Beverage preparation capsules

Abstract

A beverage preparation capsule comprising a capsule body having a beverage preparation ingredient hermetically sealed therein, wherein a beverage outlet region of said capsule comprises: front and back sheets of air- and water-impermeable flexible film material arranged in face-to-face relationship along an edge; a folded strip of flexible film material in the form of a gusset extending inwardly from said edge, wherein at least a central region of said strip is provided with a plurality of perforations or a zone of weakness.

Claims

1. A beverage preparation capsule comprising: a hermetically sealed capsule body having a beverage preparation ingredient therein, the hermetically sealed capsule body comprising: a beverage outlet region comprising: a front sheet of air- and water-impermeable flexible film material having a lower edge and a back sheet of air- and water-impermeable flexible film material having a lower edge, the front and back sheets of air- and water-impermeable flexible film material being arranged in a face-to-face relationship; and a strip of flexible plastic film material separate and distinct from the front and back sheets of air- and water-impermeable flexible film material, the strip of flexible plastic film material being coupled to the lower edges of the front and back sheets, wherein the strip of flexible plastic film material, prior to introduction of a liquid into the hermetically sealed capsule body, extends inwardly from the lower edges of the front and back sheets to form a top rounded gusset portion associated with a central region of the strip; wherein at least one of a plurality of perforations are formed on a top-most portion of the top rounded gusset portion, and a margin region of the strip that surrounds the top rounded portion is devoid of perforations, each of the plurality of perforations forming an opening through the strip prior to introduction of the liquid into the hermetically sealed capsule body; wherein surfaces of the strip opposite the front and the back sheets and located along the margin region of the strip are bonded together to complete a substantially airtight seal in the beverage outlet region; and wherein the strip is configured to: (i) allow a beverage to escape from the hermetically sealed capsule body through the strip while in use; and (ii) substantially retain the beverage preparation ingredient inside the hermetically sealed capsule body while in use.

2. The beverage preparation capsule according to claim 1, wherein the bond between the surfaces of the strip opposite the front and the back sheets is provided by a pressure-sensitive or heat-sensitive adhesive.

3. The beverage preparation capsule according to claim 1, wherein the beverage preparation ingredient is an infusible beverage ingredient.

4. The beverage preparation capsule according to claim 1, further comprising a layer of nonwoven textile filtration material abutting or laminated to the strip on an upstream surface thereof.

5. The beverage preparation capsule according to claim 1, wherein the flexible plastic film material of the strip comprises a thermoplastic film or laminate.

6. The beverage preparation capsule according to claim 1, wherein the beverage preparation capsule is a single-serve capsule.

7. The beverage preparation capsule according to claim 1, wherein the surfaces of the strip opposite the front and the back sheets are bonded together to form a bottom seam of the hermetically sealed capsule body, and wherein a first portion of the strip is located between the bottom seam and a top end of the hermetically sealed capsule body and a second portion of the strip is located between the bottom seam and a bottom end of the hermetically sealed capsule body.

8. The beverage preparation capsule according to claim 1, wherein the strip of flexible plastic film material extends in an upward direction from the lower edges to form the top rounded gusset portion associated with the central region of the strip.

9. The beverage preparation capsule according to claim 1, wherein the front and back sheets comprise material that is different than material forming the strip.

10. A beverage preparation capsule comprising: a hermetically sealed capsule body comprising: a front sheet of air- and water-impermeable flexible film material having a lower edge and a back sheet of air- and water-impermeable flexible film material having a lower edge, the front and back sheets of air- and water-impermeable flexible film material arranged in a face-to-face relationship and permanently bonded together along side seams and a top seam; and a gusset strip formed from a flexible plastic film material separate and distinct from the front and back sheets of air- and water-impermeable flexible film material, the gusset strip being coupled to the lower edges of the front and back sheets and comprising, prior to introduction of a liquid into the hermetically sealed capsule body, a top rounded surface, a bottom surface opposite the top rounded surface, a perforated central region associated with the top rounded surface, and an imperforated margin region that surrounds the perforated central region, portions of the bottom surface of the gusset strip located along the imperforated margin region bonded together to form a bottom seam of the hermetically sealed capsule body; a beverage preparation ingredient supported by the top rounded surface of the gusset strip in an interior of the hermetically sealed capsule body; wherein the perforated central region of the gusset strip comprises a plurality of perforations that form openings through the gusset strip, at least one of the plurality of perforations forming an opening through a top-most portion of the top rounded gusset portion of the gusset strip prior to introduction of the liquid into the hermetically sealed capsule body; and wherein upon introduction of the liquid into an interior of the hermetically sealed capsule body and the liquid infusing the beverage preparation ingredient to form a beverage and infused solids, the gusset strip is configured to: (i) allow the beverage to escape from the hermetically sealed capsule body through the gusset strip; and (ii) substantially retain the infused solids inside the hermetically sealed capsule body.

