"Single-use container for the preparation of beverages" Technical field
The subject of the present invention is a single-use container for the preparation of beverages of the type including the characteristics mentioned in the preamble of the main claim.
More particularly, though not exclusively, the invention relates to single-use containers for soluble powders or granules of freeze-dried foodstuffs. Said containers are insertable into machines, both professional and domestic, for the preparation of espresso coffee and other hot drinks by means of the use of hot water under pressure. Technological background
In this technical field it is known to use the same containers both for beverages obtained by infusion, such as coffee, and for soluble beverages, such as freeze-dried tea and milk. However, the constructional characteristics and operating modes of the above-mentioned containers are generally determined by the qualitative level desired for espresso coffee, predominantly compared with that of the other beverages.
This choice is determined not only by the predominant consumption of coffee compared with the other beverages, but also by the greater technical difficulty involved in the production of espresso coffee of high quality.
In order to ensure such a level of quality it is mainly necessary to avoid the presence of raw material powders within the final product, since espresso coffee and, more generally, infusions, are produced using insoluble powders or granules. It is furthermore advisable for the fatty substances contained in the coffee-based beverages to be emulsioned as much as possible, with the consequent production of the typical surface foam, particularly appreciated by consumers and in itself an indication of high quality of the beverage. In order to achieve both of the aims described above, containers characterized by holes or nozzles for the exit of the beverage, of small dimensions, and covered, in some applications, by a permeable membrane, are produced . This stratagem makes it possible to retain the raw material inside the container and to create turbulence in the outgoing fluid, so as to maximise the emulsion of the fatty substances.
On the other hand, in the production of soluble beverages starting from freeze-dried raw materials, the main problem lies in the need to raise the pressure inside the container so as to guarantee complete and homogeneous mixing of the solution. In order for this to happen, it is advisable for the steps of solubilisation inside the container and of emergence of the beverage from the container to be separate. In order to fulfil this requirement, single-use containers for beverages provided with a base having zones of reduced thickness, which can be split by the effect of the increase in pressure of the fluid present within, are known. An application for a container of the type mentioned above is described in Patent EP 0521510.
The main drawback resulting from the structure of this type of containers is the difficulty of ensuring their complete emptying, after the beverage has been produced, because of the reduced overall dimensions of the outflow areas, determined by the associated use of espresso coffee powders, as described above.
A second drawback lies in the need to prevent interference of the container with the members of the machine into which it is inserted, both when it deforms and when it splits owing to the effect of the internal pressure.
Description of the invention
The problem underlying the present invention is that of providing a single-use container for beverages that is particularly designed to find application in machines for the production of the same beverages, and which is structurally and functionally designed to remedy all the drawbacks mentioned with reference to the prior art cited.
This problem and others which will become clearer hereinafter are confronted and solved by the invention by means of a single-use container produced in accordance with the claims which follow. Brief description of the drawings
The characteristics and advantages of the invention will become clearer from the detailed description of a preferred, but not exclusive, exemplary embodiment thereof, illustrated by way of a non-limiting example, with reference to the appended drawings, in which : - figures 1 and 2 are two perspective views, from opposite directions, of a single-use container produced according to the invention :
- figure 3 is a plan view of the single-use container of figures 1 and 2;
- figure 4 is a sectional view along the line IV-IV in figure 3;
- figures 5 and 6 are two sectional views of the single-use container of figures 1 and 2, in two different stages of use; - figures 7 to 12 are views corresponding, respectively, to figures 1 to 6 of a constructional variant of a single-use container produced according to the invention;
- figure 13 is a plan view of a further constructional variant of a single- use container produced according to the invention;
- figure 14 is a perspective view, corresponding to figures 1 and 8, of a constructional variant of a single-use container produced according to the invention.
Preferred embodiment of the invention With reference to figures 1 to 6, a single-use container 1 for beverages, produced according to the invention, is indicated as a whole by
1. The container 1 comprises a cup-shaped element Ia, of polypropylene or another plastics material for foodstuffs, on which are defined a mouth 2, a cylindrical side wall 3 and a closed base 4, convex towards the mouth 2. The mouth 2 is defined by an annular rim surface 5, projecting outside the cup-shaped element, on which a permeable circular membrane
7 is secured, by means of a layer of adhesive 6.
In a constructional variant of the container 1, a circular foil 107 of aluminium, provided with two diametrically opposed holes 130a, 130b (see figure 7) is secured on the rim surface 5 of the mouth 2
The base 4 is provided, on the surface 8a facing towards the mouth, with two diametral indentations 9a, 9b, constituting weakening lines for preferential yielding.
On the surface 8b opposed to the surface 8a, the base 4 is provided with a circular weakening line 10 for preferential yielding, constituting a hinge to facilitate the opening of the base 4.
The indentations 9a, 9b and 10 subdivide the base into four portions lla,b,c,d, which, defining four equal circular sectors, are hereinafter referred to as quadrants. Each of these, on the opposite side from the mouth 2, has at least one raised portion spaced from the indentations 9a, 9b, for at least a portion thereof, and spaced from the rim of the base 4.
