Coffee pod

A coffee pod is described with an improved sealing surface for a filter disposed within the pod. The improved sealing surface provides better adherence between the filter and a sidewall of the pod so that unadhered portions are minimized and operation is improved. A coffee pod is also described with an improved foot structure having a configuration and thickness designed to minimize buckling while also utilizing a cost-efficient amount of material.

FIELD

This application relates generally to containers for food products, and more particularly to containers having a beverage ingredient and filter therein and configured to have a liquid flow therethrough to create a beverage.

BACKGROUND

Single serve coffee machines produce individual cups of coffee with pods or capsules of individual servings of grinded coffee. A user places the pod into the machine, which then pierces the pod and forces hot water to flow through the grinded coffee and into a container below.

One type of pod for such a coffee machine includes a sidewall and a bottom wall. A filter is adhered inside of the cup to the sidewall and coffee or another beverage ingredient is deposited in the filter. Finally, a cover or lid is sealed to a flange of the sidewall to enclose the coffee within the pod. In use, the cover is pierced to deliver water to the coffee within the body and the bottom wall is pierced to create a dispensing opening. One problem that can result from these actions is that the sidewall and/or bottom wall of the pod can buckle due to the compression forces created during piercing. A buckled sidewall can interfere with the proper creation and delivery of the resulting beverage. Another problem that can result in such a coffee pod is that the seal between the filter and the sidewall can include unadhered portions, which allow coffee grinds to bypass the filter and undesirably end up in the created beverage.

SUMMARY

A coffee pod is described that includes a container body, a filter adhered to the container body within an interior thereof, and a cover or lid sealed over an open mouth of the container body. Any desired beverage ingredient or flavoring material, such as ground coffee or the like, is deposited into the filter within the container body. The container body includes an inwardly sloped wall portion in a side wall thereof that has an upwardly facing surface configured for adhering an outer edge of the filter thereto, in one form, the inwardly sloped wall portion extends between about 40 and 50 degrees, preferably between about 43 and 47 degrees, and more preferably about 45 degrees from vertical. The side wall further includes a stacking shoulder that is spaced from the bottom wall portion by an outwardly tapering side wall bottom portion. A foot portion of the container body, which includes the bottom wall, the outwardly tapering side wall bottom portion and the stacking shoulder, can be configured to strengthen the container body against buckling when the bottom wall is pierced during use. The coffee pod can be formed using any suitable method, including thermoforming, blow molding, injection molding, or the like.

In use, the coffee pod is configured to have water or other liquid pass therethrough in order to create beverage. A liquid delivery device pierces the cover to deliver water to the flavoring material. Additionally, a needle or the like pierces the bottom wall portion to create a dispensing opening for the container body. The container body described herein is advantageously configured and sized to resist buckling so that piercing the bottom wall does not undesirably deform the container body. More specifically, the container body includes a foot portion that is configured to resist buckling. The foot portion includes the bottom wall, an outwardly tapering side wall portion and the stacking shoulder. The configuration utilizes the interaction of these container portions to distribute forces and strengthen the sidewall.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A coffee pod is described with an improved sealing surface for a filter disposed within the pod. The improved sealing surface provides better adherence between the filter and a sidewall of the pod so that unadhered portions are minimized and operation is improved. Any unadhered portions of the filter can undesirably allow ground coffee to flow around the filter and into a cup of a user.

A coffee pod is also described with an improved foot structure having a configuration and thickness designed to minimize buckling while also utilizing a cost-efficient amount of material. During use, a single serve coffee machine pierces a bottom surface of the coffee pod. During piercing, the pod can buckle, which can interfere with creation of desirable coffee.

Details of a coffee pod10having these properties are described below with reference toFIGS. 1-9. The coffee pod includes a base cup12and a cover or lid14configured to be sealed thereto. The cup12has a bottom wall portion16and a sidewall portion18extending upwardly from an edge19thereof. The bottom and side walls16,18define an interior20of the cup12configured to receive a filter22and flavoring material, such as ground coffee, therein, as described in more detail below. In the illustrated form, the bottom wall16is generally circular such that the sidewall18is generally tubular extending upwardly from the annular edge19thereof. If desired, the sidewall18can taper outwardly, as shown.

The sidewall18includes an upper rim or flange26that extends outwardly from an upper edge28of the sidewall18opposite of the bottom wall16. Extending downwardly from the upper edge28, the sidewall includes a top neck portion30that transitions to an inwardly sloped wall portion32. As shown, an outer corner33between the neck portion30and the flange26can be chamfered as shown. An interior surface34of the inwardly sloped wall portion32provides a surface for adhering the filter22to the cup12, as described in greater detail below. A middle portion36of the sidewall18includes an undulating or ribbed wail portion38and an upper transition portion40that transitions the sidewall between the sloped wall32and the undulating wall38. As shown, the upper transition portion40can have an inward slope similar to the sloped wall portion32so that it is generally recessed with respect to the undulating wall38. In the illustrated form, the transition portion40has a slightly more vertical slope as compared to the slope of the sloped wall portion32.

