Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BIODEGRADABLE AND COMPOSTABLE SINGLE-SERVE
BEVERAGE INGREDIENT PACKAGE
CROSS-REFERENCED TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a non-provisional application of
Application No. 61/826,852, filed May 23, 2013 and claims
priority from that application which is also deemed
incorporated by reference in its entirety in this
application.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED
RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a single-serve
beverage ingredient package of the type which may be
used, for example, in a Keurig style coffee brewing
machine. More specifically, the present invention
relates to a beverage package which is entirely
biodegradable and compostable and made from readily
renewable resources.
II. Related Art
Various types of beverage packages for providing one
or more ingredients (such as coffee) are known in the art
and are commercially available. The popularity of such
single-serve beverage ingredient packages has grown
exponentially over the past decade along with the
popularity of single serve brewers such as the coffee
brewers sold under the Keurige trademark. Such beverage
ingredient packages typically hold dry ingredients, such
as coffee, tea, cocoa or the like, for a single beverage
serving. The package is placed into a compartment of a
brewing machine and then penetrated with a fluid injector
and a fluid extractor. A brewing medium, such as hot
water, is then injected into the package such that the
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dry contents of the package are at least partially
dissolved by or form a mixture with the brewing medium.
The solution or mixture is then extracted from the
package, the result being a drinkable beverage such as
coffee, tea, hot cocoa or the like.
The aforementioned beverage packages typically
comprise a container, a filter, and a cover. The
container and filter are typically made from petroleum-
based plastic materials which are neither biodegradable
nor compostable. Such materials are also not made from
readily renewable resources. The cover is typically made
of a metal foil or a metal foil laminate which is glued
to the top of the container. Neither the metal foil of
the cover nor the glue are typically biodegradable,
compostable or made from readily renewable resources.
The aforementioned beverage packages give rise to
significant environmental concerns. First, neither the
container, the filter nor the cover is made from readily
renewable resources. Second, neither the container, the
filter nor the cover is easily recycled. Third, neither
the container, the filter nor the cover is made from
materials which are biodegradable or compostable. As
such, the beverage packages typically end up in landfills
contributing to the environmental concerns associated
with disposal of trash.
In view of the foregoing, there is a real need for a
single-serve beverage ingredient package constructed of
biodegradable and compostable materials made from readily
renewable resources that will achieve acceptable results
when brewing coffee, tea, cocoa or the like in a single-
serve brewer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses the limitation of
prior art single-serve beverage ingredient packages by
providing a cup and a lid, each of which is
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biodegradable and compostable and made of readily
renewable resources such as the fibrous plant materials
available from bamboo, bagasse and other plants which
grow abundantly and more rapidly than trees. Such
materials are processed in a manner which results in a
durable, heat-resistant composition which may be readily
molded into the desired shape of the cup and lid. The
present invention also includes a filter assembly
including one or more layers of biodegradable,
compostable filter paper made from readily renewable
resources coupled to a support ring. The support ring
may be die-cut from a biodegradable, compostable
paperboard or may be formed from a polymer such as a
polylactic acid (PLA) and poly-L-lactide (PLLA). These
polymers are also biodegradable and compostable. The
materials used to form the paperboard, the PLA or the
PLLA are also readily renewable. The support ring has a
diameter adapted to permit the support ring to engage a
ledge formed into the interior of the cup. The support
ring is also formed with a plurality of teeth along the
outer circumference which engage the wall of the cup
adjacent the ledge to prevent the filter from becoming
disengaged from the ledge. As such, only compostable and
biodegradable materials made from readily renewable
resources are employed to form the single-serve beverage
ingredient package.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing features, objects and advantages of
the invention will become apparent to those skilled in
the art from the following detailed description and with
reference to the following drawings in which like
numerals and the several views refer to corresponding
parts.
Fig. 1 is a cross-section of a cup of a single-serve
beverage ingredient package.
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Fig. 2 is a cross-section of a cup and lid of a
single-serve beverage ingredient package.
Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a filter support ring
of a single-serve beverage ingredient package.
Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a piece of filter paper
of a single-serve beverage ingredient package.
Fig. 5 is a cross-section of a filter made of the
filter support ring of Fig. 3 sandwiched between two
pieces of filter paper of the type shown in Fig. 5.