11. The beverage preparation capsule according to claim 10 wherein a first portion of the gusset strip is located between the bottom seam and a top end of the hermetically sealed capsule body and a second portion of the gusset strip is located between the bottom seam and a bottom end of the hermetically sealed capsule body.

12. The beverage preparation capsule according to claim 10, wherein the front and back sheets comprise material that is different than material forming the gusset strip.

13. A beverage preparation capsule comprising: a hermetically sealed capsule body having a beverage preparation ingredient therein, the hermetically sealed capsule body comprising: a beverage outlet region comprising: front and back sheets of air- and water-impermeable flexible film material having lower edges; and a strip of flexible plastic film material being separate from the front and back sheets and forming a gusset coupled to the lower edges of the front and back sheets, wherein the strip of flexible plastic film material extends inwardly from the lower edges of the front and back sheets to form a top rounded gusset portion associated with a central region of the strip; wherein at least one of a plurality of perforations are formed on a top-most portion of the top rounded gusset portion, each of the plurality of perforations forming an opening through the strip prior to introduction of a liquid into the hermetically sealed capsule body; wherein surfaces of the strip opposite the front and the back sheets are bonded together to complete a substantially airtight seal in the beverage outlet region; and wherein the strip is configured to: (i) allow a beverage to escape from the hermetically sealed capsule body through the strip while in use; and (ii) substantially retain the beverage preparation ingredient inside the hermetically sealed capsule body while in use.

14. The beverage preparation capsule according to claim 13, wherein the strip of flexible plastic film material extends in an upward direction from the lower edges of the front and back sheets to form the top rounded gusset portion associated with the central region of the strip.

15. The beverage preparation capsule according to claim 13, wherein the bond between the surfaces of the strip opposite the front and the back sheets is provided by a pressure-sensitive or heat-sensitive adhesive.

16. The beverage preparation capsule according to claim 13, wherein the beverage preparation ingredient is an infusible beverage ingredient.

Description

(1) An embodiment of the present invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a beverage preparation capsule according to the prior art;

(3) FIGS. 2a and 2b show cross-sectional views of the beverage preparation capsule of FIG. 1 before and in use respectively;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a beverage preparation capsule according to the present invention;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a beverage preparation capsule of FIG. 3;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of a beverage preparation capsule of FIGS. 3 and 4 when the beverage preparation capsule is in use;

(7) FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of a beverage preparation capsule according to a second embodiment of the invention;

(8) FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of a beverage preparation capsule of FIG. 6 when the beverage preparation capsule is in use;

(9) FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a beverage preparation capsule according to a third embodiment of the invention;

(10) FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of a beverage preparation capsule of FIG. 8;

(11) FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view of a beverage preparation capsule of FIG. 8 when the beverage preparation capsule is in use;

(12) FIG. 11 shows a bottom plan view of a beverage preparation capsule of FIG. 8 when the beverage preparation capsule is in use;

(13) FIG. 12 shows a cross-sectional view of a beverage preparation capsule according to a fourth embodiment of the invention;

(14) FIG. 13 shows a detailed cross-sectional view of the outlet region of the beverage preparation capsule of FIG. 12;

(15) FIG. 14 shows a cross-sectional view of a beverage preparation capsule according to a fifth embodiment of the invention;

(16) FIG. 15 shows a cross-sectional view of a beverage preparation capsule of FIG. 14 when the beverage preparation capsule is in use; and

(17) FIG. 16 shows a cross-sectional view of a beverage preparation capsule according to a sixth embodiment of the invention.

(18) FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 respectively show perspective and cross-sectional views of a sealed beverage preparation capsule according to the present invention. The beverage preparation capsule 200 contains an infusible beverage preparation ingredient 250 such as ground coffee or leaf tea. The beverage preparation capsule 200 has a body 202 which comprises side walls 210, 212 and a gusset sheet material 230.

