Cartridge for providing a liquid product, a system for the providing a liquid product and a method using said system

A cartridge for providing beverage, the cartridge comprising:

• a sealed capsule filled with a portion of a liquid ingredient to be combined with a base liquid for the preparation of the beverage;
• a nozzle for dispensing a flow of base liquid at a bottom side of the capsule;
• a top seal;
• and
• a bottom seal,
• wherein the sealed capsule comprises a capsule body with a bottom and a top, the capsule body comprising an outer circumferential wall and an inner circumferential wall which are connected to each other via a bottom wall, and wherein the inner circumferential wall, the bottom wall and the outer circumferential wall delimit an annular reservoir between them,
• wherein the inner circumferential wall forms a central column, the column having an internal cavity that extends between an upper opening at a top of the column and a bottom opening at a bottom end of the column, wherein the column is a compressible column, and wherein the annular reservoir extends around the central column,
• wherein the inner circumferential wall is at a top end provided with an inner sealing surface and the outer circumferential wall is at a top end provided with an outer sealing surface, the inner sealing surface and the outer sealing surfaces delimiting an annular reservoir access opening between them,
• wherein the top seal covers the annular reservoir access opening, with an inner section of the top seal sealed to the inner sealing surface at the top end of the inner circumferential wall and with an outer section of the top seal sealed to the outer sealing surface at the top end of the outer circumferential wall, the top seal hermetically sealing the reservoir access opening,
• wherein the bottom wall of the capsule body is provided with at least one reservoir outlet in the form of a reservoir outlet aperture, wherein the at least one reservoir outlet aperture is spaced from the bottom opening of the central column in a radial direction,
• wherein the capsule body is, on a bottom surface of the bottom wall, provided with an aperture sealing surface for the at least one reservoir outlet aperture, the reservoir outlet aperture sealing surface encircling the at least one reservoir outlet aperture,
• wherein the capsule body is on the bottom surface of the bottom wall, furthermore provided with a peripheral sealing surface encircling the bottom opening of the central column, the reservoir outlet aperture and the reservoir outlet aperture sealing surface, wherein the reservoir outlet aperture sealing surface is located between the peripheral sealing surface and the bottom opening of the central column;
• wherein the nozzle is received in the internal cavity of the column and is moveable, relative to the outer circumferential wall of the capsule body, from a raised passive position into a lowered dispensing position,
• wherein the nozzle comprises
• a nozzle body having a channel for guiding the flow of base liquid through at least part of the cavity, the channel extending between a channel inlet opening at a top end of the nozzle and a channel outlet opening at a bottom end of the nozzle,
• wherein the nozzle body furthermore has a flange at the bottom end, the flange having a sealing surface for the bottom seal and having at least one dispensing aperture, the dispensing aperture penetrating the flange near or at the channel outlet opening, for dispensing liquid ingredient at or adjacent the flow of base liquid exiting the channel outlet opening,
• wherein the bottom seal, with an outer section, is sealed to the peripheral sealing surface and, with an inner section, is sealed to the sealing surface of the nozzle, and, with a middle section that is located between the inner section and the outer section, is sealed to the reservoir outlet aperture sealing surface, hermetically sealing the reservoir outlet,
• wherein, when the nozzle is moved into the dispensing position by compressing the column, the nozzle pulls the bottom seal away from reservoir outlet sealing surface and from the reservoir outlet aperture in the bottom wall of the capsule, enabling liquid ingredient to flow out of the reservoir,
• while the bottom seal remains, with the outer section, attached to the peripheral sealing surface and, with the inner section, attached to the sealing surface of the nozzle, and
• wherein, when the nozzle is in the dispensing position, the bottom seal forms a guide surface below the reservoir outlet aperture enabling the liquid ingredient to flow along the bottom seal in a radially inward direction from the reservoir outlet aperture in the bottom wall of the capsule towards the dispensing aperture of the nozzle.