A capsule for holding an extractable product for dispensing a beverage is disclosed. The capsule comprising a circumferential wall, a bottom, a lid, and an entrance opening portion and an exit opening portion for letting fluid in the capsule and draining prepared beverage from the capsule, respectively, of which at least one opening portion is closed to prevent fluid from passing. The circumferential wall, the bottom and the lid of the capsule enclose an inner space that comprises an extractable product, and the capsule further comprises at least one moveable portion of the capsule that extends at a distance from a respective opening portion, and that is arranged to open the respective opening portion by being moved with respect to the respective opening portion.

A machine (1) for preparing a beverage (110) from an ingredient (102) has an extraction unit (2) with: an ingredient extraction seat (20); an inlet arrangement (21) for guiding water into the seat (20); and a dispensing arrangement (22) for guiding beverage (110) out of the seat (20). The dispensing arrangement (22) has a face (220) delimiting a downstream part of the seat (20). The face (220) is made of an upper portion (220a) and a lower portion (220b) that are delimited by a substantially horizontal physical or notional delimitation line (220c) that is located between a top end and a bottom end of the face (220). The upper portion (220a) is nude of an upper outflow passage (222a) and an upper impervious part delimiting the upper outflow passage. The upper portion (220a) has an upper surface area ratio transverse to a direction (200) of downstream flow in the seat (20) of: a surface area of the upper outflow passage (222a) over a surface area of the upper impervious part. The lower portion (220b) is made of a lower outflow passage (222b) and a lower impervious part delimiting the lower outflow passage. The lower portion (220b) has a lower surface area ratio transverse to the downstream flow direction (200) of: a surface area of the lower outflow passage (222b) over a surface area of the lower impervious part. The face (220) has an overall ratio of the upper surface area ratio over the lower surface area ratio that is greater or smaller than 1.

A delivery assembly for a machine for preparing beverages by using capsule preparations includes an infusion chamber configured for housing the capsule, a delivery unit for delivering pressurized hot water and having a channel for supplying the pressurized hot water toward the infusion chamber, a piercing element for piercing the capsule and having a substantially planar base body and a plurality of blades, an intermediate disc in fluidic sealing connection with the delivery unit, interposed between the delivery unit and the piercing element and having a plurality of through openings in fluidic connection with the channel of the delivery unit. The piercing element has a plurality of holes in fluidic connection with the through openings of the intermediate disc and is placed at least at a radial distance with respect to the center of the piercing element for the passage of the water toward the infusion chamber.

A system for the preparation of beverages with the use of capsules including an infusion assembly (1) and a capsule (C). The infusion assembly includes a capsule-holder (2) and a cooperating body (3), adapted to assume an open configuration for positioning a capsule (C) therebetween, and a closed configuration for preparing a beverage through the capsule (C) clamped in a liquid-tight manner therebetween. In the capsule-holder (2) there is defined a recess (4) adapted to receive the capsule (C) with the bottom wall (20a, 20f) facing the interior of the capsule-holder (2) and wherein is provided a first piercing member (8) provided with at least a piercing point (9) adapted to penetrate through the bottom wall (20a) of said capsule (C). The capsule-holder (2) is adapted to supply a flow of fluid introduced into the capsule (C) through the tear created in its bottom wall (20a) from the at least one point (9). In the cooperating body (3) a dispensing conduit (13) is defined for the beverage and a second piercing member (14) is provided, having at least one point (16) adapted to penetrate through the cover (21) of the capsule (C) to allow the outflow of the beverage from the capsule (C) towards said dispensing conduit (13). In the capsule-holder (2) there are provided fluid communication passages (8c; 8d; 11), which put into communication a region upstream of the first piercing member (8) such that, during the preparation of a beverage, the fluid introduced into the recess (4) of the capsule-holder (2) exerts on the first piercing member (8) a force lower than a predetermined value towards the capsule (C), the first piercing member (8) being mounted in the recess (4) of the capsule-holder (2) such as to be movable under the action of a spring (10) tending to displace it towards the cooperating body (3).

A selection valve for a beverage preparation machine comprises a valve body with a hot water inlet, an air inlet, and at least a first outlet. A selector member is movably mounted relative to the valve body for movement between a first position in which the hot water inlet is in fluid communication with the at least first outlet, and a second position in which both the hot water inlet and the air inlet are in fluid communication with the at least first outlet. A satellite element has a predefined limited amount of free relative movement relative to the selector member for allowing the satellite element to be independently positioned between the first and second positions of the selector member. A beverage ingredient mixing unit comprises the selection valve, a beverage preparation machine including the selection valve, and/or the beverage ingredient mixing unit. A beverage preparation system comprises the beverage preparation machine and an exchangeable beverage ingredient supply cartridge.

A machine for dispensing beverages from a pod, includes a frame, a container including a pod-receiving zone, a fluid-dispensing needle holder to hold fluid-dispensing needles and a moving system for moving the needle holder from a position released from the pod to a position engaged on the pod, the moving system including a control member mounted in rotation about a vertical axis on the frame, wherein the control member includes a body equipped with at least one spiral ramp which cooperates with at least one pin secured to a piston, the piston being secured to the needle holder and mounted in translation along the vertical axis, the at least one spiral ramp including at least two different slope zones, configured to correspond respectively to a zone where the fluid-dispensing needles approach contact with the pod and to a work zone where the fluid-dispensing needles are engaged on the pod.

The invention relates to a dispenser having a cartridge holder.

The invention relates to a cartridge comprising a wall region, to one end of which a connection region is connected, which is closed particularly with a membrane, and on the opposite end of which optionally a bottom region is provided, the wall region and optionally the bottom region containing a cavity which receives a beverage and/or food substrate.

The invention relates to a cartridge system (1) for producing a beverage in a beverage preparation machine, comprising a cartridge (2) that has a reservoir (6) filled with a beverage substance (7), and a cartridge receptacle (10) that can be reversibly connected to the cartridge, said cartridge receptacle (10) comprising a mixing chamber (8) and a cartridge discharge device (34) which causes at least partial transfer of the beverage substance (7) from the reservoir (6) into the mixing chamber (8), the cartridge receptacle (10) comprising a fluid supply (12) which opens into the mixing chamber (8). The invention also relates to the cartridge receptacle (10) of the cartridge system (1), the beverage preparation machine, and the corresponding method for producing a beverage (70).

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.