U.S. patent application number 15/029877 was filed with the patent office on 2016-08-11 for capsule for beverages.
The applicant listed for this patent is SARONG SOCIETA' PER AZIONI. Invention is credited to Andrea Bartoli, Davide Capitini, Alessandro Grillenzoni, Flavio Traldi.
Application Number | 20160229624 15/029877 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49683934 |
Filed Date | 2016-08-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160229624 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bartoli; Andrea ; et
al. |
August 11, 2016 |
Capsule For Beverages
Abstract
Capsule for beverages includes a casing with a base and side
wall defining a cavity suitable for containing an initial product
for combining a fluid to obtain a final product, and a flange rim
extending from the side wall. The base wall has an opening bounded
by a base rim extending up to the side wall; the capsule includes a
cover element, fixed to the flange rim to seal hermetically the
cavity which is perforable by an extracting or injecting
arrangement of a dispensing machine having a usable capsule, and a
closing element fixed to the base rim to seal hermetically the
capsule, which is respectively perforable by an injecting or
extracting arrangement of the dispensing machine; wherein the
closing element has greater dimensions than the base wall and is
fixed to the side wall remaining joined to the capsule in the
presence of a pressure increase inside the capsule.
Inventors: |
Bartoli; Andrea; (Reggio
Emilia, IT) ; Capitini; Davide; (Reggio Emilia,
IT) ; Grillenzoni; Alessandro; (Campogalliano
(Modena), IT) ; Traldi; Flavio; (San Prospero
(Modena), IT) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
SARONG SOCIETA' PER AZIONI |
Reggiolo (Reggio Emilia) |
|
IT |
|
|
Family ID: |
49683934 |
Appl. No.: |
15/029877 |
Filed: |
October 16, 2014 |
PCT Filed: |
October 16, 2014 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/IB2014/065358 |
371 Date: |
April 15, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 85/8043
20130101 |
International
Class: |
B65D 85/804 20060101
B65D085/804 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 17, 2013 |
IT |
MO2013A000297 |
Claims
1-9. (canceled)
10. A capsule for beverages comprising a casing in turn comprising:
a base wall and a side wall defining a cavity that is suitable for
containing an initial product to be combined with a fluid to obtain
a final product, and further a flange rim extending from said side
wall, said base wall having an opening bounded by a base rim
extending up to said side wall; wherein said capsule further
comprises a cover element, fixed to said flange rim to seal
hermetically said cavity which is perforable by an extracting
arrangement or an injecting arrangement of a dispensing machine in
which said capsule is usable, and a closing element fixed to said
base rim to seal hermetically said opening, which closing element
is respectively perforable by an injecting arrangement or an
extracting arrangement of said dispensing machine; wherein said
closing element is of greater dimensions than said base wall and is
also fixed to said side wall to remain joined to said capsule even
in the presence of a pressure increase inside said capsule.
11. The capsule according to claim 10, wherein said base rim
defines a base edge with said side wall, said closing element
extending beyond said base edge and being superimposed on said side
wall along the entire said base edge.
12. The capsule according to claim 10, wherein said closing element
is superimposed and fixed to said side wall for at least one strip
of 2 mm measured from said base edge, in particular for a strip of
2.5 mm.
13. The capsule according to claim 10, wherein said closing element
is superimposed and fixed to said side wall for the entire side
wall.
14. The capsule according to claim 11, wherein said closing element
is disk-shaped and has a diameter that is greater than a diameter
of said base wall.
15. The capsule according to claim 14, wherein said side wall
comprises a first portion connected to said base edge and a second
portion defining with said first portion a side edge, said closing
element being fixed to said first portion of said side wall.
16. The capsule according to claim 15, wherein said first portion
is of frustoconical shape and has a first tilt that is greater than
a second tilt of said second portion, which is also of
frustoconical shape, said first and said second tilt being measured
with respect to a symmetry axis of said capsule.
17. The capsule according to claim 10, wherein said closing element
is fixed to said base rim of said capsule and to said side wall by
thermowelding at a joining portion.
18. The capsule according to claim 17, wherein said base rim
defines a base edge with said side wall, said closing element
extending beyond said base edge and being superimposed on said side
wall along the entire said base edge, said side wall comprising a
first portion connected to said base edge and a second portion
defining with said first portion a side edge, said closing element
being fixed to said first portion of said side wall and wherein
said joining portion extends in said base rim and in said first
portion through said base edge up to said side edge.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a national phase of PCT International
Application No. PCT/1B2014/065358 filed Oct. 16, 2014.
