PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A CONTAINER FOR PREPARING A BEVERAGE IN A BEVERAGE PREPARATION DEVICE AND SEALING STATION FOR CARRYING OUT THE SEALING STAGE OF SAID PROCESS

Abstract

A process for producing a container for preparing a beverage in a beverage preparation device, wherein, in the final container obtained, at least 70% of the surface of a compacted beverage ingredient body (2) contained therein, is in contact with the walls of the container (3, 4).

Description

27617 PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A CONTAINER FOR PREPARING A BEVERAGE IN A BEVERAGE PREPARATION DEVICE, SEALING STATION FOR CARRYING OUT A SEALING STEP OF SAID PROCESS, AND A CONTAINER OBTAINED BY SAID PROCESS FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates to a process for producing a container for preparing a beverage in a beverage preparation device, a sealing station for carrying out a sealing step of said process, and a container obtained by said process. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is known to prepare beverages using a pod containing an ingredient, particularly ground coffee, in a beverage preparation device. Known pods have a chamber, usually made by superimposing two cup-shaped bodies arranged upside down and welded together along their respective peripheral edges (as shown in Figures 1 and 3). The cup-shaped bodies are generally, but not absolutely necessarily, identical.Known pods usually comprise an injection wall, through which water is to be introduced into the pod chamber, and which is configured to be pierced by an injection member of the beverage preparation device to circulate a fluid under pressure within said chamber, and a beverage supply wall, through which the beverage is to be dispensed, and which is configured to open upon interaction with the opening elements of the beverage preparation device. Before sealing the peripheral edges of the two cup-shaped bodies together, a beverage ingredient is placed on the cup-shaped delivery wall. The beverage ingredient is usually a body formed by a compacted ingredient, which has a three-dimensional shape and is sized in such a way as not to completely fill the chamber delimited by the injection and delivery walls (when they overlap) and in such a way that a rather large empty space is provided in the chamber between said body and the inner surfaces of the injection and delivery walls (as shown in Figure 3). In known pods, the beverage ingredient body is not in contact with the entire inner surfaces of the injection and delivery wall bodies, but is usually in contact only 2050123 of 19 with a central portion limited by the delivery wall. The void space not filled by the compacted ingredient body in the chamber delimited by the injection and delivery walls is commonly referred to as the "void space"; this term will be used in this text with this meaning. Following an eco-responsible approach, some existing pods are made of paper. In such paper pods, during extraction, in addition to openings due to the interaction of the dispensing wall with the beverage preparation device, cracks form in addition to the desired openings for the beverage outflow. These cracks are undesirable because they negatively affect proper beverage preparation and also because the beverage ingredient, such as ground coffee, flows out of the pod and into the user's cup. The objective of the present invention is to provide a process for producing a container for preparing a beverage, a sealing station for carrying out a sealing step of said process, and a container obtained by said process, which avoid the aforementioned drawbacks of the existing container. In particular, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a process for producing a container for preparing a beverage and a container obtained by said process that improves the opening of the container's supply wall, avoiding the formation of unwanted cracks in said wall. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention as claimed in claim 1 is a process for producing a container for preparing a beverage in a beverage preparation device, comprising the steps of: a. providing an injection wall of said container comprising a paper layer, said injection wall comprising: a peripheral sealing edge, and an inner portion capable of being pierced by an injection member of the beverage preparation device to circulate water under pressure within said container; b. providing a beverage supply wall of said container comprising a paper layer, said supply wall comprising: a peripheral sealing edge, and an inner portion capable of being opened by an opening member of the beverage preparation device when pressure within said container presses said inner portion against said opening member, to allow flow of beverage out, wherein at least one, preferably both, of said inner portions of said 2050123 of 19 injection and supply walls have a cup shape; c. placing a compacted body of the beverage ingredient into the cup-shaped inner portion of the injection or delivery wall; d. placing the injection and supply walls one above the other such that the sealing edges of said injection and supply walls overlap, to form a preliminary container chamber containing said ingredient body and comprising a preliminary empty space not filled by said compacted ingredient body; e. providing a sealing station comprising: first and second housing elements forming a sealing chamber for housing inner portions of said injection and supply walls, wherein said first and second housing elements are