Cube-Shaped Coffee Capsule for Uniform Compression and Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beverage extraction capsules face issues with material compaction during brewing, complex packaging, and energy inefficiency, particularly due to their conical shape and reliance on peripheral collars for sealing, which complicates the piercing mechanism and leads to inefficient extraction and waste.
Innovation Solution
A cube-shaped capsule without protruding collars or sieving elements, made of uniform material, allowing for compression from multiple sides and improved packability, with a brewing module designed to accommodate the cube shape and provide efficient extraction under varying pressures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If deep drawn capsules are used to reduce material consumption, then material usage is improved, but the capsule form becomes decidedly conical which limits design flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the capsule from traditional conical to cubic or polyhedral forms. This allows the capsule to maintain material efficiency while achieving a completely different shape that enables new sealing and piercing mechanisms. The cubic form with flat surfaces and edges represents a fundamental parameter change in the capsule geometry.
2Reliability
If capsules with peripheral collars are used for sealing during brewing, then sealing integrity is improved, but the piercing mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the peripheral collar element from the capsule design. Instead of using a protruding collar for sealing, the invention relies on the capsule body itself with integrated sealing surfaces. This extraction of the collar simplifies the overall structure and enables a more straightforward piercing mechanism that directly pierces the capsule body without navigating around complex collar features.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the sealing function directly into the capsule body by forming sealing surfaces on the flat sides and edges of the cubic capsule. Instead of having a separate collar component perform sealing, the sealing functionality is integrated into the main capsule structure, simplifying both the capsule design and the piercing mechanism.
3Stability of the object's composition
If capsules are made rotationally symmetrical and conical for mechanical stability, then mechanical stability is improved, but packability and stacking efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces asymmetry by transitioning from rotationally symmetrical conical capsules to cubic or polyhedral capsules with flat surfaces and sharp edges. This asymmetric geometry fundamentally changes how the capsules interact with each other during stacking, allowing for more efficient space utilization in packaging while maintaining structural integrity through the rigid geometric form.
Data Source
AI summary
A capsule 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 capsule has the shape of a cuboid or a die.