PCT/IB2014/0065358 claims priority to IT Application No.
MO2013A000297 filed Oct. 17, 2013. The entire contents of these
applications are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The invention relates to capsules or containers for
preparing products, for example beverages, in automatic dispensing
machines.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In particular, the invention relates to a single-dose and
disposable sealed capsule containing an initial product such as,
for example, powder coffee or an infusion product that is able to
make a final product by interacting with pressurised fluid.
[0004] The known capsules for use in dispensing machines are
disposable and single-dose containers comprising an outer casing,
made of plastics impermeable to liquids and to gases and having a
beaker or cup shape.
[0005] FIG. 3 shows a capsule 1 as disclosed in application
ITMO2013A000214 of the same applicant.
[0006] The casing, indicated by 2, has a base wall 3 and a side
wall 4 defining an open cavity 5 into which a product P can be
inserted, for example ground coffee or tea, from which the beverage
can be obtained. A flange-shaped rim 7 is connected to the side
wall 4, extends therefrom and is arranged around an upper opening
of the cavity 5. The upper opening is hermetically sealed by a
cover element 8, typically an aluminium or plastics film, that is
fixed to the edge 7 of the casing 2 so as to seal the product P
inside the container.
[0007] The base wall 3 of the capsule 1 further has an opening, for
example circular, bounded by an annular base rim 3a onto which a
further cover element 25 is fixed, that is made of a material that
is similar to the material of the cover element 8.
[0008] The capsule is perforable to enable the pressurised liquid,
typically water, to be delivered, and the obtained coffee beverage
to exit. In particular, the further cover element 25 and cover
element 8 are respectively perforable by a suitable pressurised
fluid injecting arrangement and an extraction arrangement of a
dispensing machine to enable the pressurised liquid to be delivered
and the beverage to be extracted.
[0009] Alternatively, the capsule can also be inserted into
dispensing machines of known type in which the cover element 8 and
the further cover element are respectively perforable by a
pressurised fluid injecting arrangement and an extracting
arrangement of a dispensing machine.
[0010] In other words, both the cover element 8 and the further
cover element 25 are made of an easily perforable material that
causes the capsule to be able to be used with great flexibility of
use in dispensing machines, regardless of whether the cavity faces
upwards or downwards.
[0011] The capsules are usually filled with the initial product P
by means of a manufacturing process that supplies the thermoformed
casings to a filling station and subsequently supplies these filled
casings to a welding station to seal the cavity by welding the
cover element to the flange rim of the capsule, the further cover
element having been already fixed to close the base rim 3a. During
this fixing of the cover element, into each capsule an inert gas
such as nitrogen is delivered to replace the air to maintain the
organoleptic properties of the initial product P unaltered owing to
the inhibiting and bacteriostatic action of the gas used.
[0012] Nevertheless, if ground coffee is supplied to each casing,
it is known that after roasting and grinding the coffee continues
to be transformed even in the presence of the inert gas, releasing
over time carbon dioxide and aromas in a ratio that is inversely
proportionate to the time that has elapsed since roasting. For this
reason, the ground coffee is usually subjected to a degassing step
in storage silos, which is necessary for freeing the coffee from
the carbon dioxide that is naturally released by the coffee.
SUMMARY
[0013] One problem of capsules of known type is that they can be
filled with ground coffee that has not been subjected to the
degassing step or has not been subjected to the degassing step is
an efficient manner. In these capsules, the coffee can release
carbon dioxide and can thus cause an unexpected increase of the
pressure inside the capsule, which may cause deformations or an
undesired swelling of the cover element and/or of the further cover
element but which can even compromise the wholeness of the capsule,
usually at the further cover element.
[0014] The excessive pressure can in fact cause tearing of the
further cover element and the separation thereof from the base wall
of the capsule, the further cover element being connected to the
base wall by a welding rim that depends on the dimensions, which
are often reduced, of the base wall.
[0015] The problem of the release of carbon dioxide is known not
only for coffee, as said previously, but also for certain types of
partially fermented tea, which may thus continue to ferment,
releasing carbon dioxide also after the capsules have been filled.