configured to move toward each other to seal said edges, and such that surfaces of said sealing chamber are in contact with external surfaces of said inner portions of the injection and supply walls. According to the invention, the process further comprises the steps of: f. pressing said housing elements against said inner portions of the injection and supply walls, such as to form a final container chamber having a void space reduced by at least 10%, with respect to said preliminary void space, and such that in the final container thus obtained, at least 70% of the surface of the body of the compacted beverage ingredient is in contact with said injection and supply walls; g. sealing the edges of the injection and supply walls together, while the inner portions of said injection and supply walls are still pressed. Preferably, the process provides that the inner portions of the injection and supply walls are at least partially pressed by said housing elements until the distance between at least first opposite portions of the two inner surfaces of the first and second housing elements is at least 0.1% less than the final thickness of the corresponding first opposite portions of a finished container, and preferably at least 1% less; and preferably, said first opposite portions are central portions of said housing elements and of injection and supply walls. Preferably, the process provides that when the elements of 2050123 of 19 housing are pressed against said inner portions of the injection and supply walls, the overlapping edges of said injection and supply walls can slide at least partially relative to each other. More preferably, the process provides that the inner portions of the injection and supply walls are pressed by said housing elements until the maximum distance between the first opposite portions of the two inner surfaces of the first and second housing elements is at least 0.1% less than the final maximum thickness of the corresponding first opposite portions of a finished container. Preferably, the process further provides that the inner portions of the injection and supply walls are at least partially pressed by said housing elements until the void space of the final chamber of the container is less than 5% of the total volume of said final chamber, preferably less than 3%. The present invention also relates to a sealing station for carrying out the sealing step of the process for producing a container for preparing a beverage in a beverage preparation device, as described above, wherein the container comprises: - an injection wall comprising a paper layer, said injection wall comprising: a peripheral sealing edge, and an inner portion capable of being pierced by an injection member of the beverage preparation device to circulate water under pressure inside said container; - a beverage supply wall comprising a paper layer, said supply wall comprising: a peripheral sealing edge, and an inner portion capable of being opened by an opening member of the beverage preparation device when pressure within said container presses said inner portion against said opening member, to allow the flow of beverage to exit, wherein at least one, preferably both, of said inner portions of said injection and supply walls have a cup shape; - a compacted body of the beverage ingredient housed in a container chamber formed by placing the injection and supply walls one above the other in such a way that the sealing edges of said injection and supply walls overlap, wherein said container chamber before sealing said sealing edges together comprises a preliminary empty space not filled by said compacted ingredient body. 2050123 of 19 According to the invention, the sealing station comprises: - the first and second housing elements forming a sealing chamber for housing the inner portion of said injection and supply walls, wherein said first and second housing elements are configured to move towards each other to seal said edges, and such that the surfaces of this sealing chamber press the outer surfaces of the inner portions of the injection and supply walls, - wherein at least one of the inner surfaces of the first and / or second housing elements comprises a portion projecting into the sealing chamber delimited by the housing elements and increasing the pressure exerted by the surfaces of said first and second housing elements on the outer surfaces of the inner portions of the injection and delivery walls, such as to form a final container chamber having a void space reduced by at least 10%, relative to said preliminary void space, and such that in the final container thus obtained, at least 70% of the surface of the compacted beverage ingredient body is in contact with said injection and delivery walls. Preferably, the protruding portion of the sealing station is provided only on the inner surface of the first housing element that houses the supply wall. Preferably, the protruding portion of the sealing station is provided only in a central portion of the surface of one or both of the housing elements. Preferably, the protruding portion of the sealing station has a disc shape having a diameter between 10% and 80%, more preferably about 65%, the diameter of the housing elements. Preferably, the protruding portion of the sealing station has a height of between 0.5 mm and 2 mm, more preferably about 1 mm. Preferably, the protruding portion of the sealing station has a diameter between 5 mm and 30 mm, more preferably approximately 25 mm. Preferably, the first and second housing elements of the sealing station are dimensioned such that, during sealing of the edges of the injection and supply walls, the distance between at least first opposite portions of the two inner surfaces of the first and second housing elements is at least 0.1 % smaller than the final thickness of the first opposite portions. 