The present disclosure relates to a method of forming a beverage capsule, a beverage capsule, a beverage preparation system and a set of tools. The beverage preparation system is of the type comprising a beverage preparation machine wherein the capsule is designed for insertion into the beverage preparation machine to permit a pressurised liquid to be flowed through the capsule in order to produce a beverage from interaction with beverage ingredients

contained within the capsule.

Background

Beverage preparation systems which comprise a beverage preparation machine and a beverage capsule containing beverage ingredients are known in the art. One such system is taught in EP1700548 and is shown in Figure 1. The system comprises a beverage capsule 100 having a thin aluminium cup-like body 104 and a closing foil member 102 and a beverage preparation machine having an enclosing member 2 and a capsule holder 20.

The enclosing member 2 comprises an annular element having a leading edge in the form of an annular rim 23. The leading edge may be provided with a plurality of grooves. An upper end of the enclosing member 2 may be coupled to a supply of water and also comprises one or more perforation elements 14 intended to pierce a base 117 of the capsule 100 in use. The one or more perforation elements 14 may take the form of needles or blades. The one or more perforation elements 14, as illustrated in Figure 1, are arranged along a circular path at a radius Rl from a central longitudinal axis of the enclosing member 2 so that in use the capsule 100 is intended to be perforated also at one or more points along a circular path at radius Rl from a central

longitudinal axis of the capsule 100 (which in use is substantially coincident with the central longitudinal axis of the enclosing member 2) .

The capsule holder 20 comprises relief elements 21 which are designed to tear and perforate the closing foil member 102 of the capsule 100. The tearing may occur due to internal pressurisation of the capsule 100 caused by

inflowing water. The relief elements 21 may have any

protruding shape able to cause a partial tearing of the foil member 102, e.g. pyramids, needles, bumps, cylinders, or elongated ribs.

The capsule 100 is suitable for insertion into the beverage preparation machine. During or after insertion the one or more perforation elements 14 form one or more

apertures in the aluminium base 117 of the capsule 100 to allow water under pressure to enter the capsule in order to interact with ingredients in the capsule to form a beverage which is output for consumption.

The capsule 100 of EP 1700548 is provided with a dedicated sealing member 108 to prevent a by-pass flow of water around the exterior of the capsule in use. The sealing member 108 is in the form of a resilient material attached to a flange of the capsule which is contacted on closure of the enclosing member 2 of the beverage preparation machine.

The present disclosure provides an alternative capsule which may be used as part of such a beverage preparation system. The capsule may be economical to produce and provide effective sealing in use. Summary of the Disclosure

In a first aspect the present disclosure provides a method of forming a beverage capsule containing one or more beverage ingredients, the method comprising the steps of: a) forming a cup-shaped body, the cup-shaped body comprising a base, a side wall, a flange distal the base and an open mouth opposite the base;

b) filling one or more beverage ingredients into the cup-shaped body through the open mouth; and

c) applying a lid to the flange of the cup-shaped body to close the open mouth;

wherein at least the flange is formed from a laminate material comprising at least an aluminium layer and one or more polymer layers;

wherein the lid is applied to the flange by sandwiching the lid and flange between a first tool and a second tool and pressing the first tool and the second tool together to squeeze the lid and flange;

wherein squeezing the lid and flange between the first tool and the second tool causes displacement of at least a portion of the one or more polymer layers to form at least one thickened section of flange and, preferably, at least one thinned section of flange. In a second aspect the present disclosure provides a beverage capsule as formed by the method of the first aspect .

In a third aspect the present disclosure provides a beverage producing system comprising:

a beverage capsule of the second aspect; and

a beverage preparation machine; the beverage capsule being designed for insertion into the beverage preparation machine to permit a pressurised liquid to be flowed through the capsule in order to produce a beverage from interaction with the beverage ingredients; the beverage preparation machine having an enclosing member adapted to be selectively movable between an open position to permit insertion of the capsule into the

beverage preparation machine and a closed position in which the enclosing member sealingly engages the flange of the beverage capsule.

In a fourth aspect the present disclosure provides a set of tools for lidding a beverage capsule and

simultaneously shaping a flange of the beverage capsule, comprising a first tool for engaging a lid and a second tool for engaging the flange;

wherein the first tool and/or the second tool is heatable by means for heating;

wherein the second tool comprises at least one forming protrusion having a width less than a width of the flange such that on engagement of the second tool with the flange a portion of the flange is contacted by the at least one forming protrusion and a remainder of the flange is not contacted by the second tool.

