A brewing unit for preparing beverages from a powdered product containing at least one ingredient is provided. The brewing unit has a support structure having an inner cavity, and a dispensing assembly having a first assembly part configured as a drawer and having a receptacle adapted to receive the powdered product, and a second assembly part mounted to slide vertically within an upper part of the inner cavity, between a raised position and a lowered position. A filtering element defining a bottom surface of the receptacle and of the brewing chamber is mounted within the first assembly part. A dispensing duct is formed through the filtering element. A brewing head defining a top surface of the brewing chamber is carried by a lower end of the second assembly part.

A barcode, comprising: a code region, comprising at least two different types of information which represents code information of the code region; and a boundary region, formed as a closed shape surrounding the code region; wherein a decoding direction of the code region is not relative to the boundary region. The present invention also provides a barcode processing system which can process the barcode to generate a control command, and provides a coffee machine using the barcode processing system. The barcode can be easily aligned by a closed boundary region, without using a frame buffer with a large size.

A machine (1) for preparing and dispensing a beverage (2) has: a capsule extraction unit (10) having a first part (11) and a second part (12) that are relatively movable between a distant position for inserting a capsule (3) and a close position for extracting such capsule (3); a control unit (40) for controlling the extraction unit (10) to extract such capsule (3); an outlet (20) for dispensing said beverage (2) formed by extracting such capsule (3) to a user-receptacle (4) located in a receptacle placing area; and a capsule recognition arrangement (30) connected to the control unit (40) for recognizing the colour of at least part of a capsule inserted in the machine (1).

A portion capsule for producing a beverage includes a base element having a cavity in which a beverage raw material is provided and which is closed by a membrane fastened to the base element.

A beverage machine, in particular a coffee machine, prepares a beverage using water supplied via a fixed water connection to a hydraulic part arranged in the beverage machine and outputs the beverage at an outlet of the beverage machine. Maintenance is simplified by the fact that the beverage machine is provided with a cartridge holder which is accessible from the outside and into which a cartridge can be inserted in an exchangeable manner, the cartridge includes a cartridge connection on the inlet side and a cartridge connection on the outlet side, via which, in the inserted state of the cartridge, water supplied to the beverage machine via the fixed water connection flows through the cartridge and is thereby filtered and/or enriched with additives.

A beverage system that includes a capsule and a beverage machine. The capsule includes: a base element; a flange that includes a top side and a bottom side; a cover fastened to the top side, the cover is bowed outwardly and includes a region configured to be pierced; a barrier layer to prevent moisture or aroma from escaping out of the capsule; and an identifier on the bottom side of the flange. The machine includes: a sensor/detector; an insertion shaft configured to receive the capsule; a pump controlled to supply water into the capsule only upon detection of the identifier and a determination by the machine that the capsule is suitable for use with the machine; a mandrel to pierce the cover; a groove that is laterally offset from the mandrel; and a seal that is at least partially seated in the groove and configured to bear against the cover.

Disclosed is a system for producing a beverage, in particular a cold beverage, comprising a cartridge that has a reservoir filled with a beverage substance, a beverage preparation unit with a cartridge receptacle into which the cartridge can be reversibly inserted, and a cartridge discharge device which causes at least partial transfer of the beverage substance from the reservoir into a mixing chamber; furthermore, the beverage preparation unit comprises a fluid supply which opens into the mixing chamber, or the system includes a movable plunger which is placed inside the reservoir and can be transferred from a starting position into a final position by means of the cartridge discharge device.

A capsule beverage brewing system includes: a brewer body having an accommodating space, and a sensing device and a sensor installed on an inner surface of the brewer body; at least one capsule containing a concentrated beverage and having an identification code on an outer surface of the capsule and corresponsive to the type of beverage contained in the capsule; and a tray installed in the brewer body and having an accommodating portion for disposing the capsule, and a contact portion extended from a side of the tray, such that when the tray is pushed into the accommodating space, the contact portion pushes or presses the sensor for a brewing operation. The brewing system automatically identifies the type of capsule, so that users need not to adjust any brewing parameters to obtain a good tasted beverage in the brewing process.

A single-serve capsule for making a beverage, having: a base element with a cavity, in which a raw beverage material is provided, the base element is made of a biodegradable material, a flange extending outwardly from the base element, the flange comprising a top side and an opposing bottom side, and a cover that is fastened to the top side of the flange to close the cavity, the cover is made of a same material as the base element. The single-serve capsule is free of a filter, and has an identifier, which makes it possible to individualize the respective single-serve capsule, the identifier is provided on the bottom side of the flange.

A device to produce personalized mixtures of substances intended to obtain and optimize beverages for a specific individual or user, includes a plurality of containers of basic substances, at least a measuring device and management and control means. The device is associated to the management and control means configured to carry out instructions regarding personalized formulas that express univocal sensory profiles or profiles functional to the specific needs of a specific individual or user.