EP3172149B1

EP3172149B1 - Pod with spray nozzle and method of use

Info

Publication number: EP3172149B1
Application number: EP15745694.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Catherine LAMB; Jeremy Mcbroom; Sriram Tharmapuram
Original assignee: Abbott Laboratories
Current assignee: Abbott Laboratories
Priority date: 2014-07-21
Filing date: 2015-07-21
Publication date: 2018-06-27
Anticipated expiration: 2035-07-21
Also published as: ES2683872T3; EP3172149A1; WO2016014573A1; US20170210551A1; CN106660699A

Description

Background

Many drinks, nutritional products and other beverages can be made by mixing water or steam with a powder or liquid concentrate. Exemplary liquid products made from powder include infant formula, soup, and hot chocolate.
Some nutritional powders are prepared as a single serving of a nutritional product. The nutritional powder is mixed with water to create a product suitable for consumption. Also, the choice of the nutritional powder requires the preparer to manage certain inconveniences related to the preparation of the nutritional product, such as for example, the temperature of the finished product, the time to prepare the finished product, the size of the serving, and the threat of contamination within the finished product. Further, the powder must be reconstituted to a predetermined level within an amount of water prior to serving.
A nutritional powder may be mixed with water several different ways, including manually shaking a closed container containing the powder and water. Other prior art techniques to reconstitute consumable powders with a liquid, such as water, to render the powders fit for consumption are known. For example, WO 2006/015689 discloses reconstituting consumable powders with a liquid to provide a food liquid such as milk, cappuccino-type beverage, or soup. WO 2011/031294 discloses a method and apparatus that use a cartridge which includes a beverage medium, such as a dry fruit material. An interaction between water and the beverage medium within a single-serving machine produces a beverage.
In EP-A-2,236,437 there is described a capsule for use in a beverage production device, the capsule containing ingredients to produce a nutritional or food liquid when a liquid is fed into the capsule at an inlet face thereof. The capsule is provided with a filter having a plurality of filtering orifices, wherein it comprises a flow collection member placed downstream of the filter to collect the filtered liquid from the filtering orifices. The collection member comprises at least one restriction orifice to focus the flow of liquid in at least one jet of liquid at high velocity in the compartment containing the ingredients.
In WO 2006/021405 there is described a capsule for delivering a drink by injecting a pressurized fluid comprising a body, an injection wall, a chamber containing a bed of food substance to be extracted, and means for retaining the internal pressure in the said chamber. An injection space allows a means of injecting fluid in the form of at least one jet of fluid to be introduced through the injection wall while means are provided for breaking the jet of fluid and distributing the distribution of fluid at a reduced speed across the surface of the bed of substance. These means may adopt various forms such as a rigid or flexible perforated wall, or a layer of discrete elements or a spongy layer.
In WO 2012/134312 there is described a capsule containing at least one aromatic substance for producing a beverage when a fluid under pressure flows through the capsule, and comprising at least one controlled opening element detachably attached to at least one zone of the capsule facing the incoming or outgoing flow. The controlled opening element can, when a corresponding extraction device applies a predefined actuation force, be displaced at least in a linear or rotary manner from an initial attachment position, in which it tightly seals the capsule, to at least one consecutive attachment position, thus releasing at least one flow cross-section having a configuration and size previously defined in order to optimise flow distribution inside the capsule.

Summary

According to the present invention there is provided a hermetically sealed pod having the features of claim 1.
The present application describes a pod for preparation of a nutritional liquid composition.
In an exemplary embodiment, a pod includes a nutritional liquid concentrate and at least one nozzle or diffuser. The nozzle or diffuser is arranged to diffuse a flow of fluid in the pod prior to contact with the powder. A method of use of the nozzle or diffuser increases a rate of reconstitution of the nutritional liquid concentrate.
Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description made with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 is a front sectional view of a pod, showing an atomizing nozzle disposed on the top of the pod and above the level of a nutritional powder;
Figure 2 is a front sectional view of a pod, showing a spray nozzle disposed on the top of the pod and above the level of a nutritional powder;
Figure 3 is a front sectional view of a pod, showing a nozzle disposed on the side wall of the pod and above the level of a nutritional powder;
Figures 4a-4d are top schematic views of a body of a port, showing spray patterns from a nozzle disposed on a side wall of the pod;
Figure 5 is a front sectional view of a pod, showing a diffuser plate disposed upstream from a hermetic seal;
Figure 6 is a front sectional view of a pod, showing a diffuser plate disposed downstream from a hermetic seal and upstream from an amount of a nutritional powder; and
Figure 7 is a front sectional view of a pod, showing a spray nozzle made of foil material.

