Refrigerator with integrated beverage making system

Abstract

A refrigerator may be configured to selectively dispense water or a beverage from an integrated beverage making system. The refrigerator may also include a cooling unit that may include a cooling housing. A cooled beverage may be formed by directing a beverage through the cooling housing in the cooling unit. A cooling liquid may be cooled using a refrigeration system within the refrigerator and pass through the cooling housing. The beverage may be cooled in the cooling housing using the cooling liquid. The cooling unit may include phase change material arranged in any appropriate manner.

Description

- 1 - K0502.70292WQ00REFRIGERATOR WITH INTEGRATED BEVERAGE MAKING SYSTEMCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. provisional application serial number 63 / 778,160, filed March 26, 2025, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.FIELD

[0002] Aspects disclosed herein relate to refrigerators, capable of making beverages.BACKGROUND

[0003] Refrigerators that provide integrated water and / or ice dispensing are well known. These refrigerators typically include refrigeration system mechanism that involve the circulation of a refrigerant through the system by a compressor pump through a condenser, expansion valve and evaporator.

[0004] Beverage making machines that use a liquid, such as water, to form a beverage are well known. For example, US Patent 8,094,998 and US Patent application publication 2017 / 0307252 disclose systems in which water in a heater tank is forced to flow out of the tank and to a beverage making station or dispensing location by introducing unheated water into the tank.

[0005] Refrigerators that integrate brewed beverage makers are also known. For example, US Patent 7,610,849 discloses a refrigerator with the means to brew and dispense hot coffee (ground to whole bean) by heating water and combining the heated water and coffee in a brew chamber and then dispensing. In addition, US Patent 11,103,103 teaches the means to make cold brew coffee within a refrigerator by slowly introducing chilled water to a brew chamber and storing cold brew coffee therein.SUMMARY

[0006] Aspects of the disclosure relate to a refrigerator having an beverage making system capable of brewing hot coffee or tea by the combination of heating water from a water supply, and a portion pack of ground coffee / tea, then dispensing into a cup. Aspects of the disclosure further relate to providing an iced coffee / tea by taking the brewed beverage and diverting it to a cooling unit within the refrigerator. In yet other aspects, concentrates or powders may be to mixed with hot or cold water in a mixing chamber, then dispensed into acup, providing a variety of beverage options including coffee, tea, vitamin waters, flavored waters, or sports beverages.

[0007] According to one aspect, a refrigerator with an integrated beverage making system is provided. Ther refrigerator may include an integrated beverage making system that may include a brew chamber configured to form a beverage, and a cooling unit defining a cooling volume. The cooling unit may have a cooling liquid inlet and a cooling liquid outlet. The cooling unit may include a cooling liquid passageway fluidly coupled to the cooling liquid inlet and the cooling liquid outlet. The cooling liquid passageway may be in thermal communication with a cooling system such as the refrigeration system to cool the cooling liquid flowing through the cooling liquid passageway. The integrated beverage making system may further comprise a beverage passageway fluidly coupled to and configured to receive beverage from the brew chamber. The beverage passageway may extend through the cooling housing. A mains water connection inlet allow the refrigerator to be connected to a plumbed water source, that supplies water to the water dispenser and the beverage making system.

[0008] It should be appreciated that the foregoing concepts, and additional concepts discussed below, may be arranged in any suitable combination, as the present disclosure is not limited in this respect. Further, other advantages and novel features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of various nonlimiting embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying figures.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009] The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures may be represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. In the drawings:

[0010] FIG. 1 shows an isometric view of a beverage making machine;

[0011] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a refrigerator with an integrated beverage making system according to some embodiments;12658753.1

[0012] FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a refrigerator with an integrated beverage making system according to some further embodiments;

[0013] FIG. 4 shows a cooling unit according to some embodiments;

[0014] FIG. 5 shows a cooling unit according to further embodiments; and

[0015] FIG. 6 shows a cooling unit according to even further embodiments.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] It should be understood that aspects of the invention are described herein with reference to the figures, which show illustrative embodiments. The illustrative embodiments described herein are not necessarily intended to show all embodiments in accordance with the invention, but rather are used to describe a few illustrative embodiments. Thus, aspects of the invention are not intended to be construed narrowly in view of the illustrative embodiments. In addition, it should be understood that aspects of the invention may be used alone or in any suitable combination with other aspects of the invention.

[0017] Refrigerators are appliances that provide a cabinet which that is kept cool and used to store food and drink. Modem refrigerators generally make use of the cooling effect produced by a refrigeration system that circulates a volatile liquid (i.e., refrigerant) through a sealed system. The refrigerant is forced to evaporate in a sealed system and then condensed back to liquid outside the refrigerator. Modem refrigerators typically include a freezer cabinet, wherein a lower internal temperature is maintained compared to a refrigeration cabinet. Many refrigerators also provide integrated water and / or ice dispensing systems, where water is supplied from a plumbed water source and chilled within the refrigerator. The inventors have recognized the desire to provide a refrigerator with an integrated brewed beverage dispenser in addition to an integrated water dispenser, where an integrated brewer is capable of providing either a hot or cooled beverage.

[0018] Some beverages may involve heating as a step in forming the beverage. For example, a precursor liquid such as water may be heated prior to being combined with a beverage ingredient such as coffee. In some embodiments, the beverages may be consumed while relatively hot. In other embodiments, it may be desirable to consume the beverage while the beverage is relatively cooler, e.g. in “cold brew” and / or “iced” form. Accordingly, the beverage may be cooled prior to being consumed. Cooling a beverage may include12658753.1introducing cold material into the beverage (e.g., ice), however this presents the opportunity for the beverage to become diluted with the cold material. For example, ice may be added to a hot beverage to cool the beverage, heat may be transferred from the beverage to the ice, causing the ice to melt into water, which in turn mixes with and dilutes the beverage. A diluted beverage may have an undesired taste and / or texture. The inventors have recognized the desire to form cooled beverages while reducing or eliminating dilution of the beverage.

