Beverage Capsule

Abstract

Single-serve ingredient packages made from materials which are biodegradable and compostable and which are derived from readily renewable resources environmentally advantageous and may be used to brew beverages such as coffee, tea, and cocoa; the capsule comprising an outer sleeve, a cup disposed in the outer sleeve, a multilayered filtering element disposed in the cup that divides the interior space of the cup into first and second chambers, a lid that hermetically seals the first chamber of the cup, and a beverage medium that is disposed within the first chamber of the cup.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A beverage capsule comprising:
 (a) a cup comprising a rim that circumscribes an opening, a base, and a sidewall that extends between the base and the rim;   (b) a filtering element received into the cup, the filtering element comprising a rim that circumscribes an opening, a base, and a sidewall extending there between, the sidewall having a first section that is coupled to one or more crests of the cup sidewall and a second section terminating at the base, the second section comprising at least a portion that is inwardly tapered, the base of the filtering element being coupled to the base of the cup, and the rim of the filtering element being coupled to the rim of the cup, the filtering element dividing the cup into a first chamber and a second chamber;   (c) a beverage ingredient received into the first chamber of the cup; and   (d) a cover coupled to the filtering element rim and covering the filtering element opening, thereby sealing the beverage ingredient within the beverage capsule, the cover being pierceable.   
     
     
         2 . The beverage capsule according to  claim 1 , further comprising an outer sleeve that covers the cup. 
     
     
         3 . The beverage capsule according to  claim 2 , wherein the outer sleeve is made of a biodegradable material. 
     
     
         4 . The beverage capsule according to  claim 3 , wherein the biodegradable material is selected from the group consisting of: bamboo, sugarcane, bagasse, straw, switchgrass, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The beverage capsule according to  claim 1 , wherein the cup, the filtering element, and the cover is made of a biodegradable material. 
     
     
         6 . The beverage capsule according to  claim 5 , wherein the biodegradable material is selected from the group consisting of polylactic acid, crystallized polylactic acid, a polylactic aliphatic copolymer derived from a readily renewable resource, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The beverage capsule according to  claim 6 , wherein the readily renewable resource is corn starch or sugar cane. 
     
     
         8 . The beverage capsule according to  claim 5 , wherein the cover is formed by extruding polylactic acid onto a cellulose-based paper stock. 
     
     
         9 . The beverage capsule according to  claim 1 , wherein the filtering element is made from two or more filtering sheets, each sheet comprising a grain pattern, wherein the grain patterns of the two or more filtering sheets are oriented relative to one another in a non-parallel arrangement. 
     
     
         10 . The beverage capsule according to  claim 9 , wherein the grain patterns of the two or more filtering sheets are oriented orthogonal to one another. 
     
     
         11 . The beverage capsule according to  claim 1 , wherein the filtering element is unwoven. 
     
     
         12 . The beverage capsule according to  claim 1 , wherein the filtering element is undrawn. 
     
     
         13 . A method of manufacturing a beverage capsule, comprising:
 (a) providing a cup comprising a rim that circumscribes an opening, a base, and a sidewall that extends between the base and the rim;   (b) inserting a filtering element into the cup, the filtering element comprising:
 (i) a rim that circumscribes an opening; 
 (ii) a base; and 
 (iii) a sidewall extending there between, the sidewall having a first section and a second section, the second section terminating at the base and having at least a portion that is inwardly tapered; 
   (c) coupling: (i) the filtering rim to the cup rim; (ii) one or more crests of the cup sidewall to the filtering element; and (iii) the base of the filtering element to the base of the cup; the filtering element separating the cup into a first chamber and a second chamber;   (d) disposing a beverage ingredient into the first chamber of the cup; and   (e) sealing the beverage capsule with a lid.   
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 13 , wherein the coupling is by heat sealing or sonic welding. 
     
     
         15 . A cartridge for use in forming a beverage, the cartridge comprising:
 an outer sleeve with sidewalls diverging upwardly from an opening at the base to an upper rim and an opening;   an inner cup comprised of crystallized polylactic acid (CPLA);   a lid comprised of PLA extruded onto a cellulose-based paper stock that is welded to the uppermost rim of the container; and   a filter element comprised of two or more permeable sheets of unwoven and undrawn PLA which are layered such that their grains lie perpendicular to each other (straight grain and cross grain), die cut and pressed into a heated male/female mold, the resulting frustoconical/conical filter element includes incongruent folds along its sides which are laminated in place during the molding process, the upper portion of said filter element is frustoconical and coincident with the sidewalls of the sleeve and the lower portion of said filter element tapers gradually into a substantially cone shaped bottom, said filter element spaced vertically from the container bottom wall.   
     
     
         16 . A method of manufacturing a cartridge for use with a beverage brewing machine, comprising:
 attaching the upper rim of the filter by either heat sealing or sonic welding, to the uppermost rim of the sleeve, which is itself welded to the outer fiber container;   welding the filter element to the upper portion of the sleeve sidewall;   subdividing the interior space of the container through the use of a filter into two distinct chambers such that when liquid enters first chamber of the interior space (e.g. that interacts with beverage medium), it flows through the filter element and toward the second chamber; and   providing a beverage medium arranged to interact with liquid introduced into the container to form a beverage.   
     
     
         17 . A method of utilizing a cartridge for making a beverage, comprising:
 a lid attached to the uppermost rim of the container is pierced by the upper piercing element to allow heated liquid to enter the first chamber for infusion with the beverage medium;   a container is pierced at the bottom by a piercing element to allow the beverage medium to exit the cartridge;   a filter element, vertically spaced from the bottom of the container, safeguards the filter from being inadvertently punctured by the piercing element during the brewing process;   wherein the beverage machine is arranged so that the mixture or solution then exits the second chamber through the base via the extractor into a coffee mug or the like so that the beverage may be consumed.