Apparatus and methods for preparing liquid products

Abstract

Apparatus (10) for preparing a liquid product. The apparatus (10) includes: an inlet port (12) configured to couple with a water source; a pump (14) operable to pressurise water received from the inlet port (12); a temperature control mechanism (16) operable to adjust the temperature of water received from the inlet port (12); an outlet port (18) configured to expel water conveyed from the inlet port (12) by the pump (14); an agitation mechanism (20) operable to agitate water expelled from the outlet (18) and contained in a vessel (11); and a controller (22) for controlling operation of the temperature control mechanism (16), the pump (14), and the agitation mechanism (20), responsive to obtaining and executing digital instructions relating to the liquid product which define a volume, temperature, and pressure of water to expel from the outlet port (18), and agitation of the water expelled into the vessel (11), to form the liquid product. Related methods and processes are also disclosed.

Description

"Apparatus and Methods for Preparing Liquid Products"Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates, generally, to apparatus and methods for preparing liquid products and, particularly, to such apparatus and methods for preparing products from concentrates by an end user or retailer.Background

[0002] Liquid products, such as household cleaning agents, toiletries, cosmetics, and the like, are typically formulated in an industrial facility and packaged in a sealed vessel, such as a in a plastic bottle, tub, or other container. The packaged liquid product is distributed to retailers and sold to users. When the product has been used, the packaging is usually disposed of as waste, which may involve recycling the packaging, or sending the packaging to land fill. The volume of waste generated by this process is substantial, the majority of which being non-biodegradable. Furthermore, the energy and resources, including water and fuel, consumed by the production, packaging, and distribution of the liquid products is significant.

[0003] One approach to improve the sustainability of liquid product production and use is to provide concentrated liquid product contained in a dissolvable pod. The pod is formulated into the liquid product, typically in a domestic setting, by the end user. This approach generally involves a user diluting the pod in water, and adding the diluted liquid product to a reusable vessel, such as a glass or plastic bottle. While this approach offers advantages over conventional liquid product manufacture and distribution, such as reducing waste, the formulation process by the user often requires substantial time and effort, proving inconvenient. Furthermore, the manual nature of the formulation process can produce inconsistent results, affecting liquid product quality.

[0004] Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like which has been included in the present specification is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present disclosure as it existed before the priority date of each of the appended claims.Summary

[0005] Disclosed is an apparatus for preparing a liquid product. The apparatus includes an inlet port configured to couple with a water source; a pump operable to pressurise water received from the inlet port; a temperature control mechanism operable to adjust the temperature of water received from the inlet port; an outlet port configured to expel water conveyed from the inlet port by the pump; an agitation mechanism operable to agitate water expelled from the outlet and contained in a vessel; and a controller communicatively coupled with, and configured to control operation of, the temperature control mechanism, the pump, and the agitation mechanism. The controller is configured so that, responsive to obtaining digital instructions relating to the liquid product, the instructions defining a volume, temperature, and pressure of water to expel from the outlet port, and agitation of the water expelled into the vessel, the controller executes the instructions to cause operating the temperature control mechanism, the pump, and the agitation mechanism to form the liquid product.

[0006] The apparatus may also include a pod dispensing mechanism configured to receive one or more pods containing concentrated liquid product, and operable to dispense one of the received pods into a vessel.

[0007] The apparatus may also include a vessel engagement mechanism operable to releasably engage a vessel and arranged to position the vessel adjacent the outlet port to receive expelled water.

[0008] The agitation mechanism may be operable to displace a vessel coupled with the vessel engagement mechanism to induce a vortex in expelled water contained in the vessel.

[0009] The vessel engagement mechanism and the agitation mechanism may be integrated, and the agitation mechanism be operable to cause at least one of: rotating, oscillating, and vibrating a vessel coupled with the vessel engagement mechanism.

[0010] The vessel engagement mechanism may be configured to engage a bottle to arrange a rim of the bottle adjacent the outlet port.

[0011] The apparatus may also include a user interface communicatively coupled with the controller and operable to allow a user to select one of a range of liquid products, whereby, responsive to operation of the user interface, the controller is configured to obtain the digital instructions relating to the selected liquid product, and execute the instructions.