2050123 of 19 corresponding to a finished container, and preferably at least 1% less, wherein, preferably, the distance between at least first opposite portions of the two inner surfaces of the first and second housing elements is the maximum distance between the two inner surfaces of the first and second housing elements and said final thickness of the container is the final maximum thickness of the container. The present invention also relates to a container for preparing a beverage in a beverage preparation device, obtained by a process as described above, and / or a sealing station as described above, comprising a chamber in which a beverage ingredient is stored; said chamber is delimited: - by an injection wall, through which a fluid, preferably water, is to be introduced into the container, wherein said injection wall is configured to be pierced by an injection member of the beverage preparation device to circulate said fluid under pressure within said chamber; and - by a beverage supply wall, through which the beverage is to be dispensed out of the container, wherein said beverage supply wall is configured to open upon interaction with the opening elements of the beverage preparation device under the effect of raising the pressure of said fluid being injected into said chamber; - wherein the injection and supply walls comprise sealing portions for hermetically connecting said injection and supply walls together; - wherein the beverage ingredient is a body formed by a compacted ingredient dimensioned such that at least one void space is provided in the chamber between said body and the inner surfaces of the injection and delivery walls; - wherein the injection and supply walls comprise a layer of paper. According to the invention, the inner surface of at least said supply wall, and preferably, furthermore, the inner surface of the injection wall, is continuously in contact with the outer surface of the beverage ingredient body except for a terminal portion of said injection and supply walls located at the sealing portions. Preferably, the paper layer of the injection and delivery walls of the container is made of a sulfurized paper, which has intrinsic oxygen barrier characteristics. 2050123 of 19 Preferably, the paper layer of the injection and supply walls of the container is a moldable paper layer, which can be stretched and deformed to obtain a requested shape, preferably a cup shape, for the injection and supply walls. Preferably, the paper layer of the injection and supply walls of the container has a weight between 50 g / m2 and 200 g / m2, more preferably between 70 g / m2 and 150 g / m2. Preferably, the injection and delivery walls of the container form an oxygen barrier for the beverage ingredient stored in said chamber. Preferably, the container is a single-use coffee pod. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the presently preferred embodiments, which are described below with reference to the figures, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a typical container for those skilled in the art. Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of one of the two identical walls of the vessel shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a schematic sectional view of the vessel of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a schematic sectional view of a container according to the invention; Figure 5 is a schematic sectional view of a sealing station according to the invention, at the end of the sealing step and comprising a container according to the invention and as shown in Figure 4; Figure 6 is an enlarged view of the portion of Figure 6 indicated by arrow W, to make the figure more understandable, the container has not been shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The figures illustrate a container for use in a beverage preparation device (not shown, but usual for the person skilled in the art) comprising a chamber 1 in which a beverage ingredient 2 is stored. The chamber 1 is delimited: by an injection wall 3, which comprises a peripheral sealing edge 3A and an inner portion 3B through which a fluid, preferably water, is to be introduced into the container, and which is configured to be pierced by an injection member of the beverage preparation device to circulate said fluid under pressure within said chamber, and by a beverage supply wall 4 of the beverage preparation device. 2050123 of 19 container, comprising a peripheral sealing edge 4A and an inner portion 4C through which the beverage is to be dispensed, and which is configured to open upon interaction with the opening elements of the beverage preparation device (e.g., a piercing or tearing interaction) under the effect of the upward pressure of said fluid being injected into said chamber. The peripheral sealing edges 3A, 4A are configured to hermetically connect the injection and supply walls 3, 4. The injection and supply walls 3, 4 form an oxygen barrier for the beverage ingredient 2 stored in the chamber 1. The beverage ingredient is a body 2 formed by a compacted ingredient, which has a three-dimensional shape and is formed and sized in such a way as not to completely fill the chamber 1. Therefore, in the chamber 1 there is at least one empty space 6 (Figure 4) between the body 2 of the compacted