阅读说明：本技术 复合材料胶囊以及侧部和基部增强的结构构造 (Composite material capsule and side and base reinforced structural construction ) 是由 R·M·纳贝罗 J·A·德菲格雷多·布兰科 M·F·刚萨雷斯·马丁斯 于 2020-02-06 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种用于制备可食用产品例如芳香饮料的胶囊,所述胶囊(1)包括容器部分(11)和盖部分(12),所述容器部分(11)具有基部壁(111)和相对于中心轴线(X)延伸的侧壁(112),并且具有适于抵抗至少4巴、优选地至少8巴的内部压力的结构构造,所述容器部分以复合物质设置,所述复合物质具有包括生物聚合物的组合物,其中,所述容器部分具有加强装置,所述加强装置包括侧部加强装置(131)和基部加强装置(132),所述侧部加强装置被构造成使得所述侧壁(112)的厚度朝向所述基部壁(111)增加,所述基部加强装置使得所述基部壁(111)的厚度朝向所述基部壁(111)的中心增加,其中,所述加强装置(131、132)被设置为在所述容器部分(11)的内表面中延伸的肋,使得当在侧面剖视图中观察时,所述容器部分(11)的壁厚度局部增加,所述壁厚度的增加大致在下游方向上延伸并且延伸到其中心。(Capsule for preparing an edible product, such as an aromatic beverage, the capsule (1) comprising a container portion (11) and a lid portion (12), the container portion (11) having a base wall (111) and a side wall (112) extending with respect to a central axis (X) and having a structural configuration adapted to withstand an internal pressure of at least 4 bar, preferably at least 8 bar, the container portion being provided in a composite substance having a composition comprising a biopolymer, wherein the container portion has reinforcing means comprising side reinforcing means (131) configured such that the thickness of the side wall (112) increases towards the base wall (111) and base reinforcing means (132) such that the thickness of the base wall (111) increases towards the centre of the base wall (111), wherein the stiffening means (131, 132) are provided as ribs extending in the inner surface of the container part (11) such that the wall thickness of the container part (11) increases locally when seen in a side sectional view, the increase in wall thickness extending substantially in the downstream direction and to its centre.)

1. A capsule for preparing an edible product, such as an aromatic beverage,

the capsule (1) comprises a container portion (11) and a lid portion (12),

the container portion (11) having a base wall (111) and a side wall (112) extending with respect to a central axis (X) and having a structural configuration adapted to resist an internal pressure of at least 4 bar, preferably at least 8 bar,

the container part (11) is provided with a composite substance having a composition comprising a biopolymer,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the container part (11) has a reinforcement device comprising:

-side reinforcement means (131) configured so that the thickness of the side wall (112) increases towards the base wall (111); and

-base reinforcement means (132) which cause the thickness of the base wall (111) to increase towards the centre of the base wall (111),

wherein the stiffening means (131, 132) are provided as ribs extending over the inner surface of the container part (11) such that the wall thickness of the container part (11) increases locally when seen in a side sectional view, said increase in wall thickness extending substantially in the downstream direction and to its centre.

2. The capsule according to claim 1,

the container portion (11) comprises side stiffening ribs (131) provided as ribs extending in a main flow direction on the inward face of the side wall (12) and increasing the wall thickness inwardly and towards the base wall (111), wherein the increase in wall thickness extends in at least one of a circumferential direction and a radial direction of the side stiffening ribs (131) with respect to the central axis (X), preferably in both the circumferential direction and the radial direction, and wherein the increase in wall thickness preferably extends continuously and at least inwardly with respect to the interior of the capsule.

3. The capsule according to claim 1 or 2,

the container portion (11) comprises base stiffening ribs (132) which extend in a radial configuration in the base wall (111) of the container portion (11) and which increase the wall thickness in the radial direction in the direction of a central region of the base wall (111), the increase in wall thickness preferably being continuous and gradual.