[0012] The apparatus may also include a communications module communicatively coupled with the controller and connected to the Internet, and wherein the controller is configured to obtain encrypted digital instructions from a remotely hosted data store, via the communications module, and authorise decryption of the digital instructions to cause executing the digital instructions.

[0013] The apparatus may also include a removable reservoir for containing water and configured to releasably couple with the inlet port to provide the water source.

[0014] The apparatus may also include a marking mechanism communicatively coupled with the controller and operable, by the controller, to mark a vessel to identify the liquid product. The marking mechanism may include a label printer operable to print an adhesive label for applying to the vessel.

[0015] Also disclosed is a method for preparing a liquid product with an automated apparatus, the method including: introducing a pod containing concentrated liquid product into a vessel; engaging the vessel with the apparatus; operating the apparatus to heat and pressurise a specific volume of water, and introduce the water into the vessel; and operating the apparatus to agitate the water in the vessel, thereby forming the liquid product.

[0016] Operating the apparatus according to the above method may be caused by the apparatus obtaining digital instructions relating to the liquid product, the instructions defining the volume, temperature, and pressure of the water to introduce into the vessel, and defining parameters of the agitation of the water, and executing the instructions to control the heating, pressurising, and agitation of the water. The digital instructions may define at least one of the following parameters of the agitation: duration of the agitation, fluid velocity of the water contained in the vessel, and rotational velocity of the vessel. Obtaining and executing the digital instructions may involve obtaining encrypted instructions and authorising decryption of the instructions.

[0017] Also disclosed is a process for monitoring consumption of a liquid product by a user, the process including: preparing a pod containing concentrated liquid product and attaching a digital tag to the pod, the tag defining status information in a pod manufacturer database; distributing the pod to a retailer and communicating corresponding distribution data to the database to cause the status information to be updated in the database; selling the pod to a user and communicating corresponding sales data to the database to cause the status information to be updated in the database; and operating an apparatus by the user to obtain digital instructions relating to the pod and executing the instructions, by the apparatus, to dilute the pod in water to form the liquid product, and communicating corresponding usage data to the database to cause the status information to be updated in the database.

[0018] The apparatus may obtain the digital instructions from the pod manufacturer database. The apparatus may obtain the digital instructions via a blockchain.

[0019] Operating the apparatus may involve the user operating a user interface to control settings of the apparatus to affect one or more properties of the liquid product, and communicating corresponding user settings data to the database to cause the status information to be updated in the database.

[0020] Each of the data communicated to the database may be timestamped. Each of the data communicated to the database may be associated with a geographic location.

[0021] Also disclosed is a process for monitoring consumption of a liquid product by a user, the process including: adding pod identification data relating to a pod of concentrated liquid product, and digital recipe data relating to the pod, the digital recipe data including one or more instructions to control operation of an apparatus, to a genesis block of a blockchain; adding distribution data to a logistics block of the blockchain, the distribution data detailing at least one of a location, and carrier identification for the pod; adding sales data to a retail block of the blockchain, the sales data detailing at least one of retailer identification; and date, time, and / or location of sale of the pod; and adding use data to a user block of the blockchain, the use data detailing at least one of date, time, and / or location of use of the pod by operating an apparatus to formulate a liquid product from the pod based on executing the one or more instructions defined by the digital recipe.

[0022] Throughout this specification the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.

[0023] It will be appreciated embodiments may comprise steps, features and / or integers disclosed herein or indicated in the specification of this application individually or collectively, and any and all combinations of two or more of said steps or features.Brief Description of Drawings

[0024] Embodiments will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompany drawings in which:

[0025] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an apparatus for preparing a liquid products;

[0026] Figure 2 is an isometric view of a second embodiment of an apparatus for preparing a liquid products;

[0027] Figure 3 is a first schematic of components of the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

[0028] Figure 4 is a second schematic of some of the components of the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2; and

[0029] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating data flow relating to operation of the apparatus illustrated in the previous figures.Description of Embodiments

