PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims priority from Italian Patent Application No. 102017000074959 filed on July 04, 2017 the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a capsule for the infusion of granular, powder or leaf products, such as for example coffee, barley, powder milk, tea, camomile, vegetables, etc .

PRIOR ART

Generally speaking, capsules for infusion products comprise a cup, which is made of plastic material and houses the infusion product, and a lid, which closes the cup and is also made of plastic material or of a film that can be perforated. The capsules are then marketed inside a bag or container, commonly known and secondary packing.

When the capsule is inserted into a percolation chamber of a machine for the extraction, for example, of beverages, hot water is injected under pressure into the cup through holes made in the lid. In particular, the holes can already be present in the lid of the capsule or they can be made by means of suitable perforating means inside the percolation chamber.

The water mixes with the product and flows out of the capsule through holes present in the bottom wall of the cup. Again, the holes can already be present in the bottom wall or they can be made by means of suitable perforating means inside the percolation chamber.

In stores it is possible to find capsules provided with a tubular duct, which originates from the bas wall of the cup and extends up to the lid; this duct making up the outlet to let out the beverage formed in the cup. In some capsules provided with this duct there are through openings in the area of the end portion of the duct close to the lid, as disclosed in patent applications WO2017009771 and W02016125195. In these capsules, the main drawback lies in the fact that, during the manipulation of the capsules, namely before the use thereof, part of the infusion product inevitably gets into the secondary packing. Furthermore, it can happen that part of the infusion product infiltrates into the aforesaid duct through the trough openings and, therefore, during the outflow of the beverage, falls into the container used to drink the beverage. This effect turns out the be absolutely unpleasant for people wanting to drink a beverage without undesired powders or granules.

WO2015124526 discloses capsules in which the duct has a height (namely, a longitudinal extension) that is smaller than the height of the cup or of the capsule and the duct is provided, at its free end, of elements designed to space apart the lid from the upper end itself, so that the infusion product can flow through the open upper end of the duct itself.

In other capsules, see patent application W02011124990 , provided with the aforesaid duct, the lid rests or is temporarily welded on the upper end of the duct. If the lid is made of a film, the latter, during the channelling of water of the cup due to a pressure increase inside the cup itself, lifts from where it rests on the end of the duct, thus defining a passage between the inside of the cup and the inside of the duct. These capsules are affected by a series of drawbacks. A first drawback lies in the fact that the film does not always lift exactly in the area of the duct. A second drawback lies in the fact that sometimes, as the film is welded, said film tears close the welded areas. A third drawback lies in the fact that sometimes the inner pressure of the cup is so high that the film bursts, thus tearing up, and this burst leads to unpleasant sprays in the container beneath; therefore, this burst is absolutely disliked by users.

Its should be pointed out that capsules currently available in the market consist of different components and this increases manufacturing costs, both due the large number of moulds needed and because of the assembling effort required. As a matter of fact, the cost of the sole capsule (namely, without the granular, powder or leaf product) is greater than the cost of the infusion product obtained .

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is to provide a capsule for infusion products, which does not suffer from the aforesaid drawbacks.

The subject-matter of the invention is a capsule for infusion products comprising a cup-shaped structure made of plastic material, which is defined by a bottom wall and by a side wall, and a lid, which closes said cup-shaped structure and can be perforated through perforation means, which inject into the cup-shaped structure a liquid, which gets mixed with an infusion product arranged inside said cup-shaped structure; said capsule for infusion products comprising a duct with a tubular shape, which originates from the peripheral edge of a through hole made in the central area of said bottom wall, which makes up an outlet organ letting the beverage out of said capsule, and wherein said duct has an upper end portion, where there is at least one weakening, which tears during the pressure exerted upon said capsule by an upper plate of the percolation chamber in which said capsule is inserted in use, so as to define a corresponding passage for the beverage from the inside of said cup-shaped structure to the inner space of said duct and, from there, the channelling of the beverage towards the outside of said capsule and of the percolation chamber; the capsule has said upper end of said portion of said duct , which is permanently fixed to the lower face of said lid , and the weakening consists of a reduction in the thickness of the duct.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be best understood upon perusal of the following description of different embodiments provided by mere way of non-limiting example, wherein:

figure 1 is sectional section view of a capsule according to a first embodiment of the invention;

figure 2 is a sectional view of the capsule of figure 1 while the beverage flows out;

figures 3 and 4 are partial sectional views showing an organ of the capsule according to a second embodiment;

figures 5 and 6 are partial sectional views showing an organ of the capsule according to a third embodiment; and figures 7 and 8 are partial sectional views showing an organ of the capsule according to a fourth embodiment.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In figures 1 and 2, number 1 indicates, as a whole, a preferred embodiment of the capsule for infusion products according to the invention.

