Adapter for a single serve capsule
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing adapters for single serve capsules are not hygienic and lack versatility in accommodating different capsule sizes and shapes, leading to inefficiencies in beverage production and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A plastic injection-molded adapter with a reversible piercing spike and a step-supported interior space, featuring polygonal cross-section outflow channels and a flow breaker, allowing for easy cleaning and compatibility with various capsule sizes, reducing pressure loss and ensuring targeted beverage dispensing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the piercing spike is permanently integrated into the adapter, then the structure is simpler and more robust, but cleaning becomes difficult and hygiene deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The adapter is divided into two separate components: the adapter body and the piercing spike. The piercing spike can be removed from the adapter body for thorough cleaning, while the adapter body remains in the machine. This segmentation allows the piercing spike to be cleaned separately in a dishwasher or with hot water, eliminating hygiene problems while maintaining structural integrity when assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection between the piercing spike and adapter body is made reversible rather than permanent. The piercing spike can be inserted and removed multiple times through a receptacle in the adapter body, allowing dynamic adjustment between operational state (spike attached) and cleaning state (spike removed).
2Ease of manufacture
If the adapter is designed for a specific capsule size, then manufacturing is simpler, but adaptability to different capsule sizes and shapes is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The adapter body is designed with a universal interior space that can accommodate different capsule sizes and shapes. The receptacle for the piercing spike is positioned and dimensioned to work with various capsule types. This universal design allows a single adapter model to be compatible with multiple capsule formats while maintaining simple injection molding manufacturing.
3Device complexity
If the piercing spike remains in the adapter during storage, then assembly is simpler, but contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the piercing spike from the adapter body, the spike can be stored separately in a clean, dry environment away from potential contaminants. The adapter body remains in the machine without the spike, reducing the surface area that could accumulate residues. The spike can be reattached immediately before use, minimizing exposure time to contamination risks.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an adapter comprising an interior which accommodates a single serve capsule and which has an opening at a first end for introducing the capsule into the interior and a receptacle for a pricking spike at the opposite end.