Beverage powder sachet and beverage powder sachet manufacturing apparatus

Abstract

A beverage powder capsule manufacturing apparatus is disclosed, the beverage powder capsule containing a certain amount of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product, encapsulated as a compressed powder cake between two filter materials. The apparatus includes a dispensing device and a packaging device. The dispensing device is configured to supply one portion of the extractable or soluble beverage preparation product to a powder cake forming device of the apparatus. The packaging device is configured to package the compressed powder cake received from the powder cake forming device between two filter materials to form the beverage powder capsule. The powder cake forming device includes a cylindrical rotating drum having an outer surface with recesses for receiving one portion of the extractable or soluble beverage preparation product in each recess. The bottom wall of each recess is formed by a movable piston configured to move relative to the outer surface of the drum to change the height of the recess relative to an angular position on the circumference of the drum. The powder cake forming device also includes a compression body adjacent to the rotating drum, configured to provide opposing surfaces to compress one portion of the extractable or soluble beverage preparation product. The compressor includes a drive device configured to drive the opposing surface to move along a circumferential portion of the outer surface of the rotating drum, the speed of the drive device corresponding to the speed of the outer surface of the rotating drum.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a beverage powder capsule. It also relates to a beverage powder capsule manufacturing apparatus. Furthermore, this invention relates to a powder cake forming device for use in a beverage powder capsule manufacturing apparatus. The invention further relates to a packaging device for use in a beverage powder capsule manufacturing apparatus, and also to a dispensing device for use in a beverage powder capsule manufacturing apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] Beverage capsules are well-known consumer products used in beverage maker machines to prepare consumer beverages such as coffee, tea, chocolate, or milk drinks. Typically, a beverage capsule comprises a quantity of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product encapsulated between two filter media. This allows the beverage to be prepared by supplying an aqueous fluid to the capsule in the beverage maker to extract or dissolve the beverage preparation product. For example, coffee beverages can be prepared from beverage capsules containing extractable coffee product (e.g., ground coffee) between two filter media. It is known that such capsules contain a beverage product held in a relatively loose form between two media, for example, for preparing Americano or brewed coffee beverages, or held in a compressed form between the media, for example, allowing the preparation of other types of coffee beverages, such as espresso-style coffee beverages, such as espresso, cappuccino, and latte macchiato.

[0003] In the latter case, a compressed form of beverage product can be provided by compressing the beverage product before it is packaged between two sheets. This compression of the beverage product to provide a compressed form, i.e., a cake, is achieved by a cake-forming apparatus in known beverage powder capsule manufacturing equipment. This cake-forming apparatus includes a cylindrical rotating drum with recesses on its outer surface for receiving a portion of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product in each recess. Within the drum, the bottom wall of each recess is formed by a corresponding movable piston, which is configured to move relative to the outer surface of the drum to change the height of the recess according to the angular position of the recess on the circumference of the drum. A compression wall, typically formed of a metal plate, is configured to be adjacent to the outer surface of the rotating drum to provide an opposing surface; as the drum rotates and the recess is located at an angular position opposite the opposing surface, a portion of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product in the recess of the rotating drum is compressed by the movement of the corresponding piston against this opposing surface. As the drum rotates further, the extractable or soluble beverage preparation product is moved across the opposing surfaces and released from the recess in a compressed form, packaged as a powder between two filter materials in a known packaging device to form a beverage powder capsule.

[0004] Known beverage powder capsule manufacturing equipment has a drawback: the required compression force to adequately compress the beverage product into a compressed cake provides relatively high friction between the opposing surfaces of the rotating drum containing the beverage product and the compression walls. When using this equipment, this affects the maximum rotational speed at which the drum can operate, resulting in lower productivity of the powder cakes and beverage powder capsules produced by the known equipment, and potentially impacting the quality of the formed cake, particularly its consistency.

[0005] Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus that overcomes the shortcomings of known beverage powder capsule manufacturing equipment. A specific object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus that allows for the high-productivity production of beverage powder capsules of good and consistent quality, the beverage powder capsules comprising compressed powder cakes of extractable or soluble beverage preparation products. Another object of the present invention is to provide a high-quality beverage powder capsule. Another object of the present invention is to provide a packaging device for beverage powder capsule manufacturing equipment. In particular, one object of the present invention is to provide a packaging device for beverage powder capsule manufacturing equipment that allows for the packaging of compressed powder cakes to form high-quality beverage powder capsules. Summary of the Invention