Fig. 6 is a cross-section showing a cup, filter and
lid of a single-serve beverage ingredient package in
assembled relation.
Fig. 7 is a cross-section of an alternative
embodiment of the lid.
Fig. 8 is an exploded cross-section of a filter and
filter support assembly.
Fig. 9 is an exploded cross-section of a lid, cup
and locking ring employed to join the cup and lid
together.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
This description of the preferred embodiment is
intended to be read in connection with the accompanying
drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire
written description of this invention. In the
description, relative terms such as "lower", "upper",
"horizontal", "vertical", "above", "below", "up", "down",
"top" and "bottom", "under", as well as derivatives
thereof (e.g., "horizontally", "downwardly", "upwardly",
"underside", etc.) should be construed to refer to the
orientation as then described or as shown in the drawings
under discussion. These relative terms are for
convenience of description and do not require that the
apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular
orientation. Terms such as "connected", "connecting",
"attached", "attaching", "joined", and "joining" are used
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interchangeably and refer to one structure or surface
being secured to another structure or surface or
integrally fabricated in one piece unless expressly
described otherwise.
A single-serve beverage ingredient packaging
comprising a cup 10, a lid 30 and a filter 50 is
illustrated in the drawings. The cup 10 includes a
generally flat base 12, an upper lip 14 surrounding an
open top 16 and an upstanding side wall 18 extending
between the base 12 and lip 14. The side wall 18
includes a lower section 20 and upper section 22
separated by an inwardly extending shelf or ledge 24.
The side wall 18 surrounds a chamber 26 having an upper
first chamber section 28 between the ledge 24 and the lip
14, a lower second chamber section 29 between the ledge
24 and the base 12. The lower section 20 of the side
wall 18 is shown having an angle with respect to the base
of 98 . The upper section 22 extends at an angle with
respect to the plane defined by the base 12 of 1000.
As shown in Fig. 2, a lid 30 is provided to close
the open top 16 of the cup 10 to seal the chamber 26.
The cover 30 has an outer lip 32 and a center section 34.
Extending between the lip 32 and the center section 34
is a peripheral valley 33 defined by an inner wall 36
extending downwardly from the outer edge of the center
section 34, an outer wall 40 extending downwardly from
the inner edge of the outer lip 32 and a bottom wall 38
joining the bottom of the inner wall 36 and the bottom of
the outer wall 40. The inner wall extends at an angle of
110 from the bottom wall 38. The outside diameter of
the cover, as defined by the outer wall 40, is adapted to
the diameter of the upper section 22 of wall 18 of the
cup 10 such that, when the cover 30 is joined to the cup
10 as shown in Fig. 2, there is a firm frictional fit
which prevents the lid 30 from being accidentally
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dislodged from the cup. A biodegradable, compostable
adhesive made from readily renewable resources may also
be employed to fasten the cover 30 to the cup 10.
As shown in Figs. 3-6, a filter assembly 50 is
provided. The filter assembly 50 includes a support ring
52 best shown in Fig. 3 and at least one filter paper
layer, one of which is shown in Fig. 4. As shown in Fig.
5, the support ring 52 may also be sandwiched between an
upper filtration layer 54 and a lower filtration layer
56. Alternatively, only a single filtration layer 54 may
be employed as shown in Fig. 6.
The support ring, as shown in Fig. 3, has an open
center section 60, an intermediate section 62 and an
outer section comprising at least one member adapted to
engage the side wall 18 of the cup 10 and, preferably, a
plurality of peripheral teeth 64. The filtration layers
54 and 56 completely cover the open center section 60 and
at least a portion of the intermediate section 62.
The support ring may be made of polylactic acid
(PLA), a thermoplastic aliphatic polyester derived from a
readily renewable resource such as corn starch or sugar
cane. Whichever specific polymer (or form thereof) is
used, the polymer should have a melting temperature above
the brewing temperature to be employed. Since most
beverages are brewed at or below 100 C., the boiling
point of water, the melting point of the polymer should
be higher than 100 C.