Also in this case, a filled capsule may break, due to the excessive
build-up of pressure inside the capsule.
[0016] This problem is even greater if it is considered that after
the capsules have been filled with the initial product P and
packaged they may be stored for a long time in warehouses waiting
to be distributed to consumers. A capsule may also break after the
capsule has been purchased by a consumer and can thus cause damage
in an uncontrolled manner.
[0017] One object of the present invention is to improve known
capsules for beverages, in particular capsules that are usable in
known dispensing machines, ensuring the wholeness of the capsule
regardless of the initial product with which it is filled.
[0018] Another object is to devise a capsule that can be filled
also with initial products that are able to release a gas after
filling without the wholeness thereof being compromised over
time.
[0019] A further object is to devise a capsule in which a closing
element is fixed to a flange rim and a further closing element is
fixed to the base wall, in which the further closing element does
not separate from the base wall when subjected to pressure.
[0020] A still further object is to obtain a capsule that is cheap
and easy to make.
[0021] According to a first aspect of the invention, a capsule for
beverages is provided according to the independent claim and one or
more of the claims appended thereto.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] The invention can be better understood and implemented with
reference to the attached drawings, which illustrate some
embodiments thereof by way of non-limiting example, in which:
[0023] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross section, with parts removed for
the sake of clarity, of a capsule according to the invention;
[0024] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged schematic cross section of a
base wall of the capsule in FIG. 1;
[0025] FIG. 3 is a schematic cross section of a known capsule for
beverages.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] With reference to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a capsule 1
for beverages according to the invention, for producing a final
product, in particular a hot beverage, for example coffee, barley,
herbal tea, tea, chocolate, etc, by injecting a hot pressurised
fluid F inside the capsule.
[0027] It is pointed out that for uniformity with the prior art
capsule disclosed in FIG. 3, the same numeric references are
assigned to the same components.
[0028] The capsule 1 of the invention comprises an outer casing or
container 2, in turn comprising a base wall 3 and a side wall 4
defining an open cavity 5 and that is suitable for containing an
initial product P, for example a soluble or percolable food product
to be combined with a fluid, typically water, to obtain a final
product. The base wall 3 and the side wall 4 define a body of the
capsule 1 substantially in the form of a beaker or cup. According
to one embodiment, the base wall 3 is flat and in particular of
circular shape.
[0029] The casing further comprises a flange rim 7 connected to the
side wall 4 and extending therefrom, arranged around an upper
opening of the cavity 5. The flange rim 7 is further opposite the
base wall 3 and faces outside with respect to the cavity 5.
[0030] The base wall 3 of the capsule has an opening 30, for
example circular, bounded by a base rim 3a, for example annular,
extending up to the side wall 4 of the capsule and comprises an
annular wall 31 that extends around the opening 30 inside the
cavity 5 and defines a recessed portion of the base wall 3, made in
a single body with the base wall 3.
[0031] The annular wall 31 has an inner end provided with a
respective rim 31a facing a symmetry axis A of the capsule 1, that
bounds a hole 32 substantially of the same size as the opening 30.
The annular wall 31 defines in this manner a through conduit having
the opening 30 that is an outer end opening, i.e. facing the
outside of the capsule, on the side opposite the hole 32 of the
inner end.
[0032] As shown in FIG. 1, the rim 31a of the annular wall 31 faces
the portion of the cavity 5 intended for receiving the initial
product P and contributes, if the base wall 3 of the capsule 1 is
intended in use to be perforated by an injecting arrangement of the
dispensing machine and the initial product is powder coffee, to
maintaining said coffee powder compacted, avoiding preferential
fluid paths being created therein that may give rise to a beverage
of poor quality. It is in fact known that the pressurised fluid
injected into the capsule has to be distributed as uniformly as
possible in the initial product in order to be able to extract
therefrom aromatic components to be transferred to the beverage,
above all if the initial product is powder coffee. The through
conduit defined by the annular wall 31 achieves in use a guiding
element of an injecting arrangement of the dispensing machine.
[0033] The casing 2 is made by forming a sheet of thermoformable
plastics (not shown) that is suitable for the process of preparing
the final product from the initial product P, for example able to
withstand temperatures up to 100.degree. C. and pressures up to 5
bar without deformation.
