Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Description
The invention relates to a portion capsule which is
filled with pulverulent or liquid beverage base
materials and is intended for contents extraction by
way of an extraction liquid and for preparing a
beverage in a beverage-making machine according to the
preamble of Claim 1.
Such portion capsules, which are filled with a certain
quantity of pulverulent or liquid beverage base
materials, are used in beverage-making machines, in
particular espresso machines.
The prior art is constituted by portion capsules which
comprise a cup which is deep-drawn from aluminium foil,
and of which the open, filling side is closed in an
air-tight and aroma-tight manner by an aluminium foil,
or a cup which is thermoformed from plastics material,
and of which the open, filling side is closed by a
plastics-material film, or a plastics-material cup
which is produced by injection moulding, and of which
the open, filling side is closed likewise by a
plastics-material film or aluminium foil.
For preparing a beverage, the respective portion
capsule is introduced into an open brewing or
preparation chamber of a beverage-making machine, this
chamber comprising a first, fixed chamber part, which
is provided with opening means for opening the portion
capsule for beverage-discharge purposes and is
connected in a fluid-channelling manner to a structure
for the outflow of the beverage, and also comprising a
second chamber part, which can be moved horizontally or
vertically in relation to the first chamber part, is
connected in a fluid-channelling manner, in order for
the portion capsule to be supplied with the extraction
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liquid, to an extraction-liquid-feeding subassembly and
is provided with piercing means for opening the portion
unit, wherein the movable chamber part opens the
chamber in order for the portion capsule to be
accommodated and closes the chamber in order for the
portion capsule to have its contents extracted.
A beverage-making machine which corresponds to the
prior art, and is provided with a brewing or
preparation chamber for the use of portion capsules
produced from an aluminium foil, has a checking device
which checks whether a portion capsule is located in
the brewing or preparation chamber and whether the
brewing or preparation chamber is closed. For this
purpose, the movable bell-like brewing- or preparation-
chamber part, in which the base part of the portion-
capsule cup is located when the brewing or preparation
chamber is closed, contains at least two electrical
contacts which are electrically insulated from one
another and from the brewing or preparation chamber,
form the ends of an open control circuit of a control
device and, with a portion capsule located in the
brewing or preparation chamber and the latter being
closed, are in electrically conductive contact with the
electrically conductive portion capsule and close the
control circuit for the control device by means of the
electrically conductive portion capsule. The control
device initiates beverage preparation only when an
electrically conductive portion capsule is located in
the brewing or preparation chamber and the brewing or
preparation chamber is closed.
Since portion capsules consisting of aluminium are
relatively difficult to recycle, it would be
advantageous for portion capsules for beverage-making
machines which are provided with a brewing or
preparation chamber for the use of portion capsules
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produced from an aluminium foil to be produced from a
recyclable or biodegradable plastics material, which,
in addition to the ecological advantage, would have the
advantage of more favourable production costs for the
portion capsule. However, since the beverage-making
machines described start a preparation cycle only when
an electrically conductive portion capsule is located
in the brewing or preparation chamber, it would not be
possible to use such plastics-material portion capsules
in these machines.
It is an object of the invention to present a
recyclable portion capsule which consists of plastics
material and/or electrically non-conductive material,
is cost-effective to produce and can be used in a
beverage-making machine which is provided with a
brewing or preparation chamber which closes a control
circuit for a control device, in order to start a
preparation cycle, only by means of the electrical
conductivity of the portion capsule.
The object is achieved by a portion capsule having the
features indicated in Claim 1. Expedient configurations
of the invention are described in the dependent claims.
The invention proposes that a portion capsule
consisting of electrically non-conductive material be
provided, in part, with at least one electrically
conductive zone such that, with the portion capsule
located in the brewing or preparation chamber of a
beverage-making machine and with the brewing or
preparation chamber being closed, the electrical
contacts of a control unit which are arranged in the
brewing or preparation chamber are in electrically
conductive contact with the electrically conductive
zone of the portion capsule and close a control
circuit.
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The invention is illustrated in 10 figures.
Figure 1 shows, in perspective, a
cup-like portion
capsule which consists of an electrically
non-conductive material and of which the cup
base side is provided with an electrically
conductive coating.
Figure la shows the side view of the portion capsule
from Figure 1.
Figure 2 shows, in perspective, a cup-like portion
capsule which consists of an electrically
non-conductive material and has an
electrically conductive foil applied to its
cup base side.
Figure 2a shows the side view of the portion capsulefrom Figure 2.
Figure 3 shows, in perspective, a
cup-like portion
capsule which consists of an electrically
non-conductive material and of which the cup
base side is formed by an electrically
conductive foil.
Figure 3a shows, in partially cut-away form, the side
view of the portion capsule from Figure 3.
Figure 4 shows, in perspective, a
cup-like portion
capsule which is produced from electrically
non-conductive material using plastics
injection moulding and has an electrically
conductive inlay injected into the cup base
side.
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Figure 4a shows, in partially cut-away form, the side
view of the portion capsule from Figure 4.
Figure 5 shows, in perspective, a cup-like portion
capsule which consists of an electrically
non-conductive material and of which the cup
base side consists, in part, of an
electrically conductive plastics material.
Figure 5a shows the side view of the portion capsule
from Figure 5.
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List of designations
1 Plastics-material portion capsule
2 Cup base side of the portion capsule
3 Filling side of the portion capsule
4 Cup periphery of the portion capsule
Lid closure
6 Electrically conductive coating
7 Electrically conductive foil
8 Electrically conductive foil
9 Electrically conductive inlay
Electrically conductive plastics material
