A capsule assembly comprising a capsule and a conveyor cap configured to open said capsule
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beverage capsule systems face issues with flavor cross-contamination and ingredient oxidation due to open membrane designs, which require complex manufacturing and are prone to operational tolerances, leading to dirty and hazardous conditions.
Innovation Solution
A capsule assembly with a conveyor cap that moves relative to the capsule to open the outlet, minimizing surface contact and using a sealing membrane that can be pierced by the cap to prevent oxidation and contamination, allowing for controlled beverage dispensing without pre-pierced membranes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pre-pierced membrane is used to allow air access during manufacturing, then the capsule can be sealed, but the ingredient deteriorates rapidly due to oxidation from ambient air contact
Solution Approach 1:
The capsule system is divided into two separate functional components: the capsule body that remains hermetically sealed to protect the ingredient, and the conveyor cap that is opened during operation. This segmentation allows the capsule to maintain sealing integrity without requiring a pre-pierced membrane, thereby preventing oxidation while enabling controlled dispensing through the opened cap.
Solution Approach 2:
The opening function is extracted from the capsule body and transferred to the conveyor cap. The cap is designed to be opened by shearing or tearing at a predetermined location, while the capsule body remains intact and sealed. This extraction allows the ingredient to be protected from oxidation while still enabling air access and dispensing through the opened cap structure.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the conveyor cap structure minimizes surface contact to prevent contamination, then flavor cross-contamination is reduced, but the storage volume for different flow-rates and drink volumes is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor cap is designed with a dynamic configuration where the lateral wall can be positioned at different distances from the capsule outlet wall. This allows the enclosure space volume to be adjusted based on the required beverage storage capacity while maintaining the minimal surface contact principle. The cap can be moved closer to increase volume or farther to minimize contact surfaces, providing flexibility for different drink volumes and flow-rates.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of increasing surface area to increase volume, the design utilizes the spatial dimension by positioning the cap at an optimized distance from the capsule outlet. The enclosure space is formed in the gap between the cap lateral wall and the capsule outlet wall, allowing volume optimization without compromising the minimal contact surface principle that prevents flavor cross-contamination.
3Ease of operation
If a pre-pierced membrane with breaking mechanism is used to create outlet passage, then beverage flow can be established, but the manufacturing process becomes complex and quality control becomes difficult due to operational tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The opening mechanism is extracted from the capsule body and transferred to the conveyor cap. The cap incorporates the shearing or tearing function at a predetermined location, eliminating the need for complex pre-pierced membrane mechanisms in the capsule body. This simplifies the capsule manufacturing process while maintaining the ability to establish beverage flow through the opened cap structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The opening location is predetermined during the design phase, with the cap structured to shear or tear at a specific location during operation. This preliminary design of the opening mechanism eliminates the need for complex real-time piercing control, simplifying both manufacturing and quality control while ensuring consistent beverage flow establishment.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
AI summary
It is disclosed a capsule assembly (10) comprising a capsule (1) for the preparation of beverages and a conveyor cap (7) that is mounted on the capsule for conveying the beverage exiting the said capsule, said capsule having an inlet wall (2), an outlet wall (3) and a lateral wall (4) defining an internal volume (la) inside which at least one beverage ingredient (I) is housed, the outlet wall (3) comprising one or more capsule beverage outlets (5). The conveyor cap (7) is mounted on said capsule to define an enclosure space (19) between the outlet wall (3) and an inner surface (7a) of said conveyor cap. The conveyor cap (7) is provided with one or more beverage delivery openings (16) and is movably mounted on the capsule (1). The capsule beverage outlets (5) and the conveyor cap (7) are configured to interact so that the capsule beverage outlets (5) are opened by the conveyor cap (7) due to a relative movement between the capsule (1) and the conveyor cap (7).