Back to results
US 12,564,284 B2Granted
Pod stabilizer for beverage machine
AssigneeKeurig Green Mountain, Inc.
InventorsNicholas George Ioannidis, Robert Dana Cassano, Kevin Scott Stillerman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A beverage machine and method in which a pod is positioned relative to a camera as a brew chamber moves to a closed position so the pod can be imaged prior to brew chamber closure. A pod stabilizer may urge a pod to be received by a pod receiver of the brew chamber before the brew chamber is closed and so as to properly position the pod for imaging.
Claims20
A beverage machine comprising:
- a liquid supply arranged to provide a liquid for forming a beverage;
- a brew chamber movable between open and closed positions and arranged to hold a pod containing beverage material for mixing with the liquid to form a beverage, the brew chamber including a camera arranged to image a portion of a lid of the pod as the brew chamber is moved toward the closed position, and the brew chamber further including a pod stabilizer configured to move relative to the pod to contact and hold the pod during imaging by the camera as the brew chamber is moved towards the closed position;
- a liquid conditioner arranged to heat or cool the liquid that is provided to the brew chamber;
- and
- a housing arranged to support at least portions of the liquid supply, brew chamber and liquid conditioner.
2 more elements
A method of operating a beverage machine adapted to use a pod to form a beverage, comprising:
- receiving the pod in a brew chamber with the brew chamber in an open position;
- moving the brew chamber toward a closed position in which the pod is at least partially enclosed and used to form a beverage;
- moving a pod stabilizer relative to the pod to contact a lid of the pod and hold the pod in a position suitable for imaging the lid of the pod as the brew chamber moves toward the closed position;
- and
- imaging the lid of the pod as the brew chamber moves toward the closed position and while the pod is held in the position suitable for imaging by the pod stabilizer.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.