HK1145394B - Improvements in or relating to beverage preparation machines and beverage cartridges - Google Patents

Description

Improvements in or relating to beverage preparation machines and beverage cartridges

This application claims the benefit of U.S. application No.60/940,118 filed on 25/5/2007 and uk application GB 0709590.4 filed on 18/5/2007, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to improvements in beverage preparation machines and beverage cartridges, and more particularly to a delivery head for a beverage preparation machine of the type using pre-packaged beverage ingredient containers and to a pre-packaged container for use therein.

Background

Beverage preparation machines such as coffee or tea brewing machines are well known. It is known to provide beverage preparation machines which dispense individual servings of a beverage directly into a receptacle such as a cup. Such machines may obtain a beverage from a bulk supply of beverage ingredients or from a beverage ingredient package, such as a pod (pod), pad (pad) or cartridge (cartridge). An example of one such package is shown in EP 1440903. In the following description, such a package will be referred to by the general term "cartridge". However, the present invention is not limited to use with one particular type of pod, pad or cartridge. The beverage is formed by brewing, mixing, dissolving or suspending the beverage ingredients in water. For example, for a coffee beverage, hot water is passed through the cartridge to form an extracted solution. The use of cartridges in such machines has become increasingly popular due to the convenience of the cartridge and the quality of the beverage produced.

For convenience, it is known for such machines to include a mechanism for ejecting the cartridges from the delivery head of the machine after each dispensing cycle. Also, for convenience, it is known to provide such machines with a reader for detecting a bar code on the cartridge to identify the cartridge type or required dispensing parameters prior to commencing a dispensing cycle. However, the combination of the ejection mechanism and the reader used to read the bar code can cause problems with maintaining the reader clean, and thus with consistency of operation of the reader.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a delivery head and beverage preparation machine incorporating an improved ejection mechanism and barcode reader which helps to address this problem.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a delivery head for a beverage preparation machine comprising:

an upwardly directed inlet for supplying water to a cartridge received in the delivery head;

a downwardly directed outlet for outflow of the beverage;

a barcode reader having a barcode reader window through which a signal can be transmitted;

wherein the inlet, the outlet and the barcode reader window are arranged in a line, and the outlet is between the inlet and the barcode reader window.

Preferably, the delivery head comprises a first portion defining a support surface for the cartridge, the inlet, outlet and barcode reader window being located in or on the first portion.

Preferably, the support surface comprises a horizontal surface.

Preferably, the inlet comprises an inlet piercer for forming an inlet opening in a cartridge received in the delivery head.

Preferably, the outlet comprises an outlet piercer for forming an outlet opening in a cartridge received in the delivery head.

Preferably, the inlet piercer and the outlet piercer are movable between an extended position and a retracted position.

Preferably, the delivery head further comprises an ejection chute, the inlet, the outlet, the barcode reader window and the ejection chute being in a line, and the outlet and the inlet being between the barcode reader window and the ejection chute.

Preferably, the barcode reader window is located at the front of the delivery head and the ejection chute is located at the rear of the delivery head.

Preferably, the centroid of the inlet, the centroid of the outlet and the centroid of the barcode reader window lie on a straight line.

The barcode reader window may comprise a rectangular window, wherein a longer side of the rectangular window is arranged perpendicular to a line connecting the inlet, the outlet and the barcode reader window.

Preferably, the delivery head further comprises a clamping member movable relative to the first portion from an open position to a clamping position and to a discharge position,

in the open position, the clamping member is positioned to enable loading of a cartridge into the delivery head;

in the clamping position, the clamping member is clampable against the cartridge;

in the ejection position, the clamping member is positioned to enable ejection of the cartridge;

the clamping member is movable in a direction substantially parallel to the first portion from a clamping position to an ejection position, wherein movement of the clamping member to the ejection position moves the inlet and outlet of the cartridge away from the barcode reader window of the delivery head without passing over or adjacent the barcode reader window of the delivery head.

The present invention also provides a beverage preparation machine comprising a delivery head as described above.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a beverage preparation system comprising a beverage preparation machine as described above and one or more cartridges, wherein the one or more cartridges contain one or more beverage ingredients.