As such, poly-L-lactide (PLLA) may be employed since
this form of the polymer has a crystallinity of around
37% and a melting temperature of about 175 C. which is
well above the temperature at which coffee, tea, cocoa or
the like are typically brewed. PLA and PLLA not only are
produced from renewable resources, but is also
environmentally friendly because these materials are
readily recycled and are also both biodegradable and
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compostable.
Other materials meeting the temperature and
composting requirements set forth above which are made
from renewable resources may be employed for the filter
support ring without deviating from the invention.
As should be clear from the foregoing, the use of
biodegradable, compostable materials made from readily
renewable resources is a key advantage of the present
invention. As used herein, the term "biodegradable"
means a substance or object capable of being decomposed
by bacteria or other living organisms. The term
"compostable" means a substance that (1) breaks down at
essentially the same rate as paper; (2) disintegrates in
the compost; and (3) does not produce any toxic material
such that the compost can support plant growth. A
resource is "readily renewable" if it is derived from
plant materials which grow abundantly or more rapidly
than trees. Examples of such plant materials include
bamboo or bagasse. A resource which is recycled, such as
paper made from whatever source, is also deemed to be
"readily renewable" because it is abundantly available
and its use will not directly result in the exhaustion of
non-renewable resources such as oil or the harvesting of
trees.
Assembly of the cup 10, filter 50 and lid 30 to form
a single-serve beverage ingredient package is relatively
straightforward and simple. First, the filter 50 is
placed over the cup and lowered until the outer
circumference of the intermediate section 62 of the ring
52 engages (e.g. comes to rest upon) the ledge 24 of the
cup 10 as shown in Fig. 6. As the filter is so lowered
into the cup, the teeth 64 will be deflected upwardly by
the wall 18 of the cup 10. With the filter 50 seated on
or engaging the ledge 24, the teeth 64 press against the
upper section 22 of the wall 18 of the cup 10 to secure
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the filter 50 in place and prevent the filter 50 from
lifting off or disengaging from the ledge 24.
Next, coffee, tea or cocoa or some other dry
ingredient to be brewed is placed in the cup 10 and over
the filter 50 such that the dry ingredient is located in
the first chamber section 28. The filter 50 prevents the
dry ingredient from reaching the lower second chamber
section 29 of cup 10. The term "ingredient" is used
broadly so as to encompass either a single dry ingredient
or a blend or mixture of dry ingredients. Finally, the
lid 30 is secured in place as illustrated in Fig. 6.
When the package described above is used in a brewer
such as those sold by Keurie, the cover 30 is pierced
with an injector and the base 12 is pierced with an
extractor. A fluid brewing medium such as water or the
like is injected through the injector into the upper
first chamber section 28 of cup 10 where it mixes with
and/or dissolves the dry beverage ingredient previously
placed in the cup 10. The mixture or solution then
passes through the upper filtration layer 54, through the
center open section 60 of the filter support ring 52 and
through the lower filtration layer 56 (if a lower
filtration layer has been provided) into the lower second
chamber section 29 of the chamber 26. The undissolved,
unmixed residue of the dry ingredient is retained in the
upper first chamber section 28 of chamber 26 by the
filter 50. The mixture or solution exits the lower
section portion 29 of the chamber through the base 12 via
the extractor and into a coffee mug or the like so that
the beverage may be consumed.
To achieve a container made entirely of materials
comprising renewable resources and which are
biodegradable and compostable, the cup 10, and lid 30 and
filtration layers 52 and 56 are all made from paper-like
substances formed from fibrous plant materials which grow
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swiftly such as grasses like wheat, bamboo and sugar
cane. The resources are swiftly replenishable because
they grow quickly and are abundant. Alternatively, such
resources may be recycled paper or other recycled
materials which are biodegradable and compostable. As
noted above, the filter support ring is also made of
materials formed from readily renewable resources which
are likewise both biodegradable and compostable, e.g.,
PLA or PLLA. Such materials may also be employed in the
construction of the cup 10 and lid 30.
Many recycled paper products include trace levels of
bisphenol A (SPA) or other chemicals used in the inks or
coatings on the paper which is recycled. Thus, when
recycled paper is used as a source material, care should
be taken to encapsulate or remove such chemicals so
unsafe levels are not consumed. Removal may add to cost
and encapsulation may add to cost or inhibit
biodegradability and compostability. These types of
problems can be avoided by using virgin paper products
made from plants having a short growing cycle which do
not contain such harmful chemicals.
Use of the aforementioned materials and similar
materials also permit brewing to occur within the package
itself. The lid 30 is adapted to be penetrated by a
fluid injector. The base 12 is adapted to be penetrated
by a fluid extractor. As such, hot water or some other
fluid is passed through the lid 30 via the injector where
it mixes with or dissolves a granular material such as
coffee, tea or cocoa in the upper first section 28 of the
chamber 26. The mixture or solution then passes through
the filter 50 into the lower second section 29 of the
chamber 26 while leaving any residue behind in the first
section 28 of chamber 26. The brewed beverage then exits
the container through an extractor which has penetrated
the base 12.
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Various modifications may be made without deviating
from the invention. Such modifications may concern the
shapes and sizes of the various components and the
materials from which the components are made. By way of
example, the cup and lid may be made of a non-porous
molded paper-like substance or may be made of the same
materials as the filter support ring, e.g., PLA or PLLA.
Further, the filter may be integrally formed of a
material such as FLA or PLLA without a center opening or
separate filtration layers by providing perforations
large enough to permit the brewed mixture or solution of
coffee, tea or the like to pass through the filter and at
the same time small enough to prohibit any substantial
quantity of the dry material or residue from passing
through the filter.
Other examples of modifications are shown in Figs.
7-9. Fig. 7 shows a lid 30 having an outer lip 32,
center section 34 and peripheral valley 33 defined by an
inner wall 36 and outer wall 40 and a bottom wall 38 like
the lid 30 shown in Fig. 6. However, extending outwardly
from the outer wall 40 are a plurality of teeth 41 which
flex and engage the upper section 22 of the wall 18 of
cup 10 when the cover 30 is coupled to the cup 10.
Through such engagement, the teeth 41 inhibit separation
of the lid 30 from the cup 10. Such teeth 41 are easily
formed into the lid 30 if the lid is molded from a
material such as PLLA.
Fig. 8 shows an alternative embodiment for securing
the filter 50 in place inside the cup 10. As shown in
Fig. 8, the filter support ring 52 is replaced with a
filter support structure 100. The filter support
structure has an open bottom 108 and a wall 101 which is
in face-to-face engagement with the inside surface of the
lower section 20 of the side wall 18 of the cup 10.
Filter support structure 108 also includes a ledge 102
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which is adapted to engage the shelf or ledge 24 of the
cup 10. The top 106 of the ledge 102 provides a support
for the peripheral edge of a filtration layer 54. The
filtration layer 54 may be bonded to the structure 100
during molding of the support structure 100 such as when
the support structure 100 is made of PLLA.
Alternatively, the filtration layer may be bonded to the
support structure using a biodegradable and compostable
adhesive. Extending outwardly from the wall 101 are a
plurality of teeth 104 which engage the inner surface of
the lower section 20 of the side wall 18 of cup 10 to
firmly fix the support structure 100 in place within the
lower chamber 29 of cup 10.
Fig. 9 shows still another alternative arrangement
for securing the lid 30 to the cup 10. As shown in Fig.
9, a ring 120 is provided. Ring 120 has a wall 122.
Teeth 124 project outwardly from wall 122. Teeth 126
project inwardly from wall 122. During assembly, the
ring 120 is fitted around the outer wall 40 of the lid
30. The teeth 126 engage the outer wall 40 of the lid 30
to couple the ring 120 to the lid 30. Next, the
assembled lid 30 and ring 120 are inserted into the top
of the cup 10. This causes the outer teeth 124 to engage
the inner surface of the upper section 22 of the wall of
the cup 10 to inhibit separation of the ring 120 and lid
from the cup. The ring 120 may be made of PLA or RUA
while the lid 30 and cup 10 are formed of readily
renewable, biodegradable and compostable materials made
from bamboo, wheat grass, bagasse or the like.
30 The foregoing description is intended to explain the
various features and advantages, but is not intended to
be limiting. The scope of the invention is defined by
the following claims which are also intended to cover a
reasonable range of equivalents.
What is claimed is:
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