[0030] In the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally designates an apparatus 10 for preparing a liquid product. The apparatus 10 includes: an inlet port 12 configured to couple with a water source; a pump 14 operable to pressurise water received from the inlet port 12; a temperature control mechanism 16 operable to adjust the temperature of water received from the inlet port 12; an outlet port 18 configured to expel water conveyed from the inlet port 12 by the pump 14; an agitation mechanism 20 operable to agitate water expelled from the outlet 18 and contained in a vessel 11; and a controller 22 communicatively coupled with, and configured to control operation of, the temperature control mechanism 16, the pump 14, and the agitation mechanism 20. The controller 22 is configured so that, responsive to obtaining digital instructions relating to the liquid product, the instructions defining a volume, temperature, and pressure ofwater to expel from the outlet port 18, and agitation of the water expelled into the vessel 11, the controller 22 executes the instructions to cause operating the temperature control mechanism 16, the pump 14, and the agitation mechanism 20 to form the liquid product.

[0031] The apparatus 10 is operable, responsive to obtaining appropriate digital instructions, to prepare a wide range of liquid products including cleaning agents such as floor, window, or bathroom cleaner, detergents, toiletries such as shampoo and toothpaste, cosmetics such as face cream, and the like. The liquid products are prepared by the apparatus 10 introducing water to, and mixing with, contents of a pod 13 containing concentrated liquid product. The pod 13 is generally configured to be dissolvable although in some embodiments may be frangible to allow accessing the contents of the pod. The pod 13 may be manually placed, by a user, in a vessel 11 which is then filled with water expelled from the apparatus 10, and agitated by the apparatus 10. In some embodiments, the apparatus 10 may automatically dispense the pod 13 into the vessel 11, such as from a cassette or magazine containing a plurality of the pods 13.

[0032] Embodiments of the apparatus 10 are illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. As shown in these figures, the apparatus 10 may be configured as a benchtop appliance, being dimensioned and specified to be used in a domestic or retail setting, for example, located at a kitchen bench, utility room bench, laundry room bench, shop countertop, or the like. In other embodiments (not illustrated), the apparatus 10 may be configured as a freestanding appliance, being dimensioned and specified for use in a building / facilities management services or a public venue setting, in a similar manner to a vending machine.

[0033] The controller 22 is generally configured as firmware embedded in the apparatus 10, such as on a non-volatile memory chip, or flash memory, carried by a PCB, and coupled with the physical components (hardware) of the apparatus 10, such as the pump 14 and temperature control mechanism 16, to effect control of operating the apparatus 10. In some embodiments, the controller 22 includes a processorelement, such as one or more processors housed in the apparatus 10, to enable other functions, such as decryption of the digital instructions, as described in greater detail below.

[0034] Schematic views of components of the apparatus 10 are shown in Figs. 3 and 4. As shown in the figures, the apparatus 10 may include a vessel engagement mechanism 24 configured to releasably engage the vessel 11 and arranged to position the vessel 11 adjacent the outlet port 18 to receive expelled water. As shown in Fig. 1, the vessel engagement mechanism 24 is configurable to engage a bottle to arrange a rim of the bottle adjacent the outlet port 18, either by directly engaging the bottle or an adaptor fitted to the bottle. As shown in Fig. 4, the engagement mechanism 24 may define an aperture, such as a keyed slot 25, configurable to slidably engage with a complementary shaped adaptor, such as a disk-shaped protrusion 27 defined by a pourer 26, releasably mountable to the vessel 11. In some embodiments, the apparatus 10 may be provided with a kit of differently sized adaptors to allow mounting to a range of different vessels, such as bottles or other containers having differently dimensioned rims. The pourers 26 may define a thread to threadedly engage the vessel 11, or may be configured for press-fitting within the rim of the vessel 11. It will be appreciated that slidably engaging the vessel 11, or adapter such as the pourer 26, with the engagement mechanism 24 is exemplary, and that a wide range of other mechanisms would suitable releasably engage the vessel 11 with the apparatus 10, such as a clamp or other gripping mechanism, bayonet- type vessel adaptor and fitting of the apparatus 10, threadedly engaging the vessel 11 with the apparatus 10, and the like.