The present invention also provides a cartridge for use in a beverage preparation machine of the type comprising:

a delivery head;

an upwardly directed inlet for supplying water to a cartridge received in the delivery head;

a downwardly directed outlet for outflow of the beverage; and

a barcode reader having a barcode reader window through which a signal can be transmitted;

the cartridge comprises, or is adapted to contain, in use, a quantity of one or more beverage ingredients,

the lower surface of the cartridge comprising an inlet and an outlet arranged to communicate with an inlet and an outlet, respectively, of a delivery head of the machine when the cartridge is inserted into a beverage preparation machine, such that in use water from the inlet of the delivery head passes upwardly through the inlet of the cartridge and a beverage made from water and the one or more beverage ingredients passes downwardly through the outlet of the cartridge to flow out of the outlet of the delivery head,

the lower surface of the cartridge further comprising a barcode which, in use, is readable by a barcode reader of the beverage preparation machine for controlling operation of the beverage preparation machine,

characterised in that the barcode, the inlet and the outlet of the cartridge are in a line and the outlet is between the inlet and the barcode.

Preferably, the outlet is located at or near the centre of the lower surface of the cartridge.

Preferably, the inlet and outlet of the cartridge are initially closed by one or more frangible membranes.

Preferably, the centroid of the inlet, the centroid of the outlet and the centroid of the barcode lie on a straight line.

The bar code may comprise a rectangular arrangement of encoding lines, wherein the longer sides of the rectangular arrangement are arranged perpendicular to the line connecting the inlet, the outlet and the bar code.

The present invention also provides a method of dispensing a beverage from a cartridge using a beverage preparation machine,

the beverage preparation machine is of the type having a delivery head comprising: an inlet for supplying water to the cartridge, an outlet for the beverage, a barcode reader having a barcode reader window, an ejection chute, and a clamping member; the barcode reader window and the ejection chute are in line with the inlet and the outlet, and the inlet and the outlet are between the barcode reader window and the ejection chute;

the cartridge is of the following type: including an inlet, an outlet, and a bar code; the inlet, the outlet and the bar code are in a line and the outlet is between the inlet and the bar code;

wherein, the method comprises the following steps:

moving the clamping member to the open position;

inserting a cartridge into a delivery head;

moving the clamping member to the closed position such that the inlet, outlet and barcode of the cartridge are aligned with the inlet, outlet and barcode reader window, respectively, of the delivery head;

pumping water through the inlet of the delivery head and the inlet of the cartridge to form a beverage from the one or more beverage ingredients of the cartridge;

an outlet for delivering the beverage out of the insert and an outlet of the delivery head;

moving the clamping member from the closed position to the ejection position to move the cartridge into alignment with the ejection chute to effect ejection of the cartridge from the delivery head;

wherein movement of the cartridge to the ejection chute causes the inlet and outlet of the cartridge to move away from the barcode reader window of the delivery head without passing over or adjacent the barcode reader window of the delivery head.

Advantageously, with the barcode reader system and ejection system of the present invention, the direction of movement of the cartridge as it is ejected is toward the rear of the delivery head, away from the barcode window. This helps to prevent the barcode window from being soiled by preventing the now open cartridge inlet and outlet from passing over or near the barcode window.

Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 is a perspective view of a beverage preparation machine according to a first form of the present invention, the beverage preparation machine comprising first and second delivery heads;

figure 2 is a perspective view of a beverage preparation machine according to a second form of the present invention, the beverage preparation machine comprising a single delivery head;

FIG. 3 is a cut-away perspective view of a delivery head according to the present invention in an open position;

FIG. 4 is a cut-away perspective view of the delivery head of FIG. 3 in an open position and with a first cartridge inserted;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the delivery head of FIG. 3 in a closed position with the cartridge in a dispensing position;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the delivery head of FIG. 3 in a closed position with the piercing unit of the delivery head in a raised position;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the delivery head of FIG. 3 in a discharge position;

FIGS. 8a and 8b are front views of the delivery head of FIG. 3 with some parts shown in section and some parts omitted for clarity, the views showing movement of the cartridge guide of the delivery head;

FIGS. 9a and 9b are cross-sectional views of the delivery head of FIGS. 8a and 8b with some parts broken away and a second cartridge inserted, showing movement of the cartridge guide when the delivery head is closed;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the piercing mechanism of the delivery head of FIG. 3;

FIGS. 11a and 11b illustrate the operation of the lancing mechanism of FIG. 10;

FIGS. 12a to 12c show the penetrator unit of the delivery head of FIG. 3; and

fig. 13 is a plan view of a beverage cartridge of the present invention including a bar code.

