Liquid concentrate/extract beverage dispenser with replaceable concentrate/extract cartridge

• US 20060000851A1
• Filed: 02/11/2005
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intelligent Coffee Company, LLC
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Coffee Company, LLC
• Inventors: Greenwald, Shlomo, Greenwald, Zipora, Fischer, Roy Kenneth, Vassaux, Mario E., Girard, Jeffrey J., Anderson, Erik Kenneth, Symington, Richard, Pirshafiey, Nasser
• Granted Patent: US 7,614,524 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 222/129.100
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/407 with ingredient-containing cartridges; Cartridge-perforating means
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/41 of liquid ingredients
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/4492 Means to read code provided on ingredient pod or cartridge
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0022 the apparatus comprising means for automatically controlling the amount to be dispensed
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0046 Mixing chambers
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0079 having their own dispensing means
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0895 Heating arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2001/0814 for upside down use
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 3/0032 the bottle or container being held upside down and provided with a closure, e.g. a cap, adapted to cooperate with a feed tube
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 13/00 Apparatus for measuring by volume and delivering fluids or fluent solid materials, not provided for in the preceding groups

Abstract

A beverage dispenser for dispensing a beverage into a container is provided. The dispenser includes a housing having a dispensing area. A pump or a control valve is in communication with a source of diluent which is to be dispensed into the dispensing area. A cartridge receiving area and a dispensing actuator are located in the housing. A concentrate/extract cartridge is removably insertable into the cartridge receiving area in a position to be actuated by the dispensing actuator, the concentrate/extract cartridge being adapted to hold a beverage concentrate/extract and including a dispensing aperture for dispensing a beverage concentrate/extract into the dispensing area upon placement of the concentrate/extract cartridge in the cartridge receiving area. A controller is located in the housing to control the actuator to discharge concentrate/extract into the dispensing area. A method of dispensing a selected beverage made from concentrate/extract and a diluent is also provided.

Claims

1. A beverage dispenser comprising:

a housing including a dispensing area for dispensing a beverage into a container;

at least one of a pump and a control valve in communication with a source of diluent which is to be dispensed into the dispensing area;

a cartridge receiving area in the housing;

a dispensing actuator located in the housing;

a concentrate/extract cartridge removably insertable into the cartridge receiving area in a position to be actuated by the dispensing actuator, the concentrate/extract cartridge adapted to hold a beverage concentrate/extract and including a dispensing aperture positioned to dispense a beverage concentrate/extract into the dispensing area upon placement of the concentrate/extract cartridge in the cartridge receiving area; and

a controller located in the housing to control the actuator to discharge concentrate/extract from the cartridge and to control the at least one of the pump and the control valve to discharge diluent so that the concentrate/extract and diluent are dispensed into the dispensing area.

2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to vary a speed of the dispensing actuator to vary a rate at which concentrate/extract is dispensed from the cartridge.

3. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the concentrate/extract cartridge further comprises:

a collapsible hollow body for containing liquid concentrate/extract; and

an externally actuatable pumping device connected to the hollow body for dispensing the liquid concentrate/extract from the hollow body through the aperture.

4. The dispenser of claim 3, wherein the actuator includes a wound coil for producing a magnetic field to actuate the pumping device.

5. The dispenser of claim 4, wherein the controller is adapted to vary a voltage over the wound coil to produce a varying magnetic field.

6. The dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a heating element located in the housing for heating the diluent.

7. The dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a reservoir connected to the at least one of the pump and the control valve for receiving and storing the diluent.

8. The dispenser of claim 7, further comprising a fill sensor located in the housing for determining a fill level of diluent in the reservoir and providing a signal to the controller indicating the fill level of the diluent.

9. The dispenser of claim 7, further comprising at least one diluent view window on the housing for inspection of a fill level of diluent in the reservoir.

10. The dispenser of claim 1, further comprising at least one concentrate/extract view window in the housing for inspection of the concentrate/extract cartridge when the cartridge is installed in the cartridge receiving area.

11. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the cartridge receiving area includes an alignment feature, and the cartridge includes a complementary alignment feature for alignment of the cartridge in the cartridge receiving area.

12. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the cartridge includes a removable seal connected to the aperture.

13. The dispenser of claim 1, further comprising user control buttons located on the housing in communication with the controller for a user to select from one of a number of preset concentrate/extract dispensing rates to make a beverage of a desired strength.

14. The dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a switch located on the housing to actuate the controller to dispense concentrate/extract and diluent when a container is present.

15. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein a path of flow of the concentrate/extract and a path of flow of the diluent are separate, so that mixing of the concentrate/extract and the diluent occurs outside of the dispenser.

16. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the dispensing aperture includes an orifice sized to be self stopping due to a size of the orifice and a meniscus force of the liquid concentrate/extract.

17. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the concentrate/extract cartridge includes an ID for identifying the contents of the concentrate/extract cartridge, the dispenser further comprising a sensor in communication with the controller for sensing the ID and providing information regarding the ID to the controller.

18. The dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a retractable loading door for loading the concentrate/extract cartridge into the housing, the loading door being movable from a first position in which the concentrate/extract cartridge is exposed and accessible, to a second position in which the concentrate extract cartridge is inaccessible and contained within the cartridge receiving area in the housing.

19. The dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a diluent supply tube which extends from the at least one of the pump and the control valve toward the dispensing area for carrying diluent to the dispensing area.

20. A method of dispensing a selected beverage made from concentrate/extract and a diluent, the method comprising:

inserting a removable cartridge with a selected beverage concentrate/extract into a beverage dispenser, the cartridge having a dispensing tube that extends toward a dispensing area of the dispenser;

providing a diluent to the dispenser;

actuating the dispenser to dispense concentrate/extract from the cartridge into a container located in the dispensing area and to dispense diluent into the container located in the dispensing area; and

mixing the concentrate/extract and diluent in the container.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

removing the concentrate/extract cartridge and inserting another concentrate/extract cartridge.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

selecting a desired beverage concentration and dispensing concentrate/extract at one of a plurality of predetermined rates based thereon.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

dispensing the diluent at a predetermined rate at substantially the same time as the concentrate/extract is dispensed.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of providing the diluent includes pouring the diluent into a diluent reservoir located in the dispenser.

25. The method of claim 20, further comprising heating the diluent to dispense a hot beverage.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

providing one of a coffee, tea or chocolate liquid concentrate/extract in the concentrate/extract cartridge to dispense a respective one of hot coffee, hot tea or hot chocolate.