A collection container to collect exhausted powder material discharged by a brewing device in a beverage preparation machine. The collection container has a receiving zone to receive the exhausted powder material and is provided with conveying means operable to convey the exhausted powder material so as to spread it inside the collection container and reduce its piling up in the receiving zone.

A machine (1) for serving a beverage (7) via a dispensing outlet (8) to a consumer receptacle (9) by mixing water (3) from a water source (3′) with a flavouring ingredient (2), has a mixing unit (10) that comprises: a stationary support (11); a seat (12) having an ingredient opening (120); a closure part (13) configured to close and open the ingredient opening (120); and a wall part (14) that is movable inside the seat (12). The seat (12), the closure part (13) and the wall part (14) are: mounted to the support (11); and relatively movable between a transfer configuration and a mixing chamber configuration in which the seat (12) and the closure part (13) and the wall part (14) form a mixing chamber (12′) fluidically connected with the water source (3′). The mixing unit (10) further comprises a waste ingredient remover (20) configured to remove a waste ingredient (2″) from the ingredient opening (120) upon beverage preparation.

A machine (1) for preparing a beverage (7) has: a waste collector (85) with a horizontally extending collecting area (85′″); and a removal arrangement (20, 22, 86, C) configured to direct, after beverage preparation, a waste consumable (2″), such as a used flavouring ingredient, into the waste collector (85). Successive waste consumables (2″) are directed to different horizontal locations (21a′, 21b′, 21c′) of the collecting area (85′″).

A machine (1) is configured for handling a flavouring ingredient (2) and preparing a beverage (7) and serving it via a dispensing outlet (8). The machine (1) has an infusion unit (10) that comprises: a support (11) that is stationary during the handling of the flavouring ingredient (2); a seat (12) having an ingredient opening (120); a closure part (13); and a wall part (14) that is movable inside the seat (12). The seat (12), the closure part (13) and the wall part (14) are: directly or indirectly mounted to the support (11); and relatively movable between: a transfer configuration and a mixing chamber configuration. The mixing chamber (12′) is associated with an inlet guide (135) and an outlet guide (140). The infusion unit (10) is configured such that, during beverage preparation, the flavouring ingredient (2) is mixed with water (3) in the mixing chamber (12′) to form the beverage (7) by infusion. The infusion unit (10) is configured such that, after the serving of the beverage (7) via the dispensing outlet (8), at least part of the water (3) contained in the mixing chamber (12′) is evacuated from the mixing chamber (12′) to at least partly dry the flavouring ingredient (2′) prior to removal of the flavouring ingredient (2″) from the mixing chamber (12′). The infusion unit (10) is configured to generate compressed gas (7′), such as air, in the mixing chamber (12′) containing the flavouring ingredient (2′) upon infusion and to evacuate at least part of the water (3) contained in the mixing chamber (12′) with the compressed gas (7′) by releasing it from the mixing chamber (12′).

A coffee machine including a controller, a boiler for heating a flow of infusion water, a movable infusion unit having an open infusion chamber connected to a dispensing line for dispensing the coffee infusion and having an ejection piston slidably supported therein in the infusion chamber, a supply line for supplying said flow of infusion water to the infusion unit, a closing piston engageable for closure of the infusion chamber. The controller can subject the infusion unit, prior to execution of the infusion process, to a first course of translational movement for closure of the infusion chamber by the closing piston, and to subject the infusion chamber and/or the ejection piston, following execution of the infusion process, to a second course of translational movement, for compression of the load of spent coffee grounds against the closing piston and for drainage of the liquid contained therein.

A decoction device for an extraction apparatus, in particular for preparing espresso, comprises a decoction chamber (7) enclosed by a chamber wall (5) for receiving a quantity of powder therein. The decoction chamber is situated between a first chamber bottom (20) and a second chamber bottom (30). The first chamber bottom (20) is coupled to a linear actuator and is axially movable in the decoction chamber so as to compress the powder to a bed. A drive is provided to impose a relative rotation between one of the chamber bottoms and the chamber wall as the chamber bottoms (20,30) approach each other. The respective chamber bottom (30) is for this purpose rotatable within the chamber wall (5) and the drive is able and configured to impose a rotation thereon during an approach movement of the first chamber bottom (20). A slip coupling (60) is provided in the transmission.

A system, method, and apparatus for producing a brewed beverage using a brewing apparatus of a brewing machine to reduce the time to produce a brewed beverage through a sequence of steps. The apparatus includes structures and functions that help to maintain the reliability and cleanliness of the apparatus. The structure of the apparatus helps reduce the size and dimension of the apparatus while producing a desired brewed beverage result. The steps of the method configured using the apparatus to sequence and/or simultaneously operate various steps of the apparatus to reduce the time to produce a brewed beverage.

The invention concerns a full automatic coffee machine (100) comprising a coffee extraction unit (10) with: a brewing chamber (1) for receiving coffee powder, an upper piston (2), a lower piston (3) movable inside said brewing chamber (1) between a lowest position and a highest position wherein the lower piston (3) comprises a piston rod (31), which comprises an internal channel (311) extending from a channel inlet (311a) at the lateral wall surface of the rod to a channel outlet (311b) at the bottom wall surface of the rod, and wherein the channel inlet (311a) is designed and positioned on the lateral wall surface of the rod so that said channel inlet (311a) overlaps the bottom wall (11) of the brewing chamber only when the lower piston is in the highest position.

A beverage preparation machine for brewed beverages includes a housing having a housing wall that surrounds an inner space and has an opening; a brewing device arranged in the inner space for brewing a quantity of a solid material accommodated by the brewing device, wherein the quantity of the solid material can be output from the brewing device; a movable container for receiving a quantity of the solid material output from the brewing device, which container can be brought into the inner space through the opening; a movable cover plate for covering the opening, which cover plate in a first position covers at least one region of the opening, and which in a second position uncovers the opening. The cover plate is connected to the housing via a pivoting device so that the cover plate is movable between the first and second positions by pivoting about a pivot axis.

A coffee brewer contains a brewing unit in which coffee grounds having been poured in are compressed by a plunger driven by an actuator. Heated water flows through the compressed coffee grounds. A control device controls the actuator in accordance with signals of an angle of rotation sensor. The control device first moves the plunger against a stop in an ejection position to calibrate the sensor, then moves the plunger by a predetermined distance in a downwards direction into a pouring-in position. Afterwards the control device moves the plunger by a second distance into the brewing position, a length of the predetermined distance and the second distance corresponds to a number of pulses of the sensor which are stored in the memory. The control device subsequently moves the plunger by a third distance back into the ejection position in which the coffee grounds are removed from the plunger.