4. The capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

at least a part, preferably all, of the first and second stiffening ribs (131, 132) extend in an aligned manner with respect to each other, preferably in a continuous manner with respect to each other, such that the wall thickness of the container portion (11) increases at least substantially continuously along the side wall (12) up to a central region of the base wall (111).

5. The capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the base wall (111) has a wall thickness that increases in the direction of the central region along at least a part of the radial extension, such that a greater structural resistance can be provided at the central region of the base wall (111).

6. The capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the wall thickness of the base wall (111) has a relation between a larger wall thickness and a smaller wall thickness, such that the ratio between the larger wall thickness and the smaller wall thickness is between 1.1 and 4, preferably between 1.2 and 2, and

wherein the base wall (111) has a larger wall thickness at least on an upstream oriented face at a central region having at least one of: point-like, circular, radial, and annular shapes.

7. The capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 6,

a central region of the base wall (111) has a larger wall thickness than the wall thickness of regions located at the periphery of and adjacent to the central region, the central region comprising in particular a maximum wall thickness (e)_max) The region located at the periphery of and adjacent to the central region comprises in particular a minimum wall thickness (e)_min) Wherein at least a part of the region of larger wall thickness extends further downstream with respect to the remaining base wall (111), and wherein the central region extends in a radial extension which is larger than 0.2 times, preferably larger than 0.3 times, particularly preferably similar to or larger than 0.5 times, a characteristic dimension defined by the base wall (111), in particular an inner diameter of the container portion (11) immediately adjacent to the base wall (111).

8. The capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

the base wall (111) has a configuration in which at least the upstream oriented face has a convex shape, for example a conical shape, with an apex extending upstream in a direction at least substantially aligned with the central axis (X), and such that the wall thickness increases in the central region relative to the peripheral region of the base wall (111).

9. The capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 8,

the base wall (111) has a downstream oriented face in a planar shape, and

wherein the increase in the wall thickness is at least substantially continuous along at least a part of the radial extension of the base wall (111), preferably at least in a central region thereof.

10. The capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 9,

the base wall (111) has an upstream oriented face also having a conical shape extending upstream such that the wall thickness over the radial extension of the base wall (111) increases relative to the wall thickness over the remaining radial extension of the peripheral region of the base wall (111).

11. The capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 10,

the base wall (111) has a base projection (114) extending upstream along a circumferential line to define an annular configuration in the vicinity of the projection of the side wall (12) such that a cavity space is defined in the peripheral region of the base wall (111), wherein the base projection (114) projects with a similar extension as the projection of the side wall (12) and has a wall thickness smaller than the wall thickness of the projection of the side wall (12).

12. The capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 11,

the downstream directed surface of the base wall (111) extends in a plane downstream of the plane of the cavity-like space configured by the side wall (112) and the protrusion of the base wall (114), and wherein preferably a plurality of radial connecting elements are provided, distributed along the cavity space.

13. The capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 12,

the base wall (111) has a plurality of flow channel regions (113) provided with an elongated shape, in particular with a length to width ratio of between 2 and 10, preferably between 3 and 6, wherein a portion (1131) of the flow channel regions extends in an at least substantially radial direction and at least a portion (1132) of the flow channel regions extends in a circumferential direction.

14. The capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 13,

the base wall (111) has a plurality of flow channel regions (113) comprising a radially oriented first flow channel region (1131) provided on a central region having a larger wall thickness and a circumferentially oriented second flow channel region (1132) provided in the peripheral region having a smaller wall thickness, wherein the first flow channel region (1131) and the second flow channel region (1132) have at least substantially similar characteristic dimensions, in particular length and width.

15. The capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 14,

the base wall (111) has a plurality of first flow channel regions (1131) which are arranged in an at least approximately radial orientation on a central region of greater wall thickness and/or increased wall thickness of the base wall (111), and wherein the base wall (111) has a plurality of second flow channel regions (1132) which are arranged in an at least approximately angular orientation on a peripheral region of smaller wall thickness and/or constant wall thickness of the base wall (111).

