Patent Publication Number: US-2007110852-A1

Title: System and method for packaging coffee or tea

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      This invention relates to systems and methods for packing, and more particularly, to systems and methods for packaging coffee and/or tea.  
      Coffee and tea, a filtered particulate most often used to flavor hot water, has been packaged in various forms, including in cans under vacuum, in sachets, in woven or cellulous filters, and canvas and/or paper sacks, among other means.  
      These prior art means are adequate to transport the particulate to the final point of use. However, such methods fail in preserving the freshness and flavor of such particulate. This is primarily because prolonged exposure to air causes oxidization which often has an undesirable effect on the taste of the beverage made using the particulate. Means have been devised to attempt to limit this oxidation, including, for example, canning the particulate under a vacuum to minimize the amount of air in contact with the particulate, and hermetically sealing the particulate in a CO 2  atmosphere. However, the method of packaging using a vacuum tends to draw (i.e., vacuum) the flavor out of the particulate, and the packing in a CO 2  atmosphere at ambient pressure does not adequately preserve the flavor of the particulate.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,780 to Hargraves et al, the content of which is incorporated by reference hereto, describes a container for packaging coffee which is to be packed quickly after roasting, and comprises a semi-rigid, substantially gas impervious container capable of withstanding the pressures generated by the release of gases from the coffee in the container. However, this system does not provide for dispensing of the particulate in quantities that better correspond to the immediate demand because once opened, the entire contents, even that which will not be immediately used, begins to oxidize. Further, the Hargraves device includes an elaborate and complicated way of dealing with the aspiration of the particulate upon opening of a pressurized container.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,291 to Daniel, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference thereto, provides a package such as a cylindrical can for containing a particulate product under pressure. This device also includes a rather elaborate device for releasing the pressure without ejecting particulate when opened using a can opener for example.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,662 to Payne et al, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference thereto, provides a package containing particulate product under pressure which releases upon opening with an ordinary can opener. This device too uses a rather complicated system to prevent particulate from being aspirated out of the can on opening and into the ambient air.  
      Nestle S A of Vevey, Switzerland offers a product under the trademark “NETSPRESSO”™, which preserves ground coffee is an aluminum, hermetically sealed capsule. Nestle&#39;s promotional material asserts that when ground coffee is contained in the freshness of the coffee is preserved for  6  months, which is considerably longer than the normal period of oxidation of freshly ground coffee, normally considered to be about three days. However, this system does not include packaging the ground coffee under pressure, although some pressure may be present in the capsule due to differential cooling after sealing.  
      What is needed is a system and method capable of storing particulate under pressure in quantities that permit more discrete dispensing of the particulate, and which also avoid the aspiration of the particulate on opening.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      A system and method for packaging coffee or tea is provided. The packaging system includes a two-piece can into which a pouch of filter material, filled with the particulate, is inserted. The pouch is optionally inserted into a first cup-shaped piece of the can, under pressure and then the can sealed by sealingly attaching a second, disk-shaped piece of the can over an opening, thus substantially retaining the pressure through transportation until such time as the can is opened by the user. In an embodiment of the packaging system, multiple cans may be stored in a transparent, semi-rigid sleeve, stacked lengthwise, one on top of the other.  
      In another feature, the sleeve can be made of two telescoping sleeves, each having a shoulder portion, so as to retain the number of cans remaining, and thus not taking up as much space.  
      In another feature, the sleeve can be printed thereon and thus include further information about the particulate and the advantages of the packing system itself.  
      In another feature, the sleeve stores cans as well as cups for drinking coffee or tea.  
      An object of the invention is to permit the storage of particulate under pressure in quantities that permit more discrete dispensing of the particulate, and which also avoid the aspiration of the particulate on opening. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a partial cross-sectional view of the package of the invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a partial cutaway, perspective view of the disk-shaped top of the package of the invention.  
       FIG. 3A  is a side view of a packaging system of the invention.  
       FIG. 3B  is a cross section view of the system shown in  FIG. 3A , along line A-A.  
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an alternate packaging system of the invention.  
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing a method of use of the invention.  
       FIG. 6  is a process flow chart of a method of making the package of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a package  10  for packaging coffee or tea particulate  12  is provided. The package  10  includes (a) a pouch  14  filled with particulate  12 ; and (b) a two-piece, pressurizable can  16 . The can  16  is preferably substantially of known form, drawing its basic shape (in particular, diameter and end forms) and composition (aluminum or steel or other alloys) from standards in producing common pressurized beverage cans well known in the art. Although the can  16  has a diameter and profile consistent with standards for two piece beverage cans having a first, cup-shaped portion  20  with an opening  21 , and a second disk-shaped portion  22  for covering the opening, the amount of material to be extruded will vary from the standard as the height of the preferred can is significantly less than the standard, being reduced to from approximately 3.5 cm to 4.5 cms. Use of a standard diameter and form permits the application of commonly known and proven methods of manufacturing for such cans  16 . The pouch  14  is packaged inside the cup-shaped portion  20  and sealed therein by the second disk-shaped portion  22  so as to contain the pouch. Optionally, the pouch  14  is sealed in a CO 2  environment under pressures significantly exceeding  1  atmosphere of pressure.  