(19) The side walls 210, 212 may be formed from one or more substantially air- and liquid-impermeable sheet materials. The sheet materials may consist essentially of flexible film materials. The gusset sheet material 230 may have a central region 232 provided with a plurality of perforations for filtering the infusible beverage preparation ingredient 250 in use.

(20) An outlet region 204 of the beverage preparation capsule 200 is formed from front and back sheet materials 214, 216 arranged in face-to-face relationship along an edge 218 and the gusset sheet material 230 inserted between the front and back sheet materials 214, 216 and bonded thereto along the edge 218.

(21) Surfaces 234a, 234b of the gusset sheet material 230 opposite the front and back sheets 214, 216 are bonded together to complete a substantially airtight seal in the outlet region 204. The bonding between the surfaces 234a, 234b of the gusset sheet material 230 may comprise a pressure-sensitive or heat-sensitive adhesive. The bonding may be released by elevated temperature and/or pressure inside the capsule body 202 to allow a beverage to escape from the body 202 through the perforations in the gusset sheet 230 in use.

(22) The beverage preparation capsule 200 may further comprise a liquid injection nozzle 240 bonded to the capsule body 202. The liquid injection nozzle 240 may have a bore 242 through which liquid can be injected into the capsule to prepare a beverage. The bore 242 may be sealed by a frangible freshness barrier before use. Of course, the beverage preparation capsule may have other suitable liquid injection mechanisms for injecting liquid into the capsule to prepare a beverage.

(23) In use, liquid is introduced into the beverage preparation capsule 200 through the bore 242 of the liquid injection nozzle 240. Upon introduction of the liquid into the capsule, the gusset sheet material 230 will evert downwardly to form a bed for the beverage preparation. The bottom seam 220 will open under the heat and/or liquid/air pressure. The infusible beverage preparation ingredient 250 will be infused with the liquid within the capsule. The infused solids will be retained by the gusset sheet material 230. The beverage flowing through the perforations of the central portion 232 of the gusset sheet material 230 will be dispensed through the bottom opening. FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the beverage preparation capsule in use.

(24) The gusset sheet material 230 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 has a substantially inverted V shape before use and thus everts downwardly in use. However, it should be understood that the gusset sheet material may also be formed in other suitable shapes and thus may not need to evert in use.

(25) The capsule body 202 may be formed from a single sheet of the materials in the form of a tube having the outlet region 204 at a bottom end. The tube may be formed from the single sheet of the materials by folding the sheet over and bonding opposed edges along a longitudinal lap or fin seal.

(26) The capsule body 202 may be formed by bonding together first and second sheets of the materials in face-to-face relationship around the margins thereof apart from the outlet region 204. For example, the capsule body 202 may comprise two flexible laminate sheets in face-to-face relationship and bonded together along side seams 224 and a top seam 222 with said outlet region 204 being provided in a bottom seam 220 of the capsule body 202. The liquid injection nozzle 240 may be inserted into the top seam 222 or a side seam 224 of the capsule body 202.

(27) The gusset sheet material 230 may comprise a plastic film having perforations at least in a central region 232. An advantage of using plastic films is that plastic materials are generally more durable than the conventionally used filtering papers. The beverage preparation capsules formed with plastic films are therefore less likely to burst during brewing than the capsules formed with filtering papers.

(28) The gusset sheet material may be formed by laser perforation. Laser perforation has been increasingly used in the package manufacturing industry. It typically comprises a laser source to generate laser beams and a focusing mechanism, e.g. mirrors, to focus and direct the laser beams to make perforations. Laser perforation offers flexible and precise perforation sizes and patterns than other perforation methods.

(29) For the beverage preparation packages of the present application, laser perforation allows the gusset sheet 230 to be formed with desired perforation sizes. It also allows the gusset sheet 230 to be formed with a desired pattern for preparing various beverage preparation ingredients. For example, the gusset sheet material 230 may be formed to have a perforated central region 232 for filtering the infusible beverage preparation ingredient 250 and an imperforated and relatively harder margin region where the gusset sheet material 230 is bonded to the front and back sheets 214, 216. In this manner, the margin region of the gusset sheet material 230 may have similar mechanical characters to the front and back sheets 214, 216. The bottom seam 220 of the capsule may maintain a substantially regular opening during the dispensing of the beverage. This can remove the requirements of forming the capsule into a waist shape and forming the filter material into a V or W (as shown in FIG. 1) to overcome the irregular opening problems associated with the conventional beverage preparation capsules. Further, the cost of manufacturing can be reduced and the space sealed inside the beverage preparation capsule can be fully used for beverage preparation.