Detailed Description

The beverage preparation machines 1 in fig. 1 and 2 each comprise a housing 2, the housing 2 accommodating the internal mechanisms of the machine, such as a water storage tank, a pump, heating means and control means.

The machine 1 in figure 2 comprises a single brewer. The machine 1 in figure 1 comprises a first brewing machine and a second brewing machine coupled together.

Each brewer of the machine 1 includes a delivery head 3, the delivery head 3 being disposed towards the upper part of the housing 2, in use, a cartridge containing one or more beverage ingredients being received in the delivery head 3. During assembly, the delivery head 3 is connected to the frame of the machine 1. The delivery heads 3 are preferably identical. The beverage is dispensed from the brewer through the outlet nozzle 5 by: water is pumped from the reservoir of the brewer through the cartridge to form a beverage which is then introduced into the cup 6 via the outlet nozzle 5. As can be seen in fig. 1, the machine with two brewers is provided with two outlet nozzles 5.

As shown in fig. 3, the delivery head 3 includes a lower portion 80, an upper mechanism 90, and a cartridge guide 110. Some parts of the housing of the delivery head have been omitted for clarity. In practice, the housing will comprise a number of mouldings shaped to receive and protect the internal components of the delivery head.

The lower portion 80 includes a housing 81 formed from upper and lower molded parts. The housing 81 defines a motor chamber 88 towards the rear of the delivery head 3, a piercer unit chamber 86 towards the front of the delivery head 3, and a barcode reader chamber 87 at the foremost part of the delivery head 3. The forward portion of the upper surface of the housing 81 is provided with a flat support surface 82 in which the piercer unit aperture 83 and the bar code window 84 are located. In the rear of the support surface 82, the upper moulding is shaped so as to define an ejection chute 85 which leads to below the delivery head 3.

The barcode window 84 is rectangular in shape to match the shape of a barcode applied or printed on the cartridge 70 to be used in the delivery head 3. The barcode window 84 and the piercer unit aperture 83 are arranged on the midline of the delivery head 3, and the longer side of the barcode window 84 is arranged perpendicular to the midline of the delivery head 3. As shown in fig. 13, the barcode 72 of the cartridge 70 is similarly in line with the location of the inlet 72a and outlet 72b of the cartridge (both open to the piercing mechanism).

The upper mechanism 90 includes a carriage frame 95, a handle 92, a clamping mechanism 93, a lead screw 96, and a motor 97.

The carrier frame 95 forms the core of the upper mechanism and provides a structural framework for the other components of the upper mechanism. As shown in fig. 3, the carrier frame 95 includes an elongated frame extending from a front end 155 to a rear end 154. The frame comprises two side members 151 and an upper member 152 connecting the two side members 151. As best shown in fig. 9b, the upper member 152 is provided with two upstanding webs 156. As best shown in fig. 5, each side member 151 includes an elongated side slot 106 and the upper member 152 includes an elongated upper slot 153. The carriage frame 95 is preferably formed from a single molded piece and is symmetrical about the centerline of the delivery head 3.

As best shown in fig. 9b to 9d, the carriage frame 95 is pivoted to the lower portion 80 by a pair of hinges 98 formed on an upstanding web 156 at pivot point 150. Hinge 98 is offset from the upper surface of lower portion 80 and positioned above the level of support surface 82. As best shown in fig. 9a by omitting certain parts of the housing 91, the hinge 98 may include a cog 157 having teeth 158, the teeth 158 engaging with a damping member during pivoting of the carriage frame 95, thereby providing control of the pivoting speed of the carriage frame 95. For example, the damping member may function to ensure: if the handle 92 of the delivery head 3 is released when the carriage frame 95 is in the raised position, the carriage frame 95 pivots downwardly in a controlled manner, rather than free falling into contact with the lower portion 80. The damping members may also include cogs adapted to engage the cogs 157 and dampers, such as rotatable blades, movable in a viscous damping fluid (e.g., oil).