[0035] In some embodiments, the agitation mechanism 20 may include a mixing platform 21 operable to vibrate the vessel 11 arranged on the platform 21, potentially at a high frequency, to induce stirring of liquid within the vessel 11.

[0036] In some embodiments, the agitation mechanism 20 may be configured to displace the vessel 11 coupled with the engagement mechanism 24 to induce a vortex in the water expelled from the outlet port 18 and into the vessel 11. In embodiments including the vessel engagement mechanism 24 may be integrated, or otherwisemechanically coupled, with the agitation mechanism 20 so that the agitation mechanism 24 is operable to cause at least one of: rotating, oscillating, and vibrating the vessel 11 coupled with the engagement mechanism 24. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 4, when the pourer 26 (attached to the vessel 11) is engaged with the engagement mechanism 24, the agitation mechanism 20 may be configured as a rotary-type mixer operable to rotate and / or shake the vessel 11 to induce the vortex in the liquid. In some embodiments, the engagement mechanism 24 may be arranged to position the vessel 11 at an angle to vertical so that the vortex spins about an axis extending transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vessel 11.

[0037] The agitation mechanism 20 may be shaped, or arrangeable, to have a portion which extends from the engagement mechanism 24 to allow positioning within the vessel 11, such as having a wand or arm member. In such embodiments, the agitation mechanism 20 may include a rotatable impellor mounted to a shaft to cause agitation of liquid within the vessel 11.

[0038] The apparatus 10 may include, or be associated with, a user interface 28 communicatively coupled with the controller 22 and operable to allow a user to select one of a range of liquid products. In response to operation of the user interface 28, the controller 22 is configured to obtain the digital instructions relating to the selected liquid product, and execute the instructions to cause preparing the liquid product.

[0039] The embodiments illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 include the user interface 28 having a touch screen 30 (Fig. 1) or depressible buttons 32 (Fig. 2) operable to control operation of the apparatus 10, including selecting a liquid product required by the user. In some embodiments, such as shown in Fig. 2, the user interface 28 may include a bar code or QR reader 33 to allow scanning the pod 13, or related packaging, to identify a required / selected liquid product. In further embodiments (not shown), the user interface 28 is remotely hosted, such as by an application executable by a smartphone.

[0040] Best shown in Fig. 2, the apparatus 10 typically includes a removable reservoir 34 for containing water. The reservoir 34 is releasably couplable with the inlet port 12to provide the water source. This arrangement allows a user to remove the reservoir 34, fill from a tap, or other water source, and replace the reservoir 34 to supply the apparatus 10 with water. In other embodiments, the inlet port 12 may be coupled directly to a main water source and the reservoir 34 may be absent. In either configuration, the inlet port 12 is generally covered by a one-way valve to control direction of fluid flow. Similarly, the outlet port 18 may be covered by a one-way valve to direct fluid flow.

[0041] The apparatus 10 may include, or be associated with such as being communicatively coupled with, a marking apparatus in communication with the controller 22 and operable, by the controller 22, to mark the vessel 11 to identify the liquid product formulated therein. As shown in Fig. 2, the marking apparatus may include a label printer 36 operable to print an adhesive label 37 for applying to the vessel 11. In other embodiments, the marking apparatus is operable to apply pigment / ink directly to the vessel 11 to identify the contents, or is operable to apply an RFID tag or similar device to allow identifying the contents. In further embodiments, the marking apparatus may be separate from the apparatus 10, such as being a conventional desktop printer, and communicatively coupled to the controller 22, for example, by a WiFi network, such that the controller 22 may control printing a label for attaching to the vessel 11.

[0042] Figure 3 identifies various components of the apparatus 10. In the embodiment illustrated in this schematic, the temperature control mechanism 16 is only configured for heating water and includes a heating element 17. It will be appreciated that, in other embodiments, the temperature control mechanism 16 is operable to additionally, or alternatively, effect cooling of the water. The illustrated embodiment also includes a display 38 as part of the user interface 28, the display operable to communicate information to the user. The apparatus 10 also include a communications module 40 communicatively coupled with the controller 22 and the Internet, such as via wireless signals. In such embodiments, the controller 22 is configured to obtain encrypted digital instructions from a remotely hosted data store, such as hosted by the manufacturer of the pod 13 and / or the apparatus 10, via the communications module40, and authorise decryption of the digital instructions to cause executing the digital instructions to formulate the liquid product, as described in greater detail below.