Advantageously, the displacement of at least a portion of the one or more polymer layers to form the at least one thickened section of the flange provides a controllable and precise method of creating at least one thickened section of the flange that is thicker than a starting thickness of the flange prior to squeezing. The present disclosure provides a number of benefits. First by providing the flange with at least one thickened section, improved sealing with the beverage preparation machine is promoted. In particular, the at least one

thickened section may improve the sealing where the leading edge of the enclosing member comprises grooves since the thickened section (s) of polymer material allows for greater compressibility of the flange at the point of contact with the leading edge so that the flange may deform fully into the grooves to make a sealing contact. According to the present disclosure by producing at least one thickened section of the laminate material at the required point of contact with the enclosing member (i.e. on the flange) it is not necessary for a remainder of the cup-shaped body to be formed from a laminate material having this greater

thickness throughout. Thus, the thickness of the cup-shaped body in other areas (for example the base) can be kept relatively thin while at least one portion of the flange can be thickened. This can be achieved even where the whole cup- shaped body is formed from a starting sheet of laminated material having a uniform thickness. It can be beneficial to form the base to be relatively thin where the base is to be pierced in use by the perforating elements of the beverage preparation machine.

Secondly, the beneficial shaping of the flange takes place simultaneously with the lidding of the lid onto the cup-shaped body. Consequently, a more economical

manufacturing process is obtained as it is not necessary to shape the flange in a separate manufacturing step.

The above aspects may further comprise one or more of the following features, singly or in combination: The first tool and/or the second tool may be heated so as to soften or melt at least a portion of the one or more polymer layers to promote displacement of the at least a portion of the one or more polymer layers. Both tools may be heated. Where only one tool is heated this may preferably be the tool in contact with the lid. Heat from this tool is used to weld the lid to the flange (by, for example

providing the lid with a heat-seal layer of a suitable material such as PVC) . Heat in this case is also transferred through the lid and layers of the laminated flange so as to soften and/or melt at least a portion of the one or more polymer layers.

The first tool and/or second tool may be heated to a temperature of 250 to 300°C.

The first tool and the second tool may be squeezed together with a force of 350 to 1000N, preferably 500 to 1000N.

The one or more polymer layers of the flange prior to squeezing may have a thickness of 80 to 300 microns, preferably 100 to 180 microns, more preferably 120 to 150 microns .

After squeezing, the one or more polymer layers within the at least one thickened section of flange may have a thickness of 150 to 250 microns.

Each of the at least one thickened portion may comprise a rib-, ramp- or wedge-shaped formation.

The first tool may be applied to a lid-side of the lid and flange and, preferably, comprises a flattened portion for engaging the lid.

The second tool may be applied to a polymer-side of the lid and flange. The second tool may comprise at least one forming protrusion having a width less than a width of the flange such that on engagement of the second tool with the flange a portion of the flange is contacted by the at least one forming protrusion and a remainder of the flange is not contacted by the second tool. Consequently, squeezing of the lid and flange may thus cause displacement of at least a portion of the one or more polymer layers to one or both sides of the forming protrusion so as to form the at least one thickened section of flange on one or both sides of the forming protrusion. The part of the flange contacted by the forming protrusion ( s ) may be thinned as polymer material is displaced away from under the forming protrusion by the action of mechanical squeezing and/or heating. Thus, compared to a starting thickness of the flange, prior to squeezing and/or heating, the at least one thickened section of flange may end up thicker than the starting thickness and the thinned part of the flange may end up thinner than the starting thickness of the flange.

The one forming protrusion may comprise a flat or angled engaging face which contacts the flange. A flat engaging face may tend to displace polymer material to both sides of the one forming protrusion to produce two thickened sections. The flat engaging face may be bevelled at its edge(s) . Use of an angled engaging face may be used to tend to displace polymer material to one side of the one forming protrusion to produce one thickened section. This may be used, for example, to displace material towards the side wall to form a wedge-shaped thickened portion at or near the junction of the side wall and the flange.

In an alternative example the second tool may comprise two or more forming protrusions which may be separated by one or more gaps. Consequently, squeezing of the lid and flange may cause displacement of at least a portion of the one or more polymer layers to one or both sides of each of the two or more forming protrusions so as to form the at least one thickened section of flange on one or both sides of the two or more forming protrusions. Similar to above, the parts of the flange contacted by the forming protrusions may be thinned.

