NZ242567A

NZ242567A - Sealed package containing beverage substance; rupturable under pressure during beverage making process

Info

Publication number: NZ242567A
Application number: NZ242567A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: Olivier Fond
Original assignee: Nestle Sa
Priority date: 1991-05-10
Filing date: 1992-04-30
Publication date: 1994-12-22
Also published as: DE69217113T2; NO921812L; NO302696B1; KR0143975B1; JPH05132056A; CA2067515C; ES2097831T3; CA2067515A1; AU1505192A; NO921812D0; GR3022936T3; FI922065A0; KR920021403A; FI108630B; EP0512468A1; DK0512468T3; JP2763987B2; FI922065A; ATE148419T1; MY109864A

Abstract

The invention relates to a closed cartridge provided in order to be extracted under pressure, containing a substance (3) for preparing a beverage, comprising a dish (2) with an upper face and lateral wall having a substantially frustoconical shape and a lower face (4) having a diameter greater than the upper face, in which the lower face is a protective cover welded onto the perimeter of the lower edge of the dish and consists of an oxygen-impermeable flexible material chosen from the group consisting of aluminium, an aluminium/plastic composite, an aluminium/plastic/paper composite, pure plastic or multi-layers. <IMAGE>

Description

<div class="application article clearfix" id="description"> 242567 Priority Dete{s): J&.frl:?,! Complete 0^:-c'firFt"2-, Class: fa?.Wjl3!+; . 6><*S;pk&IT^ . ;Publication Date: ..?.?.?£?.!??? ;P.O. Journal, No: ....... ........ ;Patents Form So. 5 ;NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION ;SEALED CARTRIDGE FOR THE PREPARATION OF A BEVERAGE ;WE, SOCIETE DES PRODUITS NESTLE S.A., a Swiss company of Entre-deux-Villes, Vevey, SWITZERLAND ;hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: ;- 1 - ;(followed by page la) ;n.2. PATENT OFFinp ;30 APR 1992 Received ;567 ;\Q ;This invention relates to a sealed cartridge which is designed to be extracted under pressure and which contains a substance for the preparation of a beverage, comprising 5 a cup with a base and a substantially frustoconical lateral wall and a circular lip larger in diameter than the base. ;GB-PS 938,617 describes a cartridge with an internal filter forming two compartments and intended to be extracted by a system which pierces its lower and upper faces 10 before extraction. The disadvantage of this cartridge is that, due to the thickness of the faces, it necessitates the use of a relatively dangerous piercing system which ensures neither perfect cleanness during the extraction nor easy release on completion of extraction. ;15 There are several reasons for the use of capsules for the preparation of a beverage, above all in the field of espresso type coffees extracted under pressure, namely: hygiene, optimal keeping of the coffee, ease of use, better control of the quality of the coffee obtained and good 20 reproducibility of the extraction conditions. Among the large number of available capsules, only sealed capsules which open under the effect of the injected water pressure really satisfy the requirements mentioned above. Capsules of this type are distinguished by their opening system. 25 The capsules according to CH 605 293 have weakened zones which tear preferentially under the effect of pressure. This solution has the disadvantage of increasing the complexity and price of the capsule because the materials used have to be treated very precisely if opening of the 30 capsule is to be correct and reproducible. ;The cartridge according to the present invention is far lower in price, considerably easier to manufacture and may be used for the preparation of a beverage, particularly espresso coffee, i.e. in which the coffee is extracted 35 under a pressure of 1 to 15 bar. ;(followed by page 2) ;-2- ;24 2 5$ 7 ;The invention provides a sealed cartridge and a substance for preparation of a beverage by extraction of the substance under pressure comprising a cup and a cup cover and roast and ground coffee contained within the cup and cover, wherein the cup has a base and a sidewall extending from the base to a lip which extends laterally away from the sidewall about a cup opening and wherein the cover covers the opening and is sealed to the lip and has a thickness less than a thickness of any of the base, sidewall and lip, there being no marks in the cover for weakening the cover base and no filter positioned in the cartridge. ;The invention further provides a sealed cartridge and a substance contained therein for preparation of a beverage comprising an aluminum cup and an aluminum cup cover and roast and ground coffee contained within the cup and cover, wherein the cup has a base and a sidewall extending from the base to a lip which extends laterally away from the sidewall about a cup opening, each of the base, sidewall and lip having a thickness of at least 60 m, and wherein the cover covers the opening and is sealed to the lip and has a thickness of from substantially 20 m to 40 m, there being no marks in the cover for weakening the cover and no filter positioned in the cartridge. ;The cartridge may comprise a cover welded to the periphery of the lip of the cup, the cover consisting of a flexible material impermeable to oxygen selected from the group consisting of aluminium, an aluminium/plastic composite, an aluminium/plastic/paper composite, pure plastic or multilayer plastic and the cover or the base being intended to tear