[0043] Use of the apparatus 10 may involve: introducing the pod 13 containing concentrated liquid product into the vessel 11; engaging the vessel 11 with the apparatus 10; operating the apparatus 10 to heat and pressurise a specific volume of water, and introduce the water into the vessel 11; and operating the apparatus 10 to agitate the water in the vessel 11, thereby forming the liquid product.

[0044] Operating the apparatus is generally caused by the apparatus 10 obtaining digital instructions relating to the liquid product, the instructions defining the volume, temperature, and pressure of the water to introduce into the vessel 11, and defining parameters of the agitation of the water, and executing the order of instructions to control the heating, pressurising, and agitation of the water.

[0045] The pod 13 may be manufactured by a fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) manufacturer and provided to the user through a conventional retail channel, such as a physical shop or online store. The FMCG manufacturer is typically a different entity to the manufacturer of the apparatus 10. This allows the apparatus 10 to act as a platform to formulate a wide range of liquid products originating from a range of FMCG manufacturers.

[0046] In this arrangement, the FMCG manufacturer may advantageously reduce the volume and bulk of each liquid product it produces and distributes, which can reduce its consumption of energy, fuel, and use of disposable containers. The FMCG manufacturer may also define the digital instructions provided to the apparatus 10 to direct operation of the apparatus 10 to form the liquid product from the pod 13 such that the formulated liquid product is consistently produced by the apparatus 10 to an acceptable standard defined by the FMCG manufacturer. This can advantageously provide a quality control mechanism which may be important, or even critical, in the supply and production of certain liquid products, particularly where such products are the subject of regulation.

[0047] Figure 5 illustrates data flow from a manufacturer of the pod 13 to the apparatus 10, configured as a distributed digital ledger, commonly referred to as a ‘blockchain’ 100. This may be configured as an enterprise blockchain system comprising a number and sequence of blocks and protocols defining data, and allowing encrypted access to the data by authorized users. The blockchain 100 is configurable such that each block is visible to authorised participant(s) in the blockchain 100, and each block is immutable (tamper-proof). Access to specific data in each block may be configured to be restructured, such that only authorised parties can access any, or specific parts of, the data.

[0048] In the example illustrated in Fig. 5, the blockchain 100 is based on the supply chain and end use of the pod 13. The blockchain 100 involves various parties including the pod manufacturer, distributor(s), retailer(s), and the user.

[0049] The supply chain of the pod 13 involves, initially, manufacturing the pod 13 of concentrated liquid product, by the pod manufacturer, and adding pod identification data relating to the pod 13, and digital recipe data relating to the pods reconstitution in its end product 13, to a genesis block 102 of the blockchain 102. The digital recipe data includes one or more instructions to control operation of the apparatus 10, and is typically encrypted to maintain confidentiality of the data. The instructions are configurable to control any of: operating the engagement mechanism 24 to engage / release the vessel; operating the pump 14 to pressurise water; operating the temperature control mechanism 16 to heat or cool water; operating the outlet port 18, including operating a valve associated with the port 18, to release water; operating the agitation mechanism 20 to agitate water, or agitate a vessel containing water expelled from the outlet port 18; and operate the label printer 36 to print the label 37.

[0050] The pod 13 is then sent to retailers via one or more distributors. The, or each distributor in the supply chain adds distribution data to a logistics block 104 of the blockchain 100, the distribution data detailing at least one of a location, and carrier identification for the pod. The carrier identification may detail an air, sea, and / or roadbased courier, and / or a storage facility.

[0051] The pod 13 is then received by a retailer and sold to a user, such as via a physical or online store. The retailer adds sales data to a retail block 106 of the blockchain 100, the sales data detailing at least one of retailer identification, and date, time, and / or location of sale of the pod 13.