ingredient and the inner surfaces of the injection and delivery walls 3, 4. According to the invention, the injection and supply walls 3, 4 comprise a layer of paper. According to the invention, the inner surface of at least the supply wall 4, and preferably also the inner surface of the injection wall 3, is continuously in contact with the outer surface of the beverage ingredient body 2, except for a short terminal portion 4F, 3F of said walls 3, 4 located at the sealing edges 3A, 4A. This short terminal portion 4F, 3F of the supply and injection walls 4, 3 preferably has a dimension between 1 mm and 10 mm. Thanks to the facts: that the empty space 6 in the chamber 1 is very limited, that this empty space 6 is preferably provided substantially only at the edges 3A, 4A, and that the supply wall 4 is almost completely in contact with the beverage ingredient (forming a kind of “cushion”), it has been verified that in the supply wall 4 no cracks are formed during the beverage outflow, and that the beverage flows only through the openings that are formed by the interaction of the supply wall 4 with the opening elements of the beverage preparation device. It should be noted that, as shown in Figure 3, in known vessels of the above-mentioned type (and having injection and supply walls 3, 4 and a body 2 with the same dimensions of the walls and the body of the vessel according to the invention, as shown in Figure 4), the empty space 6' not filled by the body 2 in the chamber delimited by the injection and supply walls 3, 4 is 2050123 of 19 much larger than that present in the container according to the invention (shown in Figure 4). Furthermore, in known containers, the supply wall 4 has large edges 4E that are not in contact with the body 2 of the compacted ingredient. As shown in Figure 3, the empty edges 6' are not only located at the sealing edges 4A, 3A (as in the container according to the invention and shown in Figure 4), but are also located at the more curved portion 4C of the supply wall 4, which is precisely in the area of ​​the supply wall 4 where unwanted cracks form during the outflow of the beverage. In the context of the invention, the term “void space” refers to the empty space that is not filled by the body 2 in the chamber delimited by the injection and supply walls 3, 4. Preferably, the empty space 6 within the chamber 1 is less than 5% of the total volume of said chamber 1, preferably less than 3%. Preferably, the inner portions 3B, 4B of the supply walls 3, 4 have a cup shape with the sealing edges 3A, 4A forming a flat, annular edge around said inner cup portions 3B, 4B. Preferably, this cup shape is symmetrically revolutionary. Preferably, the injection and supply walls 3, 4 have a circular cross-section which increases towards the sealing edges 3A, 4A. Preferably, the injection and supply walls 3, 4 have the same shape and dimensions. Preferably, the compacted ingredient 2 has a three-dimensional shape, practically identical to the shape of the chamber 1. For example, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the compacted ingredient 2 has the shape of a disc with a thickness that decreases from the center to its outer edge. As already mentioned above, this compacted ingredient 2 does not completely fill the chamber 1. The fact that the body 2 of the compacted ingredient does not have exactly the same shape and dimensions as the chamber delimited by the injection and supply walls 3, 4 makes it possible to accelerate the automatic operations for the production of the containers, since the operations necessary to insert the compacted ingredient 2 into the container and to form the container chamber by sealing together the injection and supply walls are extremely simplified. Preferably, the paper layer of the injection and supply walls 3, 4 is a moldable paper layer. As is familiar to those skilled in the art, the injection and supply walls 3, 4 are preferably formed from a 2050123 of 19 white paper, which is stretched and given the requested shape, preferably a cup shape, as shown in Figure 2. Preferably, the paper layer of the injection and delivery walls 3, 4 is a sulfurized paper, which is a paper with intrinsic oxygen barrier characteristics. This type of paper is preferred because it does not require the addition of an additional oxygen barrier coating. Preferably, the moldable paper layer of the injection and supply walls 3, 4 has a weight between 50 g / m2 and 200 g / m2, more preferably between 70 g / m2 and 150 g / m2. If the paper layer of the injection and supply walls 3, 4 does not have intrinsic oxygen barrier characteristics, a conventional oxygen barrier coating is bonded to this paper layer. This oxygen barrier coating is made of a known mono- or multi-layer polymer coating, comprising, for example, a polymer of fossil or non-fossil origin or a BioSource polymer, and is preferably bonded to the inner surface of the injection and delivery walls 3,4. A preferred multi-layer barrier coating comprises a core layer having oxygen and / or moisture barrier properties, surrounded by a sealing layer for sealing said barrier coating to the injection and supply walls 3, 4. The oxygen barrier coating, by way of non-limiting example, comprises one or more of the following layers: - an outermost polymeric layer comprising a biodegradable polymer selected from the list of: polybutylene succinate (PBSA / bioPBS), polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT), starch, cellulose derivatives, polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), or a combination