The capsule 1 comprises a cup-shaped structure 2 manufactured as one single body, with the shape of a truncated cone and defined by a side wall 3, a bottom wall 4 and a circular crown 5 radially extending from an upper edge of the side wall 3. The cup-shaped structure 2 is made of a stiff plastic material or of a thermoformed plastic material .

The capsule 1 further comprises a lid 6 arranged on the circular crown 5 in a position in which it closes the cup-shaped structure 2. In the embodiment shown in the accompanying figures, the lid 6 is defined by a film, which can suitably be perforated directly inside the percolation chamber, so as to allow a liquid (usually water) to flow into the cup-shaped structure 2.

The capsule 1 finally comprises a duct 7 with a tubular shape, which originates, as one single piece, from the peripheral edge of a through hole 8 made in the central area of the bottom wall 4. This through hole 8 makes up the outlet organ letting the beverage out of the capsule 1. The duct 7 has an upper end portion 9, which is substantially connected in a permanent manner to the inner face of the lid 6. In other words, the upper end portion 9 is permanently fixed to the lower face of the lid 6, for example through welding or gluing. "Permanently" means that the upper end 9 and the lower face of the lid are connected to one another during the entire use of the capsule. Therefore, during the injection of the liquid into the capsule, the lid is not lifted (thus, disconnected) from the upper end 9 of the duct 7.

Inside the cup-shaped structure 2 there is an annular chamber 11 defined between the inner face of the side wall 3 and the outer face of the duct 7. The chamber 11 is delimited, at the top, by the lid 6 and, at the bottom, by the bottom wall 4. In use, in this chamber 11, the infusion product 10 is provided in a predetermined quantity in order to be then mixed with the liquid, which is channelled inside the cup-shaped structure 2 so as to create the beverage.

In a first embodiment, a plurality of weakenings 12 are obtained on the portion 9 of the duct 7, along respective longitudinal axes parallel to the longitudinal axis of the duct 7. The weakening 12, both in this embodiment and in the ones described hereinafter, consists of a thickness reduction.

In other words, the portion 9, for the ducts 7 shown in figures 1, 3 and 5, has a thickness that is smaller than the thickness of the remaining part of the duct 7. Therefore, the weakening 12 substantially is an incision (namely, a non-trough pre-cut) .

In use, the capsule 1 is inserted into a percolation chamber, which is schematically shown in figure 1 and has a lower plate 13, on which the capsule 1 - in particular the bottom wall 4 thereof - rests, and an upper plate 14, which is provided with perforation means 15 for the lid 6. The perforation means 15 are designed to inject the liquid into the chamber 11. The lower plate 13 has a through hole 18 aligned with the hole 8 so as to allow the beverage to flow out of the percolation chamber. The upper plate 14, during the introduction of the capsule 1 into the percolation chamber, is at a distance from the lid 6. While, during the preparation of the beverage, it presses on the lid 6 and thus on the portion 9. Through the means 15, the lid is perforated 6 and the liquid is injected into the chamber 11. In other words, the upper plate 14 compresses the capsule 1. Therefore, when the lid 6 is being pressed, the lid 6 itself exerts a predetermined pressure upon the end portion 9 of the duct 7; this pressure determining the laceration of the portion 8 in the area of the weakenings 12 and, hence, the creation of passages 12a. The passages 12a permit the beverage to flow from the chamber 11 to the inner space of the cut 7 andto channelling it towards the outside of the capsule 1 and of the percolation chamber. Furthermore, by creating weakenings 12 in the form of reductions in the thickness of the upper end portion 9, it is evidently possible to select the width of the passages 12a in such a way that said passages 12a can permit the channelling towards the inside of the duct 7, if desired, even of granules with given dimensions, for example pieces of vegetables.

Since the portion 9 of the duct 7 is permanently connected to the lower face of the cover 6, there is a guided opening of the passages 12a. In other words, the connection between the cover 6 and the duct 7 causes all the passages 12a to open substantially in the same way. Therefore, the connection prevents distortion of portion 9.

