Cartridge stabilizers for beverage machines

Abstract

A beverage machine and method in which, as a brewing chamber moves toward a closed position, a cartridge is positioned relative to a camera to enable imaging of the cartridge before the brewing chamber is closed. Before the brewing chamber is closed, a cartridge stabilizer may push the cartridge so that the cartridge is received by a cartridge receiver of the brewing chamber and thereby properly position the cartridge for imaging.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 905,467, filed on September 25, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. background 1. Technical Field

[0004] The present invention relates to beverage forming systems, such as coffee brewing machines, for forming coffee beverages using a liquid.

[0005] 2. Related technologies

[0006] Beverage forming systems that use liquids (such as water) to form beverages are well known. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication 2008 / 0134902 discloses a beverage forming system that heats water in a reservoir and pneumatically delivers the heated water to a brewing chamber to make a coffee beverage or other beverage. U.S. Patent 7,398,726 discloses another beverage forming system that delivers heated water from a distribution box to a brewing chamber by pneumatically propelling water from a metering tank. U.S. Patent Application Publications 2009 / 0120299 and 2008 / 0092746, and U.S. Patents 3,511,166, 3,958,502, 4,602,145, 4,263,498, and 8,037,811 disclose other system types in which water in a heater tank or heat exchanger is forced out of the tank and toward a beverage making station by introducing unheated water into the tank / exchanger. Summary of the invention

[0007] In one aspect, a beverage machine comprises: a liquid supply arranged to provide a liquid for forming a beverage; and a brewing chamber movable between an open and closed position and arranged to hold a pod containing a beverage ingredient for mixing with the liquid to form a beverage. A liquid regulator may be arranged to heat or cool a liquid provided to the brewing chamber and used to form a beverage using the pod, and a housing may be arranged to support at least part of the liquid supply, the brewing chamber and the liquid regulator. The brewing chamber may include a camera or other sensor arranged to image a portion of a cover of the pod prior to closure of the brewing chamber, for example, so that the machine can identify characteristics of the pod, such as a beverage type, a manufacturer, authentication information, brewing parameters to be used to make a beverage using the pod, and the like. A pod stabilizer may be arranged to contact and hold the pod for imaging by the camera prior to closure of the brewing chamber. Thus, the cartridge stabilizer can help ensure that the cartridge is properly positioned for imaging, for example, in the event that the cartridge is not properly received into the brewing chamber, such as in the event that the brewing chamber is designed to not fully receive the cartridge until the brewing chamber is fully closed.

[0008] In one embodiment, the brewing chamber is adapted to receive a box body with a cup-type container, and the cover is fixed to the opening of the cup-type container. The cover can be flat and can be marked with marks such as text, emblems, bar codes or other machine-readable information. The brewing chamber may include a box body receiver and a cover, and the box body receiver has a groove for receiving the cup-type container, wherein the receiver and the cover are movable relative to each other between an open and closed position, so that the receiver is exposed to receive the box body in the open position, and the cover and the receiver at least partially surround the box body in the closed position. A camera or other sensor may be mounted to the cover and may move with the cover, and is arranged to image the cover of the box body when the cover moves to the closed position. The box body stabilizer may be arranged to contact a portion of the cover, and when the receiver and the cover move to the closed position, the box body is pushed into the groove of the receiver. In some cases, the box body stabilizer may contact a portion of the cover that is not imaged by the camera, allowing the camera to image the cover when the box body stabilizer contacts the cover. For example, the box stabilizer may be arranged to contact the cover only at the rear side of the receiver (e.g., at the edge of the box), and the camera may be arranged to image at least the central area of ​​the cover. In other arrangements, the box stabilizer may contact the box to properly position the box for imaging, and then may be retracted or otherwise moved out of contact with the box. In some embodiments, the box stabilizer is arranged to push the box into the groove as the receiver and the cover move toward the closed position, so that the box is fully seated in the receiver before the receiver and the cover reach the closed position. Alternatively, the box stabilizer may push the box into the groove, but not fully push the box into the groove. In some embodiments, the camera is arranged to image the box after the box is fully seated in the receiver and before the receiver and the cover reach the closed position.

[0009] The cartridge stabilizer can be arranged in different ways and can move with or relative to various parts of the brewing chamber. For example, as described above, the brewing chamber can include a receiver to receive the cartridge and the cover, wherein the receiver and the cover are movable relative to each other between an open and a closed position. The cartridge stabilizer can be movable relative to both the receiver and the cover, or only relative to the receiver or the cover. In some cases, movement of the receiver and the cover relative to each other causes movement of the cartridge stabilizer, while in other cases, the stabilizer can be moved by a separate drive (such as a motor) and linkage that is operated to move only the stabilizer.

[0010] On the other hand, a method for operating a beverage machine adapted to use a cassette to form a beverage includes: receiving the cassette in the brewing chamber when the brewing chamber is in an open position, and moving the brewing chamber to a closed position, in which the cassette is at least partially surrounded and used to form a beverage. When the brewing chamber moves to the closed position, the cover of the cassette can be contacted, and the cassette is maintained in a position suitable for imaging the cover of the cassette. When the brewing chamber moves to the closed position, and when the cassette is fixed in a position suitable for imaging (e.g., before the brewing chamber reaches the closed position), the cover of the cassette can be imaged. In some cases, the contact cover includes pushing the cassette into a groove of a receiver of the brewing chamber, for example, so that the cassette is completely received in the receiver. In some embodiments, the moving brewing chamber includes moving the cover of the brewing chamber and the receiver relative to each other to the closed position, so that the cover is positioned above the groove of the receiver adapted to receive the cassette, and the imaging includes imaging the cover using a camera mounted to the cover.

