WO-2026096292-A1 - BIODEGRADABLE BEVERAGE CARTRIDGE

Abstract

A beverage cartridge and method for forming a beverage cartridge. A cup may be made of cellulose fibers. A liner may be provided at the inner space of the cup. The cup may define an interior space that is closed by a lid. A filter may be attached to the liner and/or lid. A biodegradable coating may be applied to an outer surface of the cup, the outer coating being impervious to moisture and gases, e.g., to protect a beverage material in the interior space.

Inventors

• HUANG, Joseph, Jo-San
• GRADY, MARK

Assignees

• KEURIG GREEN MOUNTAIN, INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20251024

Priority Date

20241104

Claims (20)

1. 1. A beverage cartridge comprising: a cup formed of a biodegradable material, the cup having a cup bottom, a cup top, cup sidewalls extending between the cup bottom and the cup top, and a cup flange extending from the cup top, the cup having an opening at the cup top; a liner formed of a biodegradable material, the liner comprising a sidewall liner portion disposed along an inner surface of the cup sidewalls and a flange liner portion disposed on an upper portion of the cup flange; a lid covering the opening; a filter attached to the liner and/or the lid, wherein a bottom of the filter is disposed above the cup bottom; and a biodegradable coating disposed on a surface of the cup and configured to at least partially prevent intrusion of gas and/or liquids through the cup.
2. 2. The beverage cartridge of claim 1, wherein the biodegradable coating is applied to the surface via spray deposition.
3. 3. The beverage cartridge of claim 1, wherein the biodegradable coating is applied to the surface via dipping the cup into a container containing the biodegradable coating.
4. 4. The beverage cartridge of claim 1, wherein the biodegradable coating comprises at least one of the following: cellulose, chitin, starch, glycogen, alginate, or galactogen.
5. 5. The beverage cartridge of claim 1, wherein the liner is formed of polybutylene adipate- co-terephthalate.
6. 6. The beverage cartridge of claim 1, wherein the cup is formed of cellulose fibers.
7. 7. The beverage cartridge of claim 6, wherein the cup is formed via a wet molding process.
8. 8. The beverage cartridge of claim 6, wherein the cup is formed via a dry molding process.
9. 9. The beverage cartridge of claim 1, wherein the liner comprises an open bottom portion. 13166996.1
10. 10. The beverage cartridge of claim 1, wherein the surface is an outer surface of the cup.
11. 11. The beverage cartridge of claim 10, wherein the outer surface of the cup is an outer surface of the cup bottom.
12. 12. The beverage cartridge of claim 1, wherein the surface is an interior surface of the cup.
13. 13. The beverage cartridge of claim 1, wherein the lid is a biodegradable lid.
14. 14. The beverage cartridge of claim 1, wherein the lid is attached to the flange liner portion, and wherein the lid is peelable from the flange liner portion.
15. 15. The beverage cartridge of claim 1, wherein the filter is attached only to the lid.
16. 16. The beverage cartridge of claim 1, wherein at least one of the filter and the lid are attached to the flange liner portion.
17. 17. The beverage cartridge of claim 16, wherein a portion of the filter is disposed between the flange liner portion and the lid.
18. 18. A method of forming a biodegradable beverage cartridge, the method comprising: forming a cup from a biodegradable material, the cup having a cup bottom, a cup top, cup sidewalls extending between the cup bottom and cup top, a cup flange extending from the cup top and an opening at the cup top; attaching a biodegradable liner to the cup such that a liner sidewall portion is disposed along an inner surface of the cup sidewalls, and a liner flange portion disposed on an upper portion of the cup flange; covering the opening with a lid; attaching a biodegradable filter to the biodegradable liner and/or the lid; and coating a surface of the cup with a biodegradable coating, the biodegradable coating configured to at least partially prevent intrusion of gas and/or liquids through the cup. 13166996.1
19. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein coating the surface of the cup with the biodegradable coating comprises spraying the biodegradable coating in liquid form onto the surface and allowing the biodegradable coating to dry.
20. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein coating the surface of the cup with the biodegradable coating comprises dipping the cup into a container of the biodegradable coating in liquid form and allowing the biodegradable coating to dry.

