Patent Application
20150375927
The presently disclosed and/or claimed inventive concept(s) is directed to a filter unit for a capsule for preparing a beverage and/or nutritional product. In particular, the filter unit is configured to filter a liquid that is injected into the capsule, and to deliver the filtered liquid to a separate compartment of the capsule, which holds beverage and/or nutritional products.
From the prior art a filter unit is known, which is placed inside a capsule, in order to remove contaminants from liquid injected into the capsule before the injected liquid interacts with beverage and/or nutritional ingredients. The filter unit can be designed for allowing also injection of compressed air into a compartment holding said ingredients, so that the capsule can be properly emptied after use.
Typically, the filter unit of the prior art has an upper casing and a lower casing, the two casings being assembled together. An interface between the assembled upper and lower casings can be sealed, for example ultrasonically. The filter unit further comprises a filter membrane that is connected by pinching between the upper and lower casing and/or by sealing.
For example, WO 2010/128028 A1 discloses a capsule for the preparation of a nutritional product for use in a device that is adapted to supply a liquid to the capsule. The capsule comprises a filter unit for removing contaminants contained in the injected liquid. The filter unit comprises a protective casing and at least one filter medium, in particular a filter membrane. After passing through the filter unit, the liquid is delivered to at least one compartment containing beverage ingredients. The capsule further comprises a selectively openable gas inlet, which is placed on or in the capsule to allow gas introduction from the outside into the ingredients compartment without passing through the filter unit.
WO 2010/128031 A1 discloses a capsule for the preparation of a nutritional product for use in a device that is adapted to inject a liquid to the capsule. The capsule comprises a compartment, which houses a filter unit for removing contaminants contained in the injected liquid. The filter unit comprises a microporous membrane inserted into a pressure resistant casing. The capsule further comprises a compartment for beverage ingredients. The filter unit has a filtering surface, which is smaller than the cross-section of the mouth of the ingredient compartment.
WO 2010/128051 A1 discloses a capsule for the preparation of a nutritional product in a device that is adapted to supply a liquid into the capsule. The capsule comprises a filter unit, which comprises a casing comprising a filter membrane and an outlet wall for supporting the filter membrane. The outlet wall of the filter unit comprises at least one liquid outlet, which communicates with a compartment of the capsule, in which beverage ingredients are contained.
As further prior art, WO 2009/092629 A1 discloses a capsule for use in a beverage production device, wherein the capsule is provided with an antimicrobial filter. The antimicrobial filter comprises a porous membrane.
WO 2010/112353 A1 discloses a capsule for use in a beverage production device. The capsule comprises a filter for filtering a liquid injected into the capsule, a collection member placed downstream of the filter to collect the filtered liquid, and at least one restriction orifice in the collection member to focus the flow of the liquid in at least one jet of liquid at high velocity into a compartment of the capsule, in which beverage ingredients are contained.
The interface connection between the upper casing and the lower casing needs to be absolutely tight and of sufficient tear strength, in order to resist the injection of liquid into the filter unit under relatively high pressure (several bars of pressure). Several sealing lines at the interface of such filter units are also individually formed at a filter portion and at a liquid injection portion of the filter unit, thereby providing higher risks of a defective seal. Therefore, in order to ensure the production of a safe product, drastic quality controls need to be implemented during and after the welding process and corrective adjustments of the process parameters need to be constantly implemented as well. These controls and constant corrective adjustments impact on the line performance and increase the production costs.
Further, the assembling of the filter units known from the state of the art is time consuming and requires a large number of manufacturing steps.
Another disadvantage of the state of the art filter units is that the shape is often limited (i.e. rounded) for facilitating the welding process. However, this shape is not optimal for reducing the amount of the used materials, in particular the materials for filter membranes.
The presently disclosed and/or claimed inventive concept(s) seeks to improve the state of the art by addressing the above-mentioned disadvantages. In particular, the presently disclosed and/or claimed inventive concept(s) seeks to provide a filter unit, for which the tightness, in particular the tightness to fluids under pressure, is improved and is made more reliable. The presently disclosed and/or claimed inventive concept(s) also seeks to provide a filter unit, which can be manufactured easier, at higher production speed and at lower costs.
In the following the presently disclosed and/or claimed inventive concept(s) will be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings.
The presently disclosed and/or claimed inventive concept(s) seeks to improve the state of the art by addressing the above-mentioned disadvantages. In particular, the presently disclosed and/or claimed inventive concept(s) seeks to provide a filter unit, for which the tightness, in particular the tightness to fluids under pressure, is improved and is made more reliable. The presently disclosed and/or claimed inventive concept(s) also seeks to provide a filter unit, which can be manufactured easier, at higher production speed and at lower costs.
