State of the artThe present invention relates to a serving capsule for the manufacture of a beverage, having a capsule body with a capsule bottom and a filling side, with a cavity formed between the capsule bottom and the filling side to accommodate a powdered or liquid beverage substrate and with a filter element placed between the beverage substrate and the capsule bottom.
Such serving capsules are generally known from the state of the art, for example, the sheets EP 1792850 B1, EP 1344722 A1 and US 2003/0172813 A1 show serving capsules for coffee and espresso.
Such serving capsules for the manufacture of a beverage are preferably cone-shaped or cylindrical and are made, for example, from a deep-drawn plastic film or by the plastic injection process. They usually have an open filling side with a collar edge on which a cap film is sealed or glued, a closed capsule bottom with a particle sieve supporting the capsule bottom between the beverage substrate and the capsule bottom. These sieves are either injected from a thermoplastic plastic or deep-drawn or stamped from an aluminum foil.
For the preparation of a coffee drink, the serving capsule is inserted into a brewing chamber of a brewing machine. After or during the closing of the brewing chamber, the capsule is opened preferably on its closed bottom side by means of an opening spire located in the brewing chamber and, after sealing the brewing chamber, the filling side of the serving capsule closed with a closing film is inflated by means of a single-strand device. Then the preparation liquid, preferably hot water, is brought under pressure into the serving tube. The pressure of the circulating liquid capsule dissolves the beverage and extracts the extract and/or dissolves the beverage for the production of the necessary oil. For example, this effect also has an effect on the extraction of a liquid between the capsule and the brewing chamber.
However, the disadvantage of sieves made by the plastic injection or deep drawing or stamping process is that the opening of the sieve holes must be smaller than the smallest coffee particles to retain the coffee particles. Since the coffee milling process inevitably also produces a certain amount of dust, too large sieves will result in the passage of coffee particles or if the sieve holes are too small, especially at high pressures, in the blockage of the sieve. Furthermore, the sieve requires appropriate support elements acting against the capsule floor to absorb the water pressure of the brewing water up to 20 bar and prevent the deformation of the sieve as a result of the high pressure of the brewing water (water concentration at high temperature).
The present state of the art therefore recognises portioning capsules with sieve arrangements which are intended to avoid these disadvantages. In US 2778739, EP 1710173 A1 and US 5352765, portioning capsules with sieve arrangements are revealed which consist of a sieve carrier with relatively large passing openings, these openings being covered with a filter material. The disadvantage of these arrangements is that the presentation of such sieve arrangements involves additional material and manufacturing costs, since they consist of a stable sieve carrier and the filter material placed on the sieve carrier.
Both sieves with sieve holes and sieve arrangements with additional filter material must ensure that the finished beverage passing through the sieve arrangement can flow to a capsule outlet, i.e. a free space must be provided between the bottom of the capsule and the sieve arrangement for the drainage of the beverage.
The present invention was therefore intended to provide a serving capsule with a filter device which is more cost-effective to produce compared with the state of the art while avoiding the disadvantages identified in connection with the state of the art.
This is achieved by a serving capsule for the preparation of a beverage, having a capsule body with a capsule bottom and a filling side, with a cavity between the capsule bottom and the filling side to accommodate a powder or liquid beverage substrate, with a filter element between the beverage substrate and the capsule bottom, and with the filter element comprising a wire which is arranged in the area of the capsule bottom.
Compared to the state of the art, the portion capsule has the advantage that a simple and inexpensive filter fleece is used as a filter sieve. An elaborate plastic injection process or a deep drawing or stamping process to produce the sieves is thus economical. The manufacturing costs are thus significantly reduced. In addition, no support structure is required because the fleece rests directly on the capsule floor. Compared to the state of the art known plastic filters, a filter fleece also has the advantage of having a significantly larger liquid entry surface.Err1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 716 (char 715)the beverage or food powder, such as coffee powder, soup powder or tea, contained in the serving capsule is essentially closed to the environment before the extraction process, but the serving capsule must not be hermetically sealed and may be provided with a hermetically sealed package before use, which is then opened, for example manually.
