System and Method for Managing the Generation of Brewed Beverages Using Shared Resources

• US 20120156344A1
• Filed: 01/26/2012
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Costa Express Limited (The Coca-Cola Company)
• Original Assignee: Briggo, Inc. (The Coca-Cola Company)
• Inventors: Studor, Charles F., Nater, J. Kevin, Hassoun, Marwan M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,515,574 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/433
• CPC Class Codes: A23F 3/18 Extraction of water soluble tea constituents A23F3/166 takes precedence; isolation of tea flavour or tea oil A23F3/42
• CPC Class Codes: A23F 5/26 Extraction of water-soluble constituents A23F5/246 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/44 Parts or details or accessories of beverage-making apparatus filters or strainers A47J31/06
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/4403 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/52 Alarm-clock-controlled mechanisms for coffee- or tea-making apparatus ; Timers for coffee- or tea-making apparatus; Electronic control devices for coffee- or tea-making apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/521 the electronic control being performed over a network, e.g. by means of a computer or a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/525 the electronic control being based on monitoring of specific process parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/5251 of pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/5253 of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/12 Condition responsive control

Abstract

A system that generates brewed beverages may receive requests to produce specified brewed beverages. The system may include a scheduler that initiates and controls the performance of one or more chemical or mechanical processes to produce the beverages. While one chemical or mechanical process for producing a beverage is being performed, other processes may be performed for production of the beverage or another beverage. The scheduler may determine the time at which to perform each process, the time at which a beverage should be presented, the resources to be used to perform the processes, or the time at which to perform a cleaning process, dependent on an actual or expected demand for beverages, or dependent on a target time for beverage retrieval. Shared resources may be applied to the production of beverages for high priority orders, while partially completed beverages for lower priority orders are staged for subsequent advancement.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

an input mechanism that is configured to receive requests to produce brewed beverages;

a controller that is configured to control the performance of a plurality of chemical or mechanical processes, each of which contributes to the production of a brewed beverage or a component thereof; and

a plurality of mechanical components, each of which is configured for use during the performance of at least one of the plurality of chemical or mechanical processes;

wherein in response to receiving a request to produce a specified brewed beverage through the input mechanism, the controller is configured to effect the production of the specified brewed beverage, wherein producing the specified beverage comprises performing one or more of the plurality of chemical or mechanical processes, and wherein at least some of the one or more of the plurality of chemical or mechanical processes can be performed while one of the plurality of chemical or mechanical processes is being performed as a contributing process in the production of the specified brewed beverage or another brewed beverage; and

wherein in effecting the production of the specified brewed beverage, the controller is further configured to determine, dependent on an actual or expected demand for brewed beverages, a time at which to perform one of the one or more of the plurality of chemical or mechanical processes, a mechanical component to be used to perform one of the one or more of the plurality of chemical or mechanical processes, or a time at which to present the specified brewed beverage subsequent to its production.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the request comprises an order that was placed from a remote location, and wherein the request indicates a time at which the specified brewed beverage is expected to be retrieved.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the request comprises a previously submitted order for multiple instances of the specified brewed beverage, and wherein the order comprises a pre-determined schedule of two or more times at which an instance of the specified brewed beverage is to be retrieved.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in response to determining that production of the specified brewed beverage is complete, the controller is further configured to send an indication to a customer on whose behalf the beverage was produced that the beverage is ready to be retrieved.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the request comprises an order that was speculatively placed by the controller on behalf of a customer dependent on an order history for the customer, or an order that was speculatively placed by the controller dependent on a demand history for the apparatus.

