Portion capsule having an identifier
AssigneeK-Fee System GmbH
InventorMarc Krüger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
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.
Claims16
A method of using a portion capsule for producing a beverage, the method comprising:
- providing an apparatus including a barcode reader, the apparatus including a pump adapted to supply heated water;
- inserting the portion capsule into the apparatus, the portion capsule including a foil lid sealed to a base element having a cavity in which a beverage raw material is provided, the base element comprising a flange, the flange having a top side to which the foil lid is sealed and an opposing bottom side with a barcode located on the bottom side, the base element has a wall region with an electrically conductive section and radially spaced and vertically oriented grooves, the cavity has radially spaced and vertically oriented ribs, the portion capsule being free of a filter, the base element and/or the lid are made of metal;
- piercing the foil lid;
- reading the barcode 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 method of using a portion capsule for making a coffee beverage, the method comprising:
- providing an apparatus including a barcode reader, the apparatus having a pump and being adapted to supply heated water;
- inserting the portion capsule into the apparatus, the portion capsule including a foil lid sealed to a base element having a cavity within which a powdered coffee material is located, the base element including a circumferential flange having a top side and a bottom side with a barcode located on the bottom side, the portion capsule being free of a filter and comprising a plurality of ribs that are radially spaced, vertically oriented and extend toward a central portion of the cavity, wherein an outer surface of the base element comprises radially spaced and vertically oriented grooves;
- piercing the foil lid;
- reading the barcode with the barcode reader;
- and
- activating the pump to introduce the heated water into the portion capsule only upon a determination that the read barcode agrees with a stored reference, or not activating the pump upon a determination that the read barcode does not agree with the stored reference.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.