solely under the effect of the pressure of the extraction fluid at the beginning of the extraction process. The advantage of this cartridge is that it does not have a filter or a weakened zone in the strict sense. ;(followed by page 2a) ;24 2 5 ;- 2a - ;The cartridge according to the invention may be extracted by the process and with the system according to European patent application 91 107 462.3. The extraction system according to this patent application enables this simplified capsule to be extracted under good conditions. ;To extract the capsule, it is either the cover or the base of the cup which is torn under the effect of the extraction fluid. If it is the cover, the base of the cup is first opened by the water injector during introduction of the cartridge into the extraction system and the cover is torn therein during the increase in pressure and, after use, the cartridge can be removed easily and intact with a minimum of waste coffee grounds or packaging material. ;The cover is normally welded to the periphery of the cup by heat sealing, the parts to be welded comprising a welding lacquer on their opposite faces. The lower lip of the cup may also be folded back onto the cover for crimping. Welding either on its own or in conjunction with crimping gives a cartridge which is capable of withstanding pressures of up to 15 bar during the extraction process. ;The cartridge is filled with a substance for the preparation of a beverage. This substance is preferably roasted and ground coffee, but may also be tea, soluble ;(followed by page 3) ;{ N,J?. F'.Vj'cA'T Oi-PiCE; ;>5 ;coffee, a mixture of ground coffee and soluble coffee, a chocolate-based product or any other dehydrated edible substance. ;The cup is a frustoconical, hemispherical or frusto-5 pyramidal element. The base of the cup does not necessarily have to be flat, but may also assume the above-mentioned geometries. ;The main part of the capsule, namely the cup which may be frustoconical in shape and semirigid, may be made of 10 aluminium between 20 and 100 im thick, pure plastic or multilayer plastic, optionally with an oxygen barrier layer, such as EVOH or FVDC, a multilayer film, such as cardboard/aluminium/plastic or cardboard/plastic optionally with an oxygen barrier layer, such as EVOH of PVDC. 15 The flexible cover of the capsule may be made of aluminium 15 to 60 ^tm thick or of a multilayer film comprising either 20 to 60 g/m* paper, plastic, such as 20 to 60 pm thick polyethylene, and 5 to 20 p thick aluminium or EVOH or PVDC 5 to 30 im thick and plastic (PP, PE, PA) 20 20 to 100 /ttm thick or PET (5 to 30 fin) and plastic (PP, PE) 20 to 100 pm thick or metallized PET or PET provided with an upper barrier layer, such as Si02. A multilayer combination of paper and aluminium may also be used. Of these materials, aluminium tears the most easily 25 and cleanly; where a multilayer film is used, the presence of the paper fibres and the stretching of the plastic layer enable a network to be formed at the location of the tears which is favourable for keeping the base of the capsule intact and reducing the dispersion of the coffee grounds 30 while, at the same time, ensuring homogeneous extraction of the layer of coffee. To prevent coffee grounds from being dispersed on the flow grill, an additional layer based on filter paper or woven or non-woven fibres based on PET or PP is provided. 35 In one configuration, this layer may be arranged between 242567 the body of the capsule and the cover and may be bonded or welded to those two elements. This material may have a density of 20 to 50 g/m1. In another configuration of the capsule, the layer of filter paper or woven or nonwoven 5 fibres may be arranged on the outside of the capsule and bonded or welded to the cover. The cartridge according to the invention may vary in size according to the volume of coffee to be prepared. The coffee dose may vary from 5 to 20 g, the diameter of the 10 cartridge is between 2.5 and 6 cm and the thickness of the coffee layer is between 10 and 25 mm. The invention is described in more detail in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 15 Figure 1 diagrammatically illustrates the cartridge according to the invention. Figure 2 diagrammatically illustrates a second embodiment. Figure 3 diagrammatically illustrates a third embodi- 20 ment. The cartridge (1) comprises a cup (2) with a base (5) and a frustoconical lateral wall (6). The cup is made of 50 fim thick aluminium. The cartridge contains roasted coffee (3) and is closed by a cover (4) of aluminium/paper 25 composite. The cover is welded to the periphery (7) of the lip of the cup. The cartridge (8) in Fig. 2 comprises a cup (2) identical with that shown in Fig. 1 except that the lip (9) of the cup is wider and can thus be folded back, i.e. 30 crimped onto the periphery of the cover (4). The material used is the same as in Fig. 1. The cartridge (30) in Fig. 3 comprises on the cover (4) a paper filter (31) which is welded to the periphery of the cover and to the periphery of the cup (2). 35 The cartridge according to the invention is of the 5 42 5 6 ? type which opens under the effect of pressure, but is simpler and more economical than known cartridges in terms of design and production. Explanation of the abbreviations: PVDC = polyvinylidene chloride EVOH = copolymer of ethylene and vinyl alcohol PP = polypropylene PE = polyethylene PET = polyester PA = polyamide </div>

