Improvements In Or Relating To Beverage Preparation Machines And Beverage Cartridges

• US 20100147873A1
• Filed: 05/16/2008
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Douwe Egberts BV (Mondelez International, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Douwe Egberts BV (Mondelez International, Inc.)
• Inventors: Saxton, Paul Adrian, Tanner, Roger Geoffrey
• Granted Patent: US 9,386,877 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 99/295
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 2201/00 Devices having a modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/3628 Perforating means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/3638 Means to eject the cartridge after brewing
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/3695 Cartridge perforating means for creating the hot water inlet cartridge perforating means of the filter holder for creating the beverage outlet A47J31/0673
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/407 with ingredient-containing cartridges; Cartridge-perforating means
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/4492 Means to read code provided on ingredient pod or cartridge

Abstract

A delivery head for a beverage preparation machine comprising: an upwardly directed inlet for supplying water to a cartridge received in the delivery head; a downwardly directed outlet for outflow of beverage; a barcode reader having a barcode reader window through which signals may be transmitted; wherein the inlet, the outlet and the barcode reader window are arranged in a line with the outlet being intermediate the inlet and the barcode reader window.

Claims

1-19. -19. (canceled)

20. A delivery head for a beverage preparation machine comprising:

an upwardly directed inlet for supplying water to a cartridge received in the delivery head;

a downwardly directed outlet for outflow of beverage;

a barcode reader having a barcode reader window through which signals may be transmitted;

wherein the inlet, the outlet and the barcode reader window are arranged in a line with the outlet being intermediate the inlet and the barcode reader window.

21. A delivery head as claimed in claim 20 wherein the delivery head comprises a first part defining a support surface for a cartridge, the inlet, the outlet, and the barcode reader window being located in or on the first part.

22. A delivery head as claimed in claim 20 wherein the inlet comprises an inlet piercer for forming an inlet opening in a cartridge received in the delivery head and the outlet comprises an outlet piercer for forming an outlet opening in a cartridge received in the delivery head.

23. A delivery head as claimed in claim 22 wherein the inlet piercer and the outlet piercer are movable between an extended position and a retracted position.

24. A delivery head as claimed in claim 20 wherein the delivery head further comprises an ejection chute and the inlet, the outlet, the barcode reader window and the ejection chute are located in a line with the outlet and the inlet being intermediate the barcode reader window and the ejection chute.

25. A delivery head as claimed in claim 24 wherein the barcode reader window is located to a front of the delivery head and the ejection chute is located to a rear of the delivery head.

26. A delivery head as claimed in claim 20 wherein a centroid of the inlet, a centroid of the outlet, and a centroid of the barcode reader window lie on a straight line.

27. A delivery head as claimed in claim 20 wherein the barcode reader window comprises a rectangular window, wherein a longer edge of the rectangular window is arranged perpendicularly to a line joining the inlet, the outlet and the barcode reader window.

28. A delivery head as claimed in claim 20 wherein the delivery head further comprises a clamping member which is movable relative to the first part from an open position to a clamping position and to an ejection position;

in the open position the clamping member being positioned to enable loading of a cartridge into the delivery head;

in the clamping position the clamping member being clampable against said cartridge;

in the ejection position the clamping member being positioned to enable ejection of said cartridge;

the clamping member being movable in a direction substantially parallel to the first part from the clamping position to the ejection position wherein movement of the clamping member towards the ejection position is such that an inlet and an outlet of the cartridge are moved away from, and do not pass over, or in the vicinity of, the barcode reader window of the delivery head.

29. A beverage preparation machine comprising a delivery head as claimed in claim 20.

30. A beverage preparation system comprising a beverage preparation machine as claimed in claim 29 and one or more cartridges, wherein the one or more cartridges contain one or more beverage ingredients.

31. A cartridge for use in a beverage preparation machine of a type comprising:

a delivery head;

an upwardly directed inlet for supplying water to the cartridge received in the delivery head;

a downwardly directed outlet for outflow of beverage; and

a barcode reader having a barcode reader window through which signals may be transmitted;

the cartridge comprising, or being adapted to contain in use, a quantity of one or more beverage ingredients,

a lower surface of the cartridge comprising an inlet and an outlet arranged to communicate respectively with the inlet and outlet of the delivery head of the beverage preparation machine when the cartridge is inserted into the machine such that, in use, water from the inlet of the delivery head passes upwardly through the inlet of the cartridge and such that beverage produced from the water and the one or more beverage ingredients passes downwardly through the outlet of the cartridge to flow out of the outlet of the delivery head,

the lower surface of the cartridge further comprising a barcode which, in use, is readable by the barcode reader of the beverage preparation machine for controlling operation of the beverage preparation machine,

characterised in that the barcode, the inlet and the outlet of the cartridge are located in a line with the outlet being intermediate the inlet and the barcode.

32. A cartridge as claimed in claim 31 wherein a centroid of the inlet, a centroid of the outlet, and a centroid of the barcode lie on a straight line.

33. A cartridge as claimed in claim 31 wherein the barcode comprises a rectangular arrangement of coding lines, wherein a longer edge of the rectangular arrangement is arranged perpendicularly to a line joining the inlet, the outlet and the barcode.

34. A method of dispensing a beverage from a cartridge using a beverage preparation machine,

the beverage preparation machine being of the type having a delivery head comprising:

an inlet for supplying water to the cartridge, an outlet for beverage, a barcode reader having a barcode reader window, an ejection chute, and a clamping member;

the barcode reader window and the ejection chute being located in a line with the inlet and the outlet, and the inlet and the outlet being intermediate the barcode reader window and the ejection chute;

the cartridge being of the type comprising an inlet, an outlet and a barcode;

the inlet, the outlet and the barcode being located in a line with the outlet intermediate the inlet and the barcode;

wherein the method comprises the steps of;

moving the clamping member into an open position;

inserting the cartridge into the delivery head;

moving the clamping member into a closed position such that the inlet, the outlet and the barcode of the cartridge are aligned respectively with the inlet, the outlet and the barcode reader window of the delivery head;

pumping water through the inlet of the delivery head and the inlet of the cartridge so as to form a beverage from one or more beverage ingredients of the cartridge;

delivering said beverage out of the outlet of the insert and the outlet of the delivery head;

moving the clamping member from the closed position to the ejection position to move the cartridge into alignment with the ejection chute to achieve ejection of the cartridge from the delivery head;

wherein movement of the cartridge towards the ejection chute is such that the inlet and the outlet of the cartridge move away from, and do not pass over, or in the vicinity of, the barcode reader window of the delivery head.