[0011] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Various aspects of the present invention are described below with reference to the following drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like elements, and in which:

[0013] Figure 1 is a right side perspective view of a beverage forming system in one illustrative embodiment;

[0014] Figure 2 is a left side perspective view of a beverage forming system with a brewing chamber in an open position;

[0015] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a brewing chamber of a beverage forming system having a cartridge stabilizer in one illustrative embodiment;

[0016] Figure 4 Shows Figure 3 A top view of a box stabilizer in an embodiment;

[0017] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a cassette stabilizer in another illustrative embodiment;

[0018] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a cassette stabilizer having linkage connections to a cover and a cassette receiver in one illustrative embodiment; and

[0019] Figure 7 A schematic diagram is shown of the functional components of a beverage forming system in one illustrative embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] It should be understood that various aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference to certain illustrative embodiments and the accompanying drawings. The illustrative embodiments described herein are not necessarily intended to illustrate all aspects of the present invention, but are used to describe some illustrative embodiments. Therefore, in view of the illustrative embodiments, various aspects of the present invention are not intended to be interpreted in a narrow sense. In addition, it should be understood that various aspects of the present invention can be used alone, or with other aspects of the present invention in any suitable combination. Therefore, in the absence of some reasons that cannot be combined, the features in one embodiment can be used in other embodiments where the particular feature is not described.

[0021] Figure 1 and Figure 2 A perspective view of a beverage machine 100 is shown. Although the beverage machine 100 can be used to form any suitable beverage (such as tea, coffee, other infusion-type beverages, beverages formed from liquid or powder concentrates, juices or other beverages made from dry ingredients, or other beverages), in this illustrative embodiment, the machine 100 is arranged to form coffee or tea beverages. As is known in the art, a beverage cartridge 1 (also referred to herein as a cartridge) can be provided to the machine 100 and can be used to form a beverage that is stored in a user's cup or other suitable container 2. The cartridge 1 can be manually or automatically placed in a brewing chamber 15, which includes a cartridge receiver 3 and a cover 4. For example, the receiver 3 can be a cup-shaped recess 3a or can include a cup-shaped recess 3a or otherwise appropriately receive the cartridge 1. With the cartridge 1 placed in the cartridge receiver 3, the handle 5 can be moved by hand (e.g., downwardly) to move the cover 4 to a closed position (e.g., downwardly). Figure 1). In the closed position, the cover 4 at least partially covers the recess 3a, for example, to at least partially enclose the cartridge 1 in the space where the cartridge is used to make a beverage. For example, with the cartridge 1 held in the closed position by the cartridge receiver 3, water or other liquid may be provided to the cartridge 1 (e.g., by injecting the liquid into the interior of the cartridge) to form a beverage that leaves the cartridge 1 and is provided to a cup 2 or other container. Of course, aspects of the present invention may be employed by any appropriately arranged machine 100, including drip-type coffee brewing machines, carbonated beverage machines, and other systems for delivering water or other liquids to form beverages. Therefore, the brewing chamber 15 does not necessarily need to include a cartridge receiver 3 and a cover 4 that are arranged to move relative to the housing 10 of the machine to open and close the brewing chamber. For example, the cover 4 may be fixed in position relative to the housing 10 and the receiver 3 may be movable, or both the cover 4 and the receiver 3 may be movable relative to the housing 10. In other embodiments, the brewing chamber 15 need not be user accessible, but rather the cartridge 1 may be automatically provided to and removed from the brewing chamber. Furthermore, while in this embodiment the receiver 3 and cover 4 pivotally move relative to each other, other types of motion are possible, such as linear motion, motion along an irregular path, etc. Accordingly, a variety of different types and configurations for brewing chambers may be employed with aspects of the present invention.

[0022] According to one aspect of the invention, the beverage machine may include a camera or other sensor 6 arranged to image a portion of the cartridge 1 held by the cartridge receiver 3. For example, in this embodiment, the camera 6 is attached to the cover 4 to move between the open and closed positions with the cover 4. The camera 6 is arranged to image the cover 11 of the cartridge 1 in the cartridge receiver 3, and the image may include an alphanumeric string, a barcode, text, a logo, and / or other machine-readable features on the cartridge 1. The image data captured by the camera 6 may represent any of a variety of different pieces of information, such as the type of beverage to be made using the cartridge, the manufacturer's name or brand name of the cartridge, an expiration date or the date the cartridge was manufactured, brewing parameters or other instructions for using the cartridge to form a beverage, authentication information or authorization information allowing the beverage machine to use the cartridge, and / or other information. The machine-readable features may be arranged in different ways, such as a visible alphanumeric text string, a barcode, a security ink pattern, a graphic, and other ways.

[0023] According to one aspect of the present invention, the cartridge may be positioned in the brewing chamber for imaging prior to closure of the brewing chamber (i.e., before the brewing chamber reaches a closed position). This may help ensure that the cartridge is properly imaged, e.g., that the appropriate portion of the cartridge is within the field of view of the camera, that the cartridge is oriented so that the camera can properly view and focus on the desired information, and the like. For various reasons, such as in the case of a brewing chamber arrangement where the cartridge may not always be positioned in the same manner when initially received in the brewing chamber, positioning the cartridge for imaging may be desirable. For example, in some cases, the cartridge will be pierced by an outlet needle or other piercing element to allow the beverage to exit the cartridge. The piercing element may be located in a receiver 3 of the brewing chamber 15, and the cartridge 1 may have to be pressed down on the piercing element to allow the cartridge to be pierced. Some beverage machines of this type rely on the closure of the brewing chamber to force the box body into proper contact with the (multiple) piercing elements, for example, when the receiver 3 and the cover 4 are moved together in the closed position, the box body is pressed into contact with the (multiple) piercing elements. Since the box body may not be pierced by the piercing elements when the box body is initially placed in the brewing chamber receiver 3, the box body may not be fully received in the receiver 3 and / or the box body may be positioned in any of the different orientations. Therefore, the cover of the box body can be positioned in a variety of orientations, including an orientation at an angle relative to the position of the cover 11 when the box body 1 is fully placed in the receiver 3. For example, when the box body is fully received in the receiver 3, the cover 11 can be oriented in a horizontal plane, but if the box body is not fully received in the receiver 3, the cover 11 is oriented in one or more planes at an angle to the horizontal plane. The cartridge 1 may not be fully received into the receiver 3 for reasons other than not being pierced by the piercing element, such as careless placement by the user, friction between the cartridge and the receiver, etc. In any case, at least when the cartridge is initially received by the brewing chamber, the cover 11 of the cartridge 1 may not be ideally or otherwise properly positioned for imaging by the camera.

