A milk frothing apparatus which includes a steam probe which consists of an inner steam tube surrounded by an outer tube spaced annularly from the inner tube with a nozzle mounted on the end of the outer tube adjacent the outlet end of the inner tube. The air gap between the inner and outer tubes insulates the outer tube from the heat generated in the inner tube during the steam cycle. By using stainless steel the milk does not stick to the cool outer tube surface and no cleaning of the outer surface of the probe is necessary. The steam itself keeps the inner surfaces of the probe clean.

A filter paper cup for making a beverage pod. The filter paper cup includes a base (or receptacle) and may include a cover. The filter paper cup is formed by forming pleats in walls and a rim around the tops of the wall. Preferably, a heat seal filter paper is used and the pleats in the walls and rim are adhered by the heat to retain the shape. The base in inserted into a pod holder and brewing material is placed into the base. A cover may be positioned over the rim, and a lid is attached to the pod holder to sandwich the cover and rim to seal the pod. The cover, if present, is held taut by the lid of the pod holder to facilitate penetration of the cover by a needle to inject water into the pod.

An actively heated or cooled food container can have a lid movable between an open and a closed position and an insulated body to which the lid can be attached. The insulated body can have a sidewall that defines a perimeter of the container body and a base, the sidewall and base defining one or more chambers that can be sealed by the lid. The food container can have a temperature control system that can include one or more heating or cooling elements in thermal communication with one or both of the sidewall and the base and operable to heat or cool one or both of the sidewall and the base to thereby heat or cool the one or more chambers in the food container.

A beverage self-propelling and production system comprises a beverage production region, a self-propelled vehicle device and a server appliance wherein: the beverage production region has several beverage production workstations, several trajectory line objects and several sensor elements; the server appliance receiving at least a group of order messages drives the self-propelled vehicle device to move along the trajectory line objects and stop at different beverage production workstations, controls supplies of ingredients at the beverage production workstations, and depends on the order messages to change a move path of the self-propelled vehicle device for production and output of a beverage product after completion of the self-propelled vehicle device passing through different beverage production workstations in turn.

A hydrogen water generator includes a water tank for receiving and storing water, an electrode module coupled to the water tank for generating hydrogen water, a movable water discharger, a transfer tube for transferring the hydrogen water from the water tank to the movable water discharger, a sensor, and a controller. The controller moves the movable water discharger from an original position to a height with respect to a water container based on a sensing by the sensor.

A moving assembly of a coffee maker has a body, a first moving module, and a second moving module. The first moving module is mounted to the body, and has a first slide rail and a feeding component. The first slide rail is connected to the body. The feeding component is slidably mounted to the first slide rail and has a nozzle. The second moving module is mounted to the body below the first moving module, and has a second slide rail and a platform. The second slide rail is connected to the body and located below the first slide rail in a direction intersecting with the first slide rail. The platform is slidably mounted to the second slide rail. Therefore, the nozzle may move against a coffee cup put on the platform in two directions with the two independent moving modules.

According to one embodiment, a beverage preparation machine includes a beverage dispenser, a cup holding region located below the beverage dispenser, a light source configured to transmit light across a portion of the cup holding region, and a receiver configured to receive at least a portion the light transmitted by the light source. A processor determines whether a transparent cup has been sufficiently inserted into the cup holding region or is at a desired height by detecting either a trough in a light level of the portion of the light received at the receiver, or an inverted trough in a light level of the light transmitted by the light source. Upon making the determination that the transparent cup is not sufficiently inserted or at the desired height, the processor prevents the beverage dispenser from dispensing a beverage.

An actively heated or cooled food container can have a lid movable between an open and a closed position and an insulated body to which the lid can be attached. The insulated body can have a sidewall that defines a perimeter of the container body and a base, the sidewall and base defining one or more chambers that can be sealed by the lid. The food container can have a temperature control system that can include one or more heating or cooling elements in thermal communication with one or both of the sidewall and the base and operable to heat or cool one or both of the sidewall and the base to thereby heat or cool the one or more chambers in the food container.

A coffee brewing device includes a base and a water output device. A heating device heats water in or flowing out of a water tank. A water guiding tube is connected to the water tank and an output guiding seat. A pump guides water in the water tank to the output guiding seat. The output guiding seat is mounted above the base and includes first and second water outlets aligned with different locations of a supporting portion of the base. A container is disposed on top of a rotatable disc which is disposed on the supporting portion and driven by a transmission unit. A filtering cup is detachably disposed at an opening of the container. The filtering cup includes a chamber, an opening in an upper end thereof, and an outlet in a lower end thereof. A controller controls operation of the heating device, the pump, and the transmission unit.

The invention relates to a cartridge housing comprising a diluting means, especially a water supply, a mixing chamber in which the diluting means and a beverage and/or food substrate are mixed, and an outlet. The cartridge housing is fitted with a hollow rod such that the sealing film of the cartridge is pierced as soon as the cartridge is inserted into the cartridge housing, thereby creating the flow connection between the cartridge and a mixing chamber.