(30) As described above and shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b, the conventional beverage preparation capsules 110 are typically sealed at the bottom seam 120 before use. The filtration material is attached to the side walls 110, 112 over a middle or low-middle region of the capsule body and at least above the bottom seam 120. Advantageously, the beverage preparation capsule 200 according to the present invention has a gusset sheet material 230 bonded to the front and back sheet materials 214, 216 to form the outlet region 204. The opposite surfaces 234a, 234b of the gusset sheet material 230 are bonded to one another, e.g. by pressure-sensitive adhesive, to complete a substantially airtight seal in the outlet region 204. The available space within the capsule body for accommodating and brewing the beverage preparation ingredient is thus increased.

(31) Furthermore, the gusset strip retains the capsule in a tubular configuration with straight sides both before and during beverage brewing, thereby removing the need for lands in the side seals. This increases the capacity of the capsule for a given amount of sheet material, and simplifies the manufacturing process.

(32) FIGS. 6 and 7 show an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the construction of the capsule 300 is broadly similar to that of FIGS. 1-5. The capsule comprises front and back sheets 302,304 bonded together along top and side edges as previously described. A nozzle 306 is inserted between the front and back sheets in the top edge. A perforated gusset sheet 310 is bonded to the bottom edges of the front and back sheets 302,304 as described for FIGS. 3-5. A beverage preparation ingredient 314 is enclosed within the capsule 300. In this embodiment, the hermetic outlet seal is formed by a line of pressure sensitive adhesive 312 extending across the capsule to bond the front and back sheets together and located above the gusset strip. A thin nonwoven web (scrim) of fibrous filter material 316, for example a polypropylene scrim, is laminated to the inside surface of the gusset strip 310.

(33) In use, hot water is injected into the capsule through nozzle 306 to prepare the beverage inside the capsule. The heat and pressure of the water (optionally assisted by an external heat source in the beverage making apparatus) releases the adhesive bond 312 and allows the beverage to escape through the filter scrim 316 and the perforated gusset 310. The scrim 316 allows the perforations in the gusset strip to be made larger, e.g. about 150 micrometers or more, to allow a high flow rate of the beverage while still effectively filtering the beverage.

(34) FIGS. 8 to 11 show an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the construction of the capsule 400 is broadly similar to that of FIGS. 6 and 7. The capsule comprises front and back sheets 402,404 bonded together along top 409 and side 406,408 edges as previously described. A nozzle 410 is inserted between the front and back sheets in the top edge 409. A perforated gusset sheet 412 is bonded to the bottom edges of the front and back sheets 402,404 as described above. The gusset strip has perforations in a central region 424 only. A beverage preparation ingredient 415 is enclosed within the capsule 400. In this embodiment, the hermetic outlet seal is formed by a line of pressure sensitive adhesive 414 extending across the capsule to bond the front and back sheets together and located above the gusset strip. A thin nonwoven web (scrim) of fibrous filter material (not shown), for example a polypropylene scrim, may be laminated to the inside surface of the gusset strip 412.

(35) This embodiment is further characterized by diagonal lines of bonding 416,418,420,422 between the gusset sheet and the adjacent front and back sheets of the capsule. The diagonal lines of bonding extend across the bottom corners of the capsule to exclude liquid from these corners.

(36) In use, hot water is injected into the capsule through nozzle 410 to prepare the beverage inside the capsule. The heat and pressure of the water (optionally assisted by an external heat source in the beverage making apparatus) releases the adhesive bond 414 and allows the beverage to escape through the perforated gusset 412. The diagonal lines of bonding provide a funnel-like configuration at the bottom of the capsule that directs flow of liquid through and out of the capsule. The diagonal lines of bonding also help to maintain a stable shape of the capsule during beverage preparation.

(37) FIGS. 12 and 13 show an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the construction of the capsule 500 is broadly similar to that of FIGS. 1-5. The capsule comprises front and back sheets 502,504 bonded together along top and side edges as previously described. A nozzle 506 is inserted between the front and back sheets in the top edge. An infusible beverage preparation ingredient 528 is enclosed within the capsule 500.

(38) In this embodiment perforated gusset strip 510 is formed integrally with the front and back sheets 502,504 by forming a W-fold in the bottom edge of the capsule. Thus, the perforated gusset strip 510 is formed of exactly the same sheet material as the front and back sheets. The gusset strip region of the sheet is perforated over its whole area with laser perforations having diameter about 200 m in a rectangular array of pitch about 1 mm prior to folding the sheet to form the capsule.

