U.S. patent application number 13/012217 was filed with the patent office on 2011-07-28 for pre-charged ground coffee capsule.
Invention is credited to Marco Reati.
Application Number | 20110183043 13/012217 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42985623 |
Filed Date | 2011-07-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110183043 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Reati; Marco |
July 28, 2011 |
PRE-CHARGED GROUND COFFEE CAPSULE
Abstract
A pre-charged ground coffee capsule is described. The capsule
has a container body made of a metal foil material combined with a
film of thermoplastic material. The container body is open at one
end, the end being joined to a closing surface made of the same
material. The container body is associated with a structural
stiffening member provided with a plurality of through-openings and
arranged in a plane which is substantially perpendicular to a
longitudinal axis of the container body.
Inventors: |
Reati; Marco; (Signa,
IT) |
Family ID: |
42985623 |
Appl. No.: |
13/012217 |
Filed: |
January 24, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
426/82 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 85/8043
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
426/82 |
International
Class: |
B65B 29/02 20060101
B65B029/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jan 26, 2010 |
IT |
GE2010A000009 |
Claims
1. Pre-charged ground coffee capsule comprising a container body
made of a metal foil material combined with a film of thermoplastic
material, said container body being open at one end, said end being
joined to a closing surface also made of a metal foil material
combined with a film of thermoplastic material, said container body
being associated with a structural stiffening member provided with
a plurality of through-openings and arranged in a plane which is
substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said
container body.
2. The pre-charged capsule according to claim 1, wherein said
stiffening member is located within said container body.
3. The pre-charged capsule according to claim 1, wherein said
stiffening member is located outside said container body.
4. The pre-charged capsule according to claim 2, wherein said
stiffening member is provided with a peripheral wall which is
perpendicular to a plane of said stiffening member.
5. The pre-charged capsule according to claim 4, wherein said
peripheral wall is provided with an outwardly projecting radial
flange.
6. The pre-charged capsule according to claim 4, wherein said
peripheral wall is discontinuous and formed by a plurality of
parallel webs which are equally spaced from each other.
7. The pre-charged capsule according to claim 2, further comprising
a water-permeable layer of filter material arranged on said
stiffening member and facing an inside of said container body.
8. The pre-charged capsule according to claim 2, wherein said
stiffening member includes a substantially disc-shaped element
comprising a peripheral ring and a plurality of radial elements
converging toward the center of the stiffening member and equally
spaced from each other, said radial elements defining a plurality
of openings.
9. The pre-charged capsule according to claim 8, further comprising
a recess communicating with the plurality of openings, the recess
being formed in the center of said stiffening member.
10. The pre-charged capsule according to claim 4, wherein said
stiffening member comprises a bottom wall provided with a flexible
dome shaped portion and, centrally, with a more rigid body which is
provided with perforating means, wherein a plurality of openings is
formed in said wall.
11. The pre-charged capsule according to claim 3, wherein said
stiffening member is provided with a peripheral wall which is
perpendicular to the plane of said stiffening member.
12. The pre-charged capsule according to claim 11, wherein said
wall is provided with an outwardly projecting radial flange.
13. The pre-charged capsule according to claim 11, wherein said
stiffening member is provided, on its bottom wall, with reliefs
projecting toward said container body.
14. The pre-charged capsule according to claim 13, wherein said
bottom wall is provided with through-holes.
15. The pre-charged capsule according to claim 13, wherein said
side wall is provided with a plurality of channels communicating
with said bottom wall.
16. The pre-charged capsule according to claim 1, wherein the
container body is cylindrical or frustoconical.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority to Italian patent
application GE2010A000009 filed on Jan. 26, 2010 and incorporated
herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to devices for preparing
alimentary beverages, and particularly to a pre-charged ground
coffee capsule.
BACKGROUND
[0003] For many years now the preparation of coffee, both for
domestic use and for professional use, both in machines requiring
manual preparation and in automatic and semi-automatic machines,
involves the use of pre-charged capsules or pods of varying shape
and design which normally have a dual function, the primary
function being that of allowing preparation of the coffee infusion
without using coffee powder in loose form, so that the working
process is "cleaner" and general maintenance is simpler.
