Patent Application
20240182227
The present invention relates to a pod for storing a beverage preparation ingredient. More particularly, the invention relates to a pod for use with a beverage preparation machine, wherein during a dispensing operation the pod is configured to release the beverage preparation ingredient.
It has long been known to provide beverage preparation systems in which single servings of a powder or liquid (e.g. syrup) are provided in a suitable container or capsule. During preparation, water (either hot or cold) is typically introduced into the container via an opening, and caused to mix with the powder or liquid, before a dissolved drink, or in some cases a dispersion, exits the container via another opening. In this way, the drink ingredients are combined with the water inside the capsule, before being dispensed into a drinking vessel.
In such existing beverage preparation systems, once a beverage has been prepared, the used capsule must be removed or ejected from the system, so as to enable a subsequent beverage to be prepared. The used capsule may contain residual beverage preparation ingredients, and possibly a residue of the prepared drink. As such, the used capsule may be wet, and possibly sticky, making handling and/or disposal more complex than if the capsule were dry and clean.
Further, the incomplete emptying of capsules may result in a reduction in beverage preparation quality. In particular, where single drink servings are to be prepared, a precisely controlled quantity of a beverage preparation ingredient may be provided within a pre-prepared and pre-sealed capsule. However, if some (possibly variable) portion of this ingredient remains in the capsule after dispensing, the quantity of ingredients provided within the drink serving will inevitably be reduced, potentially affecting drink quality (e.g. flavour/nutrient balance).
To mitigate the above problems, it has been known to provide beverage preparation systems, wherein the dry contents of the pod is evacuated from the pod during a dispensing operation. In order to evacuate the dry contents of a pod, it has been known to provide a separate actuable member within the pod. The separate actuable member being configured to be actuated by an actuator of the dispensing apparatus in order to release the contents of the pod. Providing a separate actuation member with a cavity of a pod provides a reliable way of evacuating pod. As such, it is an object of the present invention to provide a pod for storing a beverage preparation ingredient which overcomes or at least mitigates one or more problems associated with existing pods, whether identified herein or otherwise.
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a pod for storing and dispensing a beverage preparation ingredient during a dispensing operation. The pod comprises a body defining a cavity for storing the beverage preparation ingredient. The body comprises a closed surface having a central axis, and a side wall disposed around the central axis, extending from the closed surface in a direction away from the closed surface. An edge of the side wall distal from the closed surface defines a dispensing side of the body. The pod further comprises a closing member for closing the dispensing side and sealing the cavity. The body further defines an actuation member extending from the closed surface of the pod towards the dispensing side, the actuation member being configured to exert a force on the closing member to cause an opening to be formed between the cavity and a region outside of the pod around the perimeter of the wall at the dispensing side.
The body, including the actuation member may be a single integral component. The use of an actuation member which is contained within the pod allows the complete evacuation of the pod without any external component penetrating the pod, thereby ensuring that there are no external penetrating components which need to be cleaned between dispensing operations, or which could cause cross-contamination between successive dispensing cycles. Thus, the internal actuation member provides a convenient opening mechanism, which limits the extent to which external components need to be cleaned for re-use, thereby reducing the use of water during cleaning procedures.
By providing the opening around the perimeter of the dispensing surface of the pod, the efficacy of ingredient release can be improved. In particular, ingredients contained within the pod may be caused to be urged towards the perimeter by rotation of the pod, and will therefore be caused to move towards and through the opening which is provided around the perimeter. Of course, the opening is not required to be precisely at the perimeter. For example, the opening may be generally around the outer edge of the surface, but may be within a rim of the pod body (and therefore the thickness of the rim within the perimeter).
Pod is used herein to refer to a container or capsule which is arranged to store and dispense a beverage preparation ingredient.
The actuation member may be considered to be generally parallel with the central axis prior to any dispensing operation.
During a dispensing operation, an actuator, i.e. an actuator of a dispensing apparatus, may be configured to exert a force on the closed surface of the body. Said force may cause a central region of the closed surface to move in a generally axial direction and become depressed relative to the side walls. The movement of the closed surface may cause the actuation member to also move in a generally axial direction and may also cause the actuation member to move in a radial direction, such that it is at an angle to the central axis. The actuation member therefore may contact the closing member and transmit a force to the closing member causing the seal between the closing member and the cavity to be broken and the opening provided.
The movement of the actuation member during a dispensing operation being comprised of an axial movement and radial movement, may be advantageous when the closing member is sealed to a perimeter or a rim of the body of the pod. The radial movement of the actuation member may promote the seal between the pod and the body to be broken. Whereas, if the actuation member were to move in a purely axial direction, the actuation member may pierce or tear the closing member rather than cause the seal to be broken.
Furthermore, the pod may be rotated during a dispensing operation. In this case, it is advantageous for the opening to be provided around the perimeter of the wall, as during rotation of a pod beverage preparation ingredient will urged towards the side walls of the cavity.
The side wall may be disposed concentrically with the central axis. By this it is meant that a central axis of the side wall is coincident with the central axis of the closed surface.
The actuation member may be configured to move in an axial direction in response to an axial force being applied to the pod.
An axial force, being a force that is applied in a direction that is generally parallel with a central axis of the pod. It will be appreciated, that the axial force may be applied over the closed surface of the pod.
The axial force may be applied by a dispensing apparatus, in particular, it may be applied by an actuator of a dispensing apparatus. A dispensing apparatus may be configured to apply a predetermined axial force to the pod; the predetermined force being the force required to cause the seal between the closing member and the pod to be broken and the opening to be formed.
It will be appreciated that the force required to form an opening may vary depending on the geometry of the pod, the geometry of the actuation member or the type of seal provided between the closing member and the pod.
The axial force may cause the closed surface of the pod to flex in a generally downwards direction (i.e. a direction parallel to the load applied), when the pod is placed in a dispensing apparatus. It will be appreciated, that the axial force and/or reaction forces may be transmitted through the side walls. The side walls may remain rigid (i.e. do not flex) when an axial load or force is transmitted through them.
The opening may be formed around the entire perimeter of the side wall. In this way, a complete opening may be formed, rather than having an opening provided at one region around the perimeter of the dispensing side and not another. This further reduces the opportunity for ingredients to become trapped (e.g. by parts of a closure film which remains connected to the side walls in places).
The actuation member may be a fin. The term “fin” is taken to mean an arm, wherein a length of the arm is substantially greater than the width of the arm, and the width of the arm is substantially greater than the thickness of the arm.
The fin may comprise a first end that is distal from the closed surface of the body. During a dispensing operation, the first end of the fin may transmit a force through the closing member. The first end of the fin may be rounded. A rounded first end may mitigate against the first end of the fin piercing or tearing the closing member, instead of promoting a seal between the closing member and pod to be broken for example by peeling.
The actuation member may be an elongated slot.
The term “elongated slot” is intended to mean an arm, wherein a portion of material is removed from a central portion of the arm, and the arm having an open end and an opposing closed end.
The elongated slot may be defined by an opening in the closed surface of the body and at least one side wall. The at least one side wall extending from the closed surface towards the dispensing side and forming a closed end such that no fluid or object may enter the cavity through the opening of the elongated slot.
The elongated slot may have an opening that is substantially rectangular. The elongated slot may have an opening that is substantially V-shaped. It will be appreciated that the opening of the elongated slot may be any suitable shape. The at least one side wall of the elongated slot may define a shape that is a continuation of the opening.
The elongated slot may be configured to receive an arm of an actuator, and wherein the actuator transmits a force to the closing member via the elongated slots.
The body may define a plurality of actuation members. The plurality of actuation members may be generally equally circumferentially spaced around the central axis. Equal circumferential spacing of actuation members may allow for the force transmitted to the closing member during a dispensing operation to be equally distributed around a perimeter of the closing member. This may mitigate against a region of the closing member remaining sealed to the cavity.
The closed surface of the pod may comprise a plurality of strengthening ribs.
The closed surface may be a top wall of the body of the pod. The strengthening ribs, which may be referred to as support ribs, may be defined by thickened regions of the closed surface.
The strengthening ribs may be provided on an internal surface of the closed surface. In other words, the strengthening ribs may extend from the closed surface towards the dispensing side.
The strengthening ribs may allow for the overall thickness and hence the mass of material used to form the body of the pod to be reduced, while maintaining the structural rigidity of the body. Maintaining the structural rigidity of the body may be important during a dispensing operation. It is accepted, and may be intended for the body of the pod to flex, during a dispensing operation, however, if the body of the pod were to compress or collapse during a dispensing operation, beverage preparation ingredient may become trapped in the pod.
The body may define a mounting surface for supporting the pod in a dispensing apparatus.
The mounting surface may permit the pod to be securely held in the dispensing apparatus during a dispensing operation. The mounting surface may allow for the pod to be securely supported and/or engage with a corresponding support region in a dispensing apparatus. The mounting surface may extend around the perimeter of the pod, this may provide for easy alignment of the pod in a dispensing apparatus.
When the pod is provided in a dispensing apparatus, the mounting surface may be a downwardly facing mounting surface.
The body may define a rim extending radially outwards around a perimeter of the side wall at the dispensing side.
The rim may comprise a portion of the side wall of the body. The rim may comprise a thickened end portion of the side wall of the body.
The closing member may be sealed to the rim to close the cavity in a sealing region.
The rim may be in a common plane with a central sealing region of the pod. Thus, when sealed by a film, the film which is sealed to the sealing rim and the sealing region may lie substantially in said plane and may define a dispensing surface.
The actuation member may be configured to cause a part (but not all) of the closing member to be separated from the rim of the body (e.g. by piercing, penetrating, shearing, or tearing the closing member), or to cause substantially all of the closing member to be separated from the sealing rim of the body (e.g. by peeling the closing member away from the sealing rim).
The mounting surface may be disposed radially outwards of a radially outermost edge of the sealing region.
The mounting surface may permit the pod to be securely held in the dispensing apparatus during a dispensing operation.
The rim may comprise a mounting flange.
The mounting flange may extend radially outwards around a perimeter of the rim.
The mounting flange may be axially offset from the dispensing side.
The mounting flange may define said mounting surface for supporting the pod in a dispensing apparatus.
The body may further define a central channel, the central channel being disposed concentrically with the central axis and radially inwards of the side wall. The central channel may extend at least from the closed surface to the dispending side.
The channel may be generally conical, having a first diameter at the closed side and a second (smaller) diameter at the dispensing side. The channel may be concentric with said axis.
The central channel may be defined by a channel wall, and the channel wall may be formed as part of the body. The (secondary) sealing region may comprise a thickened portion of the channel wall.
