Reusable beverage cartridge
AssigneeKeurig, Incorporated
InventorsStoyan Hristov, Yoav Rabino, James E. Shepard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A reusable cartridge and method for forming a beverage using a beverage machine. The cartridge may include a bottom surface with inlet and outlet openings, e.g., arranged to receive an inlet or outlet needle, respectively, and an opening at a top end through which access to the interior space may be had. A filter basket may be inserted or removed into the interior space through the opening and a cover may engage at top to seal the opening closed.
Claims17
A reusable beverage cartridge for use in a beverage forming machine, comprising:
- a cartridge body having a bottom including a flat surface, a top, a sidewall extending between the bottom and the top, and an interior space, the bottom including an inlet opening and an outlet opening each arranged to respectively receive an inlet needle and an outlet needle of a beverage forming machine, the inlet opening arranged to receive an inflow of liquid from the inlet needle into the interior space and the outlet opening arranged to provide a beverage to the outlet needle, the top of the body having an opening that provides access to the interior space;
- a filter basket defining a beverage material space in which to hold a beverage material used to form a beverage, the filter basket having a top opening through which the beverage material space is accessible, an inlet to receive liquid into the beverage material space, and a filter portion to allow flow of beverage out of the beverage material space, the filter basket being receivable into the interior space of the cartridge body through the opening of the cartridge body;
- and
- a cover arranged to removably engage with the top of the cartridge body at the opening to seal the opening of the body closed, the cover being removable from the cartridge body to allow removal of the filter basket from the interior space.
The cartridge of claim 4, wherein the second flat surface is nearer the cartridge body top than the first flat surface.
A method of using a reusable beverage cartridge to form a beverage, comprising:
- inserting a filter basket containing beverage material through an opening in a top of a cartridge body to place the filter basket in an interior space of the body;
- engaging a cover with the top opening of the body to seal the top opening closed;
- placing the body into a cartridge holder of a beverage forming machine such that a bottom of the body is exposed with the cartridge holder in the open position;
- moving the cartridge holder to a closed position to insert an inlet needle into an inlet opening in the bottom of the body and to insert an outlet needle into an outlet opening in the bottom of the body;
- introducing liquid into the interior space of the body via the inlet opening;
- and
- receiving beverage from the body via the outlet opening.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.