Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates to the field of the disposable capsules containing a preparation in liquid form or in powder/granules for use in a machine for the extemporaneous dispensing of beverages.

Background of the invention

Single-dose capsules are known to obtain beverages starting from a preparation in form of syrup, liquid concentration or in powder/granules. Such capsules are used in dispensing machines working by infusion or mixing. Thereamong, the most widespread ones currently provide extemporaneously coffee or products derived starting from a powder preparation contained in a disposable and single-dose capsule.

The capsules at issue typically include a sealed cavity, inside thereof the preparation in one of the above-mentioned forms is received. The final beverage is obtained by inserting the capsule in an infusion chamber of a compatible machine. The latter performs a unilateral or bilateral perforation of the capsule, and typically at a cover, bottom and/or sealing film thereof, so as to allow the passage of a flow of liquid through the capsule itself. Such liquid mixes or infuses with the preparation. Depending upon the type of dispensing machine and capsule, the liquid can proceed from top of the capsule itself towards the bottom or in the opposite direction.

In some known products, a lower sealing film of the capsule, during the preparation of the beverage, is torn by perforator elements housed inside the main body of the capsule itself and actuated mechanically by components of the machine or by the pressing regime which is established inside said main body.

Some types of single-dose capsules are described, for example, in WO2017/046158 or in IT102017000016167.

The capsules of known art are still perfectible with respect to the required compromise between different needs, in particular the allowed infusion, or mixing, mode - and then organoleptic properties of the final beverage - the reliability and repeatability of the preparation process, the constructive simplicity and disposability of the used capsule. Summary of the invention

The technical problem placed and solved by the present invention is then to provide a disposable capsule for machines dispensing beverages by infusion or mixing allowing to meet one or more needs mentioned above with reference to the known art.

Such problem is solved by a disposable capsule according to claim 1.

Preferred features of the present invention are set forth in the depending claims.

The capsule of the invention allows to optimize the residence or transit time of the infusion/mixing liquid in the capsule, to the advantage of quality, aroma and flavour of the final beverage. This is obtained thanks to the configuration of the capsule itself, providing a pre-collecting, or infusion, chamber, of the beverage arranged at its own bottom, below a compartment for receiving the preparation. Such infusion chamber is selectively accessible to the infusion or mixing liquid depending upon the fact that a pressing regime inside the main body of the capsule is established, induced by the dispensing itself, determining the tearing of a membrane, in particular a pellicle or film, placed near a dispensing portion of the capsule itself.

Between the preparation and the membrane a discoidal filtering element is interposed, which has a crown raised central structure arranged facing an infusion chamber, with the interposition of the tearable membrane.

The structure of the capsule further allows the use of biomaterials and, generally, of compostable materials, at least for the main body of the capsule itself.

The structure of the capsule further allows to simplify the disaggregation processes for meeting specific requests from compo stability or disposal testing.

Based upon preferred embodiments, the above-mentioned pellicle or film arranged near the bottom of the capsule does not require of being supported by inner ribs or similar elements.

Other advantages, features and use modes of the present invention will result evident from the following detailed description of some embodiments thereof, shown by way of example and not for limiting purposes.

Brief description of the figures

The figures of the enclosed drawings will be referred to, wherein: Figures 1A and IB show an exploded view, in perspective and longitudinal section, respectively, of a single-dose capsule according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a longitudinal section view of the capsule of the previous figures, in an assembled configuration.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments

By referring to the above-mentioned figures, a disposable capsule according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is designated as a whole with 1.

The capsule 1, in the present example, is of single-dose type, and preferably adapted for use in a machine for the preparation of beverages starting from a preparation in granular form, in particular in powder. In the present embodiment, the capsule 1 is filled-up, in the packaging step, with a coffee powder for the preparation of the final beverage by infusion.

Embodiment variants can provide that the capsule of the invention is packaged with a preparation in liquid form, for example a syrup, or with a different preparation in granular form.

The capsule 1 first of all comprises a hollow main body 100. Advantageously the latter is made of one piece, its various portions resulting to be integral with each other.

The main body 100 is obtained, for example, by moulding, injection or co injection. In particular, the main body 100 can be implemented by means of the method described in WO2017/103952.

In the present example, the main body 100 has a substantially tapered shape. In particular, it has an overall substantially circular geometry and mainly truncated- conical shape, by extending longitudinally according to an axis L. The main body 100 of the present example is substantially shaped like a cup.

The axis L is also an axis of symmetry of the main body 100 and, generally, of the capsule 1. The infusion or mixing fluid crosses the capsule 1 substantially in direction L and in the direction designated with an arrow V.

In the present embodiment, the main body 100 defines a containment region of the preparation (the latter not shown in the drawings for sake of representation simplicity) which has an inner seat or compartment which is designated with 110.