[0006] According to a first aspect, a powder cake forming apparatus is provided for use in a beverage powder capsule manufacturing device; each powder capsule has a certain amount of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product, which is sealed as a compressed powder cake between two filter materials; the powder capsule can be used in a beverage preparation machine for preparing a beverage by supplying an aqueous fluid to the powder capsule in the machine under pressure to extract or dissolve the beverage preparation product; the powder cake forming apparatus is configured to compress a portion of the beverage preparation product into a compressed powder cake and deliver the compressed powder cake to a packaging device of the device for sealing the compressed powder cake between two filter materials to form the beverage powder capsule; wherein the powder cake forming apparatus includes a cylindrical rotating drum and a compression body, the outer surface of the cylindrical rotating drum having one or more recesses for receiving a portion of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product in each of the one or more recesses. A beverage preparation product, wherein the bottom wall of each of one or more recesses is formed by a corresponding movable piston configured to move relative to the outer surface of a roller to change the height of the recess relative to an angular position on the circumference of the roller, a compressor adjacent to the roller is configured to provide an opposing surface for compression of a portion of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product in a recess of the rotating roller, the recess being located at an angular position opposite the opposing surface, by abutting against the opposing surface, the portion of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product can be compressed by the corresponding piston of the recess to form a compressed cake, wherein the compressor includes a drive mechanism configured to drive the opposing surface to move relative to a circumferential portion of the outer surface of the rotating roller, the speed of the drive mechanism corresponding to the speed of the circumferential portion of the outer surface of the rotating roller. By moving the opposing surface of the compressor and the opposing circumferential portion of the outer surface of the rotating roller at the same speed, there is almost no relative movement between these surfaces, resulting in less friction during compression of a portion of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product abutting against the opposing surface. The drive unit can drive the opposing surface of the compressor to move in the same direction relative to the circumferential portion of the outer surface of the rotating drum, the speed of which is at least almost the same as the tangential velocity of the outer surface of the rotating drum (i.e., the same speed). Therefore, the opposing surface can be driven to move synchronously with the rotating drum. Due to low friction, the rotating drum can have a high rotational speed, allowing the cake forming apparatus to produce cakes of good and consistent quality at high productivity. In one aspect of the cake forming apparatus, the extractable or soluble beverage preparation product can be compressed such that the resulting cake is constructed and configured to, when exposed to an aqueous fluid under pressure, at least substantially maintain its shape with a uniform thickness as it would when used in a beverage powder capsule in a beverage preparation machine. For example, the cake can be produced by the cake forming apparatus with a compression force between 2 kN and 8 kN, preferably between 3 kN and 6 kN, and most preferably at least close to 4 kN. It should be understood that the required compression force for producing the cake can be predetermined and selected according to the actual beverage preparation product.A compression force of at least 2 kN provides sufficient strength to produce a cake of powder to maintain a uniform thickness when used in beverage preparation. At compression forces exceeding 6 kN, the compression of the beverage preparation product results in such high flow resistance to the supplied fluid when the powder is used in a beverage preparation machine that the powder capsules in some available beverage preparation machines may become practically unusable due to unacceptably long preparation times and / or beverage properties that are below expectations, such as over-extraction leading to, for example, bitterness and aroma.

[0007] After the extractable or soluble beverage preparation product is compressed, the opposing surface can be moved away from the rotating roller so that the formed powder cake can be released from the recess. Release can be achieved solely by gravity, for example by moving the recess to an angular position on the downward-facing circumference of the roller, and / or may be influenced by further movement of the corresponding piston, thus pushing the powder cake out of the recess.

[0008] Preferably, the outer surface of the rotating roller of the powder forming apparatus has one or more recesses, i.e., multiple recesses, to increase the powder production rate of the powder forming apparatus for a given rotational speed of the roller. For example, the rotating roller may include a series of two or more substantially identical recesses on the circumference of the roller, and / or include a series of two or more substantially identical recesses distributed on the axial outer surface of the roller. Preferably, the recesses are evenly distributed on the circumference of the roller, i.e., the angular distance between consecutive recesses in a series of recesses on the circumference is at least substantially the same.

[0009] The compressor of the powder forming apparatus may have opposing surfaces sized to completely cover at least one recess of a rotating drum, allowing for uniform compression of one portion of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product abutting the recess of the opposing surface. The opposing surfaces may be sized to simultaneously cover multiple recesses of the rotating drum as they move along a circumferential portion of the outer surface of the rotating drum. For example, the opposing surfaces may extend axially along the drum to simultaneously cover multiple recesses of a series distributed on the axial outer surface of the drum. Thus, the opposing surfaces allow for the simultaneous compression of multiple portions of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product at a given angular position on the circumference of the rotating drum opposite the opposing surfaces, for each of a series of recesses distributed on the axial outer surface of the drum.

[0010] The compressor may additionally or alternatively include separate body segments, each segment configured to move along a circumferential portion of the outer surface of a rotating roller including at least one recess to define a corresponding opposing surface opposite the at least one recess. For example, in one embodiment of a powder-forming apparatus, the compressor includes a sequence of links, wherein at least one link in the sequence provides an opposing surface. This sequence of links can be driven by a drive mechanism of the compressor to move at a speed depending on the rotational speed of the rotating roller, such that at least one link moves at a speed corresponding to the speed of the circumferential portion as an opposing surface opposite a circumferential portion of the outer surface of the rotating roller, which includes at least one recess, at least during the rotation of the rotating roller. Preferably, as the rotating roller rotates further, consecutive links of the sequence of at least one link are moved as opposing surfaces opposite consecutive circumferential portions of the outer surface of the rotating roller including consecutive recesses, to provide a continuous compression system.

[0011] The at least one link may include an outer surface that at least partially serves as an opposing surface, which may extend to cover one or more recesses of the rotating drum. For example, as the link moves along a circumferential portion of the outer surface of the rotating drum, the length of the outer surface of the link may be set to simultaneously cover two or more consecutive recesses on the circumference of the rotating drum. For example, the width of the outer surface of the link may be set to simultaneously cover two or more consecutive recesses in a series of recesses distributed on the axial outer surface of the drum. Additionally or alternatively, a further sequence of links may be provided in the compression body to provide at least one additional link, which includes an outer surface that serves as an opposing surface, which may extend to cover another recess of the rotating drum or simultaneously cover multiple additional recesses of the rotating drum. The link sequence and the additional link sequence may be driven independently, or preferably simultaneously, for example, by the same drive mechanism. For example, the drive mechanism may include a rotating shaft, such as a rotatable shaft, to which the link sequence and the additional link sequence are coupled at corresponding portions. As the rotating shaft rotates, the chain link sequence and other chain link sequences (which may be parallel to each other) are driven simultaneously at the same rotational speed. The shaft can be configured to drive the chain link sequence and other chain link sequences to rotate at the same rotational speed, such that the velocity of the opposing surface of each chain link sequence opposite to the corresponding circumferential portion of the outer surface of the rotating drum is at least almost the same as the tangential velocity of the outer surface of the rotating drum.