Detailed Description

This Detailed Description merely describes exemplary embodiments in accordance with the general inventive concepts and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention or the claims in any way. Indeed, the invention as described by the specification is broader than and unlimited by the exemplary embodiments set forth herein, and the terms used in the claims have their full ordinary meaning.
The general inventive concepts will now be described with occasional reference to the exemplary embodiments of the invention. The general inventive concepts may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be more thorough and complete, and will introduce the scope of the general inventive concepts to those skilled in the art.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art encompassing the general inventive concepts. The terminology set forth in this detailed description is for describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the general inventive concepts. As used in this detailed description and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, properties such as molecular weight, reaction conditions, percentages and so forth as used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term "about." Accordingly, unless otherwise indicated, the numerical properties set forth in the specification and claims are approximations that may vary depending on the suitable properties sought to be obtained in embodiments of the present invention. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the general inventive concepts are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical values, however, inherently contain certain errors necessarily resulting from error found in their respective measurements.
When discussing the invention, the term "pod" is used in the specification and the claims. The term is generally used to mean a hermetically sealed body containing ingredients that when mixed with water yield a liquid beverage. A pod may be single or multi-chambered and may contain soluble powder or liquid concentrate. A pod may be loaded into a machine in which water is automatically mixed with the ingredients to produce a single serving of a liquid beverage. The pod may be loaded into a machine in a commercial, healthcare or residential environment.
The present invention may be practiced with a pod containing a powder. For example, a nutritional powder for an adult nutritional beverage may be used in the practice of this invention. The pod may have between 2 - 150 grams of powder within the body and may produce a beverage of between 25 ml and 500 ml.
In nutritional liquid products, the temperature of the finished product is product dependent. For example, an adult nutritional product may be dispensed in a hot temperature range, or a colder temperature range, such as the 10 - 20°C temperature range.
A pod system has other typical features. Any mixing, reconstitution and dispensing may be assisted through the use of hot water and pressure. A combination of air, steam and water may also be used. The reconstituted product leaves the pod through means of an exit valve, discharge unit, or dispenser, designed into the pod or created through a mechanical action within a machine (e.g. piercing by a needle). The water entering the pod may be pre-filtered or filtered through filtration units assembled within the pod structure. The entry of water into the pod may be mechanical (e.g. injection through the piercing of the pod surface) or through inlet ports designed into the pod. For example, inlet ports may be formed into the walls of the port. Other features of a pod system will be discussed herein.
When discussing the invention, the term "nozzle" as used herein, unless otherwise specified, refers generally to a device which may be positioned, placed, secured, mated or otherwise engaged with the end of a pipe, tube, or other supply source. The nozzle generally controls the output of a liquid or gas. For example, a spray nozzle is a device that may facilitate dispersion of a liquid into a spray. Also, a nozzle may have structural features unrelated to the control of fluid. For example, the nozzle may include structure which is correspondingly shaped to accept a fluid dispensing tube within a machine, that is to say, form a lock and key engagement.
When discussing the invention, the term "atomizer" as used herein, unless otherwise specified, refers to a type of nozzle, in which a liquid enters the nozzle, and due to the reduced pressure from a starting point to an ending point over some distance within the nozzle, the liquid is discharged in the form of a fine spray of droplets. For example, water entering an "atomizer" nozzle may enter as a spray which is like a mist.
When discussing the invention, the term "pre-treat" as used herein, unless otherwise specified, refers to a process by which a liquid and/or gaseous fluid is applied to the
nutritional powder to partially reconstitute the powder and/or to prepare the powder for reconstitution (e.g., by deagglomerating clumps of nutritional powder) while the powder is retained in the pod chamber and before an outlet aperture is produced in the pod chamber. This pre-treating phase, when applicable, precedes a reconstituting phase in which a reconstituting liquid mixes with the pre-treated nutritional powder, to complete reconstitution of the nutritional composition as the reconstituting liquid enters the pod chamber, passes through an outlet aperture produced in the pod chamber, and is discharged into a serving body that collects the reconstituted nutritional liquid.
