CAPSULE FOR A BEVERAGE PREPARATION

Abstract

A capsule 10 for the preparation of a beverage, comprising a body 11, and a rim structure 12 having an edge 14 extending outwardly with respect to an outer surface of the body 11; and a contact element 13 which protrudes from a remaining portion of an upper surface 19 of the rim structure 12 thereby forming an annular channel 18 between the outer surface of the capsule body 11 and an inner side wall 17 of the contact element 13; the capsule being configured to cooperate with a beverage preparation apparatus and characterised in that the contact element 13 is located at a predetermined distance away from the edge 4 of the rim structure 12.

Claims

1. A capsule (10) for the preparation of a beverage, the capsule (10) comprising: a body (11) having a shape suitable for holding a dose of a beverage ingredient, and a rim structure (12) having an edge (14) extending outwardly with respect to an outer surface of the body (11); and a contact element (13) which protrudes from a remaining portion of an upper surface (19) of the rim structure (12) thereby forming an annular channel (18) between the outer surface of the capsule body (11) and an inner side wall (17) of the contact element (13) facing the outer surface of the capsule body (11); the capsule (10) being configured to cooperate with a beverage preparation apparatus comprising at least an inner chamber arranged for receiving the capsule body, a closing mechanism (20) for securing the capsule (10) in the inner chamber characterised in that the contact element (13) is located at a predetermined distance away from the edge (14) of the rim structure (12).

2. The capsule according to claim 1, wherein the closing mechanism is movable between an open and a closed position, in which closed position the closing mechanism (20) is arranged for securing the capsule (10).

3. The capsule according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the beverage preparation apparatus comprises a mechanism for injecting in the inner chamber of the beverage apparatus a liquid under a predetermined pressure.

4. The capsule according to claim 3, wherein the contact element (13) of the capsule is arranged to cooperate with the closing mechanism (20) of the beverage preparation apparatus such that when the pressurised liquid is injected by the injecting mechanism in the inner chamber the liquid at least partially flows through the capsule.

5. The capsule according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the contact element (13) is arranged to maintain a barrier in cooperation with the closing mechanism (20) at fluid pressures ranging between 1.0 and 40.0 bars.

6. The capsule according to claim 5, wherein the barrier between the contact element (13) and the closing mechanism (20) is a fluid-tight barrier, the contact element (13) being a sealing element (13).

7. The capsule according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein the closing mechanism (20) secures the capsule (10) in the inner chamber by applying a predetermined force on the contact element (13).

8. The capsule according to claim 7, wherein the contact element (13) is a sealing element (13), wherein the closing mechanism (20) seals the capsule (10), wherein the predetermined force on the sealing element (13) is a sealing force on the sealing element (13) and wherein at least part of the sealing element (13) is arranged such that the sealing element (13) under the sealing force applied by the closing mechanism (20) is plastically deformed.

9. The capsule according to claim 8, wherein the sealing element (13) plastically deformed in such a manner that a fluid-tight barrier is formed between the sealing element (13) and the closing mechanism (20).

10. The capsule (10) of claim 8 or 9, wherein the inner side wall (17) of the sealing element (13) is inclined and is arranged to be deformed in the direction of inclination.

11. The capsule (10) of claim 10, wherein the direction of inclination is away from the outer surface of the capsule body (11) and towards the rim structure edge (14).

12. The capsule according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the capsule is provided not to deform under influence of the closing mechanism (20) of the beverage preparation apparatus.

13. The capsule (10) to any one of claims 1-12, wherein at least the inner side wall (17) of the contact element (13) is arranged at an angle with respect to an imaginary plane, which is positioned in contact with a proximal end of the inner side wall (17) that meets the upper surface (19) of the remaining portion of the rim structure (12) and perpendicular to the upper surface (19) of the rim structure (12).

14. The capsule (10) of claim 13, wherein the angle of the inner sidewall (17) of the contact element (13), measured from the imaginary plane, is preferably less than 90.0 degrees.

15. The capsule (10) of claim 14, wherein the angle of the inner sidewall (17) of the contact element (13) is preferably at least 1.0 degree, at most 90.0 degrees, preferably at most 70.0 degrees, more preferably at most 60.0 degrees, even more preferably at most 50.0 degrees.

16. The capsule (10) of claim 15, wherein the direction of inclination is away from the outer surface of the capsule body (11) and towards the rim structure edge (14).

17. The capsule (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the contact element (13) is integrally formed with the rim structure (12).