[0019] To form a cooled beverage, heat may be transferred away from the beverage. In some embodiments, a refrigerator may have an integrated beverage making system that may be configured to transfer heat from a beverage. The systems and methods disclosed herein may be used anywhere and for any appropriate purpose, including at home, commercially, and / or industrially (e.g., large scale production of beverages). The machine may be used to make any appropriate beverage including coffee (e.g., iced coffee), tea (e.g., iced tea), hot chocolate, mineral and / or vitamin infused drink, or any other appropriate beverage.

[0020] The inventors have recognized that a strategy for cooling a formed beverage may include transferring heat from a beverage using a cooling unit prior to dispensing the beverage. A cooling unit may enable cooling of a liquid (e.g., beverage) without diluting the liquid. A beverage may flow through a cooling unit, and the cooling unit may be configured to absorb heat from the beverage flowing through. Cooling liquid may be disposed within the cooling volume and may be in thermal communication with the beverage flowing through the cooling unit such that heat is transferred from the beverage to the cooling unit. In some embodiments, the cooling liquid may be cold water circulated through the refrigerators dispensing system. In some embodiments, the cooling liquid may be actively cooled using the refrigerant system within the refrigerator.

[0021] In some embodiments, the cooling unit may include a phase change material (PCM) configured such that heat is transferred from the beverage to the PCM. For example, in some embodiments, heat may be transferred from a beverage to a cooling liquid, and in turn, heat may be transferred from the cooling liquid to the PCM. In embodiments where the cooling liquid is actively cooled (e.g., with a refrigerant), heat may be transferred from the PCM to the cooling liquid when the heat of the PCM exceeds the heat of the cooling liquid (e.g., when the temperature of the PCM is greater than the temperature of the cooling liquid).12658753.1

[0022] In some embodiments, the period of time the beverage is cooled by the cooling unit may be selectively controlled. Increasing the amount of time the beverage is cooled by the cooling unit may result in a cooler beverage, and decreasing the time the beverage is cooled by the cooling unit may result in a relatively warmer beverage (although the beverage may still be cool). In other words, the longer the beverage is cooled by the cooling unit, the cooler the beverage may be. For example, the temperature of the beverage may be proportional to the time the beverage is in contact with the cooling unit.

[0023] The inventors have recognized that, in some embodiments, the colder the cooling liquid, the faster the beverage may be cooled by the cooling unit. For example, if the average temperature of the cooling liquid is decreased, the beverage may be cooled faster by the cooling unit. As such, if the flow rate of the beverage through the cooling unit (e.g., through a beverage passageway) is constant, the cooler the average temperature of the cooling liquid is, the cooler the dispensed beverage may be. Thus, the temperature of the cooling liquid may be controlled depending on the desired temperature / heat of the dispensed beverage. The inventors have also recognized that, in some embodiments, it may be preferable to cool the cooling liquid without freezing the cooling liquid. In some embodiments, freezing the cooling liquid may damage one or more portions of the cooling unit, including the cooling housing, beverage passageway, and any other appropriate portion of the cooling unit. Additionally, frozen cooling liquid may not be able to flow through the cooling volume and / or cooling liquid passageway.

[0024] In some embodiments, the cooling unit may be activated such that the cooling liquid and / or PCM of the cooling unit is cooled prior to forming and cooling the beverage. The cooling unit may be activated such that the cooling liquid is cooled some time before an anticipated use of the cooling unit.

[0025] In some embodiments, the cooling liquid may be cooled to a temperature less than or equal to approximately 20°C, 15°C, 14°C, 13°C, 12°C, 11°C, 10°C, 9°C, 8°C, 7°C, 6°C, 5°C, 4°C, 3°C, 2°C, 1°C, 0°C, and / or any other appropriate temperature. The cooling liquid may also be cooled to a temperature greater than or equal to 0°C, 1°C, 2°C, 3°C, 4°C, 5°C, 6°C, 7°C, 8°C, 9°C, 10°C, 11°C, 12°C, 13°C, 14°C, 15°C, 20°C and / or any other temperature. Combinations of the foregoing, including temperatures between or equal to 0°C and 10°C, 0°C and 9°C, 0°C and 5°C, 2°C and 4°C are also contemplated, as well as12658753.1temperatures above and below the ranges listed above, as the present disclosure is not limited by the temperature the cooling liquid is cooled to.

[0026] Sensors may be used to sense parameters associated with one or more liquids associated with a beverage making system. For example, a sensor may sense a temperature, pressure, volume, level, flow rate, conductivity, salinity, turbidity, and / or any other appropriate parameter associated with a liquid. Accordingly, any appropriate sensors may be used herein. For example, the beverage making system may include any appropriate combination of temperature sensors, pressure sensors, volume sensors, level sensors, flow rate sensors, and / or any other appropriate type of sensor.

[0027] In some embodiments, a sensor component may include at least one temperature component to detect temperature, and / or may include components arranged to detect other physical characteristics of the liquid. For example, a sensor can include a sensor arrangement to detect pressure, conductivity, salinity, turbidity and / or other characteristic of the liquid, etc. In some embodiments, the sensor can detect three or more characteristics of the liquid, such as temperature, conductivity, and presence / absence.