[0024] In some embodiments, the cartridge body can be appropriately positioned for imaging by a cartridge body stabilizer 7 that contacts and holds the cartridge body so that the cover can be properly imaged prior to closure of the brewing chamber. For example, the stabilizer 7 can be arranged so that when the brewing chamber 15 is in an open position (e.g., with the cover 4 positioned away from the receiver 3), the user can place the cartridge body 1 in the receiver 3 without interference from the stabilizer 7. With the brewing chamber 15 moved toward the closed position, the stabilizer 7 can move to contact the cartridge body 1 and orient the cartridge body as desired. The cartridge body stabilizer 7 can position the cartridge body by acting in different ways (e.g., by pushing the cartridge body so that the cartridge body is received in the recess 3a of the receiver 3). This can cause the cartridge body to be pierced by a piercing element (if present) of the receiver 3, or otherwise cause the cartridge body to be properly received in the receiver 3. In some cases, the box stabilizer 7 may contact the box body 1 at a portion of the cover 11, for example, the stabilizer may contact the cover 11 to exert a force on the cover 11, and the force exerted on the cover 11 tends to make the cover 11 orient itself in the plane of the stabilizer. This action of the stabilizer 7 may not cause the box body to be completely received in the receiver 3 and / or pierced by the piercing element, but may orient the box body in a desired manner. In some cases, the stabilizer may contact the box body 1 at the edge (for example, at the edge or flange portion of the cover 11 where the cover is fixed to the cup-shaped container of the box body 1). This can help the stabilizer 7 correctly position the box body 1 for imaging, and keep the stabilizer away from the area of ​​the cover 11 imaged by the camera 6. Therefore, in some embodiments, when the box body is imaged, the stabilizer can remain in contact with the box body, while in other embodiments, the stabilizer can position the box body, and then retract or otherwise move to not contact the box body for imaging.

[0025] Figure 3 shows a similar Figure 1 and Figure 2illustrative embodiment of a stabilizer used in a beverage machine arranged in the manner of FIG. In this embodiment, the stabilizer 7 is arranged to contact the cover 11 of the box body 1 at the rear side of the receiver 3 when the brewing chamber moves to the closed position. For example, when the cover 4 moves to the closed position, the stabilizer 7 may contact the cover 11 at the edge of the box body 1, wherein the cover 11 is fixed to the edge or flange 12 of the cup-type container of the box body 1. This part of the box body 1 may be more rigid than other parts of the box body 1, and therefore may be more effective in helping to position the box body 1 in the receiver 3. For example, the cover 11 may be made of a relatively thin sheet material (e.g., a thin laminate of a metal foil and a polymer). The edge 12 can be made thicker, and together with the adhesive used to fix the cover 11 and the material of the cover 11 itself, the edge 12 area of ​​the box body may have a greater rigidity than the cover 11 or other parts of the box body 1. The stabilizer 7 can therefore contact this area of ​​the box body 1 to affect its position relative to the camera 6 and / or the receiver 3. However, the stabilizer 7 may contact other areas of the box body in addition to the edge 12. The contact of the stabilizer 7 and the box body 1 may cause the box body to be received in the receiver 3, or may position the box body without further receiving the box body in the receiver 3. For example, the stabilizer 7 may press down on the edge 12 to push the box body 1 into the groove 3a of the receiver 3. This push may cause the box body 1 to be completely received in the receiver 3 or placed in the receiver 3, and in some cases, the box body 1 is pierced by a piercing element 32 (such as an outlet needle). Alternatively, or in addition, the stabilizer 7 may contact the box body 1 to help properly orient the cover 11 relative to the camera 6, for example, without piercing the box body and / or causing the box body to be further received in the brewing chamber, so that the cover 11 is oriented in a horizontal plane or in other orientations suitable for imaging. As an example, the contact of the stabilizer 7 may orient the cover 11 in the plane of the portion of the stabilizer 7 that contacts the box body 1, whether in a horizontal plane or in some other orientations.

