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EP-3740441-B1 - BEVERAGE CAPSULE

EP3740441B1EP 3740441 B1EP3740441 B1EP 3740441B1EP-3740441-B1

Inventors

  • GORT-BARTEN, LESLIE ALEXANDER

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20190118

Claims (5)

  1. An aluminium capsule for use in a high pressure espresso coffee machine having a generally frusto-conical form with a main body (2) and an upper end (3), an annular flange (7) being provided at the end of the main body remote from the upper end, wherein the aluminium capsule is provided with a plurality of flutes (11) extending from the vicinity of the boundary between the upper end and main body to a point beyond the mid point between the upper end and the flange (7), characterized in that the flutes (11) extend over the length of the side wall of the main body towards the flange (7) and are contiguously disposed in the side wall, wherein the flutes are recessed by between 0.1 and 0.3mm from the maximum outer radius of the side wall of the main body and each.flute is between 0.5 and 10mm wide.
  2. A capsule according to Claim1 1, wherein the annular flange (7) has a distal end, which distal end forms an open hook.
  3. A capsule according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the capsule is provided with a ring shaped seal on the flange which seal is in the range of 0.1-0.3mm thick.
  4. A capsule according to Claim 3, wherein the open hook receives a further seal to close the capsule.
  5. A capsule according to Claim 3 or Claim 4, wherein the ring shaped seal is retained in position by a plurality of protrusions or pips formed on the side wall of the capsule spaced a short height above the flange

Description

The invention relates to a beverage aluminium capsule for an espresso machine, for making espresso under high pressure. Powered espresso machines are well known. The conventional espresso machine comprises a water chamber, a heating element adapted to heat the water to around 95-98 C, which is then pumped under high pressure of 15 to 19 bar to a filter holder or portafilter. Lower pressure systems also exist. The filter holder typically comprises a handle portion and a holder portion provided with two or three lugs that are adapted to engage in the installed position with the machine brewhead to where the water is pumped. The holder portion is adapted to receive a filter, which is usually a metal bowl with a number of perforations through its bottom. In use, the filter is filled with finely ground coffee and the water is forced through the coffee at the high pressure generated by the pump to produce the espresso coffee which is collected in a cup placed under the filter holder. The classic coffee machine suffers from two potential drawbacks. The first drawback is that ground coffee starts to lose its freshness and flavour after a few days and so for the optimum espresso, the user will also need to have a coffee grinder. The other drawback is that the used espresso coffee has to be removed from the filter, which can lead to mess as the grinds are fine. This lead to the development of ESE coffee pods, which can be used in many espresso machines. Coffee pods are generally individually wrapped to maintain freshness and consist of a small pod made of a perforated filter paper which contains the coffee. The pod is placed in the filter holder and then disposed of after use. Coffee pods are convenient but have to fit the filter holder and be placed correctly otherwise water can leak around the edge. This in turn lead to the development of capsule machines. The coffee capsules for these machines are completely sealed. The capsule machines do not use the conventional filter holder. A capsule machine typically has a two part mechanism. The first part receives the capsule and is provided with an extraction surface upon which the capsule rests. The second part is provided with a locking lever which is used to make the first and second parts integral. In use, the second part cuts the upper surface of the capsule to allow water to enter the capsule and percolate down through the capsule, where it exits through the lower surface of the capsule at multiple locations determined by the geometry of the extraction surface. An example of such a machine is disclosed in EP 0870457 or WO2005/004683. Capsules in the known capsule coffee machines are, in use, inserted into a capsule cage of the machine which holds the capsule in position so that it may be cut by a cutting member. Capsule machines have proved to be commercially very successful as they are very convenient to use and produce a consistent product. However, each manufacturers coffee machines and capsules are designed to work with the manufacturers own brand. The most popular brand of capsule is Nespresso ®, which uses a sealed capsule made of aluminium. In use, the capsule is clamped into position in the machine with a capsule cage part holding the capsule so that it can be cut by typically three prongs to enable water under pressure to enter the coffee capsule. Aluminium has the considerable advantage that it is oxygen and water impermeable, which means that the coffee in the capsules has a long shelf life. Aluminium however also suffers from several major drawbacks in that the aluminium is easily deformed during the filling and packing stage and it is difficult and expensive to produce a reliable seal on the capsule rim. The only known seal that works is a silicone elastomer disclosed in EP1654966 despite significant research effort. In these capsules the edge of the aluminium rim is rolled over when attached the front foil seal. The known solutions to these problems further require an extremely high capital investment beyond most companies. Most manufacturers have therefore adopted plastic capsules. Plastic capsules solve the problems of the ease of handling the capsule during the packing process but require other compromises. The plastic capsule needs to be able to be pierced by the blades in the capsule coffee machine without shattering the capsule or damaging the machine. The capsule also needs to be sealed at its open end with an aluminium foil which adheres to the plastic capsule in a reliable manner and at low enough temperatures that the quality of the coffee is not impaired. An exemplary capsule is shown in GB2458013. The present invention therefore seeks to provide an improved coffee capsule. WO2016174671A1 discloses a further aluminium capsule design that has not been commercialised that suffers from problems in handling during production. According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided an aluminium capsule for use in a high pressure espresso c