16. The capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 15,

the base wall (111) comprises a plurality of areas adapted for flow channels, wherein the area (113) for flow channels is provided as at least one of: an opening and a weakened material region adapted to rupture under hydraulic pressure upstream thereof.

17. The capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 16,

the composite has a composition comprising natural fibers including at least one, preferably at least two from the list of natural fibers produced by the following treatments:

-green coffee beans;

-cinnamon;

-sugar cane;

-corn;

-cassava.

18. The capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 17,

the composite has a thermoplastic matrix reinforced with natural fibers, including coffee silverskin fibers, and

wherein the polymer matrix that causes the silver-skinned fibers to aggregate comprises a polymer of natural origin, the polymer comprising a derivative of cellulose and an aliphatic polyester.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of capsules for preparing beverages, which are generally made in a composite material comprising a non-synthetic substance, in addition to which the capsules have in particular a reinforced structural configuration.

Background

The prior art comprises several documents related to capsules for preparing beverages by mixing an edible substance with a pressurized flow inside the capsule and discloses solutions for enhancing the structural capacity of said capsules, in particular in case the capsules are made of synthetic materials comprising biopolymers or other substances compostable by natural means instead of common synthetic materials as mineral origin. In particular, in certain capsules, the base wall of the container portion is the outflow opening surface and is subjected to a greater hydraulic pressure and therefore to structural induction.

Document EP 1807318B 1 discloses a capsule of the type of the invention comprising a container portion having ribs on the side walls and ribs on the base wall. The ribs on the side wall appear to have an increasing thickness towards the periphery of the side wall.

Document EP 1961676B 1 discloses a capsule in which the base wall has a wall portion with a larger wall thickness in a central region relative to the remaining base wall, wherein the wall portion extends on the downstream oriented side, the wall portion being for example a plurality of ribs.

Document EP 2408691B 1 discloses a capsule wherein the container part is made of a biodegradable polymer and wherein the base wall has a plurality of radially arranged elements and a plurality of flow channels in the cavity spaces between the radial elements, wherein the channels are not aligned with the radial elements.

Document WO 2015/145361 a1 discloses a capsule in which the base wall has a portion of convex surface provided on the downstream oriented surface and which extends with a thickness decreasing towards its convex edge.

The prior art also includes several documents relating to composite materials having a composite comprising a synthetic polymer (in particular in a thermoplastic matrix) and a biopolymer.

Document EP 22218653 a1 discloses a biodegradable capsule comprising a shell, a fibrous layer and a closing membrane, which are composed in each case of a biodegradable material.

Document WO 03/000810a1 discloses an improved composition based on the impregnation and coating of polymer emulsions and plant-derived latexes such as shells and other ashes, including coffee shell ash.

Document WO 2012/077066 a1 discloses a capsule for the preparation of liquid products, comprising a base wall presenting a laminar structure, in which at least one layer is made of a first compostable material and at least one layer is made of a second compostable material that does not withstand significant softening and/or melting at temperatures of 70-120 ℃. In particular, the first compostable material is selected from the group comprising polymers derived from biomass, synthetic polymers, polymers produced by microorganisms or genetically modified bacteria, polymers of mineral monomers, and mixtures of said polymers with or without additives. The second compostable material is selected from paper (e.g. cellulose paper, and preferably 100% cellulose paper), cardboard, cellophane and cellulose acetate, in particular, the first material layer is disposed internally with respect to the second material layer. The disclosed capsules may be integrally constructed of compostable materials. This document describes the definitions of "compostable" and "biodegradable", both of which are within the scope of the present application.

Document US 2012/0097602 a1 discloses a similar type of capsule in which the filter element has a mixture of 0 to 60% cellulose fibres and about 40 to 100% compostable polyester fibres.

Document WO 2015/121489 a1 discloses a similar type of capsule comprising a biodegradable and compostable polymeric material (or a mixture of said materials) and a percentage of filler, wherein the polymeric material comprises an agropolymer and a biopolyester.

Document WO 2015/162632 a1 discloses a compound for producing food packages, in particular coffee capsules, having a thermoplastic polymer and a filler which also comprises a polysaccharide derived from an agropolymer. The capsule has a single layer and is made of a material comprising a biodegradable and compostable polymer and a percentage of filler, wherein the components are as follows: 15% to 80% of at least one aliphatic polyester or aromatic-aliphatic containing 15% to 90% of one or more fillers having a particle size of D50.

Document FR 3035085 also discloses capsules produced from compounds agricultural polymers derived from a specific list of possible sources of such agricultural polymers.

Documents WO 2013/131117 a1 and WO 2018/050544 a1 also disclose capsules of the type of the present invention having reinforcing means of the side wall and part of the upstream wall.

However, there are two main limitations associated with the use of this type of biopolymer-containing materials with the usual synthetic materials of mineral origin: the material cost per unit quantity is significantly increased and the structural resistance is reduced, which in turn leads to deterioration of the packaging cost.

None of the documents in the prior art discloses a composite substance having a structural configuration that provides an optimization of the structural resistance and thus of the amount of material used.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a capsule for preparing a beverage by injection of a pressurized flow at a flow pressure of at least 8 bar and which is provided with a composite substance comprising a biopolymer, said capsule being configured so as to be more structurally resistant, including in both the side walls and the base wall of the container portion.

According to the present invention, this object is solved by a capsule according to claim 1, wherein preferred embodiments are disclosed in the dependent claims.

A related object is to provide an outflow opening arrangement through the base wall of the container portion which provides a better distribution of hydraulic pressure and load losses at the beverage flow outlet, thereby contributing to a reduced need for structural reinforcement of the base wall.

Another related object is to provide a composite substance having a composition comprising synthetic polymers and biopolymers, in particular using fibers of natural materials instead of biodegradable plastic materials, in particular comprising at least one biopolymer of vegetable origin, and adjusted to provide thermal, mechanical, fluid transport (permeability) and surface transport properties (wettability, friction coefficient) and other properties, which are advantageous in view of several uses and at a reduced cost.

In particular, at least the container portion of the capsule is produced by injection moulding of a synthetic material comprising at least one biopolymer associated with the treatment of at least one of: sugar cane, cassava, corn and coffee grounds, in particular coffee silverskin.

In particular, the capsule is made in a material comprising 60% to 90% associated with at least one of the following: sugar cane, tapioca, and corn, wherein the remaining composition comprises PLA polymer or the like.

The composite substance may include at least one of:

-a polyethylene selected from the list comprising high density polyethylene and Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE),

-Polycaprolactone (PCL);

-thermoplastic amides (TPS);

-copolymers of ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH);

-polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), and

-a compatibilizer.

The composite material may include polyethylene grafted with maleic anhydride (PE-co-MA) as a compatibilizer.

Drawings

The invention will be explained in more detail below on the basis of preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

The figures show, in a simplified schematic representation:

FIG. 1: a side view of an embodiment of a capsule of the type of the present invention;

FIG. 2: a top view of an embodiment of the capsule 1;

FIG. 3: a side sectional view of an embodiment of a capsule 1 according to the invention;

FIG. 4: a side sectional view of an embodiment of a capsule 1 according to the invention;

FIG. 5: a top view of an embodiment of the container portion 11 of the capsule according to the invention;

FIG. 6: a side sectional view of an embodiment of the container portion 11 of the capsule 1 according to the invention;

FIG. 7: a side sectional view of an embodiment of the container portion 11 of the capsule 1 according to the invention;

FIG. 8: a side sectional view of an embodiment of the container portion 11 of the capsule 1 according to the invention;

FIG. 9: a side sectional view of an embodiment of the container portion 11 of the capsule 1 according to the invention;

FIG. 10: a side sectional view of an embodiment of the container portion 11 of the capsule 1 according to the invention;

FIG. 11: a side sectional view of an embodiment of the container portion 11 of the capsule 1 according to the invention;

FIG. 12: a top perspective view of an embodiment of the container portion 11 of the capsule 1 according to the invention.

