Device for preparing encapsulated beverages

Abstract

A capsule beverage preparation device is provided that comprises an outer housing and beverage preparation units arranged sequentially inside the outer housing; flow passages for flowing a ready product of beverages produced from capsules of different formats; a cup holder; chambers designed to store a variety of capsules containing different ingredients. Each beverage preparation unit comprises: a subunit designed to spray water into each capsule during the brewing process, that comprises a piercing member for puncturing the capsule and spraying water into it; a water heating element; a water pump, configured to operate in different modes for spraying water into capsules of various formats through pressurization; a subunit; a dispensing valve for dispensing a variety of hot beverages.

Description

[0001] Device for Preparing Encapsulated Beverages

[0002] The invention relates to a device for preparing encapsulated beverages, specifically for ensuring the preparation of individual goods or products. It can be used for two different capsule formats, "European" and "American," allowing for the preparation of both formats of coffee and one format of tea, as well as beverages, such as hot chocolate, soup, broth, juice, vitamin complexes, protein drinks, and the like.

[0003] There is a demand in the modern market for capsule beverage preparation devices that incorporate or utilize advanced technical and technological innovations. At the same time, there is a need to adapt such high-tech capsule beverage preparation devices for goods or products that are not limited to coffee. This allows consumers to expand the variety of beverages they wish to prepare.

[0004] As is well known, coffee is one of the most popular beverages worldwide. The coffee industry, like other fields, is undergoing technological advancements, as evidenced by the recent introduction of encapsulated coffee on the market and the resulting wide variety of machines designed to prepare beverages from encapsulated coffee, encapsulated coffee, or coffee capsules, are small hermetically sealed containers made of plastic, aluminum, or a combination of both materials, containing pre-dosed amounts of ground coffee.

[0005] The advantage of coffee in capsules is that it retains its properties— its flavor remains rich, and its aroma does not dissipate. On today's market, coffee capsules are primarily categorized into two main types by size: the so-called American format and European format. However, the variety of coffee capsules is much greater when considering the types of coffee they contain, preparation methods, intensity or strength, and flavored options.

[0006] Given the advantages of capsule coffee, there arose a demand to adapt these benefits to other products, such as tea, beverages similar to hot chocolate, broths, soups, infusions of dried fruits and herbs, etc. This progress has also extended to cold beverages, as evidenced by the availability of encapsulated juice concentrates, multivitamins, and proteins. From the above, there is a need for capsule beverage preparation devices whose structural configuration meets the diverse demands of consumers, not only in terms of ease of use, convenience, and operational efficiency but also by integrating the distinctive structural and functional characteristics of capsule beverages, as defined by modern coffee production technologies.

[0007] A capsule coffee preparation device (Instant Dual Pod Plus Coffee Maker) is known, that is also designed for the aforementioned "European" and "American" format coffee capsules. It includes a main body, capsule brewing chambers arranged within the body, a water tank, a heating element, a pump, a water dose counter, a distributor valve, a ready product conduit, and a cup holder.

[0008] The discussed device has a limitation in its low functional capabilities, as the product assortment is restricted. Although it has brewing chambers for both formats of capsules, it is only used for coffee capsules, as accepting other products requires different operational modes. Furthermore, another drawback is that it can only dispense drinks in 6 different volumes, yet it has only 2 positions for securing the cup holder. An incorrect cup position can either make it impossible to place the cup or cause splashing, which affects the apparatus and is associated with certain discomfort.

[0009] There is also known a capsule coffee preparation machine (Hamilton Beach FlexBrew® Universal Coffee Maker), which, similar to the above, is designed for both "European" and "American" capsule formats. It consists of a main body, brewing chambers for capsules located within the body, a water tank, a heating element, a pump, a water dose counter, a dispensing valve, a ready product conduit, and a cup holder.

[0010] The drawback of the discussed device is its limited functional capabilities, as, similar to the first example, it can only accommodate two formats of coffee capsules and also has limited positioning options for the cup holder.

[0011] Also known is a capsu le coffee preparation machine (Keu rig® K-Elite® Single Serve Coffee Maker), that is designed solely for the American format capsules. It consists of a main body, a brewing chamber, a water reservoir, a water pu mp, a water dose cou nter, a n air pu mp, a conduit, a nd a cu p holder.

