Nestec S.a.

Societe Des Produits Nestle S.a.

Nicolas Jean-Guy Bezet

Nihan Dogan

Arnaud Gerbaulet

Daniel Abegglen

Heinz Wyss

Jean-Francois Tinembart

Daniel Roland Manser

Bruno Bizet

Alexandre Perentes

Christian Talon

Yann Epars

Lucio Scorrano

Frederic Doleac

Christophe Sebastien Paul Heydel

Thierry Jean Robert Fabozzi

Frédéric Doleac

Sophie Abraham

Akos Spiegel

Silvio Lardelli

Ahmed Azouz

Silvio Butscher

Marco Ramaioli

Olivier Martin

Claire Dubesset

Hans-Markus Kohli

Christophe Sébastien Paul Heydel

Thierry Leininger

Jean-François Tinembart

Valérie Vivier

The present invention is directed to a capsule () for containing a food ingredient, suitable for being inserted in a food preparation machine (), said capsule having a rigid body structure defining a closed compartment wherein said ingredient is mixed with a fluid introduced under pressure by said machine in order to produce a food product, said body walls defining an external volume V, and an internal compartment volume V, characterized in that said capsule body structure further comprises at least one portion () having a shape, dimensions and/or being made of a material such that it is elastically deformable and that Vand Vcan be reversibly reduced by at least 3% by applying an elastic compression along at least one dimension of said capsule at the time said capsule is functionally inserted within said machine, said elastic body wall portion allowing the capsule to flex back to its initial volumes Vand Vafter extraction, such that residual pressure within said capsule is reduced.

Capsule for use with a food preparation machine

The present invention is directed to a container () for food or beverage preparation, adapted for containing at least one precursor ingredient within at least one compartment (), and comprising an injection wall () for coupling to a food or beverage preparation machine () having at least one pressurized source of a mixing ingredient, whereby a food or beverage product is prepared within said container () by mixing said mixing ingredient with said precursor ingredient, said container () further comprising at least one food or beverage delivery wall (), characterized in that said injection wall () comprises outwardly expandable connection means () suitable for connecting said container () to said mixing ingredient source and establish a fluid communication between said container and said mixing ingredient source.

Capsule for beverage preparation

Filtration unit () for use in a beverage preparation machine using a container for preparing the beverage; the unit being adapted to engage a container holder () intended to be inserted in the machine; said filtration unit comprising a filter () and a protective casing () encompassing the filter; said casing comprising an inlet wall with at least one liquid inlet () and an outlet wall with at least one liquid outlet () for delivering filtered liquid to a container lodged in the container holder wherein the filter () is arranged in a removable manner from the casing.

Filtration unit for use in machine for preparing ready-to-drink nutritional liquids

Capsule () for containing beverage ingredients for producing a beverage in a beverage preparation device upon liquid injection into the capsule and by rotating the capsule about its central axis in the device, the capsule comprising:&#x2014;a side wall (), a bottom wall (), an opening () and a flange-like rim (), and&#x2014;a lid member () attached to the flange-like rim () and/or to the side wall and at least partially covering the opening, wherein the lid member () comprises an upper wall () in recess relative to the flange-like rim and/or to the side wall towards the opening of the capsule and which comprises a central inlet () and peripheral outlet apertures () for the beverage release by effect of centrifugal forces, wherein the lid member () further comprises reinforcement members () protruding from the upper wall () in axial direction.

Capsule with reinforcement members used for the preparation of a beverage

Container holder () for use in a nutritional liquid preparation machine () for the preparation of a nutritional liquid from the mixture of ingredients contained in a container and liquid supplied by the machine in the container; said holder comprising a body with a container receiving seat () arranged for receiving the container () in a defined container sitting position and a filtration unit (); such filtration unit comprising a liquid outlet () wherein the filtration unit is arranged with the container holder to be movable between a first position in which the container receiving seat () of the holder is uncovered for enabling the loading and unloading of the container in the container holder and a second position in which the container receiving seat () is covered by the filtration unit for enabling the liquid outlet () of the filtration unit to be positioned at the inlet side of the container () when a container is present in the container holder ().

