Environmentally friendly beverage filter package and beverage filter chamber

Abstract

For use in a single serving beverage brewer, a disposable beverage filter package comprises a closed permeable pouch. A dry beverage medium is contained within the pouch. The disposable beverage filter package is inserted into a reusable brewing filter chamber which is arranged to force the flow of a metered liquid into the filter package. The filter package and chamber are arranged such that the liquid is retained temporarily in the filter package for infusion of the beverage medium before permeating and then flowing through the filter package and exiting the brewing chamber near its opposite end as a liquid beverage.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]Single serve beverage makers, such as the Keurig brand, have grown in popularity in the recent years. Consumers find benefit from producing fresh beverages such as coffee on demand while avoiding the waste of making an entire pot of coffee. These devices use disposable plastic coffee pods or disposable beverage filter cartridges, otherwise known as K-Cups, which are simple to use and change out quickly. Unfortunately, the disposable filter cartridges add to landfill waste as the plastic is mixed with other non-biodegradable materials as well as the compostable beverage media and not recyclable. Consumers continue to raise environmental concerns as some manufacturers produce in excess of one billion of these disposable plastic filters each year.[0002]The complexity of the shape of these disposable filter cartridges also adds to the manufacturing costs and environmental waste. Plastic cups must be molded. Then a basket shaped filter must be folded and ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a solution for making single serving beverages in a more environmentally friendly way. The invention includes a permeable beverage filter package and a reusable beverage filter chamber. The filter package allows for longer infusion of the beverage and reduces waste of raw materials. The design separates the non-biodegradable impermeable plastic components which in prior art form the brew cartridge and freshness seal from the compostable components of the filter paper and beverage medium. The combination of efficiency and flexibility benefits the consumer by delivering a solution that allows for the use of single serve beverage systems without plastic waste.

Problems solved by technology

Unfortunately, the disposable filter cartridges add to landfill waste as the plastic is mixed with other non-biodegradable materials as well as the compostable beverage media and not recyclable.

The complexity of the shape of these disposable filter cartridges also adds to the manufacturing costs and environmental waste.

The final product is impermeable and preserves the beverage medium inside yet it is complex and costly to manufacture.

Other problems occur with the use of these cartridges.

If the cup is not rigid enough and the piercing mechanism is dull then the sidewall of the container may buckle making the cartridge becomes defective.

There can be other issues such as sealing and leaking which allow the filter to tear or beverage medium granules to contaminate the beverage.

The fluid flows through the filter cartridge but has little time to extract the full amount of flavoring from the beverage medium.

The time the fluid resides in the cartridge is far too short to allow efficient extraction.

The result is that additional beverage medium must be added to compensate for the short dwell time to extract the full flavor, further increasing cost of the beverage.

Unfortunately, the small scale filter cartridge is difficult to fill due to its small size opening.

Furthermore, it is difficult to remove the wet waste from the small opening after the beverage has been produced as the waste tends to stick vigorously to the sides of the small housing.

Unfortunately, their round construction creates considerable waste during the manufacturing process.

The space between the disks cut from the filter paper is waste.

Filter paper waste is more costly than ordinary waste since effort went into creating the paper with precisely controlled pore size, thickness and other parameters.

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