A nonwoven fabric within the meaning of the invention is a disordered, unwoven structure of fibres, in particular plastic fibres.
Err1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 1338 (char 1337)
Preferably, the nonwoven material is placed on the bottom of the capsule so that it is as wide as possible. It is particularly preferable to seal the nonwoven material to the bottom, especially by ultrasound.
When opening the capsule with a perforator, it is advantageous for the latter to move the film away from the capsule bottom and tighten or tighten it further, allowing the perforator to penetrate and/or penetrate the film.
According to another object or embodiment of the present invention, the filter element has a felt structure. In particular, it is a needle felt structure. Preferably, the filter element consists of at least one felt structure and a support structure, in particular a tissue structure, wherein, in particular, the felt structure comprises at least a sub-section of the volume, which includes the support structure. Preferably, the felt structure extends over the entire cross-section of the support structure, but in particular, only over a sub-area of the height. Preferably, the felt structure is closely connected to the support structure by force and/or material. Preferably, the filter element indicates two or more filter structures separated from each other by the support structure.The thickness of the two felt structures can be equal or different. Preferably, a felt structure applied to the powder or tea is thinner than the felt structure applied to the capsule floor or vice versa. Preferably, the surface of the felt structure is treated, for example, heat treated to fix loose fibres. Preferably, the filter with a felt element is inserted only into the capsule, especially on its bottom. The filter element can also be connected to the capsule, especially its bottom, especially the material.where appropriate, interconnected.
Err1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 117 (char 116)
A filter element with a carrier structure, in particular a tissue structure, and a felt structure is made, for example, by providing a fabric structure consisting of longitudinal and transverse threads. For the construction of a felt, in particular a needle felt, preferably fibre units of 0.8 - 7 dtex are selected. The connection of the individual fibres to a felt and/or its anchoring in the carrier structure is preferably by the production process of the linkage. In this process, needles are inserted into the fibre package presented with inverted hooks at high speed and pulled out again. The hooks are removed from the fibres via a number of rapid turns and/or with the carrier.
The supporting element, having one or more felt structures, preferably comprises a mass (also called grammage or area weight) of between 100 and 800 grams per square metre, preferably between 200 and 650 grams per square metre, and particularly preferably, of essentially 150 to 250 grams per square metre for the manufacture of tea and 600 to 700 grams per square metre for the manufacture of coffee, espresso or the like.
According to another object or embodiment of the present invention, the filter element is intended to contain an open-pore sponge and/or an open-pore foam, which is arranged in the area of the capsule bottom. It has been shown in a surprising and unpredictable way that the above advantages over the state of the art, such as lower manufacturing costs, resistance to blockage, fluid flow, and better flow through and out through, can be achieved in the same way with an open-pore sponge and/or an open-pore foam, which is arranged in the area of the capsule bottom. In particular, the open-pore foam and the open-pore foam each have a filter which allows the fluid to flow through, for example, a microporous reticle and some of the polyurethane.
The filter element, i.e. the nonwoven, felt, sponge or foam, is preferably simply inserted into the capsule body and then either loosely placed on the capsule floor or connected to it and/or the side wall of the capsule, in particular by welding, for example by ultrasound, before the beverage substrate is filled into the capsule body. The capsule body is preferably conical or cylindrical in shape and is made, for example, of plastic, a natural material and/or a biodegradable material from a deep-drawn plastic film or in the plastic injection process. The capsule body is pre-filled with a filler which is embedded on a capsule lid or on a plastic film, which is conceivably alternative.The bottom of the serving capsule is preferably closed and is first perforated in the brewing chamber by means of a perforating agent acting from the outside on the serving capsule bottom to create an opening. Alternatively, however, the bottom of the serving capsule may already be provided with an opening at the factory, preferably closed by a sealant. The sealant can then be perforated by means of the perforating agent or removed from the capsule bottom by hand. The filter sheet is preferably tear-resistant.Err1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 208 (char 207)
The opening for the drainage is preferably large enough to allow any existing perforating agent to be drained without contact; in particular, it is preferable to have a large opening which does not cause any significant pressure loss when the finished beverage is drained, in particular so that there is no significant swirling of the finished beverage which could lead to gas entering the beverage and thus foaming.