18. The capsule (10) according to claim 17, wherein the contact element (13) protrusion is hollow.

19. The capsule (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the rim structure (12) is integrally formed with the capsule body (11).

20. The capsule (10) of claim 19, wherein the capsule body is made at least in part from metal.

21. The capsule (10) of claim 20, wherein the capsule body (11) is made of an Aluminium-based alloy.

22. The capsule (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the capsule body (11) is made at least in part from plastic.

23. The capsule (10) according to claim 22, wherein the capsule body (11) is made from a metal coated plastic based material.

24. The capsule (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the height of the contact element (13), measured from the upper surface (19) of the rim structure (12) to the highest point of the contact element (13), is at least 0.2 mm, at most 3.5 mm, preferably at most 3.0 mm, more preferably at most 2.0 mm, even more preferably at most 1.5 mm.

25. The capsule according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the distance of the contact element (13) from the outer surface of the capsule body (11), measured from the highest point of the contact element (13), is at least 0.1 mm, at most 2.0 mm, preferably at most 1.5 mm, and even more preferably at most 1.0 mm.

26. The capsule (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the capsule body (11) comprises a plurality of geometrical facets (16) on the outer surface of the capsule body (11).

27. A beverage preparation apparatus comprising at least an inner chamber receiving the capsule (10) according to claims 1 to 26; a closing mechanism (20) for securing the capsule (10) in the inner chamber; and a mechanism for injecting fluid at predetermined pressure in the capsule for preparing the beverage, and a mechanism for extracting the beverage from the capsule.

28. A method for using the capsule (10) according to claims 1 to 26 together with the beverage preparation apparatus according to claim 27 for a beverage preparation, the method comprising the steps of: ensuring that the closing mechanism (20) is in the open position and that the inner chamber of the beverage apparatus is empty; positioning the capsule (10) in the inner chamber of the beverage preparation device; preferably securing the capsule in the inner chamber by means of a closing mechanism of the beverage preparation apparatus; activating the mechanism for injecting fluid under pressure; and collecting the beverage extracted from the capsule.

29. A method for producing a capsule body (11) according to claims 1 to 26 for use in the beverage preparation apparatus according to claim 27, the method comprises the steps of: preforming the capsule body (11) and at least a portion of the rim structure (12); and providing a contact element (13) on the rim structure (12); characterised in that the contact element (13) is provided at predetermined distance away from the rim structure edge (14)

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the sealing element (13) is formed by applying a predetermined pressure on the rim structure (12) using an imprinter device (21, 22) having a predetermined shape.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] The invention will be further elucidated by means of the following description and the appended figures.

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a top view of a capsule according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0039] FIG. 2 shows a side view cross-section of the capsule of FIG. 1.

[0040] FIGS. 3 to 6 show different close-up views of the capsule's rim structure area according to the present invention.

[0041] FIG. 7 shows an exemplified series of steps for producing a capsule according to the present invention.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0042] The present invention will be described with respect to particular embodiments and with reference to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn on scale for illustrative purposes. The dimensions and the relative dimensions do not necessarily correspond to actual reductions to practice of the invention.

[0043] Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequential or chronological order. The terms are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and the embodiments of the invention can operate in other sequences than described or illustrated herein.

[0044] Moreover, the terms top, bottom, over, under and the like in the description and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. The terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and the embodiments of the invention described herein can operate in other orientations than described or illustrated herein.

[0045] The term “comprising”, used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being restricted to the means listed thereafter; it does not exclude other elements or steps. It needs to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components as referred to, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components, or groups thereof. Thus, the scope of the expression “a device comprising means A and B” should not be limited to devices consisting only of components A and B. It means that with respect to the present invention, the only relevant components of the device are A and B.