There may be no openings provided between the central channel and the cavity.
There term “openings” encompasses apertures, conduits, channels and passages between the central channel and the cavity. As such, fluid from a source external to the pod, e.g. a beverage dispensing apparatus, may be configured to pass through the central channel, but it may not be permitted to pass into the cavity through an opening. The cavity may not receive fluid from the central channel, thereby the cavity and the contents of the cavity remain dry during a dispensing operation. This mitigates against beverage preparation ingredient from becoming wet and sticking to a wall of the cavity, thus allowing the entire dry contents of the pod to be evacuated during a dispensing operation.
Fluid provided from by a beverage dispensing apparatus may not be permitted to directly pass between the central channel and the cavity.
The actuation member may be an actuation column.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a pod for storing and dispensing a beverage preparation ingredient during a dispensing operation. The pod comprises a body defining a cavity for storing the beverage preparation ingredient. The body comprises a closed surface having a central axis, and a side wall disposed around the central axis, extending from the closed surface in a direction away from the closed surface. An edge of the side wall distal from the closed surface defines a dispensing side of the body. The pod further comprises a closing member for closing the dispensing side and sealing the cavity; and an actuation member provided radially outwards of the side wall, the actuation member being configured to exert a force on the closing member to cause an opening to be formed between the cavity and a region outside of the pod around the perimeter of the wall at the dispensing side.
The use of an actuation member provided radially outwards of the body allows for the complete evacuation of the pod, without any component penetrating the cavity of the pod, thereby ensuring that there is no contamination to any ingredient stored within the pod. The actuation member being radially outwards of the body, i.e. being external to pod may also allow for the same actuation member to be used multiple times if desired; the actuation member may be interchangeable between multiple pod bodies. Thus, the actuation member provides a convenient opening mechanism and simple assembly of a pod.
It will also be understood that the provision of beverages, especially nutrient rich health beverages can reduce the number of single-use plastic bottles used to provide health drinks. Indeed, a pod may contain approximately 10 percent of the plastic content of a plastic water bottle. As such, a reduction in the volume of waste plastic of around 90% can be achieved. Additionally, the avoidance of pre-bottled drinks reduces the volume of water needing to be transported by road (or other forms of over-land transport). Rather, water can be provided to the apparatus from a mains water supply (e.g. via a tap, or by the apparatus being connected directly to the supply). In all of these ways, aspects of the present invention (which may incorporate pods and a dispensing apparatus) provide an environmentally friendly alternative to pre-bottled drinks.
By providing the opening around the perimeter of the dispensing surface of the pod, the efficacy of ingredient release can be improved. In particular, ingredients contained within the pod may be caused to be urged towards the perimeter by rotation of the pod, and will therefore be caused to move towards and through the opening which is provided around the perimeter. Of course, the opening is not required to be precisely at the perimeter. For example, the opening may be generally around the outer edge of the surface, but may be within a rim of the pod body (and therefore the thickness of the rim within the perimeter).
Pod is used herein to refer to a container or capsule which is arranged to store and dispense a beverage preparation ingredient.
Said opening may be formed at a junction formed between the at least one side wall and the dispensing surface, the dispensing surface being provided at the dispensing side of the body.
By a junction formed between the at least one side wall and the dispensing surface, it is meant a change in direction of the surface defined by the side and the dispensing surface. For example, the where the pod is circular in cross section, a circular film (i.e. the dispensing surface) may be affixed to a single curved side wall. The opening may be formed at the point at which the film is joined to the side wall (before the opening has been formed, that is). By providing an opening in this location (i.e. around the internal perimeter of the side wall at the dispensing side), it is possible to provide effective ingredient dispensing without the need to flush the pod with fluid (e.g. liquid or pressurised air).
It will be understood that this is distinct from a pod in which a fixed base is provided which has a junction with a side wall, and in which an opening is formed elsewhere (e.g. an aperture which is formed within the base, away from the sidewall-base junction). In such an arrangement, the ingredient would be likely to become trapped in the corner formed by junction between the base and the side wall unless the pod was flushed with a fluid during dispensing.
The width of the opening may be at least as large as the width of the cavity adjacent to the opening, the width of the cavity being defined by the least one side wall. That is, rather than providing a relatively small opening into a larger cavity, by providing an opening which is at least as wide as the cavity, the likelihood of the ingredients becoming trapped, rather than dispensed, is reduced. The width of the opening and/or cavity may be a diameter.
When the opening is formed in the base during a dispensing operation, gravity will cause the ingredients to fall towards the base, and through the opening.
The cavity may remain sealed during a dispensing operation except for the opening or openings formed by the actuation member. That is, the actuation member which is provided radially outwards of the side walls of the body may be the only component to form an opening, with the remainder of the cavity walls (e.g. the body of the pod) remaining un-compromised.
Said opening may provide a direct path from within the cavity to a region outside the pod. By providing a direct path from the cavity to the region outside the cavity, it is possible to provide an efficient release path for ingredients, without requiring the ingredients to follow a complicated (i.e. in-direct) fluid flow path to be released. In this way, gravity, and/or centrifugal forces can be used to urge the ingredients from the cavity towards the outside region, avoiding the need for the ingredients to be carried out by a fluid such as water.
By direct path it may be meant a straight line path, which does not pass around corners, and/or which does not pass through intermediate materials (e.g. filters or membranes).
The closing member may be caused to seal the cavity during manufacture, so as to seal the ingredient within the pod until it is to be released in a dispensing operation. The dispensing side may be referred to as an open side. The closing member may comprise a film defining the dispensing surface. The actuation member may be provided around the body of the pod after the cavity of the pod has been filled with beverage preparation ingredient and the cavity has been sealed by the closing member.
The side wall may be disposed concentrically with the central axis. By this it is meant that a central axis of the side wall is coincident with the central axis of the closed surface.
The actuation member may be configured to exert a force on the closing member by moving in a generally axial direction relative to at least part of the body.
The actuation member may move in a generally axial direction relative to the side walls of the body. The actuation member may be configured to move in a generally axial direction from the closed side towards the dispensing side.
The actuation member may be caused to move in an axial direction by an axial load or force being applied to the actuation member, said axial force may be applied by an actuator of a dispensing apparatus. The axial force applied to the actuation member may be transmitted to the closing member of the pod. The axial load may also be transmitted to the closed surface and the side walls of the pod. When the pod is under an axial load, the closed surface of the body may flex, such that a center of the closed surface moves in a generally downwards direction, when placed in a dispensing apparatus. The axial load and/or reaction forces may be transmitted though the side walls of the pod, the load and/or reaction forces being generally parallel with a longitudinal face of the side walls, as opposed to being a transverse force. The side walls are configured such that when an axial load/force is applied to them they do not flex. The side walls may be considered to be more rigid compared to the closed surface when an axial load is transmitted through the respective surfaces.
An advantage of the side walls being more rigid is that they do not flex or collapse when an axial force is applied to the pod. If the side walls were to collapse, beverage preparation ingredient may become trapped in the side walls.
The actuation member may be configured to transmit force from an actuator engaging portion to the closing member.
In use an actuator of a beverage dispensing apparatus may be configured to actuate the actuation member, according to the first or second aspects of the invention in a generally axial direction.
A dispensing apparatus may be configured to transmit a predetermined force to the actuation member, such that the actuation member transmits a force to the closing member and causes the opening to be formed.
The force transmitted by an actuator through the actuation member to the closing member may vary depending on the geometry of the pod, the geometry of the actuation member or the type of seal provided between the closing member and the pod.
In relation to both the first and second aspects of the invention, the opening may be formed around the entire perimeter of the side wall.
In this way, a complete opening may be formed, rather than having an opening provided at one region around the perimeter of the dispensing side and not another. This further reduces the opportunity for ingredients to become trapped (e.g. by parts of a closure film which remains connected to the side walls in places).
The closing member may be configured to remain attached to the body when the opening is formed.
In particular, the closing member may remain attached at central sealing surface. The central sealing surface may be located at the dispensing side of the pod and may be a region that is substantially radially inwards of the side walls of the body.
By providing a primary sealing region (i.e. the perimetrical sealing rim) and a secondary sealing region (i.e. the central sealing surface), it is possible to cause one sealing region to become opened (e.g. by peeling or piercing around the sealing rim), while the other of the sealing regions remains sealed. In this way, the ingredients contained within the cavity can be released, while the closing member (e.g. film) can remain attached to the pod body, so as to prevent it falling away from the pod, and potentially interfering with subsequent processing.
The sealing region need not be strictly at the centre of the dispensing side. Rather the sealing region may be provided at any part of the dispensing side which is disposed away from and within the perimeter. Conveniently, the central sealing region may comprise a generally circular sealing surface provide around the centre of the dispensing surface (but which may, for example, not extend across the centre of the dispensing surface).
Further, the side wall may diverge from the central axis as it extends from the closed surface to the dispensing side.
According to the second aspect, the actuation member may at least partly surround the side wall.
The actuation member may comprise an actuation side wall that is sized be disposed around an outer perimeter of the side wall of the body of the pod. Such that the actuation member may move relative to the side wall of the body in order to form an opening.
The actuation member may completely surround the side wall. The actuation member may comprise an actuation side wall, the actuation side wall may completely surround the side wall of the body so that the side wall of the body is not visible when the pod is assembled.
The area of the side wall of the body that may be surrounded by the actuation member may be protected by the actuation member. Thereby allowing the thickness of the side wall of the body to be reduced, as any impact to the pod would be absorbed the actuation member. The ability to reduce the thickness of the side walls of the body, reduces the amount of material to be used to form the pod; this may reduce the energy required to form the body of the pod and improve the re-cyclability of the pods, particularly when the pods are formed from plastic.
The actuation member may at least partly surround the closed surface.
The actuation member may comprise an actuation closed surface which partly surrounds the closed surface of the body. The actuation closed surface may protect the closed surface of the body from impacts, and therefore may allow for the body, in particular the closed surface of the body to have a reduced thickness compared to if the actuation member did not protect the body. Reducing the thickness of the walls (top or side) of the body, may reduce the mass of material and energy required to make the body of pod, this is particularly advantageous when the body is made from plastic.
According to the first and second aspects, the body may define a mounting surface for supporting the pod in a dispensing apparatus.
The mounting surface may permit the pod to be securely held in the dispensing apparatus during a dispensing operation. The mounting surface may allow for the pod to be securely supported and/or engage with a corresponding support region in a dispensing apparatus. The mounting surface may extend around the perimeter of the pod, this may provide for easy alignment of the pod in a dispensing apparatus.