The handle 92 is attached to the carriage frame 95 and extends around the front of the delivery head 3. The handle 92 is pivotally connected to the carriage frame 95 by a mechanism such that when the carriage frame 95 is in the lowered position, the handle 92 can be depressed to engage a catch provided on the handle 92 with a protuberance provided on the lower portion 80 to securely hold the carriage frame in the lowered position. An example of such a mechanism is described in EP 1440644. However, this mechanism is not relevant to the present invention. The clamping mechanism 93 includes a cup-shaped clamping member 100 and a cup-shaped socket 94. The clamping member 100 is provided with a central protrusion 101. A plurality of flexible projections 102 are provided on the exterior of the clamping member 101, the flexible projections 102 engaging inwardly directed flanges 103 of the recess 94 to securely retain the clamping member 100 within the recess 94 when assembled. The recess 94 is provided with a cylindrical part 104 on the upper surface, the cylindrical part 104 having a nut 105 disposed therein. A nut 105 is engaged on the lead screw 96. The socket 94 of the clamping mechanism 93 is also provided with a pair of ridges or the like which engage in and are slidable along side grooves 106 of the carriage frame 95 to maintain the correct orientation of the socket 94 when the lead screw 96 is in operation. Thus, rotation of the lead screw 96 may be used to reciprocate the socket 94 and thus the clamping member 100 along the longitudinal axis of the upper mechanism 90 from the front end 155 to the rear end 154 of the carriage frame 95, as will be described below in the discussion of the operation of the delivery head 3. As best shown in fig. 8a and 8b, the socket 94 also includes a pair of tail pieces 108 extending rearwardly from either side of the cup-shaped body of the socket 94. Each tail piece 108 is provided with a pin 107 at or near its distal end, the purpose of the pin 107 being described below.

The lead screw 96 is mounted on the carriage frame 95. As shown in fig. 5, the lead screw 96 is located in the opening provided by the upper slot 153 at the top toward the carriage frame 95. Thus, the lead screw 96 extends above the pocket 94 and along the longitudinal axis of the upper mechanism 90 from the rear end 154 to the front end 155 of the carriage frame 95. A motor 97 is operatively connected to the rear end of the lead screw 96 and rotates the lead screw 96 both clockwise and counterclockwise. As shown, a motor 97 is mounted to the carriage frame 95 and traverses the longitudinal axis of the upper mechanism 90 to save space, and is connected to the lead screw 96 by suitable gearing (e.g., bevel gears).

The cartridge guide 110 is located between the lower portion 80 and the upper mechanism 90. As described below, the cartridge guide 110 rests on the lower portion 80 and is slidable relative to the lower portion 80 while operatively interconnected with the upper mechanism 90.

The cartridge guide 110 comprises an annular member 111 and two vertically extending webs 113. The annular member 111 and the web 113 are formed as a single moulding from, for example, a plastics material. The annular member 111 comprises a ring defining an aperture 112, the aperture 112 being shaped to receive the cartridge 70. The lower surface of the cartridge guide 110 rests on the support surface 82. While the orifice 112 closely conforms to the shape of the cartridge 70 to enable accurate orientation and placement of the cartridge, the orifice 112 is slightly larger than the cartridge 70 so that the cartridge 70 placed in the orifice 112 rests on the support surface 82 of the lower portion 80 rather than on the cartridge guide 110 itself. As shown in FIG. 4, the aperture 112 is also shaped to receive the handle portion 71 of the cartridge 70. The handle 71 is thus oriented towards the front of the delivery head 3 and is positioned symmetrically on the midline of the delivery head 3.

