System and method for managing the generation of brewed beverages using shared resources

A method, comprising:

• performing by a computer:
• receiving a request to produce a specified brewed beverage;
• effecting the production of the specified brewed beverage by a beverage generation apparatus;
• wherein producing the specified beverage comprises performing one or more chemical or mechanical processes, and wherein at least one of the one or more chemical or mechanical processes can be performed while one of the chemical or mechanical processes is being performed as a contributing process in the production of the specified brewed beverage or another brewed beverage;
• and
• effecting the presentation of the specified brewed beverage by the beverage generation apparatus subsequent to completion of the production of the specified brewed beverage;
• wherein effecting the production of the specified brewed beverage comprises determining, dependent on an actual or expected demand for brewed beverage, a time at which to perform one of the one or more chemical or mechanical processes and further wherein in response to determining that the one of the one or more chemical or mechanical processes should be performed at a particular time in the future, the effecting production of the specified brewed beverage further comprises moving the specified brewed beverage in a partially completed form to a staging area and storing the specified brewed beverage therein until the particular time.

A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions that when executed on one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform:

• receiving a request to produce a specified brewed beverage;
• effecting the production of the specified brewed beverage by a beverage generation apparatus, wherein producing the specified beverage comprises performing one or more chemical or mechanical processes, and wherein at least one of the one or more chemical or mechanical processes can be performed while one of the chemical or mechanical processes is being performed as a contributing process in the production of the specified brewed beverage or another brewed beverage;
• and
• effecting the presentation of the specified brewed beverage by the beverage generation apparatus subsequent to completion of the production of the specified brewed beverage;
• wherein effecting the production of the specified brewed beverage comprises determining, dependent on an actual or expected demand for brewed beverages, a time at which to perform one of the one or more chemical or mechanical processes, and further wherein in response to determining that the one of the one or more chemical or mechanical processes should be performed at a particular time in the future, the effecting production of the specified brewed beverage further comprises moving the specified brewed beverage in a partially completed form to a staging area and storing the specified brewed beverage therein until the particular time.