[0028] In some embodiments, the integrated brewer may be used with a beverage pod to form a beverage such as tea, coffee, espresso, cocoa or other infusion type beverages. The beverage pod may include beverage ingredients such as suitably prepared coffee beans, tea leaves, etc. The integrated brewer may form such beverages using a beverage precursor liquid, such as water, that may be combined with the beverage ingredients of the beverage pod under suitable conditions to form the beverage.

[0029] In some embodiments, the integrated brewer may be used with package-less beverage pods. The package-less beverage pod may be able to hold its own shape, and thus may not require individual packaging to prevent dispersing of the beverage ingredients prior to use in forming a beverage. Such beverage pods may, for example, be in the form of a compacted tablet or a capsule (which may or may not be made of compacted materials). The beverage ingredients may be contained without separate, removable packaging. In some embodiments, the beverage ingredients of the package-less beverage pod have been compacted. In some embodiments, the package-less beverage pod may be bound together with a food-grade binder or with another beverage ingredient that promotes formation of the beverage tablet into a cohesive structure. However, it should be appreciated that in other12658753.1embodiments, a package-less beverage pod need not include binder or other beverage ingredient for cohesion. Some package-less beverage pods may be formed through processing alone, such as by compacting, heating, or drying into the desired form.

[0030] In some embodiments, the package-less beverage pod may include a shell, such as a coating, disposed along the outer surface at the periphery of the pod. In some embodiments, the shell may bind the beverage ingredients within the interior of the pod. The beverage ingredients within the pod may be loose, such as loose ground coffee, or compacted. The shell may be a food grade binder, an alginate, edible, soluble, non-soluble, or any other suitable material. In some embodiments, the shell may serve as a barrier to reduce infiltration of oxygen and / or moisture such as to maintain freshness of the beverage ingredients. In some embodiments, the shell is configured to be insoluble in water, whereas in other embodiments, the shell may be configured to dissolve in water. Material of the package-less beverage pod, including a shell of the pod if one is present, may directly contact some portion of the beverage machine, such as the brew chamber, before brewing the beverage, without intervening packaging in-between.

[0031] The package-less beverage pod may be configured to break into pieces during brewing or it may be configured to remain intact during brewing. In some embodiments, the package-less beverage pod is configured to be insoluble in water, whereas in other embodiments, the package-less beverage pod may be configured to at least partially or completely dissolve. In some embodiments, the package-less beverage pod may contain roasted coffee grounds (e.g. that remain behind after forming a beverage), soluble coffee, soluble materials, binders or other materials, and any combination of the above. The package-less beverage pod may be any suitable shape, such as a cylinder, a sphere, an ellipsoid, an elliptical prism, a teardrop shape, a frustrum of a cone, a cone or other shape.

[0032] In other embodiments, however, the beverage pod may be an individually packaged serving of beverage ingredients, such as, but not limited to a K-CUP pod, and other similar types of beverage pods. The individual package of beverage ingredients may be removed from the beverage making system and discarded after the beverage has been prepared. In some embodiments, at least a portion of or the entire packaging may be made of a biodegradable, recyclable and / or compostable (e.g. home compostable and / or industrially compostable) material, or any combination thereof.12658753.1

[0033] In some embodiments, the integrated brewer may include an additive dispenser that may be used to augment a beverage by combining a liquid additive with a beverage when the beverage is formed. The liquid additive may be a flavor concentrate, vitamin additive or supplement additive that may allow a user to further customize or augment a brewed beverage. The additive dispenser may accept cartridges that may be swapped out to allow an individual to change the liquid additive used in connection with augmenting a beverage. The integrated brewer may also include multiple precursor liquid dispensers to allow a combination of precursor liquids to be dispensed.

[0034] Turning to the figures, specific non-limiting embodiments are described in further detail. It should be understood that the various systems, components, features, and methods described relative to these embodiments may be used either individually and / or in any desired combination as the disclosure is not limited to only the specific embodiments described herein.

[0035] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a beverage making machine 100, e.g., a beverage making machine. Although the beverage making machine 100 may be used to form any suitable beverage, such as tea, coffee, other infusion-type beverages, beverages formed from a liquid or powdered concentrate, soups, juices or other beverages made from dried materials, carbonated or uncarbonated beverages, or other, in this illustrative embodiment, the machine 100 is arranged to form coffee beverages. In some embodiments, a beverage pod 1 may be provided to the machine 100 and used to form a beverage that is dispensed into a user’s cup or other suitable container 2. The pod 1 may be manually or automatically placed in a brew chamber 15 that can include a pod holder 3 and cover 4. For example, the pod holder 3 may include a cup-shaped or otherwise suitably shaped opening in which the pod 1 may be placed. With a pod 1 placed in the pod holder 3, a handle 5 may be moved (e.g., downwardly) so as to move the cover 4 to a closed position (as shown in FIG. 1). In the closed position, the cover 4 may at least partially cover the pod 1, e.g., so the pod is at least partially enclosed in the brew chamber 15. Water or other liquid may be provided to the pod 1 (e.g., by injecting the liquid into the pod interior) to form a beverage that exits the pod 1 and is provided via a beverage outlet to a cup 2 or other container. As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 3 for example, liquid may be provided to a brew chamber 15 or other dispensing station from a reservoir 7. In some embodiments, the reservoir 7 may be manually filled by a user,12658753.1e.g. by a user introducing water into the reservoir 7. In some embodiments, the reservoir 7 may be removable from the beverage machine to facilitate introduction of water into the reservoir. For example, the beverage machine may include a reservoir base 17, and the reservoir 7 may be removable from the reservoir base 17.

[0036] FIGS. 2 and 3 show a schematic diagram of a refrigerator 200 with an integrated beverage system 240. The refrigerator 200 may be a cabinet that includes refrigeration compartments for storing food and beverages. The enclosed cabinet is accessed by a door that includes a dispensing system 280 that provides both a water dispenser 282 and a beverage dispenser 284. The refrigerator 200 shown in FIGSs 2 and 3 have a refrigeration system that includes a compressor 210 that draws in low-pressure, low-temperature refrigerant in a gas state through a refrigerant line 215, and compresses it into a high-pressure, high temperature gas. The high-pressure, high-temperature gas is circulated into a condenser 220 where it releases heat external to the refrigerator 200 and cools down into liquid form. The liquid refrigerant is then circulated through an expansion valve 225 which reduces the pressure and temperature, causing it cool. As the refrigerant passes through the evaporator 230, it absorbs heat from the inside the refrigerator and cools the cabinet and becomes a low-pressure, low-temperature gas that returns through the refrigerant line 215 to the compressor 210.

[0037] The refrigerator 200 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 includes an integrated beverage making system 240 that is integrated into the door of the refrigerator 200. The beverage making system 240 is configured to accept a single serve portion pack 242 that may be used to form a beverage. The integrated beverage system 240 may include components similar to the beverage making machine 100 described in connection with FIG. 1. Although the beverage making system 240 may be used to form any suitable beverage, such as tea, coffee, other infusion-type beverages, beverages formed from a liquid or powdered concentrate, soups, juices or other beverages made from dried materials, carbonated or uncarbonated beverages, or other, in this illustrative embodiment, the beverage making system 240 is arranged to form coffee beverages. As shown in both FIG.2 and FIG. 3, the beverage making system further includes a heater 250 that introduced hot precursor liquid into the single serve portion pack 242 to brew the beverage in a brew chamber (not shown) within the beverage making system 240.12658753.1

[0038] In some embodiments, the beverage making system 240 may also include an additive dispenser (not shown) that may be used to augment a beverage by combining a liquid or powdered additive with a beverage when the beverage is formed. The additive may be a flavor concentrate, vitamin additive or supplement additive that may allow a user to further customize or augment a beverage. The additive dispenser may accept cartridges that may be swapped out to allow an individual to change the liquid additive used in connection with augmenting a beverage. The integrated beverage making system 240 may also include multiple additive dispensers to allow a combination of additives to be dispensed.

[0039] The beverage making system 240 includes a distribution valve 244 that may be moveable between different configurations to direct flow of fluid. In a first configuration, the valve 244 may be configured to direct beverage from the brew chamber to a cooling unit 270 entering through the beverage inlet 406. In a second configuration, the valve 244 may be configured to dispense the beverage from the brew chamber and out of the beverage making system 240 through the beverage dispenser 284, thereby bypassing the cooling unit, e.g. to form a non-cooled beverage such as, but not limited to, a hot or room temperature beverage. The valve 244 may be operatively coupled to a controller (not shown) and a controller may be configured to control the valve 244 to maintain or change configurations. In some embodiments, the beverage making system 240 may include a user interface (not shown) which may be configured to receive an input from a user. In some embodiments, the input from the user may move the valve 244 from the first configuration to the second configuration and / or from the second configuration to the first configuration. As such, input from the user may determine whether beverage is directed to the cooling unit 270 to be cooled prior to being dispensed or dispensed directly through beverage dispenser 284.

[0040] A cooling unit 270 may be fluidly coupled to the brew chamber and the dispensing outlet 301 via the valve 244 as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. In some embodiments, a beverage inlet 406 disposed on the cooling unit 270 may be configured to receive beverage (e.g., brewed beverage) from the brew chamber. The beverage may move (e.g., flow) through the cooling unit 270 in a beverage passageway (not shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3) according to some embodiments. The cooling unit 270 may contain a cooling liquid which may be configured to transfer (e.g., absorb) heat from beverage flowing through or otherwise disposed in a beverage passageway through cooling unit 270. Accordingly, as the12658753.1beverage flows through the cooling unit 270, heat may be transferred from the beverage and as such the beverage may be cooled. The cooling passageway may be formed in any appropriate geometry including a cylinder, spherical cone, clover leaf, or any other appropriate geometry. The beverage may exit the cooling unit 270 through a beverage outlet 408 and may move towards the dispensing outlet 284 to be dispensed. The cooling unit 270 may be insulated using air, plastic insulation, or any other appropriate material according to some embodiments.

[0041] In FIG. 2, the cooling unit 270 in the refrigerator 200 implements aspects of the present disclosure by receiving at cooling liquid inlet 416 the refrigerant that may be routed from the evaporator 230 at a branch 235. The refrigerant introduced at cooling liquid inlet 416 may be used to cool the beverage that is introduced into the cooling unit 270, and as the refrigerant is warmed, it may exit the cooling unit 270 from cooling liquid outlet 418. A mains water connection inlet 290 allows the refrigerator 200 to be connected to a plumbed water source, wherein water may be directed and cooled through the refrigerator 200 to be dispensed at water dispenser 282 and also to be directed to the beverage making system 240 for making of a beverage.

[0042] In FIG. 3, the cooling unit 270 in the refrigerator 200 implements aspects of the present disclosure by receiving at cooling liquid inlet 416 the refrigerant that may be routed from the main water line at a branch 335. The water introduced at cooling liquid inlet 416 may be used to cool the beverage that is introduced into the cooling unit 270, and as the water is warmed, it may exit the cooling unit 270 from cooling liquid outlet 418 and be directed to through the heater 250 to be used in beverage making system 240.