thereof; - a first coextrusion adhesive comprising a modified or functionalized biodegradable polyolefin; - a barrier layer comprising a polymer selected from the list of: butenediol vinyl alcohol copolymer (BVOH), polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), or a combination thereof; - a second coextrusion adhesive comprising a modified or functionalized biodegradable polyolefin; - an innermost polymeric layer comprising a biodegradable polymer selected from the list of: polybutylene succinate (PBSA), polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT), starch, cellulose derivatives, polylactic acid 2050123 of 19 (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) or a combination of these. Preferably, the oxygen barrier for the injection and delivery walls 3, 4 is selected to provide sufficient shelf life depending on the nature of the beverage ingredients. For example, for coffee, the expected shelf life may be 12 months. Preferably, the injection and delivery walls 3, 4 of the container are made of household compostable materials. The containers according to the invention are normally intended to be recycled in recycling processes organized at official recycling facilities in accordance with national regulations (e.g., in paper recycling streams, or general waste recycling or treatment streams). However, in case the container is placed in nature, in compostable household waste, or in a landfill, such containers are designed with materials that are naturally readily degraded by bacteria and under temperature and humidity conditions that are naturally present in nature.This ensures that such containers will not remain in nature and will disappear naturally within a short period of time (a few weeks in principle) under the conditions defined by home compostability standards. More specifically, home compostability is now well defined at the national level and is primarily based on the international standard EN 13432; therefore, they do not require further definition in depth in this specification. Materials or products that meet these standards can be recognized by a conformity mark indicating their home compostability. Some examples of national home compostability certifications include, but are not limited to, the following.The TÜV AUSTRIA BELGIUM certifier offers such a home compostability certification scheme, and DIN CERTCO offers certification for home compostability according to the Australian standard AS 5810. Italy has a national standard for room-temperature composting, UNI 11183:2006. In November 2015, the French standard "NF T 51-800 Plastics - Specifications for plastics suitable for home composting" was introduced. This standard is covered by the DIN CERTCO scheme. The beverage is prepared by mixing the fluid substance with an ingredient contained in the container. Preferably, the ingredients are selected from the list of: roasted and ground coffee, compacted or not, instant coffee powder, or leaf tea. Dairy ingredients (e.g., milk or milk substitute) could also be provided. 2050123 of 19 cream), as well as chocolate, fruit juices, soups, vegetable juices, broths, smoothies, purees, coulis, creams, chicory, barley, culinary aid, soup ingredient, infant formula or a combination thereof, in soluble powder form, in concentrated liquid form having various viscosities or in gel form. The beverage ingredients are preferably roasted and ground coffee. The container of the invention can typically interact with a beverage and / or food preparation device, such as by feeding a diluent (e.g., hot, cold, or room-temperature water) into the container; such diluents mix, or otherwise interact with, the beverage ingredients. The term "mixing the diluent with the beverage ingredient(s)" is intended to mean that all ingredients contained in the container are in a form that is compatible with a generic mixing operation (dissolving, extracting, or infusing) with the diluent to obtain the beverage product. Devices of this type are, for example, those commonly used for extracting professional "Nespresso Pro"® capsules. Preferably, the chamber delimited by the injection and delivery walls 3, 4 is substantially oxygen-free, and the void space within the container is saturated with an inert gas such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and combinations thereof. Preferably, the container has an internal gas pressure above atmospheric pressure, due to the gas contained in the coffee and emanating into the cavity after sealing, such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen. A further aspect of the present invention relates to a process for producing a container for preparing a beverage in a beverage preparation device. This process comprises the steps of: a) providing an injection wall 3 of said container comprising a paper layer, said injection wall 3 comprising: a peripheral sealing edge 3A, and an inner portion 3B capable of being pierced by an injection member of the beverage preparation device to circulate water under pressure inside said container; b) providing a beverage supply wall 4 of said container comprising a paper layer, said supply wall 4 comprising: a peripheral sealing edge 4A, and an inner portion 4B capable of being opened by an opening member of the beverage preparation device when pressure inside said container presses said inner portion 4B against said opening member, to allow the flow of beverage to exit, wherein at least one, 2050123 of 19 preferably both of said inner portions 3B, 4B of said injection and supply walls 3, 4 have a cup shape; c) placing