Beverage preparation with a flexible outlet valve

A system comprising a machine for preparing a beverage from a flavouring ingredient in a processing cavity, such as a cavity for holding said ingredient supplied within a capsule, by mixing said ingredient with water and centrifugally driving such ingredient and said water about a processing axis to form said beverage, such machine comprising:

• a rotatable ingredient handling system for holding and rotating said flavouring ingredient and water during centrifugation about the processing axis, the ingredient handling system having at least one beverage outlet and at least one water inlet for supplying said water to said ingredient, optionally the system having a first ingredient handler and a second ingredient handler that are movable one relative to the other from:
• an ingredient transfer configuration for receiving said ingredient by the first and second capsule handlers and/or releasing said ingredient from the first and second ingredient handlers;
• to
• an ingredient processing configuration for centrifuging said ingredient and water by rotation about the processing axis;
• and
• a beverage passage, the passage being configured to guide said beverage from the outlet towards a beverage dispensing outlet;
• a centrifugal valve associated with the beverage passage for controlling the flow and/or the pressure of said beverage along the beverage passage, the valve being configured to increase and reduce, such as allow and interrupt, a beverage flow and/or beverage pressure at a valve portion of the passage;
• and
• a machine frame and/or housing which is stationary when the ingredient handling system is rotated for centrifugation and which supports the ingredient handling system,
• the centrifugal valve having a valve frame and, relatively movable thereto, a valve part, the valve part having a first inertia body that has a first centre of inertia that is off-set relative to the processing axis to move by rotation the valve part towards a closed or opened position to control a beverage flow and/or beverage pressure along the beverage passage,
• the valve part is actuated by a second inertia body that has a second centre of inertia that is off-set relative to the processing axis to move the valve part by rotation towards a closed or opened position, the first inertia body and the second inertia body moving the valve part when the ingredient handling system is rotated at a first rotational speed and at a second speed, respectively, the first rotational speed being different to the second rotational speed and a capsule containing a flavouring ingredient.

A method of preparing in a machine a beverage from a flavouring ingredient in a processing cavity, such as a cavity for holding said ingredient supplied within a capsule, by mixing said ingredient with water and centrifugally driving such ingredient and said water about a processing axis to form said beverage, such machine comprising:

• a rotatable ingredient handling system for holding and rotating said flavouring ingredient and water during centrifugation about the processing axis, the ingredient handling system having at least one beverage outlet and at least one water inlet for supplying said water to said ingredient, optionally the system having a first ingredient handler and a second ingredient handler that are movable one relative to the other from:
• an ingredient transfer configuration for receiving said ingredient by the first and second capsule handlers and/or releasing said ingredient from the first and second ingredient handlers;
• to
• an ingredient processing configuration for centrifuging said ingredient and water by rotation about the processing axis;
• and
• a beverage passage, the passage being configured to guide said beverage from the outlet towards a beverage dispensing outlet;
• a centrifugal valve associated with the beverage passage for controlling the flow and/or the pressure of said beverage along the beverage passage, the valve being configured to increase and reduce, such as allow and interrupt, a beverage flow and/or beverage pressure at a valve portion of the passage;
• and
• a machine frame and/or housing which is stationary when the ingredient handling system is rotated for centrifugation and which supports the ingredient handling system,
• the centrifugal valve having a valve frame and, relatively movable thereto, a valve part, the valve part having a first inertia body that has a first centre of inertia that is off-set relative to the processing axis to move by rotation the valve part towards a closed or opened position to control a beverage flow and/or beverage pressure along the beverage passage,
• the valve part is actuated by a second inertia body that has a second centre of inertia that is off-set relative to the processing axis to move the valve part by rotation towards a closed or opened position, the first inertia body and the second inertia body moving the valve part when the ingredient handling system is rotated at a first rotational speed and at a second speed, respectively, the first rotational speed being different to the second rotational speed, said beverage from a flavouring ingredient supplied within a capsule into the machine, the method comprising:
• holding and rotating the capsule with said handling system;
• feeding said water via the water inlet into said capsule in the processing cavity and centrifuging the flavouring ingredient with the water and forming said beverage;
• releasing the beverage from said capsule via the beverage passage;
• and
• controlling the flow and/or the pressure from said capsule of said beverage along the beverage passage by the valve having the valve frame and, relatively movable thereto, the valve part, the valve part having the first inertia body that has the first centre of inertia that is off-set relative to the processing axis to move by rotation the valve part towards a closed or opened position to control a beverage flow and/or beverage pressure along the beverage passage, the valve part being actuated by the second inertia body that has a second centre of inertia that is off-set relative to the processing axis to move the valve part by rotation towards a closed or opened position, the first inertia body and the second inertia body moving the valve part when the ingredient handling system is rotated at a first rotational speed and at a second speed, respectively, the first rotational speed being different to the second rotational speed.