Beverage delivery pod and methods of use and manufacture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9932168-B2
Application number	US-201214003766-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2012
Priority date	Mar 8, 2011
Publication date	Apr 3, 2018
Grant date	Apr 3, 2018

Abstract

A pod containing one or more beverage ingredients is provided, where the pod comprises a generally rigid outer member ( 12 ) with an open top and an outlet opening in the bottom, with an internal filter ( 16 ) adjacent a bottom portion of the outer member, one or more beverage ingredients disposed above the filter, and a lid ( 14 ) closing the open top. The outer member has an outer peripheral sidewall ( 20 ) defining the open top and extending downwardly from the open top toward the bottom portion and inwardly converging toward the outlet opening. The bottom portion of the sidewall defines a plurality of ribs ( 36 ) extending inwardly in the interior of the outer member toward the outlet opening. Beverage outlet flow paths are disposed between adjacent ribs and directed toward the outlet opening. The filter is supported above the outlet opening and the beverage outlet flow paths by the ribs.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A pod containing one or more beverage ingredients, the pod comprising:
a generally rigid outer member having an outer peripheral sidewall defining an open top and extending downwardly from the open top toward a bottom portion and inwardly converging toward an outlet opening, the bottom portion of the sidewall having a dome-shaped profile and defining a plurality of ribs extending inwardly in an interior of the outer member toward the outlet opening;
the outer member including beverage outlet flow paths disposed between adjacent ribs in an interior of the outer member and directed toward the outlet opening,
a filter supported above the outlet opening and the beverage outlet flow paths by the plurality of ribs;
the bottom portion of the sidewall including a planar segment surrounding the outlet opening and curvilinear bottom wall portions having an arcuate shape extending from the filter to the planar segment surrounding the outlet opening;
each of the ribs of the outer member defining a groove in an exterior of the outer member and having a pair of sidewall segments spaced apart from each other that define at least a portion of the groove therebetween in the exterior of the outer member, wherein the beverage outlet flow paths in the interior of the outer member are each defined in part by sidewall segments of adjacent ribs in the interior of the outer member and one of the curvilinear bottom wall portions;
a lid attached to the sidewall of the outer member to close the open top to form a beverage ingredient compartment bounded in part by the lid and the filter, the lid being pierceable to accommodate an inflow of an aqueous medium into the beverage ingredient compartment; and
one or more beverage ingredients disposed in the beverage ingredient compartment.

2. The pod as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sidewall includes an inward step about its periphery substantially coplanar with a top surface portion of the ribs to define an attachment surface to which the filter is attached.

3. The pod as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the filter attached to the attachment surface has a ratio of free flow area to blocked flow area of between about 3:1 and 4:1.

4. The pod as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the top surface portions of the ribs extend inwardly toward the outlet opening at a slight inclination such that the area of the attachment surface is larger than if the top surface portions of the ribs were precisely coplanar.

5. The pod as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the filter attached to the attachment surface has a ratio of free flow area to blocked flow area of between about 3.2:1 and 3.7:1.

6. The pod as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the filter attached to the attachment surface has a ratio of free flow area to blocked flow area of about 3.4:1.

7. The pod as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the dome-shaped profile is defined by the curvilinear bottom portions.

8. The pod as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the dome-shaped profile has a height of between about 20% and 30% of the total height of the pod.

9. The pod as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the bottom portion of the sidewall is configured, such that, in use, the pod is at least partially received in a brewing compartment of a beverage brewing device in a position for dispensing a beverage where the bottom portion of the sidewall is spaced from an upstanding piercing element of the brewing compartment.

10. The pod as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the sidewall includes an upper annular portion above the bottom portion and having a maximum outer diameter, and the substantially planar segment of the sidewall has an outer diameter, a ratio between the outer diameter of the substantially planar segment to the maximum outer diameter of the upper annular portion of the sidewall being between about 1:3.7 and 1:4.7.

11. The pod as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the lid is a non-metallic, multi-layer film.

12. The pod as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the outer member is formed of a corn-based, biodegradable material.

13. The pod as claimed in claim 12 , in combination with an outer flexible wrapper providing greater barrier properties as compared to any barrier properties of the lid and/or outer member of the pod.

14. The pod as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the dome-shaped profile has a height of about 25% of the total height of the pod.

15. A method of manufacturing the beverage pod of claim 1 , the method comprising:
providing the outer member;
inserting the filter into the outer member;
attaching the filter to the ribs in the bottom portion of the outer member and to at least a peripheral portion of the sidewall surrounding the ribs;
depositing the one or more beverage ingredients into the outer member above the filter, and attaching the lid to the outer member above the one or more beverage ingredients to close the beverage ingredient compartment.

16. A method of dispensing a beverage made from the beverage ingredients in the pod of claim 1 , the method comprising:
providing the pod with the outlet opening in an unblocked configuration;
inserting the pod into a brew compartment of a beverage brewing device;
forming an opening in the lid;
injecting an aqueous medium into the beverage ingredient compartment of the pod through the opening in the lid whereby the aqueous medium interacts with the one or more beverage ingredients to form a beverage;
filtering the beverage through the filter, and dispensing the beverage from the beverage delivery pod through the outlet opening.

Assignees

• Hansen Nicholas Andrew
• Kraft Foods R & D Inc

Inventors

• Hansen Nicholas Andrew

Classifications

• B65D65/466

  Bio- or photodegradable packaging materials · CPC title

• B65D2565/385

  especially suited for or with means facilitating recycling · CPC title

• A47J31/0642 Primary

  specially adapted to cooperate with a cartridge, e.g. having grooves or protrusions to separate cartridge from the bottom of the brewing chamber (A47J31/0668 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A47J31/0668

  specially adapted for cartridges · CPC title

• Y02W90/13

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic