Capsule for preparation of a beverage

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a capsule ( 1 ) for delivering a drink by injecting a pressurized fluid into the capsule comprising: a hollow body and an injection wall ( 4 ) which is impermeable to liquids and to gas and which is attached to the body and adapted to be punctured by an injection means ( 2 ) foreign to the capsule, a chamber ( 5 ) containing a bed of at least one food substance to be extracted, means ( 7, 9, 10 ) for retaining the internal pressure in the said chamber, said means comprising a pierceable membrane ( 7 ), characterized in that said capsule ( 1 ) further comprises a secondary means ( 12 ) for maintaining the bed of substance at a distance d from said pierceable membrane ( 7 ), said distance d being at least 1 mm, preferably at least 2 mm, more preferably at least 3 mm, and in that the pressure retaining means comprise: the pierceable membrane ( 7 ), raised elements ( 9 ) which open the said membrane ( 7 ) in order to create punctures and allow the liquid extract to pass through the punctures; the punctures in the membrane ( 7 ) being obtained under the effect of the rise in pressure in the chamber ( 5 ) of the capsule ( 1 ).

1 . Capsule for delivering a drink by injecting a pressurized fluid into the capsule comprising:
 a hollow body and an injection wall which is impermeable to liquids and to gas and which is attached to the body and adapted to be punctured by an injector that is not part of the capsule;   a chamber containing a bed of at least one food substance to be extracted;   a member for retaining the internal pressure in the chamber, the member comprising a pierceable membrane;   the capsule further comprises a secondary member for maintaining the bed of substance at a distance from the pierceable membrane the distance being at least 1 mm, the retaining member comprising:   the pierceable membrane; and   raised elements which open the membrane in order to create punctures and allow the liquid extract to pass through the punctures, the punctures in the membrane being created due to the effect of the rise in pressure in the chamber of the capsule.   
     
     
         2 . Capsule according to  claim 1 , comprising a member configured to break the jet of fluid so as to reduce the speed of the jet of fluid injected into the capsule and distribute the fluid across the bed of substance at a reduced speed wherein it comprises an injection space between the injection wall and the chamber of the capsule that contains the bed of substance, allowing the injector to inject at least one jet of pressurized fluid to be introduced through the injection wall, wherein the distributing and jet-breaking member comprise at least one punctured wall which separates the injection headspace from the chamber containing the bed of substance, and the perforated wall is positioned in order to maintain the bed of substance in compression in the non-hydrated state of the substance. 
     
     
         3 . Capsule according to  claim 2 , wherein the wall comprises welding edges which are welded against the internal surface of the hollow body of the capsule in such a way as to position the wall back from the injection wall. 
     
     
         4 . Capsule according to  claim 2 , wherein the wall is a deformable flexible film. 
     
     
         5 . Capsule according to  claim 2 , wherein the openings of the perforated wall are distributed substantially uniformly across the wall so as to distribute the stream of fluid substantially uniformly across the bed of substance 
     
     
         6 . Capsule according to  claim 1 , wherein the raised elements are distributed over a plate which comprises ducts leading to openings, passages or slots through which the drink can flow. 
     
     
         7 . Capsule according to  claim 1 , wherein the secondary member comprises a perforated wall selected from the group consisting of a plastic wall with holes, a film with holes, a grating, a layer of woven or nonwoven material, a porous layer and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         8 . Capsule according to  claim 1 , wherein the space between the secondary member and the pierceable membrane comprises a layer or mass of discrete elements to limit the deformation of the secondary means during the beverage preparation. 
     
     
         9 . Capsule according to  claim 1 , wherein the chamber containing the bed of substance to be extracted and/or dissolved, is divided by at least one dividing wall into at least two corresponding compartments, each containing one type of substance to be extracted and/or dissolved in an at least partially sequential manner. 
     
     
         10 . Capsule according to  claim 9 , wherein the compartments comprise an upper compartment containing a powdered soluble coffee to be dissolved to produce a liquid coffee solution, and a lower compartment containing a mass of roast and ground coffee to be extracted under pressure by said liquid coffee solution. 
     
     
         11 . Capsule according to  claim 9 , wherein at least one of the compartments encloses a bed of substance to be extracted and/or dissolved, such that the substance is in a compressed state at least at the time pressurized fluid circulates through said substance.