Microperforated Beverage Cartridge Filter for Gas-Release Brewing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current coffee brewing filters face issues with inadequate permeability, leading to excessive gas release, pressure buildup, and poor brewing performance, especially with undegassed coffee products like dark roasts, which can result in noisy brewing, foam, and handling problems due to their low permeability and structural limitations.
Innovation Solution
A coffee cartridge with a microperforated membrane or filter element that increases fluid permeability by incorporating a semi-rigid structure and microperforations, allowing for efficient gas release and liquid flow, formed from cellulosic or synthetic materials with open areas exceeding 2% of the total surface area, and microperforations ranging from 0.1 mm to 0.8 mm in diameter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If traditional filter paper is used, then the filter maintains structural strength, but fluid permeability is insufficient leading to pressure buildup and poor brewing performance
Solution Approach 1:
The filter element incorporates a porous structure with controlled pore sizes and distributions, allowing enhanced fluid permeability while maintaining structural integrity. The porous material enables gas and liquid to pass through efficiently without compromising the filter's strength during brewing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter element is constructed as a composite structure combining multiple materials with complementary properties. This composite approach allows the filter to simultaneously achieve high fluid permeability and sufficient structural strength, resolving the contradiction between these two opposing requirements.
2Reliability
If undegassed coffee is used, then freshness is preserved, but excessive gas release causes pressure buildup and brewing problems
Solution Approach 1:
The filter design converts the harmful effect of gas release from undegassed coffee into a beneficial outcome. By incorporating specific porous structures and permeability characteristics, the filter allows gas to escape in a controlled manner during brewing, preventing pressure buildup while preserving coffee freshness. The previously harmful gas emission is transformed into a manageable aspect of the brewing process.
3Productivity
If filter permeability is increased, then gas release is improved, but filter structural integrity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The filter element employs local quality variations with different regions having distinct pore sizes, densities, or material compositions. This allows certain areas to be optimized for gas release while other areas maintain structural strength, achieving high gas release efficiency without compromising overall filter integrity.
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 microperforated filter element enhances brewing performance by reducing gas emissions, preventing pressure buildup, and maintaining structural integrity, enabling the use of freshly ground, high-gas-content coffee without prior degassing, thus improving the quality and efficiency of the brewing process.
Implementation Method 1
roasting green coffee beans produces gases that diffuse from coffee beans and/or ground coffee particles soon after roasting
Implementation Method 2
allows the passage of fluid from such particles when water passes therethrough
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a filter element for the extraction or brewing of beverages. In particular, the filter element facilitates brewing through increased permeability of fluid from a brewed beverage from brewable particles, such fluid including liquid and gas, and the easing of gas build up in a brewing device herein by the removal of gases emitted from a beverage medium housed within a beverage cartridge during brewing. The filter element may be used within a rigid, semi-rigid or soft pod that is insertable within a beverage brewer. The invention particularly concerns the brewing of coffee and coffee products in a coffee brewing machine configured to receive pods holding coffee particles that are injected with water and caused to brew coffee therefrom.