[0012] The d rawback of the discussed device is the a bility to operate with on ly one format, as "European" and "American" format coffees differ significantly in taste characteristics. This device neglects the category of consu mers who prefer "European" format coffees.

[0013] The mentioned negative aspects are eliminated in the capsule beverage preparation device, which is designed for the aforementioned "European" and "American" format capsules. It includes a main body, capsule brewing chambers arranged in the body, a water tank, a heating element, a pump, a water dose counter, distribution valves, a storage space for used "European" format capsules, a ready product passage, a cup holder, control means, and a control unit. It separates the channels for different format brewing chambers to avoid flavor contamination, and also provides more ledges for different cup sizes. Unlike the other two format devices, it can prepare not only coffee but also other hot and cold beverages. It is in constant communication with a server computer, and in the case of creating a new, improved recipe, mode updates will be done remotely to better meet the user's needs. Additionally, after certain used capsules, the device will recommend a system clean-up, and when working with concrete capsules, it can measure the caffeine content of the brewed coffee and recommend a daily intake limit by use of an application program.

[0014] The technical effect of the invention is the expansion of functionality and improvement of operational characteristics.

[0015] The expansion of functional capabilities is achieved through a unique experience, with the addition of buttons that have assigned brewing recipes. These buttons are reprogrammed for regular updates and refinement of the recipes. Additionally, the device features brewing chambers for both formats, arranged sequentially within the device. This results in two independent conduits, both directed in the same direction. Therefore, neither separate cup holders are required, nor will flavor contamination occur between the formats. Functional capabilities are further enhanced by the fact that the device tracks and stores in a database information about the user's purchased products. The device counts the capsules used and provide recommendations for replenishment. The preparation of cold products becomes possible by placing an additional distributor valve between the pump and the heating element. If the user decides to prepare a cold drink, the valve will guide the water to the product, bypassing the heating element and reaching the appropriate brewing chamber, thus providing a cold beverage.

[0016] The improvement of operational characteristics is based on the fact that the button symbols are designed for specific formats. Thus, the symbols on the buttons corresponding to a particular format will be placed next to the brewing chamber with matching symbols, which will also be indicated on the capsules. This makes the operation of the device easier for the user.

[0017] The present invention can be explained with appended drawings, wherein

[0018] Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of the capsules beverage preparation device;

[0019] Figure 2 shows an exploded view of the device.

[0020] Figure 3 shows the distribution of brewing chambers for different capsule formats in the device.

[0021] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the water system.

[0022] The capsule beverage preparation device according to the present invention comprises: an outer housing and sequentially arranged beverage preparation units inside the outer housing; flow passages for flowing a ready product of beverages produced from capsules of different formats; a cup holder;

[0023] The chambers designed to store multiple capsules containing different ingredients. each beverage preparation unit comprising: a subunit designed for spraying water into each capsule during the brewing process, that comprises a piercing member for puncturing the capsule and spraying water into it; a water tank; a water heating element; a water pump, configured to operate in different modes for spraying water into capsules of various formats through pressurization; a control subunit designed to control the operating modes of the water pump; a dispensing valve for dispensing a variety of hot beverages; wherein the water pump is configured to spray water into different format capsules through different continuous pressurization.

[0024] Additionally, the pump is configured to spray water into different capsules using intermittent pressurization with a pre-defined time delay between the pressurizations.

[0025] Additionally, the pump is configured to spray water into different capsules with pulsed pressurization.

[0026] The device also comprises a counter for used capsules.

[0027] The device also comprises a distributor valve disposed between the pump and the heating element, that is designed to dispense the ready product of a cold beverage.

[0028] The cup holder comprises a series of ledges for placing cups of different sizes.

[0029] The device also includes telecommunication means for connecting to a remote server, which are configured to send an electronic message to the server regarding the need for maintenance actions required for the operation of the device. The apparatus also comprises telecommunication means for connecting to a remote server, which are configured to remotely update the apparatus operation modes and / or receive notification messages for recommendations from the server.

