Pack for extracting a coffee beverage

• US 10,633,173 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2015
• Issued: 04/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Societe des Produits Nestle SA (Nestle SA)
• Original Assignee: Societe des Produits Nestle SA (Nestle SA)
• Inventors: Perentes, Alexandre, Ait Bouziad, Youcef, Neurohr, Damien
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Tu B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Tiffany T
• Application Number:
  US15/503,782
• Publication Number:
  US 20170275086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,741 Days
• Field of Search: 99295, 99283, 99279, 99275, 426 77, 426112, 426115, 426394, 426433
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/407 with ingredient-containing cartridges; Cartridge-perforating means
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/4492 Means to read code provided on ingredient pod or cartridge
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 65/40 Applications of laminates for particular packaging purposes B65D1/0215, B65D1/28, B65D3/22, B65D5/0281, B65D5/563, B65D9/30, B65D29/02, B65D31/02, B65D75/26, B65D77/2024, B65D81/1275, B65D81/3811, B65D81/3823, B65D81/3834, B65D81/3846, B65D81/3858, B65D81/3874, B65D81/3886, B65D81/3897 take precedence; laminates per se or laminated packages characterised by the composition or
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 75/20 in sheets or blanks doubled around contents and having their opposed free margins united, e.g. by pressure-sensitive adhesive, crimping, heat-sealing, or welding
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 75/30 Articles or materials enclosed between two opposed sheets or blanks having their margins united, e.g. by pressure-sensitive adhesive, crimping, heat-sealing, or welding
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 75/5883 connected to the package at the sealed junction of two package walls
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/8049 Details of the inlet
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/8052 Details of the outlet
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/8055 Means for influencing the liquid flow inside the package
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/8061 Filters

Abstract

Fitment assembly (10) for a container comprising in its inside volume a coffee ingredient, the fitment assembly (10) comprising: an inlet chamber (120) to accommodate an inflow of fluid for flowing through the coffee ingredient to extract a coffee beverage; a tertiary active chamber (231) on one of the sides of the fitment assembly (10) to where extracted coffee fluid together with the coffee ingredient particles is conveyed and a tertiary passive chamber (232) on the reverse side of the fitment assembly (10) to where the extracted coffee fluid after having been filtered is conveyed; a primary filter element (11) filtering the extracted coffee fluid coming from the tertiary active chamber (231) and flowing into the tertiary passive chamber (232) in such a way that only the fluid can go through and into the tertiary passive chamber (232) while the particles of coffee ingredient are retained in the tertiary active chamber (231); and an outlet duct (12) arranged in such a way that the extracted coffee beverage from the tertiary passive chamber (232) enters the outlet duct (12) and flows by gravity towards the exterior of the fitment assembly (10).

Claims

1. A pack for preparing a beverage, comprising a container where a coffee ingredient is stored and a fitment assembly, the fitment assembly comprising:

an inlet chamber to accommodate an inflow of fluid for flowing through the coffee ingredient to extract the beverage;

a first tertiary chamber on one side of the fitment assembly to where extracted coffee fluid together with coffee ingredient particles is conveyed and a second tertiary chamber on a reverse side of the fitment assembly configured to receive the extracted coffee fluid after having been filtered;

a primary filter element configured to filter the extracted coffee fluid coming from the first tertiary chamber and flowing into the second tertiary chamber in such a way that only the extracted coffee fluid can go through and into the second tertiary chamber while the coffee ingredient particles are retained in the first tertiary chamber; and

an outlet duct configured for the extracted coffee beverage from the second tertiary chamber to enter the outlet duct and flow by gravity towards an exterior of the fitment assembly;

the container comprises a first flexible sheet bonded to a second flexible sheet on at least lateral sides of the first and the second flexible sheets,

the first tertiary chamber is delimited by the first flexible sheet and a first side of the primary filter element,

the second tertiary chamber is delimited by the second flexible sheet, a second side of the primary filter element, and an upper sealing wall arranged on top of the primary filter element;

the first tertiary chamber is in fluid communication with the second tertiary chamber; and

wherein the first and the second flexible sheets are bonded together in a specific area forming a compartmental channel inside a volume of the pack, the compartmental channel being arranged in such a way that the compartmental channel defines inside the volume of the pack a primary chamber, configured to receive the inflow of fluid from the inlet chamber, and a secondary chamber configured to receive the inflow of fluid from the primary chamber to flow through the coffee ingredient before entering the first tertiary chamber which is located below the secondary chamber.

2. The pack according to claim 1 presenting a plane shape being flexible and forming a pouch or sachet, the pack being oriented along a plane vertically oriented during beverage production.

3. The pack according to claim 1, wherein the fitment assembly is bonded to a remaining open edge of the pack in such a way that the first and the second flexible sheets also form a pierceable lid over the fitment assembly.

4. The pack according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second flexible sheets comprise one single flexible sheet folded in half into two parts joined at free edges of the single flexible sheet to define an inner volume of the container.

5. The pack according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second flexible sheets are water impermeable, are bonded together by thermo sealing and are made of a material selected from the group consisting of:

plastic laminates, metallised foil, alufoil, and fiber base material.

6. The pack according to claim 1, further comprising a fluid distributor arranged on one side of the secondary chamber configured for the inflow of fluid leaving the primary chamber to enter the secondary chamber through the fluid distributor which homogeneously distributes the flow of the inflow of fluid, typically hot water, into the secondary chamber to flow through the coffee ingredient confined in the secondary chamber.

7. The pack according to claim 6, wherein the fluid distributor is comprised of certain parts of the first and the second flexible sheets bonded together, the bonded parts defining a plurality of fluid distributor configuring elements allowing a homogeneous distribution of the inflow of fluid into the secondary chamber.

8. The pack according to claim 1, wherein distribution and homogenisation characteristics of the fluid distributor are a function of the size and number of the plurality of fluid distributor elements and of the distance between the plurality of fluid distributor elements.

9. The pack according to claim 1, further comprising an identification member comprising information on process parameters to produce the beverage, as a function of the type of coffee ingredient comprised in the pack, the process parameters being selected from the group consisting of:

temperature of the fluid accommodated into the inlet chamber, total volume of the fluid accommodated in the inlet chamber, and the fluid flow accommodated inside the inlet chamber.

10. The pack according to claim 9, comprising two sets of the identification member, wherein the two sets of the identification member are symmetrically arranged in the pack, so that the process parameters in the identification member can be reversibly read.

11. The pack according to claim 9, wherein the identification member comprises a recognition member selected from the group consisting of:

mechanical codes, optical codes, RFID tags, bar codes, magnetic codes, embossing codes and LED.