      The particulate  12  is contained in the pouch  14  so as to be sealed in the pouch. The pouch  14  is made of filter material  26  of porous paper, cellulous, or woven materials, constructed of material of sufficient thickness and using seaming technology that produces a seam  30  sufficiently strong to withstand the stresses induced upon opening the package  10 . Seaming technology such as ultrasonic stitching or the like, or use of a threaded stitch, are suitable. Further, to minimize the likelihood of a burst seam  30  causing the ejection of particulate  12 , the pouch  14  is placed in the can so that only an unseamed area  32  is adjacent the opening.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 2 , the disk-shaped portion  22  of the can  16  includes a device  34  enabling the opening of the can, as well as an interfacing sealable edge  36 , potentially with a rolled-over portion  40  (shown best by break-away portion of the disk), so as to permit connection to and sealing with the cup-shaped portion  20  of the can  16 . Optionally, the device  34  comprises a high-stress inducing handle or tab portion  42  connected near the edge of an area  44  of the disk which is circumscribed by a reduced thickness portion  46  of material. In such a device  34 , lifting of the tab  42  induces stress after a stress-inducing movement of the tab is made, so as to initiate a rupture in the reduced thickness portion  46  of the material and to provide any pressurized air with an opportunity to escape. The reduced thickness portion  46  causes peeling back of the circumscribed area  44  along an opening path that, after opening is complete, creates an opening sufficiently large to enable the pouch  14  to be removed from the can  16  without difficulty. Optionally, to facilitate recycling, the tab  42  and panel  44  removed from the disk-shaped portion  22  to create the opening remains attached to the can  16  via a non-reduced thickness or only marginally reduced thickness portion  50  (shown by dashed lines) connected to a rim  52  of the disk-shaped portion  22 .  
      In a preferred embodiment, existing two-piece can technology for making liquid filled beverage cans is used. The cans  16  are ideally cylindrical, about 4.5 cm in length (approximately half the size of the small 7 oz cans offered on airplanes for example) and would each contain 60 grams of ground coffee. This is sufficient for 4 to 6 cups of coffee (at 10-12 grams per 100 milliliters of water).  
      Referring now to  FIGS. 3A and 3B , optionally, the package  10  may itself be packaged together with other such packages, in a system  56  including a sleeve  60 . At least two packages  10  may be inserted inside the sleeve  60 . Each package  10  is stored within the sleeve  60  in a longitudinal orientation.  
      Referring particularly to  FIG. 3B , the sleeve  60  is optionally made of an extruded form having longitudinal, inwardly extending ribs  62  which reduce the maximum internal inscribed diameter so as to cause the ribs to grip against the inserted packages  10 , or other inserted objects such as a cup  64 . The friction created by this interference fit  66  retains the packages  10  within the sleeve  60  yet allows a user to insert a spent package in one end, thus dispensing a new package through the other end of the sleeve for use in brewing coffee or tea. A localized divot  68  can me molded or formed in an end of a rib  62  so as to prevent the can  16  from easily dispensing from the bottom of the sleeve  60 .  
      In one embodiment, the sleeve  60  is transparent and semi-rigid. The transparent feature of the sleeve  60  allows a user to quickly see how many cans  16  are contained within the sleeve. The semi-rigid feature enables the sleeve  60  to be easily crushed or compacted during a recycling operation.  
      In another embodiment, the sleeve  60  is made of the same material as the can  16 , so as to enable used cans to be placed back in the sleeve and the entire assembly to be recycled together.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 4 , in another embodiment of the system  56 ′, the sleeve  60 ′ comprises an inner portion  70  and outer portion  72 . The portions  70  and  72  fit so as to telescope thus enabling adjustment of the height and thus the package storage capacity of the sleeve  60 ′. At least one of the portions  70  or  72  is transparent and cup shaped, having a closed end  76  and an open end  80 . Measuring marks  82  are interspersed along its length, so as to serve as a measuring beaker for liquid, such as water, required for making a desired amount of coffee at a desired strength.  
      The package  10  and the sleeve  60  or sleeve portions  70  or  72  are made of a printable material.  
