Seal For A Single Serve Capsule

Abstract

The invention relates to a single serve capsule (1) for preparing a beverage in a beverage preparation machine, said single serve capsule (1) having a liquid-tight base element (2) having a cavity (3) for receiving a beverage raw material and a capsule cover (4) sealing the cavity (3).

Claims

1. A single-serve capsule for a preparation of a beverage in a beverage-production machine, where the single-serve capsule has a base element with a flange and with a cavity for acceptance of a beverage raw material and a capsule lid closing the cavity, where the capsule lid is secured on the flange and there is a seal provided on an area opposite to the capsule lid, wherein the seal provided is partially plastic, and wherein the seal comprises gelatin.

2. A single-serve capsule for a preparation of a beverage in a beverage-production machine, where the single-serve capsule has a base element with a flange and with a cavity for the acceptance of a beverage raw material and a capsule lid closing the cavity, where the capsule lid is secured on the flange and there is a seal provided on an area opposite to the capsule lid, characterized in that the seal provided is partially plastic, and wherein the seal comprises gelatin.

3. (canceled)

4. (canceled)

5. The single-serve capsule as claimed in claim 1, wherein additional shaping has been provided to an exterior edge of the flange.

6. The single-serve capsule as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base element has been manufactured from metal, in particular aluminum.

7. The single-serve capsule as claimed in claim 1, wherein the seal comprises a foamed gelatin layer.

8. The single-serve capsule as claimed in claim 7, wherein the foamed gelatin layer has, on a surface, a protective layer, in particular in relation to swelling and/or softening, and/or has, on a surface, in particular on another surface, preferably an opposite surface, an adhesion-promoter layer for improvement of adhesion of the foamed gelatin layer on the base element, in particular on an aluminum base element.

9. A process for production of the seal of the single-serve capsule according to claim 1, where a shaped body corresponding to the seal is immersed in a biopolymer bath, and a film thus forms on a surface of the shaped body, and said film is then cooled and/or dried.

10. A process for production of a seal of a single-serve capsule, wherein a biopolymer, in particular gelatin and/or polysaccharide and/or cellulose, is provided in a form of a film/foil which is then molded, in particular thermoformed, and where the molded foil is provided as the seal on the single-serve capsule.

11. A process for production of a seal of a single-serve capsule, where a biopolymer, in particular the plastic based on gelatin and/or polysaccharide and/or cellulose, is liquefied so that it can then be cast and/or sharpened.

12. A process for the production of a single-serve capsule as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gelatin is applied in a form of liquid or paste to the flange of the base element, and hardens there.

13. The process as claimed in claim 12, wherein the gelatin is cooled.

14. The process as claimed in claim 12, wherein the base element is cooled before, during and/or after the application of the gelatin.

15. A process for production of a beverage using the single-serve capsule as claimed in claim 1, wherein the single-serve capsule, in particular the flange thereof, is clamped between two closing brewing-chamber elements, and the seal is thus deformed, and when the brewing-chamber elements are again opened only partial shape-reversion of the deformation then takes place.

16. The single-serve capsule as claimed in claim 2, wherein additional shaping has been provided to an exterior edge of the flange.

17. The single-serve capsule as claimed in claim 2, wherein the base element has been manufactured from metal, in particular aluminum.

18. The single-serve capsule as claimed in claim 2, wherein the seal comprises a foamed gelatin layer.

19. The single-serve capsule as claimed in claim 18, wherein the foamed gelatin layer has, on a surface, a protective layer, in particular in relation to swelling and/or softening, and/or has, on a surface, in particular on another surface, preferably an opposite surface, an adhesion-promoter layer for improvement of adhesion of the foamed gelatin layer on the base element, in particular on an aluminum base element.

20. A process for production of the seal of the single-serve capsule according to claim 2, where a shaped body corresponding to the seal is immersed in a biopolymer bath, and a film thus forms on a surface of the shaped body, and said film is then cooled and/or dried.

21. A process for production of a single-serve capsule as claimed in claim 2, wherein the gelatin is applied in a form of liquid or paste to the flange of the base element, and hardens there.

22. The process as claimed in claim 21, wherein the gelatin is cooled.

23. The process as claimed in claim 21, wherein the base element is cooled before, during and/or after the application of the gelatin.

24. A process for production of a beverage using the single-serve capsule as claimed in claim 2, wherein the single-serve capsule, in particular the flange thereof, is clamped between two closing brewing-chamber elements, and the seal is thus deformed, and when the brewing-chamber elements are again opened only partial shape-reversion of the deformation then takes place.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0066] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic sectional view of a single-serve capsule in an example of an embodiment of the present invention.

EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0067] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a sectional view of a single-serve capsule 1 for the preparation of a beverage in a (not depicted) beverage-production machine in an example of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0068] The single-serve capsule 1 has a pot-shaped base element 2 and a capsule lid 4 secured on a peripheral flange 7 of the base element 2. The capsule lid 4 has in particular been welded or adhesively bonded to the flange 7. The base element 2 consists of a base region 6 and a wall region 8, these preferably being provided as a one-piece element. A cavity 3, filled with beverage raw material (for reasons of clarity not illustrated) and closed by the capsule lid 4, is configured within the base element 2. Arranged on the flange side opposite to the capsule lid (4) is a seal, which deforms during the closure of the brewing chamber. The seal has preferably been manufactured at least partially from gelatin. It is preferable that the seal material is applied in liquid form to the flange and hardens there, in particular in that the seal material is cooled. It is preferable here that the base element of the single-serve capsule is rotated by 180°, so that gravity presses the liquid seal material against the flange. It is preferable that the base element, in particular the flange, is cooled before application of the seal material. On opening of the brewing chamber, the deformation is only partially reversed. A deformation therefore remains in the seal after the opening of the brewing chamber. The seal undergoes partial elastic shape-reversion, but does not resume its original shape.

[0069] In use, the single-serve capsule 1 is introduced into a brewing chamber in a beverage-production machine. The brewing chamber is then closed, for example in that two brewing-chamber elements are moved relatively to one another. The capsule lid 4 and the base region 6 are perforated here, successively or simultaneously, and extraction liquid is introduced under pressure into the cavity 3 through the perforation apertures in the capsule lid 4. The interaction between the extraction liquid and the beverage raw material produces the desired beverage, which leaves the single-serve capsule 1 through the perforation apertures in the base region 6 and is introduced into a beverage vessel. Any possible particles of the beverage raw material are filtered from the beverage by the filter medium 9 and retained in the single-serve capsule 1. During the closing of the brewing-chamber elements, the seal 11 is deformed and therefore, after the brewing procedure, traces of the brewing chamber remain visible in the seal material, these however being smaller than the deformation of the seal during closure of the brewing chamber.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0070] 1 Single-serve capsule [0071] 2 Base element [0072] 3 Cavity [0073] 4 Capsule lid [0074] 5 Partial region [0075] 6 Base region [0076] 7 Flange [0077] 8 Wall region [0078] 9 Filter medium [0079] 10 Additional shaping [0080] 11 Coating