The presently disclosed and/or claimed inventive concept(s) is directed to a filter unit for a capsule for preparing a beverage and/or nutritional product, the filter unit comprising an upper casing comprising a liquid inlet, a lower casing comprising a liquid outlet, a filter provided between the upper casing and the lower casing, and a liquid delivery portion for delivering a liquid received from the liquid outlet, wherein an interface of the upper casing and the lower casing is sealed with an over-moulded ring.
The over-moulded ring ensures that the connection of the upper casing to the lower casing, i.e. an interface between the two casings, is tight and pressure resistant. The connection is in particular tight to liquid, even when liquid is injected into the filter unit under high pressure. The over-moulded ring largely reduces the likelihood of defects at the sealed interface. Furthermore, this solution also enables to organize the assembling of the filter unit in a more effective manner, in particular, by the use of a rotary cube-injection technology for which the injection of the components, their assembly and the over-moulding operation can be operated together in the same unit. As a result, the same cycle times and automation can be drastically improved over traditional assembly using (ultrasonic) welding.
The liquid delivery portion of the filter unit can deliver the filtered liquid e.g. to a compartment of a capsule containing beverage and/or nutritional ingredients. In this case the filter unit is suited to separate a position of the liquid injection into the capsule, e.g. by injector means of a beverage preparation machine, from the position of the beverage ingredients inside the capsule. The injector means do not come into contact with the ingredients. Thereby, the risk of contaminating the ingredients inside the capsule is largely reduced, and the hygiene of the produced beverage is improved.
In a particular, non-limiting embodiment, at least a part of the liquid delivery portion is formed integrally with the lower casing.
The manufacturing and in particular the assembling of the filter unit can thus be simplified and be made faster. A part of the liquid delivery portion can also be formed integrally with the upper casing, and connect to the part formed integrally with the lower casing, when the two casings are assembled.
In a particular, non-limiting embodiment, the filter comprises a filter membrane, and the over-moulded ring seals the filter membrane to the upper casing and/or lower casing in a manner to prevent a bypass of liquid. The filter unit is thus suitable for filtering liquid even at high injection pressures. The sealing of the filter membrane to the casing by the over-moulded ring ensures that all liquid injected into the capsule and delivered in the ingredient compartment is filtered.
In a particular, non-limiting embodiment, the over-moulded ring contacts (i.e., seals) a continuous annular portion of the filter membrane. Thereby, the tightness of the filter unit is made more reliable.
In a particular, non-limiting embodiment, the filter comprises a nano- or micro-porous membrane. Such a membrane, which has nano-pores or micro-pores, enables the removal of contaminants from the injected liquid.
The “contaminant” refers to microorganisms such as: bacteria, viruses, but may also encompass under certain circumstances: organic chemicals such as: acrylamide, benzene, carbofuran; inorganic chemicals such as: arsenic, cadmium, cyanide, fluoride, mercury, nitrate, nitrite; disinfectants such as: chloramines, chlorine, chlorine dioxide; disinfection byproducts such as: bromate, chlorite, haloacetic acids (HAA5), trihalomethanes (TTHMs); metals such as: zinc, silver, lead; radionuclides; organic or inorganic macro-elements such as: sand, hair or dirt; abnormal pH; and undesired odor.
In a particular, non-limiting embodiment, the filter membrane has a pore size of less than 0.4 microns, such as but not limited to, less than 0.2 microns. It may have a thickness of less than 500 microns, such as but not limited to, between 10 and 300 microns. The material of the membrane can be chosen from the list consisting of PES (polyethersulfone), cellulose acetate, cellulose nitrate, polyamide, and combinations thereof.
In a particular, non-limiting embodiment, the filter comprises a support grid for the filter membrane. The support grid ensures that the filter membrane is not damaged during use, even when liquid is injected under high pressures into the filter unit.
In a particular, non-limiting embodiment, the support grid is clipped into the lower casing. This enables to easily and quickly provide a lower sub-assembly before over-moulding operation.
In a particular, non-limiting embodiment, the upper casing, the lower casing and the filter form a filter portion, and the over-moulded ring forms an integral piece that seals both the filter portion and the liquid delivery portion. In a particular, non-limiting embodiment, the over-moulded ring forms two closed loops for individually sealing the filter portion and the liquid delivery portion, respectively, the two closed loops being integrally linked. Therefore, the integral over-moulded ring ensures a connection of the different key portions of the casing all at once that simplifies the manufacturing of the filter unit.
In a particular, non-limiting embodiment, the liquid delivery portion is arranged side-by-side with the filter portion. When the filter unit is inserted into a capsule, the liquid delivery portion can thus deliver the liquid filtered by the filter portion to an ingredient compartment of the capsule. The two closed loops ensure an optimal sealing of all portions of the filter unit.