a compacted body 2 of the beverage ingredient into the cup-shaped inner portion 3B of the injection or supply wall 3, 4 (in Figure 5 the body of the ingredient 2 is placed into the injection wall 4); d) placing the injection and supply walls 3, 4 one on top of the other in such a way that the sealing edges 3A, 4A of said injection and supply walls overlap, to form a preliminary container chamber containing said ingredient body 2 and comprising a preliminary empty space 6' not filled by said compacted ingredient body 2; e) providing a sealing station 7 comprising: first and second housing elements 8, 9 forming a sealing chamber for housing the inner portions 3B, 4B of said injection and supply walls, wherein said first and second housing elements 8, 9 are configured to move towards each other to seal said edges 3A, 4A, and such that surfaces of said sealing chamber are in contact with outer surfaces of said inner portions 3B, 4B of the injection and supply walls 3, 4. According to the invention, the process further comprises the steps of: f) pressing said housing elements 8, 9 against said inner portions 3B, 4B of the injection and supply walls 3, 4, such as to form a final container chamber having a void space 6 reduced by at least 10%, with respect to said preliminary void space 6', and in such a way that in the final container thus obtained, at least 70% of the surface of the body of the compacted beverage ingredient 2 is in contact with said injection and supply walls 3, 4; g) sealing together the edges 3A, 4A of the injection and supply walls 3, 4, while the inner portions 3B, 4B of said injection and supply walls 3, 4 are still pressed. It has been experimentally verified that by first applying a pressing step to the inner portions 3B, 4B of the injection and supply walls 3, 4, and by subsequently sealing the edges 3A, 4A of these walls 3, 4, while these walls 3, 4 are still pressed, it is possible to reduce the empty space 6 (i.e. the space not filled by the body 2 in the chamber 1) and to increase the internal surface area at least of the supply wall 4 (and preferably, in addition, of 2050123 of 19 the injection wall 3) which is in contact with the body 2 of the compacted beverage ingredient. Figure 3 shows a container obtained by a conventional production process after the sealing step, and Figure 4 shows the same container obtained by a production process according to the invention after the sealing step. As can be seen by comparing these two figures, the empty space 6 of the “conventional” container after the sealing step (shown in Figure 3) is much larger than the empty space 6 present in the container obtained according to the invention (Figure 4). In the “conventional” container after the sealing step (Figure 3) the supply wall 4 has a large part 4E of its most curved portion 4C which is not in contact with the body 2 of the compacted ingredient.The empty space 6' of the “usual” container after the sealing step (Figure 3) is not only located at the sealing edges 4A, 3A of the supply and injection walls 4, 3, but is also located at the more curved portion 4B of the supply wall 4. As can be seen in Figure 4, in a container obtained according to the invention, the injection and supply walls 3, 4 are almost continuously in contact with the outer surfaces of the body 2 of the compacted ingredient (no void space present), except for a void space 6 located substantially only at the sealing edges 3A, 4A of the injection and supply walls 3, 4. As already mentioned above, thanks to the fact: that the empty space 6 in the chamber 1 is very limited, that this empty space 6 is preferably provided, substantially only at the sealing edges 3A, 4A, and that the supply wall 4 is almost completely in contact with the beverage ingredient (forming a kind of “cushion”), it has been verified that in the supply wall 4 no cracks are formed during the beverage outflow, and that the beverage flows only through the openings that are formed by the interaction of the supply wall 4 with the opening elements of the beverage preparation device. Preferably, the inner portions 3B, 4B of the injection and delivery walls 3, 4 are at least partially pressed by said housing elements 8, 9 until the distance D1 between at least the first opposite portions 8A, 9A of the two inner surfaces of the first and second housing elements 8, 9 is at least 0.1 % smaller than the final thickness D2 of the corresponding first opposite portions 3D, 4D of a finished container, and preferably at least 1 % smaller. In this way, it is possible to obtain a better contact of the injection and delivery walls 3, 4 with the compacted beverage ingredient body 2. 2050123 of 19 Preferably, the first opposite portions 8A, 9A, 3D, 4D of the two inner surfaces of the first and second housing elements 8, 9 and of a finished container are central portions of said housing elements 8, 9 and injection and supply walls 3, 4. In this way, it is possible to obtain a better contact of the injection and supply walls 3, 4 with the compacted beverage ingredient body 2. Preferably, the first opposite portions 8A, 9A, 3D, 4D are central portions of said housing elements 8, 9 and injection and supply walls 3, 4, and said inner portions 3B, 4B of the injection and supply walls 3, 4 are pressed by said housing elements 8, 9 until the maximum distance D1 between the first opposite portions 8A, 9A of the two inner surfaces of the first and second housing elements 8, 9 is at least 0.1 % smaller than the final maximum thickness D2 of the corresponding first opposite portions 3D, 