When discussing the invention, the term "reconstitute" as used herein, unless otherwise specified, refers to a process by which the nutritional powder is mixed with a liquid, typically water, to form an essentially homogeneous liquid product. Once reconstituted in the liquid, the ingredients of the nutritional powder may be any combination of reconstituted, dispersed, suspended, colloidally suspended, emulsified, or otherwise blended within the matrix of the liquid product. Therefore, the resulting reconstituted liquid product may be characterized as any combination of a solution, a dispersion, a suspension, a colloidal suspension, an emulsion, or a homogeneous blend. A nutritional composition may be said to be "reconstituted" even if a nominal portion (e.g., less than 10%) of the powder remains un-reconstituted in the resulting liquid product.
The present application describes a pod which may be conveniently loaded into a single serving dispensing machine. For example, the pod may be loaded into a single serving dispensing machine to produce a liquid volume of an adult nutritional product.
The nozzle or diffuser may be used for a variety of purposes. Water, steam, and air may be introduced through the nozzle or diffuser. When doing so, the introduction may be done at atmospheric conditions, or at increased temperature or pressure.
The nozzle or diffuser offers certain safety benefits to the user. The nozzle is configured to prohibit atmospheric introduction to the nutritional powder before the fluid introduction. The nozzle is configured to prohibit the nutritional powder from exiting the pod through the nozzle. The nozzle is configured to prohibit backflow of reconstituted material in a direction from the inside of the pod to the outside of the pod.
The nozzle has other features and benefits. In some embodiments, the flow rate of fluid through the nozzle may be pulsated. When more than one nozzle is being used, the use of the nozzles may be alternated between the two or more nozzles.
One embodiment of the invention features a hermetically sealed pod that includes nutritional powder and at least one nozzle for fluid introduction into the nutritional powder. The nozzle is arranged to diffuse a flow of fluid in the pod prior to contact with the powder.
Another embodiment of the invention features a pod for preparing a nutritional liquid composition. The pod includes a body, a nutritional powder within the body, and a plate secured to the body. The nutritional powder is hermetically sealed within the pod. The plate is arranged to diffuse a flow of fluid into the pod prior to contact with the powder. The plate has a plurality of diffuser apertures for fluid introduction into the nutritional powder.
Another embodiment of the invention features a body formed of a piece of plastic, a single beverage compartment within the body and containing a nutritional powder, and a nozzle configured within the walls of the body. The body includes walls and a top opening. The nozzle diffuses a flow of fluid into the pod prior to contact with the powder.
Another embodiment of the invention features a body having a bottom wall, side walls and a top opening, a compartment surrounded by the bottom wall and the side walls for containing a nutritional powder, a hermetic seal across the top opening to secure the nutritional powder within the pod, and a diffuser secured between the seal and the nutritional powder. The diffuser is configured to diffuse a flow of fluid into the pod prior to contact with the nutritional powder.
Another embodiment of the invention features a pod comprising a body, a nutritional powder, a seal, a plurality of built-in ports, and at least one nozzle. The body has a bottom wall and side wall. The nutritional powder is within the body and enclosed by the hermetic seal. The plurality of built-in ports are attached to the outer surface of the pod. The at least one nozzle is attached to the outer surface of the pod. Also, the at least one nozzle is configured to diffuse a flow of fluid in the pod prior to contact with the powder. Each port is configured for fluid introduction to the inside of the pod for formation of a nutritional liquid composition within pod.
Another embodiment of the invention features a method of reconstituting a nutritional powder into a nutritional liquid. The method includes providing a pod which includes a hermetically sealed compartment enclosing a predetermined amount of the nutritional powder, providing at least one nozzle apparatus, pre-treating the nutritional powder with a volume of fluid through the nozzle apparatus, providing an outlet from the sealed compartment, and discharging any nutritional liquid in predetermined reconstituted form through an outlet.