      In a first method of use, the cans  16  merely contain the pouch  14  of ground coffee or tea until the time of dispensing by a user. The can  16  is opened using the tab or handle  42 , the lid pulled away, the pouch  14  removed and then placed in a drip coffee maker or other known brewing device.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 5 , in a second method of use, the can  16  functions as a cartridge which is placed inside a clamping holder  90  which first seals the ends  92  and  94  of the can against mechanical pressure, and then punctures the ends, thus providing a hot water flow path through the pouch contained in the can. When the cartridge  16  is spend (after having brewed  4  cups of coffee), the clamping holder mechanism  96  is deactivated, and the spent cartridge removed from the brewing device  90 . This way, the need for separate filters is eliminated and the design of the brewing device can be simplified.  
      Now referring to  FIG. 6 , a method  100  of packaging tea or coffee particulate comprises the following steps. In a first step  102 , a filter pouch  14  is filled with particulate  12 . In a second step  104 , the pouch  14  is sealed. In a third step  106 , the pouch  14  is inserted into a first, cup-shaped portion  20  of a two-piece, pressurizable can  16 . In an optional fourth step  110 , the atmosphere local to the can  16  is increased above one atmosphere. The sealing may take place in several similar manners. In a first variation, the can  16  is sealed in a pressurized CO 2  environment, so that, once sealed, the can  16  is pressurized with CO 2  gas. This is made possible by, for example, either locally increasing the pressure in the immediate vicinity of the can by for example, isolating the can in a CO 2  rich, high pressure chamber during the sealing step, by inserting frozen CO 2  pellets  28  in the can prior to sealing, or by injecting the can with high pressure CO 2  after it is sealed. In a fifth step  112 , the pouch  14  is sealed inside the cup-shaped portion  20  by a second disk-shaped portion  22  of the can  16  so as to contain the pouch. In subsequent steps  114 , secondary handling takes place, such as packaging in the system  54  of the invention, printing, and distribution to the ultimate user.  
      Referring to the pressurizing step above involving the insertion of dry ice pellets  28 , the can  16  is charged with a pellet of dry ice (preferred) or other solid or liquefied gas such as liquid nitrogen as it is assembled. By charging the can  16  before sealing, it is possible for the pressure inside the can to build up to superatmospheric pressures as the dry ice sublimates into CO 2  gas, substantially displacing the oxygen in the can. Use of dry ice in this manner is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,620,725, the content of which is incorporated by reference thereto. Further, because the ground coffee is placed in a separate pouch  14 , there is no direct contact between the coffee or tea particulate  12  and the dry ice pellet  28 . Further, the dry ice pellets  28  are conveyed to the can  16  via a number of known procedures, including, for example, that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,888, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference thereto.  
      It should be noted that the can  16  must be capable of withstanding the pressures generated by the Carbon Dioxide diffused/emitted by freshly roasted coffee. The typical two piece beverage is suitable for this purpose, depending on the quantity of roasted coffee stored therein and the temperature at which the can  16  is stored. Technical parameters helpful in determining the amount of coffee which can safely be stored in a common, two piece beverage can, particularly of the single serving size, may be obtained in the article by B. A. Anderson and T. P. Lebuza et al, entitled  The Diffusion Kinetics of Carbon Dioxide in Fresh Roasted and Ground Coffee  (see http://faculty.che.umn.edu/fscn/Ted_Labuza/tpl-coffee.html), the content of which is incorporated by reference thereto. As already noted, it is advantageous to use a standard two-piece beverage can in order to take advantage of the infrastructure in place in the beverage industry to can the particulate and distribute the package  10  of the invention. Further, it should be noted that cooling the package  10  reduces the pressure therein and increases the amount of outgassing due to oxidation that the package can safely withstand. The beverage distribution industry conveniently supports transportation of refrigerated product and thus, provides another basis for using a standard two-piece beverage can.  
      In another feature, the sleeve  60 ,  60 ′ can be printed thereon and thus include further information about the particulate  12  and the advantages of the packing system  56  itself.  
      In another feature, the sleeve  60  stores cans  16  as well as cups  64  for drinking coffee or tea.  
      An object of the invention is to permit the storage of particulate  12  under pressure in quantities that permit more discrete dispensing of the particulate, and which also avoid the aspiration of the particulate upon opening.  
      Multiple variations and modifications are possible in the embodiments of the invention described here. Although certain illustrative embodiments of the invention have been shown and described here, a wide range of modifications, changes, and substitutions is contemplated in the foregoing disclosure. In some instances, some features of the present invention may be employed without a corresponding use of the other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the foregoing description be construed broadly and understood as being given by way of illustration and example only, the spirit and scope of the invention being limited only by the appended claims.