A method and apparatus for opening and closing a door of a beverage forming machine, e.g., for accessing a beverage forming station. The door may be opened by retracting the door into an interior space of the housing, e.g., by moving the door rearwardly. When at the closed position, at least one edge of the door may be flush with an adjacent outer housing portion.

Devices for preparing a drink extracted from a capsule include a capsule mounting and a capsule housing, inside of which at least one water inlet and a capsule-boring means are arranged, wherein the housing is sized so as to at least partially deform any capsule, consisting of a material that is deformable when placed in contact with hot water and placed in the housing, such that the capsule is retained in the housing after the contact thereof with the hot water.

A system, device and method for preparing a beverage using a capsule. The capsule comprises a cup-shaped body, a lid and an actuating member. The device comprises a capsule holder, a fluid supply unit, and a flow control unit arranged for controlling a parameter of the fluid to be supplied to the capsule. The flow control unit is arranged for selectively operating in one of at least a first mode and a second mode. The flow control unit comprises a switching member movable between a first and second position, and arranged for being engaged by the actuating member of the capsule. The system is arranged such that the flow control unit is in the first mode when the switching member is in the first position, and such that the flow control unit is in the second mode when the switching member is in the second position.

The drinks preparation machine includes a pump for delivering the preparation fluid—generally water—into a brewing chamber, which receives the portion package, as well as a flow-meter for measuring the fluid flow into the brewing chamber. Machine electronics activate the pump and acquire the results of flow rate measurement, in order for example to switch off the pump after reaching a defined delivered fluid quantity. The electronics are configured to evaluate the measured flow rate and from this evaluation to make a differentiation between a first state “brewing with an inserted portion package” and a second state “water throughflow without inserted portion package”, in order to detect the presence of a portion package in the brewing chamber.

A machine for preparing a beverage from a capsule includes a capsule extraction seat, an inlet arrangement for guiding water into the seat and a dispensing arrangement for guiding beverage out of the seat. The dispensing arrangement has a face delimiting a downstream part of the seat, the face bearing one or more raised elements that project upstream and that are configured for forming one or more beverage outlet openings in the outlet membrane of the capsule in the seat. The raised element(s) are fixed relative to or integral with the face and include at least one controllable raised element. The face is associated with an opening control arrangement configured to control the formation of the outlet opening(s) in the outlet membrane by the controllable raised element. The opening control arrangement has at least one neutralizing member that is movable between an operative position and a rest position.

A brewing module for preparing a brewed drink from a portion capsule includes a first brewing module part and a second brewing module part which is movable relative to this between a first brewing module part position and a second brewing module part position. An operating element is further present, the operating element being able to be brought manually from a first into a second operating element position. The brewing module has an energy store which is configured, by way of moving the operating element from the first into the second position, to intermediately store energy which is coupled into the brewing module and, activated by a release, to convert it again into a movement from the first brewing module part position into the second brewing module part position.

The preparation system has a capsule 11 which is provided with a conical side wall 13, a first end 13a of which has a larger outer diameter than the second end 13b. The capsule 11 is provided at the first end 13a with an outwardly projecting flange 15 to which a foil 19 is attached which foil closes the capsule. The preparation device 1 has a pressure cylinder 3 which is slid over the capsule 11 and presses the flange 15 against a counter plate 5. The pressure cylinder has to be liquid-tight in contact with the capsule. The outer diameter of the first end 13a of the side wall 13 of the capsule being larger than the inner diameter of the pressure cylinder 3. When the pressure cylinder is slid over the capsule, the capsule will compress in the axial direction, such that the deformed part of the side wall 13 forms a liquid-tight seal between the capsule 11 and the pressure cylinder 3.

A beverage brewing system works with a pod to brew low, medium and high pressure beverages in hot and/or cold format such as coffee and espresso served hot or over ice. The beverage ingredient may be packed within a filter which is enclosed by a container to hermetically seal the filter. The filter has a predetermined number and sized holes to control the pressure within the filter to brew low, medium, and high pressure beverages. The filter is releasably sealed to the container where separating the filter from the container forms a gap to allow the beverage formed within the pod to drain via the gap and directly pour into a mug.

A beverage system for making a beverage based on ingredients in a capsule has a conveying carriage with a capsule carrier, a threaded spindle extending inside a housing of the beverage system and having a drive nut connected to the capsule carrier. A stop element is arranged on the threaded spindle at an ejection position for blocking movement of the drive nut along the threaded spindle. A motor rotates the threaded spindle in a first direction of rotation, in order to move the capsule carrier to a processing position, where a beverage is made based on the ingredients in a capsule; in order to move the capsule carrier further along the threaded spindle to an ejection position; and in order to rotate the capsule carrier at the ejection position about the threaded spindle to eject the capsule from the capsule carrier.

A capsule for preparing a beverage comprises a substantially rigid capsule body with a circumferential wall and a base wall that border an inner space filed with a beverage ingredient. An open filling side of the capsule at an end of the circumferential wall opposite the base wall is covered with a lid of fluid tight material. The lid is provided with a preformed outlet opening suitable for draining the prepared beverage from the inner space when the capsule is used in a beverage preparation device. The outlet opening is fluid tightly closed by a removable cover element extending over at least part of the lid.