Patent ID: 6777007
Filing Date: 2004-08-17
Classification: A47J,B65B,B65D

Abstract:
A pressure brewing pod for brewing a cup of beverage by extraction under pressure in a coffee machine comprising a brew head having a seal member and a pod holder having a top end adapted to form a watertight seal with the seal member and a bowl-shaped inner space bounded by a bottom and a side wall, said pressure brewing pod comprising a water permeable top sheet, a water permeable bottom sheet and a supply of flavor-containing materials sandwiched between said sheets, said top and bottom sheets being connected to one another by an annular sealing seam to form a closed chamber to enclose said materials, said closed chamber having a top surface adapted to face the brew head, a bottom surface adapted to rest on the bottom and extend over the bottom to the side wall of the holder, and a chamber side wall of a predetermined height adapted to contact the side wall of the holder, said top sheet comprising said top surface of said closed chamber and said bottom sheet comprising said bottom surface and at least the lower part of said chamber side wall of said closed chamber, wherein said annular sealing seam protrudes a predetermined height above said top surface of said closed chamber, said predetermined height of said annular sealing seam being shorter than said predetermined height of said chamber side wall, and wherein:said closed chamber is adapted to cause intimate contact between the side wall of the holder and said chamber side wall around said closed chamber to form a seal before the hot water reaches and wets said pressure brewing pod, said seal being adapted to substantially prevent the hot water fed under pressure to the top of the holder by means of the coffee machine from passing through even if the level of the hot water in the holder is substantially above said annular sealing seam, thereby preventing the hot water under pressure from bypassing said flavor-containing materials in said closed chamber; said at least the lower part of said chamber side wall is adapted to be sufficiently soft and flexible for facilitating the formation of said intimate contact and said seal between the side wall of the holder and said chamber side wall around said closed chamber when said pod is placed into the bowl-shaped inner space of the holder; said annular sealing seam comprises such a shape and dimension that the insertion of said annular sealing seam into the inner space of the holder will not cause substantial change of the shape and dimension of said closed chamber, thereby enabling consistent formation of said intimate contact and said seal between the side wall of the holder and said chamber side wall around said closed chamber; and in use, said seal is formed between the side wall of the holder and said chamber side wall after said pressure brewing pod is placed in the bowl-shaped inner space of the holder and prior to the introduction of hot water to the holder, causing the hot water fed under pressure from the coffee machine to the holder sealed to the brew head by the seal member to be pressed by the pressure from said top surface of said closed chamber through said closed chamber for extracting said flavor-containing materials enclosed therein, the beverage extract formed flowing from said bottom surface of said closed chamber and out of the holder.