Better Flavor Extraction from Coffee Pods: Filter Designs

A coffee powder filter cup for a coffee machine with a simplified manufacturing process that improves the coffee brewing quality compared to traditional filter cups. The filter cup has a bottom wall with apertures formed by laser processing instead of punching. The laser apertures have extending portions with widths of 0.05-0.4 mm and lengths of 0.2-2.0 mm. This allows straight, consistent walls compared to punched holes. The thicker wall thickness of 0.7-1.5 mm reduces the risk of clogging and over-extraction during brewing.

Portion capsule for brewing beverages like coffee using a capsule system. The capsule has a base element, cover element, interior space with extraction material, and a filter element made of an open-pore foam material. The foam filter separates the extraction material from the capsule base. The foam filter allows brewed beverage extraction without piercing or tearing the capsule. It simplifies capsule design and production compared to prior filters. The foam filter is inexpensive, easy to produce, and environmentally friendly. The foam filter prevents coffee grounds from entering the brewed beverage.

Portion capsule for making beverages like coffee with a filter element made of a non-woven fabric that is formed using deep drawing or molding techniques. The filter element is inserted into the capsule and secured to the capsule body. This allows creating a custom-shaped filter inside the capsule instead of using a separate filter holder. The deep drawing process forms the flat filter into a 3D shape to fit inside the capsule. The molded filter prevents clogging while allowing dissolution of the beverage particles. The deep drawing also allows making the filter elastic to resist perforation by the brewing device. The filter element can be attached to the capsule by sealing to prevent movement during brewing.

Capsule for coffee machines with improved extraction characteristics. The capsule contains a mixture of non-compacted coffee powder and compacted pellets. The pellets are larger than the capsule interior diameter to prevent flow issues. The pellets delay extraction compared to fine powder, providing a more intense coffee with similar total solids. The mixture allows adjusting extraction kinetics and intensity without increasing powder weight.

Capsule design for brewing beverages like coffee using extractable products like ground coffee. The capsule has a unique filter design that improves extraction efficiency and reduces beverage loss. The filter has an annular reinforcing portion adjacent to the cup wall, with apertures between the reinforcing portions covered by a thinner filter membrane. This configuration allows the filter to be positioned inside the capsule with the membrane between the filter and the cup wall. This reduces stress on the filter during extraction and prevents large voids that can waste beverage volume and affect quality.

A filter capsule for secondary filtration of extracted coffee to remove suspended particles and oils from pressure-extracted coffee. The capsule has a housing with a bottom, side wall, and cover that contains at least one filter element. The capsule can be used to process coffee from a brewing strainer to create a new filtered coffee with lower particle content.

A filter for preparing coffee or infusions that prevents air from being trapped inside the cup during brewing. The filter has a close-fitting edge around the cup rim to prevent air from entering as the water fills the filter. However, as the water level rises, it pushes the filter down slightly to allow air to escape outside the cup. This prevents air from being trapped inside the cup during brewing, which can lead to weak or cold coffee.

Portion capsule for making beverages like coffee that has a unique filter element design to reduce brewing pressure requirements and simplify production. The capsule has a base, side wall, lid, and filter element inside. The filter has a cutout section with no filtering material. This allows water to flow more easily through the capsule during brewing, reducing the needed pump pressure. The filter cutout area is sealed between the capsule body and lid. The capsule is made by forming the filter material and connecting it to the capsule base using ultrasonic sealing. This allows tensioning and shaping the filter during production.

Single-serve coffee pod that allows easy recycling and reduces clogging issues. The pod has a container with a separable rim that can be peeled away during brewing to create a gap for the beverage to drain. This prevents contamination from using the same outlet needle for different flavors. The separable rim also allows recycling the container without removing the filter. The pod has a filter with a pocket to hold the coffee grounds. The lid seals the pod and the brewing process involves injecting hot water through the lid to extract the coffee. When brewed vertically, the base is pierced. When brewed horizontally, the gap forms and beverage drains through it.

Beverage capsule with improved filter assembly alignment for consistent brew quality. The capsule has a registration element coupled to the filter web. This element temporarily engages the filter formation tool during assembly. It aligns the filter precisely in the container. The registration element has complementary features to the tool. It prevents the filter from shifting during assembly. This ensures consistent wall height and prevents contamination issues. The registration element is made of a material like polylactic acid. It can be welded to the filter web. The registration element can also have protrusions or indentations to guide the filter into the capsule. This prevents the filter from being too high or too low.

Thermoformable non-woven fabric for coffee capsules that has appropriate mechanical properties for capsule filters while being compostable. The non-woven is made from bicomponent fibers with a PLA core and PLA shell containing a plasticizer. The core-shell structure allows thermoforming to create deeper filter elements without breaking. The PLA composition provides elongation properties suitable for capsule filters. The thermoformable non-woven is compostable and can replace plastic-based filters.

Compostable single-serve beverage pod for use in coffee machines that has increased beverage volume compared to conventional pods to optimize beverage strength and flavor. The pod design includes a toroidal-shaped receiving portion at the bottom that surrounds the piercing element of the coffee machine. This allows the pod to have a larger chamber for beverage material without the risk of the piercing element damaging the filter. The toroidal shape avoids contact with the piercing element while still allowing extraction through the filter. This maximizes the amount of beverage material in the pod, providing higher concentration and flavor compared to pods with reduced volume chambers to prevent piercing element damage. The compostable pod material allows for composting of the entire pod, reducing waste.

A biodegradable single-serve coffee pod that allows gravity brewing with low water pressure like traditional coffee drip brewing. The pod has two layers of biodegradable filter material sealed around the coffee powder. An internal injector device inside the pod has vertical slots on its sides. When the pod is placed in a brewing machine, water enters through the slots and disperses into the coffee powder, mimicking the gravity flow of drip brewing. The injector keeps the layers spaced apart and prevents the pod from collapsing during brewing.

Double-walled coffee filter for machines that simplifies assembly, disassembly, and cleaning compared to prior art filters. The filter has a cup-shaped body, removable filter wall, seal, and tightening member. The tightening member has a bayonet-type connection to the body with tongues in slots. This replaces the prior multi-piece coupling member. The seal is fixed between the wall and body, and a disk on the tightening member seals against the wall. This allows easier assembly/disassembly and prevents disassembly during use. The tightening member also has a small dispensing hole facing the body to allow brewed coffee flow.

Preparing coffee-based beverages that can be used for human consumption. The preparation comprises a capsule that has a simple structure, is inexpensive and reliable, and is designed to enable preparation of a beverage of a filter-coffee type, or distinguished by a taste and/or an organoleptic result that are/is similar to that of filter coffee and presents an adequate quality.

A portion capsule for making beverages like coffee, tea, and cocoa that prevents foam formation in the beverage while still allowing extraction. The capsule has a multi-layered filter element with an inner layer made by hot air spinning. This layer connects the outer layers and provides retention. The outer layers are nonwoven materials made from plastic fibers. The inner spinning layer prevents clogging and foam while the nonwoven layers provide strength. The capsule base has a convexity that receives the perforation tool to pierce the capsule without fully penetrating the filter. The filter is raised centrally but fastened peripherally to prevent slipping. The capsule also has a sealed exit with a tear-off tab for easy use.

Beverage cartridge with a filter coating to prevent punctures during extraction and increase beverage strength. The cartridge has a filter separating two compartments, one with the beverage medium and the other for finished beverage. A coating on the filter material increases puncture resistance to prevent extraction needles from piercing the filter and leaking beverage. This allows higher pressure extraction and contact time for stronger beverages without risk of leakage.

Filter for a coffee machine that prevents clogging and improves cleaning of the dispensing chamber. The filter has a cup body with a dispensing hole, a separating filtering wall between an upper chamber for coffee powder and a lower dispensing chamber, and an inner filtering element protecting the dispensing hole. The inner filter element overlaps the hole to prevent particles from entering. This allows fast coffee flow with turbulence to create foam, while the inner filter prevents obstruction. The removable outer filter wall can be cleaned separately.

Beverage capsules, brewing systems, and making processes that optimize filtration for better tasting beverages. The capsules have a filter cup with a unique shape and texture that prevents tunneling and allows thorough extraction of the beverage ingredients. The brewing systems have a filter basket with a similar shape and texture. The capsule and basket designs slow down the flow of liquid through the filter and mix it better with the ingredients. This improves flavor extraction compared to conventional capsules and brewers that quickly tunnel through the grounds.

Coffee filter capsule that provides improved crema extraction and filtering versus reusable capsules. The capsule has a cup body with a cover that contains a pressurizing piece above a filter holder and filter sheet. Water is inletted through the bottom and pressurized by the piece during brewing. The pressure helps extract crema while filtering the coffee.