Methods and systems for accurately and securely dispensing high value beverages are presented herein. A beverage distribution system includes one or more replaceable beverage cartridges mounted to a beverage dispensing device. Each of the beverage cartridges includes a fluid reservoir with an output port, an output control valve, a flowmeter, and a local controller. The local controller receives signals from the flow meter and determines a cumulative amount of beverage fluid dispensed from the beverage cartridge based on the received signals. In one embodiment, the beverage dispensing device includes a fluid pump and a master controller. The master controller also estimates the cumulative amount of beverage fluid dispensed from each beverage cartridge based on control commands communicated to each beverage cartridge. If a difference between the estimated cumulative amounts of fluid dispensed from a beverage cartridge exceeds a predetermined threshold value, an alert is generated.

The invention relates to a method and a system for beverage preparation according to a person-specific, individual recipe. The method for preparing a beverage according to an individual recipe takes place by using a preparation device comprising a positioning device for a drinking vessel and a receiving device for an identification feature. The method includes creating an individual recipe, storing the individual recipe in a recipe pool of a data storage unit, whereby the data storage unit can be reached via an EDP network, linking the identification feature to the recipe pool, positioning the drinking vessel into the preparation device, receiving the identification feature, retrieving the recipe pool that is linked to the identification feature, preparing the beverage according to a recipe from the recipe pool, and filling the beverage into the drinking vessel by the preparation device.

Systems and methods for beverage dispensing are disclosed herein. The beverage dispensing system can receive a connection request to pair a mobile computing device with a beverage dispensing device via a network. The connection request can include an identifier that can be verified to match a current identifier associated with the beverage dispensing device. The beverage dispensing system can generate a session between the mobile computing device and the beverage dispensing device that replicates a user interface of the beverage dispensing device on the mobile computing device. The beverage dispensing system can receive inputs from the mobile computing device during the session to obtain configuration parameters for a beverage and dispense the beverage from a nozzle based on the configuration parameters.

Systems and methods for developing a recipe using a network of beverage synthesis devices are disclosed. A disclosed method includes transmitting, from a network architecture, the recipe to at least two beverage synthesis devices in the network of beverage synthesis devices. The recipe is compatible with the network of beverage synthesis devices for synthesis into a beverage. The method further includes receiving, at the network architecture, information from the at least two beverage synthesis devices. The method further includes modifying, subsequent to receiving of the information and using the network architecture, the recipe to produce a modified recipe. The method further includes transmitting, from the network architecture, the modified recipe to the network of beverage synthesis devices. The modified recipe is compatible with the network of beverage synthesis devices for synthesis into a modified beverage.

A compact, mobile, robotic beverage station that may be deployed in any location for use. The compact and mobile nature of the beverage station allows the automated robotic beverage station to be deployed at any suitable location both indoors and outdoors. Further, various embodiments are self-contained in that the beverage station includes on-board battery supplied power, on-board liquid disposal (e.g., a holding tank) and on-board water supply. Further, the automated robotic nature of several embodiments provides for beverage selection, preparation and serving without labor costs as the robotic automated aspects can process inputs from communicatively coupled smart phone and the like. The beverage station includes a processor for receiving the beverage order, determining ingredients, controlling robotic components that select, mix and serve the ordered beverage and then handle financial transactions.

A smart inventory management system is described for a dispensing and blend-in-cup beverage platform including a container having an information tag that is configured to store unique information specific to a particular product, a reader configured to read the stored information from the information tag, a control board configured to host a software based decision engine which is configured to interpret the information specific to a particular product and to control one or more system components based at least in part on the information, a pump controlled by the control board and configured to pump beverage concentrates out of the containers in order to dispense the beverage concentrate into a beverage holder, and a check valve located between an opening on the container and the pump, the check valve configured to provide backflush prevention of foreign solutions into the container.

In one embodiment, the present disclosure includes a cloud based management system controlling a plurality of automated food production systems residing at different locations. A machine learning algorithm may be used to modify recipe data to customize recipes.

The invention relates to a method for providing authorizations, linked to physical objects (101, 102, 103), for retrieving goods and/or services (30), including the steps: creating a digital representation (101′, 102′, 103′) of a physical object (101, 102, 103), preferably on an IoT platform (6), the physical object (101, 102, 103) including at least one information carrier (I), the information carrier (I) including at least one identifier (UID), the physical object (101, 102, 103) being unequivocally assignable to its digital representation (101′, 102′, 103′), based on the identifier (UID), and the information carrier (I) being readable from goods and/or services (30) by use of a mobile terminal (10) and/or by means of an output device (20) in order to at least partially access the particular digital representation (101′, 102′, 103′); providing a configurable authorization profile (101a, 102a, 103a) for the digital representation (101′, 102′, 103′), the authorization profile (101a, 102a, 103a) including at least one authorization for retrieving goods and/or services (30).

A system and method a method may include receiving (i) beverage composition data of a requested beverage, and (ii) a user identifier of a user requesting the beverage. Responsive to receiving an instruction to dispense the requested beverage, the requested beverage may be dispensed. The beverage composition data may be stored in a dispensed beverage record. A verification as to whether or not the dispensed beverage is a qualified beverage pour may be performed. Responsive to determining that the dispensed beverage is a qualified beverage pour, a counter may be increased. Responsive to determining that the counter value crosses a threshold value, a first message may be communicated to a mobile electronic device of the user, otherwise, a second message may be communicated to the mobile electronic device. The first or second message may be displayed on the mobile electronic device.

The present disclosure relates to instant beverage production equipment, including: a preparing device configured to prepare drinking ingredients of instant beverages in first cup bodies, or prepare drinking ingredients of instant beverages and add the prepared drinking ingredients into first cup bodies; a material adding device configured to add chewing ingredients of the instant beverages into second cup bodies, wherein one of the second cup bodies and the first cup bodies are selling cup bodies, and the other are non-selling cup bodies; a conveying device configured to pour the drinking ingredients or the chewing ingredients in the selling cup bodies into the non-selling cup bodies so that the drinking ingredients and the chewing ingredients are mixed into the instant beverages; a control device configured to coordinately control the preparing device, the material adding device and the conveying device.