When the pod is supported in a dispensing apparatus, the mounting surface may be a downwardly facing mounting surface.
The body may define a rim extending radially outwards around a perimeter of the side wall at the dispensing side. The rim may comprise a portion of the side wall of the body. The rim may comprise a thickened end portion of the side wall of the body.
The closing member may be sealed to the rim to close the cavity in a sealing region.
The rim may be in a common plane with a central sealing region of the pod. Thus, when sealed by a film, the film which is sealed to the sealing rim and the sealing region may lie substantially in said plane and may define a dispensing surface.
The actuation member may be configured to cause a part (but not all) of the closing member to be separated from the rim of the body (e.g. by piercing, penetrating, shearing, or tearing the closing member), or to cause substantially all of the closing member to be separated from the sealing rim of the body (e.g. by peeling the closing member away from the sealing rim).
The mounting surface may be disposed radially outwards of a radially outermost edge of the sealing region. The mounting surface may permit the pod to be securely held in the dispensing apparatus during a dispensing operation.
The rim may comprise a mounting flange.
The mounting flange may extend radially outwards around a perimeter of the rim.
The mounting flange may be axially offset from the dispensing side.
The mounting flange may define said downwardly facing mounting surface for supporting the pod in a dispensing apparatus.
According to the second aspect of the invention, the rim may comprise a plurality of apertures and the actuation member may comprise a plurality of protrusions. Each of the plurality of protrusions of the actuation member may be received in an aperture of the plurality of apertures.
The term “plurality of apertures” is intended to mean a plurality of holes or openings in the rim of the body.
The actuation member may be a generally cylindrical member that is provided around the side wall of the body. The protrusions may be integrally formed with the actuation member. The protrusions may be substantially wider than they are thicker, such that they may be flange like protrusions around a distal edge of the actuation member.
The actuation member may be actuated in a direction such that the protrusions may extend through the plurality of apertures and transmit a force to the closing member. When the closing member is sealed to the rim, the protrusions may cause the seal between the closing member and the rim to be broken and cause the opening to be formed. A force may be transmitted from an actuator of a dispensing apparatus during a dispensing operation through the protrusions to closing member. The force required to cause an opening may be a predetermined force.
The apertures may be sized such that there is a small gap between the protrusions and an edge of the apertures. The apertures, may help to prevent slip or rotation of the actuation member when it is being actuated during a dispensing operation, this is because the actuation member is permitted to rotate relative to the body of the pod when the protrusions are received in the apertures.
The apertures may be equally spaced around the rim. This may allow the force transmitted to the closing member to be equally distributed, and may mitigate against a region of the closing member remaining sealed to the rim.
The closing member, when sealing the cavity, may cover a face of each of the plurality of apertures.
The protrusions, in particular a distal edge of the protrusions may be able to obtain good contact with the closing member and therefore readily transmit a force to the closing member in order to break the seal between the closing member and the body of the pod.
A distal end of the protrusions (i.e. the edge and/or face of the protrusions) which contacts the closing member to transmit a force to the closing member may be a rounded edge or comprise filleted edges and/or corners. Removing sharp edges and corners from the protrusions may mitigate against the protrusions from simply piercing the closing member rather than causing the closing member to break away from the body of the pod.
The plurality of protrusions may be configured to move in a generally axial direction through the plurality of apertures to exert a force on the closing member.
According to both the first and second aspects of the invention:
The body may further define a central channel, the central channel may be disposed concentrically with the central axis and may be radially inwards of the side wall. The central channel may extend at least from the closed surface to the dispending side.
The channel may be generally conical, having a first diameter at the closed side and a second (smaller) diameter at the dispensing side. The channel may be concentric with said axis.
The central channel may be defined by a channel wall, and the channel wall may be formed as part of the body. The (secondary) sealing region may comprise a thickened portion of the channel wall.
The actuation member may further comprise an actuation central channel. The actuation central channel being sized to be received within the central channel of the body.
There may be no openings provided between the central channel and the cavity.
The term “openings” encompasses apertures, conduits, channels and passages between the central channel and the cavity. As such, fluid from a source external to the pod, e.g. a beverage dispensing apparatus may be configured to pass through the central channel, but it may not be permitted to pass into the cavity through an opening. The cavity may not receive fluid from the central channel, thereby the cavity and the contents of the cavity remain dry during a dispensing operation. This mitigates against beverage preparation ingredient from becoming wet and sticking to a wall of the cavity, thus allowing the entire dry contents of the pod to be evacuated during a dispensing operation.
Fluid provided from by a beverage dispensing apparatus may not be permitted to directly pass between the central channel and the cavity.
The actuation member may be a single integral component. The actuation member may be a molded component.
The body may be a single integral component. The body may be a molded component.
The body and/or actuation member being single integral components, promotes rapid assembly of the pods during manufacture. Further, the actuation member being provided radially outwards of the pod, may allow for the body of the pod to be filled with beverage preparation ingredient and sealed by the closing member prior to the actuation member being provided.
In addition, a single actuation member may be used for multiple pods.
According to the second aspect of the invention, the body and the actuation member may snap fittingly engage.
The actuation member may engage with an engagement member of the body of the pod. After snap-fittingly engaging the actuation member and the body, the actuation member and the body may be detachable from one another. The actuation member may be detachable from the body after a dispensing operation.
The actuation member may be attachable to a dispensing apparatus, and the body of the pod may engage with the actuation member after the actuation member has been attached to a dispensing apparatus. After a dispensing operation, the body may be detached from the actuation member and removed from the dispensing apparatus; the actuation member may remain attached to the dispensing apparatus ready to receive another body.
According to the first and second aspects of the invention, the closing member may be a film.
The closed surface may comprise strengthening ribs. The closed surface may be a top wall of the body of the pod. The strengthening ribs, which may be referred to as support ribs, may be defined by thickened regions of the closed surface.
The strengthening ribs may be provided on an internal surface of the closed surface. In other words, the strengthening ribs may extend from the closed surface towards the dispensing side.
The strengthening ribs may allow for the overall thickness and hence the mass of material used to form the body of the pod to be reduced, while maintaining or increasing the structural rigidity of the body. Maintaining the structural rigidity of the body may be important during a dispensing operation. It is accepted, and may even be intended that the body of the pod may flex during a dispensing operation, however, if the body of the pod were to compress or collapse during a dispensing operation, beverage preparation ingredient may become trapped in the pod.
According to the second aspect of the invention, the actuation member may comprise strengthening ribs.
According to the third aspect of the invention, there is provided a pod for storing and dispensing a beverage preparation ingredient during a dispensing operation. The pod comprises a body defining a cavity for storing the beverage preparation ingredient, said body comprising a dispensing side and a closed side, and at least one side wall extending between the dispensing side and the closed side. The pod further comprises a closing member for closing the dispensing side. An actuation member is provided around a perimeter of the at least one side wall. The pod has a first configuration and a second configuration; in the first configuration the closing member is attached to the body and seals the cavity; in the second configuration an opening is provided around the perimeter of the at least one side wall at a junction between the closing member and the at least one side wall; and wherein the pod transitions from the first configuration to the second configuration when the actuation member is actuated and engages with the closing member to cause the opening to be formed between said cavity and a region outside the pod.
The use of an actuation member provided radially outwards of the body allows for the complete evacuation of the pod, without any component penetrating the cavity of the pod, thereby ensuring that there is no contamination to any ingredient stored within the pod. The actuation member being radially outwards of the body, i.e. being external to pod may also allow for the same actuation member to be used multiple times if desired; the actuation member may be interchangeable between multiple pod bodies. Thus, the actuation member provides a convenient opening mechanism and simple assembly of a pod.
It will also be understood that the provision of beverages, especially nutrient rich health beverages can reduce the number of single-use plastic bottles used to provide health drinks. Indeed, a pod may contain approximately 10 percent of the plastic content of a plastic water bottle. As such, a reduction in the volume of waste plastic of around 90% can be achieved. Additionally, the avoidance of pre-bottled drinks reduces the volume of water needing to be transported by road (or other forms of over-land transport). Rather, water can be provided to the apparatus from a mains water supply (e.g. via a tap, or by the apparatus being connected directly to the supply). In all of these ways, aspects of the present invention (which may incorporate pods and a dispensing apparatus) provide an environmentally friendly alternative to pre-bottled drinks.
By providing the opening around the perimeter of the dispensing surface of the pod, the efficacy of ingredient release can be improved. In particular, ingredients contained within the pod may be caused to be urged towards the perimeter by rotation of the pod, and will therefore be caused to move towards and through the opening which is provided around the perimeter. Of course, the opening is not required to be precisely at the perimeter. For example, the opening may be generally around the outer edge of the surface, but may be within a rim of the pod body (and therefore the thickness of the rim within the perimeter).
Pod is used herein to refer to a container or capsule which is arranged to store and dispense a beverage preparation ingredient.
Said opening may be formed at a junction formed between the at least one side wall and the dispensing surface, the dispensing surface being provided at the dispensing side of the body.
By a junction formed between the at least one side wall and the dispensing surface, it is meant a change in direction of the surface defined by the side and the dispensing surface. For example, the where the pod is circular in cross section, a circular film (i.e. the dispensing surface) may be affixed to a single curved side wall. The opening may be formed at the point at which the film is joined to the side wall (before the opening has been formed, that is). By providing an opening in this location (i.e. around the internal perimeter of the side wall at the dispensing side), it is possible to provide effective ingredient dispensing without the need to flush the pod with fluid (e.g. liquid or pressurised air).
It will be understood that this is distinct from a pod in which a fixed base is provided which has a junction with a side wall, and in which an opening is formed elsewhere (e.g. an aperture which is formed within the base, away from the sidewall-base junction). In such an arrangement, the ingredient would be likely to become trapped in the corner formed by junction between the base and the side wall unless the pod was flushed with a fluid during dispensing.
The width of the opening may be at least as large as the width of the cavity adjacent to the opening, the width of the cavity being defined by the least one side wall. That is, rather than providing a relatively small opening into a larger cavity, by providing an opening which is at least as wide as the cavity, the likelihood of the ingredients becoming trapped, rather than dispensed, is reduced.
The width of the opening and/or cavity may be a diameter.
When the opening is formed in the base during a dispensing operation, gravity will cause the ingredients to fall towards the base, and through the opening.
The cavity may remain sealed during a dispensing operation except for the opening or openings formed by the actuation member. That is, the actuation member which is provided radially outwards of the side walls of the body may be the only component to form an opening, with the remainder of the cavity walls (e.g. the body of the pod) remaining un-compromised.
