The invention relates to a magazine unit for fitting a brewing device with a portion capsule. The magazine has a storage magazine for storing portion capsules, said portion capsules being stacked one after the other in a stacking direction, and the magazine unit has a transporting means for transporting a portion capsule out of the storage magazine into the brewing device. The transporting means can be pivoted about a pivot axis between a removal position for removing the portion capsule from the storage magazine and a dispensing position for fitting the brewing device with the portion capsule, said pivot axis being perpendicular to the stacking direction.

The invention relates to a system for a drinks extraction machine using capsules introduced into a capsule cage, said system having slides allowing a capsule to be guided into the machine, held and then released in order to move into an extraction position, said cage being moved between a retracted position allowing the insertion of a capsule into the machine, and a position for the extraction of the drink wherein the capsule is held in the cage against an extraction plate, said slides being moved by actuating means in a coordinated manner with the cage, but with a delay, in such a way as to release the capsule introduced into the machine for the insertion thereof into the cage when said cage moves back into the extraction position thereof, and only to go back to the initial position once the used capsule has been extracted from the cage.

A capsule for beverage preparations in a brewing machine, the capsule including a capsule container that is filled with an extraction product and has an essentially quadratic base, and a capsule cover that closes the capsule container. The capsule has at least one first optically readable code on the base of the capsule container, the code having a two-dimensional arrangement of several code elements, the first code being subdivided into a regular imaginary arrangement of code fields that are regrouped into at least pairs to form code groups, only one individual code field being provided within a code group with a code element. The invention also relates to a capsule and to an associated system including a brewing machine and to a method for identifying the type of capsule.

A capsule containing a substance for the preparation of a potable beverage. The capsule comprises an aluminum capsule body having a side wall and an outwardly extending flange. The capsule is hermetically closed by an aluminum cover attached to the outwardly extending flange. The capsule further comprises a sealing member at the outwardly extending flange for providing a fluid sealing contact with an enclosing member of a beverage preparation device. The capsule further comprises an elastic support structure, which is attached to an outer cover surface of said cover. In a condition, in which the capsule is freely resting with said elastic support structure on a fully straight reference surface, the elastic support structure provides a spacing between the outwardly extending flange and said reference surface, said spacing being constant all around in the circumferential capsule direction.

An apparatus for high speed continuous thermoforming of pulp materials into pulp based products including a beverage dispensing capsule comprising a body having a side wall and a base formed entirely of moulded pulp fibres, said apparatus comprising a holding tank for water and pulp fibres in suspension, a continuous feed belt of articulated mesh toolsets contoured to the preform shape of said products, said belt being inclined to allow partial immersion and partial withdrawal from said suspension by continuous rotation of said belt, vacuum means applied to said mesh toolsets to draw said pulp fibres onto said mesh toolsets immersed in said suspension to form a preform pulp mat of said product.

There is disclosed a method for forming tea using a tea material, the method includes providing a vessel comprising an internal space configured to receive a liquid, inserting a container assembly into the vessel, the container assembly configured to contain the tea material and allow the liquid to interact with the tea material when submerged within the liquid, injecting steam through a double-walled nozzle into the vessel to heat the liquid while maintaining an exterior surface of the steam nozzle below the temperature of the steam, and allowing the tea material to stew within the liquid to form the tea. There is also disclosed an apparatus for forming a tea configured to inject steam into a vessel to heat a liquid to be infused with a tea material, and a beverage cartridge for forming a tea to be deposited into the vessel.

Systems and methods have demonstrated the capability of rapidly cooling the contents of pods containing the ingredients for food and drinks.

An apparatus and method for sharing capsule image data and beverage preparation parameters, from one or more beverage preparation machines with a remote computer system via a network, such as the Internet, is disclosed. The remote computer system may process the capsule image data to determine characteristics of the capsule (e.g., a type of capsule, such as a brand, or beverage ingredients in the capsule), thereby relieving the beverage preparation from having to determine information about the capsule. The remote computer may track a user's consumption of capsules, may compare this value to the user's past capsule purchase history, and may determine if the user's supply of capsules is below a threshold value (e.g., below a week's worth of capsules).

The coffee dispenser disclosed herein may serve a single serving of coffee. The coffee dispenser may have a mixing chamber that combines one or more liquid concentrates and heated water, and dispenses a single serving of coffee. The coffee dispenser may have a forth control to select the forth level of the serving of coffee dispensed. The liquid concentrate may be a coffee extract.

A beverage maker includes a body and a cover movably attached to the body. The body includes therein (among other components), a hot liquid generator (HLG) having a tank, an inlet for receiving liquid into the tank and an outlet, at least one heater in thermal communication with the liquid in the HLG tank, and a discharge port in fluid communication with the outlet of the HLG for discharge of the liquid. The cover is movably attached to the body between a closed position and an open position. At least one valve permits the discharge of the liquid via the discharge port in a closed position of the cover. The at least one valve is mechanically actuated by the cover in the open position of the cover to substantially prevent the discharge of the liquid via the discharge port.