According to another object or embodiment of the present invention, the filter element is designed to be elastically formed and is located and/or fixed at least in its peripheral area in the area of the capsule bottom. If the capsule bottom is pierced by an external perforator, the filter element can be so elastically stretched or yielded upon contact with the perforator that it prevents a perforation of the filter element. This eliminates the risk of the filter element being perforated by the perforator and the beverage being flushed unfiltered out of the serving capsule. A fixed distance between the filter element and the capsule bottom from which it is being carried is not necessary, as this technique is known, for the automatic displacement of the filter fluid through the capsule bottom.
According to another object or embodiment of the present invention, the filter element is intended to be tensioned, punctured and/or pierced by the perforating agent.
According to another object or embodiment of the present invention, the filter element is arranged in the cavity of the serving capsule and is located on one side of the capsule bottom facing the filling side. The advantage is that the production costs for the serving capsule are significantly reduced because the filter element is simply loosely inserted into the serving capsule.
According to another object or embodiment of the present invention, the filter element is intended to have a diameter greater than the diameter of the capsule bottom. In a beneficial way, when filling the serving capsule with beverage substance, the filter element is pressed against the bottom area, with the outer edge necessarily bending towards a side wall area of the serving capsule and protruding towards the fill side or bending towards the fill side. This has the advantage that when a central area of the filter element is removed as a result of a mechanical force applied from outside to the capsule bottom area by the filter element, the bottom area is raised towards the capsule bottom area without impacting the central area of the filter element, so that at least one of the elastic forces is not affected by the filter element, especially in the case of an outer filter element, and this effect is not considered to be an effect of pressure on the filter element's filter base, since the filter element cannot be opened in the direction of the filter filter element's edge without impacting on the filter base area.
According to another object or embodiment of the present invention, the filter element is provided with a marginal area which is essentially protruding towards the fill side and/or is surrounded towards the fill side, which also provides the advantages described above, whereby the marginal area slides back towards the capsule floor or towards the central area when the filter element is raised in the central area.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the edge area is provided to extend at least partially along a side-wall area of the capsule body, with the side-wall area extending between the filling side and the capsule bottom. In a beneficial way, when the serving capsule is filled, the edge area is pushed outwards against the side-wall area by the beverage subtance, thus achieving an improved sealing effect between the side-wall area and the filter element. In particular, in the case of the slide-back of the filter element described above, this prevents brewing water from flowing through the filter element without obstructing it.
A further embodiment of the present invention provides that the filter element shall cover the capsule floor completely or only partially; in particular, it is sufficient if the filter element is located exclusively in the area of the perforation or in the area of an outlet in the capsule floor.
A further embodiment of the present invention provides that the filter element is attached to the capsule bottom, preferably by means of a material-tight attachment to the capsule bottom, in particular by means of seals, which preferably prevents the filter element from slipping.
A further embodiment of the present invention provides that the filter element is fixed to the capsule floor in a peripheral area of the capsule floor and/or that the filter element is fixed to the sidewall area of the capsule floor in a peripheral area of the filter element, thus preferably preventing slippage of the filter element and increasing the seal between the capsule body and the filter element, while still allowing the lifting of the filter element in its central area.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, the capsule floor is designed to have a bulge in the opposite direction to the filling side. The advantage is that the bulge is used to absorb the perforating agent, so that when the perforating agent is inserted into the capsule floor in the area of the bulge, the perforating agent is perforated, but the perforating agent then remains in the cavity of the bulge. A perforation of the filter element is thus prevented. In particular, this embodiment does not require the filtering agent to raise the filter oil. However, the filter element can be trained to be lifted from the perforating agent to provide a seal in any case.
