Single serving pod for use in beverage forming system to make prepared beverage with hydrodynamic mixing and beverage forming system thereof
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional beverage forming systems face challenges in achieving complete mixing of protein powders and other hydrophilic powders due to clumping issues, which leads to incomplete mixing and consumer deterrence, as they require mechanical or thermal agitation, and lack a quantitative method to assess mixing completeness.
Innovation Solution
A single-serving pod system utilizing hydrodynamic mixing with a pressurized liquid introduced as an array of water jets to create turbulent flow within the pod, eliminating the need for conventional agitation methods and ensuring complete mixing without residue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional agitation methods (mechanical, thermal, vibrational) are used to mix protein powder with liquid, then mixing completeness is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate due to requiring additional components and cleaning procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the agitation function from separate mechanical components and integrates it into the fluid flow system itself. The pod structure incorporates internal geometries that generate turbulent flow and mixing action through the liquid flow alone, eliminating the need for separate mechanical agitators, heaters, or vibrators.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the liquid flow itself to perform the mixing function. The pod's internal structure guides the liquid to create turbulent flow patterns that automatically mix the protein powder without requiring external agitation energy input or additional active components.
2Ease of operation
If manual mixing by shaking is used, then mixing action is provided, but physical demand on consumer increases and mixing completeness becomes difficult to assess
Solution Approach 1:
The pod structure performs the mixing function automatically through its internal geometry. When liquid flows through the pod, the designed internal pathways and features generate turbulent flow that thoroughly mixes the protein powder without requiring any manual shaking or physical effort from the consumer.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces manual mechanical shaking with hydrodynamic mixing. The liquid flow itself, guided by the pod's internal structure, creates the mixing action that would otherwise require manual agitation, making the process both easier and more complete.
3Ease of operation
If hydrophilic powders are mixed with liquid without agitation, then ease of operation is improved, but clumping occurs and mixing completeness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses hydraulic principles by designing the pod's internal fluid flow pathways to generate turbulent flow patterns. The liquid flow itself, through properly designed channels and geometries within the pod, creates the hydrodynamic forces necessary to prevent clumping and ensure complete mixing of hydrophilic powders without requiring additional agitation mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively mixes hydrophilic powders by generating hydrodynamic kinetic energy, ensuring all contents are dispensed into a cup, leaving minimal to no residue and eliminating clumping issues, thus providing a smooth and complete beverage preparation process.
Implementation Method 1
The pressurized liquid exits the water vein element into the interior space of the body as an array of water jets, creating hydrodynamic-based kinetic energy to impart turbulent flow within the interior space so as to rapidly saturate the beverage material and form the prepared beverage
Data Source
AI summary
A pod for use in a beverage forming system makes a prepared beverage solely by hydrodynamic mixing of a beverage material residing in an interior space of a body of the pod with a pressurized liquid introduced therein by the beverage forming system. A water vein element in the pod body receives the pressurized liquid, which exits out a plurality of spaced holes formed therein up and down and around a circumference thereof. The pressurized liquid exits these holes as an array of water jets creating hydrodynamic-based kinetic energy to impart turbulent flow so as to mix with the beverage material with the water jest in the interior and create the prepared beverage that is vented into a cup. No other source of mechanical, thermal, vibrational, and aerodynamical kinetic energy is needed for agitation of the beverage material with the array of water jets.