Container With Improved Puncture Design

Abstract

The present description includes containers having an improved puncture design that can be punctured without substantial deformation of the container. Such containers are particularly suitable for use in preparing beverages using automatic machines, particularly those used for preparation of single serve beverages. Also provided are thermoplastic materials having improved punctureability for use in containers, containers for preparation of a beverage, and methods for preparing a beverage using such containers.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A container formed from a thermoplastic material comprising:
 a substantially circular base;   a frustoconically shaped wall extending therefrom and defining a cavity therein; and   a stacking shoulder which intersects and extends laterally from the wall;   wherein the base comprises an outer annular peripheral support structure and optionally an inner annular support structure with a continuous puncture region therebetween, the outer annular peripheral support structure comprising a plurality of recesses therein;   wherein the continuous puncture region is sized and shaped to permit a puncture therein without interference and without substantial deformation of the container; and   wherein the thermoplastic material includes a thermoplastic polymer, a nucleating agent in an amount from about 0.5 to about 5.0% by weight of the thermoplastic material, and a second additive in an amount from about 7.0 to about 25.0% by weight of the thermoplastic material.   
     
     
         2 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic polymer is selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polystyrene, nylon, polyethylene, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic polymer is a polyolefin, the nucleating agent is present in an amount from about 0.5 to about 5.0% by weight of the thermoplastic material, and the second additive is present in an amount from about 7.0 to about 18.0% by weight of the thermoplastic material. 
     
     
         4 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic polymer is a polyolefin, the nucleating agent is present in an amount from about 0.5 to about 2.5% by weight of the thermoplastic material, and the second additive is present in an amount from about 7.0 to about 12.0% by weight of the thermoplastic material. 
     
     
         5 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the second additive is selected from the group consisting of calcium carbonate, talc, clays, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the outer annular peripheral support structure comprises a first outer annular structure and a second outer annular structure positioned inside the first outer annular structure, a first portion of the plurality of recesses being disposed in the first outer annular structure and a second portion of the second outer annular structure. 
     
     
         7 . The container of  claim 6 , wherein the first portion of the plurality of recesses of the first outer annular structure and second portion of the plurality of recesses of the second outer annular structure are offset. 
     
     
         8 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the container is characterized by a container height (h) from the base to the stacking shoulder, a stacking shoulder radius (R 1 ) defined by an inner radius of the container measured at the stacking shoulder, a base radius (R) defined by a an outer radius of a base including the outer annular peripheral support structure, and an approach angle (Φ), having a mathematical relationship:
     h= ( R   1   −R )·tan(90−Φ).
 
 
     
     
         9 . The container of  claim 8 , wherein R 1 >R, R1 is from about 11.0 mm to about 55.0 mm, and R is from about 10.0 mm to about 50.0 mm. 
     
     
         10 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the container is characterized by a radius (R) of the base including the outer annular peripheral support structure, a radius (r) of the base excluding the outer annular peripheral support structure, an inner radius (r 1 ) of the inner annular support structure, an outer radius (r 2 ) of the inner annular support structure, a width (w o ) of the outer annular peripheral support structure, a width (d) of the continuous puncture region, a width (w i ) of the inner annular support structure, and height (t) of the outer annular peripheral support structure, having a mathematical relationship:
     w   o   =R−r          w   i   =r   2   −r   1          d =½· t=r−r   2  
   
     
     
         11 . The container of  claim 10 , wherein r 2 >r 1 , r 1  is from about 0.0 to about 39.0 mm, and r 2 , is from about 0.0 to about 40.0 mm. 
     
     
         12 . The container of  claim 10 , wherein R is from about 10.0 mm to about 50.0 mm and r is from about 9.0 mm to about 49.0 mm. 
     
     
         13 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the outer annular peripheral support structure is characterized by a feature angle (θ o ), a recess angle (θ 1 ), and a number of recesses (n) related by a mathematical relationship:
   θ o =(360÷ n )−θ 1  
 
   0<θ 1 <θ o  
 
 
     
     
         14 . The container of  claim 13 , wherein n is from about 1 to about 50. 
     
     
         15 . The container of  claim 1 , further comprising a feature imprinted on an inner surface of the base, wherein the feature functions to increase the punctureability of the base. 
     
     
         16 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the container has improved punctureability as characterized by a puncture load of less than 6.0 kg. 
     
     
         17 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the container has improved punctureability as characterized by a puncture load of about 2.5 kg to about 5.0 kg. 
     
     
         18 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the container is recycleable. 
     
     
         19 . A container for forming a beverage comprising the container of  claim 1 , and further comprising:
 a filter disposed in the cavity of the container and defining first and second chambers in the cavity;   a beverage medium disposed in the cavity and arranged to interact with a liquid introduced into the container to form a beverage; and   a lid attached to a rim of the container to contain the beverage medium and filter disposed therein.   
     
     
         20 . The container of  claim 19 , wherein the beverage medium comprises coffee grinds, ground tea leaves, chocolate, flavored powder, and combinations thereof.