Cube-Shaped Coffee Capsule for Pressure Brewing and Packability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beverage extraction capsules face challenges with material efficiency, energy consumption, and complex packaging, as well as issues with material compression and turbulence during brewing, which affect the energy balance and flexibility of brewing processes.
Innovation Solution
A cube-shaped or parallelepiped capsule without internal screens or support elements, made from a uniform material composition, designed for piercing on multiple sides to withstand high pressure, allowing for efficient compression and improved packability, and eliminating the need for separate oxygen-tight packaging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If aluminum is used as capsule material, then shelf life of extraction material is improved, but energy consumption during production increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from aluminum to polypropylene, altering the physical and chemical properties of the capsule. This substitution reduces energy consumption during production and disposal while maintaining adequate shelf life through the inherent barrier properties of polypropylene and optimized capsule design.
2Use of energy by stationary object
If polypropylene is used as capsule material, then energy consumption and disposal issues are improved, but demands on piercing mechanism increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a specific structural feature - a localized thinning or weakening zone in the capsule wall at the piercing location. This allows the polypropylene capsule to be easily pierced by the brewing mechanism while maintaining the overall strength and integrity of the capsule body for pressure containment.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If extraction material is strongly compressed during filling, then turbulence during brewing is reduced, but complexity of filling process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-compressing the extraction material (coffee grounds) into a compacted bed within the capsule during the filling process. This pre-compression is performed using a simple tamper or pressing mechanism that creates a dense, uniform layer of coffee grounds before sealing, thereby reducing turbulence during brewing without requiring complex filling equipment.
4Volume of moving object
If cube-shaped capsule is used, then packability and stacking efficiency are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a modified approach by using a cube-shaped capsule with rounded edges and corners. This geometric modification maintains the superior packability and stacking efficiency of cubic shapes while eliminating the manufacturing difficulties associated with sharp corners and edges. The rounded geometry allows for simpler molding processes and reduces stress concentration points during handling and brewing.
Data Source
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AI summary
According to the invention, a capsule (1) to form a closed interior filled with an extraction product or extract can be perforated in a known manner by perforation elements of an injection device or a discharge device in order to introduce an extraction liquid and to discharge an extraction product produced in the interior of the capsule following an extraction process. The invention is characterized in that the capsule has the shape of a cuboid or a die.