[0026] exist Figure 3 In an embodiment of the present invention, the stabilizer 7 includes an arm 71 pivotally mounted to the proximal end of the cover 4 and biased by a spring 72 to pivot downward relative to the cover 4. When the cover 4 is in an open position (e.g., pivoted upward about the pivot 41 and away from the receiver 3), the receiver 3 can be exposed to receive the box body 1 into the groove 3a. The stabilizer 7 can also be positioned away from the receiver 3 to facilitate receiving the box body 1 into the receiver 3. When the cover 4 is pivoted downward about the pivot 41 to the closed position, the distal end of the arm 71 contacts the cover 11 of the box body to help orient the box body 1 for imaging by the camera 6. The spring 72 can bias the arm 71 into contact with the box body 1, thereby helping to orient the cover 11 relative to the arm 71 and / or the receiver 3. In the embodiment of the present invention, the stabilizer 7 includes an arm 71 pivotally mounted to the proximal end of the cover 4 and biased by a spring 72 to pivot downward relative to the cover 11. Figure 3In the figure, the box body 1 is shown in contact with the exit piercing element 32, which supports the box body 1 upward at the rear of the bottom of the box body 1. Therefore, the box body 1 is tilted forward, so that the cover 11 of the box body is also in a plane tilted forward. In some cases, the cover 11 can also be tilted to the side, for example, the plane of the cover 11 can be tilted forward as shown and when entering or leaving Figure 3 The contact of the arm 71 with the cassette body 1 may push the cassette body in a direction to fully receive the cassette body 1 into the recess 3a, and this push may appropriately orient the cassette body for imaging. In some cases, the cassette body may be pushed downward so that the cassette body is pierced by the piercing element 32 and the cassette body is fully received into the receiver 3. This may orient the cover 11 in a horizontal plane or in another plane parallel to the plane in which the cassette body is fully received into the receiver 3. Alternatively, the push by the stabilizer 7 may not result in piercing of the cassette body, but still orient the cassette body relative to the stabilizer 7 in a manner suitable for imaging by the camera 6. For example, the cassette body 1 may be held as shown. Figure 3 The cover 11 is shown supported upward by the outlet piercing element 32, but the plane of the cover may be tilted back (e.g., tilted to a more horizontal orientation) and / or tilted to the side. The camera 6 may image the cover 11 before the cover 4 (and therefore the brewing chamber 15) reaches the closed position, and the imaging may occur with the cartridge fully seated in the receiver 3 or before the cartridge is fully seated. Imaging the cartridge before the brewing chamber is closed may provide various advantages, such as: potentially enabling the camera 6 to use ambient light for image capture; allowing the beverage machine controller to receive information about the cartridge from the camera 6 as quickly as possible so that the controller can provide the user with appropriate brewing options; allowing the camera to image the cartridge before parts of the cover or other machine parts obstruct or damage parts of the cover; etc. The piercing of the cartridge by the piercing element 32 and by the piercing element 46 may occur with the cover 4 in contact with the cartridge 1, which forces the cartridge into the receiver 3. If desired, the stabilizer arm 71 may be received in a recess of the cover 4 when the cover 4 is in the closed position.

[0027] As described above, the camera 6 may be arranged to image a central area of ​​the cover 11 away from the edge 12 or at least away from the area where the stabilizer 7 contacts the cover 11. Thus, the camera 6 may capture one or more images of the cover 11 because a large area of ​​the cover 11 is not covered or obscured by the stabilizer 7. For example, Figure 4 Shows Figure 3 A top view of the stabilizer arm 71 and cover 11 in an embodiment. The arm 71 is arranged to move into contact with the cover 11 at the rear region of the receiver 3, and therefore the rear region of the cassette relative to its orientation in the receiver 3 is in contact with the cover 11. Figure 4The contact area between the arm 71 and the cover 11 is shown in dashed lines, but it should be understood that the contact area can be shaped or arranged in other ways. The central area of ​​the cover 11 is not covered by the stabilizer 7 and can be imaged by the camera 6. The portion of the arm 71 that contacts the box body can align the box body with the contact surface of the arm 71, for example, the box body can be tilted or moved in the forward / backward direction, from side to side, or in other ways.

[0028] exist Figure 3 In the embodiment of the invention, the movement of the stabilizer 7 is driven by the movement of the cover 4, but the stabilizer 7 may also be moved by other means. For example, the movement of the stabilizer 7 may be driven by the movement of the handle 5 (e.g., via a linkage between the handle 5 and the stabilizer 7), driven by a motor or other component that is actuated when the brewing chamber begins to move toward the closed position. For example, the stabilizer 7 may be coupled to the handle 5, the cover 4, and / or the receiver 3 via a linkage, so that when the handle 5 / cover 4 / receiver 3 moves, the stabilizer 7 is driven to move into contact with the cassette as desired. Thus, the stabilizer 7 may be movable relative to both the cover 4 and / or the receiver 3, as well as other components of the machine, for example, to allow the stabilizer 7 to properly position the cassette. Figure 5 Shows something like Figure 3 , but the difference is that the stabilizer 7 is coupled to the receiver 3 or the housing 10 through the first linkage 73 and is coupled to the cover 4 through the second linkage 74. The first linkage 73 and the second linkage 74 can cooperate to move the stabilizer 7 in a desired manner based on the relative movement of the cover 4 and the receiver 3. For example, Figure 5 As shown by the arrow in , the stabilizer 7 can move along a path in which the stabilizer initially moves upward and forward toward the box body 1 and then moves downward to contact the box body. The skilled person will appreciate that the linkage or other coupling arrangement can be arranged in any suitable manner. Figure 6 An example arrangement of a first linkage 73 and a second linkage 74 is shown. Figure 6 The first linkage 73 in the embodiment includes a cam groove fixed relative to the receiver 3 / housing 10 and a cam follower fixed relative to the stabilizer 7. The second linkage includes a cam follower fixed to the stabilizer 7 (e.g., including Figure 3 The second linkage 74 is an arm 71 shown in the figure and is pivotally connected to the linkage of the cover 4. When the cover 4 moves to the closed position, the second linkage 74 moves the stabilizer 7 forward toward the box body. This forward movement of the stabilizer 7 causes the cam follower of the first linkage 73 to move forward and downward in the cam slot. This causes the stabilizer 7 to move forward and downward in the cam slot. Figure 63a, and the stabilizer 7 moves forward toward the box body, for example, initially moves forward toward the box body, and then moves downward to contact with the box body. As shown in the above embodiment, the stabilizer 7 can push the box body 1 into the receiver 3, which can make the box body be completely or incompletely placed in the receiver 3. If the box body is completely placed by contacting with the stabilizer 7, the box body can be completely placed in the receiver 3 before the brewing chamber reaches the closed position. This can make the box body pierced by the outlet piercing element 32. When the box body is completely placed in the receiver, the edge 12 of the box body can contact the support of the receiver 3 at the upper edge of the groove 3a. The stabilizer 7 can be arranged to contact the box body (for example, with a spring bias) with a certain elasticity or "stretchability", so that the stabilizer 7 provides a force not greater than a threshold value on the box body. This can help to orient the box body and / or prevent damage to the box body.