In a particular, non-limiting embodiment, the over-moulded ring covers the outer surface of the filter portion at least from an upper surface of the upper casing to a part on the lower casing below the interface.
In a particular, non-limiting embodiment, the upper casing and the lower casing are provided with connection means for clipping the two casings together. The connection means allow a simple attachment of the upper casing to the lower casing. Simple clipping is sufficient, since the initial connection of the upper casing to the lower casing (i.e., before over-moulding) does not need to be tight. The tightness is provided by the over-moulded ring.
In a particular, non-limiting embodiment, the filter unit further comprises an air inlet that is separate from the liquid inlet and, in a particular, non-limiting embodiment, is formed integrally with the upper casing. The air inlet, in a particular non-limiting embodiment, communicates by a conduit directly with the liquid delivery portion without passing through the filter.
Through the air inlet, pressurized air can be injected into a capsule, in which the filter unit is installed. The injected air bypasses the filter membrane due to the direct communication of the air inlet with the delivery portion. The injected air ensures that the capsule is emptied completely of liquid after use, i.e. after the beverage has been produced by the interaction of liquid and ingredients.
In a particular, non-limiting embodiment, the upper casing and/or the lower casing have a rectangular or square seat for lodging a filter having a complementary shape. Consequently, the filter membrane can be of square or rectangular shape, which is an optimal shape for material saving.
The presently disclosed and/or claimed inventive concept(s) is further directed to a capsule for preparing a beverage and/or nutritional product, the capsule comprising a filter unit according to the description above.
The capsule employs all the above-described advantages of the filter unit. The capsule can in particular be used for hygiene sensitive beverage and/or nutritional ingredients such as infant formula, because the contaminants can be removed from the liquid provided in the capsule before mixing with the ingredients and because the ingredient compartment is maintained separated from the liquid injection site by the filter unit thus preventing any risk of contamination by the external injection means of the beverage and/or nutritional production device.
In a particular, non-limiting embodiment, the capsule comprises a compartment containing beverage and/or nutritional ingredients, and a dedicated seat for receiving the filter unit such that the liquid delivery portion is arranged for delivering a liquid into the compartment.
The liquid delivery portion thus acts as a means which is internal to the capsule for injecting liquid into the compartment containing the ingredients. The liquid delivery portion can be designed with a specific outlet or nozzle such that the liquid is injected into the ingredient compartment as one or more liquid jets or as a spray of liquid. The liquid delivery portion can be designed differently for different ingredients to be filled in a capsule. In particular, the liquid delivery portion can be designed for each type of ingredients for achieving the optimal dissolution of the ingredients.
The presently disclosed and/or claimed inventive concept(s) is further directed to a manufacturing method for a filter unit for a capsule for preparing a beverage and/or nutritional product, the method comprising the steps of: (1) assembling an upper casing and a lower casing with a filter inserted between the casings; and (2) over-moulding a sealing ring to seal the interface between the upper casing and the lower casing.
The method further comprises providing a filter membrane and sealing the filter membrane to the upper casing and/or lower casing by the over-moulded sealing ring so that the bypass of the filter by liquid is prevented.
The method further comprises maintaining the filter membrane by vacuum in the upper casing or lower casing during assembly.
The manufacturing method is simpler and faster than methods for manufacturing comparable filter units of the state of the art. Further, the manufacturing method can be carried out at lower costs.
In
The upper casing 20 has a liquid inlet 21, and the lower casing 30 has a liquid outlet 31, so that a liquid injected into the filter unit 1 can flow from the liquid inlet 21, through the filter 40, and to the liquid outlet 31. The filter 40 is designed to filter contaminants from the injected liquid. In a particular, non-limiting embodiment, the filtering function is provided by a filter membrane 41, which is (for example, but not by way of limitation) a nano- or micro-porous membrane. However, other filter media are also possible. In a particular, non-limiting embodiment, the upper casing 20 and the lower casing 30 are made of a plastic material.
The filter unit 1 is further provided with a liquid delivery portion 32, which is adapted to receive the filtered liquid that exits the liquid outlet 31. The liquid delivery portion 32 is adapted to deliver the filtered liquid away from the filter unit 1. For example, the filtered liquid can be delivered into an ingredient compartment of a capsule, into which the filter unit 1 is installed.