[0043] The refrigerators 200 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are only examples of a refrigerator and integrated beverage making system that can incorporate inventive features described herein. Thus, inventive features may be employed in a refrigerator 200 with any suitably arranged beverage making system 240, including drip-type coffee brewers, espressotype coffee machines, carbonated beverage making machines, and other systems that dispense a beverage. Such systems need not necessarily use a beverage pod, but instead the brew chamber or other dispensing station may accept ground coffee (e.g., in loose form) or other beverage materials (such as powders, concentrates, or liquid additives) in other ways to make a beverage.12658753.1

[0044] As shown in FIG. 4, the beverage may move through a beverage passageway 404 disposed within a cooling volume 410 of the cooling unit 270. The beverage passageway 404 may be fluidly coupled to the beverage inlet 406 and a beverage outlet 408 of the cooling unit 270. The cooled beverage may move through the beverage outlet 408 to the beverage dispenser 284 and may be dispensed. The beverage passageway as described herein may be formed of any appropriate material, including aluminum, copper, plastic, rubber, or any combination thereof, or any other appropriate material as the disclosure is not limited to the material of the beverage passageway. In some embodiments, the beverage passageway may be formed out of a non-corrosive material such as aluminum. In some embodiments, the beverage passageway may be formed out of a material having a high thermal conductivity. In some embodiments, the beverage passageway may be formed out of a food safe material.

[0045] In some embodiments such as the refrigerator 200 of FIG. 2, the cooling liquid may be a refrigerant disposed in the cooling volume 410 and may be cooled through a refrigerant system. In other embodiments, such as the refrigerator 300 of FIG.3, the cooling liquid may be cold water circulated through the refrigerators dispensing system from a plumbed water source. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the beverage passageway 404 may be substantially submerged in (e.g., surrounded by) the cooling liquid. For example, a majority of the cooling volume 410 may be filled with the cooling liquid such that most or all of the beverage passageway 404 is submerged in the cooling liquid.

[0046] In some embodiments, the refrigerant or cooling liquid may enter the cooling housing 402 through a cooling liquid inlet 416 and exit the cooling housing 402 through a cooling liquid outlet 418.

[0047] In some embodiments, such as the depicted embodiments of FIGS. 4-6, the cooling liquid passageway 413 may be disposed external to the cooling housing 402. The cooling liquid may exit the cooling housing 402 through the cooling liquid outlet 418 in order to enter the cooling liquid passageway 413. The cooling liquid passageway 413 may include various pathways, including tortious paths, or divergent paths that reconverge prior to reentering the cooling housing 402 at the cooling liquid inlet 416. Various intervening components along the path of the cooling liquid passageway 413 may include pumps, manifolds, refrigeration systems (not shown). In some embodiments, cooling liquid flowing12658753.1through the cooling liquid passageway 413 may be cooled by directly flowing through the refrigerant cycle or indirectly by heat transfer by passing along evaporator coils.

[0048] In some embodiments, the cooling liquid may be circulated within the cooling volume 410. Circulating the cooling liquid may help to form a more uniform temperature distribution within the cooling volume 410. Uniform temperature / heat distributions within the cooling volume 410 may help to more uniformly cool the beverage within the beverage passageway 404. For example, circulating the cooling liquid may help to prevent any portion of the cooling volume from becoming too hot or too cold resulting from stagnant cooling liquid. The cooling liquid may be continuously circulated in some embodiments. In further embodiments, the cooling liquid may be intermittently circulated. Regardless, the circulation of the cooling liquid through the cooling volume 410 and the cooling beverage passageway 413 may be controlled via a pump, which may be controlled using a controller according to some embodiments. Circulating the cooling liquid may also form a crossflow between the flow of the cooling liquid and the flow of the beverage in the cooling volume 410, which may help to increase the cooling of the beverage.

[0049] The quantity of heat transferred from the fluid may be selectively controlled by a controller according to some embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, the temperature of the beverage exiting the cooling unit 270 could be a cold beverage (e.g., 32° F to 50° F), or an ambient temperature beverage (e.g., 60° F to 80° F). It should be appreciated that the cooling unit may be controlled such that the temperature of the beverage may be of any appropriate range as the disclosure is not so limited. In some embodiments, the beverage machine 100 may achieve both cold temperature beverages and ambient temperature beverages, depending on a desired outcome. The desired outcome may depend on, e.g., user preferences, user inputs, a sensed beverage pod type and associated brew recipe, etc. In other embodiments, the beverage machine 100 may be capable of producing only either a cold temperature beverage or an ambient temperature beverage.

[0050] In some embodiments, the cooling liquid may be configured to be directed through the cooling housing in a direction opposite to a direction of the beverage directed through the cooling housing. This may increase the heat transferred from the beverage to the cooling liquid according to some embodiments. The cooling unit 270 may include a pump configured to move the cooling liquid through the cooling housing 402 in a flow direction12658753.1opposite to a flow direction of the beverage passageway 404 through the cooling housing 402. For example, in the depicted embodiments of FIGS. 4-6, the beverage flows generally downwardly through the cooling housing 402, entering through the beverage inlet 406 at an upper portion of the cooling housing 402, flowing downwardly through the beverage passageway 404, and exiting through the beverage outlet 408 at a lower portion of the cooling housing 402. In contrast, the cooling liquid flows generally upwardly through the cooling housing 402, entering through the cooling liquid outlet 418 at a lower portion of the cooling housing, flowing upwardly through the cooling volume 410, and exiting through the cooling liquid inlet 416 at an upper portion of the cooling housing 402. As such, the beverage and the cooling liquid may flow in generally opposite directions through the cooling volume 410. It should be appreciated that, in some embodiments, the flow directions of the beverage and the cooling liquid may be swapped, e.g. such that the beverage flows generally upwardly and the cooling liquid flows generally downwardly through the cooling volume 410. It should be appreciated that other flow directions, e.g. left / right, can be implemented alternatively or in addition. In other embodiments, the beverage and the cooling liquid may flow in generally the same direction.