Another embodiment of the invention features a method of diluting a nutritional liquid concentrate into a nutritional liquid. The method includes providing a pod which includes a hermetically sealed compartment enclosing a predetermined amount of the nutritional liquid concentrate, providing at least one nozzle apparatus, pre-treating the nutritional liquid concentrate with a volume of fluid through the nozzle apparatus, providing an outlet from the sealed compartment, and discharging any nutritional liquid in predetermined diluted form through an outlet.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be discussed with reference to figures 2 to 7. When discussing the invention, a pod will be discussed for use in a single serving dispensing machine. The exemplary discussion and figures are directed to a pod which a caregiver may easily load and unload from a machine. The exemplary pod may include nutritional powder. Powder of a variety of sizes may be used, such as a powder having a particle size range of 10-500 microns.
Referring now to the drawings, a front sectional view of an exemplary pod is shown in Figure 1, which does not fall within the scope of the claims. The pod 10 includes an atomizing nozzle 12 on the top of the pod and disposed above the level of a nutritional powder 20. The pod includes a body 14 and a seal 16.
The pod features a nozzle for, among other reasons, increasing the reconstitution rate of nutritional powder within the pod. Various types of nozzles may be used, including, but not limited to, atomizer nozzles or spray nozzles. Further, any structure which acts as a diffuser, such as baffles, plates, or deflectors, to advantageously interfere with and change the flow of water prior to contact with the nutritional powder may be used. It is believed a diffuser is best used to apply water onto powder after the powder has been previously pre-treated, such as for example, by pressurized air.
The nozzle may be built-in to the body of the pod, such as part of the side wall, part of the bottom wall, or part of the seal. Alternatively, the nozzle may be part of the assembled pod such that a user of the pod who manually loads the pod into a single serving dispensing machine will transport the pod and the nozzle as one complete assembly when loading and unloading the pod into the single serving dispensing machine.
Referring again to Figure 1, an atomizer nozzle 12 is shown. The atomizer nozzle 12 produces an atomized spray 22 when water runs through the nozzle and into the inner compartment 24 of the pod 10. As discussed, the mist is believed to act as a pre-treating step to reconstitution. The reconstitution may occur at the same time as the pre-treating or soon after the pre-treating. Regardless, the pre-treating increases the rate of reconstitution of nutritional powder.
As discussed herein, the nozzle may be arranged such that a single flow of fluid is diffused into a plurality of flows of fluid. For example, the upstream flow into the nozzle may exit the nozzle as diffused into at least 4 flows of fluid. Further, the nozzle may be arranged such that the flow of fluid is diffused into more than 4 flows, such as at least 8 flows of fluid, or at least 12 flows of fluid. Other numbers of flows can be used.
The nozzle is believed to create turbulent flow within the pod. One way the nozzle creates turbulent flow is by producing an outlet having a widened spray. For example, the nozzle outlet may be at least 2 flows of fluid and may exit the nozzle at at least ten degrees relative to the axis of the nozzle.
The body 14 is shaped to cooperatively insert and nest into the single serving machine with which the pod is designed to work. The body includes a bottom wall and side walls and defines an inner compartment 24. As shown, the body has a single inner compartment but the body may have multiple inner compartments. The body may be formed of a plastic, such as for example, polypropylene or polyethylene. The body may be constructed of multiple layers or may be a unitary piece, and the piece may include one or more nozzles, ports, or dispensers.
As shown in Figure 1, the dispenser 18 is extending from the bottom wall of body. The dispenser may be arranged to evacuate product at a predetermined time, such as for example, when the pressure inside the pod reaches a certain level. The dispenser may also extend outward from other parts of the pod, such as for example, the top or the side wall. Further, more than one dispenser may be used.
As shown, the seal 16 is disposed over a top opening of the body 14. As discussed, the seal is hermetically sealed to the body and protects the contents of the body before and during use of the pod. For example, the seal protects the nutritional powder from the atmosphere. The seal may be made of one of many materials, such as for example, foil, film, plastic, or metal.
In general, the nozzle has many advantageous properties. The fluid introduced through the nozzle pre-treats the nutritional powder. For example, the fluid introduced through the nozzle mixes the nutritional powder. The fluid introduced through the nozzle prohibits clumping of the nutritional powder. The fluid introduced through the nozzle causes reconstitution of the nutritional powder to a nutritional liquid composition within the pod.
It is believed that the nozzle has many advantageous performance properties related to time. The pod is configured to reconstitute at least 90 percent of the total amount of the nutritional powder within the pod by the fluid introduced through the nozzle within 60 seconds. Also, the pod is configured to reconstitute at least 75 percent of the total amount of the nutritional powder within the pod by the fluid introduced through the nozzle within 45 seconds. Also, the pod is configured to reconstitute at least 50 percent of the total amount of the nutritional powder within the pod by the fluid introduced through the nozzle within 30 seconds. Further, the pod is configured to pre-treat at least 90 percent of the total amount of the nutritional powder within the pod by the fluid introduced through the nozzle within 45 seconds.
