A coffee machine is described. The coffee machine has a removable coffee vessel for fitting to a docking area. A closing piston is driven laterally relative to the coffee vessel into a side opening of the coffee vessel. The closing piston has a water delivery channel leading to its end face.

A system for mixing and dispensing a beverage is provided including a disposable pod containing a solute therein, inflow puncturing cap defining a plurality of spikes extending therefrom, an outflow puncturing cap defining a plurality of puncturing spikes extending therefrom and a translation mechanism for receiving the pod, translating the inflow puncturing cap towards the pod to puncture the pod upper surface and seat the pod proximate the outflow cap spikes. Heated, pressurized solvent fluid is injected into the pod, wherein the solvent and solute mix, causing the pod lower surface to expand against, and be punctured by the outflow puncturing cap spikes. The pod material, and pod thickness may be selected to allow puncture of the pod lower surface after a preferred brewing period has occurred.

A beverage brewing apparatus including a brewing module, an ingredient providing module, a drink providing module and a control unit is provided. The brewing module is adapted to brew at least one drink and at least one ingredient in a beverage cup. The ingredient providing module is adapted to provide the at least one ingredient into the beverage cup. The drink providing module is adapted to provide the at least one drink into the beverage cup. The control unit is adapted to control the brewing module, the ingredient providing module and the drink providing module according to a brewing procedure corresponding to the at least one drink and the at least one ingredient.

The invention relates to a disposable cartridge filled with a single serve portion of a liquid ingredient to be combined with a base liquid for the preparation of a liquid product, e.g. a beverage concentrate to be combined with water, e.g. carbonated water, for the preparation of a beverage suitable for human consumption. The cartridge comprises a vertically extending channel that extends to a dispensing aperture in the bottom of the cartridge and one or more dispensing passages extending between a reservoir and the outside of the cartridge. The dispensing passages are provided with outlet openings located adjacent the aperture such that the base liquid and the liquid ingredient are dispensed in parallel flows, the liquid ingredient subsequently coating the exterior of the stream of base liquid, such that actual mixing of the liquid ingredient and base liquid only takes place after both have been dispensed.

Capsule containing a substance for the preparation of a potable beverage, the capsule having an aluminum capsule body having a side wall and an outwardly extending flange and a sealing member at the outwardly extending flange for providing a fluid sealing contact with an enclosing member of a beverage preparation device. The beverage preparation device comprises an annular element having a free contact end which may be provided with a plurality of radially extending open grooves. The sealing member is integral with the outwardly extending flange and comprises a projection. The sealing member comprises a single annular projection comprising a projection top projecting from an inner projection foot radially outside of a flat inner flange portion extending between the capsule body side wall and the projection and an outer projection foot radially inside of a flat outer flange portion extending between the projection and the curled outer edge. The flat outer flange portion is axially spaced from the flat inner flange portion towards the bottom of the capsule body or the flat outer flange portion and the flat inner flange portion are in line the flat outer flange portion and the flat inner flange portion are in line and a radially outer wall of said projection is oriented transverse to the flat outer flange portion.

A dispensing system (40) includes a body (54) having an outer wall (64) defining a volume for storing a substance, the outer wall (64) having a top end (66) and a sealed bottom end (70). The top end (66) is covered by a flexible lid (56) that is attached to the body (54). The lid (56) has a press portion (88) for being engaged to move the lid (56) from a first position into a second, deflected position. A post (58) is connected to the lid (56) and is configured in the second position of the lid (56) to breach the sealed bottom end (70) forming a dispensing orifice (80) to accommodate movement of a substance out of the body (54). In one form, the outer wall (64) includes at least one bottle stop projection (218) defining one or more vent channels (219).

The invention relates to a beverage preparation apparatus comprising a housing and brewing apparatus that is arranged in said housing and is intended for extracting a single-serve capsule of a first and a second type, which capsule contains a beverage substrate, wherein: a single-serve capsule of the first type has a greater axial length than a single-serve capsule of the second type; the brewing apparatus comprises a first brewing chamber element and a second brewing chamber element; the first brewing chamber element and the second brewing chamber element can be moved relative to one another along a predefined and substantially horizontal path from a loading position, in which the first brewing chamber element and the second brewing chamber element are mutually spaced apart, into an extraction position, in which the first brewing chamber element and the second brewing chamber element form a substantially closed brewing chamber and in which a brewing process can be carried out; the first brewing chamber element comprises a cavity provided for receiving the single-serve capsule; the cavity is axially delimited by a base element that can be adjusted in the horizontal direction between a starting position and a second position; the cavity has a larger volume in the second position than in the starting position; the first brewing chamber element has a blocking apparatus that can be actuated by the single-serve capsule and/or the second brewing chamber element; the blocking apparatus is provided to block, in the starting position or in the second position, a movement of the base element in the horizontal direction away from the second brewing chamber element.

A beverage machine may have a first brew chamber for forming larger, multi-serving beverages, and a second brew chamber for receiving beverage cartridges to form single-serve beverages. Aspects relating to relative positioning of the brew chambers and associated components are described herein. The beverage machine may include a user interface that displays different selection options based on which of the two brew chambers is being used to form a beverage. The beverage machine may include a handle that may be manipulated by a user to both open a brew chamber and to remove a brew basket from the brew chamber. The beverage machine may include a liquid reservoir that removably couples to the machine housing at different discrete positions. The beverage machine may include a liquid supply lid that may be removably coupled to the housing.

A brewing system may include a fluid supply system, a chamber, and a fluid outlet. The fluid outlet may be configured to pierce a capsule containing a beverage ingredient formed of solid particles. The chamber may be configured to receive and hold solid particles from the capsule without inhibiting or restricting a flow path from the fluid supply system, through the chamber, and out of the fluid outlet. In some cases, a fluid flow through the chamber may gradually empty the chamber of solid particles.

The coffee machine (1) comprises a brewing cylinder (2), a movement system of the brewing cylinder (2) comprising a nut screw (8) engaged with a motorised screw (9), and elastic means (13) compensating the mechanical backlash between the threads of the screw (9) and of the nut screw (8).