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Beverage machines with simplified servicing

  • US 9,351,600 B2
  • Filed: 05/06/2010
  • Issued: 05/31/2016
  • Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2009
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A machine for preparing a beverage from a combination of an ingredient and a liquid, the machine comprising:

  • a housing comprising a front face and a back face on an opposite side of the housing from the front face, the housing containing an infusion chamber for preparing the beverage;

    a first container and a second container, the first container being a capsule receptacle and located underneath the infusion chamber, and the second container being a liquid reservoir, such machine constructed and arranged to let a user select a quantity ratio of the ingredient and the liquid for preparation of the beverage;

    a detecting member for detecting a predetermined level of fill in at least one of the first and second containers, the detecting member connected to a printed circuit board configured to activate an indicator to provide a single signal for indicating to a user that both the first and second containers of the machine need an action selected from the group consisting of refilling, emptying, and combinations thereof;

    a user-interface comprising the indicator and arranged to indicate to a user the detection of the predetermined level of fill and a message that either the first or second containers, or both, need refilling or emptying, as appropriate, before a further beverage may be prepared;

    a beverage outlet connected to the front face of the housing and configured to dispense the beverage prepared in the infusion chamber to a dispensing area underneath the beverage outlet, the beverage outlet is at a different position from the capsule receptacle; and

    an opening in the housing configured to receive the capsule receptacle, and a distance from a front of the opening to the back face of the housing in a horizontal direction is less than a distance from the beverage outlet to the back face of the housing in the horizontal direction.

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