The two or more forming protrusions may each comprise a flat or angled engaging face which contacts the flange. The shaping of the faces and sides of the forming protrusions and the size of the gaps between the forming protrusions may be configured to achieve different sizes, numbers and shapes of thickened portions. For example, two thickened sections may be produced which are separated by a thickened or thinned portion. In another example two or more thickened sections may be produced which are adjacent one another.

Optionally, the second tool may be provided with cooling means for assisting in maintaining the temperature of the second tool within a desired range. The use of cooling means may help to prevent the second tool from overheating due to heat transferred to it from the heated first tool.

A whole of the cup-shaped body may be formed from the laminate material, and may be formed by drawing a sheet of laminated material. The drawing may be a deep drawing process .

The lid may comprise a metal layer, preferably an aluminium layer, and optionally one or more heat-seal layers which may be formed of PVC .

In the beverage production system a leading edge of the enclosing member may form a sealing interface with the at least one thickened section of flange. In the set of tools the second tool may comprise one forming protrusion, which may have a flat or angled engaging face which contacts the flange.

Alternatively, the second tool may comprise two or more forming protrusions which may be separated by one or more gaps. The two or more forming protrusions may each comprise a flat or angled engaging face which contacts the flange.

The aluminium layer of the laminate material may be formed from aluminium or an aluminium alloy. The aluminium alloy may, for example, be of grade 3005, 3105, 8011 or

8079. The aluminium alloy may have an 0' temper rating. The aluminium layer may have a thickness in the range of 80 to 150 microns, preferably 100 microns.

The one or more polymer layers may comprise a single layer of a single polymer material or multiple layers of different polymer materials. Where multiple layers of different polymer materials are used, each layer may be applied separately when making up the laminate material. However, it is preferred that the multiple layers of

different polymer materials are first made up into a

multilayer laminated polymer film which can then be

laminated onto the aluminium layer by a suitable process, for example adhesive lamination.

The polymer materials of the one or more polymer layers may comprise materials selected from the group consisting of homopolymers , copolymers and mixtures thereof. By

homopolymer is meant a polymer produced by the

polymerization of a single monomer. By copolymer is meant a polymer produced by the polymerization of two or more monomers.

Suitable homopolymers include polyvinyl chloride (PVC) , polypropylene (PP) , low density polyethylene (LDPE) , medium density polyethylene (MDPE) , high density polyethylene

(HDPE) , polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) , polyethylene

terephthalate (PET) , polychloroprene, polyisobutylene, and polyamides .

Suitable copolymers include fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) , ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) , polyamides, thermoplastic copolyesters (TPC) and olefin block copolymers (OBC) . These copolymers are preferably alternating copolymers or block copolymers. By alternating copolymer is meant a copolymer with regular alternating monomer units. By block copolymer is meant a copolymer comprising two or more homopolymer subunits linked by covalent bonds .

The one or more polymer layers may also incorporate tie layers and/or one or more barrier layers for inhibiting transmission of moisture and/or oxygen. A suitable barrier layer material is ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) .

In addition, optionally one or more lacquer layers or adhesive layers may be present in the laminate material. For example, an adhesive layer may be present between the aluminium layer and the one or more polymer layers. For example, an inner face of the aluminium layer may be coated with a lacquer layer, which may be for example of PVC .

The polymer materials preferably have a hardness of less than or equal to 40 D Shore Hardness, more preferably less than or equal to 30 D Shore Hardness.

In one example the material of at least the flange (and preferably the whole cup-shaped body) comprises (before drawing) an aluminium layer comprising aluminium alloy of grade 8011 with a thickness of 100 microns and a coextruded polymer film of 100 microns thickness giving a total thickness for the sheet of 200 microns. The coextruded polymer film in this example is Flextrus WB 100ET available from Flextrus Ltd of Highbridge, United Kingdom which is a multilayer coextruded film having a structure of PE - tie layer - EVOH - tie layer - PE .

Brief Description of the Drawings

Examples of the present disclosure will now be

described in more detail, for exemplary purposes only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a prior art beverage preparation system as disclosed in EP1700548;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional schematic view showing basic features of a first example of beverage capsule;

Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of a detail of the capsule of Figure 2 with an enclosing member of a beverage preparation machine in a closed position;

Figure 4 is a schematic cross-section of a laminate material for the beverage capsule of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a schematic cross-section of another laminate material for the capsule of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a picture of a lidding apparatus for applying a lid to a cup-shaped body of the beverage capsule;

Figure 7a is a schematic illustration showing features of a first version of tools for the lidding apparatus of Figure 6 and a flange and lid of a beverage capsule having been welded together so as to form the flange into a first shape using said tools;

