Cartridge, a Machine, a System and a Method for the Preparation of Beverages
First Claim
1. A beverage preparation machine comprising a brew head for receiving beverage cartridges of various heights and means for passing an aqueous medium through said beverage cartridges to form a beverage from one or more beverage ingredients contained in said cartridges, the brew head comprising a first part and a second part, the first and second parts being movable relative to one another from an open position in which said beverage cartridges can be received in the brew head and a closed position in which said beverage cartridge can be fixedly retained in a brew head space defined between the first end second parts, the first part of the brew head comprising a clamping member which extends within the brew head space part-way towards the second part such that a distal end of the clamping member and the second part are a fixed distance from one another when the first and second parts are in the closed position, wherein in use, beverage cartridges of various heights may be clamped in the brew head space between the distal end of the clamping member and the second part.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The invention provides a beverage preparation machine comprising a brew head for receiving beverage cartridges of various heights and means for passing an aqueous medium through said beverage cartridges to form a beverage from one or more beverage ingredients contained in said cartridges. The brew head comprises a first part and a second part, the first and second parts being movable relative to one another from an open position in which said beverage cartridges can be received in the brew head and a closed position in which said beverage cartridge can be fixedly retained in a brew head space defined between the first and second parts. The first part of the brew head comprises a clamping member which extends within the brew head space part-way towards the second part such that a distal end of the clamping member and the second part are a fixed distance from one another when the first and second parts are in the closed position. While in use, beverage cartridges of various heights may be clamped in the brew head space between the distal end of the clamping member and the second part. A beverage cartridge, a beverage preparation system and a method of preparing a single serving of a filtered beverage are also claimed.
126 Citations
27 Claims
- 1. A beverage preparation machine comprising a brew head for receiving beverage cartridges of various heights and means for passing an aqueous medium through said beverage cartridges to form a beverage from one or more beverage ingredients contained in said cartridges, the brew head comprising a first part and a second part, the first and second parts being movable relative to one another from an open position in which said beverage cartridges can be received in the brew head and a closed position in which said beverage cartridge can be fixedly retained in a brew head space defined between the first end second parts, the first part of the brew head comprising a clamping member which extends within the brew head space part-way towards the second part such that a distal end of the clamping member and the second part are a fixed distance from one another when the first and second parts are in the closed position, wherein in use, beverage cartridges of various heights may be clamped in the brew head space between the distal end of the clamping member and the second part.
- 9. A beverage cartridge comprising a storage volume containing one or more beverage ingredients and comprising an outer surface having an elongated recess which extends towards an opposed surface of the cartridge a distance between 50 and 70% of the height of the beverage cartridge, the recess being suitable for receiving in use a clamping member of a beverage preparation machine, wherein the recess defines a clamping surface for said clamping member.
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21. A method of dispensing a single serving of a filtered beverage comprising the steps of:
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providing a beverage cartridge containing one or more beverage ingredients suitable for brewing in a storage volume; passing an aqueous medium through the one or more beverage ingredients to thereby form a filtered beverage; dispensing said filtered beverage from the cartridge into a receptacle; wherein the storage volume of the beverage cartridge is between 40 and 60 ml; and wherein the volume of the dispensed beverage is greater than 400 ml. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification