CN-116829463-B - Beverage powder bag and beverage powder bag manufacturing equipment

Abstract

A beverage capsule bag making apparatus having a quantity of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product enclosed as a compressed compact between two sheets of filter material, the apparatus comprising dosing means arranged to supply a dose of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product to the compact forming means of the apparatus and packaging means arranged to package the compressed compact received from the compact forming means between two sheets of filter material to form the beverage capsule bag. The compact forming device comprises a cylindrical rotating drum having an outer side surface with recesses for receiving in each recess a portion of an extractable or soluble beverage preparation product. The bottom wall of each recess is formed by a movable piston arranged to move relative to the outer side surface of the drum to vary the height of the recess relative to the angular position of the recess on the circumference of the drum. The compact forming device further comprises a compression body adjacent to the rotating drum arranged to provide opposing surfaces for compressing a portion of the extractable or soluble beverage preparation product. The compression body comprises driving means arranged to drive the counter surface along a circumferential portion of the outer side surface of the rotating drum, the speed of the driving means corresponding to the speed of the outer side surface of the rotating drum.

Inventors

• Jules Riser
• Hermanus Cornelius Joseph Elbetz
• Daniel Thomas Ahern
• DUNCAN JAMES WALES

Assignees

• 皇家戴维艾格伯茨有限公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20211213

Priority Date

20201211

Claims (18)

1. 1. A compact forming apparatus for use in a beverage capsule-making device, each capsule having a quantity of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product enclosed as a compressed compact between two sheets of filter material, the capsule being capable of being used in a beverage preparation machine for preparing a beverage by supplying an aqueous fluid under pressure to the capsule in the beverage preparation machine to extract or dissolve the beverage preparation product, the compact forming apparatus being arranged to compress a portion of the beverage preparation product into the compressed compact and deliver the compressed compact to packaging means of the device for enclosing the compressed compact between two sheets of filter material to form the beverage capsule, wherein the compact forming apparatus comprises: A cylindrical rotating drum having an outer side surface with recesses for receiving in each recess a portion of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product, the bottom wall of each recess being formed by a respective movable piston arranged to move relative to the outer side surface of the drum to vary the height of the recess relative to the angular position of the recess on the circumference of the drum, and A compression body adjacent to the rotary drum, arranged to provide a counter surface for compression of a portion of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product in a recess of the rotary drum, the recess being located in an angular position opposite the counter surface against which the portion of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product can be compressed by a respective piston of the recess to form the compressed compact, wherein the compression body comprises drive means arranged to drive the counter surface along a circumferential portion of the outer side surface of the rotary drum, the speed of the drive means corresponding to the speed of the outer side surface of the rotary drum, Wherein the compression body comprises a sequence of links, wherein at least one link of the sequence of links provides the counter surface, Wherein the links in the sequence of links are coupled to each other in a closed loop to form a continuously rotating chain.
2. 2. The compact forming device of claim 1 wherein a link adjacent to the at least one link is at least partially in contact with the outer side surface of the rotating drum.
3. 3. A compact forming apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein each link has a concave outer surface with a curvature corresponding to the curvature of the convex outer surface of the rotating drum.
4. 4. A compact forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the cylindrical rotating drum comprises at least two series of recesses, each series of recesses comprising recesses equally spaced apart on the circumference of the rotating drum, wherein the compression body extends with the counter surface over the recesses in each series of recesses, the recesses being located at the angular positions opposite the counter surface.
5. 5. A compact forming device according to claim 4, wherein the compression body comprises separate sequences of links for each series of recesses, wherein each separate sequence of links has at least one link providing the counter surface for the respective series of recesses.
6. 6. A beverage capsule pack manufacturing apparatus, each capsule pack having a quantity of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product enclosed as a compressed compact between two sheets of filter material, the capsule pack being usable in a beverage preparation machine for preparing a beverage by supplying an aqueous fluid under pressure to the capsule pack in the beverage preparation machine to extract or dissolve the beverage preparation product, wherein the apparatus comprises: -a dosing device arranged for supplying a portion of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product to the compact forming device; powder cake forming device, and Packaging means arranged to package the compressed compact received from the compact forming means between two sheets of filter material to form the beverage capsule bag, Wherein the compact forming device is according to claim 1 or 2.
7. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the packaging device comprises a rotating cylinder having an outer side surface with recesses for receiving a first sheet of filter material in each recess, a bottom wall of each recess being formed by a respective movable piston arranged to move relative to the outer side surface of the cylinder to vary the height of the recess relative to the angular position of the recess on the circumference of the cylinder.
8. 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the packaging device comprises a filter material feeding station for feeding a first continuous sheet of filter material to the rotating cylinder, wherein indentations are provided in the first continuous sheet of filter material in respective recesses of the cylinder to receive in each indentation a compressed compact of beverage preparation product delivered by the compact forming device.
9. 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the movable piston of each recess in the cylinder is driven to move between a first state and a second state according to its angular position on the circumference of the cylinder, the first state defining a first height of the respective recess for receiving the first sheet of filter material with indentations in the respective recess, the indentations having a corresponding height dimension that is greater than a thickness of each compressed cake of beverage preparation product delivered by the cake forming device, the second state defining a second height of the respective recess for forming the first sheet of filter material with indentations in the respective recess, the second height being less than the first height, the shape of the indentations substantially matching the shape of each compressed cake of beverage preparation product.
10. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the filter material feeding station comprises a continuously running belt provided with protrusions arranged to form indentations in the first sheet of filter material by pressing the first sheet of filter material into respective recesses in the cylinder when the corresponding movable piston is in the first state, the indentations having a height dimension that is greater than the thickness of each compressed compact of beverage preparation product.
11. 11. Apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the wrapping means comprises a further filter material feeding station for feeding a second sheet of continuous filter material onto the first sheet of continuous filter material, thereby enclosing the compressed cake of powder between the first and second sheets of continuous filter material, and cutting the first and second sheets of continuous filter material to form the beverage powder sachet with compressed cake enclosed between the first and second sheets of continuous filter material.
12. 12. The apparatus of claim 6 or 7, wherein the dosing device comprises a container having a product chamber for containing a quantity of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product and an outlet aperture for dispensing a plurality of servings of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product to the compact forming device.
13. 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the container comprises a dosing funnel.
14. 14. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the dosing device comprises a feeder located in the product chamber of the container, the feeder being arranged to feed a portion of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product to the outlet aperture of the container for dispensing to the compact forming device.
15. 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the feeder comprises a screw feeder.
16. 16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the dosing device comprises a stirring unit located in the product chamber of the container, the stirring unit being arranged to stir the extractable or soluble beverage preparation product.
17. 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the stirring unit comprises a rotating screw.
18. 18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the feeder comprises a belt feeder, a rotary feeder, a roller feeder.

Description

Beverage powder bag and beverage powder bag manufacturing equipment Technical Field The invention relates to a beverage powder bag. The invention also relates to a device for manufacturing the beverage powder bag. Furthermore, the invention relates to a compact forming device for use in a beverage capsule making apparatus. The invention also relates to a packaging device for use in a beverage powder sachet manufacturing apparatus and also to a dosing device for use in a beverage powder sachet manufacturing apparatus. Background Beverage powder sachets are well known consumer products that can be used in beverage preparation machines for preparing consumer beverages such as coffee, tea, chocolate or milk beverages. Typically, a beverage capsule contains a quantity of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product enclosed between two sheets of filter material, which allows for the preparation of a beverage by supplying an aqueous fluid to the capsule in a beverage preparation machine to extract or dissolve the beverage preparation product. For example, a coffee beverage may be prepared from a beverage powder packet that includes an extractable coffee product (e.g., ground coffee) between two sheets of filter material. Such powder packets are known to comprise beverage products which are held between two sheets in a relatively loose form, for example for preparing American or brew coffee beverages, or in a compressed form, for example also allowing the preparation of other kinds of coffee beverages, for example espresso-style coffee beverages such as espresso coffee, cappuccino and latte macchiato. In the latter case, the beverage product may be provided in compressed form by compressing the beverage product prior to packaging between the two sheets. This compression of the beverage product to provide the beverage product in compressed form, i.e. a compact, is achieved by compact forming means in known beverage capsule making apparatus. The compact forming device comprises a cylindrical rotating drum, the outer side surface of which has recesses for receiving in each recess a portion of an extractable or soluble beverage preparation product. In the drum, the bottom wall of each recess is formed by a respective movable piston arranged to move relative to the outer side surface of the drum so as to vary the height of the recess in accordance with the angular position of the recess on the circumference of the drum. The compression wall is typically formed from sheet metal and is arranged adjacent to the outer side surface of the rotating drum to provide a counter surface against which a portion of the extractable or soluble beverage preparation product in the recess of the rotating drum can be compressed by a corresponding piston movement when the drum is rotated, the recess being in an angular position opposite the counter surface. As the drum is rotated further, the portion of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product is moved past the counter surface and released from the recess in compressed form, as a cake of powder, is packed between two sheets of filter material in a packing device of known equipment to form a beverage powder sachet. The known beverage powder packet manufacturing apparatus has the disadvantage that the necessary compression force provides a relatively large friction between the opposite surface of the rotating drum with the beverage product and the compression wall in order to compress the beverage product sufficiently to form a compressed compact. This affects the maximum rotational speed at which the rotating drum can run when the device is used, resulting in lower productivity of the powder cake and beverage powder sachet of the known device and possibly affecting the quality of the powder cake being formed, in particular the stability of the quality. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which ameliorates the disadvantages of the known beverage powder sachet making apparatus. It is a particular object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that allows to prepare, with high productivity, a beverage capsule pack of good and stable quality, comprising a compressed compact of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product. It is another object of the present invention to provide a high quality beverage powder pod. Another object of the present invention is to provide a packaging device for a beverage powder sachet manufacturing apparatus. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a packaging device for a beverage powder packet manufacturing apparatus that allows packaging of compressed powder cakes to form a high quality beverage powder packet. Disclosure of Invention According to a first aspect there is provided a cake forming device for use in a beverage cake making apparatus, each cake pack having a quantity of extractable or soluble beverage preparation product enclosed between two sheets of fi