PACK FOR EXTRACTING A COFFEE BEVERAGE

• US 20170275086A1
• Filed: 07/23/2015
• Published: 09/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Societe des Produits Nestle SA (Nestle SA)
• Original Assignee: Nestec SA (Nestle SA)
• Inventors: PERENTES, Alexandre, AIT BOUZIAD, Youcef, NEUROHR, Damien
• Granted Patent: US 10,633,173 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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. Fitment assembly for a container comprising in its inside volume a coffee ingredient, the fitment assembly comprising:

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

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

a primary filter element filtering the extracted coffee fluid coming from the tertiary active chamber and flowing into the tertiary passive chamber in such a way that only the fluid can go through and into the tertiary passive chamber while the particles of the coffee ingredient are retained in the tertiary active chamber; and

an outlet duct arranged in such a way that the extracted coffee beverage from the tertiary passive chamber enters the outlet duct and flows by gravity towards the exterior of the fitment assembly.

2. Fitment assembly according to claim 1 wherein the inlet chamber is reversibly configured, the fitment assembly comprising a lid with a first section overlying one of the sides of the inlet chamber and closing the tertiary active chamber, and a second section overlying the reverse side of the inlet chamber and closing the tertiary passive chamber.

3. Fitment assembly according to claim 1 further comprising two symmetrically arranged inlet notches allowing the fluid to flow out of the inner volume of the inlet chamber.

4. Fitment assembly according to claim 1 further comprising an upper filtering notch arranged so as to allow the fluid to go through and into the inner volume of the tertiary active chamber.

5. Fitment assembly according to claim 1 further comprising a side frontal filtering notch arranged so as to allow the fluid to be conveyed towards the entrance of the outlet duct.

6. Fitment assembly according to claim 1, being made of a rigid plastic material.

7. Fitment assembly according to claim 1, wherein the outlet duct is closed by a plug, the plug being attached to the fitment assembly on another one of its sides, the outlet duct further comprising a weakened area near the plug allowing the separation of the plug from the outlet duct.

8. Pack for preparing a beverage, comprising a container where a coffee ingredient is stored and a fitment assembly comprising:

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

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

a primary filter element filtering the extracted coffee fluid coming from the tertiary active chamber and flowing into the tertiary passive chamber in such a way that only the fluid can go through and into the tertiary passive chamber while the particles of the coffee ingredient are retained in the tertiary active chamber; and

an outlet duct arranged in such a way that the extracted coffee beverage from the tertiary passive chamber enters the outlet duct and flows by gravity towards the exterior of the fitment assembly.

9. Pack according to claim 8 presenting an essentially plane shape being substantially flexible and configured as a pouch or sachet, the pack being oriented along a plane essentially vertically oriented during beverage production.

10. Pack according to claim 8, wherein the container is made of two flexible sheets bonded together at least on their lateral sides, the fitment assembly being also bonded to one of the remaining open edges of the pack in such a way that the flexible sheets also conform a piercable lid over the fitment assembly.

11. Pack according to claim 8, wherein the two flexible sheets are configured by one single flexible sheet folded in half into two parts joined at its free edges to define the inner volume of the container.

12. Pack according to claim 10, wherein the 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.

13. Pack according to claim 10, wherein the two flexible sheets are bonded together in a specific area configuring a compartmental channel inside the volume of the pack, the compartmental channel being arranged in such a way that it defines inside the volume of the pack a primary chamber, to where fluid is conveyed from the inlet chamber, and a secondary chamber to where the fluid from the primary chamber is conveyed in order to flow through the coffee ingredient and extract the coffee beverage.

14. Pack according to claim 13, further comprising a fluid distributor arranged on one of the sides of the secondary chamber designed in such a way that, the fluid leaving the primary chamber enters the secondary chamber through this fluid distributor which homogeneously distributes the flow of fluid, typically hot water, into the secondary chamber to flow through the coffee ingredient confined herein.

15. Pack according to claim 14, wherein the fluid distributor is configured by bonding together at certain parts the sheets of flexible material making the container, these bonded parts configuring a plurality of distributor configuring elements allowing a homogeneous distribution of the flow of fluid into the secondary chamber.

16. Pack according to claim 8, wherein the distribution and homogenisation characteristics of the fluid distributor are a function of the size and number of the distributor configuring elements and of the distance between these distributor configuring elements.

17. Pack according to claim 8, further comprising an identification member comprising information on the 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 fluid and fluid flow accommodated inside the inlet chamber.

18. Pack according to claim 17, wherein two sets of symmetrically arranged identification member are arranged in the pack, so that the process parameters in the identification member can be reversibly read.

19. Pack according to claim 17, 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.

20. Machine for extracting a coffee beverage from a pack comprising a container where a coffee ingredient is stored and a fitment assembly comprising:

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

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

a primary filter element filtering the extracted coffee fluid coming from the tertiary active chamber and flowing into the tertiary passive chamber in such a way that only the fluid can go through and into the tertiary passive chamber while the particles of the coffee ingredient are retained in the tertiary active chamber; and

an outlet duct arranged in such a way that the extracted coffee beverage from the tertiary passive chamber enters the outlet duct and flows by gravity towards the exterior of the fitment assembly, the machine comprising a receiver adapted to accommodate the pack in an essentially vertical position during beverage production with the fitment assembly being arranged at the bottom of the pack, the machine further comprising an injector designed for accommodating fluid inside the volume of the inlet chamber.

21. Machine according to claim 20, wherein the injector comprises a fluid needle designed for accommodating fluid inside the volume of the inlet chamber at a pressure below around 1 bar.

22. Machine according to claim 20, further comprising a data reader configured to read and retrieve the information of the process parameters from the identification means in the pack.