[0012] In one embodiment of the powder forming apparatus, a link adjacent to at least one link defining an opposing surface is at least partially located near or operatively in contact with the outer surface of the rotating roller. For example, when at least one link is positioned such that its outer surface is opposite a circumferential portion of the outer surface of the rotating roller, which includes at least one recess, to form an opposing surface, the preceding link before at least one link in the link sequence and the subsequent link after at least one link in the link sequence are positioned such that at least a portion of their respective outer surfaces are opposite the preceding and subsequent circumferential portions of the outer surface of the rotating roller, respectively. This positioning of the compressor and the outer surface of the rotating roller ensures proper alignment of the opposing surface opposite the at least one recess, especially at higher roller speeds, and supports reliable and uniform compression of an extractable or soluble beverage preparation product to form a high-quality powder cake.

[0013] Preferably, at least one segment of the link sequence, for example comprising at least one link and its adjacent links, or a segment consisting of at least one link and its adjacent links, is configured to move relative to a circumferential portion of the outer surface of a rotating drum including at least one recess. Specifically, through the mutual positioning of successive links, the links in said segment of the link sequence together define an outer segment surface whose concave curvature corresponds to the curvature of the convex outer surface of the rotating drum. For example, in one embodiment, the links in the link sequence are connected to each other in a closed loop, particularly as plates connected to a continuous rotating chain (especially a track). When driven to rotate at a speed similar to the rotational speed of the rotating drum, the continuous rotating chain, especially the track, can provide an infinite number of opposing surfaces. Preferably, the number of links in the continuous rotating chain or track is such that the total outer surface length of the chain or track is at least sufficient to serve as the opposing surfaces of all the recesses on the circumference of the drum. Preferably, the opposing surfaces are driven to move at a speed at least almost the same as the speed of the relative circumferential portion of the outer surface of the rotating drum, thus preferably the total outer surface length of the chain or track is at least almost the same as the circumference of the rotating drum. In this case, the rotating roller and chain or track can be easily driven at the same frequency, that is, one complete rotation of the roller is equal to one complete rotation of the chain or track.

[0014] When the track or chain is driven to rotate, a section of the track or chain opposite the outer surface of the rotating drum can be configured to follow a curved path that defines an outer surface of the section with a concave curvature corresponding to the convex curvature of the outer surface of the rotating drum. For example, the section can be formed by at least one link and its adjacent links, wherein the links within the section are angled relative to each other to define the outer surface of the curved section.

[0015] In one embodiment, at least one link, preferably each link, has a concave outer surface whose curvature corresponds to the curvature of the convex outer surface of the rotating roller. Thus, the outer surface of at least one link, serving as the opposing surface, can be brought near the outer surface of the rotating roller, and the distance between the two surfaces is equal over the entire surface area. Due to the corresponding curvature, the setting distance (i.e., gap) between the surfaces does not change further when using the device. Alternatively or additionally, the opposing surface segment of the outer surface of at least one link can be approximately flat, i.e., not curved, in order to provide a flat surface for the powder compact.

[0016] In a second aspect, a beverage powder capsule manufacturing apparatus is provided, each powder capsule containing a certain amount of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product, encapsulated as a compressed powder cake between two filter materials. The powder capsule can be used in a beverage preparation machine for preparing a beverage by supplying an aqueous fluid to the powder capsule under pressure to extract or dissolve the beverage preparation product. The apparatus includes:

[0017] - A dispensing device configured to supply one portion of an extractable or soluble beverage preparation product to a cake forming apparatus;

[0018] - Powder forming device; and

[0019] - A packaging device configured to package compressed powder received from the powder forming device between two filter materials to form beverage powder capsules.

[0020] The powder forming apparatus is according to the first aspect described herein.

[0021] In one embodiment, the beverage powder capsule manufacturing equipment includes a packaging device comprising a rotating cylinder, such as another rotating roller, having an outer surface with recesses for receiving a first sheet of filter material in each recess. The bottom wall of each recess is formed by a corresponding movable piston configured to move relative to the outer surface of the cylinder to change the height of the recess by means of an angular position relative to the recess on the circumference of the cylinder. For example, the packaging device is positioned below the rotating roller of a powder forming apparatus to directly receive the powder cake formed by the powder forming apparatus on the first sheet of filter material in each recess of the other rotating roller. For this purpose, the cylinder is preferably configured to be driven at a rotational speed adapted to the rotational speed of the rotating roller of the powder forming apparatus, such that each powder cake formed in and provided by the powder forming apparatus is received in the corresponding recess of the cylinder. For example, the rotating roller and the cylinder may have corresponding outer surface circumferences, with corresponding numbers of recesses on their outer surface circumferences, and both may be driven to have the same rotational speed. The rotating roller and the cylinder can have different outer surface circumferences; for example, the cylinder can have a larger circumference on its outer surface, and more recesses; for example, the cylinder can have more recesses on its circumference than the rotating roller. A movable piston for each recess can be used to release the packaged powder compact from the corresponding recess; for example, by moving the piston from a retracted position closer to the outer surface of the cylinder, the piston pushes the packaged powder compact out of the recess.

[0022] Preferably, the packaging device of the beverage powder capsule manufacturing equipment includes a filter material feeding station for supplying a first continuous filter material to a rotating cylinder, wherein the continuous filter material in a corresponding recess of the cylinder is provided with indentations to receive a compressed cake of beverage preparation product delivered by a cake forming device in each indentation.