Said opening may provide a direct path from within the cavity to a region outside the pod. By providing a direct path from the cavity to the region outside the cavity, it is possible to provide an efficient release path for ingredients, without requiring the ingredients to follow a complicated (i.e. in-direct) fluid flow path to be released. In this way, gravity, and/or centrifugal forces can be used to urge the ingredients from the cavity towards the outside region, avoiding the need for the ingredients to be carried out by a fluid such as water.
By direct path it may be meant a straight line path, which does not pass around corners, and/or which does not pass through intermediate materials (e.g. filters or membranes).
The closing member may be caused to seal the cavity during manufacture, so as to seal the ingredient within the pod until it is to be released in a dispensing operation. The dispensing side may be referred to as an open side. The closing member may comprise a film defining the dispensing surface. The actuation member may be provided around the body of the pod after the cavity of the pod has been filled with beverage preparation ingredient and the cavity has been sealed by the closing member.
The side wall may be disposed concentrically with the central axis. By this it is meant that a central axis of the side wall is coincident with the central axis of the closed surface
The term “provided around a perimeter of the at least one side wall” encompasses that the actuation member is provided outside of the at least one side wall. In other words, the actuation member may be considered to be radially outwards of the at least one side wall. It will be further appreciated that “extending around the perimeter” includes, extending around the entire perimeter and also extending around a portion of the perimeter of the side wall.
The pod of the third aspect of the invention may be referred to as a three-piece pod, in that it comprises a body, a separate non-integral actuation member and a closing member. It will be appreciated that the pod of the second aspect of the invention is also a three-piece pod, which transitions between a first configuration where the closing member is attached to the body and the seals the cavity, and a second configuration where an opening is provided around the perimeter of the at least one side wall at a junction between the closing member and the at least one side wall; and that three-piece pods are able to transition from a first configuration to a second configuration when the actuation member is actuated and engages with the closing member to cause an opening to be formed between the cavity and a region outside of the pod.
It will be further appreciated that all of the optional features of the second aspect of the invention may be combined with the third aspect of the invention, either individually, or in combination.
In any of the first, second or third aspects of the invention:
The closing member may be configured to remain attached to the body when the opening is formed.
In particular, the closing member may remain attached at central sealing surface. The central sealing surface may be located at the dispensing side of the pod and may be a region that is substantially radially inwards of the side walls of the body.
By providing a primary sealing region (i.e. the perimetrical sealing rim) and a secondary sealing region (i.e. the central sealing surface), it is possible to cause one sealing region to become opened (e.g. by peeling or piercing around the sealing rim), while the other of the sealing regions remains sealed. In this way, the ingredients contained within the cavity can be released, while the closing member (e.g. film) can remain attached to the pod body, so as to prevent it falling away from the pod, and potentially interfering with subsequent processing.
The sealing region need not be strictly at the centre of the dispensing side. Rather the sealing region may be provided at any part of the dispensing side which is disposed away from and within the perimeter. Conveniently, the central sealing region may comprise a generally circular sealing surface provided around the centre of the dispensing surface (but which may, for example, not extend across the centre of the dispensing surface).
The side wall may diverge from the central axis as it extends from the closed surface to the dispensing side. In this way, the side wall may be tapered such that the wall slopes outwards towards from the closed side to the dispensing side. Such a slope may reduce the extent to which the ingredient within the pod can become trapped, since the wall slopes outwards towards the opening, allowing the ingredient to be directed towards the opening if the pod is rotated during a dispensing operation.
There may be provided a body for a pod according to any of the first, second or third aspects of the invention.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a body for a pod for storing a beverage preparation ingredient. The body defines a cavity for storing the beverage preparation ingredient. The body comprises a closed surface having a central axis; and a side wall disposed concentrically with the central axis, extending from the closed surface in a direction away from the closed surface. An edge of the side wall distal from the closed surface defines a dispensing side of the body. The body further comprises a rim extending radially outwards around a perimeter of the side wall at the dispensing side; and the body further defines an actuation member extending from the closed surface of the pod towards the dispensing side.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided a body for a pod for storing a beverage preparation ingredient, the body defining a cavity for storing the beverage preparation ingredient. The body comprises a closed surface having a central axis; and a side wall disposed concentrically with the central axis, extending from the closed surface in a direction away from the closed surface. An edge of the side wall distal from the closed surface defines a dispensing side of the body. The body further comprises a rim extending radially outwards around a perimeter of the side wall at the dispensing side; and the rim comprises a plurality of apertures for engaging an actuation member.
According to the fourth or fifth aspect of the invention the rim may define a planar surface for a closing member to be sealed to, to close the cavity.
According to a sixth aspect of the invention, there is provided a kit of parts for assembling a pod for storing a beverage preparation ingredient. The kit of parts comprises a body defining a cavity for storing the beverage preparation ingredient. The body comprises a closed surface having a central axis; and a side wall disposed concentrically with the central axis, extending from the closed surface in a direction away from the closed surface; wherein an edge of the side wall distal from the closed surface defines a dispensing side of the body. The kit of parts further comprises a closing member for closing the dispensing side of the body, and an actuation member configured to engage with the body and be provided radially outwards of the side wall of the body.
According to a seventh aspect of the invention, there may be provided a pod for storing and dispensing a beverage preparation ingredient during a dispensing operation. The pod comprising a body defining a cavity for storing the beverage preparation ingredient. The body comprising a closed surface having a central axis; and a side wall disposed around the central axis, extending from the closed surface in a direction away from the closed surface, wherein an edge of the side wall distal from the closed surface defines a dispensing side of the body; and an actuation column extending through the cavity from the closed surface towards the dispensing side of the body. The pod further comprising a closing member for closing the dispensing side and sealing the cavity. The actuation column is configured to exert a force on the closing member to cause an opening to be formed between the cavity and a region outside of the pod around the perimeter of the side wall at the dispensing side.
The body, including the actuation column may be a single integral component. The use of an actuation column which is contained within the pod allows the complete evacuation of the pod without any external component penetrating the pod, thereby ensuring that there are no external penetrating components which need to be cleaned between dispensing operations, or which could cause cross-contamination between successive dispensing cycles. Thus, the internal actuation column provides a convenient opening mechanism, which limits the extent to which external components need to be cleaned for re-use, thereby reducing the use of water during cleaning procedures.
By providing the opening around the perimeter of the dispensing surface of the pod, the efficacy of ingredient release can be improved. In particular, ingredients contained within the pod may be caused to be urged towards the perimeter by rotation of the pod, and will therefore be caused to move towards and through the opening which is provided around the perimeter. Of course, the opening is not required to be precisely at the perimeter. For example, the opening may be generally around the outer edge of the surface, but may be within a rim of the pod body (and therefore the thickness of the rim within the perimeter).
Pod is used herein to refer to a container or capsule which is arranged to store and dispense a beverage preparation ingredient.
As used herein the term “actuation column” encompasses any generally elongate structure or member which extends through the cavity of the pod from the closed surface to the dispensing side. The actuation column may be a solid structure. In other embodiments, the actuation column may be hollow and define a channel that is configured to receive an actuator from a dispensing apparatus. The channel may be disposed concentrically with the central axis and be radially inwards of the side wall.
The actuation column may be generally cylindrical. In other embodiments the actuation column may be generally conical, having a first diameter at the closed side, and a second (smaller) diameter at the dispensing side.
The term “actuation column” may be interchangeably referred to as an “actuation arm”.
During a dispensing operation, an actuator, i.e. an actuator of a dispensing apparatus, or a force applied directly by a user, may be configured to exert a force on the closed surface of the body. Said force may cause a central region of the closed surface to move in a generally axial direction and become depressed relative to the side wall. The movement of the closed surface may cause the actuation column to also move in a generally axial direction. The axial movement of the actuation column exerts a force on the closing member, which places the closing member under tension, when the tension forces in the closing member are greater than the sealing force between the closing member and the side wall, the seal between the closing member and the cavity is broken and the opening is provided.
The movement of the actuation column during a dispensing operation being comprised of an axial movement, may be advantageous when the closing member is sealed to a perimeter or a rim of the body of the pod. The axial movement may be equally distributed across the closing member, which promotes the seal being broken and the opening being formed around the perimeter of the side wall; thereby mitigating against beverage preparation ingredient remaining trapped in the cavity after the opening has been formed.
In particular, the movement of the actuation column may cause the closing member to be under tension, such that the force exerted on the closing member causes the closing member to be pulled away from the body of the pod.
Furthermore, the pod may be rotated during a dispensing operation. In this case, it is advantageous for the opening to be provided around the perimeter of the wall, as during rotation of a pod beverage preparation ingredient will urged towards the side walls of the cavity.
The actuation column may be configured to move in an axial direction in response to an axial force being applied to the pod.
An axial force, being a force that is applied in a direction that is generally parallel with a central axis of the pod. It will be appreciated, that the axial force may be applied over the closed surface of the pod.
The axial force may be applied by a dispensing apparatus, in particular, it may be applied by an actuator of a dispensing apparatus. A dispensing apparatus may be configured to apply a predetermined axial force to the pod; the predetermined force being the force required to cause the seal between the closing member and the pod to be broken and the opening to be formed.
It will be appreciated that the force required to form an opening may vary depending on the geometry of the pod, the geometry of the actuation member and/or the type of seal provided between the closing member and the pod.
The axial force may cause the closed surface of the pod to flex in a generally downwards direction (i.e. a direction parallel to the load applied), when the pod is placed in a dispensing apparatus. It will be appreciated, that the axial force and/or reaction forces may be transmitted through the side walls. The side walls may remain rigid (i.e. do not flex significantly) when an axial load or force is transmitted through them.
The pod may comprise a single actuation column. That is to say, the pod comprises only one actuation column. In a pod comprising a single actuation column the remainder of the cavity is free of any other obstructions, so as to provide a continuous space for storing beverage preparation ingredient. The cavity being generally free of obstructions, mitigates against any beverage preparation being trapped in the cavity once the opening is formed. In addition, by the pod comprising only a single actuation column, the pod has a simple shape which can be readily and easily manufactured, for example through injection molding.
The actuation column may be integrally formed with the closed surface. The actuation column and the closed surface of the pod may be formed as a single integral structure. The entire body of the pod which includes, the side wall, closed surface and actuation column may be formed as a single integral structure. Providing the actuation column and the closed surface of the pod and/or the body of the pod as a single integral structure promotes rapid assembly of the pods during manufacture.
