Reusable Beverage Cartridge With Bottom Needle Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beverage forming systems require reconfiguration and precise alignment for reusable cartridges, which can be inconvenient and inefficient, especially when designed for single-use cartridges with piercing elements.
Innovation Solution
A reusable beverage cartridge with inlet and outlet openings at the bottom and a removable cover for easy access, allowing it to be used with machines designed for single-use cartridges without reconfiguration, featuring a filter basket for holding beverage material and ensuring proper alignment with piercing elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a reusable cartridge is designed to work with machines using piercing elements, then the cartridge can be used with existing beverage machines, but the cartridge requires precise alignment and machine reconfiguration
Solution Approach 1:
The cartridge is divided into functional segments: a rigid base portion with piercing elements, a filter basket portion for beverage material, and a lid portion. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized independently - the base provides stable machine interface while the filter basket remains removable for maintenance
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid base portion acts as an intermediary between the flexible cartridge body and the machine's piercing elements. It provides the stable, precise interface needed for machine compatibility while allowing the rest of the cartridge to remain user-friendly and easily maintainable
2Stability of the object's composition
If the cartridge bottom is made rigid for stable interface with the machine, then alignment with piercing elements is improved, but access to the cartridge interior for loading beverage material becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The cartridge is segmented into a rigid base portion that interfaces with the machine and a removable filter basket portion that provides access to the interior. This allows the stable interface and easy access requirements to be satisfied by different segments
Solution Approach 2:
The filter basket is nested within the cartridge body, allowing it to be removed through the lid opening without disturbing the rigid base portion's stable interface with the machine
3Ease of repair
If a removable cover is provided for easy access to the cartridge interior, then maintenance becomes easier, but the seal at the opening may compromise water tightness
Solution Approach 1:
The lid and its seal are designed to automatically form a water-tight connection when closed, with the seal's resilient material self-adjusting to ensure proper sealing without requiring additional fastening mechanisms or complex assembly steps
Solution Approach 2:
The seal transitions from a flexible state during installation to a compressed, sealed state when the lid is closed. The resilient material's physical parameters change under compression to ensure water-tight sealing while maintaining ease of removal
Data Source
AI summary
A reusable cartridge and method for forming a beverage using a beverage machine. The cartridge may include a bottom surface with inlet and outlet openings, e.g., arranged to receive an inlet or outlet needle, respectively, and an opening at a top end through which access to the interior space may be had. A filter basket may be inserted or removed into the interior space through the opening and a cover may engage at top to seal the opening closed.