Webs 113 are located on each side of the cartridge guide 110 and as best shown in fig. 8a and 8b, each web 113 is provided with an arcuate slot 114, the pins 107 of the socket 94 being slidingly received in the slots 114 when assembled. Thus, the cartridge guide 110 is interconnected with the clamping mechanism. Each slot 114 includes a first portion 115 having an arcuate shape with a center of rotation coincident with the pivot point 150 of the clamping mechanism 93. Each slot 114 also includes a second portion 116 having an arcuate shape with an instantaneous center of curvature that is not coincident with the pivot point 150. The function of the slot 114 will be described below.

The delivery head 3 further comprises a barcode reader 120 and a piercing mechanism 119.

The barcode reader 120 is located in the barcode reader cavity 87 and is oriented to be able to transmit and receive signals through the barcode window 84. Due to the transverse orientation of the barcode window 84 and the barcode reader 120, it can be seen that the barcode reader 120 reads the barcode of the cartridge 70 by scanning the light beam in a direction across the delivery head.

The puncture mechanism 119 includes a puncture instrument unit 121, a motor 130, a lead screw 131, and a connection mechanism 133. The puncture mechanism 119 is operable to raise or lower the puncture instrument unit 121. The piercer unit 121 is located in the piercer unit chamber 86 of the lower part 80.

As shown in fig. 12a to 12c, the puncture device unit 121 includes a main body 122, and an inlet puncture device 123 and an outlet puncture device 124 are installed in the main body 122. The body 122 is provided with a conduit 125, the conduit 125 connecting the inlet piercer 123 with a fluid inlet 126 of the body 122. When the delivery head is assembled with the rest of the machine 1, the fluid inlet 126 is coupled to a water source by a tubing set. A sealing member 128 is located on the upper surface of the body 122, surrounding the inlet piercer 123 and the outlet piercer 124. Sealing member 128 is provided with a raised annular portion 129, annular portion 129 surrounding the piercing elements of inlet piercer 123 and outlet piercer 124.

As shown in fig. 3, the piercer unit chamber 86 is also provided with a nozzle chute 89 into which the piercer unit 121 extends. The spout chute 89 acts as a funnel to direct the beverage released through the outlet piercer 124 to the outlet spout 5 at the bottom of the spout chute 89.

The motor 130 is located at the rear of the delivery head 3, away from the puncture instrument unit 121. The motor 130 is oriented substantially coincident with the longitudinal axis of the lower portion 80, but is inclined downwardly slightly below horizontal. As best seen in fig. 10, the motor 130 is coupled to the lead screw 131 by a generally U-shaped threaded rear coupling member 138. The distal end of the lead screw 131 is provided with an end stop. The motor 130 can rotate the lead screw 131 either clockwise or counterclockwise to reciprocate the rear link member 138 back and forth relative to the lower portion 80.

As shown in fig. 10, the link mechanism 133 includes a U-shaped main link 135 having a pair of forwardly extending arms 135a, a pair of secondary links 136, a pair of third links 137, a rear coupling member 138, and a front coupling member 149. The attachment mechanism is mounted to the lower portion 80 by a rear mounting plate 160, a front mounting plate 161 and two side mounting plates 162, which are all securely mounted to the underside of the upper moulding of the lower portion 80.

The side mounting plate 162 provides a pair of first pivot points 139. The front mounting plate 161 provides a pair of second pivot points 140.

As best shown in fig. 10, 11a and 11b, the U-shaped primary link 135 is rotatably coupled at a rear end to the rear coupling member 138.

Front coupling part 149 comprises a generally U-shaped member having two arms 146 and an interconnecting bridge 147. The distal end of the arm 146 is rotatably coupled to the first pivot point 139.

The secondary links 136 are rotatably connected to the primary link arms 135a at third pivot points 141 such that the forward end of each primary link arm 135a is connected to the rearward end of the respective secondary link 136. The opposite end of each secondary link 136 is coupled to a front coupling member 149 at a fourth pivot point 148.

The third link 137 is connected between a third pivot point 141 (where the primary link arm 135a and the secondary link 136 are coupled) and a second pivot point 140 on the front mounting plate 161.

