The present invention refers to a capsule for preparing infusion beverages.

As known, the art propose a wide variety of automatic or semi-automatic machines equipped with a preparing and delivering assembly adapted to produce an infusion through the passage of hot water through a capsule containing the essence to be infused, such as, for example, tea, coffee, tisanes, chocolate milk, etc.

In particular, known capsules are a disposable pre-packaged dose of the substance to be infused closed inside a container made of plastic material enclosed by a cover made of plastic or an aluminum foil.

Moreover, there are different types of automatic or semi-automatic preparing machines for preparing infusion beverages, each one of which uses a different type of capsules: in general, however, the common operating principle of such machines provides for the perforation of the base and of the cover of such capsule, thereby allowing the essence to be infused contained therein to be crossed by an infusion flow of hot water delivered by an infusing assembly of the machine itself and its exit as infusion beverage.

At the end of the delivery cycle of the preparing machines, when, in particular, the capsule is removed, this latter one frees itself from residual fluids therein, generating the consequent dripping outside, which can result annoying and uncomfortable to be managed by a user.

Wo2008/116818 Al discloses a capsule for preparing infusion beverages, equipped with a small plate in which dripping-preventing openings are inserted.

Object of the present invention is solving the above prior art problems, by providing a capsule for preparing infusion beverages, in particular coffee, comprising a base equipped with a dripping- preventing system which, by exploiting the capillarity principle, prevents fluids remaining inside the capsule from going out once this latter one is disengaged from the infusing assembly of the preparing machine.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention, as will appear from the following description, are obtained with a capsule for preparing infusion beverages as claimed in claim 1. Preferred embodiments and non-trivial variations of the present invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

It is intended that all enclosed claims are an integral part of the present description.

It will be immediately obvious that numerous variations and modifications (for example related to shape, sizes, arrangements and parts with equivalent functionality) could be made to what is described, without departing from the scope of the invention, as appears from the enclosed claims.

The present invention will be better described by some preferred embodiments thereof, provided as a non-limiting example, with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the capsule according to the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a perspective and longitudinally sectioned view of the capsule of Figure 1;

- Figure 2b shows an enlarged view of the detail contained in circle A of Figure 2a;

Figure 3a shows a longitudinally sectioned view of the capsule according to the present invention; and

Figure 3b shows an enlarged view of the detail contained in circle B of Figure 3a in an operating delivery position.

With reference to the Figures, it is possible to note that the capsule 1 according to the present invention for preparing infusion beverages, in particular coffee, chocolate milk and other soluble substances, comprises at least one containing body 3 having at least one base 5 and, usually, at least one opening 6 opposed to such base 5 adapted to be closed by at least one cover (for example through a protecting aluminum layer) , such containing body 3 comprising at least one internal volume V adapted to contain at least one substance to be infused or melted, typically in grain or powder form.

Advantageously, the base 5 is equipped with at least one outlet nozzle 4 of the infusion beverage from the internal volume V and is equipped with a dripping-preventing system comprising at least one internal surface, preferably of the base 5, equipped with at least one relief 7', 7'', 7' ' ' internally surrounding the nozzle 4, such relief 1' , 1' ' , 1' ' ' being equipped with one or more openings 9', 9'', 9''' with suitably reduced sizes to allow the passage of at least one flow F of infusion beverage from the internal volume V of the containing body 3 to the nozzle 4 under the action of the pressure exerted by the infusion flow of hot water delivered by the infusing assembly (of any known type in the art) of the preparing machine inside which the capsule 1 is inserted and prevent, due to the capillarity effect, the passage of liquids from the internal volume V of the containing body 3 to the nozzle 4 when the pressure decreases below a threshold value or ceases, and in particular when the capsule 1 is disengaged from the infusing assembly.

Obviously, shape and arrangements of the reliefs 7', 7'', 7''' and of the related openings 9', 9'', S' ' ' can be various, though performing the above described functions. As can be noted in particular in the Figure, the base 5 of a preferred embodiment of the capsule 1 according to the present invention is equipped with three of such reliefs 7', 7'', 1' ' ' of a substantially circular shape and arranged concentric to the nozzle 4 with respect to a longitudinal axis S-S of the base 5. Still more preferably, the openings 9', 9'', 9''' are composed of grooves arranged on the surface of the respective reliefs 7', 7'', 1' ' ' facing the internal volume V of the containing body 3: preferably, in order to increase the length of the obliged path which the flow F of infusion beverage is compelled to follow from the internal volume V to the nozzle 4 through the openings 9' , 9' ' , 9' ' ' , these latter ones can be arranged diagonally with respect to the radius of each relief 7', 7'', i' ¹ ' and, always with the same purpose, still more preferably, the openings 9', 9'', 9' ' ' of adjacent reliefs 7', 7'', 7' ' ' can be arranged diagonally with respect to the radius of each relief 7', 7'', 1' ' ' and with opposite angles.

Moreover, as it is possible to note in particular in Figures 3a and 3b, in order to slow down the flow aimed for the central area of the base 5 and make hot water diffuse inside the volume of the capsule 1 containing the substance to be infused, and compel water to propagate itself also towards the periphery of the internal volume V before flowing out through the nozzle 4, at least one portion of the internal surface of the base 5 can be covered by at least one protecting layer 11, for example made of an aluminum foil welded or glued at least onto the reliefs 7', 7'', 1' ' ' , such protecting layer 11 being able to be perforated and/or torn through any known prior art drilling or cutting means, in order to create at least one passage P for the infusion beverage from the internal volume V of the containing body 3 towards the delivery nozzle 4 through the openings 9' , 9' ' , 9"' of the reliefs 7', 7", 7'".