The main body 100 further has a mouth region 130, which is an upper region in the herein considered example, and a dispensing region 120, which is a lower region in the present example. Preferably, the main body 100, in said overall tapered shape, has a section decreasing towards the dispensing region 120.

More in detail, the main body 100 is defined by a side skirt 111, by a shaped base 112, substantially corresponding to the above-mentioned dispensing region 120, and by a peripheral transverse flange 101 projecting outwards which defines the periphery of a filling-in mouth. On the peripheral flange 101 the fastening of a (not represented) element or membrane for the hermetic closing, impermeable to liquids and gases, for example in form of film or pellicle, is provided. Similarly to the known art, such closing element can result to be able to be perforated by a corresponding device of the machine for the preparation of beverages at time of using the capsule 1.

Said closing element can be in form of film, poly-coupled material, film or other sheet material, in particular laminated material. In the present embodiment, the closing element is configured to be tom or however released from components of the dispensing machine, to allow the entrance of the fluid, typically hot or cold water under pressure, within the main body 100 and then the beverage preparation.

In the present example, the mouth region 130 has a recessed abutment edge 131, or step, thereat the transverse section of the main body 100 step-like reduces. Such transverse step 131 further defines an engagement or abutment means for an additional element 200 of the capsule 1 which will be illustrated shortly.

In general terms, the step 131, by means of its external profile, can be functional (even) to the needs of housing in a capsule-holder or infusion chamber of the machine or it can serve for receiving in abutment said additional element (distributor or other) of the capsule itself.

The dispensing region 120 has an outlet duct 122, arranged centrally in the present example, configured for dispensing the final beverage. The outlet duct 122 is in communication with a chamber 121 for pre-collecting, or infusing/mixing, the beverage in preparation. The chamber 121 has a substantially toroidal configuration and it is arranged, in the present example, circumscribed to the outlet duct 122. Advantageously, the pre-collecting chamber 121 has a bottom wall 125 with development tilted in the dispensing direction, which favours conveying and collecting the beverage.

The chamber 121 allows a post- infusion or post-mixing step which improves the organoleptic qualities of the final beverage and, as it will be illustrated later, stabilizes the features of the flow before the dispensing through the duct 122. In the present embodiment, the pre-collecting chamber 121 is made in form of an undercut of the dispensing region 120, as portion of the shaped base 112. Between the pre-collecting chamber 121 and the duct 122 a raised portion 123 of the base 112 is obtained, configured as crown and provided with one or more transverse channels 124, or slits, preferably with radial extension, which indeed put in flow communication the chamber 121 and the channel 122. Advantageously, the passage section of such channels 124 is calibrated to allow a regular, for example laminar, flow towards the outlet duct 122.

In the arrangement of the present example, the chamber 121 and the portion 123 substantially define two concentric crowns, with the pre-collecting chamber 121 arranged circumscribed to the raised portion 123.

The capsule 1 then comprises a distributor element 200 housed at the mouth region 130 of the main body 100.

The distributor element 200 has a substantially disc-like shape, with a transverse plate portion 210 provided with a plurality of distribution openings 201 and a peripheral flange 220, rising from the plate portion 210 in longitudinal direction L and opposite direction with respect to the dispensing one.

The flange 220 has engagement means 221 of the main body 100, and in particular of the step 131 of the latter, in form of a tooth projecting outwardly and preferably extending along the whole periphery of the element 200.

The peripheral flange 220 has lightening windows 222. The latter facilitate the disaggregating, that is disposal, process, of the capsule 1 without compromising the dispensing capability of the element 200 in guaranteeing the spreading of the infusion liquid entering the capsule 1.

The capsule 1 further comprises a filtering element 300 housed in the containment region 110 and with a substantially discoidal shape too. Even the filtering element 300 has a transverse plate portion 310 and a peripheral flange 320, rising from the plate portion 310 in longitudinal direction L and opposite direction with respect to the dispensing one. The flange 320 engages an inner surface of the side skirt 111 of the main body 100, so as to determine keeping in position the filtering element 300, for example thanks to the elastic radial deformation of the flange 320 itself.

A crown portion 311 raises longitudinally, in intermediate position on the plate portion 310 and in opposite direction with respect to the dispensing one, from the plate portion 310. The crown portion has a plurality of passage openings 301 for the fluid, which in the present example are configured substantially like slots elongated in transverse direction, in particular extending in substantially radial direction.

The crown portion 311 is arranged facing the pre-collecting chamber 121, from the portion longitudinally opposite thereto with respect to a membrane 400 which will be described hereinafter. Then, the pre-collecting chamber 121 of the main body 100 and the raised portion 311 of the filtering element 300 define two crown portions extending in the longitudinally opposite direction and e substantially overlapped in their transverse extension.