Figure 7b is a schematic illustration of engagement of the leading edge of an enclosing member with the flange of Figure 7a of said first shape; Figure 8a is a schematic illustration showing features of a second version of tools for the lidding apparatus of Figure 6 and a flange and lid of a beverage capsule having been welded together so as to form the flange into a second shape using said tools;

Figure 8b is a schematic illustration of engagement of the leading edge of an enclosing member with the flange of Figure 8a of said second shape;

Figure 9a is a schematic illustration showing features of a third version of tools for the lidding apparatus of

Figure 6 and a flange and lid of a beverage capsule having been welded together so as to form the flange into a third shape using said tools;

Figure 9b is a schematic illustration of engagement of the leading edge of an enclosing member with the flange of Figure 9a of said third shape;

Figure 10a is a schematic illustration showing features of a fourth version of tools for the lidding apparatus of Figure 6 and a flange and lid of a beverage capsule having been welded together so as to form the flange into a fourth shape using said tools;

Figure 10b is a schematic illustration of engagement of the leading edge of an enclosing member with the flange of Figure 10a of said fourth shape;

Figure 11a is a schematic illustration showing features of a fifth version of tools for the lidding apparatus of Figure 6 and a flange and lid of a beverage capsule having been welded together so as to form the flange into a fifth shape using said tools;

Figure lib is a schematic illustration of engagement of the leading edge of an enclosing member with the flange of Figure 11a of said fifth shape; Figure 12a is a schematic illustration showing features of a sixth version of tools for the lidding apparatus of Figure 6 and a flange and lid of a beverage capsule having been welded together so as to form the flange into a sixth shape using said tools;

Figure 12b is a schematic illustration of engagement of the leading edge of an enclosing member with the flange of Figure 12a of said sixth shape;

Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view of a second tool of the third version of tools of Figure 9a;

Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view of a second tool of the sixth version of tools of Figure 12a;

Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view of a second tool of the seventh version of tools for the lidding apparatus of Figure 6;

Figure 16 is an enlarged view of a portion of Figure 14; and

Figure 17 is a picture of the flange of a beverage capsule .

Detailed Description

Figure 2 illustrates the basic shape and features of an example of a beverage capsule 1 according to the present disclosure which may be used with a beverage preparation machine to produce a beverage. The beverage capsule 1 and the beverage preparation machine together define a beverage preparation system.

The beverage capsules of the present disclosure may be used, for example, with a beverage preparation machine of the general type shown in Figure 1, described in brief above and in more detail in EP1700548. However, they may also be used in other beverage preparation machines and, in the following description, reference to features of a beverage preparation machine of the general type described in

EP1700548 is by way of example only.

The enclosing member 2 and the capsule holder 20 in the closed position together define a receptacle 30 for holding the beverage capsule 1 during a dispensing operation. The enclosing member 2 may be moved between the open and closed positions by means of a conventional mechanism well known in the art. For example, the means may involve a mechanical mechanism activated by a manually-movable lever or an automatic or semi-automatic mechanism where movement is driven by a motor. The enclosing member 2 may be moved while the capsule holder 20 remains stationary. Alternatively, the enclosing member 2 may remain stationary and the capsule holder 20 be moved. In a further alternative arrangement, both the enclosing member 2 and the capsule holder 20 may move during the opening and closing operations.

In addition, the beverage preparation machine may comprise conventional elements which are not illustrated in the accompanying drawings and which are well known in the art of beverage preparation machines. For example, the beverage preparation machine may comprise either a facility for storing water, such as an internal reservoir, or a facility for connection to an external supply of water, such as mains water. A pump or equivalent may be provided for supplying the water in a pressurised state to the beverage capsule 1. The water will typically be supplied at a

pressure of up to 9 to 14 bar. A heater may be provided for heating the water to a desired temperature. The heater may heat the water in the reservoir (where present) or may heat the water on-demand as it passes through a conduit or over a thermoblock to the receptacle 30. The beverage capsule 1 of Figure 2 may have the general form of a cup-shaped body 40 having a base 42 at one end and a side wall 43 extending from the base 42 towards an opposed end, which is open to form a mouth of the cup-shaped body 40 which is closed-off by a lid 41 after filling with one or more beverage ingredients.

As shown in Figure 3, the cup-shaped body 40 and the lid 41 of the beverage capsule 1 together enclose a beverage ingredient chamber 50 which may be filled with a beverage ingredient or mixture of beverage ingredients. As a non- limiting example, the beverage ingredient may comprise roasted ground coffee.

