Capsule for preparing a beverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing coffee and infusion machine capsules are prone to air permeability issues due to porous plastic materials, leading to suboptimal product conservation and increased waste, packaging costs, and environmental impact.
Innovation Solution
A sealed capsule design featuring a cone frustum side wall with a flat bottom and inner crown, covered by an aluminum membrane seal and label, which is integrated through injection molding, ensuring impermeability and reducing waste by eliminating the need for additional packaging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If porous plastic material is used for the capsule, then the capsule is easy to manufacture and cost-effective, but the product conservation is suboptimal due to air permeability
Solution Approach 1:
The capsule combines porous plastic material with an aluminum membrane seal to create a composite structure. The plastic body provides ease of manufacture and cost-effectiveness, while the aluminum membrane seal ensures impermeability and product conservation. This composite approach resolves the contradiction by integrating materials with complementary properties.
2Reliability
If oxygen-impermeable packaging is used to protect the capsule content, then product conservation is improved, but waste quantity and production cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The aluminum membrane seal is integrated directly into the capsule structure during injection molding, extracting the protective function from separate packaging and making it an intrinsic part of the capsule. This eliminates the need for additional outer packaging, reducing waste quantity while maintaining product conservation.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective impermeable layer is merged with the capsule body itself through co-injection molding. The aluminum membrane seal and plastic capsule are combined into a single integrated component, eliminating separate packaging layers and reducing overall waste while ensuring product protection.
3Reliability
If separate packaging is used for the capsule, then product protection is improved, but the packaged product volume increases leading to higher transportation costs
Solution Approach 1:
The protective impermeable membrane is merged with the capsule body through integrated manufacturing. This combination eliminates the need for separate packaging layers, reducing the overall volume of the packaged product while maintaining product protection during transportation and storage.
4Loss of substance
If a sealed capsule design with integrated membrane seal is used, then waste is reduced to just the capsule, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The aluminum membrane seal is pre-positioned in the mold cavity before the plastic injection process. This preliminary action allows the membrane to be seamlessly integrated into the capsule structure during a single manufacturing operation, reducing waste to just the capsule while avoiding the need for complex post-assembly processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical assembly process for integrating the membrane seal is replaced by injection molding technology. The plastic material is injected directly around the pre-positioned membrane seal in a single step, eliminating the need for separate assembly operations and reducing manufacturing complexity despite the integrated design.
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 capsule effectively conserves the product's quality, reduces waste, and allows for aesthetic personalization, while being cost-effective and easy to manufacture, with the aluminum membrane seal ensuring impermeability even with non-impermeable plastic materials.
Implementation Method 1
the bottom being covered by a membrane seal... The capsule according to the invention of which the opening is closed by an aluminum membrane seal is rendered impermeable
Data Source
AI summary
Capsule intended for receiving a substance for preparing a beverage using a coffee machine or infusion machine, to be held by a piston during the passage of the extracting liquid after piercing of the base by the pins of the piston. The capsule made from injected plastic material has a base (1) and a side wall (3) together forming part of a frustrum of a cone, as well as a rim (4) covered by a lid (5) after the filling of the capsule with the substance. The side wall (2) is shaped as a single cone frustrum between the rim (3) and the open (12) base (1), formed as a flattened ring (11), connected to the side wall (2). The side wall (2) is covered by a label (23) and the open base (1), including the ring (11) thereof, is covered by a sealed lid (14) inside the base.