[0004] A major problem with regard to the choice of materials and
the structure to be given to the pre-charged capsule or pod,
consists in achieving a suitable compromise between robustness and
efficient use; in other words, if, on the one hand, the
water-permeable materials such as filter paper, non-woven fabric
and the like ensure an effective use of the capsule or pod, on the
other hand they give rise to notable defects both from the point of
view of storage and as regards positioning inside the filter
holder.
[0005] Document EP1997748, in the name of the same Applicant,
describes a pre-charged ground coffee capsule comprising a
container body with a polygonal cross-section, and preferably a
circular cross-section, which is made of a liquid-impermeable
material, open at one end and provided on the bottom wall with a
large axial opening, two walls of liquid-permeable material being
arranged, respectively, above said open end and along said bottom
wall; said impermeable material comprises a support layer made of
metallic material and a layer of thermoplastic material facing the
inside of said container body, said permeable walls being joined to
said container body by means of said layer of thermoplastic
material, an outwardly projecting radial flange being provided at
said open end of said container body.
[0006] This type of pre-charged capsule solves many of the problems
associated with the prior art, but nevertheless has a number of
drawbacks. In particular, the structure so designed, although being
effectively configured, is somewhat weak and therefore poses
problems from the point of view of packaging and use by the end
user. Comparing this type of pre-charged capsule with those made
entirely of thermoplastic resin, it is entirely clear that the
latter have better handling properties and are easier to use both
in espresso coffee machines and in traditional "moka" or similar
coffee machines, but have the problem that they require further
packaging, preferably in an inert atmosphere, in order to preserve
the aroma of the coffee powder.
SUMMARY
[0007] In accordance with several embodiments of the present
disclosure, a pre-charged ground coffee capsule is provided which,
on the one hand, is able to preserve the quality of the product
contained therein and, on the other hand, has a structural strength
which allows it to be managed easily both during storage and during
use.
[0008] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a
pre-charged ground coffee capsule is provided, comprising a
preferably cylindrical or frustoconical container body made of a
metal foil material combined with a film of thermoplastic material,
said container body comprising a structural stiffening member
provided with a plurality of through-openings and arranged in a
plane which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis
of said container body. Said stiffening member has arranged thereon
a water-permeable layer of filter material facing the inside of the
container body.
[0009] According to a further aspect, said stiffening member
includes a substantially disc-shaped element comprising a
peripheral ring and a plurality of radial elements converging
toward the center and equally spaced from each other. A recess
communicating with the aforementioned openings is preferably formed
in the center of said member.
[0010] Alternatively, said stiffening member can be provided with a
peripheral wall which is perpendicular to the plane of said
stiffening member, said wall being continuous or discontinuous.
Furthermore, such a wall can be provided with an outwardly
projecting radial flange.
[0011] In a further embodiment, the bottom wall of said stiffening
member can be made so as to be deformable and it is provided with
means adapted to perforate the wall of said container body at the
outwardly-facing side thereof.
