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US 9,516,969 B2Granted
Beverage machine cartridge holder
AssigneeKeurig Green Mountain, Inc.
InventorCynthia Weflen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for opening and closing a cartridge holder of a beverage forming machine. The cartridge holder may have an opening arranged to receive and hold a cartridge with the cartridge holder in an open position, e.g., the opening may face a front of the beverage forming machine and be in an upwardly inclined position in the open position. A pivot pin of the cartridge holder may be moved along a linear path, and in response, a cam and cam follower may cause the cartridge holder to pivot and move to a closed position, e.g., in which the opening of the cartridge holder is in a downwardly inclined orientation.
Claims41
A beverage forming apparatus, comprising:
- a frame arranged to support components of the beverage forming apparatus;
- a cartridge holder including an opening arranged to receive and hold a cartridge with the cartridge holder in an open position, the cartridge holder including a pivot pin defining a pivot axis about which the cartridge holder is arranged to pivot between the open position and a closed position, the pivot pin being attached to the cartridge holder such that the pivot pin is prohibited from translating relative to the cartridge holder as the cartridge holder pivots between the open and closed positions, and the cartridge holder and pivot pin being movable relative to the frame along a translational path;
- a cam and a cam follower engaged between the frame and the cartridge holder and arranged to cause the cartridge holder to pivot about the pivot axis with movement of the pivot pin along the translational path relative to the frame;
- and
- an actuator arranged to move the cartridge holder and the pivot pin along the translational path to cause the cam follower to move along the cam and pivot the cartridge holder between the open and closed positions,
- wherein the opening of the cartridge holder faces toward a front of the beverage forming apparatus and is oriented in an upwardly inclined position with the cartridge holder in the open position, wherein in the upwardly inclined position, an axis perpendicular to a plane of the opening is arranged at an angle above a horizontal plane.
3 more elements
A beverage forming apparatus, comprising:
- a frame arranged to support components of the beverage forming apparatus;
- a cartridge holder including an opening arranged to receive and hold a cartridge with the cartridge holder in an open position, the cartridge holder including a pivot pin defining a pivot axis about which the cartridge holder is arranged to pivot relative to the frame between the open position and a closed position, the pivot pin being attached to the cartridge holder such that the pivot pin is prohibited from translating relative to the cartridge holder as the cartridge holder pivots between the open and closed positions, and the cartridge holder and pivot pin being movable relative to the frame along a translational path;
- a lid fixed relative to the frame and arranged to cooperate with the cartridge holder to cover the opening of the cartridge holder with the cartridge holder in the closed position;
- a cam and a cam follower engaged between the frame and the cartridge holder and arranged to cause the cartridge holder to pivot about the pivot axis with movement of the pivot pin along the translational path relative to the frame;
- and
- an actuator arranged to move the cartridge holder and the pivot pin along the translational path to cause the cam follower to move along the cam and pivot the cartridge holder between the open and closed positions.
3 more elements
A beverage forming apparatus, comprising:
- a frame arranged to support components of the beverage forming apparatus;
- a cartridge holder including an opening arranged to receive and hold a cartridge with the cartridge holder in an open position, the cartridge holder including a pivot pin defining a pivot axis about which the cartridge holder is arranged to pivot between the open position and a closed position, the cartridge holder and pivot pin being movable relative to the frame along a translational path defined by a slot that is fixed to the frame such that the slot remains stationary relative to the frame as the cartridge holder pivots between the open and closed positions;
- a cam and a cam follower engaged between the frame and the cartridge holder and arranged to cause the cartridge holder to pivot about the pivot axis with movement of the pivot pin along the translational path relative to the frame;
- and
- an actuator arranged to move the cartridge holder and the pivot pin along the translational path to cause the cam follower to move along the cam and pivot the cartridge holder between the open and closed positions,
- wherein the opening of the cartridge holder faces toward a front of the beverage forming apparatus and is oriented in an upwardly inclined position with the cartridge holder in the open position, wherein in the upwardly inclined position, an axis perpendicular to a plane of the opening is arranged at an angle above a horizontal plane.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.