The cup-shaped body 40 is formed from a sheet of material in the form of a laminate material comprising at least an aluminium layer 71 and a polymer layer 72. Multiple polymer layers may be present but in the example of Figure 2 only one polymer layer 72 is shown for simplicity.

The laminate material may, optionally, have one or more tie layers and/or adhesive layers as necessary to bond together the layers 71 and 72. Additionally, the laminate material may comprise one or more lacquer layers on its inner and/or outer surface.

The general structure of the sheet of laminate material is shown in Figure 4 - the tie and/or adhesive and/or lacquer layers are omitted from the drawing for clarity. Again, as with Figure 2, multiple polymer layers may be present but only one polymer layer 72 is shown in Figure 4 for simplicity.

The polymer materials of the one or more polymer layers 72 may comprise materials selected from the group consisting of homopolymers , copolymers and mixtures thereof. By

homopolymer is meant a polymer produced by the polymerization of a single monomer. By copolymer is meant a polymer produced by the polymerization of two or more monomers .

Suitable homopolymers include polyvinyl chloride (PVC) , polypropylene (PP) , low density polyethylene (LDPE) , medium density polyethylene (MDPE) , high density polyethylene

(HDPE) , polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) , polyethylene

terephthalate (PET) , polychloroprene, polyisobutylene, and polyamides .

Suitable copolymers include fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) , ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) , polyamides, thermoplastic copolyesters (TPC) and olefin block copolymers (OBC) . These copolymers are preferably alternating copolymers or block copolymers. By alternating copolymer is meant a copolymer with regular alternating monomer units. By block copolymer is meant a copolymer comprising two or more homopolymer subunits linked by covalent bonds .

The sheet of laminate material may also incorporate tie layers and/or one or more barrier layers for inhibiting transmission of moisture and/or oxygen. A suitable barrier layer material is ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) .

The polymer materials used preferably have a hardness of less than or equal to 30 D Shore Hardness.

The polymer layer 72 (or multiple polymer layers where present) may have a total thickness t _p greater than or equal to 80 microns. A range of the total thickness t _p of from 80 microns to 300 microns may be used. In one example, a total thickness t _p of 100 microns is used.

The aluminium layer 71 may have a thickness t _a in the range of 80 to 150 microns. In one example, a thickness t _a of 100 microns is used. The polymer layer 72 is provided towards an exterior of the beverage capsule 1 to be contacted by the enclosing member 2 and the aluminium layer 71 is provided towards an interior of the beverage capsule 1.

A lacquer layer may be provided which may be applied to the aluminium layer 71. The lacquer layer may have a

thickness of about 10 microns. The lacquer layer may be PVC .

The laminate material may also comprise a printed layer facing the exterior of the beverage capsule 1, to allow the provision of text, pictures, logos, etc.

The polymer layer 72 provides a compressible structure that aids sealing.

In one example, shown schematically in Figure 5, a suitable laminate material for the sheet of material for forming the cup-shaped body 40 comprises an aluminium layer 71 comprising aluminium alloy of grade 8011 with a thickness t _a of 100 microns and a coextruded polymer film 74 with a thickness t _p of 100 microns giving a total thickness for the sheet of material prior to forming into the cup-shaped body 40 of 200 microns. The coextruded polymer film 74 in this example is Flextrus WB 100ET available from Flextrus Ltd of Highbridge, United Kingdom which is a multilayer coextruded film having a structure of an upper PE layer 74a, a tie layer 74b, an EVOH layer 74c, a tie layer 74d and a PE layer 74e.

Other suitable materials for laminating with the aluminium layer 71 include:

• Flextrus WB 200ET (also available from Flextrus Ltd) which differs from Flextrus WB 100ET in that the coextruded film is 200 microns thick;

• Queo 0210 Octene-1 Plastomer available from Borealis Group, Vienna, Austria; • Infuse 9107 olefin block copolymer available from The Dow Chemical Company of Midland, Michigan, USA;

• Arnitel thermoplastic copolyetheresters available from DSM of Birmingham, MI, USA.

The cup-shaped body 40 includes the base 42 and the side wall 43. There may be, as illustrated, a geometric discontinuity at the junction between the base 42 and the side wall 43, for example, in the form of a shoulder 57. Alternatively, the base 42 and the side wall 43 may have a smooth geometric transition.