According to another object or embodiment of the present invention, the filter element is designed so that, when the capsule floor is perforated by an external perforator, the filter element is at least partially removed from the capsule floor, effectively preventing perforation of the filter element by the perforator.
A further embodiment of the present invention provides that the filter element shall only be detached from the capsule floor in a central area and remain on the capsule floor or attached to the capsule floor in the peripheral area of the capsule floor, thereby preferably preventing slippage of the filter element and increasing the seal between the capsule body and the filter element, while still allowing the lifting of the filter element in its central area.
According to another object or embodiment of the present invention, the filter element is designed so that, when the capsule bottom is perforated by an external perforator, the filter element rises in its central region from the capsule bottom and pushes at least part of the previously protruding edge of the filter element towards the capsule bottom in the direction of the fill side, thus achieving the advantages described above, whereby the edge slides towards the capsule bottom or towards the central region as soon as the filter oil in the central region is lifted by the perforator, so that no beverage passes unfiltered past the edge of the filter element in the direction of the exit opening.
According to another object or embodiment of the present invention, the filter element is intended to have a material storage. In a beneficial way, a material storage allows the filter element to stand out from the capsule floor in its central area, although the filter element is firmly connected (in particular, material-tightly) to the capsule floor in its peripheral area and is essentially non-elastically formed. The material storage includes in particular a wavy or shaped area in the filter element that partially smooths out when the central area is lifted from the capsule floor by the perforating material. This ensures that when the capsule is lifted by an external perforating element, the material storage is so set apart from the capsule floor in its central area that the material being filtered is pushed outwards in the direction of the filter material's central area and outwards by the filter material.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the capsule floor is designed to have a break point designed to break up as a result of mechanical contact with an external perforating medium, preferably with a number of star-shaped weakening lines arranged around a central point of the capsule floor. The capsule floor preferably has a reduced material strength along the weakening lines and/or is perforated along the weakening lines. The realization of the break point in a pre-emptive manner favors the perforation of the capsule floor. This also has the advantage of reducing the risk of a less perfect filter tip being used to insulate the capsule floor, so that the use of a filter bed is particularly dangerous when the filter material is used to improve the performance of the filter.
Err1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 902 (char 901)
Another subject of the present invention is a method for the manufacture of the capsule according to the invention, characterized by cutting the filter element from a product line and inserting it into the capsule. Preferably, the cut filter element is transported at least a certain distance from the cutting knife, in particular the hollow knife. Preferably, the cut filter element is transported by a sonotrode required for ultrasonic welding and/or attached to the capsule, in particular its bottom.
A further subject of the present invention is a process for the preparation of a beverage with a serving capsule, wherein in a first process step the serving capsule is provided, in a second process step the bottom of the capsule is perforated by means of an external perforating agent, and in a third process step the filter element is at least partially removed from the bottom of the capsule. In the third process step the filter element is elevated by the perforating agent in a preferred manner from the bottom of the capsule so that it is further removed from the perforated capsule floor. The bottom of the capsule is perforated in a central point area at the same time, so that the main filter element is raised in its central area while it is raised in its peripheral area in a way that the capsule floor is either raised or raised in the middle of the capsule and is not affected by the diametric effect of the filter element.
A further embodiment of the present invention provides that the filter element is at least partially stretched when the central area is removed from the capsule floor, thus enabling the material to securely attach the peripheral area of the filter element to the capsule floor, while still allowing the filter element to stand out from the capsule floor in the central area, thus combining the advantages of maximum sealing with the advantages of the lifting filter element.
A further embodiment of the present invention provides that a marginal area of the filter element projecting towards the filling side, when the central area is removed from the capsule bottom during the third step of the process, moves back towards the capsule bottom, thus preventing beverage liquid from flowing unfiltered towards the exit opening when the central area is lifted from the capsule bottom.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, when the central area is removed from the capsule floor during the third step of the process, material from the filter element is pushed back from the material storage to the capsule floor, in particular by at least partially smoothing a wavy or folded area of the filter element. This also allows a material-tight attachment of the edge area of the filter element to the capsule floor, while still allowing the filter element to detach from the central area of the capsule floor. The material storage preferably extends around the central area of the filter element.