According to what is illustrated in Figure 2, the passages 12a have a substantially rhombus shape. In fact, through the application of the pressure, in correspondence substantially with the middle of the weakening 12, the maximum opening of the passage 12a is obtained. In other words, the passage 12a presents at the longitudinal ends an opening (i.e. a distance between the two edges forming the passage 12a) smaller than the opening (i.e. a distance between the two flaps forming the passage 12a) at the middle of the weakening 12.

In a second embodiment shown in figures 3 and 4, the duct 7 differs from the duct 7 shown in figure 1 in that the weakenings 12 create a herringbone pattern. In a third embodiment shown in figures 5 and 6, the portion 9 of the duct 7 has the shape of a truncated cone and the weakenings 12 are obtained along the conical wall of the portion 9.

In a fourth embodiment shown in figures 7 and 8, the duct 7 - or better the portion 9 thereof - is closed at the top by a disc 16, from whose central area a projection 17 protrudes upwards, and a plurality of weakenings 12 are obtained on the disc 16, as well.

As evidently revealed by all the embodiments described and shown herein, when, in the percolation chamber, the upper plate 14 presses the capsule 1 against the lower plate 13, the duct 7 is also subjected to this pressure and, therefore, passages 12 for the beverage (which is crated in the chamber 11 following the inlet of liquid and the mixing thereof with the infusion product present in the chamber 11) are created so as to lead the beverage itself from the chamber 11 to the inner space of the duct 7 and, from there, the beverage is channelled towards the outside of the percolation chamber.

Owing to the above, the advantages that can be reached with the invention are evident.

In particular, the capsule 1 according to the invention, unlike those capsules currently available in stores, exclusively consists of two components. The first component consist of the cup-shaped structure 2 and of the duct 7, which is manufactured as one single piece together with the cup-shaped structure 2. On the other hand, the second component consists of the lid 6.

A further advantage lies in the fact that, during the manipulation of the capsule 1 (namely, before the use thereof), the infusion product remains in the chamber 11 and, therefore, does not infiltrate into the inner space of the duct 7 in order to the be part, during the percolation, of the beverage flowing out of the capsule 1. Therefore, as there is no passage between the inside of the chamber 11 and the inside of the duct 7, during the manipulation of the capsule 1 the infusion product does not infiltrate into the secondary packing. Furthermore, during the mixing of the liquid with the infusion product, there is no accidental laceration of the lid 6. This means that, during the mixing of the liquid with the infusion product, there is only the laceration of the lid caused by the perforation means. Basically, the capsule is a low-cost capsule, as only one mould is needed; furthermore, the capsule 1 avoids the access of the infusion product towards the outlet of the capsule 1 for the beverage, in fact the passages 12a created in the portion 9 o the duct 7 act like a filter and diffuser for the infusion product.

It is evident that one single weakening 12 can be provided in the portion 9 of the duct 7 and that the weakenings 12 can be made according to axial developments that are different from the ones shown and described herein .

Furthermore, as the upper end of the duct 7 is permanently fixed, for example through welding or gluing, on the inner face of the lid 7, the infusion product must necessarily flow towards the passages 12a. Therefore, depending on the size, i.e. on the width and/or height, of the passages, it is possible to define, based on the infusion product to be obtained, whether to channel towards the inside of the duct 7 granules with given dimensions, such as for example pieces of vegetables, or only the fluid. In other words, as the passages 12a act like a filter, the size (i.e. the width and/or height) of the passages 12a defines the size of the mesh of the filter. "Width" means the size along the transverse direction relative to the longitudinal extension of the duct 7. On the other hand, "height" means the size along the longitudinal direction of the duct 7. Finally, the duct 7 could not be manufactured as one single piece together with the cup-shaped structure 2 and, hence, the capsule 1 could be provided with fixing means between the duct 7 and a part of the cup-shaped structure 2. Furthermore, the duct 7 could be manufactured in two portions, one of them being manufactured as one single piece together with the cup- shaped structure 2 and the other one consisting of the portion 9, which is separated and connected to the lower portion. Therefore, in these two variants, it is possible to produce a cup-shaped structure 2 that is the same for all the infusion products to be used and to provide a different duct 7 or portion 9 thereof depending on the type of infusion product to be used in the capsule 1.

By manufacturing a capsule with the upper end of the portion 9 of the duct 7 permanently connected to the lower face of the lid 6 and by creating a weakening 12 in the form of a reduction in the thickness of the duct 7, an important advantage is reached, which is that of further making sure that the beverage can flow in the duct 7 through the passages 12a only and exclusively after the use thereof, namely after its insertion and compression in the percolation chamber by means of the plates 13 and 14.