[0030] The apparatus also comprises buttons for performing operations and their indicator lights, two separate conduits that are directed towards the same cup, ensuring that a separate cup placing is not required, while simultaneously indicating to the user that the apparatus performs only one operation at a time. A lever is connected to the "European" format brewing chamber, and accordingly, the opening / closing of the lever causes the opening / closing of the brewing chamber. This brewing chamber also uses a capsule ejection system, meaning that when a capsule is placed in the brewing chamber and it is in a closed state, opening the lever will cause ejecting the used capsule into the waste system. This function is available only in the "European" format brewing chamber. In the "American" format brewing chamber, the insertion and removal of the capsule is done manually. The cup holder has two angled protrusions, with slots cut out on the apparatus's internal body at different heights, allowing the user to adjust the distance between the holder and the conduit according to the cup size, thus minimizing the risk of splashing that could cause the apparatus to get wet. As for the water tank, it is positioned inside the body to avoid overloading the visual design of the apparatus with extra details. For this reason, a mechanical lever is placed on top of the water tank, and by pulling this lever, the water tank handle is released, allowing the user to slide it out from the device's body.

[0031] The advantage of the described device, compared to prior art, lies in its functional characteristics. In addition to the fact that the existing device has the ability to prepare coffee products from 37mm (European) and 51mm (American) capsules, it also has the capability of preparing hot and cold beverages from American format capsules, such as juice, vitamin complexes, protein, tea, dried fruit extracts, hot chocolate, broth, and soup. The preparation of these products requires a different method than coffee, which is integrated into the corresponding buttons. Thus, by using these buttons, the range of capsule products is expanded. In addition, the above described device is equipped with a Wi-Fi module, which allows it to connect to the server and gain additional functionality through an application program. The user will have the ability to control specific product volume, temperature, and other settings as desired. Furthermore, the number of capsules purchased from a store is uploaded to the server, and the device subtracts one capsule per each use. When the minimum threshold is reached, the user receives a message on their phone about the possibility of running out of capsules. Additionally, tracking the number of used capsules allows the device to operate at its peak capacity for as long as possible.

[0032] As it is known, water contains minerals and salts, which over time accumulate on pipes and affect their functionality. Therefore, periodic cleaning with a special solution is required after a certain number of used capsules. Since the device has the ability to count the used capsules, it can also prompt the user for periodic cleaning, which helps extend its service life. Furthermore, the device has self-diagnostic capabilities, and in case of any malfunction, a specialized technician can resolve the issue much faster, providing additional comfort for the user.

Claims

Claims1. A capsule beverage preparation device that comprises: an outer housing and sequentially arranged beverage preparation units inside the outer housing; flow passages for flowing a ready product of beverages produced from capsules of different formats; a cup holder; a plurality of chambers designed to store a variety of capsules containing different ingredients; each beverage preparation unit comprising: a subunit designed for spraying water into each capsule during the brewing process, that comprises a piercing member for puncturing the capsule and spraying water into it; a water tank; a water heating element; a water pump, configured to operate in different modes for spraying water into capsules of various formats through pressurization; a control subunit designed to control the operating modes of the water pump; a dispensing valve for dispensing a variety of hot beverages.

2. A capsule beverage preparation device according to claim 1, wherein the water pump is configured to spray water into capsules of different formats using different continuous pressurization.

3. A capsule beverage preparation device according to claim 1, wherein the water pump is configured to spray water into capsules using intermittent pressurization with a pre-defined time delay between the pressurizations.

4. A capsule beverage preparation device according to claim 1, wherein the water pump is configured to spray water into capsules using pulsed pressurization.

5. A capsule beverage preparation device according to any of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a spent capsule counting device.

6. A capsule beverage preparation device according to any of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a distributor valve disposed between the pump and the heating element, designed to dispense the ready product of a cold beverage.

7. A capsule beverage preparation device according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cup holder comprises a plurality of ledges for placing cups of different sizes.

8. A capsule beverage preparation device according to any of claims 1 to 7, that further comprises telecommunication means for connecting to a remote server, configured to send an electronic messages to the server regarding the regarding the need for maintenance actions required for the operation of the device.

9. A capsule beverage preparation device according to any of claims 1 to 7, that comprises telecommunication means for connecting to a remote server, configured to remotely update the operation modes of the device and / or receive messages of recommendations from the server.

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