The side wall 43 of the cup-shaped body 40 comprises, as shown in Figure 2, an outwardly-extending flange 70 at an end of the beverage capsule 1 distal the base 42. (It should be noted that the flange 70 is only shown schematically in Figures 2 and 3 and specific features of the flange

according to the present disclosure will be described below and shown in the latter figures) .

Preferably the whole of the outwardly-extending flange 70 is made from the sheet of laminate material. The flange 70 may be provided with a rim 47 which may be formed by a rolled-over section of the flange.

Preferably the whole of the cup-shaped body 40 is made from the sheet of laminate material, including the flange 70 and rim 47 where present. Also, preferably, the cup-shaped body 40 is formed from a unitary piece of the sheet of laminate material.

The cup-shaped body 40 may be formed by cold drawing the laminate material. Preferably a deep drawing process is used .

The lid 41 is sealed to an underside of the outwardly- extending flange 70. Alternatively, the lid 41 could be sealed to the side wall 43 at a location spaced from the outwardly-extending flange 70 of the cup-shaped body 40.

The lid 41 may be formed from aluminium or a laminate containing aluminium. Preferably, the lid 41 is provided with one or more heat-seal layers formed from a suitable material, such as PVC .

According to the present disclosure, the outwardly- extending flange 70 is provided with at least one thickened section by shaping the flange 70 during the process of lidding the lid 41 onto the cup-shaped body 40. In

particular, the flange 70 is shaped by displacing at least a portion of the one or more polymer layers 72 of the flange 70 during lidding.

Figure 6 illustrates a lidding apparatus 110 which comprises an upper half 111 arranged above the location of the cup-shaped body 40 and lid 41 and a lower half 112 arranged below the location of the lid 41. The upper half 111 is provided with a first tool 113 which is heated to a temperature of 250 to 300°C. A lowermost annular edge of the first tool 113 forms an engaging face 115 which can be brought to bear against the lid 41. Preferably the engaging face 115 is flat.

The lower half 112 is provided with a second tool 114 which is annular and which acts as one of its functions to support the flange 70 during the lidding process. In

addition, as will be described further below, the second tool 114 has a shaped engaging face 116 which forms a shape in the one or more polymer layers 72 of the flange 70 during lidding. As shown the lidding process is carried out with the lid 41 uppermost.

To lid the capsule the first tool 113 and the second tool 114 are brought together with a closing force of 500 to 1000N and in so doing are clamped about the lid 41 and flange 70. The heat and pressure from the first tool 113 has two main effects. First, the lid 41 is adhered or ^x welded' to the aluminium layer 71 of the flange 70 due to melting and eventual re-solidification of a heat-seal layer of the lid 41 (or alternatively a heat-seal layer of the flange 70 is desired) . Secondly, heat is conducted through the lid 41 and the aluminium layer 71 of the flange 70 to cause the one or more polymer layers 72 of the flange to soften and/or melt. This effect combined with the shaped engaging face 116 of the second tool is used to form a shape in the one or more polymer layers 72 of the flange 70 during lidding.

Figure 7a illustrates a first version of the second tool 114. An upper portion of the second tool 114 is

provided with a forming protrusion 117 that terminates with the engaging face 116. The engaging face 116 is flat except for a bevelled inner corner edge 118 which may be canted at a suitable angle of 45 to 60 degrees to the horizontal. An annular void space or gap 119 is provided inside of the forming protrusion 117 so that the forming protrusion 117 has a width which is less than the width of the flange 70. Consequently, and as shown in Figure 7a, under the heat and pressure during clamping of the first tool 113 and the second tool 114 at least some of the polymer material of the one or more polymer layers 72 underneath the engaging face 116 is displaced sideways to form a raised rib 130 on an inside of the forming protrusion 117. The width and location of the forming protrusion 117 may be altered to locate the raised rib 130 at a desired point on the flange 70. The bevelled inner corner edge 118 may be used to shape the raised rib 130. As a consequence the flange 70 is shaped to have a thickened section in the form of the raised rib 130 and a thinned section 131 where the engaging face 116 made contact with the polymer material. A further portion 132 of the flange aligned with the gap 119 and further removed from the forming protrusion 117 may have a thickness that is unchanged.

As shown in Figure 7b the raised rib 130 may be located on the flange 70 so as to engage an outer face 24 of at least a portion of the annular rim 23 of the enclosing member 2 when the beverage capsule 1 is used in the beverage preparation machine.