[0012] Alternatively, said stiffening member is positioned
externally of said container body and it is provided with means
adapted to perforate the wall of said container body at the
outwardly-facing side of its bottom wall. In a preferred
embodiment, said stiffening member is provided with a plurality of
channels formed at the internal side-wall thereof and communicating
with the bottom wall.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] Other advantages and features will be apparent from the
following detailed description of certain embodiments of the same
which are provided by way of illustration, and not by way of
limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings in
which:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a section view of a first embodiment of the
present disclosure;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a cut-away perspective view of the embodiment of
FIG. 1;
[0016] FIG. 3 is a section view of a second embodiment of the
present disclosure;
[0017] FIG. 4 is a cut-away perspective view of the embodiment of
FIG. 3;
[0018] FIG. 5 is a section view of a third embodiment of the
present disclosure;
[0019] FIG. 6 is a cut-away perspective view of the embodiment of
FIG. 5;
[0020] FIG. 7 is a section view of a fourth embodiment of the
present disclosure;
[0021] FIG. 8 is a cut-away perspective view of the embodiment of
FIG. 7;
[0022] FIG. 9 is a section view of a fifth embodiment of the
present disclosure;
[0023] FIG. 10 is a cut-away perspective view of the embodiment of
FIG. 9;
[0024] FIG. 11 is a cut-away perspective view of a sixth embodiment
of the present disclosure;
[0025] FIG. 12 is a section view of the embodiment of FIG. 11;
[0026] FIG. 13 is a cut-away perspective view of a seventh
embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0027] FIG. 14 is a section view of the embodiment of FIG. 13;
[0028] FIG. 15 is a section view of an eighth embodiment of the
present disclosure; and
[0029] FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment of
FIG. 15.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0030] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the pre-charged capsule
according to the present disclosure; 1 denotes the container body
of the pre-charged capsule according to the disclosure. Said
container body 1 is provided with a bottom wall 101, a continuous
side wall 111 and a closing surface 201; both the container body 1
and the closing surface 201 are made of a metal foil material, such
as aluminium or the like, combined with a layer of a thermoplastic
resin, such as polyethylene or the like, which allows them to be
joined together. The stiffening member 2, which has a central
cavity 102 and on which a layer of filter material 202 is placed,
is arranged along the bottom wall 101 of the container body 1. As
can be seen more clearly from FIG. 2, which shows a cut-away
perspective view of the pre-charged capsule, the member 2 comprises
an annular element 302, which has the same cross-section as the
bottom wall 101 of the container body 1, and a plurality of radial
elements 312 converging towards the cavity 102 and forming the
openings 322 directed towards the bottom wall 101 of the container
body 1.
[0031] FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the capsule according to
the disclosure; the same parts are indicated by the same numbers.
In this case, the stiffening member 3, in addition to comprising an
annular element 303 and the radial elements 313 (see FIG. 4) in a
similar manner to that described for the embodiment in FIGS. 1 and
2, also has a continuous axial wall 403 which is arranged so as to
actually contact with the side wall 111 of the container body 1.
The layer 203 of filter material is placed on the surface of the
member 3.
[0032] Entirely similar in nature is the embodiment shown in FIGS.
5 and 6, where the axial wall 404 of the stiffening member 4 has an
outwardly projecting radial flange 414 onto which the closing
surface 201 of the pre-charged capsule is joined. Otherwise, the
stiffening member 4 has the annular element 304 and the radial
elements 314 converging towards the cavity 104 and forming the
openings 324 on which the layer 204 of filtering material is
positioned.
[0033] In the variant embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the
stiffening member 5 has axial webs 405 which are joined at one end
to the annular element 305, placed in contact with the bottom wall
101 of the container body 1, while at the opposite end they are
connected to the flange 415 projecting radially outwards. In this
case also, the stiffening member 5 has the annular element 305 and
the radial elements 315 converging towards the cavity 105 and
forming the openings 325 on which the layer 205 of filtering
material is positioned.
[0034] The embodiment in FIGS. 9 and 10 shows the stiffening member
6 arranged in contact with the closing surface 201 instead of with
the bottom wall 101. As can be noted from FIG. 10, although the
arrangement is shown as being completely overturned with respect to
that of the devices of the embodiments previously shown and
described, the characteristic features of the member 6 are in fact
entirely the same. Said member 6 has the annular element 306 and
the radial elements 316 converging towards the cavity 106 and
forming the openings 326 on which the layer 206 of filtering
material is positioned. As a particular feature, the member 6 has
the outwardly projecting radial flange 406 which practically acts
as a support for the closing surface 201 on the one hand, and for
the outgoing edge of the side walls 111 of the container body 1 on
the other hand.
[0035] FIG. 11 shows a further embodiment of the pre-charged
capsule according to the disclosure. In this embodiment, the
stiffening member 7 is provided with a continuous side wall 107
similar to that of the embodiment according to FIGS. 5 and 6; the
bottom wall 207 is formed with a central portion 217 substantially
shaped as a dome and in the manner of an undulating membrane. The
more rigid axial portion 227 has formed therein the nibs 237 which
project axially outwards. The container body 1 encloses the member
7, and the closing surface 201 is mounted onto the edges of the
radial flange 117 projecting from the side wall 107. FIG. 12 shows,
with reference to the same numbers, the structure of the dome
portion 217 and the more rigid central portion 227 of the bottom
wall 207, as well as the series of holes 247 formed in the dome
portion 217.