6. The apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the apparatus comprises or is communicatively coupled to a data store;

wherein the data store comprises, for each of one or more customers, information indicating one or more of;

an order history, one or more drink preferences, one or more location preferences, or one or more delivery time preferences; and

wherein the specified brewed beverage is selected from among beverages identified in the order history of the customer on whose behalf the request is made or in the one or more drink preferences of the customer on whose behalf the request is made.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein determining a time at which to perform one of the one or more of the plurality of chemical or mechanical processes comprises determining a priority of the request with respect to a priority of one or more other requests for brewed beverages that have been received but for which production of the requested brewed beverages have not yet been completed.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the request indicates a time at which the specified brewed beverage is expected to be retrieved, and wherein determining a time at which to perform one of the one or more of the plurality of chemical or mechanical processes is dependent on the indicated time.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in response to determining that the one of the one or more of the plurality of chemical or mechanical processes should be performed at a particular time in the future, the controller is further configured to effect storing the specified brewed beverage in a partially completed form in a staging area until the particular time.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein determining a time at which to present the specified brewed beverage comprises determining whether a customer on whose behalf the request was made is currently in the vicinity of the apparatus.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein determining a time at which to present the specified brewed beverage comprises:

storing the specified brewed beverage in a staging area; and

in response to receiving an indication that a customer on whose behalf the request was made is ready to retrieve the specified brewed beverage, determining that the specified brewed beverage should be presented.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said storing the specified brewed beverage in a staging area comprises storing the specified brewed beverage in a staging area having a temperature within a pre-determined range of temperatures that encompasses a temperature at which the specified brewed beverage should be held until it is presented.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to effect discarding the specified brewed beverage in response to determining that the specified brewed beverage has not been retrieved within a pre-determined time period following its production or in response to determining that the temperature of the specified brewed beverage is no longer within an acceptable range of temperatures for presentation of the specified brewed beverage.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to communicate a status of the production of the specified brewed beverage or an expected completion time for production of the specified brewed beverage to a customer on whose behalf the beverage is being produced prior to production of the specified brewed beverage being completed.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a time at which to perform a clean-in-place process for one or more of the mechanical components.

16. A method, comprising:

receiving a request to produce a specified brewed beverage;

effecting the production of the specified brewed beverage by a beverage generation apparatus, wherein producing the specified beverage comprises performing one or more chemical or mechanical processes, and wherein at least some of the one or more chemical or mechanical processes can be performed while one of the chemical or mechanical processes is being performed as a contributing process in the production of the specified brewed beverage or another brewed beverage; and

effecting the presentation of the specified brewed beverage by the beverage generation apparatus subsequent to completion of the production of the specified brewed beverage;

wherein effecting the production of the specified brewed beverage comprises determining, dependent on an actual or expected demand for brewed beverages, a time at which to perform one of the one or more chemical or mechanical processes, a mechanical component to be used to perform one of the one or more chemical or mechanical processes, or a time at which to present the specified brewed beverage subsequent to its production.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein determining a time at which to perform one of the one or more chemical or mechanical processes is dependent on a priority of the request with respect to a priority of one or more other requests for brewed beverages that have been received but for which production of the requested brewed beverages have not yet been completed or is dependent on an indication of a target time for retrieval of the specified brewed beverage.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein determining a time at which to present the specified brewed beverage comprises determining whether a customer on whose behalf the request was made is currently in the vicinity of the beverage generation apparatus.

19. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions that when executed on one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform:

receiving a request to produce a specified brewed beverage;

effecting the production of the specified brewed beverage by a beverage generation apparatus, wherein producing the specified beverage comprises performing one or more chemical or mechanical processes, and wherein at least some of the one or more chemical or mechanical processes can be performed while one of the chemical or mechanical processes is being performed as a contributing process in the production of the specified brewed beverage or another brewed beverage; and

effecting the presentation of the specified brewed beverage by the beverage generation apparatus subsequent to completion of the production of the specified brewed beverage;

wherein effecting the production of the specified brewed beverage comprises determining, dependent on an actual or expected demand for brewed beverages, a time at which to perform one of the one or more chemical or mechanical processes, a mechanical component to be used to perform one of the one or more chemical or mechanical processes, or a time at which to present the specified brewed beverage subsequent to its production.

20. The storage medium of claim 19, wherein determining a time at which to perform one of the one or more chemical or mechanical processes is dependent on one or more of:

a priority of the request with respect to a priority of one or more other requests for brewed beverages that have been received but for which production of the requested brewed beverages have not yet been completed;

an indication of a target time for retrieval of the specified brewed beverage;

or

a determination that resources are not available to perform the one of the one or more of the plurality of chemical or mechanical processes.