An apparatus for making beverages using capsules (2) containing a food substance, comprising at least one image acquisition device (13) suitable for capturing images in electronic format, which show at least one portion of a capsule (2) located in an image capture zone (14) and which operates in the visible spectrum, a lighting device (15) associated with the capture zone (14) for lighting with light in the visible spectrum said portion of a capsule (2), and a detecting device (17) for detecting the presence of a capsule (2) at the capture zone (14) and/or the arrival of a capsule (2) in the capture zone (14), the detecting device (17) being operatively associated with the lighting device (15) for causing the switching of the lighting device (15) from a switched off condition to a switched on condition, depending on the detection of the presence of a capsule (2) at the capture zone (14) and/or of the arrival of a capsule (2) in the capture zone (14).

Brewing device for producing a beverage from capsules of two different sizes; wherein the brewing device has an inlet sized to allow the insertion of a larger capsule, arranged according to a given orientation; a clamping retaining device movable to and from a normal closed configuration, in which it defines a seat suitable to retain the capsule; a cover arranged to close the inlet and movable to and from an open position, in which the inlet is accessible from the outside for loading a capsule; and an adapter mounted to move, when the cover is in the open position, between an inlet disengagement position and an inlet engagement position, in which it reduces the inlet area to allow a smaller capsule to be fed to the retaining device according to a given orientation.

A device for extracting a substance to be brewed comprising: an extraction compartment in a first and a second portion, movable relative to the first portion to switch the compartment between a closed position and an open position; a linking device between the first and the second portion, comprising a holder with a first link so configured as to produce a rotation of the holder relative to the first portion, and a second link relative to the second portion, and the device comprises an articulation joint so configured as to successively produce, during a rotational motion of the holder about the first link in a first direction of rotation, a first tilting of the second portion in the first direction, then a second tilting of the second portion in a second direction opposite the first direction.

A beverage system for producing a beverage. The beverage system includes a portion capsule and a beverage machine. The portion capsule includes a lid sealed to a base element having a cavity within which a beverage raw material is provided. The base element has a circumferential flange having a top side and a bottom side with a barcode located on the bottom side. The beverage machine includes a detector to read the barcode, a media chute configured to receive and support the portion capsule, and a pump controlled to push water into the portion capsule only upon a determination that the read barcode agrees with a stored reference.

A method of using a portion capsule for producing a beverage. The method includes providing an apparatus including a barcode reader, the apparatus including a pump adapted to supply heated water; loading the portion capsule into the apparatus; piercing the foil lid; reading a barcode on the portion capsule with the barcode reader; determining whether the read barcode agrees with a stored reference; and activating the pump to push heated water into the portion capsule only upon a determination that the read barcode agrees with the stored reference.

A brewing apparatus is adapted for brewing articles contained in a capsule, and includes a capsule seat, a control device, and at least one drive mechanism. The capsule seat is adapted to receive the capsule therein. The control device has a slide slot. The at least one drive mechanism engages slidably the slide slot and is connected to the capsule seat. The control device is pivotable to drive slide movement of the at least one drive mechanism, thereby moving the capsule seat and converting the brewing apparatus between a brewing state and a standby state.

Provided is a coffee vending machine including: a plurality of capsule stacking parts arranged in a lattice form to stack capsules therein in a first direction, a capsule feeding unit disposed at the centers of the bottoms of the capsule stacking parts to feed the capsules quantitatively, a coffee brewing part for seating the capsule fed from the capsule feeding unit, feeding water to the capsule, and brewing coffee to be provided for a consumer, and a cup discharging part for discharging a cup in which the coffee is contained to the outside. The coffee brewing part allows the capsule to be seated onto a seating groove when first and second portion seating parts are adjacent thereto or contacted with each other and allows the capsule to be freely fallen through a space formed between the first and second portion seating parts when they are spaced apart from each other.

A brewing system for brewing a single cup capsule beverage of different sizes is disclosed which comprises a funnel for receiving capsules of different sizes having an upper end for receiving the capsules therein, a lower end having a delivery spout, an upper needle, and a lower needle, a support collar adjacent the upper end of the funnel for receiving therein the capsules, and an eject mechanism connected to the support collar for pivoting the support collar away from the upper end of the funnel to eject the capsule out of the support collar.

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 machine for dispensing beverages from a pod, includes a frame, a container including a pod-receiving zone, and an opening/closing device arranged between the frame and the container so as to pivot the container along a vertical axis between a closed position permitting the beverage to be dispensed and an open position permitting access to the pod-receiving zone, wherein the opening/closing device is configured such that the container has a 180 angular stroke for moving from the closed position to the open position and vice versa, such that a direction of rotation of the container can be clockwise or counter-clockwise, at the user's discretion.