The actuation column may be generally rotationally symmetrical about the central axis. That is to say, a central axis, or rotational axis of the actuation column is coincident with the central axis of the pod. This promotes the force exerted by the actuation column on the closing member when providing the opening in the pod to be uniformly distributed across the closing member. In turn, this promotes the opening being formed around the perimeter of the side wall and advantageously mitigates against beverage preparation ingredient from being retained in the cavity once the opening is formed. Put another way, complete emptying of beverage preparation ingredient from cavity of the pod is encouraged by providing an opening around the perimeter of the side wall.
The actuation column may be configured to move in a generally axial direction along the central axis in response to an axial force being applied to the pod.
The axial force may be applied to the pod by an actuator of a dispensing apparatus. The axial force may be applied to the pod by a user operated actuator, or directly by a user.
The actuation column being configured to move in a generally axial direction, encompasses the actuation column moving relative to the side wall of the pod along the central axis. If an axis of the column is not coaxial with the central axis, the actuation column may move in a generally axial direction along an axis of the actuation column relative to the side wall. Said movement of the actuation column may be parallel to the central axis of the pod. It is preferable for an axis of the actuation column to be coaxial with the central axis of the pod.
The axial force applied to the actuation column may be transmitted to the closing member of the pod. The axial force may also be transmitted to the closed surface and the side walls of the pod. When the pod is under an axial load, the closed surface of the body may flex, such that a center of the closed surface moves in a generally downwards direction. The axial load and/or reaction forces may be transmitted though the side walls of the pod, the load and/or reaction forces being generally parallel with a longitudinal face of the side walls, as opposed to being a transverse force. The side walls are configured such that when an axial load/force is applied to them they do not flex. The side walls may be considered to be more rigid compared to the closed surface when an axial load is transmitted through the respective surfaces.
As the actuation column moves in a generally axial direction, i.e. towards the dispensing side of the pod, the force which causes the actuation column to move in an axial direction in transmitted to the closing member. Because the closing member is sealed to close the cavity, the force exerted by the actuation column causes the closing member to be under tension, as the part of the actuation column which contacts the closing member causes displacement of the closing member. When the tension in the closing member reaches a pre-determined value the seal breaks and the opening is provided. Accordingly, the axial movement of the actuation column provides a simple and robust way of providing an opening in the pod.
The closing member may be frangibly sealed to the edge of the side wall which defines the dispensing side to close the cavity in a sealing region. The term “frangibly sealed” encompasses a relatively weak seal, that can be easily broken when a force is applied to it. Advantageously, if the seal does not break around the entire perimeter of the side wall simultaneously, because the seal is a frangible seal the remainder of the seal is readily broken once a first break in the seal occurs. The use of a frangible seal promotes the opening to be formed at the edge of the side wall and mitigates against openings or breakages in the closing member that are not at the edge or perimeter of the side wall.
The opening may be formed around the entire perimeter of the side wall. In this way, a complete opening may be formed, rather than having an opening provided at one region around the perimeter of the dispensing side and not another. This further reduces the opportunity for ingredients to become trapped (e.g. by parts of a closure film which remains connected to the side walls in places).
An end of the actuation column furthest from the closed surface may be a closed end. Such that there is no fluid communication pathway between the cavity and the actuation column. This prevents any beverage preparation ingredient from entering the actuation column in embodiments where the actuation column defines a channel (i.e. has a hollow center). In addition, by the end of the actuation column being a closed end the surface area of the actuation column that is in contact with the closing member is increased. Accordingly, the pressure exerted on the closing member is decreased, compared to if the actuation column had an open end, where only an edge of the actuation column contacted the closing member. This mitigates against the actuation column causing the closing member the break or be damaged in the area directly surrounding the actuation member and promotes the opening to be formed at the edge of the side wall.
A diameter of the body at the dispensing side may be between around 2 to around 7 times larger than a diameter of the actuation column at the closed end. In alternative embodiments, the diameter of the body at the dispensing side is between around 3 to around 5 times, or around 4 times, larger than the diameter of the actuation column at the closed end. In alternative embodiments, the diameter of the body at the dispensing side is between around 2.2 to around 2.4 times larger than the diameter of the actuation column at the closed end.
As the cross sectional area of the closed end of the actuation column increases the pressure that is exerted by the column decreases. The decrease in pressure mitigates against unwanted breakage to the closing member when the opening in being formed. However, if the cross sectional area of the closed end of the actuation column is too great, it would impede on beverage ingredient leaving the cavity.
The closing member may be configured to remain attached to the body when the opening is formed. In particular, the closing member may remain attached at central sealing surface. The central sealing surface may be located at the dispensing side of the pod and may be a region that is substantially radially inwards of the side walls of the body.
By providing a primary sealing region (i.e. the perimetrical sealing rim) and a secondary sealing region (i.e. the central sealing surface), it is possible to cause one sealing region to become opened (e.g. by providing an opening around the sealing rim), while the other of the sealing regions remains sealed. In this way, the ingredients contained within the cavity can be released, while the closing member (e.g. film) can remain attached to the pod body, so as to prevent it falling away from the pod, and potentially interfering with subsequent processing.
The sealing region need not be strictly at the centre of the dispensing side. Rather the sealing region may be provided at any part of the dispensing side which is disposed away from and within the perimeter. Conveniently, the central sealing region may comprise a generally annular sealing surface provide around the centre of the dispensing surface (but which may, for example, not extend across the centre of the dispensing surface). The central sealing region may be an end region of the actuation column. In embodiments, where the actuation column comprises a closed end, the closed end of the actuation column may define the central sealing surface.
No openings may be provided between the actuation column and the cavity. The term “openings” encompasses apertures, conduits, channels and passages between the actuation column and the cavity. As such, in embodiments where the actuation column comprises a channel fluid from a source external to the pod, e.g. a beverage dispensing apparatus may be configured to pass through the central channel, but it may not be permitted to pass into the cavity through an opening. The cavity may not receive fluid from the channel, thereby the cavity and the contents of the cavity remain dry during a dispensing operation. This mitigates against beverage preparation ingredient from becoming wet and sticking to a wall of the cavity, thus allowing the entire dry contents of the pod to be evacuated during a dispensing operation.
Fluid provided from by a beverage dispensing apparatus may not be permitted to directly pass between the channel of the actuation column and the cavity.
The closed surface of the pod may comprise at least one agitator. The term “agitator” encompasses protrusions, recesses, or any other suitable member which is configured to promote movement of matter or substance proximate the agitator. The at least one agitator may be provided on an internal surface of the closed surface. In other words, the at least one agitator may be provided on a face of the closed surface which at least partly defines the cavity of the pod.
As the closed surface and/or the actuation column undergo an axial movement when causing the opening to be formed, the agitators contact the beverage preparation ingredient in the pod. The at least one agitator encourage break-up of portions of the beverage preparation ingredient which may become clumped together when stored in the pod. It is advantageous for dry beverage preparation ingredient to leave the pod having a uniform size, i.e. free of clumps of ingredient, so as to encourage better rate of dissolution of the beverage preparation ingredient when it is mixed with a liquid, such as water.
In other embodiments, the closed surface may comprise a plurality of agitators. The plurality of agitators may be equally circumferentially spaced on the closed surface with respect to the central axis. In other embodiments, agitators may be provided on a surface of the actuation column, or on a surface of the closing member.
The body may be formed as a single integral component. The body may be a molded component. The body being formed as a single integral component, promotes rapid assembly of the pods during manufacture.
When in use an actuator of a beverage dispensing apparatus may be configured to actuate the actuation column in a generally axial direction about the central axis. A beverage dispensing apparatus may be configured to transmit a predetermined force to the actuation member, such that the actuation member transmits a force to the closing member and causes the opening to be formed.
The force transmitted by an actuator through the actuation column to the closing member may vary depending on the geometry of the pod, the geometry of the actuation column or the type of seal(s) provided between the closing member and the pod.
According to an eighth aspect of the invention there is provided a pod for storing and dispensing a beverage preparation ingredient during a dispensing operation. The pod comprising a body defining a cavity for storing the beverage preparation ingredient, said body comprising a dispensing side and a closed side, and at least one side wall extending between the dispensing side and the closed side. The pod further comprising a closing member for closing the dispensing side; an actuation column extending through the cavity from the closed surface towards the dispensing side of the bod. Wherein the pod has a first configuration and a second configuration. In the first configuration the closing member is attached to the body and seals the cavity. In the second configuration an opening is provided around the perimeter of the at least one side wall at a junction between the closing member at the at least one side wall. The pod transitions from the first configuration to the second configuration when the actuation column is actuated and exerts a force on the closing member to cause the opening to be formed between said cavity and a region outside of the pod.
There may be provided a computer program comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to control an additive manufacturing apparatus to manufacture a pod, optionally according to any one of the first, second, third, seventh or eighth aspects of the invention, or a body for a pod according to any one of the fourth or fifth aspects of the invention.
There may be provided a method of manufacturing a pod, or a body for a pod, via additive manufacturing. The method comprising obtaining an electronic file representing a geometry of the pod, or the body for a pod; and controlling an additive manufacturing apparatus to manufacture, over one or more additive manufacturing steps, the pod, or the body for a pod to any the fourth or fifth aspects of the invention, according to the geometry specified in the electronic file; optionally wherein the pod is according to any one of the first, second, third, seventh or eighth aspects of the invention.
It will, of course, be appreciated that features described in the context of one aspect of the invention may be combined with features described in the context of other aspects of the invention.
For example, features of the pod described as the first aspect above, may be combined with features of the body described as the fourth aspect above. As another example, features of the pod described as the second aspect above, may be combined with features of the pod described as the third aspect above; features of the pod described in the seventh aspect may be combined with features described in the eighth aspect; and features of the body of the fifth aspect described above may be combined with features of the pod of the second or third aspects described above. Further, features of the pod of the second and third aspect, and the body of the fourth aspect, may be combined with the features of the kit of parts according to the sixth aspect. It will also be appreciated, as described in more detail below, that a common dispensing apparatus and/or actuator, may be used to actuate the pods and actuation members of any of the first, second, third, seventh or eighth aspects of the invention.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
In more detail,
As shown more clearly in
It will be appreciated that in some embodiments an alternative form of beverage preparation ingredient may be provided within the capsule. For example, in an embodiment the beverage preparation powder may be replaced by a liquid or gel. Alternatively, in an embodiment granules of a beverage preparation ingredient may be provided. The beverage preparation powder or other material may comprise one or more ingredients.
The beverage preparation powder may, for example, comprise vitamins, minerals, and/or flavourings. The composition can be varied as required so as to provide a particular type of beverage. Typically the ingredients will be soluble, or dispersible, such that a beverage can be prepared by mixing water with the ingredients without any filtration being required.