[0023] In known processes of packaging compressed powder cakes between two sheets of filter material to form a powder capsule, the first sheet is typically shaped with indentations to form a pouch-like bottom, sides, and edges that define a space for receiving the compressed powder cake. A second sheet of filter material can be applied to the compressed powder cake opposite the bottom wall to cover the beverage product on both sides, thereby forming a beverage powder capsule, for example, by sealing the second sheet to the edge of the first sheet. The formation of the first sheet is typically achieved by drawing a sheet of filter material into a recess (e.g., using a suction device), or by pressing a sheet of filter material into a recess, for example, by running a belt with protrusions along another rotating roller, which carries the first sheet and is enclosed between the roller and the belt. In practice, the elastic properties of the filter material and the tension applied to the material during suction or pressing into the recess lead to two methods where the first sheet is bag-shaped with an inclined or curved transition between its bottom and sides. That is, the angle between the bottom and sides in the formed first sheet is not a right angle or 90°, due to elastic deformation of the filter material when the suction or pressing force is removed. Therefore, known beverage capsules produced have a rounded or inclined transition between the bottom and sides, where the capsule thickness is uneven; that is, the thickness of the capsule and powder cake at the sides of the capsule is less than that at the center. This uneven thickness of the capsules, especially the powder cake, can affect the quality of the prepared beverage. Particularly for capsules containing extractable beverage products (e.g., ground coffee), uneven thickness can cause flow around when supplying an aqueous fluid through the capsule. Therefore, the extraction consistency between capsules may be lower than expected, and extraction may not be optimal.

[0024] To improve packaging in this regard, a preferred embodiment of a beverage powder capsule manufacturing apparatus has a movable piston for each recess in a cylinder. This movable piston is configured to be driven to move between a first state and a second state according to its angular position on the circumference of the cylinder. The first state defines a first height for receiving a first sheet of filter material with an indentation in the corresponding recess, the indentation having a corresponding height dimension greater than the thickness of each compressed cake of beverage preparation delivered by a cake-forming device. The second state defines a second height for forming the first sheet of filter material with an indentation in the corresponding recess, the second height being smaller than the first height, the shape of the indentation substantially matching the shape of each compressed cake of beverage preparation. Therefore, the apparatus is configured to receive a first sheet in a recess with a first height that is excessively large compared to the thickness of the cake formed by the cake-forming device, and is configured to provide an indentation to the first sheet by moving the piston in the second state, the shape of which substantially matches the shape of each compressed cake of beverage preparation. After initially making the size of the first sheet in the recess too large, reducing the height of the recess can compensate for any elastic deformation of the first sheet, thereby allowing the first sheet to be shaped with its bottom and sides at right angles or 90°. Therefore, the device is able to produce powder capsules of uniform thickness by packing a uniformly thick compressed powder cake between these first and second sheets.

[0025] In a particular embodiment of the beverage powder capsule manufacturing equipment, the filter material feeding station includes a continuously running belt with protrusions configured to form an indentation in the first filter material by pressing the first filter material into a corresponding recess in a cylinder when the corresponding movable piston is in a first state. The height dimension of the indentation is greater than the thickness of each compressed powder cake of the beverage preparation product.

[0026] In one embodiment of the beverage powder capsule manufacturing equipment, the packaging device includes another filter material feeding station for feeding a second continuous filter material onto a first continuous filter material, thereby encapsulating a compressed powder cake between the continuous sheets and cutting the continuous sheets to form a beverage powder capsule having a compressed powder cake encapsulated between the two filter materials.

[0027] One embodiment of a beverage powder capsule manufacturing apparatus includes a dispensing device comprising a container having a product chamber and an outlet orifice. The product chamber is used to contain a quantity of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product, and the outlet orifice is used to dispense multiple portions of the extractable or soluble beverage preparation product into a powder forming apparatus.

[0028] The container can be any suitable type of container with any suitable chamber volume, for dispensing multiple portions of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product at a rate matched to the speed of the powder capsule forming apparatus. However, in a preferred embodiment of the beverage powder capsule manufacturing equipment, the container includes a dispensing funnel.

[0029] In one embodiment of a beverage powder capsule manufacturing apparatus, the dispensing device includes a feeder located in the product chamber of the container, configured to supply a portion of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product to the container's outlet for dispensing into a cake forming apparatus. The feeder, such as a belt feeder, rotary feeder, or roller feeder, may be specifically configured to assist in delivering the extractable or soluble beverage preparation product to the container's outlet, in a quantity corresponding to a single portion to be supplied to the cake forming apparatus.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment, the beverage powder capsule manufacturing equipment has a feeder including a screw feeder. Screw feeders are particularly suitable for higher-speed product dispensing and supply because, by configuring the screw feeder with helical propeller blades or spiral blades, multiple individual portions can be moved simultaneously toward the container's outlet orifice.

[0031] One embodiment of a beverage powder capsule manufacturing apparatus includes a dispensing device comprising a stirring unit located in the product chamber of the container. This stirring unit is configured to stir or agitate the extractable or soluble beverage preparation product. The stirring unit reduces or prevents accidental clumping, such as agglomeration, in the container, particularly with powdered beverage substances (such as ground coffee), and thereby maintains the correct dosage of the beverage substance.

[0032] In a preferred embodiment of the beverage powder capsule manufacturing equipment, the stirring unit includes a rotary screw.

