Capsule for preparing a beverage

Abstract

The invention relates to a capsule for percolation, in the form of a cup with an opening, a peripheral flange, and a foil lid that covers the opening and is joined to the peripheral flange on a flat surface, the peripheral flange comprising, on the face opposite the flat face, at least one sealing element, the flange further comprising an outer fold of the material located at the radially outermost part of the flange. The outermost area of the flange corresponds to the material of the fold. The fold extends from the peripherally outermost area of the flat surface of the face of the flange, on the side of the opening, to the opposite face, such that it does not extend perpendicularly beyond the flat surface in the outflow direction from inside the body of the capsule.

Description

[0001] CAPSULE FOR PREPARING A DRINK

[0002] DESCRIPTION

[0003] The present invention relates to a capsule for the manufacture of a beverage, preferably by percolation, and to a system for the manufacture of a beverage by percolation from capsules.

[0004] These capsules are typically used for percolation of coffee from ground coffee, although they are also used for the production of other beverages such as tea or instant beverages such as milk, chocolate drinks, etc.

[0005] There are different types of capsules. One type of capsule comprises a main body containing the substance to be percolated, said body having a cup-shaped shape with an opening with a perimeter flap that extends from said body at the level of the opening, and a capsule closure sheet that covers said opening and is joined to said perimeter flap on the side of the perimeter flap that faces said opening. These capsules are usually made of plastic materials or metallic materials, usually aluminum. Due to the different manufacturing processes (injection or blow molding versus stamping and / or bending), the designs for both types of materials differ. In particular, when the capsules are made of metallic materials, especially aluminum, the forming process includes one or more stamping stages.To avoid a sharp edge or burr around the outer perimeter of the perimeter flap, the material must be folded in a snail-shaped manner, concealing the outer edge. The fold protrudes slightly from the flap wall on both the sealing foil side and the opposite side, which also protects the sealing foil.

[0006] Swiss patent document CH605293 shows a capsule of this type.

[0007] For the production of beverages from these capsules, there are systems that comprise a cup that closes against the aforementioned fin and pierces the capsule at the end opposite the opening, through which the percolator liquid (usually water) is injected under pressure. In these circumstances, it is necessary to ensure a good seal between the cup and the fin.

[0008] From the Spanish Patent document ES2277184 it is known to arrange a ring of soft material on the fin, to ensure the good hermetic seal of the vessel against the fin.

[0009] Document EP4107092 discloses a capsule with the aforementioned ring, in which the aforementioned fold of the outer perimeter of the sealing fin occurs prior to the lower wall of the sealing fin being lifted. In this way, the fold extends toward the capsule body, eventually making contact with the outer perimeter of the ring (or at least covering it), thereby acting as a safeguard against the sealing ring being lifted unintentionally.

[0010] From PCT patent document WO2010084475, the arrangement of sealing protrusions in an intermediate position of the fin or flange is known. The protrusions correspond to increments in the thickness of the perimeter fin. These solid protrusions are intended to be flattened by the vessel, ensuring its tightness. However, achieving this shape with metallic materials, such as aluminum, is difficult.

[0011] The accordion-shaped arrangement of protrusions is known from European patent documents EP2757056, EP3194299, and EP3710379. The accordion is formed by folding the material that makes up the perimeter flap, generating protrusions on said face. One disadvantage of generating protrusions by folding the material that makes up the flap is that it reduces the surface area available for adhering the sheet on the opposite side of the flap.

[0012] IT201900011385 discloses a capsule in which the sealing element is a protrusion obtained by bending the material that develops between the side wall of the capsule body and the perimeter fin.

[0013] All capsules with a sealing ring have the disadvantage that the presence of a soft material, other than the capsule's aluminum, makes subsequent recycling difficult. It also increases manufacturing costs, which requires an additional step of placing the ring, sometimes at an intermediate stage of the capsule forming process. The alternative is to provide sealing folds in the wall of the perimeter fin. However, this reduces the surface area available for sealing the film, which leads to failures in the sealing process and unwanted openings before the capsule is used. To put the problem in perspective, Alu Sense markets an aluminum capsule according to EP3194299 with a folded sealing protrusion on the perimeter fin. The sealing surface available for the film is approximately 96 mm. 2. In contrast, the capsules that use a sealing ring and are compatible with the same system as the aforementioned Alu Sense capsule vary between 274 mm 2 and 228 mm 2 .