Detailed Description

Capsules of the present invention are used in machines for preparing beverages by injecting a pressurized flow at a flow pressure of at least 8 bar, sometimes more than 15 bar, and substantially comprise a container portion 11 and a lid portion 12 adapted to be able to close said container portion (see fig. 1 and 2). The pressurized flow is made to enter the capsule through the lid portion 12 and exit through the base wall 111 of the container portion. The container portion 11 has a base wall 111 and a side wall 112, for example of cylindrical shape, which extends in a symmetrical manner with respect to the central axis x of the capsule. The capsules may generally be provided in a synthetic material comprising a biopolymer in order to mitigate the associated environmental impact. In the particular case where the base wall 111 is also the beverage outlet wall, it is also subjected to greater structural requirements due to the hydraulic pressure upstream thereof.

The capsule may have rib-like structural reinforcement means adapted to structurally reinforce the side walls and the base wall of the capsule. The base wall 111 may have base reinforcing ribs 131, and the side wall 112 may have side reinforcing ribs 132.

As shown in the representative schematic view of fig. 3, the capsule 1 according to the invention comprises a container portion 11, wherein the base wall 111 has a wall thickness increasing towards its center and has a shape which is at least substantially symmetrical in an at least substantially uniform manner with respect to said central axis X and all around it.

In particular, it has proven sufficient, at least for a given range of operating flow pressures, to provide an increase of said wall thickness of the base wall only in the upstream oriented face of the base wall 111, such that the downstream oriented face remains in a planar form without cavities or protrusions, at least in its central region.

The base wall 111 may generally have a convex shape extending upstream, including a wall thickness that increases toward a central region of the convex shape (see fig. 4).

As the applicant can experimentally prove, the configuration of said base wall 111 provides a significant increase of the structural resistance of the base wall 111, in particular in its central region.

Preferably, said increase in the wall thickness of the base wall 111 develops at least over a central region thereof, for example over a central region extending in a radial extension corresponding to 20% to 50% of the free inner dimension of said base wall 111.

Preferably, said increase in the wall thickness of the base wall 111 is spread out in an at least substantially continuous manner.

As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the capsule 1 according to the invention is characterized in that it has a container portion 11 provided with reinforcing means comprising:

side reinforcement means 131 configured so that the thickness of the side wall 112 increases towards the base wall 111; and

a base reinforcement means 132, which causes the wall thickness of the base wall 111 to increase towards the centre of the base wall 111,

wherein the stiffening means 131, 132 are provided as ribs extending in the inner surface of the container portion 11 such that the wall thickness of the container portion 11 locally increases a first amount, the increase in wall thickness extending generally in the downstream direction and towards the centre of the container portion 11.

A solution is thus advantageously provided which avoids a general increase in the wall thickness of the structural reinforcing means, in particular by reinforcing means (for example rib-type reinforcing means) having a uniform thickness along its extension, but which provides a gradual increase in the thickness of the reinforcing means and thus a structural reinforcement of the base wall 111 and the side wall 112 of the container portion 11 to meet the requirements of the pressurized flow inside the capsule 1 during the beverage preparation process.

As shown, the container portion 11 may comprise lateral stiffening ribs 131, which are provided as ribs extending in the main flow direction on the inner surface of the side wall 12 and increasing in wall thickness towards the base wall 111, wherein the increase in wall thickness extends in at least one of a circumferential direction and a radial direction, preferably in both directions, of the lateral stiffening ribs 131 with respect to the central axis X.