[0051] According to one aspect, in some embodiments, phase change material (PCM) may be used in a cooling unit 270 of a refrigerator 200 with an integrated beverage making system described herein. PCM is a substance that can be used to release or absorb thermal energy at phase transition. In some embodiments, PCM may be associated with a cooling unit. For example, PCM may be disposed within a volume of space (e.g., a housing) of a cooling unit and may be configured to absorb heat from any appropriate material (e.g., fluid) associated with the cooling unit. In another example, PCM may be disposed within capsules located inside of a housing of the cooling unit and also may be configured to absorb heat from any appropriate material (e.g., cooling liquid) associated with the cooling unit. PCMs include any substance that can be used to release or absorb thermal energy, including, but not limited to, organic, inorganic, and eutectic PCMs. Examples of organic PCMs include, but are not limited to, hydrocarbons such as alkanes (e.g., paraffins), alcohols, fatty acids, and esters. Examples of inorganic PCMs include, but are not limited to, salt hydrates, nitrates, and metallics. Eutectic PCMs include combinations of organic and inorganic PCMs in any12658753.1suitable arrangement. In some embodiments, water may be used as a PCM. In some embodiments, paraffin wax may be used as a PCM.

[0052] In some embodiments, the cooling unit 270 may utilize a PCM arranged in any appropriate manner. The PCM may serve to absorb relatively large amounts of heat, thereby improving the capacity of the cooling unit to cool the beverage.

[0053] In some embodiments, a PCM may have a transition temperature range between -20°C and 40°C and a latent heat of fusion range between 20 Joules per gram and 340 Joules per gram. While these ranges of transition temperatures and latent heat of fusion for a PCM are disclosed, a PCM may have any suitable transition temperature and latent heat of fusion as the disclosure is not limited in this regard. In some embodiments, a PCM may have a transition temperature that is greater than or equal to -20°C, -10°C, 0°C, 10°C, 11°C, 12°C, 13°C, 14°C, 15°C, 16°C, 17°C, 18°C, 19°C, 20°C, 21°C, 22°C, 23°C, 24°C, 25°C, 30°C, 40°C. In some embodiments, a PCM may have a transition temperature that is less than or equal to 40°C, 30°C, 25°C, 24°C, 23°C, 22°C, 21°C, 20°C, 19°C, 18°C, 17°C, 16°C, 15°C, 10°C, 0°C, -5°C, -10°C, or -20°C. In some embodiments, combinations of the abovereferenced ranges are also possible. For example, in some embodiments, a PCM may have a transition temperature of -20 to 40°C, -10 to 35°C, 0 to 30°C, 10 to 25°C, 12 to 23°C, 14 to 21°C, or 17 to 19°C, inclusive.

[0054] In some embodiments, a PCM may have a latent heat of fusion that is greater than or equal to 20 Joules per gram, 50 Joules per gram, 100 Joules per gram, 150 Joules per gram, 160 Joules per gram, 170 Joules per gram, 180 Joules per gram, 190 Joules per gram, 200 Joules per gram, 210 Joules per gram, 220 Joules per gram, 230 Joules per gram, 240 Joules per gram, 250 Joules per gram, 300 Joules per gram, 400 Joules per gram, or 500 Joules. In some embodiments, a PCM may have a latent heat of fusion that is less than or equal to 500 Joules per gram, 400 Joules per gram, 300 Joules per gram, 250 Joules per gram, 240 Joules per gram, 230 Joules per gram, 220 Joules per gram, 210 Joules per gram, 200 Joules per gram, 190 Joules per gram, 180 Joules per gram, 170 Joules per gram, 160 Joules per gram, 150 Joules per gram, 100 Joules per gram, 50 Joules per gram, or 20 Joules per gram. In some embodiments, combinations of the above-referenced ranges are also possible. For example, in some embodiments, a PCM may have a transition temperature of 20 to 400 Joules per gram, 50 to 300 Joules per gram, 100 to 250 Joules per gram, 150 to 240 Joules per12658753.1gram, 160 to 240 Joules per gram, 170 to 230 Joules per gram, or 180 to 220 Joules per gram, inclusive.

[0055] In some embodiments, PCM may be provided at an outer portion of a cooling unit 270 to help maintain the cooling liquid in the cooling unit at a cooler temperature. As an illustrative example, a first arrangement of PCM is shown in the depicted embodiment of FIG. 5. The first arrangement comprises a cooling unit 270 having a second housing 502 that includes a second volume 510. The second housing 520 may substantially surround the cooling housing 402. PCM 504 may be disposed in the second housing 520 and may partially or entirely fill the second volume 510. As such, PCM may be configured to substantially surround the cooling housing 402 and the cooling volume 410. The PCM 504 may be configured such that heat is transferred from the cooling volume 410 (e.g., the cooling liquid disposed in the cooling volume) to the PCM 504. Accordingly, the PCM 504 may be configured to cool the cooling volume 410. This may in turn increase the amount of heat transferred from the beverage to the cooling volume 410, thereby further cooling the beverage. It should be appreciated that the depicted embodiment of FIG. 5 merely represents some embodiments contemplated by the inventors, and that further arrangements of the second housing 502 and PCM 504 are contemplated. For example, the second housing 502 and PCM 504 may be arranged such that one, two, three, four, all, or any other appropriate number of sides of the cooling housing 402 are substantially surrounded by PCM 504. In some embodiments, PCM 504 may be arranged to cover the top portion of the cooling housing 402, relative to the view of FIG. 5. As shown in the depicted embodiment of FIG. 5, the cooling liquid passageway 413 may extend through the second housing 502 and PCM 504 according to some embodiments. Also shown in the depicted embodiment of FIG. 5, the beverage passageway 404 may extend through the second housing 502 and PCM 504 such that the beverage travels through the second housing 502 and PCM 504 into the cooling volume 410.