Figure 8a illustrates a second version of the second tool 114. The only difference compared to the first version is that the forming protrusion 16 is located radially further inwards so that the raised rib 130 is formed on the flange 70 nearer the side wall 43. As noted above, this may be achieved by altering, in this example, the width of the forming protrusion 117. Consequently, and as shown in Figure 8b the raised rib 130 seals in use against a corner of the annular rim 23 of the enclosing member 2. The raised rib 130 may however also be located so that it seals in about the middle of the annular rim 23 as seen in a radial direction of the capsule.

Figures 9a and 13 illustrate a third version of the second tool 114. An upper portion of the second tool 114 is provided with two forming protrusions, an outer forming protrusion 120 and an inner forming protrusion 121 that terminate with engaging faces 123 and 125 respectively. Both engaging faces 123 and 125 are flat except for bevelled corner edges 124 and 126 which may be canted at a suitable angle of 45 to 60 degrees to the horizontal. An annular void space or gap 122 is provided between the forming protrusions 120, 121. As shown in Figure 9a, under the heat and pressure during clamping of the first tool 113 and the second tool 114 at least some of the polymer material of the one or more polymer layers 72 underneath the engaging faces 123 and 125 is displaced sideways to form two raised ribs, an outer raised rib 133 and an inner raised rib 134. The bevelled inner corner edges 124, 126 may be used to shape the raised ribs 133, 134. As a consequence the flange 70 is shaped to have two thickened sections in the form of the raised ribs 133, 134 and two thinned sections 136, 137 where the

engaging faces 123, 125 made contact with the polymer material .

By way of example only, Figure 17 shows a picture of a flange 70 shaped using the third version of the second tool 114.

As shown in Figure 9b the raised ribs 133, 134 may be located on the flange 70 so as to engage the leading edge and/or the corners of the annular rim 23 of the enclosing member 2 when the beverage capsule 1 is used in the beverage preparation machine. The provision of two raised ribs provides two annular sealing points with the enclosing member which can improve the hydraulic seal formed.

Figure 10a illustrates a fourth version of the second tool 114. It is similar to the first version of the second tool 114 in that it comprises a single forming protrusion 140 that terminates with an engaging face 141. However, in this case the engaging face 141 is narrower and nearer the location of the side wall 43. The engaging face 141 is flat except for bevelled corner edges 142, 143 which may be canted at a suitable angle of 45 to 60 degrees to the horizontal. The annular void space or gap 144 is narrower than in the first version. Consequently, and as shown in Figure 10a, under the heat and pressure during clamping of the first tool 113 and the second tool 114 at least some of the polymer material of the one or more polymer layers 72 underneath the engaging face 141 is displaced to both sides to form two raised ribs 134, 134. The function of the two raised ribs 133, 134 is as described above with reference to the third version and is shown in Figure 10b which shows how the raised ribs 133, 134 may be located on the flange 70 so as to engage the leading edge and/or the corners of the annular rim 23 of the enclosing member 2 when the beverage capsule 1 is used in the beverage preparation machine.

Figure 11a illustrates a fifth version of the second tool 114. An upper portion of the second tool 114 is

provided with a single forming protrusion 145 that

terminates with the engaging face 146. The engaging face 146 has a flat outer part and a canted inner part 147. The engaging face 146 may extend to close to (on into contact with) the side wall 43 of the cup-shaped body 40 during lidding. Consequently, and as shown in Figure 11a, under the heat and pressure during clamping of the first tool 113 and the second tool 114 at least some of the polymer material of the one or more polymer layers 72 underneath the engaging face 146 is displaced inwards to form a wedge-shaped raised formation 138 at or near the junction of the flange 70 with the side wall 43. The flange 70 may also comprise a thinned section 139 where the flat portion of the engaging face 146 made contact with the polymer material.

As shown in Figure lib the wedge-shaped raised

formation 138 may be located on the flange 70 so as to engage an inner corner of the annular rim 23 of the

enclosing member 2 when the beverage capsule 1 is used in the beverage preparation machine. Figures 12a, 14 and 16 illustrate a sixth version of the second tool 114. An upper portion of the second tool 114 is provided with an annular serrated forming protrusion 150 having a series of raised triangular ridges 151 separated by troughs 152. As shown in Figure 12a, under the heat and pressure during clamping of the first tool 113 and the second tool 114 at least some of the polymer material of the one or more polymer layers 72 underneath the serrated forming protrusion 150 is displaced to form a series of annular raised ribs 160 which may each have a triangular cross-sectional shape. The raised ribs 160 may be separated by sections 161 of thinned polymer material.