Description

K0502.70268WQ00 BIODEGRADABLE BEVERAGE CARTRIDGE CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. provisional application serial number 63/715,724, filed November 4, 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. FIELD [0002] The field relates to beverage cartridges for use in beverage machines. BACKGROUND [0003] Beverage cartridges for use in beverage forming systems that use a liquid, such as water, to form a beverage are well known. For example, U.S. Patent 8,361,527 discloses a beverage forming system that uses a beverage cartridge containing a beverage material to make a beverage by introducing liquid into the cartridge. SUMMARY [0004] According to some aspects, a beverage cartridge is provided. The beverage cartridge comprises a cup formed of a biodegradable material. The cup comprises a cup bottom, a cup top, cup sidewalls extending between the cup bottom and the cup top, and a cup flange extending from the cup top. The cup also comprises an opening at the cup top. The beverage cartridge also comprises a liner formed of a biodegradable material, the liner comprising a sidewall liner portion disposed along an inner surface of the cup sidewalls and a flange liner portion disposed on an upper portion of the cup flange. The beverage cartridge also comprises a lid covering the opening. The beverage cartridge also comprises a filter attached to the liner and/or the lid. A bottom of the filter is disposed above the cup bottom. The beverage cartridge also comprises a biodegradable coating disposed on a surface of the cup and configured to at least partially prevent intrusion of gas and/or liquids through the cup. [0005] According to some aspects, a method of forming a biodegradable beverage cartridge is disclosed. The method comprises forming a cup from a biodegradable material, the cup having a cup bottom, a cup top, cup sidewalls extending between the cup bottom and cup top, a cup flange extending from the cup top and an opening at the cup top, attaching a biodegradable liner to the cup such that a liner sidewall portion is disposed along an inner surface of the cup sidewalls, and a liner flange portion disposed on an upper portion of the cup flange, covering the opening with a lid, attaching a biodegradable filter to the biodegradable liner and/or the lid, and coating a surface of the cup with a biodegradable coating, the biodegradable coating configured to at least partially prevent intrusion of gas and/or liquids through the cup. [0006] It should be appreciated that the foregoing concepts, and additional concepts discussed below, may be arranged in any suitable combination, as the present disclosure is not limited in this respect. Further, other advantages and novel features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of various non-limiting embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying figures. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS [0007] The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures may be represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. In the drawings: [0008] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a beverage cartridge according to an embodiment; [0009] FIG. 2 shows an exploded perspective view of the beverage cartridge of FIG. 1 ; and [0010] FIG. 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the beverage cartridge of FIG. 1 engaged with a beverage machine. DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0011] As discussed above, beverage cartridges for use in beverage machines are well known. Such cartridges are generally configured to contain a beverage ingredient (e.g. coffee grinds, tea leaves, powdered drink mix, etc.). Generally, such beverage cartridges include a cup and a lid sealed onto the cup. The lid and cup are formed of material(s) which at least partially prevent moisture and/or gas intrusion into the beverage cartridge, allowing the beverage ingredient in the beverage cartridge to remain fresh for a longer period of time. Typically, the cup is formed of a plastic material (e.g. polypropylene), and the lid is formed of a foil material (e.g. aluminum foil, plastic foil, etc.). The beverage cartridges may also include a filter attached to the cup or lid. Such a filter may be configured to prevent solid beverage ingredient (e.g. coffee grinds, tea leaves, etc.) from flowing out of the beverage cartridge during beverage formation. [0012] The beverage cartridge is configured to be placed in a cartridge chamber of a beverage machine, and the cartridge chamber of the beverage machine is moved to a closed position. In some embodiments, as the beverage machine is closed, the lid and the cup of the 13166996.1 beverage cartridge may be pierced by inlet and outlet piercing mechanisms of the beverage m