The present invention also relates to the use of a serving capsule for the preparation of a beverage, preferably a coffee, cocoa, tea and/or milk beverage.
The claims made as one object of the present invention apply equally to the other objects and vice versa.
Examples of embodiments of the invention are shown in the figures and explained in more detail in the following description. The figures are merely illustrative and do not restrict the general idea of the invention. The description applies equally to all objects of the present invention.Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section of a serving capsule according to a first embodiment of the present invention, which is designed for the preparation of espresso.Figure 2 shows a longitudinal section of a serving capsule in a closed brewing chamber according to the first embodiment of the present invention.Figure 3 shows a longitudinal section of a serving capsule in a closed brewing chamber according to a second embodiment of the present invention.Figures 4a, 4b show schematic cross-sectional views of a serving capsule according to a third embodiment of the present invention.Figures 5a, 5b show a longitudinal section of a serving capsule in a closed brewing chamber according to the first embodiment of the present invention.Figure 3 shows a longitudinal section of a serving capsule in a closed brewing chamber according to the first embodiment of the present invention.Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion capsule in accordance with a sixth embodiment of the present invention.Figure 8a shows a needle-like image of a serving capsule in accordance with the sixth embodiment of the present invention.Figure 8a shows a filter-like image of a portion in accordance with one of the sixth embodiments of the present invention.Figure 8a shows a filter-like image of a portion in accordance with a sixth filter-like filter.Figure 8a shows a filter-like image of a portion in accordance with one of the sixth filter-type filter-type filter.
In the various figures, the same parts are always given the same reference marks and are therefore usually only named or mentioned once.
Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of the portion capsule 1 of the invention. The portion capsule 1 comprises a cone-shaped capsule body 2 with a closed capsule bottom 3 and a collar edge 5 arranged on its filling side 4 on which a cap sheet 6 is welded or glued. Between the cap sheet 3 and the cap sheet 6 a preferably airtight and aromatically sealed cavity 100 is thus formed, which is filled with a powdered and granular beverage substance 101. The beverage substance 101 comprises, for example, coffee, cocoa or tea and a/or a powdered (a) -a) -a-millimeter element. The capsule 3 is enclosed within the capsule 7, a filter cell of the capsule 100.The filter element 7 is either loosely attached to the inside 3a of the capsule bottom 3 or is fixed, i.e. preferably fabric-bound, to the inside 3a of the capsule body bottom 3. In the second variant, the filter element 7 is specifically attached to a 3' perimeter area of the capsule bottom 3 on the capsule bottom 3 only. The fibre comprises preferably a nonwoven fabric made of polyester fibre. The fibres are particularly preferably bound together by a calender mixture, for example a variety of extruded polyester fibres arranged side by side and controlled by a thermosetting and/or welding fibre (V-Wire and V-Wire).The nonwoven film preferably has a mass (also called grammage or surface weight) of between 40 and 100 grams per square metre, preferably between 60 and 80 grams per square metre and preferably essentially 70 grams per square metre. The filter element or the nonwoven film preferably has a thickness of between 0.20 and 0.8 millimetres, preferably between 0.25 and 0.39 millimetres and preferably 0.32 millimetres. The nonwoven film is designed so that the air permeability of the nonwoven film is preferably between 1000 and 3000 Pascal/s2 (preferably 1000 and 3000 l/m2), preferably between 1500 and 2500 (l/s2) and preferably at 2000 l/s2 (especially essential).The nonwoven fabric is also preferably so constructed that the maximum tensile strength is essentially 110 N/cm in the longitudinal direction and essentially 67 N/cm in the transverse direction, with the maximum tensile strength stretching to be essentially 30 per cent in the longitudinal direction and 38 per cent in the transverse direction.