As shown in fig. 10, the penetrator unit 121 is rigidly mounted to the interconnecting bridge 147 of the front coupling component 149. Alternatively, the piercer unit 121 may be formed in one piece with the front coupling part 149.

As best shown in fig. 10, the linkage 133 transmits motive force from the motor 130 located at the rear of the delivery head 3 to the front of the delivery head 3. Furthermore, as shown in fig. 5, by using pairs of primary link arms 135a, secondary links 136 and tertiary links 137 and U-shaped members 135, 149, the link mechanism extends around the ejection chute 85 without interfering with the chute.

The operation of the puncture mechanism 119 will be described below.

The beverage preparation machine further comprises a controller for controlling the operation of the machine, including the operation of the components of each delivery head 3 (e.g. the motors 95, 130, and the barcode reader 120).

The delivery head 3 may also be provided with an interlock or sensing device connected to the controller for providing data to the controller regarding the position of the pocket 94 on its lead screw 96, the position of the piercing mechanism 119, and the position of the upper mechanism 90 (e.g., whether the upper mechanism 90 is in the closed position). An interlock is typically provided to confirm closing of the handle 92 when the upper mechanism 90 is in the down position. When the interlock indicates that the handle 92 is opened, operation of the delivery head 3 is prevented.

As an alternative to providing an interlock on the lead screw 96 to indicate the position of the dimple 94, current sensing control may be used. In current sensing, the current drawn by the motor 97 is monitored and the controller interprets "the current drawn increasing above a preset threshold" as indicating that the pocket 94 has reached one of its end stops at the front end 155 or the rear end 154 of the carriage frame 95.

In use, the delivery head 3 is first opened by moving the upper mechanism 90 to the raised position shown in fig. 3 to allow insertion of a cartridge 70 of the type having a bowl-shaped upper portion 76 sealed by a flexible lower membrane 77 surrounding a peripheral flange 78. Opening of the upper mechanism is accomplished by first opening the handle 92 to disengage the hook from the ridge of the lower portion 80 and then lifting the handle 92. As shown in fig. 3 and 9a, in the raised position of the upper mechanism 90, the cartridge guide 110 is positioned at the forwardmost position to facilitate loading of the cartridge 70, and the clamping member 100 is raised as part of the upper member 90. The cartridge guide 110 is so positioned due to the interaction of the pin 107 of the tail piece 108 in the slot 114 of the cartridge guide 110. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9a, in the raised position, each pin 107 moves to the top of the first portion 115 of the slot 114.

The cartridge 70 is then inserted into the aperture 112 of the cartridge guide 110 such that the cartridge 70 rests on the support surface 82 as shown in fig. 4. In fig. 4, the delivery head 3 is shown to contain a cartridge 70 having a relatively low profile. The handle portion 71 of the cartridge 70 is aligned towards the front of the delivery head 3 and is located on the mid-line of the delivery head 3.

The upper mechanism 90 is then closed to the position shown in fig. 5 by pressing down on the handle 92. Closure of the upper mechanism 90 causes the cartridge guide 110 and cartridge 70 to slide back on the support surface 82 to a dispensing position in which the cartridge 70 is properly aligned with the piercer aperture 83 and the barcode window 84. The rearward movement of the cartridge guide 110 is caused by the interaction of the pin 107 and the slot 114. As shown in fig. 8a, 8b and 9a to 9d, the downward rotation of the upper mechanism 90 causes the clamping mechanism 93 to also rotate downward, thereby moving the pin 107 first along the first portion 115 of the slot 114 and then along the second portion 116. Movement of the pin 107 along the first portion 115 of the slot to the position shown in fig. 9c does not cause any movement of the cartridge guide 110 because the centre of curvature of the first portion 115 coincides with the point of rotation of the clamping mechanism 93. However, further downward rotation of the clamping mechanism 93 causes rearward sliding of the cartridge guide 110 as the pin 107 abuts the rearmost surface of the slot 114 thereby forcing the cartridge guide 110 to move to accommodate movement of the pin to the position shown in fig. 9 d. In the closed position of the clamping mechanism 93, the cartridge guide 110 has moved 7.8 to 10mm in the rearward direction.