The body 102 has side walls 110 and a top wall 112. The body 102 may, for example, be formed as a single molded component. The walls 110, 112, partially define the cavity 108, the cavity 108 being further defined by the film 106, which seals the cavity 108.
The top wall 112 is disposed at a closed side 114 of the pod 100. The film 106 is provided at an open side 116 of the pod 100. That is, the body 102 is continuous across the closed side 114 of the pod 100 such that it does not permit access to the cavity 108 from the closed side 114. The side walls 110 of the body extend from the closed side 114 to a rim 118 which extends around the perimeter of the open side 116. However, there is no part of the body 102 which extends across the open side 116, presenting an opening. Of course, as noted above, this opening is effectively sealed by the film 106, which is sealed to the rim 118.
The actuation member 104 comprises side walls 122 and a top wall 124. The side walls 122 extend from the top wall 124 in a direction away from the top wall 124. The edge of the side walls 122 distal from the top wall 124 can be considered to be a discontinuous edge. In that, it is meant that the edge of the side walls 122 most distal from the top wall 124 is not a continuous edge. As such, the actuation member 104 comprises a plurality of protrusions 126. The protrusions 126 are generally equally circumferentially spaced around a central longitudinal axis A-A of the actuation member 104. The protrusions 126 in this embodiment are teeth like protrusions, having a substantially greater width to depth. The width is a circumferential width W and the depth is a radial depth D, relative to the central axis A-A It will however be appreciated, that the protrusions may take any other suitable shape and form. By way of example, the protrusions may be unequally circumferentially spaced or the edge of the side wall 122 distal from the top wall 124 may be a continuous edge. The protrusions 126 as shown in
The body 102 further comprises an opening 120 in the top wall 112. The opening 120 is configured to receive a corresponding portion 140 of the actuation member 104, described in more detail below with reference to
The pod 100 may be considered to transition between a closed configuration and an open configuration. In the closed configuration, the film 106 is sealed to the body 102 such that the cavity 108 is a sealed cavity 108 and there is no opening into the cavity 108. In other words, there is no path into the cavity 108 from an area external of the pod 100 when in the closed configuration. In the open configuration, at least a portion of the film 106 is not sealed to the body 102, such that there is an opening provided between the cavity 108 and an area outside of the pod 100.
Accordingly, when in the open configuration, beverage preparation ingredient may leave the cavity 108 of the pod 100 through the opening. The pod 100 may transition from the closed configuration to the open configuration by actuation of the actuation member 104.
Referring to
The side walls 122 of the actuation member 104 surround the side walls 110 of the body 102, and the top wall 124 of the actuation member 104 covers the top wall 112 of the body 102. The rim 118 of the body 102 comprises a plurality of slots 128 (shown in
In other embodiments, the protrusions 126 may be aligned with and not received in the slots 128 when in the closed configuration; each protrusion 126 may be considered to be suspended above a respective slot 128 when in the closed configuration. In other embodiments, the protrusions 126 may not be aligned with or received in the slots 126 when in the closed configuration, and the body 102 and/or actuation member 104 may require rotating about the central axis A-A to align the protrusions 126 with the slots 128; rotation of the body 102 and/or the actuation member 104 may be carried out by a user, or by a dispensing apparatus; the actuation member 104 and the body 104 may comprise complementary guide surfaces, such that the protrusions 126 and the slots 128 are self-aligning. As an example, the side wall 122 of the actuation member 102 may define a guide rib, which is a radially inwardly extending protrusion, and the side wall 110 of the body 102 may define a guide recess or channel, the guide channel being configured to receive the guide rib of the actuation member 102. The guide channel may be an axially extending channel defined by the side wall 110. The actuation member 104 may only be provided over the body 102 when the guide rib and guide channel are aligned. The guide rib and guide channel may be arranged so the protrusions 126 and slots 128 align, when the guide rib is received in the guide channel. Any other suitable types of self-aligning mechanisms, where the actuation member 104 is guided into correct alignment with the body 104 irrespective of the actuation member's 104 initial alignment with the body 102, may also be provided.
The film 106 (shown in
The body 102 of the pod is generally rotationally symmetrical about the axis A-A. The open side 116 is separated from the closed side 114 in a direction parallel to the axis A-A. The pod depth may, for example, be between 10 mm and 30 mm (e.g. around 20 mm). The open side 116 may, for example, have an outer diameter of around 45-50 mm, with the opening having an inner diameter of around 42-45 mm. At a point of transition between the side walls 110 and the top wall 112, the body 102 may, for example, have a diameter of around 40-44 mm. In this way, the walls 110 are slightly tapered such that the wall slopes outwards from the closed side to the open side or base. The slope may reduce the extent to which the ingredient within the pod can become trapped during operation, since the wall slopes outwards towards the opening which may be formed around the perimeter of the base, allowing the ingredient to be directed towards the opening when the pod is rotated.
It will, of course, be appreciated that alternative pod dimensions to those described above (and below) may be used as preferred.
The body 102 also comprises a central channel defined by channel walls 134 extending from the closed side 114 to the open side 116 of the body 102. The pod 100 is generally rotationally symmetrical about the axis A-A, the central channel being co-axial with the axis A-A. The channel walls are formed as part of the body 102, and which define a substantially frustoconical shape. The opening 120 forms the opening of the central channel. The opening 120, a first opening, is provided at the centre of the closed side 114 of the body 102, and a second, smaller, opening 136 is provided at the open side 116 of the body 102. In an embodiment, the first opening 120 may have a diameter of around 10 mm and the second opening 136 may have a diameter of around 3 mm.
The first opening 120 is a circular aperture defined by a transition region of the body 102 between the top wall 112 and the central channel walls 134. The second opening 136 is also a circular aperture defined by a region 138 of the central channel walls 134 having an increased thickness with respect to the remainder of the channel walls 134.
Similarly, the actuation member 104 comprises an actuation central channel 140 defined by actuation central channel walls 142. The actuation central channel walls 142 extend from the top wall 124 in a direction away from the top wall 124. The actuation central channel 140 is generally symmetrically rotational about the axis A-A. The channel walls 142 are formed as part of the actuation member 104, and which define a substantially frustoconical shape. The actuation central channel 140 is sized to be received within the central channel of the body 102. The actuation central channel 140 has an actuation channel opening 144 provided at the centre of the of the top wall 124. The actuation channel opening 144 is a circular aperture defined by a transition region of the actuation member 104 between the top wall 124 and the channel walls 142.
The actuation member 104 further comprises a number of support ribs 148. The support ribs 148 are formed on an inner surface of the top wall 124 of the actuation member 104, and may be provided by regions of increased thickness in the top wall 124 of the actuation member 104. The support ribs 148 extend from a region where the actuation channel walls 142 join the actuation top wall 124, to a radially outer edge of the top wall 124. The support ribs 148 increase the structural rigidity of the actuation member 104, in particular, when the actuation member 104 is being actuated during a dispensing operation to evacuate the ingredients from the cavity of the pod. The support ribs 148 are generally equally circumferentially spaced about the central axis A-A.
For the pod 100 to transition from the closed configuration, as shown in
The actuation member 104 is configured to move in a generally axial direction, such that the distance between the top wall 124 of the actuation member 104 and the closed side 114 of the body 102 decreases. Further, as the actuation member 104 moves in an axial direction, the protrusions 126 of the actuation member 104 exert a force on the film 106 and cause the seal between the film 106 and the rim 118 to break. Once the seal between the film 106 and the rim 118 is broken, the protrusions 126 are able to pass through and extend through the slots 128 of the body 102.
When the seal between the film 106 and the rim 118 is broken, an opening is provided around a perimeter of the cavity 108 at the side walls 110 of the body 102. It will be appreciated, that the opening may be formed around the entire perimeter of the side walls 110. However, it will also be realised, that in cases where the actuation member 104 does not completely break the seal between the film 106 and the rim 118, the opening may not extend around the entire perimeter of the side walls 110.
When in the open configuration the film 106 may become completely detached from the pod 100. Alternatively, the film 106 may be additionally sealed to the region 138 around the second opening 136. The film 106 may include a central hole which is aligned with the second opening 136. In this way, the body 102 (comprising side walls 110, top walls 112 and channel walls 134) and the film 106 entirely closed the cavity 108. It is noted, however, that in the illustrated embodiment, the cavity is toroidal, such that a path exists from the top to the bottom of the cavity 108 through the channel 154 which path does not pass within the cavity 108, but which instead passes through the hole in the centre of the toroid. The film 106 may remain sealed to the region 138 of the body 102 after the seal between the film 106 and the rim 118 has been broken
The rim 118 further comprises a mounting flange 152 which extends around the perimeter of the rim 118 and is set back slightly from the open side 116. The mounting flange 152 provides a mounting surface facing downwards in the orientation shown in
For each of the following embodiments the reference numerals are increased by 100 for corresponding features.
Turing to
The pod 200 comprises a body 202, the body 202 has side walls 210 and a top wall 212. The body 202 is formed as a single molded component. The walls 210, 212 partially define a cavity 208 for storing a beverage preparation ingredient, the cavity being further defined by a film 206 (not shown), which seals the cavity 208. The top wall 212 is disposed at a closed side 214 of the pod 200. The film 126 is provided at an open side 216 of the pod 200. That is, the body 202 is continuous across the closed side of the pod such that it does not permit access to the cavity 208 from the closed side 214. The side walls 210 of the body 202 extend from the closed side 214 to a rim 218 which extends around the perimeter of the open side 216. However, there is no part of the body 202 which extends across the open side 216, presenting an opening. Of course, as noted above, this opening is effectively sealed by the film 206, which is sealed to the rim 218.
The body 202 of the pod is generally rotationally symmetrical about the axis B-B. The open side 216 is separated from the closed side in a direction parallel to the axis B-B. The pod depth may, for example, be between 10 mm and 30 mm (e.g. around 20 mm). The open side may, for example, have an outer diameter of around 45-50 mm, with the opening having an inner diameter of around 42-45 mm. At a point of transition between the side walls 210 and the top wall 212, the body 202 may, for example, have a diameter of around 40-44 mm. In this way, the walls 210 are slightly tapered such that the wall slopes outwards from the closed side to the open side or base. The slope may reduce the extent to which the ingredient within the pod can become trapped during operation, since the wall slopes outwards towards the opening which may be formed around the perimeter of the base, allowing the ingredient to be directed towards the opening when the pod is rotated.
It will, of course, be appreciated that alternative pod dimensions to those described above (and below) may be used as preferred.