In Figure 2 a serving capsule 1 is represented in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figure 1, wherein the serving capsule 1 in Figure 2 is arranged in a closed brewing chamber 8 The brewing chamber 8 consists of a first brewing chamber element 9 and a second brewing chamber element 10, wherein the first brewing chamber element 9 is designed to introduce the serving capsule 1 in a way that is movable to the second brewing chamber element 10 or vice versa Between the two brewing chamber elements 9, 10 a seal 11 is arranged The first brewing chamber element 9 consists essentially of a closing piston 12 with single-tech elements 13a, 13b to open the cover film 6 of the serving capsule 1,The second brewing chamber element 10 consists essentially of a brewing chamber bell 15 partially enclosing the serving capsule 1 with an opening spindle 16 at the bottom of the brewing chamber bell 15 fitted with drain spouts 17 and a drink drain 18 To accommodate the serving capsule 1, the brewing chamber 8 is in an unshow open state in which the first and second brewing chamber elements 9, 10 are spaced apart to ensure a supply of the serving capsule 1 and the displayed closed state in which a process of preparation of a drink is initiated by means of a 1 serving capsule. The brewing chamber 8 is closed by a 1 serving capsule.When the brewing chamber 8 is moved from the open to the closed state shown, the cap sheet 6 is pierced by the single-stage elements 13a, 13b, so that the brewing liquid, especially hot brewing water, passes through the brewing liquid supply 14 under pressure into the cavity 100 of the serving capsule 1 and, when the brewing chamber 8 is closed, the bottom of the capsule 3 is perforated by the perforating agent 16 formed as an opening torch, so that an opening 107 is created in the serving capsule 1 through which the beverage produced can be drained downwards from the serving capsule 1 in the direction of the beverage drainage 18 to help drain the beverage 17 to the drainage outlet.Err1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 427 (char 426)In the 3' peripheral region of the capsule bottom 3 and 7' peripheral region of the filter element 7, the capsule bottom 3 and the filter element 7 remain in contact with each other and, in particular, are closely connected to each other so that no beverage substance 101 enters the beverage drainage 18 around the filter element 7. The capsule bottom 3 has an optional break point 104 at its central point 106, where the capsule bottom 3 is perforated by the 16th capsule opening, so that a comparatively blunt opening 16 is sufficient to perforate the capsule bottom 3 and so that the filter element 7 is also dangerously perforated by the 16th capsule bottom 16.The Commission has decided to
In Figure 3 a portion capsule 1 is represented according to a second embodiment of the present invention, whereby the second embodiment is essentially the same as the first embodiment illustrated in Figure 2 and the portion capsule 1 is also represented in a closed brewing chamber 8. However, unlike the first embodiment, the portion capsule floor 3 has a vent 21 (the vent 21 is thus facing in the opposite direction to the vent 20 in the brewing chamber floor 3a) in the one-point area of the aperture 16 against a vent 20 in the aperture 3a, in which the aperture 16 is penetrated without the filter element 7 being penetrated.During the closing process, the cap sheet 6 of the serving capsule 1 is perforated by means of the inserting agents 13a, 13b and, after the first and second chamber elements 9, 10 and 11 have been brought together and sealed (by means of the sealing 11,) the water is supplied through the liquid inlet 6. Similarly, during the closing process of the opening chamber of the thorn 16 an opening is made in the bottom 3 of the serving capsule 1.Alternatively, the filter element 7 is above the nozzle 21 of the capsule bottom 3 which is in the nozzle of the brew bell bottom 23 and the nozzle 16 only pierces into nozzle 21 of the capsule bottom 3 and does not reach the filter element 7. Then the liquid, for example hot water in the case of coffee making, flows into capsule 1. In the capsule this liquid flows through the beverage substrate 101 and extracts and/or dissolves the substances needed for the beverage production from the beverage substrate 101. The flow of liquid in the beverage substrate 101 is illustrated by the nozzle 22The resulting beverage then flows through the filter element 7 between the beverage substrate 101 and the capsule bottom 3, which prevents particulate discharge of components of the beverage substrate 101 into the resulting beverage and through the opening punched by the opening 16 into the capsule bottom 3 and through the drainage channels 17 of the opening 16 into a receptacle such as a cup or can.