[0029] After the cartridge 1 is placed in the brewing chamber 15, the user can interact with the beverage machine 100 to form a beverage. In this embodiment, the beverage machine 100 includes a user interface 14, which can display information to the user, receive commands or other information from the user (e.g., via a light display, a button lighting color or pattern, an alphanumeric text or graphic display, a touch screen, etc.). After reading the machine-readable features on the cartridge 1, the machine 100 can present relevant options or other information to the user, such as the suggested volume of the beverage made using the cartridge 1, the type of beverage made using the cartridge 1, etc. The user can adjust or otherwise change the suggested brewing options, or allow the machine 100 to form a beverage as suggested. In this illustrative embodiment, the user interface 14 includes four buttons that the user can press to select the beverage volume: a 12 ounce button 141, a 10 ounce button 142, an 8 ounce button 143, and a 6 ounce button 144. If the machine 10 suggests a specific beverage volume, and the user wishes to change the volume setting, the user can press one of the buttons 141-144. In addition, other user interface devices (such as a touch screen display) other than buttons may be used by the user interface 14 to receive user input about the beverage volume or any other parameter. For example, the user interface 14 may include a "+" button and a "-" button, and the user can increase or decrease the displayed beverage volume through the "+" button and the "-" button to set the volume to be dispensed. In other embodiments, the user interface 14 may be provided on a remote device (such as a user's smartphone or other computing device), and the user can interact with the user interface 14 to provide input to the controller. Typically, if the user presses one of the volume buttons 141 to 144 and instructs or allows the beverage machine 100 to dispense a beverage, the volume of the beverage dispensed will be equal to the volume selected by one of the buttons 141-144.

[0030] After selecting the desired beverage volume by pressing one of the buttons 141-144, the user may have to press another button (such as a "start" button 145) to cause the beverage machine to begin the beverage dispensing process (or brewing cycle). For example, after pressing one of the buttons 141-144 to select the beverage volume, the button 145 may flash, thereby indicating that the user must press the button 145 to begin the automatic dispensing operation. Alternatively, the beverage machine may begin beverage production in response to the user pressing the volume selection 141 to 144. Once again, this description of the volume selection is only an example, and the user may be provided with the ability to adjust other brewing parameters (such as temperature, brew strength, liquid pressure, flow rate, etc.), which are determined and suggested based on the characteristics of the box body read using the sensor 6. For example, button 146 may allow the user to select a desired liquid flow rate for use in forming a beverage.

[0031] Exactly how the beverage machine 100 adjusts operation to achieve the adjusted beverage volume and / or flow rate provided during the automatic dispensing operation may depend on the liquid precursor supply components (such as pumps, flow meters, etc.) included in the beverage machine 100, as well as other conditions. For example, if the beverage machine 100 employs a pump and a flow meter to detect the amount of precursor liquid delivered to the brewing chamber 15 by the pump, the beverage machine 100 may simply change the volume detected by the flow meter when the pump is turned off to stop liquid delivery, so that the appropriate beverage volume is dispensed. If the beverage machine 100 operates by filling a hot water tank to a selected beverage volume and then delivering that volume to the brewing chamber 15, the beverage machine 100 may add more liquid to the tank (if the selected beverage volume increases) or remove liquid from the tank or reduce the liquid in the delivery tank (if the selected beverage volume decreases). In other embodiments, the beverage machine 100 may include an outlet valve that stops dispensing to the user's cup when the appropriate volume of beverage has been dispensed for iced beverages. In the event that undesired additional beverage is produced during dispensing based on the user's iced beverage selection, the outlet valve may divert the additional unwanted beverage to a drip tray or waste tank rather than delivering the beverage to the user's cup. Additional details regarding system control of various embodiments are provided below.

[0032] Figure 7 1 shows a schematic block diagram of various components that may be included in a beverage machine 100 in one illustrative embodiment. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the beverage machine 100 may be configured in a variety of different ways, and therefore, aspects of the present invention should not be narrowly construed as relating to only one type of beverage forming device. Water or other liquid may be provided to (at Figure 1 and Figure 2The cartridge body 1 in the brewing chamber 15 (including the cartridge body receiver 3 and the cover 4) is provided to another beverage outlet through a liquid supply, which in this embodiment includes: a storage tank 110, a supply conduit 111 that fluidly connects the storage tank 110 to the inlet of a pump 112 (such as a centrifugal pump, a piston pump, an electromagnetic pump, a diaphragm pump, etc.), and a pump conduit 115 that fluidly connects the outlet of the pump 112 and the liquid inlet of the heating tank 118. This embodiment includes other optional features, such as: a check valve or other flow controller (such as an electronically controlled valve) that can prevent backflow in the pump conduit 115 from the tank 118 to the pump 112, or stop flow from the pump 112 to the tank 118; an optional pump conduit vent 116, which can include a controllable valve or fixed hole that allows the siphon in the pump conduit 115 to be broken when necessary; or a pressure relief valve that can open to vent the pump conduit 115 if the pressure exceeds a threshold level. If desired, the priming conduit 113 can be fluidly connected to the pump 112 to allow the pump 112 to be primed by venting the pump 112. In other arrangements, conduit 113 may provide air to pump 112 to allow pump 112 to pump air through conduit 115 and to heating tank 118, for example, to purge conduit 115, heating tank 118, and / or other conduits downstream of heating tank 118. In such cases, conduit 113 may include a valve that can be opened to allow air to flow into pump 112, and / or a valve for controlling the flow of water from storage tank 110.

