Process for the production of a container for the preparation of a beverage in a beverage preparation device, sealing station for carrying out a sealing step of said process, and a container obtained by said process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12509266-B2
Application number	US-202218713291-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 24, 2022
Priority date	Nov 29, 2021
Publication date	Dec 30, 2025
Grant date	Dec 30, 2025

Abstract

The present invention concerns a process for producing a container for the preparation of a beverage in a beverage preparation device, wherein, in the final container obtained, at least 70% of the surface of a compacted beverage ingredient body (2) contained therein, is in contact with the container walls (3, 4).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A process for producing a container for preparing a beverage in a beverage preparation device, the process comprising the steps of:
a. providing an injection wall of the container comprising a paper layer, the injection wall comprising: a peripheral sealing edge and an inner portion capable of being punctured by an injection member of the beverage preparation device for circulating water under pressure inside the container; b. providing a beverage delivery wall of the container comprising a paper layer, the beverage delivery wall comprising: a peripheral sealing edge and an inner portion capable of being opened by an opening member of the beverage preparation device when the pressure inside the container presses the inner portion against the opening member to let the beverage flow out, wherein at least one of the inner portions of the injection wall and the inner portion of the beverage delivery wall has a cup shape; c. placing a compacted body of beverage ingredient in the inner portion of the injection wall or the inner portion of the beverage delivery wall; d. placing the injection and delivery walls one above the other such that the sealing edges of the injection and delivery walls are superimposed, in order to form a preliminary container chamber containing the compacted body and comprising a preliminary headspace not filled by the compacted body; e. providing a sealing station comprising: first and second housing elements forming a sealing chamber for housing the inner portions of the injection wall and the inner portion of the beverage delivery walls, wherein the first and second housing elements are configured for being moved towards each other for sealing the peripheral sealing edge of the injection wall and the peripheral sealing edge of the beverage delivery wall, and wherein surfaces of the sealing chamber are in contact with external surfaces of the inner portions of the injection wall and the inner portion of the beverage delivery wall; f. pressing the first and second housing elements against the inner portion of the injection wall and the inner portion of the beverage delivery wall so as to form a final container chamber having a headspace reduced at least by 10% with respect to the preliminary headspace, and so that in the container thus obtained, at least 70% of an external surface of the compacted body of beverage ingredient is in contact with the injection wall and the beverage delivery wall, wherein the inner portion of the injection wall and the inner portion of the beverage delivery wall are at least partially pressed by the first and second housing elements until a distance between first opposing portions of two inner surfaces of the first and second housing elements is at least 0.1% lower than a final thickness of corresponding first opposing portions of a finished container; and g. sealing together the sealing edge of the injection wall and the sealing edge of the beverage delivery wall, while the inner portions of the injection wall and the inner portion of the beverage delivery wall are still pressed.

2 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the inner portions of the injection wall and the inner portion of the beverage delivery wall are pressed by the first and second housing elements until a maximum distance between the first opposing portions of the two inner surfaces of the first and second housing elements is at least 0.1% lower than a final maximum thickness of the corresponding first opposing portions of the finished container.

3 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the inner portions of the injection wall and the inner portion of the beverage delivery wall are at least partially pressed by the first and second housing elements until the headspace of the final container chamber is less than 5% of a total volume of the final container chamber.

4 . A sealing station for carrying out a sealing step of a process for producing a container for the preparation of a beverage in a beverage preparation device, wherein the container comprises:
an injection wall comprising a paper layer, the injection wall comprising: a peripheral sealing edge, and an inner portion capable of being punctured by an injection member of the beverage preparation device for circulating water under pressure inside the container; a beverage delivery wall comprising a paper layer, the beverage delivery wall comprising: a peripheral sealing edge, and an inner portion capable of being opened by an opening member of the beverage preparation device when the pressure inside the container presses the inner portion against the opening member to let the beverage flow out, wherein at least one of the inner portions of the injection wall and the inner portion of the beverage delivery wall has a cup shape; and a compacted body of beverage ingredient housed in a container chamber formed by placing the injection wall and the beverage delivery wall one above the other such that the sealing edges of the injection wall and the beverage delivery wall are superimposed, wherein the container chamber before sealing the sealing edge of the injection wall and the sealing edge of the beverage delivery wall together comprises a preliminary headspace not filled by the compacted body; the sealing station comprising:
first and second housing elements forming a sealing chamber for housing the inner portion of the injection wall and the inner portion of the beverage delivery wall, wherein the first and second housing elements are configured for being moved towards each other for sealing the sealing edge of the injection wall and the sealing edge of the beverage delivery wall, wherein surfaces of the sealing chamber press the external surfaces of the inner portions of the injection wall and the inner portion of the beverage delivery wall, and
wherein at least one of an inner surfaces of the first housing element and an inner surface of the second housing elements comprises a projecting portion projecting towards an inside of the sealing chamber delimited by the first and second housing elements and increasing pressure exerted by the inner surfaces of the first and second housing elements on the external surfaces of the inner portions of the injection wall and the inner portion of the beverage delivery wall, so as to form a final container chamber having a headspace reduced at least by 10% with respect to the preliminary headspace, and so that in the container thus obtained, at least 70% of an external surface of the compacted body of beverage ingredient is in contact with the injection wall and the beverage delivery wall.

5 . The sealing station according to claim 4 , wherein the projecting portion:
is provided only at the inner surface of the first housing element which houses the beverage delivery wall; or is provided only at a central portion of the inner surface of one or both of the first and second housing elements; and/or has a disc shape having a diameter that is between 10% and 80% of a diameter of the first and second housing elements; has a height between 0.5 mm and 2 mm; and has a diameter between 5 mm and 30 mm.

6 . The sealing station according to claim 4 , wherein the first and second housing elements are dimensioned in such a way that, during the sealing of the sealing edge of the injection wall and the sealing edge of the beverage delivery wall, a distance between first opposing portions of the inner surfaces of the first and second housing elements is at least 0.1% lower than a final thickness of corresponding first opposing portions of a finished container.

Assignees

• Nestle Sa

Inventors

• Missoum Karim
• Galaffu Nicola
• Niederreiter Gerhard

Classifications

• B65D85/8046

  Pods, i.e. closed containers made only of filter paper or similar material · CPC title

• B65B29/025 Primary

  packaging infusion material into pods · CPC title

• B65B51/10 Primary

  Applying or generating heat or pressure or combinations thereof {(welding of plastics per se B29C65/02; closing plastic tube ends in general B29C57/10)} · CPC title

• B65B29/028

  packaging infusion material into filter bags · CPC title

• B65B1/04

  Methods of, or means for, filling the material into the containers or receptacles · CPC title