Err1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 729 (char 728)
In Figures 5a and 5b, schematic cross-sectional views of a portion capsule 1 are shown according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, the fourth embodiment being essentially identical to the third embodiment illustrated in Figures 4a and 4b. However, the filter element 7 is non-elastically formed and is almost completely lifted from the capsule floor 3 by the perforating agent 16.
Err1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 878 (char 877)
Err1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 551 (char 550)
Err1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 355 (char 354)To maintain the aroma of beverage substance 101 even on a pre-perforated capsule bottom 3 for longer storage periods, the capsule bottom 3 is preferably sealed with a perforated or hand-removable film 108 at least in the area of the target break point 104. For this purpose, the film 108 is glued to the outside of the capsule bottom 3 and is provided with a release axis 109 which is not adhesive to the capsule bottom 3 and on which the film 108 can be removed by hand. An example embodiment with attenuation lines in the form of perforations in the capsule bottom 3 and with a film 108 is illustrated in Figure 8.
Figure 9 shows a cross-sectional view of a serving capsule 1 according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention. The eighth embodiment is essentially the same as the first embodiment shown in Figure 1, whereby the serving capsules 1 of the eighth embodiment are equipped with a permanent opening 107 in the bottom of the capsule 3 which is sealed in the initial position with film 108. The portion capsule 1 therefore does not have any breaks. The foil 108 also has the release lock 109 for removing film 108 from the bottom by hand. A perforation of the capsule 3 by an external perforation device 16 is not provided. Rather, the insertion of the portion capsule 1 into the bottom of the capsule 108 is done by removing the capsule 3 from the bottom of the capsule 3 directly before the start of the broth and can be easily started without the need for an external perforation device 16.
Figures 10 and 11 illustrate a further embodiment of the present invention. In the present case, the filter element 7 is so constructed that the performance agent 16, when entering the capsule, cuts, sticks (Fig. 10) and/or pierces the filter element, i.e. the filter element is connected at least in part to the bottom of the capsule, with the floor provided and/or cuts as wide as possible.
Figures 12a to c show different embodiments of a filter element 7 with a felt structure 7.1, in particular a needle felt structure. This filter element 7 preferably has a carrier structure 7.2, e.g. a tissue structure. On this and/or in this tissue structure 7.2, a felt structure 7.1 is arranged on the entire surface facing the coffee powder or tea and connected to it, for example, by needle felt, as shown in Figure 12a.The embodiment shown in Figure 12b has two felt structures 7.1 and 7.3, each located on and/or within the support structure.The fillet structure 7.1 and 7.3 may be made of different or the same material. These may concern not only the material from which they are made, but also the thread diameters and/or thread lengths from which the fillet structures are made. Between the two structures 7.1 and 7.3 a fillet structure 7.2 is provided, in which there is no or little fillet structure and which preferably allows for cross-flow.OtherFigure 12c shows another embodiment of a filter element with felt structure. In this case, two filter elements 7 with a felt structure, as described for example in Figures 12a and b, are stacked on top of each other. The filter elements 7 can only be stacked or connected to each other.
All filter elements with a felt structure have the advantage of having a low pressure loss or of having the pressure decrease along the filter element with a low gradient. This allows, for example, to produce creamless coffee, i.e. foam, or foamless tea. Filter elements with a felt structure are preferably only inserted into the capsule. Preferably, the filter element with the felt structure has a larger diameter than the bottom of the capsule, so that it is pressed against the wall of the capsule in the marginal area.
Preferably, the filter element with felt structure, in particular, is made entirely of PET.
List of reference marksErr1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 220 (char 219)