The rim 218 comprises a mounting flange 252 which extends around the perimeter of the rim 218 and is set back slightly from the open side 216. The mounting flange 252 provides a mounting surface facing downwards in the orientation shown in
The body 202 also defines a central channel 254, passing from the closed side 214 to the open side 216. The pod 200 is generally rotationally symmetrical about an axis B-B, the central channel 254 being co-axial with the axis B-B. The central channel 254 is defined by channel walls 234 which are formed as part of the body 202, and which define a substantially frustoconical shape. The channel 254 has a first opening 220 provided at the centre of the closed side 214 of the pod 200, and a second, smaller, opening 236 provided at the open side 216 of the pod 200. The first opening 220 may have a diameter of around 10 mm and the second opening 236 may have a diameter of around 3 mm.
The first opening 220 is a circular aperture defined by a transition region of the body 202 between the top wall 212 and the channel walls 234. The second opening 236 is also a circular aperture defined by a region 250 of the channel walls 234 having an increased thickness with respect to the channel walls 234 proximate the second opening 236.
As described above, the film 206 is sealed to the rim 218 around the perimeter of the open side 216 of the pod 200. The film 206 may be additionally sealed to the region 250 around the second opening 236. The film 206 may include a central hole which is aligned with the second opening 236. In this way the body 202 (comprising side walls 210, top walls 212 and channel walls 234) and the film 206 entirely enclose the cavity 208. It is noted, however, that in the illustrated embodiment, the cavity is toroidal, such that a path exists from the top to the bottom of the cavity 208 through the channel 254 which path does not pass within the cavity 208, but which instead passes through the hole in the centre of the toroid.
The channel walls 234 do not have a constant thickness along their length. The thickness of the channel walls 234 increases generally linearly from the closed side 214 to approximately half way between the closed side 214 and the open side 216, at this point the channel walls 234 define a stepped portion 234a where the thickness of the channel walls 234 decreases. The channel walls 234 are then of generally constant thickness from the stepped portion 234a to the open side 216.
At the open side 216, the thickness of the channel walls 234 increases slightly to provide the sealing region 250.
The pod 200 as shown in
The pod 200 is configured to be provided in a dispensing apparatus, where an actuator of the dispensing apparatus is configured to exert a force on the top wall 212 and/or the central channel 254 so that the pod 200 transitions from a closed configuration, as shown in
An actuator of a dispensing apparatus is configured to apply a force to the pod 200 such that at least a central region of the top wall 212, and hence the walls 234 of the central channel 254 and the arms 204 move in a downwards direction (in the orientation shown in
Accordingly, as the top wall 212 of the body is deformed and the arms 204 transition from the closed configuration to the open configuration, the tip 258 of each arm 204 exerts a force on the film 206 that is sealed to the rim 218. The force exerted by the tips 258 of the arms 204 causes the seal between the film 206 and the rim 218 to be broken and an opening to be formed around a perimeter of the side wall 210 at the junction between the side wall 210 and the open side 216. Beverage preparation ingredient stored in the cavity 208 of the pod 200 may leave the pod 200 through the opening.
The arms 204 are equally circumferentially spaced around the central axis B-B. The equal circumferential spacing of the arms 204 promotes a generally equal force transmitted through each arm 204 to the film 206. The actuation force being generally equally distributed through the arms 204 promotes breaking of the seal between the film 206 and the 218 along the entire perimeter of the rim, and mitigates against a portion of the film 206 remaining sealed to the rim 218.
It will be appreciated that because a force is transmitted through the arms 204 to the film 206, regions of the film 206 which contact the arm will experience a higher force than a region of the film 206 that does not contact an arm 204. Further, as the pod 200 transitions from the closed position (
The pod 200 further comprises support ribs 248. The support ribs 248 are formed by increasing the thickness of the top wall 212 in a desired location. In the pod 200, the support ribs 248 extend in a direction away from the closed side 214. It will be appreciated, that the support ribs may extend in a direction towards the open side 216 as shown in the pod 100 in
Turing to
The pod 200 in
Instead of the pod 200 comprising a plurality of arms or fins which are solid, the pod 200 comprises a plurality of elongated slots 304. The term “elongated slot” is intended to mean an arm, wherein a portion of material is removed from a central portion of the arm, and the arm has an open end and an opposing closed end.
Each elongated slot 304, is defined by an opening 364 top wall 212 of the body 202 and at least one side wall 362. The at least one side wall 362 extending from the top wall 212 towards the open side 216 of the pod 200 and forming a closed end 366 such that no fluid or object may enter the cavity 208 through an opening 364 of an elongated slot 304.
The elongated slots 304 may be configured to receive a corresponding arm of an actuator (not shown). Wherein the actuator, e.g. the actuator of a dispensing apparatus comprises a plurality of arms or protrusions that are received within the slots 304.
Alternatively, an actuator of a dispensing apparatus, may engage with the top wall 212 and or the central channel 254, to cause the top wall 212 to depress, causing the elongated slots 304 to move is substantially the same way as the arms 204 described above in relation to
In use, the elongated slots 304 move in a similar fashion to the arms 204 as shown in
The openings 364 of the slots may be provided through a support rib 248 in the top wall 212 of the body 202. It is known that providing an opening, hole, or any type of aperture in a material causes stress concentrations, in particular around any corners of the aperture. Therefore, by providing the openings 364 in regions of localised thickness i.e. in the ribs 248, mitigates against failure of the pod 200 due to higher stress concentrations around the opening 364, particularly when forces are exerted on the pod 200 by an actuator or a user.
The ends 366 of the slots 304 are rounded (i.e are a filleted edge). Rounding of the edges mitigates against the slot 304 piercing or tearing the closing member.
Each of the above pods 100, 200 described above, may be rotated during a dispensing operation. The rotation of the pod 100, 200 urges the contents of the pod 100, 200 towards the side walls 110, 210. Because the opening between the cavity 108, 208 is generally provided around a perimeter of the side walls 110, 210, urging the contents of the pod 100, 200 towards the side walls 110, 210 increases the rate at which the contents is evacuated from the pod 100, 200 and mitigates against any beverage preparation ingredient being left in the pod 100, 200 after a dispensing operation. It will be appreciated that the pod 100, 200 may be opened before it is caused to spin or while it is spinning. It will also be appreciated that the pod 100, 200 may be evacuated without spinning/rotating the pod 100, 200.
The body 3102 defines a cavity 3106 for storing a beverage preparation ingredient. The beverage preparation ingredient is a powder, however, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments an alternative form of beverage preparation ingredient may be provided with the cavity. For example, in an embodiment the beverage preparation powder may be replaced by a liquid or gel.
Alternatively, in an embodiment granules of a beverage preparation ingredient may be provided. The beverage preparation powder or other material may comprise one or more ingredients.
The beverage preparation powder may, for example, comprise vitamins, minerals, and/or flavourings. The composition can be varied as required so as to provide a particular type of beverage. Typically, the ingredients will be soluble, or dispersible, such that a beverage can be prepared by mixing water with the ingredients without any filtration being required.
The body 3102 has side walls 3110 and a top wall 3112. The top wall 3112 is also referred to as the closed side 3112 or closed surface. The body 3102 may, for example, be formed as a single moulded component. The walls 3110, 3112, partially define the cavity 3106, the cavity 3106 being further defined by the film 3104, which seals the cavity 3106.
The top wall 3112 is disposed at a closed side 3114 of the pod 3100. The top wall 3112 defines a central axis 3115, and the top wall 3112 is generally rotationally symmetrical about the central axis 3115. The film 3104 is provided at an open side 3116 of the pod 3100. That is, the body 3102 is continuous across the closed side 3114 of the pod such that it does not permit access to the cavity 3106 from the closed side 3114. The side walls 3110 extend from the closed side 3114 to the open side 3116 of the pod 3100. In particular, the side walls 3110 extend from the closed surface 3112 in a direction away from the closed surface 3112, and an edge of the side wall 3110 which is distal from the closed surface the open side 3116 of the pod 3100 The open side 3116 may also be referred to as the dispensing side 3116 of the pod 3100.
The pod 3100 further comprises an actuation column 3118. The actuation column 3118 is integrally formed with the body 3102 of the pod 3100. The actuation column 3118 extends from the closed side 3114 of the pod 3100 towards the dispensing side 3116 of the pod 3100. In particular, the actuation column 3118 extends between the closed side 3114 and the dispensing side 3116.
The actuation column 3118 has an upper end 3120 located at the closed side 3114 and a lower end 3122 located that the dispensing side 3116. In the embodiment shown, the actuation column 3118 is a hollow member, such that it can receive an actuator from a dispensing apparatus (described in more detail below). As such, the closed side 3114 of the pod 3100 comprises an opening in the top wall 3112 which allows an actuator from a dispending apparatus to be inserted into the actuation column 3118. The actuation column 3118 is integrally formed with the body 3102 of the pod 3100, and as such, the ability to insert an actuator into the actuation column 3118 does not provide an opening into the cavity 3106 of the pod 3100. Further, the lower end 3122 of the actuation column 3118 is a closed end, meaning that anything which enters the actuation column 3118 cannot leave the actuation column 3118 via the lower end 3122. Therefore, there is no path provided between the actuation column 3118 and the cavity 3106 of the pod 3102. In other embodiments, the lower end 3122 may not be a closed end. In this sense the actuation column 3118 may comprise a through channel.
The closed side 3112 of the pod 3100 further comprises agitators 3124. The agitators 3124 are members which extend from the closed side 3112 into the cavity 3106 of the pod 3100. The agitators 3124 may be a fin or rib like structure. The purpose of the agitators 3124 is to promote movement of the beverage preparation ingredient which is stored in the cavity 3106. The agitators 3124 are particularly beneficial when the beverage preparation ingredient stored in the pod is a dry, powdered or granulated substance. This is because the agitators 3124 promote break-up of portions of the beverage preparation ingredient which may become clumped together when stored in the pod. Promoting the break-up of clumps of beverage preparation ingredient allows of uniform distribution of the beverage preparation ingredient when released from the pod 3100 and mixed with a liquid, which in turn can increase the rate at which the beverage preparation ingredient dissolves in the liquid. The agitators 3124 may only extend into the cavity 3106 by a small amount. For example, the agitators may define a height which is between around 5% to 15% the height of the pod, preferably around 10% the height of the pod. During use, the agitators 3124 do not contact the film 3104 of the pod 3100. The agitators 3124, however, are not essential to the dispensing of beverage ingredient from the pod 3100.