Referring now to Figure 2, another example of a nozzle is shown. The illustrated pod 30 includes a nozzle 32 which produces a downward spray 34. This exemplary pod 30 also includes a body 38, a seal 36, a dispenser 40 and nutritional powder 42. However, the pod 30 includes a port on a side wall. The port 44 may provide water for reconstitution after pre-treating or at the same time as pre-treating. The port 44 is shown above the level of the nutritional powder, but the invention may be practiced with the port in any location about the outer surface of the pod 30.
As discussed herein, the nozzle is configured to diffuse a single flow of fluid into a plurality of flows of fluid, or a spray of fluid which is wider than the original single flow of fluid. In other words, the diffused and exiting flow of fluid may be wider relative to the entering flow of fluid. In one embodiment, the one or more flows of fluid to exit the nozzle are diffused at an angle which is at least ten degrees relative to the axis of the nozzle. For example, the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2 includes a nozzle 32. The entering flow of fluid 31 enters the nozzle along the longitudinal axis of the nozzle. The exiting spray is diffused at an angle α₁ from the longitudinal axis of the nozzle. As illustrated, the angle α₁ is greater than 10 degrees. As illustrated, the angle α₁ is more than 30 degrees. The shape of the spray may vary in the practice of the invention. For example, other shapes of sprays are illustrated in Figure 4 from a top view.
Referring now to Figure 3, another embodiment of a pod having a nozzle and a port is shown. The illustrated pod 70 includes a nozzle 72 which produces a horizontal and inward spray 74. The pod 70 also includes a body 78, a seal 76, a dispenser 80 and nutritional powder 82. The pod 70 includes a one port 84 on a side wall opposing the nozzle 72. The port 84 may provide water for reconstitution after pre-treating or at the same time as pre-treating. The port 84 is shown above the level of the nutritional powder, but the invention may be practiced with the port in any location about the outer surface of the pod 70, including below the level of the nutritional powder.
The nozzle creates a spray which travels over the nutritional powder. The spray may spread and travel as a moving mist, in a cloud-like manner. As discussed herein, the atomized spray from a nozzle may have different spray patterns in the practice of this invention. For example, Figures 4a-4d are top schematic views of a body of a pod. The figures illustrate spray patterns from a nozzle disposed on a side wall of the pod. Figure 4a shows a spray pattern 82 having a spray traveling in a direction A₁ over the nutritional powder. Another embodiment is shown in Figure 4b. In that figure, a spray pattern 84 is shown traveling in a direction A₂ over the nutritional powder. The spray 84 has a conical shape. Figure 4c shows a spray pattern 86 traveling in a circular shape and in a direction A₃ over the nutritional powder. Finally, Figure 4d shows a spray pattern 88 traveling in an oval shape and in a direction A₄ over the nutritional powder. The shapes described are from the top view, and the shape from the side may be the same or different.
A different type of diffusing apparatus is illustrated in Figures 5 and 6. In Figure 5, a pod 90 which includes a plate is shown. The plate is arranged to diffuse a flow of fluid into the pod prior to contact with the powder. The plate 92 has a plurality of diffuser apertures which produces a downward spray 94. The plate is secured in a position upstream from the seal 96. Similar to the other pods discussed, the pod 90 also includes a body 98, the seal 96, a dispenser 100 and nutritional powder 102. The pod 90 includes a two ports 104, 106, one on each side wall. One or both ports 104, 106 may provide water for reconstitution after pre-treating or at the same time as pre-treating. If at the same time, the ports inject water in a direction perpendicular to a direction of water travel out of the plate. The ports 104, 106 are shown above the level of the nutritional powder, but the invention may be practiced with the ports in any location about the outer surface of the pod 90, including below the level of the nutritional powder.
The plate structure may vary in the practice of this invention. For example, the plate may have various numbers of apertures. For example, the plate may have 4, 8 or 12 apertures. It should be apparent to one with ordinary skill in the art that any reasonable number of apertures may be used.
The pod 110 in Figure 6 in similar to the pod 90 in Figure 5. The plate 112 has a plurality of diffuser apertures which produces a downward spray 114. However, the plate is secured in a position downstream from the seal 96. Similar to the other pods discussed, the pod 110 also includes a body 118, the seal 116, a dispenser 120 and nutritional powder 122. The pod 110 includes a two ports 124, 126, one on each side wall. One or both ports 124, 126 may provide water for reconstitution after pre-treating or at the same time as pre-treating. If at the same time, the ports inject water in a direction perpendicular to a direction of water travel out of the plate. The ports 124, 126 is shown above the level of the nutritional powder, but the invention may be practiced with the ports in any location about the outer surface of the pod 110.