[0052] The pod 13 is then used by the user operating the apparatus 10 to formulate the liquid product. Operating the apparatus 10 causes the controller 22 to access the instructions defined by the digital recipe in the genesis block 102, and execute the instructions, such as to heat, pressurise, and add water to a vessel engaged with the apparatus 10 and containing the pod 13, and agitate the vessel or the water contained in the vessel. Accessing the instructions may involve the apparatus 10 authorising decryption of the digital recipe data. The apparatus 10 may be configured to interact directly with the blockchain, or interact with an API database which, in turn, interacts with the blockchain 100.

[0053] Operation of the apparatus 10 to formulate the liquid product causes it to add use data to a user block 108 of the blockchain 100, the use data detailing at least one of date, time, and / or location of use of the pod by operating the apparatus 10. Where the user operates the apparatus 10 to affect settings, for example, to adjust properties of the liquid product formulated by the apparatus 10 from the pod 13, setting or user preference data may be added to the user block 108. The apparatus 10 is typically configured to depersonalise the use data, such as to comply with privacy regulations and / or laws.

[0054] It will be appreciated that other data may be recorded by any of the parties to the blockchain 100, such as transaction and / or authorisation data. For example, accessing the digital recipe data, by the apparatus 10, may require payment by the user to be processed, consequently causing a payment transaction to be recorded in the user block 108. Alternatively or additionally, accessing the digital recipe data, by the apparatus 10, may require payment by the pod manufacturer to be processed, consequently causing a payment transaction to be recorded in the genesis block 102. Further alternatively or additionally, access to the use data by the pod manufacturermay require payment by the pod manufacturer to be processed, consequently causing a payment transaction to be recorded in the genesis block 102.

[0055] In some cases, the supply chain process for the pod 13 may instead involve interacting directly with a database facilitated, or hosted, by the pod manufacturer. In this scenario, there may be a process for monitoring consumption of a liquid product by a user, where the process includes: preparing the pod 13 containing concentrated liquid product and attaching a digital tag to the pod 13, the tag defining status information in the pod manufacturer database; distributing the pod 13 to a retailer and communicating corresponding distribution data to the database to cause the status information to be updated in the database; selling the pod to a user and communicating corresponding sales data to the database to cause the status information to be updated in the database; and operating the apparatus by the user to obtain the digital instructions relating to the pod 13, and executing the instructions, by the apparatus 10, to dilute the pod 13 in water to form the liquid product, and communicating corresponding usage data to the database to cause the status information to be updated in the database.

[0056] In this scenario, the apparatus 10 may obtain the digital instructions directly from the pod manufacturer database, or may interact with an intermediary data store.

[0057] Operating the apparatus 10 may include the user operating the user interface 28 to control settings of the apparatus 10 to affect one or more properties of the liquid product, and the apparatus 10 communicating corresponding user settings data to the database to cause the status information to be updated in the database.

[0058] Typically, each of the data communicated to the database is timestamped, and may be associated with a geographic location.

[0059] It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and / or modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments, without departing from the broad general scope of the present disclosure. The presentembodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An apparatus for preparing a liquid product, the apparatus including: an inlet port configured to couple with a water source; a pump operable to pressurise water received from the inlet port; a temperature control mechanism operable to adjust the temperature of water received from the inlet port; an outlet port configured to expel water conveyed from the inlet port by the pump; an agitation mechanism operable to agitate water expelled from the outlet and contained in a vessel; and a controller communicatively coupled with, and configured to control operation of, the temperature control mechanism, the pump, and the agitation mechanism, the controller configured so that, responsive to obtaining digital instructions relating to the liquid product, the instructions defining a volume, temperature, and pressure of water to expel from the outlet port, and agitation of the water expelled into the vessel, the controller executes the instructions to cause operating the temperature control mechanism, the pump, and the agitation mechanism to form the liquid product.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a pod dispensing mechanism configured to receive one or more pods containing concentrated liquid product, and operable to dispense one of the received pods into a vessel.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, further including a vessel engagement mechanism operable to releasably engage a vessel and arranged to position the vessel adjacent the outlet port to receive expelled water.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the agitation mechanism is operable to displace a vessel coupled with the vessel engagement mechanism to induce a vortex in expelled water contained in the vessel.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the vessel engagement mechanism and the agitation mechanism are integrated, and wherein the agitation mechanism is operable to cause at least one of: rotating, oscillating, and vibrating a vessel coupled with the vessel engagement mechanism.

