Single Serve Capsule for Preparing a Beverage with the Aid of a Beverage Preparation Machine, and Use of a Single Serve Capsule

Abstract

A single-serve capsule for preparing a beverage with a beverage preparation machine, the capsule has a base element with a cavity for receiving a beverage raw material, and a capsule lid closing the cavity, the base element has an encircling flange and a capsule wall extending from a base region of the capsule to the encircling flange, the encircling flange extends over a flange width in a radial direction with respect to a longitudinal axis of the capsule, the capsule lid is fastened to the encircling flange, the capsule has an identification code, which is optically detectable by a detector of the beverage preparation machine and is arranged or visible on a side of the flange facing away from the capsule lid along the longitudinal axis, and the identification code extends only over a partial region of the flange width in the radial direction.

1 . A single-serve capsule for preparing a beverage with the aid of a beverage preparation machine, wherein the single-serve capsule has a base element with a cavity for receiving a beverage raw material, and a capsule lid closing the cavity, wherein the base element comprises an encircling flange and a capsule wall extending from a base region of the single-serve capsule to the encircling flange, wherein the encircling flange extends over a flange width in a radial direction with respect to a longitudinal axis of the single-serve capsule, wherein the capsule lid is fastened to the encircling flange, wherein the single-serve capsule has an identification code, which is optically detectable in particular by a detector of the beverage preparation machine and is arranged and/or is visible on a side of the encircling flange facing away from the capsule lid along the longitudinal axis, and wherein the identification code extends only over a partial region of the flange width in the radial direction. 
     
     
         2 . The single-serve capsule as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the partial region comprises less than 70% of the flange width in the radial direction. 
     
     
         3 . The single-serve capsule as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the partial region, on its inner side facing the capsule wall in the radial direction, is at a distance from the capsule wall along the radial direction that comprises at least 10% of the flange width or at least 20% of the flange width. 
     
     
         4 . The single-serve capsule as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the partial region, on its outer side facing away from the capsule wall in the radial direction (R), is at a further distance from a flange outer edge of the encircling flange along the radial direction that comprises at least 10% of the flange width. 
     
     
         5 . The single-serve capsule as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the flange outer edge has a crimping or a rolled edge. 
     
     
         6 . The single-serve capsule as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the identification code has a barcode and/or a bit code, and coding strokes of which run in the radial direction. 
     
     
         7 . The single-serve capsule as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein a length of the coding strokes in the radial direction comprises less than 70% of the flange width. 
     
     
         8 . The single-serve capsule as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the coding strokes in the radial direction are at a distance from the capsule wall that comprises at least 10% of the flange width. 
     
     
         9 . The single-serve capsule as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the coding strokes in the radial direction are at a further distance from the flange outer edge that comprises at least 10% of the flange width. 
     
     
         10 . The single-serve capsule as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the identification code is constructed from a plurality of circular, elliptical, angular, or rectangular code elements, wherein at least two circles have a different diameter or extent in the radial direction and/or in the circumferential direction. 
     
     
         11 . The single-serve capsule as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the identification code is constructed from one or more helical, meandering, or step-shaped code elements. 
     
     
         12 . The single-serve capsule as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the identification code is constructed from a number series, Arabic zeros and Arabic ones, and/or letter series. 
     
     
         13 . The single-serve capsule as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the identification code is printed or applied on a side of the encircling flange facing away from the capsule lid along the longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         14 . The single-serve capsule as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the identification code is printed or applied on a side of the capsule lid facing the encircling flange along the longitudinal axis, and wherein at least the encircling flange or the entire base element is optically transparent. 
     
     
         15 . The single-serve capsule as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the identification code has a plurality of code sequences, wherein at least one code sequence of the plurality of cod sequences has an input part and a data part, wherein the input part is configured for finding a beginning of the code sequence by the detector of the beverage preparation machine, and wherein the data part is configured for making available coded identification and/or brewing parameters for controlling beverage preparation, wherein at least one further code sequence has only one input part and no data part. 
     
     
         16 . The single-serve capsule as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein the input part of the code sequence, which has both an input part and a data part, differs from the input part of the further code sequence, which has only an input part and no data part. 
     
     
         17 . The single-serve capsule as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein those code sequences which all have an input part and a data part have an identical input part  22  and identical or different data parts. 
     
     
         18 . The single-serve capsule as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the capsule wall is at least partially optically reflective. 
     
     
         19 . The single-serve capsule as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein the capsule wall has an encircling, shiny, smooth, and/or flat surface region. 
     
     
         20 . The single-serve capsule as claimed in  claim 19 , wherein the surface region along the longitudinal direction extends over a maximum of 90% of an entire extent of the capsule wall in the longitudinal direction and at least 10% of the entire extent of the capsule wall in the longitudinal direction. 
     
     
         21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . (canceled) 
     
     
         24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . (canceled) 
     
     
         26 . (canceled) 
     
     
         27 . (canceled) 
     
     
         28 . (canceled)