The filtering element 300 is indeed arranged in abutment on the membrane 400, with its own crown portion 311 spaced apart with respect to the membrane itself.

The membrane 400 separates the containment region 110 and the dispensing region 120 of the main body 100 and it is configured to be selectively torn by the fluid pressure which is established within the main body 100 during the preparation of the beverage. In an embodiment variant, the membrane 400 can be arranged with weakening or pre-tearing areas.

Advantageously, the membrane 400 is sealed, in particular welded, for example hot-welded, at a perimeter or peripheral region of the base 112 or of the side skirt 111 of the main body 100.

In the present embodiment, the membrane 400 hermetically separates the containment region 110 and the dispensing region 120. In particular, it is supported on the raised portion 123 of the shaped base 112 having the channels 124, which defines a carrier plane therefor and allows to avoid some configurations of known art requesting the presence of supporting ribs of an inner membrane of the capsule.

In the present embodiment, advantageously the membrane 400 is formed by a first oxygen barrier layer 401 arranged facing the containment region 110, and a second layer 402 of porous, in particular filtering and/or absorbing, material advantageously Non-Woven Fabric (NWF), facing the dispensing region 120.

The second layer 402 guarantees the possibility of welding the membrane 400 to the main body 100. Moreover, such layer 402 performs an important mechanical function for dispensing, by dampening the fluid turbulence through the channels 124, slowing down and homogenizing the flows and avoiding, or contributing to avoid, discontinuities or irregularities in the flow outgoing from the outlet duct 122, thus by guaranteeing a regular and constant dispensing of the beverage.

In an embodiment variant, on the membrane 400, on the side of the containment region 110 and then, in the above-shown example, a discoidal filter 500, known on itself, is applied or rested upon the first layer 401. The filter 500 can be made of bio plastics. Advantageously, it can fit- in at the inner surface of the side skirt 111 of the main body 100.

The distributor elements 200 and filtering elements 300 can be implemented by injection or moulding, preferably are of single-material type and advantageously they can result to be compostable.

Advantageously, the main body 100 can result to be of single-material type as far as the section for fastening with the membrane 400 and of pluri-material, structural and barrier type according to what described in WO2017/103952.

As above mentioned, during the use of the capsule 1 in the machine for dispensing beverages the closing element fastened on the peripheral flange 101 is tom or removed and the fluid -the coffee powder infusing fluid, in the present example - is supplied under pressure into the mouth region 130 and from here, through the openings 201 of the distributor element 200, it flows within the containment region 110, starting the infusion step. From such containment region 110, through the openings 301, the infused beverage flows into the circular crown compartment defined between the crown portion 311 of the filtering element 300 and the membrane 400. The fluid pressure, in particular at about 10 bar, determines a localized or distributed perforation or tearing of the membrane and then the inflow of the beverage within the pre-collecting chamber 121. From here, through the channels 124, the beverage flows in the duct 122 and is dispensed outwards of the capsule, directly in a food container or in additional ducts of the machine.

The above described configuration - wherein the position of the crown portion 311 corresponds to that of the pre-infusion chamber 121 with specular shape and wherein the membrane 400 rests upon the raised portion 123 of the shaped base 112 of the main body 100 - makes that the pressure generating inside the capsule 1 during the dispensing step concentrates on the crown portions 311 and 121, by stressing the membrane 400 in a reduced area until making it to collapse, as said above.

Still as said above, the membrane 400 can even have a weakening area, for example a pre-tearing area, advantageously corresponding to the area of maximum pressure of fluid provided for the capsule 1.

The present invention has been sofar described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof. It is to be meant that other embodiments belonging to the same inventive core may exist, as defined by the protective scope of the herebelow reported claims.

Component numbers of Figures

1 - Capsule

L - Longitudinal axis of the capsule

V - Dispensing / crossing direction of the capsule

100 - Main body

111 - Side skirt of the main body

112 - Shaped base of the main body

110 - Containment, or reception, region of the main body

120 - Dispensing region of the main body

130 - Mouth region of the main body

101 - Peripheral flange of the main body

131 - Engagement transverse step of the main body

121 - Pre-collecting chamber

125 - Tilted bottom wall of the pre-collecting chamber

122 - Outlet duct

123 - Raised crown of the shaped base

124 - Connection channels between pre-collecting chamber and outlet duct

200 - Distributor element

201 - Passage openings of the distributor element

210 - Transverse plate portion of the distributor element

220 - Longitudinal peripheral flange of the distributor element

221 - Engagement tooth of the distributor element

222 - Windows of the distributor element

300 - Discoidal filtering element

310 - Transverse plate portion of the filtering element

311 - Raised crown portion of the filtering element

320 - Longitudinal peripheral flange of the filtering element

301 - Openings of the filtering element

400 - Membrane

401 - First layer of the membrane

402 - Second layer of the membrane

500 - Filter