Claims

<div class="application article clearfix printTableText" id="claims"> 2,^2567 What we claim is:-

1. A sealed cartridge and a substance when used in the preparation of a beverage by extraction of the substance under pressure, comprising a cup and a cup cover, the substance being roast and ground coffee contained within the cup and cover, wherein the cup has a base and a sidewall extending from the base to a lip which extends laterally away from the sidewall about a cup opening and wherein the cover covers the opening and is sealed to the lip and has a thickness less than a thickness of any of the base, sidewall and lip, there being no marks in the cover for weakening the cover base and no filter positioned in the cartridge.

2. A cartridge according to claim 1 wherein the roast and ground coffee is suitable for preparation of an espresso coffee.

3. A cartridge according to claim 1 wherein the wall is substantially frustoconical in shape and wherein a diameter of the opening is greater than a diameter of the base.

4. A cartridge according to claim 3 wherein each of the base, sidewall and lip have a thickness of at least 60 ljm and the cover has a thickness of from substantially 5 ym to less than 50 ym.

5. A cartridge according to claim 3 wherein each of the base, sidewall and lip are aluminum and have a thickness of from substantially 90 ym to 110 ym and wherein the cover is aluminum and has a thickness of from substantially 20 ym to 40 ym.

6. A cartridge according to claim 1 wherein the cartridge is substantially impermeable to oxygen. 242567

7. A sealed cartridge and a substance contained therein when used in the preparation of a beverage comprising an aluminum cup and an aluminum cup cover and roast and ground coffee contained within the cup and cover, wherein the cup has a base and a sidewall extending from the base to a lip which extends laterally away from the sidewall about a cup opening, each of the base, sidewall and lip having a thickness of at least 60 y m, and wherein the cover covers the opening and is sealed to the lip and has a thickness of from substantially 20 ym to 40 yn, there being no marks in the cover for weakening the cover and no filter positioned in the cartridge.

8. A cartridge according to claim 7 wherein the sidewall is substantially frustoconical in shape and wherein a diameter of the opening is greater than a diameter of the base.

9. A cartridge according to claim 8 wherein the roast and ground coffee is suitable for preparation of an espresso beverage.

10. A cartridge according to claim 8 wherein the cover and lip are crimped.

11. A sealed cartridge as claimed in claim 1 or claim 7, substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the Drawings. SOCIETE .D^S By th£ir Attorneys BALDWIN SON & CAREY PRODUITS NESTLE S.A. ~ ^ v Ji .N*y </div>