[0033] In a third aspect, a packaging device is provided for use in a beverage powder capsule manufacturing apparatus, each powder capsule containing a certain amount of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product, encapsulated as a compressed powder cake between two filter materials. The powder capsule can be used in a beverage preparation machine for preparing a beverage by supplying an aqueous fluid to the powder capsule under pressure to extract or dissolve the beverage preparation product. The packaging device is configured to package a compressed powder cake received from a powder cake forming device of the apparatus between two filter materials to form a beverage powder capsule. The packaging device includes a rotating cylinder having an outer surface with recesses for receiving a first filter material in each recess. The bottom wall of each recess is formed by a corresponding movable piston configured to move relative to the outer surface of the cylinder to change the height of the recess relative to the angular position of the recess on the circumference of the cylinder.

[0034] In one embodiment, the packaging apparatus includes a filter material feeding station for supplying a first sheet of continuous filter material to a rotating cylinder, wherein indentations are provided in the continuous filter material in a corresponding recess of the cylinder to receive a compressed cake of beverage preparation product delivered by the cake forming apparatus of the apparatus in each indentation.

[0035] In one embodiment, the packaging device has a movable piston for each recess in a cylinder, the movable piston being driven to move between a first state and a second state according to its angular position on the circumference of the cylinder. The first state defines a first height of the corresponding recess for receiving a first sheet of filter material with an indentation in the corresponding recess, the indentation having a corresponding height dimension greater than the thickness of each compressed cake of beverage preparation product delivered by the cake forming device. The second state defines a second height of the corresponding recess for forming a first sheet of filter material with an indentation in the corresponding recess, the second height being less than the first height, the shape of the indentation substantially matching the shape of each compressed cake of beverage preparation product.

[0036] In one embodiment of the packaging apparatus, the filter material feeding station includes a continuously running belt with protrusions configured to form an indentation in the first filter material by pressing the first filter material into a corresponding recess in a cylinder when the corresponding movable piston is in a first state. The height dimension of the indentation is greater than the thickness of each compressed powder cake of the beverage preparation product.

[0037] In one embodiment, the packaging apparatus includes another filter material feeding station for feeding a second continuous filter material onto a first continuous filter material, thereby encapsulating the compressed powder cake between the continuous sheets and cutting the continuous sheets to form a beverage capsule containing the compressed powder cake encapsulated between the two filter materials.

[0038] In a fourth aspect, a beverage powder capsule manufacturing apparatus is provided, each powder capsule containing a certain amount of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product, encapsulated as a compressed powder cake between two filter materials. The powder capsule can be used in a beverage preparation machine to prepare a beverage by supplying an aqueous fluid to the powder capsule under pressure to extract or dissolve the beverage preparation product. The apparatus includes:

[0039] - A dispensing device configured to supply one portion of an extractable or soluble beverage preparation product to a cake forming apparatus;

[0040] - Powder forming device; and

[0041] - A packaging device configured to package compressed powder received from the powder forming device between two filter materials to form beverage powder capsules.

[0042] The packaging device is according to the third aspect described herein.

[0043] In a fifth aspect, a dispensing device is provided for a beverage powder capsule manufacturing apparatus, each powder capsule containing a certain amount of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product, encapsulated as a compressed powder cake between two filter materials. The powder capsule can be used in a beverage preparation machine to prepare a beverage by supplying an aqueous fluid to the powder capsule under pressure to extract or dissolve the beverage preparation product. The dispensing device is configured to supply one portion of the extractable or soluble beverage preparation product to a powder cake forming device of the apparatus. The dispensing device includes a container having a product chamber and an outlet orifice. The product chamber is used to contain a certain amount of the extractable or soluble beverage preparation product, and the outlet orifice is used to dispense multiple portions of the extractable or soluble beverage preparation product to the powder cake forming device. The dispensing device includes a feeder located in the product chamber of the container, the feeder being configured to supply one portion of the extractable or soluble beverage preparation product to the outlet orifice of the container for dispensing to the powder cake forming device.

[0044] In one embodiment of the dispensing device, the container includes or is composed of a dispensing funnel.

[0045] One particular embodiment of the dispensing device has a feeder, which includes or consists of a screw feeder.

[0046] Another embodiment of the dispensing device includes a stirring unit located in the product chamber of the container, which is configured to stir or agitate the extractable or soluble beverage preparation product. Preferably, the stirring unit includes a rotary screw.

[0047] In a sixth aspect, a beverage powder capsule manufacturing apparatus is provided, each powder capsule containing a certain amount of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product, encapsulated as a compressed powder cake between two filter materials. The powder capsule can be used in a beverage preparation machine to prepare a beverage by supplying an aqueous fluid to the powder capsule under pressure to extract or dissolve the beverage preparation product. The apparatus includes:

[0048] - A dispensing device configured to supply one portion of an extractable or soluble beverage preparation product to a cake forming apparatus;

[0049] - Powder forming device; and

[0050] - A packaging device configured to package compressed powder received from the powder forming device between two filter materials to form beverage powder capsules.

[0051] The dispensing device is based on the fifth aspect described herein.

[0052] In a seventh aspect, a beverage powder capsule for use in a beverage preparation machine is provided for preparing a beverage by supplying an aqueous fluid to the capsule under pressure. The beverage powder capsule comprises a quantity of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product tightly encapsulated as a compressed powder cake between two filter materials sealed to each other at their outer edges. A first sheet of the two sheets has a bottom, sides, and edges, and a second sheet of the two sheets is a substantially flat filter material having a center and edges. The edges of the sealed sheets form the outer edges of the powder capsule, and the sides, bottom, and center define a space for accommodating the compressed powder cake containing the extractable or soluble beverage preparation product. The compressed powder cake encapsulated between the two sheets has a uniform thickness, the bottom and center of the sheets are parallel to each other on opposite sides of the compressed powder cake, and the sides extend vertically around the compressed powder cake between the bottom and the center. The powder capsules have a uniform thickness, which improves the stability of beverage quality and can improve beverage quality when used for beverage preparation, especially regarding extraction characteristics, because the occurrence of flow around is minimized or completely avoided when supplying aqueous fluids through the powder capsules.

