Container, system and method for preparing fluid food products
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automatic preparation machines for fluid food products, such as cappuccino, often fail to achieve high-quality results due to reliance on pre-packaged capsules and user skill, and pose hygiene risks with milk preparation.
Innovation Solution
A disposable container system that integrates a sealed compartment for fresh ingredients, allowing steam infusion directly within the container, ensuring high-quality preparation independent of user skill and maintaining hygiene.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If pre-packaged capsules are used for automatic preparation, then operation simplicity and hygiene are improved, but product quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the preparation process into separate functional components: a brewing chamber for coffee preparation and a separate milk container for milk heating and frothing. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function, maintaining the simplicity of automatic operation while improving overall product quality through specialized processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary milk container that receives steam from the brewing chamber and uses it to heat and froth milk separately. This intermediary component enables high-quality milk preparation without requiring the user to manually handle hot milk or clean contaminated surfaces, thus maintaining operational simplicity while improving product quality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If steam is dispensed outside the brewing chamber for milk frothing, then preparation versatility is improved, but hygiene risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an intermediary milk container that acts as a barrier between the steam generation system and the milk. The container receives steam through a dedicated inlet, heats and froths the milk internally, and dispenses the finished product through a separate outlet. This intermediary structure enables versatile milk preparation while preventing direct contact between steam and milk, thereby eliminating hygiene risks associated with contaminated surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The milk container is designed to be self-contained and disposable, performing all milk heating and frothing functions internally without requiring external intervention or cleaning. The user simply inserts the pre-filled container, and the system automatically completes the preparation process, eliminating hygiene concerns related to reusable components that require cleaning.
3Manufacturing precision
If user skill is required for high-quality preparation, then product quality can be improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The milk container is designed as a self-service component that automatically performs milk heating and frothing when steam is supplied. The container's internal structure, including heating elements and frothing mechanisms, operates autonomously without requiring user skill or intervention. This self-service approach delivers consistent high-quality results while maintaining extreme ease of operation, as users simply need to insert the container and press a button.
Solution Approach 2:
The milk container is pre-filled with milk and pre-configured with heating and frothing components before use. All necessary preparations for high-quality milk processing are completed in advance during manufacturing, eliminating the need for users to perform any skilled actions. The container is ready to receive steam and produce high-quality frothed milk immediately upon insertion.
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 enables high-quality fluid food products by integrating steam infusion within a sealed container, ensuring hygiene and independence from user skill, while simplifying preparation and consumption.
Implementation Method 1
a heating element, configured for heating water supplied by a water tank of the machine
Implementation Method 2
a steam generator, configured for generating steam from water supplied by a water tank of the machine
Implementation Method 3
a piercing means, configured for piercing the sealed container wall
Data Source
AI summary
A sealed disposable container (11) for preparing and retaining a food product (17′) has an entry wall (13), a bottom wall (14) opposite to the entry wall (13), and a lateral wall (15), which define an internal volume (16) pre-packaged in which is a predetermined amount of at least one first food substance (17) or of a precursor thereof. The entry wall (13) has at least one axially hollow coupling or positioning element (18), which defines at least part of an inlet (18, 26) of the disposable container (11). The disposable container (11) comprises an axially extending injector element (20), which is couplable with the at least one coupling or positioning element (18) or is integrally formed or fixed therewith, in such a way that at least a first distal portion (DP) of the injector element (20) extends within the internal volume (16). The at least one coupling or positioning element (18) is configured for coupling, in particular sealed coupling, with a dispensing element (51) of a preparation machine (1), for introducing into the internal volume (16) a flow of pressurized hot water and/or steam required for preparing the food product.