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US 11,684,200 B2Granted
Machine for the preparation of beverages
AssigneeKoninklijke Douwe Egberts B.V.
InventorsAndrew Charles Bentley, Adam Martyn Lloyd
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A beverage preparation machine for dispensing beverages comprising: a housing; a first reservoir station; a first reservoir for containing an aqueous medium, the first reservoir being connectable to said first reservoir station; an auxiliary module station for receiving an auxiliary module.
Drawings
Claims53
A beverage preparation machine for dispensing beverages, the beverage preparation machine comprising:
- a housing;
- an inlet piercer for piercing a beverage cartridge;
- a first reservoir station in fluid communication with the inlet piercer;
- a first reservoir for containing an aqueous medium, the first reservoir being connectable to said first reservoir station;
- an auxiliary module station for receiving an auxiliary module;
- and
- the auxiliary module station including an aqueous medium flow path configured to permit aqueous medium to travel between the auxiliary module and the auxiliary module station.
4 more elements
A beverage preparation machine for dispensing beverages, the beverage preparation machine comprising:
- a housing;
- a first reservoir station;
- a first reservoir for containing an aqueous medium, the first reservoir being connectable to said first reservoir station;
- an auxiliary module station for receiving an auxiliary module;
- and
- a recirculation mechanism for diverting aqueous medium from the first reservoir back to the first reservoir or from the auxiliary module back to the auxiliary module wherein the recirculation mechanism comprises a source of UV for disinfecting the aqueous medium as it circulates in the recirculation mechanism.
3 more elements
A beverage preparation machine for dispensing beverages, the beverage preparation machine comprising:
- a housing;
- a first reservoir station;
- a first reservoir for containing an aqueous medium, the first reservoir being connectable to said first reservoir station;
- an auxiliary module station for receiving an auxiliary module;
- wherein the auxiliary module is a chilling module;
- wherein the chilling module comprises a recirculation mechanism for diverting aqueous medium cooled by the chilling module back to the reservoir.
3 more elements
A beverage system for dispensing hot and cold beverages, the beverage system comprising:
- a) a beverage preparation machine for dispensing beverages formed from one or more beverage ingredients by use of an aqueous medium, wherein the beverage preparation machine comprises:
- a housing;
- an inlet piercer for piercing a cartridge including the one or more beverage ingredients;
- a first reservoir station;
- a second reservoir station;
- and
- a heater in fluid communication with the first station for heating aqueous medium;
- b) a first reservoir for containing an aqueous medium, the first reservoir being connectable to said first reservoir station so as to be in fluid communication with said heater;
- c) a removable second reservoir for containing an aqueous medium at a temperature below ambient, the second reservoir being connectable to said second reservoir station;
- and
- wherein the first reservoir station and the second reservoir station include aqueous medium flow paths configured to permit aqueous medium to travel from the first reservoir and the second reservoir toward the inlet piercer.
8 more elements
A beverage system for dispensing hot and cold beverages, the beverage system comprising:
- a) a beverage preparation machine for dispensing beverages formed from one or more beverage ingredients by use of an aqueous medium, wherein the beverage preparation machine comprises:
- a housing;
- a first reservoir station;
- a second reservoir station;
- and
- a heater in fluid communication with the first station for heating aqueous medium;
- b) a first reservoir for containing an aqueous medium, the first reservoir being connectable to said first reservoir station so as to be in fluid communication with said heater;
- c) a removable second reservoir for containing an aqueous medium at a temperature below ambient, the second reservoir being connectable to said second reservoir station;
- and
- a recirculation mechanism for diverting aqueous medium from the first reservoir back to the first reservoir or from the second reservoir back to the second reservoir wherein the recirculation mechanism comprises a source of UV for disinfecting the aqueous medium as it circulates in the recirculation mechanism.
7 more elements
A beverage system for dispensing hot and cold beverages, the beverage system comprising:
- a) a beverage preparation machine for dispensing beverages formed from one or more beverage ingredients by use of an aqueous medium, wherein the beverage preparation machine comprises:
- an inlet piercer for piercing a cartridge including the one or more beverage ingredients;
- a first reservoir station;
- and
- a heater in fluid communication with the first station for heating aqueous medium;
- b) a first reservoir for containing an aqueous medium, the first reservoir being connectable to said first reservoir station so as to be in fluid communication with said heater;
- c) a removable second reservoir for containing an aqueous medium at a temperature below ambient, the second reservoir being connectable to said first reservoir station;
- and
- wherein the first reservoir station includes an aqueous medium flow path configured to permit aqueous medium to travel from the first reservoir toward the inlet piercer when the first reservoir is connected to the first reservoir station, the aqueous medium flow path configured to permit aqueous medium to travel from the second reservoir toward the inlet piercer when the second reservoir is connected to the first reservoir station.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.