[0053] In a preferred embodiment, the compressed powder for use in beverage powder capsules comprises a certain amount of extractable and / or soluble beverage preparation product in the layers, wherein the powder has one or more of the following characteristics:

[0054] - This layer contains 6.5g to 7.5g of ground coffee, preferably 7g;

[0055] - The moisture content of the ground coffee is 3% to 5%, preferably 4.5%;

[0056] - This layer comprises or is mainly composed of ground coffee powder with a grind size (x50) between 250 μm and 500 μm, preferably between 300 μm and 360 μm or between 430 μm and 470 μm, and optionally includes fine powder, which accounts for up to 20% of the total amount of ground coffee powder;

[0057] - Bulk density, between 350 g / L and 450 g / L, preferably between 390 g / L and 405 g / L or between 365 g / L and 390 g / L, preferably between 375 g / L and 385 g / L or between 395 g / L and 400 g / L;

[0058] - Uniform thickness, between 6 mm and 7.5 mm, preferably between 6.5 mm and 7.2 mm, and most preferably about 6.8 mm; and

[0059] - The shape is a disc with a diameter between 50mm and 60mm, preferably 55mm. Attached Figure Description

[0060] These and other aspects of the invention will be further illustrated below with reference to the accompanying drawings and corresponding embodiments, which form part of this application. Unless clearly and explicitly indicated, the drawings are by no means intended to limit the scope of the invention. In the drawings:

[0061] Figure 1 A schematic perspective view of a known beverage powder capsule manufacturing apparatus is shown.

[0062] Figure 2 A detailed partial cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the powder forming apparatus according to the first aspect described herein is shown.

[0063] Figure 3 It shows that according to Figure 2 A perspective view of an embodiment of a powder cake forming apparatus.

[0064] Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 4C A schematic representation of a beverage powder capsule according to the seventh aspect described herein is shown, wherein A) an exploded view of a powder capsule having a first piece of material and a second piece of material separated from each other, B) a side view of a powder capsule having a first piece of material and a second piece of material sealed to each other, and C) a bottom view of a powder capsule are shown respectively.

[0065] In this application, similar or corresponding features are indicated by similar or corresponding reference numerals. The description of embodiments is not limited to the examples shown in the drawings, and the reference numerals used in the detailed description and claims are not intended to limit the description of embodiments, but rather to illustrate embodiments by referring to the examples shown in the drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0066] like Figure 1As shown, a known beverage powder capsule manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a dispensing device 10 having a container with a product chamber and an outlet orifice. The product chamber is used to hold a quantity of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product, and the outlet orifice is used to dispense multiple portions of the extractable or soluble beverage preparation product to a cake forming device 20 of the apparatus. The cake forming device 20 is configured to compress a portion of the beverage preparation product received from the dispensing device 10 into a compressed cake with a compressive force ranging from 1000 N to 6000 N. The compressed cake is disc-shaped, with a diameter between 40 mm and 55 mm, preferably about 50 mm, and a uniform thickness between 3 mm and 8 mm, preferably about 7 mm. The cake forming device 20 is also configured to deliver the compressed cake to a packaging device 30 of the apparatus for encapsulating the compressed cake between two filter materials to form a beverage powder capsule. For this purpose, the powder forming apparatus 20 includes a cylindrical rotating drum having an outer surface with recesses for receiving a portion of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product in each recess. Within the drum, the bottom wall of each recess is formed by a corresponding movable piston configured to move relative to the outer surface of the drum to change the height of the recess according to the angular position of the recess on the circumference of the drum. In known devices, a compression wall (not shown), typically formed of a metal plate, may be configured adjacent to the outer surface of the rotating drum to provide an opposing surface. When the drum rotates and the recess is at an angular position opposite the opposing surface, a portion of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product in the recess of the rotating drum is compressed against this opposing surface by the corresponding piston movement. As the drum rotates further, the portion of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product is moved past the opposing surface and released in compressed form from the recess, packaged as a powder in the packaging device 30 of a known device between two filter materials to form a beverage powder capsule. The packaging device 30 includes a rotating cylinder 31, and in particular another rotating roller, having an outer surface with recesses for receiving, in each recess, a first sheet of filter material supplied by a filter material feed station 32 for feeding the first continuous sheet of filter material onto the outer surface of the rotating cylinder. The packaging device 30 includes another filter material feed station 33 for feeding a second continuous sheet of filter material onto the first continuous sheet, thereby encapsulating the compressed powder cake between the continuous sheets. In one aspect, the packaging device 30 may include a heating device (not shown) to bond multiple sheets of filter material together by heat treatment of the sheets (e.g., heat welding). Alternatively, other means may be used to bond two sheets together, such as gluing the sheets together. The packaging device 30 also includes a device 34 for cutting the continuous sheets to form individual beverage powder capsules and feeding the beverage powder capsules into suitable packaging, the beverage powder capsules having a compressed powder cake encapsulated between two sheets of filter material.