[0014] An object of the present invention is to provide a solution to the aforementioned drawbacks. More specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide a capsule with sealing means arranged on the perimeter flap that does not require a sealing ring and does not significantly reduce the sealing surface of the sheet.

[0015] For this purpose, the present invention provides a capsule for the percolation of a beverage, of the type comprising a main body containing the beverage to be percolated, said body having a cup-shaped shape with an opening, the capsule also having a perimeter fin that protrudes from said body at the height of the opening, and a closing sheet of the capsule that covers said opening and that is joined to said perimeter fin on the side of the perimeter fin that faces said opening, on a flat surface of said side, said perimeter fin having, on the side opposite said side, at least one sealing element, characterized and said fin having an external fold of the material, said fold being located in the most radially external part of the fin, such that the most external area of ​​the fin corresponds to the material of the fold.The fold starts from the outermost perimeter area of ​​the aforementioned flat surface of the face of the perimeter fin that faces the opening, and develops towards the aforementioned opposite face, in such a way that it does not exceed the aforementioned surface in a direction perpendicular to the flat surface, in the direction of exit from the inside of the body of the capsule (in other words, from the face of the opening).

[0016] Preferably, said fold closes on itself on said opposite side, leaving the end of the material that makes up the capsule hidden.

[0017] The present invention allows for increased adhesion area for the sheet by means of a specific closure configuration typically applied to the end of the capsule material in order to conceal said end. The configuration of the invention allows for the sheet's adhesion surface to be extended to the limits imposed by the machines for which the capsule is intended.

[0018] Preferably, the fold immediately leads to a perimeter wall perpendicular to the flap, or to another fold that directs the material toward the center of the capsule. This prevents the material closure from taking up space at the expense of the aforementioned flat surface.

[0019] Preferably, said sealing element comprises a hollow projection on said opposite side of the fin. The number of sealing projections of the capsule according to the present invention may vary. In preferred embodiments, the capsule has only two sealing projections; in other embodiments, the capsule has only one sealing projection.

[0020] By vacuum or void, in the context of the present invention, it is understood that it is free of a solid or liquid material that occupies it, said space being able to be occupied by air, another gas or a granulated material from which the said beverage is formed by percolation.

[0021] More preferably, the aforementioned projection is formed by an internal fold of the material that makes up the perimeter fin.

[0022] Even more preferably, said protrusion begins at the wall that forms the body and ends at the wall that forms said flat surface. In this way, the continuous area occupied by said flat surface is maximized, which facilitates the adhesion of the sheet to the rest of the capsule.

[0023] The present invention is particularly applicable to capsules made of metallic material and / or formed from a sheet of material using a molding technique (e.g., by means of a press). Preferably, the flap is arranged as an extension of the body material defining said body, said wall being followed by said fold, continuing with a portion of the wall defining said at least one projection.

[0024] Preferably, the body and fin are made of aluminum, or a material comprising aluminum.

[0025] For better understanding, some drawings of an embodiment of the capsule object of the present invention are attached as an explanatory but non-limiting example.

[0026] Figure 1 shows a partially sectioned elevation view of an embodiment of a capsule for beverage percolation according to the present invention.

[0027] Figure 2 shows a top plan view of the capsule in Figure 1.

[0028] Figure 3 shows an elevation view, sectioned along a medial plane, of the capsule in Figure 1.

[0029] Figure 4 shows a detailed view of the elements of the perimeter fin of the capsule in Figure 1.

[0030] Figures 1 to 4 show an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] The figures show that the capsule 1, made of aluminium, comprises a main body 2 intended to contain the substance to be percolated in its interior space 3. The body is cup-shaped with a single opening which is sealed by a sheet 4 closing the capsule.

[0032] In this embodiment, the material forming the body 2 of the capsule 1 is folded to form the fin 22. The outer face of the fin 22 in the example has a flat surface to which the sheet 4 adheres. At its outermost part, the flat surface ends in a fold 25 that runs in the opposite direction to the outlet of the percolated beverage. In this case, the fold 25 is located immediately behind the flat surface, with no intermediate inclined surfaces, which makes it easier to maximize the surface area available for adhering the sheet 4. Furthermore, as can be seen in the figures, the fold in no case exceeds the adhesion surface of the sheet 4, such that said surface is the most extreme of the wall of material forming the body of the capsule 1 in the outlet direction of the percolated beverage (from the interior 3 of the capsule 1 outwards through the sheet 4).This feature also optimizes the surface available for adhering sheet 4. If this were not the case, the formation of the fold 25 and the closing of the material on itself would occupy a greater space surrounding the aforementioned adhesion surface of sheet 4. Given that the external diameter is limited by the machine for which the capsule is intended, this would mean a reduction in the area available for adhering sheet 4.