[0036] FIG. 13 shows a further alternative embodiment of the
present disclosure. In this case, the container body 1 is inserted
inside the member 8 which in this case imparts rigidity to the
container body itself, supporting it externally. The bottom wall
101 of the container body 1 faces the bottom wall 208 of the member
8, which is provided with a plurality of through-holes 218 and
pyramidal reliefs 228. In FIG. 14 it is possible to note the
arrangement of the bottom wall 101 of the container body 1 very
close to the pyramidal reliefs 228.
[0037] FIG. 15 shows a further embodiment of the present
disclosure, and particularly a variant of the embodiment shown in
FIGS. 13 and 14. In this case also, the stiffening member 9 is
located outside of the container body 1, and the bottom wall 209 of
the stiffening member also has pyramidal reliefs 219 in a similar
way to that envisaged in the wall 208 of the stiffening member 8 as
shown in the embodiment according to FIGS. 13 and 14. In this case,
however, the side wall 109 and the flange 119 connected thereto
have grooves 129 which connect the bottom wall 209 to the
environment outside of the pre-charged capsule. As can be noted
from the exploded perspective view in FIG. 16, the container body 1
is arranged inside the stiffening member 9 so that its outer walls
create, in cooperation with the grooves 129, channels communicating
with the bottom of the member 9.
[0038] The operating principle of the pre-charged capsule according
to the present disclosure will become clear from the description
below. As already mentioned, a pre-charged capsule totally made of
a metal foil material such as aluminium or the like, internally
lined with a plastic material, provides a light and impermeable
packaging, but on the other hand is an object which is not very
strong from a structural point of view and which may give rise to
problems both during storage handling operations and during final
use. The insertion of a stiffening member inside the capsule
enhances the management thereof as regards these two different
aspects; if in the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 2, the
stiffening member has a certain prominence in the structure of the
pre-charged capsule, in the embodiments according to FIGS. 3, 5 and
7, the container body 1 and the closing surface constitute in fact
the sealing casing of a pre-charged capsule which has a structure
made mainly of plastic, but which takes advantage from the fact of
being completely lined by a container which isolates it from the
external environment. Practically, the container body 1 in the
embodiments according to FIGS. 3 and 5 ceases to be a container
body in the full sense, while it is still partly so in the
embodiment according to FIG. 7, and becomes instead a lining which
allows the pre-charged capsules to be configured without the need
for further packaging which is normally added in order to preserve
the integrity of the coffee aroma. In fact, the container body 1
and the closing surface 201 may be sealed together in a controlled
atmosphere, for example an inert-gas atmosphere, so that the
contents of the capsule are preserved without further measures.
[0039] The embodiment according to FIGS. 11 and 12 has, in addition
to the features of the embodiments shown in the other figures and
described above, also provides a characteristic feature relating to
the system for preparing the coffee infusion. In fact, the central
portion 217 of the bottom wall 207 is designed so as to be
sensitive to variations in pressure caused by the entry of hot
water under pressure inside the container body 1 and, therefore,
its expansion causes the central rigid portion 227 to come into
contact with the bottom wall 101 of the container body 1 and, in
particular, openings are formed in the bottom wall itself via the
nibs 237. At this point, once the coffee infusion has passed
through the holes 237 in the wall 207 of the stiffening member 7,
it can percolate outside through the opening(s) formed in the
container body 1 by the action of the nibs 237 projecting from the
portion 217 of the bottom wall 207.
[0040] The embodiments in FIGS. 13, 14 and 15, 16 are based on a
functional concept slightly different from that described hitherto.
In fact, in both cases, the stiffening member is positioned outside
of the container body 1. As a result of this choice, it has also
proved appropriate to design the bottom wall of the said stiffening
member with a plurality of holes, and the said stiffening member
has been provided with means which allow fluid communication
between said bottom wall and the external environment. The aim is
to cause the collapse, upon entry of hot water under pressure
inside the container body 1, of the bottom wall 101 of the
container body itself against the reliefs on the bottom wall of the
stiffening member; then, the infusion may be discharged towards the
dispensing and/or collection means via the holes formed in the
bottom wall or via channels formed in the side walls.
* * * * *