EP3997011A1

EP3997011A1 - Group with capsule for the preparation of beverages

Info

Publication number: EP3997011A1
Application number: EP20744112.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Sandro MIZZON
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2019-07-10
Filing date: 2020-06-23
Publication date: 2022-05-18
Also published as: WO2021005437A1; IT201900011385A1

Abstract

A group for the preparation of beverages comprising a capsule holder device (7) of a dispensing machine and a capsule (1). The capsule holder device (7) comprises a housing portion (8) and a contrast portion (9). The housing portion (8) has a free edge (10) defining a shaped compression/deformation surface (11). The capsule (1) consists of a cup-shaped body (2) with a central symmetry axis (X) and a lid (3) arranged to close the cup-shaped body (2) and a locking flange (6) with step-shaped profile and consisting, in succession, of an annular inner portion (6a) extending outwards perpendicularly to the symmetry axis (X), an annular middle portion (6b) extending parallel to the symmetry axis (X) and on the opposite side with respect to said cup-shaped body (2) and an outer portion (6c) extending outwards perpendicularly to the symmetry axis (X).

Description

"GROUP WITH CAPSULE FOR THE PREPARATION OF BEVERAGES"

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims priority from Italian patent application no. 102019000011385 filed on 10/07/2019, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference .

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a group for the preparation of beverages, such as for example coffee, comprising a capsule holder device (7) of a dispensing machine and a capsule (1), wherein a powder relating to the beverage to be made is housed.

BACKGROUND ART

For some time, systems for the preparation of beverages have been created and widely used, which provide for the use of capsules in which powders are housed and dispensing machines where the capsules are inserted. Generally, the dispensing machines comprise a capsule holder device, wherein the capsule is inserted to be crossed by a flow of water under pressure, which solubilises the powder and then flows out in the form of a beverage.

For a number of reasons, including the preservation of the organoleptic properties, the greater cost-effectiveness and the lower environmental impact, the use of aluminium in the manufacture of capsules has long been increasingly widespread. Generally, the aluminium capsules consist of a cup-shaped body and a lid arranged to close the cup-shaped body. In particular, the lid is made of an aluminium foil with a circular shape and is peripherally fixed to a free edge of the cup-shaped body through heat sealing. The cup shaped body consists of a side wall, generally of a truncated cone shape, and a bottom wall which closes the narrower end of the side wall.

In order to be able to make the beverage and dispense it, the dispensing machine includes means for perforating the capsules adapted to allow both the entry of the water under pressure and the exit of the beverage.

The capsule holder device consists of two parts separated from each other and of movement means adapted to bring the capsule holder device from an open configuration to a closed configuration and vice versa. These two parts are divided into a "housing part", which has a cavity arranged to house the cup-shaped body of the capsule leaving the lid exposed, and an "abutment part", on which the lid faces in use. When the housing part and the abutment part are spaced apart, the capsule holder device is in an open configuration thereof, while when the housing part and the abutment part are in contact, the capsule holder device is in a closed configuration thereof. In the dispensing machine, the water under pressure is generally introduced through special inlet openings made in the bottom wall by means of the means present in the housing part, while the beverage comes out through special outlet openings made in the lid by the action of means present in the abutment part and in use connected to a dispensing channel. The inlet openings and the outlet openings are formed once the capsule holder device is arranged in its closed configuration with the housing part and the abutment part arranged one against the other.

One of the problems that this type of system has had to face has concerned the hydraulic seal of the capsule and capsule holder device assembly. In fact, it has not been absolutely easy to ensure that the water under pressure, once entered inside the capsule, comes out in the form of a beverage only through the outlet holes specifically made on the lid. In this regard, it is sufficient to think that the powder housed inside the capsule necessarily exerts a resistance to the passage of water, which therefore can come out of the capsule through the inlet openings itself to arrange itself outside the capsule and come out of the capsule holder device in an uncontrolled manner.

As can be immediate from the above, in the dispensing machines described above it is extremely important that a seal coupling be made between the capsule and the capsule holder device.

The aluminium capsules as described above comprise an annular locking flange extending outwards from the wider end of the side wall of the cup-shaped body. In particular, the lid is fixed through heat-sealing to such annular locking flange. The technique developed so far achieves the seal discussed above by compressing the annular locking flange between two compression surfaces carried respectively by the housing part and the abutment part. In particular, according to a widely adopted solution, the compression surface carried by the housing part and the annular locking flange of the capsule have a shape such as to create a sealing joint when the capsule holder device is in its closed configuration. Usually, such sealing joint provides that the compression surface carried by the housing part and the annular locking flange comprise at least one respective tooth-depression sequence .

Such a solution has the drawbacks relating to the complexity of production of the capsule and the difficulty in ensuring an effective sealing joint by preformed elements.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to create a new capsule for the preparation of beverages, the technical features whereof are such as to solve the drawbacks of the prior art set out above improving, at the same time, the seal between the capsule itself and the capsule holder.

The object of the present invention is a group for the preparation of beverages, comprising a capsule holder device (7) of a dispensing machine and a capsule (1); the essential features of said group being reported in Claim 1.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show a non limiting example thereof, in which:

- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a capsule according to the present invention;

- Figure 2 shows a section of the assembly consisting of the capsule of Figure 1 and a capsule holder device in its open configuration; and

- Figure 3 shows a section of the assembly consisting of the capsule of Figure 1 and a capsule holder device in its closed configuration.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

In Figure 1, a capsule for the preparation of beverages according to the present invention is indicated as a whole with reference numeral 1.

The capsule 1 comprises a cup-shaped body 2 and a lid 3 fixed through heat-sealing and arranged to close the cup shaped body 2 itself.

The cup-shaped body 2 has a symmetry axis X as rotation axis and consists of a truncated cone shape side wall 4 and a bottom wall 5 arranged to close a narrower end of the side wall 4.