[0056] In some embodiments, the PCM may transition states when a sufficient amount of heat is transferred to the PCM (e.g., from beverage in the beverage passageway). For example, the PCM may transition from a solid to a liquid upon sufficient heat being transferred from the beverage to the PCM. In another example, the PCM may transition from a liquid to a gas upon heat being transferred from the beverage to the PCM. However, the12658753.1PCM need not necessarily transition states as the disclosure is not so limited. For example, heat may be transferred from the beverage to the PCM without the PCM changing states.

[0057] A second arrangement of the cooling unit 270 including PCM is shown in FIG. 6. In the depicted embodiment of FIG. 6, a plurality of capsules 600 are disposed in the cooling volume 410 of the cooling housing 402. The capsules 600 include an encasing 602 which may be at least partially filled with PCM 604. In some embodiments, the encasing 602 may be entirely filled with PCM. The capsules 600 may be arranged in any appropriate fashion within the cooling volume 410 as the disclosure is not limited in this fashion. For example, the capsules 600 may move freely within the cooling volume 410. In some embodiments, the capsules 600 may be fixed in position (e.g., may be configured to not move) within the cooling volume 410. In some embodiments, the capsules 600 may be tethered to one or more portions of the cooling housing 402 and / or cooling volume 410 such that a limited amount of movement of the capsules within the cooling volume 410 is permitted by the tether, the amount of movement being limited by the length of the tether.

[0058] The capsules 600 may be configured to transfer (e.g., absorb) heat from the cooling liquid disposed in the cooling volume 410 to the PCM 604 of the capsules 600, thereby cooling the cooling liquid. In some embodiments, the encasing 602 of the capsules may be formed of material such as high density polyethylene (HDPE), aluminum (Al), mild steel (MS), styrene-methyl methacrylate copolymer, organic polymer materials, or any combination of the foregoing, and any other appropriate material as the disclosure is not limited in this fashion. Additionally, while the capsules 600 are depicted as oval-shaped in the depicted embodiment of FIG. 6, the capsules may be formed of any appropriate shape and geometry as the disclosure is not so limited. Further, the capsules may be formed of any appropriate size and / or dimension as the disclosure is not so limited.

[0059] In some embodiments, the cooling volume may include a volume of PCM from the capsules that is less than or equal to approximately 50% to 25% of the volume of the cooling volume, and / or any other appropriate volume of PCM from the capsules. The cooling liquid may also include a volume of PCM from the capsules greater than or equal to 25%, 50%, and / or any other percentage of the volume of the cooling volume. Combinations of the foregoing, including volumes of PCM from the capsules between or equal to 25% and 50% of the volume of the cooling volume are also contemplated, as well as quantities above and12658753.1below the ranges listed above, as the present disclosure is not limited by the volume of PCM from the capsules in the cooling volume. The quantity and / or individual volume of capsules 600 disposed in the cooling volume 410 in any embodiment described herein may be altered depending on the desired thermal capacity and associated cooling ability of the cooling unit 270. For example, if a greater thermal capacity of the cooling unit 270 is desired, more capsules 600 may be added to the cooling volume 410 and / or the individual volume of PCM contained in the capsules may be increased.

[0060] The inventors have also contemplated a cooling unit having PCM which combines aspects of the depicted embodiment of FIG. 5 and the depicted embodiment of FIG.6. For example, the cooling unit 270 may include both a second housing 502 having PCM 504 and capsules 600 of PCM within the cooling volume 410. Such an embodiment may further increase the thermal capacity of the cooling unit 270 and may accordingly help to cool the beverage.

[0061] The various methods disclosed above may be implemented by one or more controllers including at least one processor operatively coupled to the various controllable portions of a beverage making system as disclosed herein. Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the disclosed methods may be performed at least in part, and in some instances completely, on a computing device that is separate and removed from the disclosed beverage making system. In either case, the disclosed methods may be embodied as computer readable instructions stored on non-transitory computer readable memory associated with the at least one processor such that when executed by the at least one processor the associated system, which may be a beverage making system in some embodiments, may perform any of the actions related to the methods disclosed herein.Additionally, it should be understood that the disclosed order of the steps is exemplary and that the disclosed steps may be performed in a different order, simultaneously, and / or may include one or more additional intermediate steps not shown as the disclosure is not so limited.

[0062] The above-described embodiments of the technology described herein can be implemented in any of numerous ways. For example, the embodiments may be implemented using hardware, software or a combination thereof. When implemented in software, the software code can be executed on any suitable processor or collection of processors, whether12658753.1provided in a single computing device or distributed among multiple computing devices. Such processors may be implemented as integrated circuits, with one or more processors in an integrated circuit component, including commercially available integrated circuit components known in the art by names such as CPU chips, GPU chips, microprocessor, microcontroller, or co-processor. Alternatively, a processor may be implemented in custom circuitry, such as an ASIC, or semi-custom circuitry resulting from configuring a programmable logic device. As yet a further alternative, a processor may be a portion of a larger circuit or semiconductor device, whether commercially available, semi-custom or custom. As a specific example, some commercially available microprocessors have multiple cores such that one or a subset of those cores may constitute a processor. Though, a processor may be implemented using circuitry in any suitable format.

