Capsule, a system for preparing a potable beverage from such a capsule and use of such a capsule in a beverage preparation device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11352199-B2
Application number	US-201715811524-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 13, 2017
Priority date	May 15, 2015
Publication date	Jun 7, 2022
Grant date	Jun 7, 2022

Abstract

A capsule containing a substance for the preparation of a potable beverage. The capsule comprises an aluminum capsule body having a side wall and an outwardly extending flange and a sealing member at the outwardly extending flange for providing a fluid sealing contact with an enclosing member of a beverage preparation device. The beverage preparation device comprises an annular element having a free contact end which is provided with a plurality of radially extending open grooves. The capsule comprises a bearing for the enclosing member of the beverage preparation device if the capsule is positioned in the enclosing member of the beverage preparation device and the enclosing member is closed by means of a closing member of the beverage preparation device, said bearing enclosing at least a portion of the free contact end of the annular element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A capsule containing a substance for the preparation of a potable beverage by extracting and/or dissolving the substance by supplying a fluid under pressure into the capsule, the capsule comprising:
an aluminum capsule body having a central capsule body axis, said aluminum capsule body being provided with a bottom, a side wall and an outwardly extending flange;
an aluminum cover attached to the outwardly extending flange, the cover hermetically closing the capsule;
a sealing member at the outwardly extending flange for providing a fluid sealing contact with an enclosing member of a beverage preparation device if the capsule is positioned in the enclosing member of the beverage preparation device and the enclosing member is closed by a closing member of the beverage preparation device such that the outwardly extending flange of the capsule and at least a portion of the sealing member of the capsule are sealingly engaged between the enclosing member and the closing member of the beverage preparation device;
wherein the enclosing member of the beverage preparation device comprises an annular element having a central annular element axis and a free contact end, said free contact end of the annular element optionally being provided with a plurality of radially extending open grooves;
wherein the sealing member forms a bearing for the enclosing member of the beverage preparation device if the capsule is positioned in the enclosing member of the beverage preparation device and the enclosing member is closed by the closing member of the beverage preparation device, said bearing enclosing at least a portion of the free contact end of the annular element;
wherein prior to use at least one first portion of the bearing lays at a first height above the cover and above a portion of the outwardly extending flange radially outward from the sealing member;
wherein, in use, upon closing of the enclosing member by the closing member the at least one first portion of the bearing is lowered by the free contact end of the annular element being moved towards the closing member wherein the bearing is at least partly folded over the free contact end of the annular element so that after closing of the enclosing member by the closing member, the at least one first portion of the bearing lays at a second height above the cover wherein the first height is larger than the second height and the second height may be zero,
wherein the sealing member comprises two spaced projections, each projecting from the outwardly extending flange and a depression spanning uninterruptedly between the two projections so that at least one first portion of the depression defines a predetermined depth of a space between the two projections, wherein the radial distance between the two projections is such that the free contact end of the annular element is enclosed by the two projections if the capsule is positioned in the enclosing member of the beverage preparation device and the enclosing member is closed by a closing member of the beverage preparation device and wherein prior to use the at least one first portion of the depression lays at a first height above the cover so that the space has a first depth; and
wherein the aluminum capsule body is made of aluminum plate material and the sealing member and the remainder of the aluminum capsule body is made of said same aluminum plate material.

2. The capsule according to claim 1 , wherein the capsule is filled with 5-20 grams or 5-10 grams or 5-7 grams of an extractable product.

3. The capsule according to claim 1 , wherein the outer diameter of the outwardly extending flange of the capsule is larger than the diameter of the bottom of the capsule.

4. The capsule according to claim 3 , wherein the outer diameter of the outwardly extending flange is approximately 37.1 mm and the diameter of the bottom of the capsule is about 23.3 mm.

5. The capsule according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the aluminum capsule body is 20 to 120 micrometer or 100 micrometer.

6. The capsule according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the aluminum cover is 15 to 65 micrometer or 30-45 micrometer or 39 micrometer.

7. The capsule according to claim 1 , wherein the wall thickness of the aluminum cover is smaller than the wall thickness of the aluminum capsule body.

8. The capsule according to claim 1 , wherein the aluminum cover is arranged to tear open on the closing member of the beverage preparation device under the influence of fluid pressure in the capsule.

9. The capsule according to claim 1 , wherein the side wall of the aluminum capsule body has a free end opposite the bottom, the outwardly extending flange extending from said free end of the side wall in a direction at least substantially transverse to the central capsule body axis.

10. The capsule according to claim 9 , wherein the outwardly extending flange comprises a curled outer edge.

11. The capsule according to claim 10 , wherein an inner edge of the curled outer edge of the outwardly extending flange has a radius about the central capsule body axis of at least 32 mm.

12. The capsule according to claim 10 , wherein the sealing member is positioned between the free end of the side wall of the aluminum capsule body and an inner edge of the curled outer edge of the outwardly extending flange.

13. The capsule according to claim 10 , wherein the curled outer edge of the outwardly extending flange has a largest radial cross-sectional dimension of about 1.2 millimeter.

14. The capsule according to claim 9 , wherein the inner diameter of the free end of the side wall of the aluminum capsule body is about 29.5 mm.

15. The capsule according to claim 9 , wherein the distance between the free end of the side wall of the aluminum capsule body and an outermost edge of the outwardly extending flange is about 3.8 millimeter.

16. The capsule according to claim 1 , wherein a height of the aluminum capsule body is about 28.4 mm.

17. The capsule according to claim 1 , wherein the aluminum capsule body is truncated, or wherein the aluminum capsule body is truncated and the side wall of the aluminum capsule body encloses an angle with a line transverse to the central capsule body axis of about 97.5° .

18. The capsule according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom of the aluminum capsule body has an largest inner diameter of about 23.3 mm.

19. The capsule according to claim 18 , wherein the bottom of the aluminum capsule body is truncated, or wherein the aluminum capsule body is truncated and has a bottom height of about 4.0 mm and wherein the bottom further has an generally flat central portion opposite the cover having a diameter of about 8.3 mm.

20. The capsule according to claim 1 , wherein the height of the sealing member portion to be contacted first by the free end of the enclosure member when the enclosure member is closed is at least 0.1 mm or at least 0.2 mm or at least 0.8 mm and at most 3 mm or at most 2 mm or at most 1.2 mm.

21. The capsule according to claim 1 , wherein the capsule comprises an inner surface, and wherein on the inner surface of at least the side wall of the capsule an inner coating is provided.

22. The capsule according to claim 21 , wherein the aluminum cover of the capsule is attached to the outwardly extending flange by a sealing lacquer, said inner coating being composed of the same material as the sealing lacquer.

23. The capsule according to claim 21 , wherein the sealing mem

Assignees

• Douwe Egberts Bv

Inventors

• Dijkstra Hielke
• Groothornte Arend Hendrik
• Van Gaasbeek Erik Pieter
• Ottenschot Marc Henrikus Joseph
• Kamerbeek Ralf
• Eijsackers Armin Sjoerd
• Flamand John Henri

Classifications

• A47J31/3695

  Cartridge perforating means for creating the hot water inlet (cartridge perforating means of the filter holder for creating the beverage outlet A47J31/0673) · CPC title

• A47J31/4403

  Constructional details · CPC title

• B65D1/42

  Reinforcing or strengthening parts or members · CPC title

• A47J31/3623 Primary

  Cartridges being employed (with tape of cartridges A47J31/3652) · CPC title

• B01D11/02

  of solids · CPC title