Coffee Pad Rigid Shell Design to Prevent Bypass and Dilution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing coffee machine pads face issues with inconsistent beverage preparation due to crumpling or folding during use, leading to bypass effects and diluted beverages, limiting the variety of coffee types that can be prepared with standard machines.
Innovation Solution
A combination of a primary pad and a secondary pad with a rigid shell and flexible sheets, where the secondary pad includes a flow restriction outlet opening and a second sheet positioned on the bottom, ensuring a consistent seal and flow path for brewing, allowing for the preparation of various coffee varieties with controlled volume and intensity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a flexible pad made of filtering paper is used, then the pad can be manually adapted to the holder form, but the pad crumples or folds during placement, causing bypass effects and diluted beverages
Solution Approach 1:
The pad uses a flexible filtering paper shell that can be manually adapted to the holder form while maintaining structural integrity. The shell is designed to be flexible enough to conform to the holder during placement but rigid enough to prevent crumpling and folding that would cause bypass effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The pad is pre-formed with a specific shape and structure before use, including pre-creased folding lines and a pre-shaped coffee bed. This preliminary preparation ensures that the pad maintains its intended form during placement in the holder, preventing unwanted crumpling and ensuring consistent sealing without requiring manual flattening.
2Reliability
If the coffee bed is manually flattened during placement, then the seal improves, but the process becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The pad is pre-formed with a rigidified coffee bed structure before placement. The coffee bed is pre-compressed and held in place by the shell structure, eliminating the need for manual flattening during placement. The pad arrives ready-to-use in its final operational configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The pad structure is designed to self-maintain its shape and sealing position once placed in the holder. The rigidified shell and pre-formed coffee bed automatically conform to the holder's geometry without requiring manual intervention for flattening or shaping, making the placement process simple and reliable.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid shell is used for the secondary pad, then the pad retains its shape consistently, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shell is made of a material that exhibits intermediate properties - sufficiently rigid to maintain the pad's shape and prevent collapse during handling and placement, yet flexible enough to conform to the holder's geometry. This balanced material selection achieves shape retention without excessive structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The pad structure is divided into functional segments: the rigidified shell provides structural support and shape retention, while the filtering paper layers handle the brewing function. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, maintaining simplicity while achieving the desired shape stability.
4Productivity
If the outlet opening is restricted to control flow, then the beverage volume and intensity are controlled, but the flow restriction increases pressure drop
Solution Approach 1:
The outlet opening dimensions and restriction geometry are precisely controlled to optimize the balance between flow control and pressure drop. The restriction is designed to provide sufficient flow limitation for beverage volume control while minimizing excessive pressure build-up that would affect the brewing process or require higher pump pressures.
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 enables the preparation of a range of coffee beverages with higher dry matter content and intensity, including cappuccinos and latte macchiato, by ensuring a consistent flow and seal, preventing bypass and dilution, and allowing for precise control of beverage volume.
Implementation Method 1
the first sheet and the second sheet each form a filter that allows an aqueous fluid, including water, and the beverage to pass and that forms a barrier for the beverage preparation product
Implementation Method 2
Because the secondary pad is equipped with a rigid shell, the pad, at least primarily, retains its shape which makes it possible that the pad is placed in the holder without there have to be given attention by a user whether it has the desired shape
Implementation Method 3
the at least one outlet opening forms a flow restriction for the beverage having a largest through-flow area in a direction, in use, perpendicular to a beverage flow through the flow restriction not exceeding 0.54 mm2
Implementation Method 4
the shell at its exterior form a fluid seal with the holder so that a flow of the fluid from a top side of the secondary pad around the pad to the outlet opening of the holder is prevented
Implementation Method 5
an aqueous fluid under pressure is supplied to the first sheet of the secondary pad so that the fluid flows through the first sheet to the beverage preparation product so that the beverage is formed
Implementation Method 6
the beverage preparation product is ground coffee extractable with an aqueous fluid
Data Source
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AI summary
Kit of parts including at least one pad (1) for use in a coffee machine for preparing a beverage for obtaining at least one part of a single beverage serving which pad, for use in the coffee machine is adapted to receive an aqueous fluid that is supplied under pressure to the pad so that the fluid is forced through the pad for obtaining the at least one part of the beverage serving that then exits the pad, wherein the pad includes a covering (2) defining an interior space (4) that is filled with a beverage preparation product (6) for preparing the beverage wherein the beverage preparation product includes a product including ground coffee extractable with an aqueous fluid, wherein the covering comprises a flexible first sheet (8) and a rigid shell (10), wherein the first sheet and the shell are connected to each other around their perimeter edges (11), wherein the shell is equipped with at least one outlet opening (12), wherein the pad is further equipped with a second sheet (22) that is positioned on a bottom of the shell, wherein the second sheet is located between the beverage preparation product and the shell and wherein the first sheet and the second sheet each form a filter that allows an aqueous fluid, including water, and the beverage to pass and that forms a barrier for the beverage preparation product so that, when in use an aqueous fluid under pressure is supplied to the first sheet of the pad the fluid flows through the first sheet to the beverage preparation product so that the beverage is formed which beverage then flows through the second sheet and via the at least one outlet opening leaves the pad, and wherein the at least one outlet opening includes a flow restriction for the beverage, and at least one further pad containing a soluble product.