[0046] FIGS. 1 and 2 show different views of the capsule 10 according to embodiments of the present invention. The capsule 10 may be provided with a body 11, which has a suitable shape for holding a dose of a beverage ingredient(s). For example, the body 11 may be beaker-shaped or cup-shaped provided with a cavity (not shown) for holding the dose of the beverage ingredient(s). The outer surface of the capsule body 11 when viewed from the top may be substantially circular. However, other shapes known in the art, which are compatible with beverage preparation apparatus, may also be considered, such as elliptical, conical, square, etc. Furthermore, the outer surface of the body may be provided with a plurality of geometrical facets covering at least part of the capsule body 11. The geometrical facets 16 may radiate from a top portion 15 of the capsule body 11 towards the base of the capsule body 11. At the base of the capsule body, which may be located at the opposite end with respect to the top portion 15 of the capsule body 11, an opening (not shown) may be provided for supplying the beverage ingredient(s) to the cavity of the capsule body 11. The opening may be closable by a thin film or a membrane, which during the beverage preparation may be arranged to erupt due to the pressure built up inside the capsule, thereby enabling for the extraction of the beverage from the capsule. The outer surface of the capsule body 11 may be further provided with a rim structure 12 having an edge 14 extending outwardly in substantially perpendicular direction with respect to the capsule body 11. As shown in FIG. 1, the rim structure 12 may be provided continuously around the capsule body 11, thereby forming an intermediate region between the rim structure edge 14 and the capsule body 11, which may act as a support surface for the capsule 10 when placed in a beverage preparation apparatus.

[0047] FIG. 2 presents a cross-sectional side view of the capsule 10, which may help in further describing certain features of the capsule 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the rim structure 12 may further be provided with a contact element 13 on the intermediate region formed between the rim structure edge 14 and the capsule body 11. The contact element 13 may be arranged to protrude from the intermediate region.

[0048] The contact element 13 and further features of the rim structure 12 may be further described with references to FIGS. 3 to 6, which show a close-up cross-sectional view of the region around the rim structure 12. According to some embodiments, the rim structure edge 14 may be arranged in the form of a rollover edge, which may be formed by rolling part of the rim structure 12 thereby leaving a remaining portion of the intermediate region for providing the contact element 13. The contact element 13 may be arranged to protrude from an upper surface 19 of the remaining portion of the intermediate region of the rim structure. In this orientation, an annular channel 18 may be formed around the capsule body 11 between the outer surface of the capsule body 11 and an inner side wall 17 of the contact element. Therefore, it can be said that the contact element 13 may be arranged such that a gap is formed between the outer surface of the capsule body 11 and the inner side wall 17 of the contact element 13. Furthermore, the contact element 13 may be located at a predetermined distance from the rim structure edge 14. As previously discussed, the location of the contact element 13 with respect to the rim structure edge 14 may be influential in enhancing the cooperation between the contact element and the closing mechanism of a beverage preparation machine such that when pressurised liquid is injected in the inner chamber a substantial amount of the liquid is directed through the capsule.

[0049] According to embodiments of the present invention, the contact element 13 may be arranged to function as a sealing element thereby forming a barrier in cooperation with the closing mechanism 20 at fluid pressures ranging between 1.0 and 40.0 bars. According to embodiments of the present invention, the barrier formed may be a fluid-tight barrier, which may be achieved by configuring the contact element to be plastically deformed by a predetermine pressure force applied by the closing mechanism 20, when moved from an open position to a closed position.

[0050] According to further embodiments, the contact element 13 may be arranged not to be deformed by the closing mechanism 20. For example, the closing mechanism 20 may engage at least part of the contact element 13 without any deformation. In other examples, a small gap may be formed between the closing mechanism 20 and the contact element 13, which may allow some of the liquid injected under pressure by the injection mechanism to flow on the outer surface of the capsule 10.

[0051] The contact element 13 may be further arranged to protrude from the remaining portion of the intermediate region of the rim structure at a predetermine angle. As shown in FIG. 5, the inner sidewall 17 of the contact element 13 can be arranged at an angle (θ) with respect to an imaginary plane (shown with a dotted line), which is positioned in contact with a proximal end of the inner sidewall 17 that meets the upper surface 19 of the remaining portion of the rim structure 12 and perpendicular to the upper surface 19 of the rim structure 12. According to preferred embodiments, the angle (θ) formed between the imaginary plane and the inner sidewall 17 of the contact element 13 may be preferably equal to or less than 90.0 degrees. More in particular, the angle (θ) of the inner sidewall may preferably be at least 1.0 degrees, at most 90.0 degrees, preferably at most 70.0 degrees, more preferably at most 60.0 degrees, even more preferably at most 50.0 degrees. By positioning the contact element 13 at an angle (θ) may lead to a more effective cooperation between the contact element 13 and the closing mechanism 20. Furthermore, by positioning the contact element 13 at an angle (θ) may lead to a higher deformation of the contact element 13, when it is configured as a sealing element, by the force applied by the closing mechanism 20, which in turn may lead to a higher quality fluid-tight barrier between the closing mechanism 20 and the contact element 13. It should be understood, although not shown, that also the outer sidewall 25 of the contact element may also be arranged at an angle (θ) with respect to an imaginary plane, which can be positioned in contact with a proximal end of the outer sidewall 25 that meets the upper surface 19 of the remaining portion of the rim structure 12 and perpendicular to the upper surface 19 of the rim structure 12. Furthermore, both the outer sidewall 25 and the inner sidewall 17 may be arranged at an angle (θ).