[0033] As already mentioned, the fold 25 in the example runs towards the opposite face of the fin 22 and closes on itself at face 23 of the fin 22 opposite the face on which the sheet 4 is located, such that the free end 29 of the material is not accessible. More particularly, in the example, the folding on itself begins with a curved area 26, continues with a surface 27 which in section is parallel to the central axis of revolution of the capsule 1, then continues with curves to complete the folding of the sheet material on itself. The section of wall 27 which forms a section of cylindrical wall could be omitted and immediately give way to curves to close the material on itself. In any case, to optimize the adhesion surface of the sheet, it is advantageous that the first curved area 26, immediately adjacent to the adhesion surface of the sheet, is the outermost element, in the radial direction, of the capsule 1, as occurs in the example shown.

[0034] After the free end 29 closes on itself, an area of ​​the face 23 of the fin 22 opposite the sheet 4 is left free. This area, preferably, is left without sealing rings, although it would also be possible to have a sealing ring on said face 23, for example made of plastic, elastomeric, cellulose or any soft material that facilitates the sealing of the machine cup when it is placed on the fin 22 in the percolation process.

[0035] On said face 23, sealing elements formed by folding the wall of the material that makes up the capsule can preferably be arranged. It is preferable that said folds are as close as possible to the outer wall of the body 2 of the capsule 1. In the example shown, it has a sealing fold 21 formed by folds of the wall of the material that makes up the capsule and that begins at the wall of the body 2 and ends at the fin 22, leaving an additional space 31 that allows the wall to collapse when the cup of the machine crushes the fold 21. Document IT201900011385 contains an explanation of an element such as the one shown in the figures.

[0036] For reasons of clarity, the material for making the beverage contained in the capsule has not been represented in the figures.

[0037] A preferred material for manufacturing the capsule according to the present invention is aluminum. The capsule shown in the example has the advantage that it can be formed in a single movement, then filled with the material to be brewed (e.g., coffee) and sealed by gluing the foil to the fin.

[0038] Although the invention has been presented and described with reference to embodiments thereof, it is understood that these are not limiting of the invention, and that numerous construction or other details may be variable and may become apparent to those skilled in the art after interpreting the material disclosed in this description, claims, and drawings. Thus, all variants and equivalents will be included within the scope of the present invention if they can be considered to fall within the broader scope of the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Capsule for the percolation of a beverage, of the type comprising a main body containing the beverage to be percolated, said body having a cup-shaped shape with an opening, the capsule also having a perimeter flap that protrudes from said body at the height of the opening, and a closing sheet of the capsule that covers said opening and that is joined to said perimeter flap on the face of the perimeter flap that faces said opening, on a flat surface of said face, said perimeter flap having, on the face opposite said face, at least one sealing element, said flap having an external fold of the material, said fold being located in the most radially external part of the flap, such that the most external area of ​​the flap corresponds with the material of the fold, characterized in that the fold starts from the most peripherally external area of ​​said flat surface of the face of the perimeter flap that faces the opening,and develops towards the aforementioned opposite face, in such a way that it does not exceed the aforementioned flat surface in a direction perpendicular to the flat surface, in the direction of exit from the interior of the capsule body.

2. Capsule, according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said fold closes on itself on said opposite face, leaving the end of the material that makes up the capsule hidden.

3. Capsule, according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fold immediately gives way to a perimeter wall perpendicular to the fin.

4. Capsule according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said sealing element comprises a hollow projection on said opposite face.

5. Capsule, according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said projection is formed by an internal fold of the material that makes up the perimeter fin.

6. Capsule, according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said projection starts from the wall that forms the body and ends in the wall that forms the said flat surface.

7. Capsule according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fin is arranged as an extension of the body material defining said body, said wall being followed by said fold, continuing with a portion of wall defining said at least one projection.

8. Capsule, according to the previous embodiment, characterized in that the body and the fin are made of aluminum, or a material comprising aluminum.

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