The capsule 1 further comprises an annular locking flange 6 extending outwards from a free end of the side wall 4 of the cup-shaped body 2.

The locking flange 6 has a "step" conformation and consists, in succession, of an annular inner portion 6a arranged substantially perpendicular to said symmetry axis X, an annular middle portion 6b arranged substantially parallel to said symmetry axis X and extending on the opposite side with respect to said cup-shaped body 2, and an annular outer portion 6c arranged substantially perpendicularly to said symmetry axis X. The annular middle portion 6b has a height ranging from 1.0 to 2.0 mm.

The annular outer portion ends with an annular fold T, which ensures a terminal thickening of the locking flange 6 as a whole.

As indicated in the enlargement of Figure 1, the lid 3 is fixed through heat sealing preferably on the entire inner surface 6d of the locking flange 6. The step conformation of the flange 6 ensures a high sealing surface and, therefore, the sealing of the lid. In this regard, as it may be apparent to a person skilled in the art, a greater welding surface and, therefore, sealing surface of the lid ensures greater sealing of the lid both during the storage of the capsules and during the dispensing operations (the water pressure is about 19 bars) .

With regard to the storage step, it should be mentioned that some edible powders, such as for example coffee, release gases over time which necessarily exert pressure on the lid.

As can be apparent to a person skilled in the art, such a shape of the locking flange is far simpler to be made than the shape with the tooth/depression sequence as reported in the analysis of the prior art.

Preferably, the capsule is made of a material selected between aluminium, compostable material and paper.

Figures 2 and 3 show a group consisting of a capsule holder device 7 and the capsule 1 of Figure 1. The capsule holder device 7 is part of a known dispensing machine which is not illustrated for simplicity.

The capsule holder device 7 comprises a housing portion 8 and a contrast portion 9 arranged to move with respect to each other to bring the capsule holder device from an open configuration thereof to a closed configuration thereof and vice versa.

In particular, in Figure 2 the capsule holder device 7 is in its open configuration (housing portion 8 and contrast portion 9 spaced apart) , while in Figure 3 the capsule holder device 7 is in its closed configuration (housing portion 8 and contrast portion 9 in contact with each other) .

The housing portion 8 comprises means (known and not illustrated for simplicity) for making water inlet openings in the bottom wall 5, while the contrast portion 9 comprises means (known and not illustrated for simplicity) for making beverage outlet openings in the lid 3.

In the housing portion 8 there is a cavity for housing the cup-shaped body 2 of the capsule 1 with the exception of the locking flange 6. The housing portion has a free edge 10 defining a compression/deformation surface 11 facing the locking flange 6. The compression/deformation surface 11 defines a pair of teeth interspersed with a "V" depression.

As can be clearly seen in Figure 3, when the capsule holder device 7 moves to its closed position, the innermost tooth of the compression/deformation surface 11 compresses the annular inner portion 6a of the flange 6 deforming it in such a way as to create a sort of annular tooth thereon which occupies the V-shaped depression of the compression surface, modeling itself accordingly. In other words, the closure of the capsule holder device 7 produces a conformational modification of the locking flange 7, thus creating an interlocking between complementary surfaces.

As can be apparent to a person skilled in the art, the complementarity between two surfaces created by modeling one of them on the other is, in terms of sealing, much more effective than the complementarity of already preformed surfaces .

From the above description it is clear that the capsule object of the present invention, thanks to its particular annular locking flange, ensures a simpler and, therefore, more cost-effective production step and at the same time achieves a more effective sealing effect, such to ensure that the water that necessarily flows around the capsule does not come out of the capsule holder device of the dispensing machine.

Claims

C L A I M S

1. A group for the preparation of beverages comprising a capsule holder device (7) of a dispensing machine and a capsule (1) containing the powder from which to make the beverage; said capsule holder device (7) comprising a housing portion (8) and a contrast portion (9) arranged to move with respect to each other to bring the capsule holder device (7) from an opening configuration thereof to a closing configuration thereof and vice versa; said housing portion (8) having a free edge (10) defining a shaped compression/deformation surface (11); said capsule (1) consisting of a cup-shaped body (2) and a lid (3) arranged to close said cup-shaped body (2); said cup-shaped body (2) having a central symmetry axis (X) and consisting of a side wall (4) and a bottom wall (5); said capsule (1) comprising an annular locking flange (6) extending outwards from a free end of the side wall (4) of said cup-shaped body (2); said lid (3) being peripherally fixed to a surface (6d) of said locking flange (6);

said group being characterized in that said locking flange (6) has a step-shaped profile consisting, in succession, of an annular inner portion (6a) extending outwards perpendicularly to said symmetry axis (X) , an annular middle portion (6b) extending parallel to said symmetry axis (X) and on the opposite side with respect to said cup-shaped body (2) and an outer portion (6c) extending outwards perpendicularly to said symmetry axis (X) ; said annular inner portion (6a) being arranged at said shaped compression/deformation surface (11); said shaped compression/deformation surface (11), in use, deforming said annular inner portion (6a) when said capsule holder device (7) is arranged in its closed configuration.

2. A group according to Claim 1, characterized in that said lid (3) is fixed, through heat sealing, on an entire inner surface (6d) of the locking flange (6) .

3. A group according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said annular middle portion (6b) has a height ranging from 1.0 to 2.0 mm.

4. A group according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said annular outer portion (6c) ends with an annular fold (T) , which ensures a terminal thickening of the locking flange (6) as a whole.

5. A group according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said compression surface (11) defines a pair of teeth interspersed with a "V" depression.

6. A group according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said capsule is made of aluminium.

7. A group according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said capsule is made of compostable material .

8. A group according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said capsule is made of paper.