Container and opening arrangement for beverage production

An interface of a beverage system, the beverage system comprising a sealed beverage container and a beverage machine, the interface comprising:

• a basket configured to hold the sealed beverage container along a defined axis within the beverage machine;
• a clamp configured to move inwardly in response to downward movement of the basket to engage the sealed beverage container and resist exit of movement of the sealed beverage container from a defined position while an anvil comprising a mating surface is configured to engage a movable element of the beverage container;
• wherein the anvil is configured to press into the movable element of the sealed beverage container and upon relative movement between the anvil and sealed beverage container along the defined axis causes a piercing element of the movable element to pierce a sealed membrane and initiate a flow of a beverage medium from an internal sealed volume of the beverage container while the sealed beverage container remains on the defined axis;
• and
• a gas supply fluidically coupleable with a gas inlet of the sealed beverage container and configured to provide a pressurized gas to the sealed beverage container during the movement of the movable element by the anvil, wherein the pressurized gas is configured to flow through a space between the sealed membrane and an exterior of the piercing element while the piercing element is extended through the membrane.

An interface of a beverage system, the interface comprising:

• a container receiver configured to seat a closure of a beverage container in a beverage machine, the container receiver comprising:
• a spring-biased basket and a lid, wherein upon closing the container receiver, the lid presses downward on the basket to move the basket downward against the spring bias;
• a gas supply configured to provide pressurized gas to a gas inlet of the beverage container;
• a clamp mounted to the basket, the clamp configured to engage the sealed beverage container upon downward movement of the basket and resist exit of the beverage container from a defined position by the clamp moving inwardly to engage the beverage container while an anvil comprising a mating surface is configured to engage a movable element of the container;
• and
• the mating surface is configured to cause a piercing element of the beverage container to allow the pressurized gas to enter a sealed portion of the beverage container.