4D of a finished container. Preferably, when said housing elements 8, 9 are pressed against said inner portions 3B, 4B of the injection and supply walls 3, 4, the overlapping edges 3A, 4A of said injection and supply walls 3, 4 can slide at least partially relative to each other. In this way, it is possible to obtain better contact of the injection and supply walls 3, 4 with the compacted beverage ingredient body 2. Preferably, in a container obtained according to the invention the empty space 6 inside the chamber delimited by the injection and supply walls 3, 4 is less than 5% of the total volume of said chamber, preferably less than 3%, and the inner surface of at least the supply wall 4, and preferably furthermore the inner surface of the injection wall 3, is continuously in contact with the outer surface of the beverage ingredient body 2, except for an end portion 4F, 3F of said walls 3, 4, located at the sealing portion 3A, 4A of said walls 3, 4. As mentioned above, the injection and delivery walls 3, 4 preferably have the same cup shape and dimensions and are manufactured by forming a single layer of paper. As is familiar to those skilled in the art, the injection and delivery walls 3, 4 are formed from a paper blank, which is stretched and shaped into the desired shape, preferably a cup shape, as shown in Figure 2. As mentioned above, preferably, the paper layer of the injection and supply walls 3, 4 is a greaseproof paper, which is a paper that 2050123 of 19 has intrinsic oxygen barrier characteristics. This type of paper is preferred because it doesn't require an additional oxygen barrier coating. As mentioned above, preferably, the moldable paper layer of the injection and supply walls 3, 4 has a weight between 50 g / m2 and 200 g / m2, more preferably between 70 g / m2 and 150 g / m2. As mentioned above, if the paper layer of the injection and supply walls 3, 4 does not have intrinsic oxygen barrier characteristics, a conventional oxygen barrier coating is bonded to this paper layer. The steps and devices necessary to form the injection and supply walls 3, 4 and the compacted ingredient body 2 are known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail. After forming the injection and supply walls 3, 4, these walls 3, 4 are placed in a sealing station 7 according to the invention. The present invention also relates to a sealing station 7 for producing a container for preparing a beverage in a beverage preparation device. The sealing station 7 according to the invention comprises: - an injection wall 3 comprising a paper layer, said injection wall 3 comprising: a peripheral sealing edge 3A, and an inner portion 3B capable of being pierced by an injection member of the beverage preparation device to circulate water under pressure inside said container; - a beverage supply wall 4 comprising a paper layer, said supply wall 4 comprising: a peripheral sealing edge 4A, and an inner portion 4B capable of being opened by an opening member of the beverage preparation device when pressure inside said container presses said inner portion 4B against said opening member, to allow the flow of beverage to exit, wherein at least one, preferably both, of said inner portions 3B, 4B of said injection and supply walls 3, 4 have a cup shape; - a compacted body 2 of the beverage ingredient housed in a container chamber formed by placing the injection and supply walls 3, 4 one above the other in such a way that the sealing edges 3A, 4A of said injection and supply walls overlap, wherein said container chamber before sealing said sealing edges 3A, 4A together comprises an empty space 2050123 of 19 preliminary 6' not filled by said compacted ingredient body 2. The sealing station comprises: - the first and second housing elements 8, 9 forming a sealing chamber for housing the inner portion 4B of said injection and supply walls 3, 4, wherein said first and second housing elements 8, 9 are configured to move towards each other to seal said edges 3A, 4A, and such that the surfaces of this sealing chamber press the outer surfaces of the inner portions 3B, 4B of the injection and supply walls 3, 4. According to this invention, at least one of the inner surfaces of the first and / or second housing elements 8, 9 of the sealing station comprises a portion 8A projecting into the sealing chamber delimited by the housing elements 8, 9 and increasing the pressure exerted by the surfaces of said first and second housing elements on the outer surfaces of the inner portions 3B, 4B of the injection and supply walls 3, 4, such as to form a final container chamber having a void space 6 reduced by at least 10%, relative to said preliminary void space 6', and such that in the final container thus obtained, at least 70% of the surface of the compacted beverage ingredient body 2 is in contact with said injection and supply walls 3, 4. It has been experimentally verified that by providing the housing elements 8, 9 with a projecting portion having the characteristics indicated above, the injection and supply walls 3, 4 are strongly pressed against the compacted ingredient body 2 and remain in contact with that body after the edges 3A, 4A of these walls are sealed together. Preferably, the projecting portion 8A is provided only on the inner surface of the first housing element 8 housing the supply wall 4. Preferably, the projecting portion 8A is provided only in a central portion of the surface of one or both of the housing elements 8, 9. Preferably, the projecting portion 8A has a disc shape having a diameter G1 comprised between 10% and 