CARTRIDGE HOLDER FOR BEVERAGE MACHINE

• US 20160106256A1
• Filed: 10/20/2015
• Published: 04/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bedford Systems, LLC
• Original Assignee: Keurig Green Mountain, Inc. (Keurig Dr Pepper, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gordon, Jeremy B., Fedorka, Thomas, Dutremble, Thomas Paul, McHugh, William Philip, Masada, Gwynn, Range, Bradford
• Granted Patent: US 10,499,762 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/407 with ingredient-containing cartridges; Cartridge-perforating means
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/46 Dispensing spouts, pumps, drain valves or like liquid transporting devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/462 with an intermediate liquid storage tank
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/469 Details of hydraulic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/2362 for aerating or carbonating within receptacles or tanks, e.g. distribution machines B01F23/2361 takes precedence

Abstract

A beverage making machine may include a cartridge holder to hold a cartridge used to form a beverage. The cartridge holder may include a lower portion arranged to receive and hold the cartridge and a movable upper portion arranged to clamp the cartridge in place. The cartridge holder may be arranged to hold upper and lower compartments of the cartridge in spaces having a different pressure, e.g., an upper compartment of the cartridge may be held under relatively high pressure, and a lower compartment may be held in a space at ambient pressure. The cartridge holder may pierce upper and/or lower compartments of the cartridge to introduce activating fluid and/or receive carbonating gas from the upper compartment, and/or to introduced pressurized air into the lower compartment to force beverage medium to exit.

Claims

1. A beverage making machine, comprising:

a precursor liquid supply to provide precursor liquid used to form a beverage;

a tank having an inlet coupled to the precursor liquid supply, and an outlet to deliver precursor liquid from the tank to a dispensing station; and

a cartridge holder arranged to receive and hold a cartridge used to form a beverage with the precursor liquid, the cartridge having an upper compartment and a lower compartment, the cartridge holder including a lower portion arranged to receive and hold the cartridge and a movable upper portion arranged to move to clamp the cartridge in place in the lower portion,

wherein the cartridge holder is arranged to hold the upper and lower compartments in spaces having a different pressure.

2. The machine of claim 1, wherein the movable upper portion includes a threaded sleeve and a drive arranged to cause the threaded sleeve to move downwardly, and the lower portion includes a sliding drawer arranged to hold the cartridge and to move horizontally between a cartridge loading position and a beverage formation position.

3. The machine of claim 2, wherein the threaded sleeve includes a piston arranged for axial movement relative to the threaded sleeve, the threaded sleeve and the piston defining a pressure chamber arranged to receive a portion of the cartridge and such that pressure in the pressure chamber causes the piston to move downwardly relative to the threaded sleeve and exert a clamping force on the cartridge.

4. The machine of claim 2, wherein the drive includes a rotatable sleeve arranged to engage a thread of the threaded sleeve such that rotation of the rotatable sleeve relative to the threaded sleeve causes the threaded sleeve to move downwardly.

5. The machine of claim 4, wherein the drive includes a motor and worm screw engaged with a gear of the rotatable sleeve to rotate the rotatable sleeve.

6. The machine of claim 1, wherein the movable upper portion is arranged to clamp the cartridge in place so as to force a bottom of the cartridge into an opening structure that causes an outlet at the bottom of the cartridge to open.

7. The machine of claim 1, wherein the lower portion includes a basket to receive the cartridge, and wherein the basket is movable in a vertical direction relative to the lower portion.

8. The machine of claim 7, wherein the basket is spring biased to move upwardly.

9. The machine of claim 1, further comprising a dispensing gas piercing element arranged to pierce the lower compartment of the cartridge.

10. The machine of claim 1, further comprising a piercing element arranged to pierce the upper compartment of the cartridge.

11. The machine of claim 1, wherein the cartridge holder includes an activating liquid supply arranged to pierce the upper compartment to introduce an activating liquid to the upper compartment that causes release of a gas from a gas source in the upper compartment, and including a dispensing gas supply arranged to pierce the lower compartment to introduce a pressurized gas into the lower compartment to move a beverage medium to exit the lower compartment.

12. The machine of claim 11, wherein the movable upper portion is arranged to receive the upper compartment, and the lower portion is arranged to receive the lower compartment.

13. The machine of claim 11, further comprising the cartridge, wherein the lower compartment includes an outlet at a bottom of the cartridge through which beverage medium exits the cartridge, and wherein the upper compartment includes a piercable lid at a top of the cartridge.

14. The machine of claim 13, wherein the cartridge includes a rim between the top and bottom and a piercable inlet to the lower compartment through which the pressurized gas is introduced is located on an underside of the rim.

15. The machine of claim 11, further comprising a gas supply to receive gas released from the upper compartment of a cartridge and provide the gas to the tank for dissolution of the gas in precursor liquid in the tank.

16. The machine of claim 10, wherein the dispensing gas supply further comprises an air pump arranged to deliver pressurized air into the lower compartment.

17. A beverage making machine, comprising:

a precursor liquid supply to provide precursor liquid used to form a beverage;

a tank having an inlet coupled to the precursor liquid supply, and an outlet to deliver precursor liquid from the tank to a dispensing station; and

a cartridge holder arranged to receive and hold a cartridge having a rim that extends around the cartridge and a compartment located below the rim and containing a beverage medium, the cartridge holder including a dispensing gas supply with a piercing element arranged to pierce the cartridge at an underside of the rim with downward movement of the cartridge relative to the cartridge holder to introduce a pressurized gas into the compartment to move a beverage medium in the compartment to exit the compartment.

18. The machine of claim 17, further comprising the cartridge, wherein the lower compartment includes an outlet at a bottom of the cartridge through which beverage medium exits the cartridge.

19. The machine of claim 17, wherein the compartment is a lower compartment, and the cartridge further includes an upper compartment above the rim with a piercable inlet at a top of the cartridge, the upper compartment including a gas source.

20. The machine of claim 19, wherein the cartridge holder is arranged to hold the upper and lower compartments in spaces having a different pressure.

21. The machine of claim 19, further comprising a gas supply to receive gas released from the upper compartment by the gas source and provide the gas to the tank for dissolution of the gas in precursor liquid in the tank.

22. The machine of claim 17, wherein the dispensing gas supply further comprises an air pump arranged to deliver pressurized air into the compartment.

23. The machine of claim 17, wherein the cartridge holder includes a movable upper portion arranged to receive an upper part of the cartridge and to move downwardly to move the cartridge downwardly relative to the cartridge holder and clamp the cartridge rim in place.

24. The machine of claim 23, wherein the movable upper portion is arranged to clamp the cartridge in place so as to force a bottom of the cartridge into an opening structure that causes an outlet of the compartment to open.