Container pods and lids for generating filled beverage pods for use in single serve beverage brewing machines

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to container pods and associated lids for filling with beverage materials for use in single serving beverage brewers. Such pods and lids have complementary features that provide benefits when used with beverage material filling machines. The pods and lids may be nested for storage and/or use in beverage pod filling devices.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A beverage pod and lid combination comprising:
 a. a beverage pod container comprising:
 i. a rim extending past a sidewall of the beverage pod container, wherein the rim has an upper side and a lower side; 
 ii. the sidewall, wherein an inner portion of a top portion of the sidewall is configured with an angle (a) greater than zero, thereby providing a tapered section for at least part of an inner container sidewall; and 
 iii. a bottom; and 
   b. a lid comprising:
 i. a rim comprising an edge, a top side, and a bottom side; and 
 ii. a sidewall extending below the rim tapered at about the angle (α); 
   
       wherein the angle (α) is substantially the same for each of the beverage pod container and the lid, and wherein an outer lid sidewall forms a tapered complementary fit with the tapered section of the inner container sidewall when the lid is applied to the beverage pod container with pressure. 
     
     
         2 . The beverage pod and lid combination of  claim 1 , wherein the angle (α) is from about 2 degrees to about 10 degrees. 
     
     
         3 . The beverage pod and lid combination of  claim 1 , wherein the sidewall of the lid comprises an inner sidewall, thereby providing an opening in the lid to which a covering is affixed to the rim, and wherein the covering is pierceable by a needle. 
     
     
         4 . The beverage pod and lid combination of  claim 3 , wherein the covering is affixed to a bottom side of the rim. 
     
     
         5 . The beverage pod and lid combination of  claim 1 , wherein the lid is not configured to engage with an outer side of the rim of the beverage pod container. 
     
     
         6 . The beverage pod and lid combination of  claim 1 , wherein the lid is not attached to the beverage pod container via a hinge. 
     
     
         7 . The beverage pod and lid combination of  claim 1 , wherein the sidewall of the beverage pod container comprises one or more raised areas in the top portion and the outer sidewall of the lid comprises complementary indentations configured to deform when the lid is removed from the container after the lid is seated on the beverage pod container. 
     
     
         8 . A beverage pod container nested assembly comprising a plurality of unfilled beverage pod containers wherein each of the stacked containers comprises:
 a. a rim extending past a sidewall of the container, wherein the rim has an upper side and a lower side;   b. the sidewall, wherein an inner portion of a top portion of the sidewall is configured with an angle (α) greater than zero, thereby providing a tapered section for at least part of an inner container sidewall; and   c. a bottom;   
       wherein a separation distance measured between the upper side or the lower side of each rim of adjacent containers in the stacked configuration is approximately equidistant. 
     
     
         9 . The beverage pod container nested assembly of  claim 8 , wherein the angle (α) is from about 2 degrees to about 10 degrees. 
     
     
         10 . The beverage pod container nested assembly of  claim 8 , wherein the sidewall of each container comprises one or more raised areas in the top portion of the sidewall. 
     
     
         11 . A beverage pod lid nested assembly comprising a plurality of lids configured for a beverage pod container, wherein each of the lids comprises:
 i. a rim comprising an edge, a top side, and a bottom side; and   ii. a sidewall extending below the rim tapered at an angle (α) greater than zero;   
       wherein a separation distance measured between the top side or the bottom side of rims of adjacent lids in the nested assembly is approximately equidistant. 
     
     
         12 . The beverage pod container nested assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the angle (α) is from about 2 degrees to about 10 degrees. 
     
     
         13 . The beverage pod lid nested assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the sidewall of each lid comprises an inner sidewall, thereby providing an opening in each lid to which a covering is affixed to the rim, and wherein the covering is pierceable by a needle. 
     
     
         14 . The beverage lid nested assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the covering is affixed to the bottom side of the rim. 
     
     
         15 . The beverage pod lid nested assembly of  claim 11 , wherein each lid is not configured to cover the top portion of the rim of a complementary beverage pod container. 
     
     
         16 . The beverage pod lid nested assembly of  claim 11 , wherein each lid is not attached to a complementary beverage pod container via a hinge. 
     
     
         17 . The beverage pod lid nested assembly of  claim 11 , wherein an outer sidewall of the lid comprises indentations configured to deform when the lid is removed from a beverage pod container after the lid is seated on the beverage pod container.