The spray nozzle may be made from the foil material. In one embodiment, the foil material is used to construct a portion of a micro nozzle. For example, the hermetic seal may include small holes which open only under a predetermined amount of pressure. An amount of water in an upstream position from the foil seal may generate an atomized spray in the direction on the nutritional powder. In the practice of the invention, the entire surface of the foil seal may include a hole pattern, or only a portion of the surface may include a hole pattern. Further, the hole pattern may be dispersed over the entire surface of the foil.
Referring now to Figure 7, a front sectional view of a pod having a spray nozzle made of foil material is shown. The pod 200 includes a body 202 having sidewalls 218, 220 and a bottom wall 216. The sidewalls 218, 220 include built-in ports 206, 204, respectively. A dispenser 214 extends from the bottom wall 216. A foil seal 210 provides a hermetic seal over a compartment 208. During operation of the machine, a needle 222 introduces a flow of water in a direction toward a filter 232. As water passes through the filter, water gathers in an upstream position from the foil seal 210 in a temporary reservoir 230. As pressure builds on the upstream side of the foil 210, water passes through the micro hole pattern and an atomized spray is generated in a direction toward and over the nutritional powder 212. At the same time or at a time after, water may flow from one or both ports 204, 206 to reconstitute the powder 212. In the practice of the invention, the pod may have other structure or a different construction with the foil seal generating the atomized spray. For example, the pod may be constructed without a filter, or the needle 222 may pierce a surface on the outside of the pod.
A method of reconstituting a nutritional powder is now discussed. The method is directed to increasing the reconstitution rate of nutritional powder within a pod. The method includes providing a pod including a hermetically sealed compartment enclosing a predetermined amount of the nutritional powder. The method includes providing at least one nozzle apparatus. The nozzle apparatus may take on many structures or forms, including, but not limited to, a atomizer nozzle, a spray nozzle, a diffuser, a baffle, or a plate. The nutritional powder is pre-treated with a volume of fluid through the nozzle apparatus. The method includes providing an outlet from the sealed compartment, and discharging any nutritional liquid in a predetermined reconstituted form through the outlet.
The method is believed to have advantageous effects. For example, it is believed that pre-treating the nutritional powder by fluid through the at least one nozzle apparatus has an increased reconstitution rate compared to nutritional powder not pre-treated by fluid through the at least one nozzle apparatus. When compared to reconstitution with no pre-treating, it is believed the reconstitution rate increases 10%. More specifically, it is believed the reconstitution rate increases 25%. This method may be practiced with the pre-treating occurring prior to a reconstituting step, or with the pre-treating occurring during a reconstituting step.
In some embodiments, the pre-treating water and the reconstituting water is supplied to the pod through the same point of entry. In other words, the nozzle which supplied water to spray a mist for pre-treating is the same nozzle that is used as a port to supply water during reconstitution. In other embodiments, the nozzle that supplies water for pre-treating is separate from the port which supplies water during reconstitution.
A similar method may be practiced to increase the dilution rate of a nutritional liquid concentrate. The method of diluting a nutritional liquid concentrate into a nutritional liquid includes several steps. First, the method includes providing a pod including a hermetically sealed compartment enclosing a predetermined amount of the nutritional liquid concentrate. At least one nozzle apparatus must be provided. The method includes pre-treating the nutritional liquid concentrate with a volume of fluid through the nozzle apparatus. The method includes providing an outlet from the sealed compartment, and discharging any nutritional liquid in a predetermined diluted form through the outlet.
The method is believed to have advantageous effects. For example, it is believed that pre-treating the liquid concentrate by fluid through the at least one nozzle apparatus has an increased dilution rate compared to a nutritional liquid concentrate not pre-treated by fluid through the at least one nozzle apparatus. When compared to dilution with no pre-treating, it is believed the dilution rate increases 10%. More specifically, it is believed the dilution rate increases 25%. This method may be practiced with the pre-treating occurring prior to a dilution step, or with the pre-treating occurring during a dilution step.

