Centrifugal Beverage Capsule Lid With Stretchable Filtering Area
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing capsules for centrifugal beverage preparation are complex, expensive to produce, and have reduced internal volume due to design features that prevent damage during use, while also allowing undesired openings, which affects efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A capsule with containment walls including a bottom, widening sidewall, and top wall, featuring a liquid-impervious area and a porous, flexible liquid-pervious and beverage filtering area made of material with high elongation at break, allowing for efficient centrifugal extraction without large perforations, using a fabric with specific properties for filtering and resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a membrane is used to prevent lid perforation during centrifugal brewing, then the lid remains intact, but the internal volume of the capsule is reduced due to the annular recess required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the membrane element entirely from the capsule structure. Instead of using a membrane with an annular recess, the capsule uses a flat lid with integrated liquid-pervious filtering areas that perform both filtration and structural functions, eliminating the volume-reducing recess while maintaining lid integrity through the high-elongation material properties
Solution Approach 2:
The invention combines the filtration function and the structural lid function into a single integrated top wall structure. The liquid-pervious filtering areas are directly formed in the lid material itself, merging what were previously separate components (membrane for filtration + lid for structure) into one unified element that maximizes internal volume
2Reliability
If multiple elements are assembled in the capsule lid to prevent damage, then structural integrity is improved, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges multiple functions (lid structure, filtration, and damage resistance) into a single integrated top wall component. The high-elongation material provides both structural integrity and filtration capability, eliminating the need for separate membrane assemblies and reducing manufacturing steps
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameter of the lid to have exceptionally high elongation at break (≥250%). This material property enables the lid to withstand centrifugal forces and perforation attempts without damage while maintaining simplicity in design, as the material itself provides the necessary durability without requiring complex reinforcement structures
3Productivity
If a porous filtering area is used for beverage extraction, then filtration efficiency is improved, but the risk of puncture and structural damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the key material parameter of elongation at break to be at least 250% for the liquid-pervious filtering area. This high elongation property allows the filtering material to stretch and deform under centrifugal force to enable beverage extraction while simultaneously resisting puncture and maintaining structural integrity during the brewing process
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 solution provides a simpler, cost-effective capsule design that optimizes volume for beverage ingredients, ensuring effective filtration and extraction while resisting puncture and maintaining structural integrity during use, enhancing the extraction process with controlled pressure gradients.
Implementation Method 1
rotating the capsule along a rotational axis in the device to produce centrifugal forces on the liquid and forcing a beverage out of the capsule
Implementation Method 2
creating a gradient of pressure of liquid in the receptacle; such pressure increasing gradually from the centre towards the periphery of the receptacle
Implementation Method 3
the liquid-pervious and beverage filtering area is made of a porous flexible material
Data Source
AI summary
Capsule (1) for the preparation of a beverage in a centrifugal brewing device by feeding liquid in the capsule and rotating the capsule (1) along a rotational axis “I” in the device to produce centrifugal forces on the liquid and forcing a beverage out of the capsule, wherein the capsule (1) comprises containment walls containing beverage ingredients; said containment walls comprising a bottom wall (2), a widening sidewall (3) and a top wall (4), said top wall (4) comprising at least one liquid-impervious area (7) and at least one liquid-pervious and beverage filtering area (5); wherein the liquid-pervious and beverage filtering area (5) is peripherally positioned on the top wall (4) relative to the liquid-impervious area (7) and wherein the liquid-pervious and beverage filtering area is made of a porous flexible material which is extensible at least in axial direction and has a tensile elongation of at least 250, preferably at least 300% (DIN EN 29073-3).