The sloped wall32is preferably configured to extend along an angle with respect to vertical that advantageously provides a good seal between the sidewall18and the filter22as compared to other configurations. In one form, the sloped wall32extends at between about 30 degrees and about 60 degrees downwardly from a vertical plane, and specifically between about 40 degrees and 50 degrees, and more specifically between about 43 degrees and 47 degrees. In the illustrated form, the sloped wall32extends at about 45 degrees from a vertical plane. Previous coffees pods adhered their filters to sidewall portions at a much steeper slope, such as about 14 degrees. While this provides for a wider pod interior due to the wall not extending as far into the interior of the pod, the connection between the filter and the sidewall can undesirably have unadhered portions due to inconsistencies in the sidewall resulting from the formation process or handling. A plunger or the like inserts the filter into the pod and, as such, with the highly sloped walls of the previous coffee pods, any inconsistencies can prevent the plunger from completely entering the pod to complete a satisfactory seal.

In contrast, the sloped wall32described herein extends on a relatively more horizontal plane so that any inconsistencies on the upward facing surface34have a less deleterious effect on the seal between the filter22and the sidewall18, i.e., the plunger need not travel as far into the pod10and the seal surface34provides a hard stop for the plunger to compress the filter against the sidewall18. In the illustrated form, the sloped wall32extends at a 45 degree angle for about 2 mm.

The undulating wall38extends downwardly to an inwardly projecting stacking shoulder42. The stacking shoulder42provides an upward facing surface44in the interior20of the cup12that advantageously provides a support surface44for the bottom wall of another cup stacked therein. The stacking shoulder42prevents the cups12from completely nesting together when stacked which can undesirably create a vacuum between the cups and/or sidewall-to-sidewall friction and make them difficult to separate. Additionally, the thickness of the sidewall18can create friction between stacked cups also making stacks of cups difficult to separate. In the illustrated form, the stacking shoulder42extends generally horizontally, but can extend at an angle with respect thereto if desired. Finally, the sidewall18includes an outwardly tapering bottom wall portion46that extends from an inner edge48of the shoulder42to an outer edge50of the bottom wail16. A bottom, foot portion52of the cup12includes the bottom wall16, the bottom wall portion46, and the shoulder42.

In another embodiment, as shown inFIGS. 5 and 6, the foot portion52further includes a series of spaced projections41that extend between the bottom wall outer edge50and a bottom edge43of the undulating wall38so that the bottom wall portion26has a stepped configuration. As shown in the figures, each projection42can include an outwardly facing wall portion45and two lateral transition wall portions47that extend between the outward wall45and the bottom wall portion26. As a result of the angle of the bottom wall portion26and the outward wall45, the transition wall portions27are generally triangular as shown. In the illustrated form, the cup12includes six projections41spaced evenly around the foot portion52. Any other number of projections41could also be used for other applications or sizes.

In the illustrated form, the undulating wall38includes a repeating, fluted pattern of curved columns53and troughs54. As a result of the tapered configuration of the sidewall middle portion36, the columns and troughs53,54can similarly taper from a relatively wider top portion56to a relatively narrower bottom portion57. The columns and troughs53,54act to reinforce the sidewall18against compression forces. Additionally, the bottom wall16can have a raised interior region58so that the cup12rests on an outer annular ring60of the bottom wall16. In the illustrated form, a transition between the raised interior region58and the outer annual ring60has a radius of about 1.5 mm. Moreover, the raised interior region58can be raised from the outer annular ring60by about 0.8 mm, or between about 1% and 2% of a height of the side wall18.

As briefly discussed above, the coffee pod10is configured to be assembled prior to shipping, storage, and use. To prepare the coffee pod10, the cup12can be formed in any suitable fashion, including thermoforming and the like. The filter22can then be inserted and adhered within the cup12. As shown, the filter22can be sized to have a diameter larger than a diameter of the cup12. In the illustrated form, the filter22is cut to a disk-shape having a diameter between about 1.5 and 3 times larger than the diameter of the cup12, and more preferably about 2 times larger. As such, when the filter22is inserted or otherwise forced into the interior20of the cup12, such as using a mandrel the filter22forms a cup shape within the cup12. An outer edge portion62of the filter22is adhered or otherwise attached to the sloped wall portion32so that an interior portion64of the filter can hang downward within the interior20of the cup12. For example, the mandrel used to insert the filter22and form its cup shape can apply heat to adhere the filter22. By one approach, the filter22and cup sidewall18can be sized so that a lowermost point66of the filter22is spaced from the cup bottom wall16. Alternatively, the filter22can be sized so that it reaches the bottom wall16when it is secured within the cup12.