[0033] The operation of the water pump 112 and other components of the device 100 can be controlled by the control circuit 16, for example, the control circuit 16 may include: a programmed processor and / or other data processing device together with suitable software or other operating instructions, one or more memories (including non-transitory storage media that can store software and / or other operating instructions), temperature and liquid level sensors, pressure sensors, input / output interfaces (such as user interface 17), communication buses or other links, displays, switches, relays, triacs, or other components required to perform the desired input / output or other functions. The control circuit 16 may include suitable circuits to control the operation of the sensor 6 and detect the characteristics of the machine-readable features on the box body 1. As discussed above, the user interface 14 can be arranged in any suitable manner and include any suitable components for providing information to and / or receiving information from a user, such as buttons, a touch screen, a voice command module (including a microphone for receiving audio information from a user, and suitable software for interpreting the audio information as voice commands), a visual display, one or more indicator lights, a speaker, and the like.

[0034] The heating tank 118 may be provided with a desired amount of liquid by any suitable technique, such as running the pump 112 for a predetermined time, detecting the flow rate or volume of liquid passing through the pump conduit 115 (e.g., at a flow controller 114, which may include a flow meter), operating the pump for a desired number of cycles (such as where the pump is arranged to deliver a known volume of liquid in each cycle (such as in each rotation of the pump shaft)), or using any other feasible technique. Alternatively, the heating tank 118 may be a flow-through heater that heats the water as it moves through the tank 118. During initial operation or filling of the heating tank 118, the control circuit 16 may detect that the heating tank 118 is completely filled when a pressure sensor (not shown) detects an increase in pressure indicating that the water has reached the top of the heating tank 118, when the conductive probe 123 detects the presence of liquid in the upper portion of the tank 118, when an optical sensor detects the presence of liquid in the tank conduit 119, and in other circumstances. Alternatively, control circuitry 16 may not detect whether tank 118 is full and simply assume that tank 118 is full once the first filling operation has been completed (eg, by operating pump 112 for a time or number of cycles known to fill tank 118).

[0035] The water in the tank 118 may be heated by a heating element 123, the operation of which is controlled by the control circuit 16 using input from a temperature sensor or other suitable input. The water in the heating tank 118 may be distributed to the brewing chamber 15 or other beverage forming station or outlet via the heating tank conduit 119. Liquid may be expelled from the heating tank 118 by operating the pump 112 to press additional unheated liquid into the tank 118, thereby transferring water from the tank 118 to the brewing chamber 15. A flow sensor or other suitable device may be used to determine the amount of liquid delivered to the tank 118, and therefore the amount of liquid delivered to the brewing chamber 15. Alternatively, the pump 112 may be a piston type pump, a diaphragm type pump, or other pump, arranged so that a known volume of liquid can be delivered from the pump 112 to the tank 118, thereby causing the same known volume to be delivered to the brewing chamber 15. Thus, a specific volume of liquid may be delivered to the brewing chamber 15 by operating the pump 112 to deliver a specific volume of liquid to the tank 118, for example, a diaphragm pump may deliver 5 ml per pump stroke, and thus, by operating the pump for 20 pump cycles (e.g., 20 pump strokes or 20 pump shaft rotations), 100 ml of liquid may be delivered to the tank 118. The liquid may be introduced into the cartridge 1 at any suitable pressure (e.g., 1-2 psi or more), and the pressure may be adjustable by the control circuit 16. Although in this embodiment, the tank conduit 119 is shown as being simply connected to the top of the tank 118 at the outlet of the tank 118 without extending into the tank at all, the conduit 119 may be arranged in other suitable ways. The outlet of the heating tank 118 can be arranged at the top of the tank 118, or in other ways in other embodiments, for example, at the top of the tank 118 but below the topmost portion of the tank 118, or at a location between the top and bottom of the tank 118 (such as where the air pump 121 is used to move water from the tank 118 to the brewing chamber 15, similar to the method of U.S. Pat. No. 7,398,726). Figure 1 ). The tank conduit 119 may include a check valve 119a, a solenoid valve, or other flow controller, for example, to help prevent backflow in the tank conduit 119 from the brew chamber 15 to the tank 118 and / or prevent flow from the tank 118 to the brew chamber 15.

[0036] The brewing chamber 15 may include any beverage making ingredients or raw materials, such as coffee grounds, tea, mixed flavored drinks, or other beverage media, for example, with or without the beverage medium contained in the cartridge 1. Alternatively, the brewing chamber 15 may simply serve as an outlet for heated water, for example, in the event that the beverage medium is contained in the user's cup 2. Once the liquid delivery to the tank 118 by the pump 112 is completed, the air pump 121 may be operated to press air into the top of the tank 118 and / or into the conduit 119 to purge the liquid from the top portion of the tank 118, the conduit 119, and / or the cartridge 1 to at least some extent. A valve 122 may be used to control the flow of air into and / or out of the tank 118.

[0037] Although in the present illustrative embodiment, the liquid supply system arranged to provide liquid to the beverage outlet (located in the brewing chamber 15) may include the pump 112, the storage tank 110 and other components, these components are not necessarily required and / or may include other components. For example, the liquid supply may or may not include a check valve 114, a flow meter, an exhaust valve 116 (e.g., to help prevent the formation of a siphon), etc. Alternatively, other mechanisms for providing liquid may be used, such as by gravity flow of liquid, flow forced by air pressure, or by other motive forces to move liquid from the storage tank 110, moving a stream of liquid from a pipe or other "city water" supply, and other mechanisms.