[0067] Figure 2 and Figure 3 An improved embodiment of the powder forming apparatus 20 according to the first aspect described herein and an embodiment of the dispensing device 10 are shown. The powder forming apparatus 20 is specifically configured for use in a beverage powder capsule manufacturing apparatus according to the second aspect described herein. The powder forming apparatus 20 includes a cylindrical rotating roller 21, the outer surface of which is generally smooth but has recesses 22 for receiving a portion of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product from the dispensing device 10 in each recess. The bottom wall of each recess 22 is formed by a corresponding movable piston 23, which is configured to move relative to the outer surface of the roller to change the height of the recess relative to the angular position of the recess on the circumference of the roller. In this embodiment, the rotating roller 21 has two series of recesses evenly distributed along the circumference of the roller, these series being parallel to each other in the axial direction of the roller.

[0068] As shown in the figure, the powder forming apparatus 20 also includes a compression body 40 adjacent to the rotating roller 21. This compression body provides opposing surfaces against which a portion of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product can be compressed by moving a corresponding piston of the recess. The compression body 40 includes a continuously rotating chain in the form of a track, having interconnected links 41, i.e., metal plates, forming a closed loop. In use, each link 41 can use its outer surface as an opposing surface to compress a portion of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product by rotating the chain synchronously with the rotating roller. In this embodiment, the size of each link is set to simultaneously cover one recess in each of two series of recesses; that is, the length of the link extending axially along the roller is set to simultaneously cover two parallel recesses, while the width of the link is set to cover one recess in a series of recesses extending along the circumference of the roller when the link is used as an opposing surface. Therefore, the link allows for the simultaneous compression of two portions of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product.

[0069] The compressor 40 is shaped to have a continuous rotating chain segment located near the outer surface of the rotating drum. Multiple chain links moving within this segment follow a bending path, such that the outer surfaces of the multiple chain links define the segment's outer surface, which has a concave curvature corresponding to the convex curvature of the rotating drum's outer surface. Furthermore, each chain link 41 has a concave outer surface whose curvature corresponds to the curvature of the rotating drum's convex outer surface. Due to this corresponding curvature, the compressor and the rotating drum can be closely adjacent to each other, with a distance (i.e., a gap) between their respective surfaces, which are configured to provide appropriate and desired compression of a portion of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product within each concave portion of the rotating drum.

[0070] To allow for the compression of the extractable or soluble beverage preparation product against opposing surfaces at high rotational speeds and with minimal friction, both the rotating drum 21 and the compressor 40 are driven by a drive mechanism configured (e.g., programmed) to move a continuously rotating chain along a circumferential portion of the outer surface of the rotating drum, the speed of which corresponds to the speed of the outer surface of the rotating drum. Therefore, the powder forming apparatus 20 is an improvement over known beverage powder bag manufacturing equipment because the low friction between the synchronously moving opposing surfaces enables the production of compressed powder cakes of extractable or soluble beverage preparation products with high productivity and consistent quality.

[0071] Further improvements can be made to known beverage powder capsule manufacturing equipment by using the packaging device 30 according to the third aspect described herein and / or by using the dispensing device 10 according to the fifth aspect described herein. In particular, the packaging device according to the third aspect described herein and the beverage powder capsule manufacturing equipment according to the second, fourth, or sixth aspects described herein allow for the manufacture of improved beverage powder capsules according to the seventh aspect described herein.

[0072] like Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 4C As shown, this beverage powder capsule 100 according to the seventh aspect described herein includes a first filter material 110 shaped to have a bottom 111, sides 112, and edges 113. The beverage powder capsule 100 also includes a substantially flat second filter material 120 having a center 121 and edges 122. The bottom 111, sides 112, and center 121 define and delineate a space for containing a compressed powder cake 130 containing an extractable or soluble beverage preparation product. The compressed powder cake 130 has a uniform thickness and is tightly sealed between the sheets 110 and 120, which are sealed to each other at edges 113 and 122, with the bottom 111 and center 121 parallel to each other on opposite sides of the compressed powder cake 130. The sides 112 extend vertically around the compressed powder cake 130 between the bottom 111 and center 121, and the angle between the bottom 111 and sides 112 is a right angle. When used in beverage preparation, the beverage powder capsule 100 provides a stable and high-quality beverage because when an aqueous fluid is supplied through the powder capsule, flow around the powder cake is minimized or completely avoided.

[0073] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. Methods and materials used in this invention are described herein. However, other suitable methods and materials known in the art may also be used. Unless otherwise stated, materials and examples are illustrative only and are not intended to be limiting. For clarity and conciseness, features are described herein as part of their identical or individual aspects and preferred embodiments; however, it should be understood that the scope of the invention may include embodiments having a combination of all or some of the described features. In the above description, it should be understood that when an element such as a layer, region, or substrate is referred to as being “on” or “above” another element, the element is directly on the other element, or an intermediate element may also be present therein. Furthermore, it should be understood that the values ​​given in the above description are given by way of example, and other values ​​are also possible and / or sought.

[0074] Furthermore, the invention can also be implemented with fewer components than those provided in the embodiments described herein, where one component performs multiple functions. Similarly, the invention can also be implemented using more elements than shown in the figures, where the function performed by one component in the provided embodiments is distributed across multiple components.

[0075] It should be noted that the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative representations of embodiments of the invention given by way of non-limiting examples.

[0076] For the purposes of clarity and concise description, the features described herein are part of the same or different embodiments; however, it should be understood that the scope of the invention may include embodiments having all or some of the described features.

[0077] The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of other features or steps besides those listed in the claims. It also does not exclude the absence of other substances; that is, it can also mean "composed of." Furthermore, the words "a" and "an" should not be construed as limited to "only one," but are used to indicate "at least one," and do not exclude multiples.