Testing Results

A detailed study was performed of the beneficial features of this invention. An automated reconstitution system was assembled which was capable of evaluating the invention under a multitude of variables, including nozzle location and fluid entry properties. Under this evaluation system, the invention demonstrated performance improvements for criteria related to the reconstitution of nutritional liquid concentrate.
In general, the system tested the performance criteria of a pod containing nutritional liquid concentrate and having a nozzle, the nozzle being intended to diffuse fluid flow as the fluid is introduced to a pod. The system included reusable testing pods. Several testing pods had features of the invention, e.g., a diffuser plate on the top of the pod or a diffuser nozzle on the side of the pod. A testing pod which included features of a conventional pod (baseline) was also used, e.g., a conventional inlet port on the top of the pod. Each pod was constructed to hold a test amount of a nutritional liquid concentrate. Fluid entering a testing pod was controllable by temperature, pressure, and volume. The system used multiple water tanks, multiple water hot and cold supply lines, water pumps, steam tanks, air supply lines and other mechanical equipment to control the characteristics of water, steam or air entering the testing pod.

A series of initial screening tests was performed to evaluate the different pods under different conditions. The initial results exhibited an improved performance of the inventive pods over the baseline pod, including reduced foam with clumping and pod utilization similar to that achieved with the baseline pod design. Table 1 below shows exemplary results of three screening tests performed with three testing configurations (Top-Baseline, Diffuser Side, and Diffuser Top) loaded with an amount of nutritional liquid concentrate.

Table 1. Diffuser nozzles reduce foam when using concentrate.

Screening Test ID	Inlet Port	Foam Volume (mL)	Total No. of Clumps	Utilization (grams remaining in pod)
126	Top	65	2	0.00
129	Diffuser Side:	30	0	0.00
130	Diffuser Top	20	0	0.00

A follow-up series of structured tests was created to produce a detailed comparison of the reconstitution performance, when using the nutritional liquid concentrate, between the pods having the inventive features and the baseline pod. Replicates were created for each test to establish a data set that could be used for statistical analysis. Table 2 below shows the results of screening tests performed with the three testing configurations (Top-Baseline, Diffuser Side, and Diffuser Top) loaded with an amount of nutritional liquid concentrate.

Table 2. Test pairs for comparison purposes, water inlet flow rates, and outlet valve opening pressures used nutritional product concentrate reconstitution.

DESCRIPTION
Name	Inlet Port(s)	Total Flow Rate into Pod (ml/sec)	Outlet Valve Opening Pressure (psi)
Baseline ID15 & ID16	Top	6	5
ID15	Diffuser Side		10	5
ID16	Diffuser Top		10	5

The series of structured tests also tested for foam, clumps, and utilization performance. Table 3 below shows the results of screening tests performed with the three testing configurations (Top-Baseline, Diffuser Side, and Diffuser Top) loaded with an amount of nutritional liquid concentrate. Table 3. Mean foam volume and number of clumps for the replicates of each test.

