Method and system of setting and/or controlling of a food product dispensing machine using a tag-type communication device

A method of preparing or dispensing a beverage, which method comprises:

• encoding instructions in electronic form on a machine-readable tag at a manufacturing plant for preparation of a single-serving or multi-serving of the beverage;
• associating the tag with the single-serving or multi-serving of a beverage-forming product or a single-serving or multi-serving package that contains the product;
• wherein the beverage-forming product is configured for providing a beverage product when diluted with diluent in the dispenser;
• placing the package in or close to a dispenser configured to prepare and dispense a beverage product from the beverage-forming product by diluting said beverage-forming product with a diluent in the dispenser;
• reading of the machine-readable tag by the dispenser prior to preparation or dispensing of the single-serving or multi-serving of the beverage;
• and
• executing the electronic instructions encoded on the machine-readable tag by the dispenser to prepare or dispense the single-serving or multi-serving of the beverage;
• wherein the preparation or dispense of the single-serving or multi-serving of the beverage includes a diluting step of the beverage-forming product with a diluent, wherein the encoded instructions are relevant for configurating the dispenser regarding any of the following parameters selected from the group consisting of diluent temperature, beverage temperature, diluent ratio, mixing or whipping time, mixing or whipping speed, dispensing time, measured amount of beverage-forming product and combinations thereof.

A method of controlling the preparation or dispensing of a beverage product from a beverage-forming product, which method comprises:

• encoding a verification code in electronic form on a machine-readable tag at a manufacturing plant, wherein the tag is associated with a single-serving or multi-serving of a beverage-forming product or a single-serving or multi-serving food package that contains the product;
• wherein the beverage-forming product is configured for providing a beverage product when diluted with diluent in the dispenser;
• placing the single-serving or multi-serving package in or close to a dispenser configured to prepare and dispense a beverage product from the beverage-forming product by diluting said beverage-forming product with a diluent in the dispenser;
• reading of the machine-readable tag by the dispenser prior to preparation or dispensing of a beverage from the single-serving or multi-serving beverage-forming product;
• and
• comparing of the verification code read from the machine-readable tag with a list of valid verification codes;
• wherein the beverage is either prepared from the single-serving or multi-serving beverage-forming product or dispensed when the verification code read from the machine-readable tag matches a valid verification code from the list;
• wherein the preparation or dispense of the single-serving or multi-serving of the beverage includes a diluting step of the beverage-forming product with a diluent;
• wherein the encoded instructions are relevant for configurating the dispenser regarding any of the following parameters selected from the group consisting of diluent temperature, beverage temperature, diluent ratio, mixing or whipping time, mixing or whipping speed, dispensing time, measured amount of beverage-forming product and combinations thereof.

A system for dispensing a product, comprising:

• at least one single-serving or multi-serving food package including a receptacle having at least one wall member that defines an enclosure, and a beverage-forming product present within the enclosure;
• wherein the beverage-forming product is configured for providing a beverage product when diluted with diluent in the dispenser,
• a programmable tag associated with the beverage-forming product or at least one single-serving package;
• and
• a dispenser adapted for reading the programmable tag and for preparing and dispensing a beverage from the beverage-forming product(s) of the single-serving package(s);
• wherein the preparation or dispense of the single-serving or multi-serving of the beverage includes a diluting step of the beverage-forming product with a diluent;
• wherein the programmable tag contains information that is relevant to the preparation of the beverage and to set the dispenser regarding any of the following parameters selected from the group consisting of diluent temperature, beverage temperature, diluent ratio, mixing or whipping time, mixing or whipping speed, dispensing time, measured amount of beverage-forming product and combinations thereof.

A single-serving or multi-serving food package for delivering a beverage-forming product to a dispenser configured to prepare and dispense a beverage product from the beverage-forming product by diluting said beverage-forming product with a diluent in the dispenser, comprising:

• a receptacle having at least one wall member that defines an enclosure, the enclosure housing a single-serving or multi-serving of a beverage-forming product;
• wherein the beverage-forming product is configured for providing a beverage product when diluted with diluent in the dispenser;
• a programmable tag associated with the beverage-forming product and single-serving package, wherein the programmable tag is electronically programmed at a manufacturing plant to include machine-readable information regarding the product, which information includes at least one of instructions or a verification code for controlling the dispenser to prepare the single-serving beverage from the beverage-forming product or to dispense the beverage, wherein the programmable tag contains coded information that is relevant to the preparation of the beverage for setting the dispenser regarding any of the following parameters selected from the group consisting of diluent temperature, beverage temperature, diluent ratio, mixing or whipping time, mixing or whipping speed, dispensing time, measured amount of beverage-forming product and combinations thereof.