Beverage extracting and dispensing machine

A beverage extracting and dispensing machine for use with cartridges having an imperforate substantially cylindrical sidewall and upper and lower permeable substantially flat walls and containing a brewable product from which a beverage can be obtained by flowing hot water under pressure therethrough, said machine including:

• a lower support defining a sliding horizontal path on which the cartridge is adapted to rest and to slide with its lower wall, said sliding path having a leading section adapted to receive a new cartridge to be used, an intermediate brewing station and a trailing edge over which an old cartridge may be dumped after use,
• an upper presser plate movable to and from said sliding path above said brewing station, said presser plate, when in a lowered position, being adapted to tightly engage the upper wall of a cartridge in the brewing station, and when in a raised position being disengaged from the cartridge, said presser plate having an inlet passage therethrough which opens to the upper permeable wall of the cartridge in the brewing station;
• means for lowering the presser plate into engagement with the cartridge in the brewing station,
• means for forcing hot water under pressure through said inlet passage and through said cartridge in the brewing station,
• a filling station underlying said support and adapted to receive a container for the beverage, said support having a lower outlet nozzle which communicates with the brewing station through an outlet passage in the support to fill the container in the filling station with the beverage flowing from the lower wall of a cartridge in the brewing station,
• a pair of movable clamping jaws mounted on said support, one on each side of said sliding path, said clamping jaws having respective concave surfaces adapted to closely embrace the sidewall of a cartridge in the brewing station, and respective bevelled cam surfaces turned towards said leading section of the sliding path and defining therebetween an entrance gap leading to the brewing station, said jaws being resiliently biassed towards each other to a cartridge clamping position and being adapted to be spread apart by the co-operation of the sidewall of a new cartridge with the bevelled cam surfaces when the cartridge is pushed from said leading section to the brewing station through the entrance gap, and said jaws, when spread apart, being adapted to allow an old cartridge to be pushed away from the brewing station and to be dumped over the trailing edge under the thrust of the new cartridge which is pushed to the brewing station,
• control means operable to control a brewing cycle which includes the successive steps of lowering said presser plate to the lowered position and onto the cartridge in the brewing station, forcing a predetermined amount of hot water under pressure through said cartridge and dispensing a corresponding amount of beverage from said nozzle, and allowing said presser plate to return to the raised position,
• and sensing means to sense the spread apart condition of said jaws for starting the operation of said control means to accomplish the brewing cycle.