DESCRIPTION MEASUREMENTS

Name Foam (mL) Number of Clumps Utilization (g)

Baseline ID15 & ID16 77 0 0

ID15 28 0 0

ID16 30 0 0
For nutritional liquid concentrate, the pod having a diffusing plate on the top and the pod having a diffusing nozzle on the side each reduced foam. In addition, the number of clumps and pod utilization were the same in the inventive diffusing inlet pods as they were in the baseline configuration. In addition, the inventive nozzle configurations were capable of reducing foam while introducing the reconstituting fluid at a higher flow rate.
The ability of the inventive pod to achieve an improvement in foam reduction without negatively impacting the ability to clear the pod of all nutritional concentrate (i.e., utilization) improves the overall experience for the user of not only the inventive pod, but also the corresponding automated reconstitution device. The reduction in foam may be considered especially beneficial for the user of certain nutritional concentrates. In addition, a higher flow rate reduces cycle time for the user which is an added convenience to the user.

Claims

A hermetically sealed pod (30, 70, 90, 100) comprising:
a body (38, 78, 98, 118) having a bottom wall and a side wall and defining an inner compartment;

a nutritional liquid concentrate or nutritional powder (42, 82, 102, 122) disposed in the inner compartment;

a nozzle (32, 72, 92,112) operable to diffuse a first flow of fluid introduced into the pod (30, 70, 90, 100) prior to the fluid contacting the nutritional liquid concentrate or nutritional powder (42, 82, 102, 122); said pod (30, 70, 90, 100) being characterised by further comprising:
a fluid inlet port (44, 84, 104, 124), separate from the nozzle (32, 72, 92, 112), operable to introduce a second flow of fluid into the pod (30, 70, 90, 100).
The pod (30, 70, 90, 100) of claim 1, wherein the nozzle (32, 72, 92,112) is an atomizing nozzle or a spray nozzle.
The pod (30, 70, 90, 100) of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of nozzles (32, 72, 92,112).
The pod (30, 70, 90, 100) of claim 1, wherein the nozzle (32, 72, 92,112) is configured to prohibit the nutritional liquid concentrate or nutritional powder (42, 82, 102, 122) from exiting the pod (30, 70, 90, 100) through the nozzle (32, 72, 92,112).
The pod (30, 70, 90, 100) of claim 1, wherein the body (38, 78, 98, 118) defines a top opening and the pod (30, 70, 90, 100) further comprises:
a seal (36, 76, 96, 116) disposed over the top opening of the body (38, 78, 98, 118).
The pod (90, 100) of claim 1, wherein the nutritional liquid concentrate or nutritional powder (102, 122) is hermetically sealed within the pod (90, 100) and the nozzle comprises a plate (92, 112) having a plurality of diffuser apertures for fluid introduction into the nutritional liquid concentrate or nutritional powder (102, 122), the plate (92, 112) being secured in a position relative to the body (98, 112) and within the first flow of fluid.
The pod (70) of claim 1, wherein the nozzle (72) is secured to the side wall and is configured for fluid flow in a direction only from the outside of the inner compartment to the inside of the inner compartment.
The pod (30, 90, 100) of claim 1, wherein the nozzle (32, 92, 112) is positioned at a top of the pod (30, 90, 100) and the fluid inlet port (44, 104, 124) is positioned in the side wall.
A method of preparing a nutritional liquid composition from a pod (30, 70, 90, 100), according to claim 1, containing a nutritional liquid concentrate or a nutritional powder (42, 82, 102, 122), the method comprising:
pre-treating the nutritional liquid concentrate or the nutritional powder (42, 82, 102, 122) in the pod (30, 70, 90, 100) by diffusing a first volume of fluid into the pod (30, 70, 90, 100) prior to the fluid contacting the nutritional liquid concentrate or nutritional powder (42, 82, 102, 122); and

flowing a separate second volume of fluid into the pod (30, 70, 90, 100) to complete preparation of the nutritional liquid composition.
The method of claim 9, wherein diffusing the first flow of fluid further comprises misting the first flow of fluid.
The method of claim 9, wherein the step of flowing the second volume of fluid occurs after diffusing the first volume of fluid.
The method of claim 9, wherein the step of flowing the second volume of fluid occurs during diffusing the first volume of fluid.
The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of directing the first volume of fluid through a diffuser (92, 112) in a direction perpendicular to the direction of flow of the second volume of fluid into the pod (90, 100).
The method of claim 9, wherein the first flow of fluid comprises steam.
The method of claim 9, wherein the first flow of fluid comprises air.