Food capsule with multiple compartments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9776789-B2
Application number	US-201314431368-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2013
Priority date	Oct 12, 2012
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

The present invention concerns a food capsule ( 100, 300 ) comprising a cup-shaped capsule body ( 101, 301 ) enclosing a cavity ( 102, 302 ) with an opening ( 105, 305 ) at a first end ( 103, 303 ), a second end ( 104, 304 ) comprising at least one outlet ( 106 a, 106 b, 310, 311 ) communicating with said cavity ( 102, 302 ); an injection wall ( 112, 314 ) closing said opening ( 105, 305 ); and at least one partition ( 107, 306 ) within said cavity ( 102, 302 ) extending from said injection wall ( 112, 314 ) to said second end ( 104, 304 ) of said capsule body ( 101, 301 ) and dividing said cavity ( 102, 302 ) into a plurality of chambers ( 108, 109, 308, 309 ); characterized in that each chamber houses a quantity of an alimentary substance ( 110, 111, 315, 316 ) and communicates with at least one outlet comprising an independently-operable closure means ( 106 a, 106 b, 310, 311 ) in said second end ( 104, 304 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for preparing a food product, the method comprising:
furnishing a food capsule comprising a cup-shaped capsule body enclosing a cavity, the cup-shaped capsule body comprising a first end and a second end, the first end comprising an opening communicating with the cavity, the food capsule comprising an injection wall closing the opening of the first end of the cup-shaped capsule body, the food capsule comprising a partition disposed within the cavity and dividing the cavity into a first chamber and a second chamber, the partition extending from the injection wall to the second end of the cup-shaped capsule body, the first chamber housing a first alimentary substance and being in communication with a first outlet provided in the second end, the second chamber housing a second alimentary substance and being in communication with a second outlet provided in the second end, and each of the first outlet and the second outlet comprising an independently-operable closure member, a closure member of the first chamber is configured to open at a first predetermined pressure, a closure member of the second chamber is configured to open at a second predetermined pressure, and the second predetermined pressure is higher than the first predetermined pressure,
creating a seal between the injection wall and the partition of the first chamber and the second chamber, the seal preventing fluid communication between the first chamber and the second chamber;
injecting a first quantity of a liquid into the first chamber by inserting the at least one injection needle through the injection wall into the first chamber, the first quantity of the liquid mixing with the first alimentary substance provided within the first chamber to produce a first food component;
dispensing the first food component from the first outlet;
opening the seal and establishing fluid communication between the first chamber and the second chamber through a space between the injection wall and the partition;
injecting a second quantity of the liquid from the at least one injection needle into the first chamber, the second quantity of the liquid flowing from the first chamber through the space between the injection wall and the partition to the second chamber to mix with the second alimentary substance provided within the second chamber to produce a second food component; and
dispensing the second food component from the second outlet.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first chamber is a central chamber disposed in a center of the cavity, and the second chamber is a peripheral chamber disposed at a periphery of the cavity around the central chamber.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the partition between the central chamber and the peripheral chamber comprises two walls disposed concentrically within the food capsule.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the closure member of the peripheral chamber comprises a metal foil.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the central chamber houses a soluble product, and the peripheral chamber houses roast and ground coffee.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the soluble product comprises milk.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the partition and the injection wall are bonded to each other with at least one sealing member.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the at least one sealing member is created by a method selected from the group consisting of ultrasonic sealing, heat sealing, mechanical fastening, gluing, and combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the closure member of the first chamber or the closure member of the second chamber is selected from the group consisting of a self-tearable membrane, a membrane which bursts open on its own under a certain pressure, a membrane which expands as the pressure within the corresponding chamber which the membrane encloses accumulates and ruptures against a rupturing means disposed inside the food capsule or externally, and a liquid-dissolvable plug.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one injection needle is provided by a machine that further comprises a pressure ring, the creating of the seal comprises the pressure ring deflecting the injection wall into the partition, and the opening of the seal comprises withdrawing the pressure ring from the injection wall.

Assignees

• Nestec Sa

Inventors

• Talon Christian

Classifications

• A47J31/002

  following a specific operational sequence, e.g. for improving the taste of the extraction product · CPC title

• A23L2/00

  Non-alcoholic beverages; Dry compositions or concentrates therefor (soup concentrates A23L23/10); Preparation or treatment thereof (preparation of non-alcoholic beverages by removal of alcohol C12H3/00) · CPC title

• A23V2002/00

  Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs · CPC title

• A47J31/407

  with ingredient-containing cartridges; Cartridge-perforating means · CPC title

• A47J31/0668 Primary

  specially adapted for cartridges · CPC title