The raised portion may be of any shape whatsoever, provided that it projects towards the outside of the cup-shaped element Ia. In the constructional example of figure 3, on each of said quadrants lla,b,c,d there is a single raised portion, constituted by a corresponding cylindrical appendage 12a,b,c,d, extending in an axial direction X of the cup-shaped element Ia. In a second constructional example, shown in figures 8 and 9, on each of said quadrants lla,b,c,d there are two corresponding cylindrical appendages 112a,b,c,d, and 122a,b,c,d, extending axially and aligned along a corresponding radius of the base 104. The appendages 122a,b,c,d are placed closer to the centre of the base 104 than the corresponding appendages 112a,b,c,d. In a third constructional example, shown in Figure 13, on each of said quadrants lla,b,c,d there is a single raised portion, constituted by a corresponding rib 212a,b,c,d, aligned along a corresponding radius of the base of the container 1. In a fourth constructional example, shown in Figure 14, the base 4 has one annular raised portion 300 projecting towards the outside of the cup-shaped element Ia and spaced from the rim of the base 304.
With specific reference to the exemplary embodiment shown in figures 1 to 6, each of said appendages 12a,b,c,d is placed in an almost mid-position between the centre and the perimeter of the base 4 and angularly equidistant from the indentations 9a, 9b.
The presence of the appendages 12a,b,c,d subdivides the base 4 into a central zone 4a, circular in plan, and a peripheral zone 4b, annular in plan.
In the volume comprised between the membrane 7, the base 4 and the side wall 3 is contained a mass 14 of powder or granules of a soluble foodstuff such as, for example, freeze-dried tea or soup.
The structure of the single-use container 1 allows it to be inserted into a seat (not shown) of a machine for the production of beverages, generally comprising a surface 13 supporting the container 1 and/or being an inlet for the beverage delivery pipelines.
The surface 13 may be either continuous or discontinuous, a possible grille configuration being included, for example. With reference to figure 5, the presence of the permeable membrane
7 permits the introduction of a fluid under pressure, customarily hot water, into the container 1 through the mouth 2. With reference to figure 11, in a constructional variant of the container 1, in the case where the permeable membrane is replaced by a metallic foil, said fluid is introduced through the holes 130a, 130b, provided in the foil. The presence of the closed wall 3 and base 4 allows the pressure in the container 1 to be raised, with a consequent increase in the turbulence which facilitates the solubilisation of the mass 14 and the formation of the beverage 15.
With reference to figure 6, the pressure of the fluid 15 deforms the base 4, which tends to assume a flat configuration, facilitated by the peripheral zone of greater deformability, owing to the presence of the circular weakening line 10. The initial deformation of the base 4 causes the appendages 12a,b,c,d to bear on the surface 13. The central zone 4a of the base 4 can deform further until two diametral splits 17a, 17b, corresponding respectively to the indentations 9a, 9b, are formed, allowing the emergence of the beverage 15. The formation of the diametral splits 17a, 17b is facilitated by the presence of the appendages 12a,b,c,d which, by bearing on the surface 13 as a result of the initial deformation of the base 4, constitute a fulcrum for the further deformation of the central zone 4a. In the second exemplary embodiment, shown in figures 7 to 12, the appendages 112a,b,c,d and 122a,b,c,d stand up from the base 104 in such a way that their free ends are almost lying on the surface defined by the edge of the base 4, so as to touch, or in any case come very close to, a surface 113, which constitutes a seat for the support of the container 1 and/or an inlet for the beverage delivery pipelines. This constructional solution makes it possible to localise the deformation of the base 104, due to the increase in the pressure in the container 1, at the indentations 9a, 9b. This deformation brings about the formation of the two diametral splits 117a, 117b, at a recess 116, comprised between the base 104, the surface 13 and the appendages 122a,b,c,d. In the exemplary embodiment shown in figures 14, the annular raised portion 300 makes it possible to localise the deformation in central zone of the base 304.
The presence of the indentations 9a, 9b and the formation of the respective diametral splits 17a, 17b, or of the diametral splits 117a, 117b, permit the complete emptying of the container 1 after the beverage 15 has formed. In addition, by suitably dimensioning the curvature and/or the thickness of the convex base 4, or of the base 104, it is possible to control the maximum pressure obtainable in the container 1 before the formation of the splits 17a, 17b, or of the splits 117a, 117b, this pressure being the basic parameter for obtaining complete and uniform solubilisation of the foodstuff mass 14.
Moreover, the presence of the appendages 12a,b,c,d, or of the appendages 112a,b,c,d and 122a,b,c,d, guarantees the correct splitting of the base 4, or of the base 104, and the opening of the quadrants lla,b,c,d, preventing interference with any surface 13 of a machine for producing beverages into which the container 1 may be inserted.
In this way, the invention achieves the predetermined aims, offering, with respect to the prior art, a container for beverages that is particularly designed for applications with soluble foodstuffs.