Capsules for producing beverages and methods for manufacturing capsules

Abstract

A capsule (1) for use in a beverage preparation machine, comprising: a capsule body (2) defining a chamber (21), the capsule body having one or more side walls (22) extending axially towards a top opening (23) and a circumferential flange (24) extending radially outwardly from the one or more side walls; an upper membrane (3) attached to at least a portion of an upper surface (241) of the circumferential flange to close the top opening and adapted to be pierced for injection of liquid into the capsule, the upper membrane and the flange extending generally along a common plane (P); a lower membrane (4) provided in the chamber (21), the lower membrane (4) defining an ingredient chamber between the upper membrane (3) and the lower membrane; and an opening device (5) provided in the chamber, the opening device adapted to open the chamber.

Claims

[Claim 1] A capsule (1) for use in a beverage preparation machine, comprising a soluble beverage raw material and / or an extractable beverage raw material, The capsule body (2) defines the chamber (21), One or more side walls (22) extending axially toward the upper opening (23), A circumferential flange (24) extending radially outward from one or more of the aforementioned side walls, Lower beverage outlet (25), A capsule body (2) comprising, An upper membrane (3) is attached to at least a portion of the upper surface (241) of the circumferential flange and is adapted to close the upper opening and to be punctured for injection of liquid into the capsule, wherein the upper membrane (3) and the flange extend together along a common plane (P), A lower membrane (4) provided inside the chamber (21), the lower membrane (4) defines the raw material chamber between the upper membrane (3) and the lower membrane, An opening device (5) provided inside the capsule body (2), which is configured to open the raw material chamber by relative engagement between the opening device (5) and the lower membrane (4) under the influence of the pressure increase of the liquid in the raw material chamber during the injection of the liquid, Equipped with, The upper surface (241) of the flange is provided with at least one circumferential transverse fixing portion (7), the circumferential transverse fixing portion extends transversely from the upper surface of the flange to the common plane (P), and the circumferential transverse fixing portion is At least one circumferential projection extending upward on the flange, such as an annular ridge or protrusion around the upper opening, and / or The flange has at least one circumferential recess or groove that extends downward inward from its upper surface, Capsule (1) wherein the flange has a flat surface, the at least one convex portion protruding from the flat surface, and / or the at least one recess recessed from the flat surface. [Claim 2] The capsule (1) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one circumferential transverse fixing portion (7) is disposed between the radially inner end (241a) and the radially outer end (241b) of the flange. [Claim 3] The capsule (1) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one circumferential transverse fixing portion (7) is at least 0.2 mm in thickness. [Claim 4] The capsule (1) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one circumferential transverse fixing portion (7) is at least 0.8 mm. [Claim 5] The capsule (1) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one circumferential transverse fixing portion (7) comprises at least one radially inner end portion (73), and at the radially inner end portion (73), the circumferential transverse fixing portion extends transversely with respect to the common plane (P) at an angle of at least 10 degrees. [Claim 6] The circumferential transverse fixing portion (7) comprises at least one recess, the recess extending from the upper surface of the flange (24) into the interior of the flange in a transverse direction with respect to the common plane (P), The capsule according to claim 1, wherein the lower part of the recess has a rounded concave shape (72). [Claim 7] The capsule according to claim 6, wherein the radially inner and radially outer (71) surfaces of the recess have straight surfaces. [Claim 8] The capsule according to claim 1, wherein the upper membrane (3) is fixed to the circumferential transverse fixing portion (7) by heat sealing. [Claim 9] The capsule (1A, 1B) according to claim 1, wherein the capsule body (2) and the upper membrane (3) are made of the same recyclable plastic. [Claim 10] The capsule (1A, 1B) according to claim 1, wherein the capsule body (2) and the upper membrane (3) are made of a compostable material and / or a biodegradable material. [Claim 11] A method for manufacturing a capsule (1, 1A, 1B) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, The capsule body defining the chamber (21) One or more side walls (22) extending toward the upper opening (23), A circumferential flange (24) extending radially outward from one or more side walls and extending along a plane (P), Lower outlet (25) and Equipped with, The upper surface (241) of the flange is provided with at least one circumferential transverse fixing portion (7), the circumferential transverse fixing portion extends transversely from the upper surface of the flange to the plane (P), and the circumferential transverse fixing portion is At least one circumferential projection extending upward on the flange, such as an annular ridge or protrusion around the upper opening, and / or The flange has at least one circumferential recess or groove that extends downward inward from its upper surface, The flange has a flat surface, the at least one protrusion protrudes from the flat surface, and / or the at least one recess is recessed from the flat surface. The process of preparing the capsule body, The process involves introducing an opening device (5) into the capsule body (2), The steps include: attaching the lower membrane (4) inside the capsule body and above the opening device (5); The process of filling the capsule body with beverage raw materials, A step of fixing the upper membrane (3) positioned along the flange (24) to the upper surface of the flange of the capsule body by applying heat to the upper membrane (3) using a heating die, wherein the heating die has a shape complementary to the circumferential transverse fixing portion (7) of the flange, and heats and presses the upper membrane at at least one circumferential transverse fixing portion of the capsule; Methods that include...

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