In the closed position, the protrusion 101 of the clamping member 100 engages in the relatively shallow central well 75 formed in the upper portion 76 of the cartridge 70. The clamping member 100 is further provided with formations (formations) 79 which align with the inlet region of the cartridge 100. In the closed position, the lower edge of the clamping member 100 is aligned with and designed to contact the peripheral flange 78 of the cartridge 70. In the closed or clamped position, the clamping member 100 applies a clamping force to the cartridge 70. This force is exerted primarily by the projection 101 at the central region of the cartridge 70 and by the formation 79 at the inlet region of the cartridge 70. However, if desired, the lower edge of the clamping member 100 may exert relatively little force on the peripheral flange 78. At this point, the penetrator unit 121 is still lowered. Thus, the force applied to the cartridge 70 will force the cartridge into contact with the support surface 82. In this way, the lower membrane 77 bears a portion of the applied load in the region immediately surrounding the piercer aperture 83. In addition, the remaining load applied to the cartridge 70 is borne by the peripheral flange 78 (where the cartridge 70 contacts the support surface 82).

The closing of the upper mechanism 90 also triggers the operation of the barcode reader 120: the barcode on the cartridge 70 is read by passing through the barcode window 84. The received detection signal is then sent to a controller which thereby determines the correct dispensing parameters, such as temperature, volume, soaking time, etc. of the water for the inserted cartridge.

Opening of the upper mechanism 90 after the dispensing cycle and discharge has occurred causes the above described reversal of the movement of the cartridge guide 110.

One particular advantage of such movement of the cartridge guide 110 is that it allows accommodation of cartridges having a relatively deep profile, such as the type of cartridge 70 shown in fig. 9a to 9 d. As shown in fig. 9a to 9d, the cartridge guide 110 is held in the loading position of fig. 9a until the clamping mechanism 93 has been partially rotated down to the point shown in fig. 9c, which allows the lower edge of the clamping member 100 to pass over the upper rear point 73 of the cartridge 70. Subsequent rearward movement of the cartridge 70 allows the use of a clamping member 100 that closely conforms to the diameter of the cartridge while avoiding fouling of the lower edge of the clamping member on the front surface 74 of the cartridge or fouling of the protrusion 101 on the side of the relatively deep central well 75 of the cartridge 70. In this way, the size of the clamping member 100 is minimised without the need to utilise substantially vertical movement of the clamping mechanism 93 to allow insertion of cartridges of different depths.

As shown in fig. 5, the piercer unit 121 is now in a lowered position such that the inlet piercer 123 and the outlet piercer 124 are completely below the level of the support surface 82. Upon receiving an activation instruction from the user (e.g., by pressing a start/stop button), the controller of the machine 1 operates the motor 130 to raise the piercing mechanism 119 to the raised position shown in fig. 6, such that the inlet piercer 123 and the outlet piercer 124 are raised above (of) the height of the support surface 82. In the raised position, the penetrator unit 121 is raised to a point where the sealing member 128 is oriented substantially horizontally and the general height of the sealing member 128 is level with the support surface 82. However, in this position, the raised annular portion 129 of the sealing member 128 is located slightly above the level of the support surface 82. In this way, the raised annular portion 129 can be slightly deformed, thereby tensioning the flexible lower membrane 77 of the cartridge 70. The peripheral flange 78 of the cartridge 70 remains in contact with the support surface 82 due to the captive contact of the lower edge of the clamping member 100.

Further, the upward movement of the piercer unit 121 will force the cartridge 70 more tightly against the protrusion 101 and formation 79 of the clamping member 100 to increase the clamping force holding the cartridge 70 in place between the clamping member 100 and the piercer unit 121. Thus, the combined action of the clamping member 100 and the piercer unit 121 will produce a minimum clamping force of 30N at the inlet of the cartridge and a force of 75 to 130N at the outlet.

