US 6,440,256 · Granted 2002-08-27

The Patent Behind Keurig's Iconic Coffee Pod Filter Design

Keurig figured out how to mass-produce the pleated paper filters that sit inside K-Cups automatically and efficiently. The patent covers the exact way to fold, cut, and shape filter material so it forms that distinctive cone shape and fits perfectly inside the cup, all on one assembly line.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers the specific manufacturing method for creating cone-shaped filter elements from folded paper webs, including the steps of folding the material into two layers, cutting scalloped upper edges, inserting support mandrels, creating transverse seams to form the frustoconical shape, separating individual filters from waste material, and permanently securing them inside cup containers. Anyone making single-serve coffee filters using this exact sequence of steps—especially the combination of fold geometry, mandrel support, and transverse seam pattern—would be using the patented process.

Why it matters

This patent is central to Keurig's single-serve coffee pod manufacturing system. By protecting the specific engineering of how filters are automatically formed and installed inside the pod cup, Keurig established a technical moat around its K-Cup design. Competitors copying this exact filter-insertion method would infringe; however, alternative filter designs or insertion sequences might work around it. The patent helped Keurig maintain manufacturing advantages during the early 2000s when single-serve coffee was becoming mainstream.

Real-world use

Every time you pop a K-Cup into your Keurig machine, the pleated filter cone inside—the one that holds the ground coffee and lets hot water flow through—was manufactured using the automated process this patent describes. That distinctive accordion-like shape is by design.

Original USPTO abstract

A method of forming and inserting filter elements into cup-shaped containers comprises the steps of: a) folding a continuous web of filter material into two adjacent plies which have separable upper edges and are joined one to the other along a bottom fold line; b) blanking the adjacent plies to form their upper edges into a scalloped pattern; c) inserting carrier mandrels between the adjacent plies; d) joining the adjacent plies along seams extending transversely with respect to the bottom fold line to form a series of collapsed frustoconical filter elements interconnected by scrap segments and supported internally by the carrier mandrels; e) separating the filter elements one from the other by blanking and removing the scrap segments; f) transferring the filter elements from the carrier mandrels into cup-shaped containers arranged therebeneath; and g) securing the thus inserted filter elements to interior surfaces of the cup-shaped containers.

Patent details

Publication number: US 6,440,256
Filing date: 2000-06-20
Grant date: 2002-08-27
Assignee: Keurig, Incorporated
Inventor(s): GORDON STEVEN J., SWEENEY RICHARD P., CHRISTOPHER ANTHONY J., ANDERSON BRETT, BOCCUTI A. DAVID, WALSH KEVIN, SALLUM HANI, RAMLER DAVID, WOLF JIM, HELMBRECHT MIKE
CPC class: A47J31/08

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