As shown in Figure 12b the raised ribs 160 may be located on the flange 70 so as to engage the leading edge and/or the corners of the annular rim 23 of the enclosing member 2 when the beverage capsule 1 is used in the beverage preparation machine. The provision of multiple raised ribs provides multiple annular sealing points with the enclosing member which can improve the hydraulic seal formed.

Figure 15 illustrates a seventh version of the second tool 114. The only difference compared to the fifth version is that the forming protrusion 145 is flat across

substantially its whole extent except for a bevelled inner corner edge. As with the fifth version, on clamping at least some of the polymer material of the one or more polymer layers 72 underneath the forming protrusion 145 is displaced inwardly to form a raised protrusion at or near the junction of the side wall 43 and the flange 70.

In a comparative test cup-shaped bodies 40 were formed from a laminated material comprising an aluminium layer 71 comprising aluminium alloy of grade 8011 with a thickness t _a of 100 microns and a coextruded polymer film 74 of Flextrus WB 100ET with a thickness t _p of 100 microns. The cup-shaped bodies 40 were then filled and lidded. For a control group, the second tool 114 during lidding was completely flat without any discontinuities or bevelled corners. Test groups of the cup-shaped bodies 40 were formed using the second tools 114 of the third version of Figures 9a and 13, the sixth version of Figures 12a, 14 and 16 and the seventh version of Figure 15. The capsules 1 were then tested by brewing in the same beverage preparation machine. The quality of the seal of the capsule 1 in the beverage

preparation machine was assessed by measuring the brewed weight of fluid that ended up in the drinking receptacle (this is fluid which had passed through the capsule 1) and the weight of fluid that ended up as residue fluid in the waste receptacle of the beverage preparation machine (this is fluid which has by-passed the capsule 1) . The results are shown in the table below:

As can be seen the capsules 1 having a thickened section of the flange created by displacement of at least a portion of the one or more polymer layers 72 formed a better hydraulic seal with the beverage preparation machine

resulting in a reduced amount of water by-passing the capsule 1 during brewing. In use of the beverage preparation system the enclosing member 2 is first moved into the open position and the beverage capsule 1 is inserted into a location in between the capsule holder 20 and the enclosing member 2. Depending on the design of the beverage preparation machine, the beverage capsule 1 may be inserted by gravity or by manual placement or a combination thereof. In addition, the initial insertion may place the beverage capsule 1 in proximity to the enclosing member 2 such that subsequent movement of the enclosing member 2 carries the beverage capsule 1 therewith into engagement with the capsule holder 20. Alternatively, initial insertion may place the beverage capsule 1 in proximity to the capsule holder 20 such that the beverage capsule 1 remains substantially stationary during closure of the enclosing member 2.

The enclosing member 2 is then closed so as to

sealingly engage the enclosing member 2 with the beverage capsule 1. During this step the base 42 of the beverage capsule 1 is pierced by the perforation elements 14 of the enclosing member 2.

Pressurised aqueous medium is then flowed into the beverage capsule 1 to produce a beverage from interaction with the beverage ingredients. During this step internal pressurisation of the beverage ingredient chamber 50 causes the lid 41 to be deformed outwardly against the relief elements 21 of the capsule holder 20 resulting in at least partial tearing of the lid 41 which opens up an exit path from the beverage capsule 1 for the beverage.

The beverage is then output for consumption.

As noted above, during the step of closing the

enclosing member 2 relative to the capsule holder 20 the flange 70, and in particular the at least one thickened portion of the flange, of the beverage capsule 1 is

contacted by the enclosing member 2 to deform the flange 70 (possibly additionally with deformation of the side wall 43) . The leading edge 23 contacts and bears on the laminate material of the flange 70 and nips the laminate material against the capsule holder 20. The enclosing member 2 thereby deforms at least the one or more polymer layers 72 of the laminate material forming a sealing interface between the enclosing member 2 and the beverage capsule 1. The deformation of the laminate material due to the

compressibility of the one or more polymer layers 72 allows for the laminate material to conform to the shape of the leading edge 23. In particular one or more thickened

portions of the one or more polymer layers 72 are able to fill any gaps arising due to the presence of grooves in the leading edge 23. In addition, during use the hot water passed through the receptacle 30 may act to slightly soften the material of the polymer layer (s) 72. Such softening may lead to further deformation of the flange 70 under the compressive loading of the enclosing member 2. This effect may help to reinforce the fluid seal between the enclosing member 2 and the beverage capsule 1 by tending to seal up any gaps having hot water leaking there through.

The deformation of the one or more polymer layers 72 may be elastic, plastic or a combination of the two.