[0038] For those systems that employ a cartridge 1, once the cartridge is in the brewing chamber in the closed position, the beverage machine 100 can use the cartridge 1 to form a beverage. For example, one or more inlet needles or other probes 46 associated with the cover 4 or other parts of the machine 100 can pierce the cartridge 1 (e.g., the cover of the cartridge) to inject heated water or other liquid into the cartridge 1. By mixing with the beverage raw materials in the cartridge 1, the injected liquid can form a desired beverage or beverage precursor. The cover 4, the cartridge receiver 3, or other parts of the machine 100 may also include one or more outlet needles 32 or other elements to pierce or pierce the cartridge 1 on the outlet side to allow the formed beverage to leave the cartridge 1. Other inlet / outlet piercing arrangements are also possible, such as multiple needles, nozzles, non-hollow needles, cones, pyramids, knives, blades, etc. In another arrangement, the beverage machine may include a piercing element (such as a metal nail) that forms an opening, and then a second inlet element (such as a tube) can pass through the formed hole to introduce liquid into (or guide liquid out of) the container. In other embodiments, by introducing pressure on the outside of the cover, the cover or other parts of the cartridge can be pierced, or otherwise effectively opened for circulation. For example, the water inlet can be pressed and sealed to the outside of the cover, and water pressure can be introduced there. The water pressure can cause the cover to be pierced or otherwise opened, thereby allowing flow into the box body 1. In another arrangement, the cartridge cover may include a valve, a conduit or other structure that opens when exposed to a suitable pressure and / or when matched with the water inlet pipe or other structure. Like the inlet piercing arrangement, the outlet piercing arrangement can be changed in any suitable manner. Therefore, the outlet piercing element 32 may include one or more hollow or solid needles, knives, blades, tubes, etc. Alternatively, the box body 1 may include a valve, a diaphragm or other element that opens to allow the beverage to leave when the liquid is introduced into the cartridge, but remains closed (for example, to protect the beverage medium from the influence of external conditions (such as oxygen, moisture or other external conditions)) in other cases. In such cases, there is no need for a piercing element for forming an outlet opening, although these piercing elements can be used (for example, to allow a valve or other element to open). In addition, in this illustrative embodiment, when the beverage leaves the opening formed in the cartridge, the piercing element 32 remains in place to receive the beverage. However, in other embodiments, the piercing element 32 can be retracted after the opening is formed, thereby allowing the beverage to leave the opening and be received without extending the piercing element 32 into the box body 1. However, other arrangements for the beverage outlet are also possible, for example, the cartridge may have a permeable portion that allows the beverage to leave the box body 1. In addition, there is no requirement that the inlet and / or outlet pierce the cartridge to provide liquid to the cartridge or receive the beverage from the cartridge. Instead, any suitable port or other feature can be used to perform communication with the cartridge.

[0039] In the case where the beverage box body 1 is provided in the brewing chamber 15 or the beverage raw material (if used) is otherwise provided to the brewing chamber 15, the control circuit 16 can be operated in different ways to distribute the beverage. In some embodiments, the control circuit can automatically select one or more brewing parameters during the dispensing operation, for automatically controlling the liquid supply and the liquid regulator part to distribute the beverage. For example, based on the characteristics read by the machine-readable feature on the box body 1 by the sensor 6, the control circuit 16 can be a parameter (such as liquid volume, liquid temperature, whether to use liquid foaming or whipping, beverage dispensing time or speed, precursor liquid flow rate, precursor liquid pressure, whether to use beverage iced, whether to use brewing chamber air or steam purification, whether to use beverage raw material pre-wetting or pulse brewing and if so, the time period between liquid delivery, and other parameters) select default values. Such parameters can be automatically determined in different ways, such as by receiving input from the user via the user interface 14, by adopting the default value stored in the memory of the control circuit 16, and / or by a combination of such technologies or other ways. In some cases, once the brewing parameter values ​​are set, or in response to additional user input (such as a user pressing a brew start button, for example, Figure 2 The control circuit 16 may start the dispensing operation. In one example, the user may press the button 145 in the Figure 2 One of the beverage volume buttons 141-144 is pressed to select the beverage volume, and then the brew start button 145 is pressed to cause the control circuit 16 to start an automatic dispensing operation to dispense the beverage.

[0040] Because the dispensing process may include different steps that may be performed serially and / or in parallel, the control circuit 16 may perform the automatic dispensing operation (in this example, in response to pressing the start button 145) in different ways. For example, in some embodiments, the heating tank 118 may store a certain volume of pre-heated water, so that the control circuit 16 can immediately control the pump 112 to deliver additional water to the tank 118, so that the heated water flows from the tank 118 to the brewing chamber 15 when the dispensing operation begins. In other embodiments, the water in the heating tank 118 may first need to be heated, and therefore, the control circuit 16 may first cause the heating element 123 to heat the water in the tank 118, and then, once the heating is complete, automatically begin delivering water. Of course, these steps are different from Figure 1 to Figure 2100, and other beverage machine 100 configurations may include other steps in the automatic dispensing operation portion. For example, if the beverage machine 100 uses an inline heater or a flow-through heater as the heating tank 118, the control circuit 16 may cause the heating element of the inline heater to begin heating, and then simultaneously or shortly thereafter, begin to cause water to flow through the inline heater and to the brewing chamber. In the case where the beverage machine 100 does not use a pump, the flow of water may be caused by gravity, steam pressure in the inline heater, or other means.

[0041] With the water or other liquid sufficiently heated in the heating tank 118, the control circuit 16 can continue the automatic process of beverage dispensing by causing the pump 112 to deliver the liquid to the tank 118, thereby delivering the heated liquid to the brewing chamber 15. The control circuit 16 can sense or otherwise track the volume of liquid delivered to the brewing chamber 15 so that the appropriate volume of beverage can be dispensed. For example, the control circuit 16 can cause the pump 112 to operate for a specific number of cycles, wherein a specific volume of liquid is delivered by the pump 112 in each pump cycle. Alternatively, the control circuit 16 can use a flow meter to detect the volume of liquid delivered to the brewing chamber 15, or use other techniques.

