraction fluid, and extraction fluid is injected under pressure into the sachet for contacting the substance and for extracting the substance in the sachet, and the other sheet advantageously is deformed against a surface having portions forming, upon deformation of the second sheet, local breakages in that sheet for opening that sheet for flow of extracted beverage substance. The cake and sheets advantageously are configured so that there is free space between at least one of the cake surfaces and one sheet for allowing the substance to expand between the sheets, and the cake surface positioned adjacent the sheet which is opened for injection of extraction fluid may have a concave shape or may have channel impressions therein.

Claims

1. In a process for preparation of a beverage wherein an extraction fluid is introduced into a sachet which contains a substance which is suitable for preparation of a beverage for obtaining a beverage, the improvements comprising:

positioning a sachet which contains a compacted powder substance cake for preparation of a beverage, wherein the sachet comprises two sheets impermeable to oxygen and water vapor and wherein the cake comprises two cake surfaces which extend to a peripheral cake edge, adjacent a surface of a device for extracting a substance under pressure so that one of the two sheets is adjacent the extraction device surface and wherein the extraction device surface comprises portions so that upon extraction of the substance under pressure, first, the sheet adjacent the extraction device surface deforms and so that, subsequently, local breakages form in the deformed sheet for providing sheet openings for flow of beverage through the sheet openings and wherein upon the positioning, the cake is positioned between the two sheets and the two sheets extend to peripheral sheet edges which extend beyond the peripheral cake edge and are sealed together to form a sealed edge which circumscribes the sheets so that the cake is enclosed between the sheets and so that the two sheets circumscribed by the sealed edge are substantially symmetrical so that the sealed edge defines a plane through the sachet and wherein the cake and sachet are configured so that the cake has a volume so that there is free space between the cake and at least one sheet and so that the free space is in an amount of less than 20% of a sachet internal volume between the sheet portions circumscribed by the sealed edge and then, after positioning, perforating one sachet sheet with at least one perforating member to provide at least one opening for introducing an extraction fluid into the sachet to the cake substance for extracting the substance under pressure for preparing the beverage;

injecting an extraction fluid under pressure into the perforated sachet and to the cake substance via the at least one opening so that the cake substance is extracted under pressure for preparing the beverage and so that first, the one sheet positioned against the extraction device surface deforms and so that subsequently, localized breakages form in the deformed sheet to provide sheet openings for beverage flow from the sachet; and

obtaining the beverage flow from the sachet.

2. A process according to claim 1 wherein at the time of commencing the perforating, one cake surface defines channel impressions therein and the sheet positioned adjacent the one channel impression surface is perforated.

3. A process according to claim 2 wherein at the time of commencing the perforating, there are a plurality of channel impressions which form channels which extend longitudinally and intersect.

5. A process according to claim 1 or 4 wherein at the time of commencing the perforating, the sheets have no openings and wherein the sheet perforated is the sheet not adjacent the extraction device surface.

6. A process according to claim 5 wherein at the time of commencing the perforating, the sachet has no openings and wherein one sheet is perforated with one member to provide one opening to obtain the perforated sachet.

7. A process according to claim 6 wherein the substance is roast and ground coffee.

8. A process according to claim 7 wherein the roast and ground coffee is in an amount of between 5 g and 20 g.

9. A process according to claim 5 wherein the substance is roast and ground coffee.

10. A process according to claim 1 or 4 wherein at the time of commencing the perforating, the sachet has no openings and wherein one sheet is perforated to provide one opening to obtain the perforated sachet.

11. A process according to claim 10 wherein the substance is roast and ground coffee.

12. A process according to claim 1 or 4 wherein the free space is in an amount of between 1% and 20% of the sachet internal volume.

13. A process according to claim 1 or 4 wherein the free space is at a position between the peripheral cake edge and the sheets.

14. A process according to claim 1 or 4 wherein the substance is in an amount of between 5 g and 20 g.

15. A process according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the substance is roast and ground coffee.

16. A process according to claim 1 or 4 wherein the two sheets each comprise three material layers so that, with reference to the cake, the sealed sheets comprise inner, intermediate and outer sachet material layers and wherein the inner sachet sheet material layer is a plastic material, the intermediate sheet material layer is aluminum and the outer sheet material layer is a plastic material.

17. A process according to claim 16 wherein the inner layer plastic material is oriented polypropylene (OPP) and the outer layer plastic material is polyester (PET).

4. In a process for preparation of a beverage wherein an extraction fluid is introduced into a sachet which contains a substance which is suitable for preparation of a beverage for obtaining a beverage, the improvements comprising:

positioning a sachet which contains a compacted powder substance cake for preparation of a beverage, wherein the sachet comprises two sheets impermeable to oxygen and water vapor and wherein the cake comprises two cake surfaces which extend to a peripheral cake edge and wherein the two cake surfaces have a convex shape, adjacent a surface of a device for extracting a substance under pressure so that one of the two sheets is adjacent the extraction device surface and wherein the extraction device surface comprises portions so that upon extraction of the substance under pressure, first, the sheet adjacent the extraction device surface deforms and so that, subsequently, local breakages form in the deformed sheet for providing sheet openings for flow of beverage through the sheet openings and wherein upon the positioning, the cake is positioned between the two sheets and the two sheets extend to peripheral sheet edges which extend beyond the peripheral cake edge and are sealed together to form a sealed edge which circumscribes the sheets so that the cake is enclosed between the sheets and so that the two sheets circumscribed by the sealed edge are substantially symmetrical so that the sealed edge defines a plane through the sachet and wherein the cake and sachet are configured so that the cake has a volume so that there is free space between the cake and at least one sheet and so that the free space is in an amount of less than 20% of a sachet internal volume between the sheet portions circumscribed by the sealed edge, and then, perforating one sachet sheet with at least one perforating member to provide at least one opening for introducing an extraction fluid into the sachet to the cake for extracting the cake substance under pressure for preparing the beverage;

injecting an extraction fluid under pressure into the perforated sachet and to the cake substance via the at least one opening so that the cake substance is extracted under pressure for preparing the beverage and so that first, the one sheet positioned against the extraction device surface deforms and so that subsequently, localized breakages form in the deformed sheet to provide sheet openings for flow of the beverage from the sachet to obtain a beverage flow from the sachet; and

obtaining the beverage flow from the sachet.