After the filter22is secured to the cup12, flavoring material68, such as coffee grounds, instant coffee, tea leaves, herbs, spices, or other natural or unnatural flavoring materials, is deposited into the cup interior20so that the flavoring material68is received within the suspended filter22. The cup12, filter22, and amount of flavoring material68can advantageously be sized and configured according to the end amount of beverage that is desired. Additionally, in one form, the level of flavoring material68received within cup12preferably does not rest above the sloped wall portion32and the outer edge62of the filter22secured thereto. Finally, the cover14can be sealed to the cup flange26to seal the flavoring material68inside of the cup interior20.

Turning now to details of the use of the coffee pod10, which are shown inFIG. 9, the coffee pod10is configured to be loaded into in a suitable coffee machine. The coffee machine punctures the coffee pod10through the cover14with an inlet tube or pipe70that, in one form, is configured to deliver hot water to the cup interior20. The pipe70can be fitted with a sprayer72or other delivery mechanism to spray the flavoring material68with hot water.

In order to deliver or deposit the resulting beverage, such as coffee in the illustrated form, to a mug or other receptacle, the cup bottom wall16is pierced by one or more outlet instruments or needles78so that the beverage74can drain downwardly out the pod10through an opening82created by the needle78. In the illustrated form, the bottom wall16is pierced by a single shaft78with a sharpened end80.

Piercing the bottom wall16creates a compression force on the pod10which can undesirably cause the sidewall18to buckle or otherwise deform. In such a case, the opening resulting from the piercing can be undesirably irregular or the buckled sidewall18can interfere with the creation of a desirable beverage. In order to minimize the occurrence of buckling, the pod foot52described herein is configured to resist the compression forces from piercing.

Simply increasing the thickness of the sidewall18and/or bottom wall16is not satisfactory because it increases the costs of production as well as creating the possibility of sidewall-to-sidewall friction between stacked cups. Also, simply increasing the thickness of the sidewall18and bottom wall16will not provide desired results because a larger piercing force is required for a thicker bottom wall16necessitating increased strength against buckling.

Instead, as shown in FIG,7, the geometry of the foot52can be configured to resist buckling. More specifically, the sidewall18has a slightly larger thickness than the bottom wall16such that the pierce force of the bottom wall16is less than to the force required to buckle the sidewall18as a result of a compression force applied to the bottom wall16. The side wall bottom wall portion46can extend inwardly from the bottom wall16at between 0 and 10 degrees from vertical, and more specifically between 1 and 5 degrees. In the illustrated form, the bottom wall portion46extends at about 2 degrees from vertical. Additionally, the bottom wall portion46can have a height that is between about 11% and about 20% of a total height of the sidewall, and specifically between about 14% and 17% of a total height of the sidewall18, and more specifically about 15% of a total height of the sidewall18. In the illustrated form, the sidewall18is about 44 mm and the bottom wall portion46is about 7 mm. In other forms, the bottom wall portion46can be between 5 mm and 9 mm.

Moreover, the location on the bottom wall16for piercing also factors into the forces created during piercing. The raised interior region58is configured to be pierced rather than the outer annular ring60. More specifically, the bottom wall16is configured to be pierced by the needle78off-center in a ring portion84. In the illustrated form, the bottom wall16is about 35.3 mm in diameter and the ring portion has an outer diameter of about 29 mm and an inner diameter of about 11 mm. In practice, an inner radial surface of the piercing opening is spaced from a center of the bottom wall16between about 9.5 mm and 12.7 mm. Additionally, the needle78can have a diameter of about 2.5 mm.

Given the nature of mass-producing plastic containers, the thickness of the sidewall18and bottom wall16of the cups can have slight variations. Accordingly, the cup10as described herein is advantageously designed so that a ratio of the thickness of the sidewall bottom portion46generally in the area marked by X inFIG. 2and the thickness of the bottom wall generally in the area marked by Y inFIG. 4, X:Y, can have an average greater than 1, so that, on average, the sidewall bottom portion46has a greater thickness than the bottom wall portion16in the areas indicated by X and Y. In one form, the thickness ratio of X:Y preferably has an average between about 0.99 and 1.05, and more preferably between 1.01 and 1.03. In such cases, the standard device of the thickness ratio X:Y can be between 0.13 and 0.15. Stated in a different way, the thickness ratio X:Y can be within the range of 0.63 and 1.68, specifically within the range of 0.71 and 1.32.