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US 2014/0272076 A1Published application
Beverage forming station door for beverage machine
AssigneeKeurig, Incorporated
InventorsJoel Nevin, Cynthia Weflen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for opening and closing a door of a beverage forming machine, e.g., for accessing a beverage forming station. The door may be opened by retracting the door into an interior space of the housing, e.g., by moving the door rearwardly. When at the closed position, at least one edge of the door may be flush with an adjacent outer housing portion.
Claims19
A beverage forming apparatus, comprising:
- a housing to support components of the beverage forming apparatus, the housing having an opening and a door movably mounted to the housing to move between a closed position in which the door closes the opening and an open position in which the door is positioned away from the opening, wherein the door is movable to be retracted within the housing in the open position, and wherein the door is flush with at least an outer portion of the housing adjacent at least one edge of the door when the door is in the closed position;
- a beverage forming station supported by the housing and arranged to combine a precursor liquid with a beverage material to form a beverage that is dispensed via a beverage outlet, a portion of the beverage forming station arranged to receive beverage material provided by a user through the opening with the door in the open position;
- a precursor liquid supply system supported by the housing for providing precursor liquid to the beverage forming station;
- and
- a control circuit arranged to control the liquid supply system to deliver precursor liquid to the beverage forming station.
2 more elements
A method for controlling access to a beverage forming station of a beverage machine, comprising:
- moving a door that is movably mounted to a housing of the beverage machine to move the door from a closed position in which the door closes an opening of the housing to an open position in which the door is retracted into the housing and positioned away from the opening;
- accessing a beverage forming station through the opening;
- and
- moving the door to the closed position so that the door is flush with at least an outer portion of the housing adjacent at least one edge of the door when the door is in the closed position.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.