The invention relates to a disposable cartridge filled with a single serve portion of a liquid ingredient to be combined with a base liquid for the preparation of a liquid product, e.g. a beverage concentrate to be combined with water, e.g. carbonated water, for the preparation of a beverage suitable for human consumption. The cartridge comprises a vertically extending channel that extends to a dispensing aperture in the bottom of the cartridge and one or more dispensing passages extending between a reservoir and the outside of the cartridge. The dispensing passages are provided with outlet openings located adjacent the aperture such that the base liquid and the liquid ingredient are dispensed in parallel flows, the liquid ingredient subsequently coating the exterior of the stream of base liquid, such that actual mixing of the liquid ingredient and base liquid only takes place after both have been dispensed.

A machine is provided for preparing a desired beverage product from infusible materials. The machine includes a brew chamber that is adapted to hold the infusible materials, the brew chamber having an inlet and an outlet. An inlet tube is provided for transferring a fluid from a fluid receptacle to the inlet of the brew chamber and a dispensing tube is provided for transferring fluid from the outlet of the brew chamber to the receptacle. A fluid pump is provided for recirculating fluid through the brew chamber. In another aspect, a machine is provided for preparing a desired beverage product containing a gas. The machine includes a fluid pump for recirculating fluid from a fluid receptacle through an inlet tube to a dispensing tube and back to said fluid receptacle. The machine further includes an air pump disposed between the inlet tube and the fluid pump for introducing air into said beverage fluid that is recirculated by said fluid pump. A pod for use with the machine is also provided.

A portion capsule for producing a beverage. The portion capsule includes a capsule body that has a collar edge and a capsule bottom; a filter element located inside of the capsule body, the filter element is elastic, the filter element has a flange that is attached to the collar edge of the capsule body, the filter element has a bottom; and a cover attached to the capsule body. The bottom of the filter element is spaced apart from the capsule bottom such that a free space remains between the filter element and the capsule bottom. The filter element is spaced apart from the capsule bottom in such a manner that only before a liquid is applied to a beverage substrate, does the filter element not touch the capsule bottom.

A portafilter for use with an espresso coffee machine includes a handle, a receptacle, and a top cover. The receptacle has a void or reservoir that contains a single-use coffee cartridge (e.g., a K-CUP® cartridge). A bottom surface of the receptacle has needles directed into the void or reservoir which pierce a bottom surface of the cartridge, thereby creating holes in the bottom of the cartridge to allow liquid (e.g., hot coffee) to flow out of the cartridge. A hole in the bottom surface of the receptacle allows liquid hot coffee to flow out of the receptacle and into a coffee cup. The top cover includes tubular protrusions directed downward which pierce a top surface of the cartridge, thereby creating holes in the top surface of the cartridge to allow hot water from the espresso machine to flow through the tubes and into the top of the cartridge.

The document describes an assembly of a capsule (5) and brew chamber (3) for a beverage preparation machine. The brew chamber (3) has a first brew chamber part (7) including a cavity (10) for the capsule (5), and knives (11) for piercing the capsule (5). The aluminum capsule body (15) is frusto conical shaped and has a bottom (20), a side wall (21), a flange (22) and a lid (17) for closing the capsule (5). The flange (22) is configured to be held between the first and a second brew chamber parts (7, 8), to provide a seal (30) cooperating with a rim of the brew chamber parts (7, 8). The bottom (20) includes a slanted wall portion (35) under an angle with a longitudinal axis through the capsule (5), and configured for cooperating with the knives (11) which engage therewith upon closing of the brew chamber (3). This enables centering of the capsule (5) relative to the central axis of the brew chamber (3) prior to piercing of the capsule.

A beverage brewer includes a brewing chamber, a hollow injection nozzle, a rotation member, and a motor. The brewing chamber is configured to receive and hold a brewing cartridge. The injection nozzle is arranged in fluid communication with a liquid supply and configured to enter a brewing cartridge when the brewing cartridge is disposed in the brewing chamber and to provide fluid communication from the liquid supply to an interior of the brewing cartridge. The rotation member is arranged at a periphery of the brewing chamber. The motor is configured to rotate the rotation member. The beverage brewer can also include a hollow extraction nozzle arranged opposite an opening of the brewing chamber and configured to enter the brewing cartridge when the brewing cartridge is disposed in the brewing chamber and to provide fluid communication from an interior of the brewing cartridge to an exterior of the brewing chamber.

An apparatus (1) for making a beverage, which uses a capsule (9) containing a food substance, comprises an optical capsule recognition system. The optical recognition system is intended to recognise an identification element (95) that is positioned inside the capsule (9). The optical recognition system comprises an optical reader (81) that has a reading head (82) associated with a piercer (37) and intended to enter the capsule (9) through a piercing made in said region (93) of the capsule (9). The apparatus (1) further comprises a detection system capable of detecting the reaching of a piercing position, interposed between a home position and an infusion position, wherein the piercer (37) makes a piercing in the capsule. The optical recognition system is operatively connected to the detection system and is configured to perform the recognition based on a reading performed by the optical reader (81) after the piercing position has been reached.

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.

The application discloses a coffee maker cover and a capsule coffee maker. The coffee maker cover includes an upper cover structure, a lower cover structure and a needle assembly, where the lower cover structure is installed on the upper cover structure in a manner of being capable of moving relative to the upper cover structure, the lower cover structure has at least a first position away from the upper cover structure and a second position close to the upper cover structure, and the needle assembly is installed on the upper cover structure; when the lower cover structure is at the first position, the needle assembly is hidden in the lower cover structure; and when the lower cover structure is at the second position, the needle assembly extends from the lower cover structure to expose a needle outlet and the needle assembly is in hermetic communication with a water inlet channel. The capsule coffee maker can protect a user from stab caused by the user's misoperation and touch with the needle assembly, thereby improving use safety of the coffee maker. In addition, when the needle assembly is hidden in the lower cover structure, the overall shape of the coffee maker is more beautiful.

The invention concerns a system of: —a beverage preparation apparatus, wherein said apparatus comprises a mainframe (1) supporting a diluent supply (4), at least two container areas (11) with identification means reader device (13), at least two dissolution chamber areas (12), with identification means reader (14), and a user interface (16), and—a multiplicity of containers (2), with identification means (23) identifying the nature of the soluble beverage ingredient the container is designed to store, and—a multiplicity of dissolution chambers (3) with identification means (34) identifying the nature of the soluble beverage ingredient the dissolution chamber is designed to dissolve, wherein the apparatus comprises a control system (18) configured for comparing, for each pair of a container housed in a container area and a dissolution chamber housed in the chamber area positioned under the container area and receiving the soluble beverage ingredient from said container, the identification means (34) of the dissolution chamber and the identification means (23) of the container.