[0042] It should be understood that other user inputs for adjusting other parameters provided via the user interface 14 may cause similar adjustments to be made in the system control by the control circuit 16 during the automatic dispensing operation. If the user presses a button or otherwise provides a temperature parameter for the increase in the beverage, the control circuit 16 may cause the heating element to operate so as to increase the temperature of the beverage accordingly. If the user presses the "whipping" button during the dispensing period, the control system may cause the whipping element to froth or generate foam in the dispensed beverage, and the whipping element would not have been used. During the dispensing operation, other adjustments to the system operation under the automatic control of the control circuit 16 may be carried out in response to the brewing parameters adjusted by the user.

[0043] As used herein, "beverage" refers to a liquid substance for drinking that is formed when the liquid interacts with the beverage raw material, or a liquid that is dispensed without interacting with the beverage raw material. Thus, a beverage refers to a liquid that is ready to drink (e.g., dispensed into a cup and ready to drink), as well as a liquid that will undergo other processes or treatments (such as filtering or adding flavorings, creamers, sweeteners, another beverage, etc.) before being consumed.

[0044] Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of the present invention, it will be appreciated that various changes, modifications and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such changes, modifications and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure and are intended to fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description and accompanying drawings are intended only as examples.

Claims

1. A beverage machine, comprising: a liquid supply arranged to provide liquid for forming a beverage; a brewing chamber movable between an open position and a closed position and arranged to hold a cartridge containing a beverage ingredient for mixing with the liquid to form a beverage, the brewing chamber comprising a camera and a cartridge stabilizer, the camera being arranged to image a portion of a cover of the cartridge when the brewing chamber is moved toward the closed position, the cartridge stabilizer being configured to move to contact and hold the cartridge during imaging by the camera when the brewing chamber is moved toward the closed position; a liquid regulator arranged to heat or cool the liquid provided to the brewing chamber; as well as A housing is arranged to support the liquid supply, the brewing chamber and at least part of the liquid regulator.

2. The machine according to claim 1, characterized in that The brewing chamber is adapted to receive the box body having a cup-type container, and the cover is fixed to an opening of the cup-type container.

3. The machine according to claim 2, characterized in that The cover is flat.

4. The machine according to claim 2, characterized in that The brewing chamber includes a receiver and a cover, the receiver having a groove for receiving the cup-type container, the receiver and the cover being movable relative to each other between the open position and the closed position, so that in the open position the receiver is exposed to receive the box body, and in the closed position the cover and the receiver at least partially surround the box body.

5. The machine according to claim 4, characterized in that The camera is mounted to the covering and is movable with the covering.

6. The machine according to claim 4, characterized in that The cassette stabilizer is arranged to contact a portion of the lid and urge the cassette into the recess of the receptacle as the receptacle and the cover are moved toward the closed position.

7. The machine according to claim 6, characterized in that The box stabilizer is arranged to contact the cover only at the rear side of the receiver, and the camera is arranged to image at least a central area of ​​the cover.

8. The machine according to claim 4, characterized in that The cassette stabilizer is arranged to push the cassette into the recess as the receiver and the cover move toward the closed position, such that the cassette is fully seated in the receiver before the receiver and the cover reach the closed position.

9. The machine according to claim 8, characterized in that The camera is arranged to image the cassette after the cassette is fully seated in the receptacle and before the receptacle and the cover reach the closed position.

10. The machine according to claim 1, characterized in that The cartridge stabilizer is adapted to fully seat the cartridge in the brewing chamber when the brewing chamber is moved toward the closed position.

11. The machine according to claim 10, characterized in that The brewing chamber comprises a receptacle, and the cartridge stabilizer is adapted to push the cartridge completely into the receptacle before the brewing chamber reaches the closed position.

12. The machine according to claim 11, characterized in that The cassette stabilizer is adapted to contact the cassette at an edge to push the cassette into the receptacle.

13. The machine according to claim 11, characterized in that The brewing chamber includes a cover, the cover and the receptacle being movable relative to each other between the open position and the closed position, the camera being mounted to the cover.

14. The machine according to claim 13, characterized in that The cassette stabilizer is movable relative to the receiver and the cover.

15. The machine according to claim 1, characterized in that The brewing chamber comprises a receiver and a cover, wherein the receiver is used to receive the box body, and the receiver and the cover are movable relative to each other between the open position and the closed position, so that in the open position, the receiver is exposed to receive the box body, and in the closed position, the cover and the receiver at least partially surround the box body, wherein the box body stabilizer is movable relative to the receiver and the cover.

16. The machine according to claim 15, characterized in that The movement of the receiver and the cover relative to each other causes movement of the case stabilizer.

17. The machine according to claim 16, characterized in that The box stabilizer moves based on the movement of the cover.

18. A method of operating a beverage machine adapted to form a beverage using a cartridge, comprising: receiving the cartridge in the brewing chamber when the brewing chamber is in an open position; moving the brewing chamber toward a closed position in which the cartridge is at least partially enclosed and used to form a beverage; contacting the cover of the box body and holding the box body in a position suitable for imaging the cover of the box body when the brewing chamber moves toward the closed position; as well as The cover of the cartridge is imaged while the brewing chamber is moved toward the closed position and while the cartridge is held in the position suitable for imaging.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The step of contacting the cover includes pushing the cartridge into a recess of a receiver of the brewing chamber.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein: The step of moving the brewing chamber comprises moving a cover and a receiver of the brewing chamber relative to each other toward the closed position such that the cover is positioned over a recess adapted to receive the receiver of the cassette, and Wherein the imaging step comprises imaging the cover using a camera mounted to the covering.

Images