[0052] FIG. 6 shows an example of a closing mechanism 20 of a beverage apparatus (not shown) in cooperation with a contact element 13. According to embodiments of the present invention, the closing mechanism 20 may be arranged to secure the capsule 10 in the inner chamber of a beverage preparation apparatus (not shown). The closing mechanism 20 may be arranged to cooperate with the contact element 13 to form a barrier such that when the pressurised liquid is injected in the inner chamber of the beverage apparatus a substantial amount of said liquid is directed through the capsule 10. For example, the barrier may be formed configuring the closing mechanism 20 for engaging a contact surface of the contact element without any deformation. In another example, a sufficient barrier may be formed even in the presence of a gap having substantially small dimensions formed between the closing mechanism 20 and the contact element 13.

[0053] According to further embodiments of the present invention, the closing mechanism 20 may be further arranged to seal the capsule in the inner chamber. The sealing of the capsule can be achieved by applying a predetermined sealing force to the contact element 13 being configured as a sealing element, thereby causing at least part of the contact element 13 to deform such that a fluid-tight barrier is formed between the closing mechanism 20 and the contact element 13, which may enhance the quality of the quality of the beverage extracted, as previously discussed.

[0054] According to embodiments of the present invention, in order to make the capsule 10 compatible with a wide range of beverage preparation apparatuses having different closing mechanisms 20, the height and distance of the contact element may be adapted. As shown in FIG. 4, the distance of the contact element 13, measured from the outer surface of the capsule body 11 to the highest point of the contact element 13, may be preferably at least 0.1 mm, at most 2.0 mm, preferably at most 1.5 mm, and even more preferably at most 1.0 mm.

[0055] Furthermore, the contact element 13 may be provided to have a predetermine height, which may be measured from the upper surface 19 of the rim structure 12 to the highest point of the contact element 13, as shown in FIG. 4. The height of the contact element 13 may be preferably at least 0.2 mm, at most 3.5 mm, preferably at most 3.0 mm, more preferably at most 2.0 mm, even more preferably at most 1.5 mm.

[0056] The capsule 10 according to embodiments of the present invention has the advantage that it may be used with a variety of beverage apparatuses known in the prior art. With the capsule of the present invention, a high pressure barrier may be formed, which can withstand pressure amounts in the range of 1.0 to 40.0 bars irrespective of the shape and dimensions of the closing mechanism 20 of the beverage apparatus.

[0057] FIG. 7 shows the steps of an exemplified method for producing a capsule body 11 according to the present invention for use in beverage apparatus known in the art. The exemplified method may start by providing a preformed capsule body 11, as shown in step a). As shown therein, the rim structure 12 can be integrally formed with the capsule body 11. For example, the capsule body 11 and the rim structure 12 can be made as a single piece from the same material. In general, a wide variety of materials may be used for making the capsule body, and by extension the rim, which may include but not limited to metal based materials, such as Aluminium-based alloy or plastic-based, such as thermoplastic and the like. Also, the capsule body 11, and by extension the rim structure 12, may be made by a plastic-based material coated with a metal-based alloy, such as aluminium. The second step (step b) of the exemplified method may be to provide the contact element 13 on the rim structure 12 at a predetermined location away from the rim structure edge 14. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the contact element 13 can be provided by applying a predetermine pressure on the rim structure 12 using an imprinter device having a first counterpart 21 and a second counterpart 22. The two counterparts 21 and 22 may be arranged to move towards one another thereby producing by means of pressure on the rim structure 12 the contact element 13 as shown in step c) of the exemplified method. As may be seen, using this exemplified method, the contact element 13 may be provided as a hollow structure integrally formed with the rim structure 12, i.e. as a single piece made from the same material. Therefore, according to embodiments of the present invention the capsule body, rim structure and contact element may be made from the same material as a single piece. However, it should be noted that the contact element 13 may be filled with a composite material, for example for controlling the deformation of the contact element 13 by the closing mechanism. Furthermore, it should be noted that other manufacturing methods known in the art can be employed for producing the capsule body.