Capsule for preparing coffee in a device comprising a cartridge holder with relief and recessed elements

• US 8,956,672 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2010
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Societe des Produits Nestle SA (Nestle SA)
• Original Assignee: Nestec SA (Nestle SA)
• Inventors: Yoakim, Alfred, Perentes, Alexandre, Gerbaulet, Arnaud
• Primary Examiner(s): Dye, Rena L
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH, CHAIM A
• Application Number:
  US12/727,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20100239717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,796 Days
• Field of Search: 426 77- 79, 426/82, 426/86, 426/112, 426/115, 426/394, 426431-433, 992/95, 994/95, 992/79, 993/00
• US Class Current: 426/77
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/8046 Pods, i.e. closed containers made only of filter paper or similar material
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/8061 Filters
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/8064 Sealing means for the interface with the processing machine

Abstract

A capsule for the production of a beverage in a beverage production machine comprising a capsule holder with relief and recessed elements. The capsule includes an inverted cup-shaped body forming a chamber containing beverage ingredients; a bottom injection wall; a sidewall; and a delivery wall which is sealed to the body. The delivery wall is configured and dimensioned to include a calibrated orifice or perforating means to provide a calibrated orifice with the beverage delivery wall not being tearable against the capsule holder during extraction. The wall also provides through the restriction created by the calibrated orifice a certain back pressure which generates an elevated pressure in the capsule during extraction. Also, a system and method for producing a beverage from the capsules of the invention.

Claims

1. A capsule for the production of a beverage by extraction in a beverage production machine comprising a capsule holder with relief and recessed elements, the capsule comprising:

an inverted cup-shaped body forming a chamber containing beverage forming ingredients;

a bottom injection wall;

a sidewall; and

a delivery wall which is sealed to the body and which comprises at least one calibrated orifice provides a restriction that does not expand by more than 500% of its initial diameter as a result of the process of extraction,

wherein when the capsule is placed in a beverage production machine in a capsule holder having relief and recessed elements, the beverage delivery wall is not tearable against the capsule holder relief and recessed elements during extraction but instead the restriction created by the calibrated orifice provides a certain back pressure which generates an elevated pressure in the capsule during extraction that generates an intimate interaction between the beverage forming ingredients in the capsule and injected water, as well as a consistent flow of the beverage delivered from the capsule.

2. The capsule of claim 1, wherein the delivery wall is substantially planar and a filtering wall is present between the chamber and the delivery wall.

3. The capsule of claim 2, which further comprises bracing means provided between the filtering wall and the deliver wall.

4. The capsule of claim 3, wherein the bracing means is preferably designed to maintain a gap along the full section of the filtering wall.

5. The capsule of claim 3, wherein the bracing means is an element separate from the filtering or delivery walls or is integral to one of the filtering or delivery walls.

6. The capsule of claim 1, wherein the delivery wall has a diameter of between 28 and 38 mm and has a flat structure or a deformable structure capable of taking a relatively flat configuration against the relief and recessed element of the capsule holder.

7. The capsule of claim 1, wherein the delivery wall comprises a single calibrated orifice having a diameter that is below 1 mm.

8. The capsule of claim 1, wherein the delivery wall comprises several orifices wherein the sum of the diameters of the orifices is below 1 mm.

9. The capsule of claim 1, wherein the delivery wall is made of aluminum, plastic, paper or combinations thereof.

10. The capsule of claim 1, wherein the body has a thickness is of from 0.25 to 2.5 mm and is made of aluminum, aluminum-polypropylene with the polypropylene facing the interior, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyamide, PP-PET or PP-EVOH-PP.

11. The capsule of claim 1, wherein the cup-shaped body is made of a porous material.

12. The capsule of claim 11, wherein the body has a thickness between 0.5 and 2.5 mm and is made of a degradable material of paper, another cellulose-based material, polylactic acid, or a starch-based material.

13. The capsule of claim 1, wherein the delivery wall comprises a portion of wall sealed onto the body and a separate disc-shaped element connected to the portion of wall and comprising the calibrated orifice.

14. The capsule of claim 1, wherein the calibrated orifice is prefabricated in the delivery wall.

15. The capsule of claim 1, wherein the calibrated orifice is positioned in the center of the delivery wall.

16. The capsule of claim 1 wherein the delivery wall comprises a single calibrated orifice having a diameter below 1mm or several calibrated orifices having diameters the sum of which is below 1 mm and the diameter of calibrated orifices(s) does not change by more than 150% during extraction.

17. The capsule of claim 16 wherein the diameter of the calibrated orifice(s) ranges between 100 and 350 microns and the capsule has a ratio of total surface of the calibration orifice(s) to total surface of the delivery wall that is between about 1:

800 an 1;

10000.

18. A apparatus for the preparation of a beverage comprising a beverage production machine comprising a capsule holder with relief and recessed elements and a water injection cage with a pressing edge, and a capsule according to claim 1, such that injection of water into the capsule forms the beverage.

19. A method of firming a beverage by providing a capsule according to claim 1;

comprising injecting water into the capsule for combining with the beverage forming ingredients therein to form the beverage; and

withdrawing the beverage from the capsule for consumption.