Furthermore, the container portion 11 can comprise base stiffening ribs 132 which extend in a radial configuration on the base wall 111 of the container portion 11 and which exhibit an increase in wall thickness in the radial direction in the direction of the central region of the base wall 111, the increase in wall thickness preferably being continuous and gradual.

It is particularly preferred in the capsule 1 according to the invention that at least a part, preferably all, of said first and second stiffening ribs 131, 132 extend in an aligned manner with respect to each other, preferably continuously between each other, such that the wall thickness of the container portion 11 increases at least substantially continuously along the side wall 12 up to the central area of the base wall 111.

It should be readily understood by a person skilled in the art that the above-described configuration of the structural reinforcing ribs provides an optimized structural reinforcement, considering the main requirements during the process of extracting the beverage under pressure, which extends continuously along at least a portion of the side wall 112 and the base wall 111 and has a gradual and continuous increase in size in the direction of the central area of said base wall 111, in at least one of the radial direction and the angular direction, preferably in both the radial direction and the angular direction.

According to another aspect of the invention, as schematically shown in fig. 7 to 10 and 11 and 12, the capsule 1 may further have a plurality of flow passage areas 113 on the base wall 111, which are constructed and arranged to balance the pressure exerted by the hydraulic flow upstream thereof.

In particular, said base wall 111 can have a plurality of flow channel regions 113 provided with an elongated shape, preferably with a length to width ratio comprised between 2 and 10, particularly preferably between 3 and 6, wherein a portion of said flow channel region 1131 extends in an at least substantially radial direction and at least a portion of the flow channel region 1132 extends in a circumferential direction.

This particular configuration and arrangement of the flow channel region 113 advantageously provides a better distribution of the upstream hydraulic pressure in the base wall 111, thereby contributing to an improvement in its requirements with respect to material quantity (i.e. wall thickness) and structural reinforcement, in particular in its central region.

Preferably, the base wall 111 has a plurality of flow channel regions 113 comprising a radially oriented first flow channel region 1131 provided in a central region having a larger wall thickness and a circumferentially oriented second flow channel region 1132 provided on a peripheral region having a smaller wall thickness, wherein the first and second flow channel regions 1131, 1132 have at least substantially similar characteristic dimensions, in particular length and width.

Furthermore, the base wall 111 may have a plurality of first flow channel regions 1131 which are arranged in an at least approximately radial orientation on a central region of the base wall 111 in which the wall thickness is greater and/or increased.

Complementary to the previous aspect, the base wall 111 may have a plurality of second flow channel regions 1132 disposed along at least a substantially angular orientation over a peripheral region of the base wall 111 having a smaller and/or constant wall thickness.

In particular, the base wall 111 may comprise a plurality of regions adapted for flow channels, wherein the regions 113 for flow channels are provided as at least one of: an opening and a weakened material region adapted to rupture under hydraulic pressure upstream thereof.

As mentioned above, the capsule 1 according to the invention is provided as a composite substance comprising a biopolymer.

In particular, the capsule 1 may be manufactured by injecting the composite substance into a mould, at least into a mould of the container portion 11, preferably also into a mould of the lid portion 12.

In particular, the composite substance may have a composition comprising natural fibers adapted to provide similar size and functional properties as those of the synthetic polymer, preferably comprising natural fibers produced by processing of plant species such as coffee, cinnamon, sugar cane, corn and tapioca.

Furthermore, it is particularly preferred that the natural fibers comprise at least one, preferably at least two, of the list of natural fibers obtained by:

-green coffee beans;

-cinnamon;

-sugar cane;

-corn;

-cassava.

According to a particularly preferred aspect, the capsule 1 according to the invention is provided as a composite substance having a thermoplastic matrix reinforced with natural fibres including coffee silver-skinned fibres, and wherein the polymeric matrix that aggregates the silver-skinned fibres comprises a polymer of natural origin, said polymer comprising a derivative of cellulose and an aliphatic polyester.