[0034] Such a sheet of plastics 100 can have a thickness comprised
between 15 micron and 1600 micron, in particular between 400 micron
and 1200 micron and is made of polyolefins, for example
polypropylene PP and/or polyethylene PE and/or polyamide PA.
[0035] In detail, the sheet material can comprise a first layer of
material, in particular suitable for contacting and/or conserving
the initial product P, for example made of polypropylene PP that is
impermeable to humidity, a second layer of material that is not in
contact with the initial product P made of a material that is
impermeable to gases, in particular to oxygen and optionally also
to humidity, also known as a barrier layer, and a third external
layer of material.
[0036] The barrier layer, interposed between the first and the
third layer, ensures the complete insulation of the cavity 5 from
the outer environment, in particular if the first layer is
permeable over time to oxygen. The barrier layer has a thickness
comprised between 2 micron and 100 micron, in particular between 15
micron and 70 micron, and is made, for example, of ethylene vinyl
alcohol (EVOH), which is gas-impermeable only to the oxygen or
polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), which is gas-impermeable to both
oxygen and humidity.
[0037] According to a first embodiment (not shown) of the sheet
material, the first and third layer are made of the same material,
for example polypropylene PP and are coupled with the barrier layer
interposed therebetween. These layers can have the same thickness
(for example 350 micron), or different thicknesses (for example the
first layer can have a thickness of 500 micron whereas the third
layer can have a thickness of 300 micron).
[0038] According to a second embodiment (not shown), the first
layer is a support and is made of polypropylene PP, the second
layer is the barrier layer (EVOH or PVDC) and the third layer is an
extruded layer of polypropylene PP or polyethylene PE, with a
thickness of 15 micron, which is coupled with the first and the
second layer during the process of manufacturing the sheet
material.
[0039] The sheet material, both according to the first and the
second embodiment, is thus selected so as to protect over time the
initial product P contained in the capsule from humidity and
oxygen.
[0040] The capsule further comprises a cover element 8 fixed to the
rim 7 of the casing 2 to seal hermetically the capsule 1, i.e. the
open cavity 5 and thus preserve the product P. The cover element 8
comprises a film of aluminium or a plastic film provided with a
barrier layer that is perforable by an extracting arrangement of
the final product or by an injecting arrangement of the initial
fluid F of the dispensing machine.
[0041] The cover element 8 is fixed to the rim 7 of the casing 2 by
thermal or ultrasound welding or by gluing. In particular, the
cover element 8 is fixed to the casing 2 by locking thermowelding,
in the sense that this thermowelding ensures that the capsule
conserves over time the initial product P in ideal conditions when
stored during storage.
[0042] A closing element 26, which is similar to the cover element
8 and is perforable by an injecting arrangement of the fluid F or
by an extracting arrangement of the final product, is fixed to the
further rim 3a outside the base wall 3, to hermetically seal the
opening 30. As already said for the cover element 8, the closing
element 26 is fixed to the annular rim 3a by thermal or ultrasound
welding or by gluing and in particular the closing element 26 is
fixed to the casing 2 by locking thermowelding in a joining portion
33.
[0043] The thickness of the cover element 8 and/or of the closing
element 26 is expressed in grammage and is comprised between 5 and
120 g/m.sup.2.
[0044] According to the invention, the closing element 26 has
greater dimensions than the base wall 3 and is also fixed to the
side wall 4 to remain joined to the capsule even in the presence of
a pressure increase inside the capsule, as will be seen below.
[0045] It should be noted that the base rim 3a defines a base edge
34 with the side wall 4 and that the closing element 26 extends
beyond the base edge 34 and is superimposed on the side wall 4
along the entire base edge 34, and namely angularly all around with
respect to the symmetry axis A of the capsule.
[0046] The closing element 26 is superimposed and fixed to the side
wall for at least one strip of 2 mm measured from the base edge 34,
in particular for 2.5 mm, but can be fixed to the side wall 4 for
the entire side wall 4.
[0047] If the closing element 26 is disc-shaped and the base wall
is circular and flat, or a polygon that can be inscribed in a
circle, the closing element 26 has a greater diameter than the base
wall 3.
[0048] The side wall 4 comprises a first portion 4a connected to
the base edge 34 and a second portion 4b defining with the first
portion a side edge 35. The second portion 4b extends up to the
flange rim 7, as shown in FIG. 1.