6. The apparatus of any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the vessel engagement mechanism is configured to engage a bottle to arrange a rim of the bottle adjacent the outlet port.

7. The apparatus of any one of the preceding claims, further including a user interface communicatively coupled with the controller and operable to allow a user to select one of a range of liquid products, and wherein, responsive to operation of the user interface, the controller is configured to obtain the digital instructions relating to the selected liquid product, and execute the instructions.

8. The apparatus of any one of the preceding claims, further including a communications module communicatively coupled with the controller and connected to the Internet, and wherein the controller is configured to obtain encrypted digital instructions from a remotely hosted data store, via the communications module, and authorise decryption of the digital instructions to cause executing the digital instructions.

9. The apparatus of any one of the preceding claims, further including a removable reservoir for containing water and configured to releasably couple with the inlet port to provide the water source.

10. The apparatus of any one of the preceding claims, further including a marking mechanism communicatively coupled with the controller and operable, by the controller, to mark a vessel to identify the liquid product.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the marking mechanism includes a label printer operable to print an adhesive label for applying to the vessel.

12. A method for preparing a liquid product with an automated apparatus, the method including: introducing a pod containing concentrated liquid product into a vessel; engaging the vessel with the apparatus; operating the apparatus to heat and pressurise a specific volume of water, and introduce the water into the vessel; and operating the apparatus to agitate the water in the vessel, thereby forming the liquid product.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein operating the apparatus is caused by the apparatus obtaining digital instructions relating to the liquid product, the instructions defining the volume, temperature, and pressure of the water to introduce into the vessel, and defining parameters of the agitation of the water, and executing the instructions to control the heating, pressurising, and agitation of the water.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the digital instructions define at least one of the following parameters of the agitation: duration of the agitation, fluid velocity of the water contained in the vessel, and rotational velocity of the vessel.

15. The method of claim 13 or 14, wherein obtaining and executing the digital instructions includes obtaining encrypted instructions and authorising decryption of the instructions.

16. A process for monitoring consumption of a liquid product by a user, the process including: preparing a pod containing concentrated liquid product and attaching a digital tag to the pod, the tag defining status information in a pod manufacturer database; distributing the pod to a retailer and communicating corresponding distribution data to the database to cause the status information to be updated in the database; selling the pod to a user and communicating corresponding sales data to the database to cause the status information to be updated in the database; andoperating an apparatus by the user to obtain digital instructions relating to the pod and executing the instructions, by the apparatus, to dilute the pod in water to form the liquid product, and communicating corresponding usage data to the database to cause the status information to be updated in the database.

17. The process of claim 16, wherein the apparatus obtains the digital instructions from the pod manufacturer database.

18. The process of claim 17, wherein the apparatus obtains the digital instructions via a blockchain.

19. The process of any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein operating the apparatus includes the user operating a user interface to control settings of the apparatus to affect one or more properties of the liquid product, and communicating corresponding user settings data to the database to cause the status information to be updated in the database.

20. The process of any one of claims 16 to 19, wherein each of the data communicated to the database is timestamped.

21. The process of any one of claims 16 to 20, wherein each of the data communicated to the database is associated with a geographic location.

22. A process for monitoring consumption of a liquid product by a user, the process including: adding pod identification data relating to a pod of concentrated liquid product, and digital recipe data relating to the pod, the digital recipe data including one or more instructions to control operation of an apparatus, to a genesis block of a blockchain; adding distribution data to a logistics block of the blockchain, the distribution data detailing at least one of a location, and carrier identification for the pod; adding sales data to a retail block of the blockchain, the sales data detailing at least one of retailer identification; and date, time, and / or location of sale of the pod; andadding use data to a user block of the blockchain, the use data detailing at least one of date, time, and / or location of use of the pod by operating an apparatus to formulate a liquid product from the pod based on executing the one or more instructions defined by the digital recipe.

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