The pod 3100 may be considered to transition between the closed configuration as shown in
The transitioning of the pod 3100 from the closed configuration, as shown in
Considering
In order to transition from the closed configuration to the open configuration, a force is applied to the film 3104. The force is applied to the film 3104 through the actuation column 3118. Preferably, the actuation column 3118 is actuated by an actuator which forms part of a dispensing apparatus, however, it may be possible to use a hand held actuator which is configured to be received in the actuation column 3118, or to exert a force on the actuation column 3118 by holding the pod 3100 and generating a force on the actuation column 3118 directly by a user, for example, by pressing on the closed side 3114 of the pod 3100.
In use, an actuator is received in the actuation column 3118 and exerts and axially downwards force on the actuation column 3118 (downwards being relative to the orientation shown in
Turning to
Similarly, the movement of the actuation column 3118 in an axially downwards direction also causes a portion of the film 3104 proximate the lower region 3122 of the actuation column 3118 to move in a downwards direction relative to the side walls 3110. Because the film 3104 is sealed to the perimeter of the edge 3126 of the side walls 3110 the film also develops a domed profile, having a concave surface which faces the top wall 3112 and a convex surface which is opposite the concave surface.
The movement of the actuation column 3118 causes the film 3104 to be place under tension. When in the transitional configuration, the film 3104 remains sealed to the edge 3126 of the side walls 3110 such that the cavity 3106 of the pod 3100 remains sealed and there is no path between the cavity 3106 and a region outside of the pod 3100.
As the actuation column 3118 moves further downwards relative to the side walls 3110 the seal between the film 3104 and the edge 3126 of the side walls 3110 breaks. When the seal between the film 3104 and the side walls 3110 breaks an opening 3128 is provided between the cavity 3106 and a region outside of the pod. When the opening 3128 is present the pod 3100 is in the open configuration, as can be seen in
In the open configuration, and opening is provided around the entire perimeter of the side walls 3110, and beverage preparation ingredient can exit the pod 3100 via the opening 3128 as shown by the dashed arrows 3130. The beverage preparation ingredient can exit the pod 3100 and mix with another ingredient, for example water.
In the open configuration, the film 3104 remains sealed to the actuation 3118. In this way, the ingredients contained within the cavity 3106 can be released, while the film 3104 can remain attached to the actuation column 3118, so as to prevent it falling away from the pod 3100, and potentially interfering with subsequent processing.
As the pod transitions from the closed configuration (
By providing an actuation column 3118 which is integrally formed with the body 3102 of the pod 3100 allows for a simple pod 3100 to be produced, which does not require separate moveable members. Accordingly, the pod 3100 of the present invention can be easily and readily manufactured as a single moulded component. The pod 3100 does not require multiple components to be assembled together prior to sealing with the closing member 3104.
Although the actuation column 3118 is described as being a hollow member configured to receive an actuator. In other embodiments, the actuation column 3118 may be a solid member, or may be only partially hollow (for example an upper half of the actuation column 3118 may be hollow and a lower half may be solid). In embodiments where the actuation column 3118 is solid, an actuator or user, may instead exert a force on the top wall 3112, which causes at least a portion of the top wall 3112 and the actuation column 3118 to move in a downwards direction relative to the side walls 3110, such that the pod 3100 can be opened in the same manner as described above.
Turning to
For the pod 3200 shown in
As can be seen more clearly in
By the actuation column 3118 having a distal most end diameter 3132, to which the closing member 3104 is secured, which is relatively large with respect to the diameter 3130 of the base 3116 of the pod 3100 mitigates against the closing member 3104 tearing or ripping in a location proximate the actuation column 3118, and instead promotes the breaking of the seal between the closing member 3104 and the edge 3124 of the side walls.
The pod 3200 shown in
The pod 3200 further comprises a mounting flange 3136. The mounting flange 3136 extends radially outwards around a perimeter of the rim 3134 and is axially offset (set back) from the dispensing side 3116; the mounting flange 3136 is also integrally formed with the rim 3134. The mounting flange 3136 provides a mounting surface facing downwards in the orientation shown in
The dispensing apparatus 501, may, for example, comprise a countertop beverage dispenser, or other equivalently small and/or portable unit. The water storage reservoir 503 is shown as an integrated reservoir, but it other embodiments, the apparatus may be connected to a water supply rather than (or as well as) having an integrated reservoir. Further, an integrated reservoir, may include a detachable reservoir, where a user can remove the reservoir 503 from the apparatus 501 to more easily fill the reservoir. Water in the reservoir 503 may be chilled by passing through the cooling device 507. The cooling device may be a Peltier device, or any other suitable device for cooling water. The water in the reservoir 503 may be filtered by passing through the filter 505.
The valves 511, 513 and pump 509 may be configured to direct and control the passage of water from the reservoir 503 through each of the cooling device 507, the filter 505 and to the dispensing assembly 515. Exemplary fluid pathways are shown by dashed lines.
The dispensing assembly 515 comprises a mixing chamber 517, a pod support region 519 and an actuator 521. A sealed pod 100; 200; 3100; 3200, i.e. a pod 100; 200; 3100; 3200 in a closed configuration, may be at least partially received in and supported by the pod support region 519. The rim 118; 218 of the pod 100; 200 may be supported by the pod support region 519. The rim 3134 and mounting flange of the pod 3200 or the edge 3124 of the pod 3100 may be supported by the pod support region 519.
The dispensing apparatus 501, may be configured to actuate at least part of the pod 100; 200; 3100; 3200 such that the pod 100; 200; 3100; 3200 transitions from a closed configuration to an open configuration. In particular, the actuator 521 of the dispensing assembly 515 is configured to actuate the actuation member(s) 104; 204, 304, 404 of the pod 100; 200, or the actuation column 3118 of the pods 3100; 3200. The actuator 521 may be driven by a motor (not shown) of the dispensing apparatus 501, or it may be a user operated actuator, where the user guides the actuator 521. The actuator 521 may be a spring loaded actuator. A spring loaded actuator encompasses an actuator comprising a spring. The spring may be compressed by an external force, and when the spring is released the elastic potential energy that was stored in the compressed spring is transmitted as a force to the actuation member(s) 104; 204, 304, 404 of a pod 100; 200, or to the actuation column 3118 of the pods 3100; 3200. It will be appreciated that the actuator 521 may comprise multiple components, such as springs, linkages, arms and bearings, which for ease of illustration are not shown.
After the actuator 521 has caused the pod 100, 200; 3100; 3200 to transition from a closed configuration to an open configuration, such that there is an opening provided between the cavity 108; 208, 3106 of the pod 100; 200; 3100; 3200 and an area outside of the pod 100; 200; 3100; 3200 beverage preparation ingredient may leave the cavity 108; 208; 3106 of the pod and pass into the mixing chamber 517 through an inlet 523 of the mixing chamber 517. A motor (not shown) may be configured to rotate the support region 519 and the mixing chamber 517. Rotation of the support region 519 may also cause the pod 100; 200; 3100; 3200 to rotate. During a dispensing operation, water from the reservoir 503 may be configured to pass into the mixing chamber 517 so as to mix with the ingredients released from the pod 100; 200; 3100; 3200 and form a mixed beverage. The mixed beverage may exit the mixing chamber 517 via an outlet 525 and pass into a vessel (not shown) provided below the outlet 525. Water, may pass through the pod 100; 200 before entering the mixing chamber 517, but water does not pass through or into the cavity 108; 208 of the pod 100; 200. By way of example, taking the pod 200 shown in
The dispensing apparatus, may also provide a fluid pathway from the water tank 503 directly to a vessel (not shown) bypassing the mixing chamber.
Like reference numerals will be used for corresponding features to those described in
The actuator 521 is configured to transmit an load to a pod 100; 200, such that the actuation members 104; 204; 304; 404 of the pod 100; 200 or the actuation column 3118 of the pod 3100; 3200 cause the seal between the closing member 106; 3104 and the pod 100; 200; 3100; 3200 to break, thereby providing an opening between the cavity 108; 208; 3106 of the pod 100; 200; 3100; 3200 and the mixing chamber 517. The actuator 521 may be driven in a downwards axial direction (as in the orientation of
The dispensing assembly 615 differs from the dispensing assembly 515 of
Water may be directly injected into the mixing chamber 517 through apertures (not visible in
The dispensing assembly 715 comprises a mixing chamber 517 the mixing chamber 517 defining an inlet 523 and an outlet 525. A mixing paddle 630 is provided in the mixing chamber 517. The mixing paddle is configured to rotate about a central axis C-C of the pod 100; 200; 3100; 3200.
The dispensing assembly 715 further comprises an actuator 521. The actuator being configured to cause the pod 100; 200; 3100; 3200 to transition from a closed configuration (
As can also be seen in
Further, as the pod 100; 200; 3100; 3200 transitions from the closed configuration (
The outlet 525 of the mixing chamber 517 may be an always open outlet, in that there is always a path between the mixing chamber 517 and an area external of the mixing chamber 517 through the outlet 525. Rotation of the pod 100; 200; 3100; 3200 means that beverage preparation ingredient released from the pod 100; 200, instead of falling from the pod 100; 200 straight to and through the outlet 525 it is urged radially outwards to the walls of the mixing chamber 517. Any water injected through the apertures 740 is also urged towards the walls of the mixing chamber, by the mixing paddle, where it can mix with the released beverage preparation ingredient to form a prepared beverage. Rotation of the mixing paddle 630 further promotes mixing of water with the beverage preparation ingredient to provide a more homogenous prepared beverage. The mixing paddle 630, the pod 100; 200; 3100; 3200 may be rotated synchronously, they may also be rotated independently of one another. Driving of the actuator 521; transitioning of the pod 100; 200; 3100; 3200 from the closed configuration to the open configuration; rotation of the pod 100; 200 and/or the mixing paddle 630 may each form part of a dispensing operation. Generally speaking, it will be appreciated that a pod of the general sort described above may be operated in combination with any suitable actuating mechanism which is configured to provide an appropriate actuating force, and an appropriate rotation.
Where terms such as ‘about’, ‘generally’, ‘substantially’ are used herein, it is not intended that the precise details are required to be used. Rather, some variation or tolerance (especially to numerical values) may be used. Of course, it will also be understood that where an example is provided, and is described with such terms of variation, the actual value or configuration described may be used in a preferred embodiment.
While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes, equivalents, and modifications that come within the scope or spirit of the inventions defined by following claims are desired to be protected. It is also contemplated that structures and features embodied in the present examples can be altered, rearranged, substituted, deleted, duplicated, combined and added to each other. The articles “the”, “a”, and “and” are not necessarily limited to mean only one, but rather are inclusive and open-ended so as to include optionally multiple such elements.
The invention may be further defined by the following numbered clauses:
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2105761.7 | Apr 2021 | GB | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/GB2022/051026 | 4/22/2022 | WO |