(39) As shown in FIG. 13, the sheet material is a laminate comprising one or more structural layers 512 and an internal sealing layer 514 of a thermoplastic polymer such as a polyolefin having a suitable melting temperature range for heat sealing and release. The side edge seals 526 and top edge seals of the capsule are formed by conventional melt bonding of this sealing layer. A weaker sealing bond 524 is formed at the bottom of the folded gusset, also by heat sealing or ultrasonic sealing. The sealing process melts the internal sealing layer 514 so that it flows through the perforations in the structural layer to fuse with the sealing thermoplastic that has leaked from the perforations on the opposite side of the gusset. This results in a relatively weak heat seal along the sealing bond 514 that can be released by the action of heat and pressure from inside the capsule during beverage preparation.

(40) In use, hot water is injected into the capsule through nozzle 506 to prepare the beverage inside the capsule. The heat and pressure of the water (optionally assisted by an external heat source in the beverage making apparatus) releases the weak thermal bond 524 and allows the beverage to escape through the perforated gusset region 510.

(41) FIGS. 14 and 15 show an alternative embodiment of the present invention intended in particular for water-soluble or water-dispersible ingredients such as instant coffee, instant tea, liquid or solid concentrates of milk, chocolate, soup, or fruit-flavoured drinks. These ingredients normally do not require filtration during dispensing. In this embodiment, the construction of the capsule 600 is broadly similar to that of FIGS. 12 and 13. The capsule comprises front and back sheets 602,604 bonded together along top edge and side edges 605 as previously described. A nozzle 606 is inserted between the front and back sheets in the top edge. A water-soluble or water-dispersible beverage preparation ingredient 628 is enclosed within the capsule 600.

(42) In this embodiment gusset strip 610 is formed integrally with the front and back sheets 602,604 by forming a W-fold in the bottom edge of the capsule. Thus, the perforated gusset strip 610 and the front and back sheets are formed from a single sheet of material. The gusset strip region of the sheet is not perforated. Instead, a score line of weakness 612 extends along the internal fold of the gusset for a distance of 1-2 cm. A releasable adhesive bond 614 is applied along the bottom of the gusset to ensure hermetic sealing of the pack before use.

(43) In use, as shown in FIG. 15, hot water is injected into the capsule through nozzle 606 to mix with the beverage ingredient inside the capsule. The heat and pressure of the water (optionally assisted by an external heat source in the beverage making apparatus) releases the weak thermal bond 614 and ruptures the line of weakness to create an opening 621 allows the beverage to escape from the capsule.

(44) FIG. 16 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention intended in particular for infusible ingredients that require filtration, such as ground coffee or leaf tea. The construction of the capsule 700 is broadly similar to that of FIGS. 6 and 7. The capsule comprises front and back sheets 702,704 bonded together along top edge and side edges as previously described. A nozzle 706 is inserted between the front and back sheets in the top edge. A water-infusible beverage preparation ingredient 728 is enclosed within the capsule 700.

(45) In this embodiment gusset strip 710 is formed integrally with the front and back sheets 702,704 by forming a W-fold in the bottom edge of the capsule. Thus, the perforated gusset strip 710 and the front and back sheets are formed from a single sheet of material.

(46) A layer 720 of water-soluble polymer composition is laminated to the inside surface of the gusset 710 to cover and seal the perforations before use. The polymer composition comprises hot-water-soluble PVOH, optionally with added polysaccharides. Since the layer 720 of water-dispersible polymer composition hermetically seals the perforations of the gusset strip 710 before use, no releasable adhesive bond is needed in the outlet region. This simplifies the manufacture of the capsules. The water-dispersible polymer composition can simply be applied to the perforated region of the film before it is folded up and sealed to make the capsule.

(47) In use, hot water is injected into the capsule through nozzle 706 to mix with the beverage ingredient inside the capsule. The hot water also dissolves the polymer layer 720 to allow the beverage to escape from the capsule through the perforations. The polymer layer is made of edible materials that are dispersed in the product drink.

(48) It should be understood that the above embodiments have been described by way of example only. Many other embodiments falling within the scope of the accompanying claims will be apparent to the skilled reader. It will further be understood that any feature disclosed in relation to any one embodiment may alternatively or additionally be present in any of the other embodiments.