80%, more preferably approximately 65%, the diameter G2 of the housing elements 8, 9. Preferably, the projecting portion 8A has a height D3 of between 0.5 mm and 2 mm, more preferably approximately 1 mm. Preferably, the projecting portion 8A has a diameter G1 between 5 mm and 30 mm, more preferably approximately 25 mm. 2050123 of 19 Preferably, the first and second housing elements 8, 9 are dimensioned such that, during sealing of the edges 3A, 4A of the injection and supply walls 3, 4, the distance D1 between at least the first opposite portions 8A, 9A of the two inner surfaces of the first and second housing elements 8, 9 is at least 0.1 % smaller than the final thickness D2 of the corresponding first opposite portions 3D, 4D of a finished container, and preferably at least 1 % smaller. Preferably, the distance between at least first opposite portions 8A, 9A of the two inner surfaces of the first and second housing elements 8, 9 is the maximum distance D1 between the two inner surfaces of the first and second housing elements 8, 9 and said final thickness is the final maximum thickness of the container. The edges 3A, 4A of the injection and supply walls 3, 4 are sealed in a manner familiar to those skilled in the art. Therefore, this sealing step will not be described in detail. It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiment of the container and the process for producing a container described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention encompassed by the appended claims. For example, the injection and / or supply walls 3, 4 and / or the body 2 formed by the compacted ingredient may have a different shape. According to another modification, the first and second housing elements of the sealing station may be movable relative to each other in a manner different from that described above, in any case in a manner usual for those skilled in the art. 2050123 of 19 Federico Aulmann - 20219535830 Digitally signed by PORTALTRAMITES - INPI Date: 2022.11.28 17:18:38 -03:00 Reason: Digitally signed by the INPI Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina 2050123

Claims

1. A process for producing a container for preparing a beverage in a beverage preparation device, comprising the steps of: a) providing an injection wall (3) of said container comprising a paper layer, wherein said injection wall (3) comprises: a peripheral sealing edge (3A), and an inner portion (3B) capable of being pierced by an injection member of the beverage preparation device to circulate water under pressure inside said container;b) providing a beverage supply wall (4) of said container comprising a paper layer, wherein said supply wall (4) comprises: a peripheral sealing edge (4A), and an inner portion (4B) capable of being opened by an opening member of the beverage preparation device when pressure inside said container presses said inner portion (4B) against said opening member, to allow the beverage flow to exit, wherein at least one, preferably both, of said inner portions (3B, 4B) of said injection and supply walls (3, 4) are cup-shaped; c) placing a compacted body (2) of the beverage ingredient in the cup-shaped inner portion (3B) of the injection or supply wall (3, 4);d) placing the injection and delivery walls (3, 4) one on top of the other such that the sealing edges (3A, 4A) of said injection and delivery walls (3, 4) overlap, to form a preliminary container chamber containing said ingredient body (2) and comprising a preliminary empty space (6') not filled by said compacted ingredient body (2); e) providing a sealing station (7) comprising: first and second housing elements (8, 9) forming a sealing chamber for housing the inner portions (3B, 4B) of said injection and delivery walls (3, 4), wherein said first and second housing elements (8, 9) are configured to move towards each other to seal said edges (3A, 4A), and such that the surfaces of said sealing chamber are in contact with the outer surfaces of said inner portions (3B, 4B) of the injection and delivery walls (3, 4);f) pressing said housing elements (8, 9) against said inner portions (3B, 4B) of the injection and supply walls (3, 4) to form a final container chamber having an empty space (6) reduced by at least 10%, with respect to said preliminary empty space (6'), and in such a way that in the final container thus obtained, at least 70% of the surface of the compacted beverage ingredient body (2) is in contact with said injection and supply walls (3, 4);g) sealing together the edges (3A, 4A) of the injection and supply walls (3, 4), while the inner portions (3B, 4B) of said injection and supply walls (3, 4) are still pressed, characterized in that, in step f), said inner portions (3B, 4B) of the injection and supply walls (3, 4) are at least partially pressed by said housing elements (8, 9) until the distance (D1) between at least the first opposite portions (8A, 9A) of the two inner surfaces of the first and second housing elements (8, 9) is at least 0.1% less than the final thickness (D2) of the corresponding first opposite portions (3D, 4D) of a finished container, and preferably at least 1% less, wherein preferably said first opposite portions (8A, 9A, 3D, 4D) are central portions of said housing elements (8, 9) and walls of injection and supply (3, 4);and / or that when said housing elements (8, 9) are pressed against said inner portions (3B, 4B) of the injection and supply walls (3, 4), the overlapping edges (3A, 4A) of said injection and supply walls (3, 4) can slide at least partially against each other. Five claims follow;