Container holder with filtration unit for use in a nutritional preparation machine

Capsule () for use in a beverage preparation machine (), said capsule comprising side (), bottom () and top () walls defining a closed chamber, said chamber containing an ingredient to be dissolved and/or extracted by a fluid injected under pressure within said capsule, said fluid being provided through an injection element () of the machine that is able to pierce an injection wall of the chamber, said capsule further comprising a beverage dispensing wall able to open for releasing a beverage prepared from said ingredient and said fluid, said capsule comprising a separating wall () within the chamber that separates, in a leak-tight manner:&#x2014;an ingredient-containing compartment (), and&#x2014;a fluid injection compartment (), said separating wall () comprising a one-way valve () able to let fluid under pressure flow only from the injection compartment () towards the ingredient-containing compartment ().

Ingredient capsule for beverage preparation

The present invention concerns a capsule () containing a beverage ingredient, adapted to be functionally inserted in a food preparation machine (), said capsule comprising walls () that define a cavity wherein said beverage is prepared by mixing said ingredient with a fluid injected therein under pressure by said machine, said capsule further comprising a dispensing opening (), and opening means that open upon effect of the rise of pressure within said cavity, characterized in that said opening means comprise a flow-conducting channel () able to connect the capsule cavity to the dispensing opening () and a spring-mounted piston plug () that is movable in said channel between: (i) a closed position where said cavity pressure is below a first predetermined pressure Pc, the piston spring () is at rest, and the piston plug () seals against a sealing portion () of the channel walls, (ii) a dispensing position where said cavity pressure is equal or superior to Pc, the piston spring () is elastically deformed and the piston plug () is moved away from the channel walls so that beverage can flow outside of said capsule through said channel ().

Food preparation capsule

Capsule () for the preparation of a beverage in a centrifugal extraction device () by feeding liquid in the capsule and rotating the capsule along a rotational axis (I) in the device to produce centrifugal forces on the liquid, wherein the capsule () comprises containment walls forming an interior cavity () containing beverage ingredients (); said containment walls comprising a lid () and a side wall () extending substantially revolutionary around a central axis (I) and a peripheral flange () extending peripherally in radial direction to said axis (I), said flange () comprising an annular base () extending outwardly and a valve means () connected to said annular base, said valve means () extending in a direction (A) transversal to said radial direction (B) and being configured with at least one deflectable valve portion () which deflects for leaving a transversal passage upon the centrifugal pressure exerted by liquid flowing thereon when the capsule is rotated about the axis (I) during the centrifugal extraction wherein the peripheral flange () forms an extension part of the side wall () and is independent from said lid ().

Beverage capsule for centrifugal extraction

A portioned system for preparing a nutritional liquid product comprising a liquid supply device () and a container () containing nutritional ingredients; said container having an opening (), the system furthercomprising a liquid injection interface () for supplying an amount of liquid in the container () thereby providing the nutritional liquid product, wherein the liquid injection interface () comprises a liquid inlet () and a product outlet () for removing the nutritional liquid product from the container wherein the liquid injection interface comprises a wall () extending 10 transversally relative to the opening of the container during the operation of the system; said transversal wall () comprising the liquid inlet () and the product outlet () which are transversally distant one another along the said wall.

Portioned system for preparing a nutritional product

Capsule () for use in a beverage preparation machine (), said capsule comprising side (), bottom () and top () walls defining a closed chamber, said chamber containing an ingredient, said capsule further comprising a beverage dispensing wall able to open for releasing a beverage prepared from said ingredient and said fluid, said capsule further comprising a pierceable plug () located adjacent to the inner side of the injection wall of the capsule, and made of a resilient material, said plug having a thickness between 0.5 mm and 10 mm, and said plug having shape and dimensions such as to be pierced through by the fluid injection element () when said capsule is functionally inserted within said machine, characterized in that said plug () is supported by a plug supporting member ().

Capsule having a pierceable plug to prevent backflow

The present invention relates to a capsule () for containing beverage ingredients intended to produce a beverage in a beverage preparation device () upon liquid injection into the capsule and by rotating the capsule around its central axis in the device (), the capsule () comprising: a side wall (), a bottom wall () and a flange-like rim (), an upper wall () attached to the flange-like rim () and/or the side wall () of the capsule (), the upper wall () comprising a central liquid inlet () and peripheral outlet apertures (), wherein the upper wall () further comprises an outwardly protruding sealing member () which is arranged at an annular portion () of the upper wall () between the central liquid inlet () and the peripheral outlet apertures (), and which is designed to at least significantly hinder, preferably prevent liquid from flowing at the outside of the capsule () from the liquid inlet () to the outlet apertures () when the sealing member is engaged by the beverage preparation device () and, wherein the sealing member () is located radially distanced from the liquid inlet ().

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Macon, France

Nicolas Jean-Guy Bezet