[0063] Also, a computing device may have one or more input and output devices. These devices can be used, among other things, to present a user interface. Examples of output devices that can be used to provide a user interface include display screens for visual presentation of output and speakers or other sound generating devices for audible presentation of output. Examples of input devices that can be used for a user interface include keyboards, individual buttons, and pointing devices, such as mice, touch pads, and digitizing tablets. As another example, a computing device may receive input information through speech recognition or in other audible format.

[0064] The various methods or processes outlined herein may be implemented in any suitable hardware. Additionally, the various methods or processes outlined herein may be implemented in a combination of hardware and of software executable on one or more processors that employ any one of a variety of operating systems or platforms. Examples of such approaches are described above. However, any suitable combination of hardware and software may be employed to realize any of the embodiments discussed herein.

[0065] Also, the various methods or processes outlined herein may be coded as software that is executable on one or more processors that employ any one of a variety of operating systems or platforms. Additionally, such software may be written using any of a number of suitable programming languages and / or programming or scripting tools, and also may be compiled as executable machine language code or intermediate code that is executed on a framework or virtual machine.12658753.1

[0066] In this respect, various inventive concepts may be embodied as at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium (e.g., a computer memory, one or more floppy discs, compact discs, optical discs, magnetic tapes, flash memories, circuit configurations in Field Programmable Gate Arrays or other semiconductor devices, etc.) encoded with one or more programs that, when executed on one or more computers or other processors, implement the various embodiments of the present disclosure. The non-transitory computer-readable medium or media may be transportable, such that the program or programs stored thereon may be loaded onto any computer resource to implement various aspects of the present disclosure as discussed above.

[0067] The terms “program” or “software” are used herein in a generic sense to refer to any type of computer code or set of computer-executable instructions that can be employed to program a computer or other processor to implement various aspects of embodiments as discussed above. Additionally, it should be appreciated that according to one aspect, one or more computer programs that when executed perform methods of the present disclosure need not reside on a single computer or processor, but may be distributed in a modular fashion among different computers or processors to implement various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0068] Computer-executable instructions may be in many forms, such as program modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Typically, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments.

[0069] The embodiments described herein may be embodied as a method, of which an example has been provided. The acts performed as part of the method may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which acts are performed in an order different than illustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.

[0070] Further, some actions are described as taken by a “user.” It should be appreciated that a “user” need not be a single individual, and that in some embodiments, actions attributable to a “user” may be performed by a team of individuals and / or an individual in combination with computer-assisted tools or other mechanisms.12658753.1

[0071] While the present teachings have been described in conjunction with various embodiments and examples, it is not intended that the present teachings be limited to such embodiments or examples. On the contrary, the present teachings encompass various alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only.12658753.1

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator, comprising :a cabinet, the cabinet including refrigeration compartments;a door attached to the cabinet, the door including a water dispenser and a beverage dispenser;a refrigeration system that circulates a refrigerant through a refrigeration line;a beverage making system integrated into the door of the refrigerator, the beverage making system including:brew chamber configured to accept a single serve portion pack of a beverage and to form a beverage;a cooling unit comprising:a cooling housing defining a cooling volume, the cooling housing having a cooling liquid inlet and a cooling liquid outlet,a cooling liquid passageway fluidly coupled to the cooling liquid inlet and the cooling liquid outlet, the cooling liquid passageway being in thermal communication with the refrigeration system such that the refrigeration system is configured to cool a cooling liquid flowing through the cooling liquid passageway; anda beverage passageway fluidly coupled to and configured to receive beverage from the brew chamber, wherein the beverage passageway extends through the cooling housing; anda water supply line having an inlet from a water supply configured to provide water to the water dispenser and the beverage making system.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a switch moveable between a first configuration and a second configuration, wherein in the first configuration, the switch is configured to direct the beverage from the brew chamber to the cooling unit, and wherein in the second configuration, the switch is configured to dispense the beverage from the brew chamber and out of the beverage dispenser.12658753.

13. The refrigerator of claim 2, further comprising a user interface configured to receive an input from a user, wherein the input from the user moves the switch from the first configuration to the second configuration and / or from the second configuration to the first configuration.

4. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the beverage is a brewed beverage.

5. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the beverage is formed at a temperature of 40 to 100 degrees Celsius.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the cooling unit cools the beverage to a temperature of 7 to 30 degrees Celsius.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the cooling volume has a volume of 0.5 liters to 5 liters.

8. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a phase change material disposed on an exterior of the cooling housing.

9. The refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the phase change material has a latent heat of 190J / g to 400 kJ / kg.

10. The refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising one or more capsules containing a phase change material disposed within the cooling volume of the cooling unit, wherein heat is transferred from the cooling volume to the one or more capsules.

11. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the cooling unit further comprises a cooling unit pump configured to move cooling liquid through the cooling housing in a flow direction opposite to a flow direction of the beverage passageway through the cooling housing.12658753.

112. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the cooling liquid is refrigerant from the refrigeration system.

13. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the cooling liquid is water from the water supply line.

14. The refrigerator of claim 1 further comprising an additive dispenser configured to selectively dispense an additive to a beverage when forming a beverage.12658753.1

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