[0049] It should be noted that the first portion 4a is of
frustoconical shape and has a first tilt, which is greater than a
second tilt of the second portion 4b, which is also of
frustoconical shape. The first and the second tilt are measured
with respect to the symmetry axis A of the capsule.
[0050] Nevertheless, it is pointed out that the side wall 4 and
thus the body of the capsule could be shaped differently and not
have frustoconical portions but for example truncated-pyramid
portions that can be inscribed into frustoconical portions. For
example, the first portion could be truncated-pyramid and the
second portion could also be truncated-pyramid, both, for example,
with an octagonal base but with a different tilt.
[0051] Optionally, the side wall 4 of the capsule could also
comprise a plurality of frustoconical or truncated pyramid portions
with a gradually decreasing tilt and thus comprise a plurality of
side edges.
[0052] In other words, although the closing element 26 is shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2 as associated with the casing 2 having a specific
shape, the casing 2 could be shaped otherwise, with regard to the
base wall 3, the side wall 4 or the flange rim 7, and everything
said previously with regard to the closing element 26 would
continue to be valid.
[0053] We have said that the closing element 26 is fixed to the
base rim 3a and to the side wall 4 by thermowelding.
[0054] In detail, the closing element 26 is fixed to the side wall
4 in the entire first portion 4a. In other words, the joining
portion 33 by means of which the closing element 26 is thermowelded
to the capsule 1 extends in the annular base rim 3a, which is flat,
and in the first portion 4a of the side wall 4, oblique to the base
rim 3a, through the base edge 34 up to the side edge 35.
[0055] Experimentally, it has been verified that the closing
element 26 remains joined to the capsule even in the presence of a
pressure increase inside the capsule because the joining portion 33
placed at the base rim 3a separates at pressure of about 2 bar
whereas the joining portion 33 placed in the side wall 4 remains
unchanged up to 4.5 bar, a pressure beyond which the casing 2 of
the capsule 1 is torn together with the closing element 26.
[0056] In detail it has been verified that: [0057] at 0.5 bar the
closing element 26 shows a swelling but the joining portion 33,
placed in the base rim 3a and in the first portion 4a, remains
unchanged; [0058] at 1 bar the joining portion 33 placed in the
base rim 3a starts to separate but the joining portion placed in
the first portion 4a remains unchanged; [0059] at about 2 bar the
joining portion 33 placed in the base rim 3a separates but the
joining portion placed in the first portion 4a remains unchanged;
[0060] up to 4.5 bar the joining portion 33 in the first portion 4a
remains unchanged; [0061] beyond 4.5 bar the closing element 26 and
the casing 2 are torn by excessive pressure but the thermowelding
in the joining portion 33 through which the closing element 26 is
joined to the capsule 1 remains unchanged.
[0062] Up to 4.5 bar, it is thus ensured that a circumferal rim of
the closing element 26 remains joined to the capsule, in particular
to the side wall 4 thereof, by locking thermowelding ensuring the
wholeness of the capsule even at high pressures.
[0063] It has in fact been observed that the pressure released
inside the cavity 5 of the capsule stresses the closing element 26
perpendicularly at the opening 30 and this causes the joining
portion to be pushed in a direction that is orthogonal to the
welding plane in the base rim 3a.
[0064] Nevertheless, the joining portion 33 is stressed only
obliquely at the first portion 4a, after the base rim 3a has been
separated, because the closing element 26 continues to be pushed
mainly perpendicularly at the opening 30 by the pressure inside the
capsule.
[0065] Owing thus to the fact that the closing element 26 is fixed
both to the base rim 3a and to the side wall 4, a capsule can also
be filled with an initial product that releases gas inside the
capsule, because both the cover element 8 and the closing element
26 can withstand high pressure without compromising the wholeness
of the capsule.
[0066] It follows that the capsule can also be filled with coffee
that has not been completely degassed, because the higher pressure
that may develop inside a capsule is less than the pressure at
which the closing element 26 separates from the capsule. The
capsule of the invention thus remains sealed even after a time has
elapsed since the filling thereof, regardless of the initial
product with which the capsule is filled (ground coffee degassed or
not or tea) and regardless of the moment at which it is consumed by
the user.
[0067] Further, the process of manufacturing each capsule becomes
cheaper because it is no longer necessary to subject the ground
coffee to a degassing step but it is possible to fill the capsules
with coffee that has just been roasted and ground.
* * * * *