The filter unit 1 finally comprises an over-moulded sealing ring 50, which is provided to an interface or junction line 25 formed between the assembled upper casing 20 and lower casing 30. The interface 25 is formed by the contacting surfaces of the two casings 20 and 30 when connected to each other. The over-moulded ring 50 is adapted to seal the interface along its complete circumference in a way that no liquid can exit from or enter into the inside of the filter unit 1. The over-moulded ring 50 thus completely surrounds the filter portion. In a particular, non-limiting embodiment, the over-moulded ring 50 is produced by over-moulding the casings 20, 30 with a mouldable, liquid-tight and pressure-resistant material such as a thermoplastic elastomer or resin material (such as polypropylene).
In a particular, non-limiting embodiment, the liquid delivery portion 32 is formed by the assembly of the lower casing 30 and upper casing 20. A lower part of the delivery portion 32 is formed by the lower casing 30. An upper part of the liquid delivery portion 32 is formed by the upper casing 20. As for example shown in
In
On the right side of
The over-moulded ring 50 (in a particular, non-limiting embodiment) comprises two closed loops, which form an integral piece that seals both the filter portion and the liquid delivery portion 32 of the filter unit 1. In a particular, non-limiting embodiment, a first closed loop 51 seals the filter portion of the filter unit 1 along the peripheral interface 25. A second closed loop 52 individually seals the liquid delivery portion 32, in particular a peripheral or circumferential interface 55 between the liquid outlet structure 32a and the air inlet 24. The two closed loops 51 and 52 are integrally linked. As shown further in
The over-moulded ring 50 provides impermeability for liquids injected into the filter portion of the filter unit 1 and liquid flowing through the delivery portion 32 of the filter unit 1, respectively. The tightness provided by the over-moulded ring 50 is able to withstand even liquid injected into the filter unit 1 with high pressure. The over-moulded ring 50 seals the filter portion and the delivery portion 32 to the outside. Thus, no liquid can exit at the connection of the upper casing 20 and the lower casing 30. Further, no contamination can enter from the outside into the interior of the unit. The over-moulding step for creating the over-moulded ring 50 can be integrated in a cost and time performing production line such as a line using a cube-injection technology in which the injection of the components, assembly operations including the filter in the casings and the over-moulding of the ring, as described earlier, are performed in a cube-injection unit. As a result, the cycle times can be significantly reduced compared to conventional assembly and welding operations.
During operation of the filter unit, after passing through the filter 40, the liquid flows out of the liquid outlet 31 of the lower casing 30, and into the liquid delivery portion 32. As can be seen in
When liquid is injected into the capsule 10, it is filtered by the filter unit 1, and is provided as at least one liquid jet or a liquid spray to the compartment 11 of the capsule 10. Thereby, a hygienic solution is provided. Providing additionally injected air to the capsule 10 can support the formation of a liquid jet, and can ensure that the capsule 10 is emptied completely after use. The liquid delivery unit 32 of the filter unit 1 is (in a particular, non-limiting embodiment) designed such that the beverage and/or nutritional ingredients in the compartment 11 are properly dissolved. Therefore, for different beverage and/or nutritional ingredients the liquid delivery portion 32 can be designed differently. For example, for some ingredients a liquid jet is optimal for dissolving the ingredients, whereas for other ingredients a liquid spray is optimal. Therefore, the liquid outlet structure 32a can be varied in its diameter or shape, or several outlet holes can compose the liquid outlet structure 32a.
The prepared beverage can leave the capsule 10 via the outlet 14. The outlet 14 can further comprise means for redirecting the beverage, or for foaming the beverage.
In summary, the presently disclosed and/or claimed inventive concept(s) provides a filter unit 1 and a capsule 10 for receiving the filter unit 1. The filter unit filters a liquid that is injected into the capsule 10, before it further provides the filtered liquid to beverage ingredients housed inside the capsule 10. Therefore, the filter unit 1 is composed of an upper casing 20 and a lower casing 30, with a filter 40 disposed in between. Further, the filter unit 1 is provided with a liquid delivery portion 32 for delivering the liquid from a liquid outlet 31 of the lower casing 30 into the compartment 11 of the capsule 10. The presently disclosed and/or claimed inventive concept(s) ensures that injector means of a beverage preparation machine never touch the beverage ingredients inside the capsule 10. Further, the contaminants from the injected liquid can be filtered. Finally, the liquid injected into the compartment 11 can be formed, for example as liquid jet or liquid spray. Therefore, the filter unit and the capsule 10 of the presently disclosed and/or claimed inventive concept(s) achieve a significant improvement over the state of the art.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13151119.8 | Jan 2013 | EP | regional |
This application is a US national stage application filed under 35 USC §371 of International Application No. PCT/EP2014/050260, filed Jan. 9, 2014; which claims benefit of EP Application No. 13151119.8, filed Jan. 14, 2013. The entire contents of the above-referenced applications are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2014/050260 | 1/9/2014 | WO | 00 |
