Capsule system for the preparation of beverages by centrifugation

• US 8,658,232 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2010
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Societe des Produits Nestle SA (Nestle SA)
• Original Assignee: Nestec SA (Nestle SA)
• Inventors: Yoakim, Alfred, Denisart, Jean-Paul, Ryser, Antoine, Perentes, Alexandre
• Primary Examiner(s): Becker, Drew
• Assistant Examiner(s): LONG, LUANA ZHANG
• Application Number:
  US12/860,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20110052761A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,285 Days
• Field of Search: 426 77- 79, 426/425, 426431-434, 992/95, 993/02.C
• US Class Current: 426/431
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/22 Centrifuges for producing filtered coffee A47J31/20 takes precedence

Abstract

A capsule system for preparing beverages by centrifugation of a capsule in a centrifuging brewing device. The system includes a set of different capsules each one for selectively delivering a beverage having specific characteristics that differ from the other capsules of the set. The capsules have a body with a sidewall and a free rim, an upper wall and an extractable or infusible ingredient therein. The capsules are configured with an insertion diameter of the body of the capsule designed for insertion in a rotary capsule holder of the centrifuge brewing device in a referential position, wherein the different capsules in the set having bodies of different storage volumes obtained by a variable depths of the body in the set but the same insertion diameter for all capsules of the set.

Claims

1. A capsule system for preparing beverages by centrifugation of a capsule in a centrifuging brewing device comprising:

a set of different capsules;

each one provided with an extractable or infusible ingredient for selectively preparing and delivering a beverage having specific characteristics that differ from the other capsules of the set, with each capsule of the set comprising a body with a sidewall and a free rim with a lower surface extending outwardly from the sidewall, an upper wall and an insertion diameter of the body of the capsule designed for insertion into a rotary capsule holder of the brewing device in a referential position, and

a centrifugal brewing device comprising a rotary capsule holder having a support surface arranged for supporting a portion of the body of any capsule of the set, with the support surface comprising a referential diameter matching the insertion diameter of any capsule of the set,

wherein the different capsules in the set all have at least one upper body portion and at least one lower body portion,

wherein the insertion diameter is determined at the line of intersection between the lower surface of the free rim and the upper body portion,

wherein the different capsules in the set have bodies of different storage volumes obtained by a variable depth of the body in the set but with each having the same insertion diameter, and

wherein the capsule bodies each have an upper portion and a lower portion and wherein the support surface of the rotary capsule holder holds an upper portion of the capsule bodies of the different capsules in the set while providing no support for the lower portion of the capsule bodies.

2. The capsule system according to claim 1, wherein the different capsules in the set all have at least one upper body portion having substantially the same angle or the same stepped profile.

3. The capsule system according to claim 2, wherein the different capsules in the set have at least one lower portion which defines a variable depth in the capsule for providing the different storage volumes.

4. The capsule system according to claim 1, wherein the different capsules in the set have a convex body portion of variable depth for providing the different storage volumes.

5. The capsule system according to claim 1, wherein the amount of infusible or extractable ingredient in the capsule increases as a function of the storage volume increasing in the set.

6. The capsule system according to claim 5, wherein the capsules contain roast and ground coffee having different roasting or grinding characteristics in the set.

7. The capsule system according to claim 1, wherein each capsule in the set comprises an identification means for identifying each capsule and for adjusting the brewing parameters of the device accordingly.

8. The capsule system according to claim 7, wherein the adjustable parameters comprises the rotational speed of the capsule during brewing or the volume of liquid to be fed into the capsule.

9. The capsule system according to claim 7, wherein the identification means comprises at least one parameter related to the monitoring of the flow or flow rate of the liquid injected in the capsule or beverage extracted from the capsule.

10. A system for brewing a beverage using a capsule which is centrifuged in a centrifugal brewing device comprising:

a capsule system according to claim 1, and

identification means corresponding to different capsules of the set,

wherein the centrifugal brewing device comprises control means capable of operating the device in centrifugation for any capsule of the set according to predetermined brewing parameters including at least one of the flow rate, the rotational speed, the volume of injected liquid in the capsule, the temperature of injected liquid and combinations thereof.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the identification means comprises capsule recognition means which are recognized by sensing means connected to the control means of the brewing device which controls the brewing parameters accordingly.

12. A method for brewing a beverage using a capsule which is centrifuged in a centrifugal brewing device comprising:

providing a capsule system according to claim 1, and

selecting a capsule amongst the set of different capsules having different volumes and centrifuging the selected capsule in the brewing device for brewing the beverage,

wherein one or more of the flow rate, rotational speed and volume of injected liquid are adjusted as a function of the selected volume of the capsule.

13. The capsule system, according to claim 1, wherein the upper portion extends from the diameter in a direction of the free rim and has an inclination angle that is smaller than an angle of the support surface of the rotary capsule holder, wherein the inclination angle and the angle of the support surface of the rotary capsule holder are measured relative to an axis of rotation of the capsule.

14. A system for brewing a beverage using a capsule which is centrifuged in a centrifugal brewing device comprising:

a system for preparing beverages according to claim 13,

identification means corresponding to different capsules of the set of different capsules having different volumes,

wherein the centrifugal brewing device comprises control means capable of operating the device in centrifugation for any capsule of the set according to predetermined brewing parameters including at least one of the flow rate, the rotational speed, the volume of injected liquid in the capsule, the temperature of injected liquid and combinations thereof.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the identification means comprises capsule recognition means which are recognized by sensing means connected to the control means of the brewing device which controls the brewing parameters accordingly.

16. A method for brewing a beverage using a capsule which is centrifuged in a centrifugal brewing device comprising:

providing the system for preparing beverages according to claim 13, and

selecting a capsule amongst the set of different capsules having different volumes, and centrifuging the capsule in the brewing device for brewing the beverage,

wherein one or more of the flow rate, rotational speed and volume of injected liquid are adjusted as function of the selected volume of the capsule.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the inclination angle is 1°

to 5°

smaller than the angle of the support surface of the rotary capsule holder.