[0078] Those skilled in the art will readily understand that the various parameters and their values ​​disclosed in the specification can be modified, and that various disclosed and / or claimed embodiments can be combined without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A powder cake forming apparatus for use in a beverage powder capsule manufacturing equipment, each powder capsule having a certain amount of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product, which is sealed as a compressed powder cake between two filter materials, the powder capsule being usable in a beverage preparation machine for preparing a beverage by supplying an aqueous fluid to the powder capsule under pressure to extract or dissolve the beverage preparation product, the powder cake forming apparatus being configured to compress a portion of the beverage preparation product into the compressed powder cake and deliver the compressed powder cake to a packaging device of the equipment for sealing the compressed powder cake between two filter materials to form the beverage powder capsule, wherein... The powder cake forming device includes: - A cylindrical rotating drum having an outer surface with recesses for receiving a portion of an extractable or soluble beverage preparation product in each recess, the bottom wall of each recess being formed by a corresponding movable piston configured to move relative to the outer surface of the drum to change the height of the recess relative to an angular position on the circumference of the drum; and - A compressor, adjacent to the rotating drum, is configured to provide an opposing surface for compression of a portion of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product in a recess of the rotating drum, the recess being located at an angular position opposite the opposing surface, such that the portion of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product can be compressed by a corresponding piston in the recess by abutting against the opposing surface to form the compressed powder cake, wherein the compressor includes a drive device configured to drive the opposing surface to move along a circumferential portion of the outer surface of the rotating drum, the speed of the drive device corresponding to the speed of the outer surface of the rotating drum. The compressible body comprises a sequence of links, wherein at least one link in the sequence provides the opposing surface. In this chain, the links in the chain sequence are connected to each other in a closed loop to form a continuously rotating chain.

2. The powder cake forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The link adjacent to the at least one link is in at least partial contact with the outer surface of the rotating drum.

3. The powder cake forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, Each link has a concave outer surface, the curvature of which corresponds to the curvature of the convex outer surface of the rotating roller.

4. The powder cake forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The cylindrical rotating drum includes at least two series of recesses, each series of recesses including recesses equidistantly spaced on the circumference of the rotating drum, wherein the compression body extends above the recesses in each series of recesses along with the opposing surface, and the recesses are located at the angular positions opposite to the opposing surface.

5. The powder cake forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, The compression body includes separate chain segment sequences for each series of recesses, wherein each separate chain segment sequence has at least one chain segment that provides the opposing surface for the corresponding series of recesses.

6. A beverage powder capsule manufacturing apparatus, each powder capsule containing a certain amount of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product, encapsulated as a compressed powder cake between two filter materials, wherein the powder capsule can be used in a beverage preparation machine for preparing a beverage by supplying an aqueous fluid to the powder capsule under pressure to extract or dissolve the beverage preparation product, wherein... The device includes: - A dispensing device configured to supply a portion of an extractable or soluble beverage preparation product to a cake forming apparatus; - Powder forming device; and - A packaging device configured to package a compressed powder cake received from the powder cake forming device between two filter materials to form the beverage powder capsule. The powder forming device is as described in claim 1 or 2.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein, The packaging device includes a rotating cylinder having an outer surface with recesses for receiving a first sheet of filter material in each recess. The bottom wall of each recess is formed by a corresponding movable piston configured to move relative to the outer surface of the cylinder to change the height of the recess by means of an angular position relative to the recess on the circumference of the cylinder.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein, The packaging apparatus includes a filter material feeding station for supplying a first continuous filter material to the rotating cylinder, wherein the first continuous filter material in a corresponding recess of the cylinder is provided with indentations to receive a compressed cake of beverage preparation product delivered by the cake forming apparatus in each indentation.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein, The movable piston of each recess in the cylinder is driven to move between a first state and a second state according to its angular position on the circumference of the cylinder. The first state defines a first height of the corresponding recess for receiving the first sheet of filter material with indentation in the corresponding recess, the indentation having a corresponding height dimension greater than the thickness of each compressed cake of beverage preparation product delivered by the cake forming apparatus. The second state defines a second height of the corresponding recess for forming the first sheet of filter material with indentation in the corresponding recess, the second height being less than the first height, the shape of the indentation substantially matching the shape of each compressed cake of beverage preparation product.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein, The filter material feeding station includes a continuous running belt with protrusions configured to form an indentation in the first filter material by pressing the first filter material into a corresponding recess in the cylinder when the corresponding movable piston is in the first state. The height of the indentation is greater than the thickness of each compressed powder cake of the beverage preparation product.

11. The device according to claim 9 or 10, wherein, The packaging apparatus includes another filter material feeding station for supplying a second continuous filter material onto the first continuous filter material, thereby encapsulating the compressed powder cake between the first and second continuous filter materials, and cutting the first and second continuous filter materials to form the beverage powder capsule containing the compressed powder cake encapsulated between the first and second continuous filter materials.

12. The device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein, The dispensing device includes a container having a product chamber and an outlet. The product chamber is used to hold a certain amount of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product, and the outlet is used to dispense multiple portions of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product into the powder forming device.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein, The container includes a dispensing funnel.

14. The device according to claim 12, wherein, The dispensing device includes a feeder located in the product chamber of the container, the feeder being configured to supply a portion of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product to the outlet port of the container for dispensing into the cake forming apparatus.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein, The feeder includes a screw feeder.

16. The device according to claim 12, wherein, The dispensing device includes a stirring unit located in the product chamber of the container, the stirring unit being configured to stir the extractable or soluble beverage preparation product.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein, The stirring unit includes a rotating screw.

18. The device according to claim 14, wherein, The feeder includes a belt feeder, a rotary feeder, and a roller feeder.

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