The movement of the puncture mechanism 119 from the lowered position to the raised position, which involves a rotation of the puncture instrument unit 121 around its pivot point of 5 to 10 degrees, preferably more than 7.5 degrees, can be seen most clearly in fig. 11a and 11 b. With the motor 130 running, rotation of the lead screw 131 causes the rear coupling member 138 to move forward approximately 20 mm. Since the rear coupling part 138 is coupled to the main link 135, the main link 135 moves substantially in a direction which coincides with the longitudinal axis of the main link, but this may be accompanied by a slight rotational movement of the main link 135 relative to the rear coupling part 138. At the same time, the main link arm 135a pushes the lower end of the sub link 136. Due to the constraint of the third link 137 (which couples the primary link arm 135a and the secondary link 136 to the second pivot point 140), the pushing motion of the primary link arm 135a causes the secondary link 136 to rotate in a clockwise direction as seen in fig. 11 b. This rotation causes upward rotation of the front coupling member 149 because the secondary link 136 is coupled to the front coupling member 149 and the arm 148 of the front coupling member 149 is coupled to the first pivot point 139 of the side mount plate 162. Since the puncture instrument unit 121 is rigidly connected to the front coupling member 149, upward rotation of the front coupling member 149 causes upward rotation of the puncture instrument unit 121. In the raised position, the third link 137 is substantially vertical and aligned with the secondary link 136, which is also vertically aligned. In this position, the secondary and third connectors are most resistant to the downward load applied by the clamping member 100 to the cartridge 70. The movement of the secondary and third links also acts in the manner of a toggle clamp, wherein the secondary and third links snap into the position of fig. 11b and tend to remain in that position until a positive retraction force is applied by the motor 130.

The lifting of the piercing mechanism 119 causes the cartridge 70 to be pierced with the inlet piercer 123 and the outlet piercer 124 to form an inlet and an outlet, respectively, in the underside of the cartridge 70.

Once the controller detects that the piercer unit 121 is in the raised position, dispensing of the beverage from the cartridge 70 is initiated. As with the operation of the lead screw 96, the controller may utilize current sensing to the motor 130 to determine the position of the penetrator unit 121. Hot water is directed into the cartridge from fluid inlet 126 via conduit 125 and inlet piercer 123. The formed beverage is released through the outlet piercer 124, the spout chute 89 and out of the outlet 5 into the waiting receptacle 6.

Once dispensing is stopped, the puncture instrument unit 121 is lowered by reversing the above operation by reversing the motor 130. This clears the inlet piercer 123 and the outlet piercer 124 out of the discharge path of the cartridge 70 and also eliminates a portion of the load applied to the cartridge 70.

The controller then operates the motor 97 to eject the cartridge 70 by moving the cartridge 70 to the ejection position. Operation of the motor 97 rotates the lead screw 96, causing the clamping recess 94 and the clamping member 100 to slide rearwardly to the position shown in FIG. 7. The clamping member 100 moves the cartridge 70 with it, drawing the cartridge 70 over the ejection chute 85. During this movement, the cartridge 70 is still under some load from the socket 94 of the upper mechanism 90. Once the cartridge 70 is substantially or fully aligned with the chute 85, the cartridge 70 drops down the chute 85 under gravity into a trash receptacle in the lower portion of the machine 1. It should be noted that during this movement, the outer portion of the housing 91 of the upper mechanism 90 remains stationary, so that the movement of the clamping mechanism 93 remains inside the delivery head 3. A particular advantage is that the delivery head 3 does not need to be opened to eject the cartridge 70. Furthermore, the clamping mechanism 93 affects not only the clamping of the cartridge 70 during beverage dispensing but also the ejection of the cartridge 70.

The motor 97 is then reversed to move the clamping mechanism 93 back to the forward position ready for the next dispense cycle.

Optionally, steam purging may be utilized to clean the piercer unit chamber 86, the support surface 82 and the gripping member 100. Directing steam through inlet piercer 123. The steam purge may be performed while the piercer body 121 is in the raised position or the lowered position. Furthermore, it may be performed automatically after each dispensing cycle and/or at any time under manual control of the user or automatic control of the controller. A vapor purge may also be utilized during the dispensing cycle when the cartridge 70 is in the dispensing position to dry the cartridge 70 and help drive out any residual liquid in the cartridge 70.

Claims (18)

1. A delivery head for a beverage preparation machine comprising:

an upwardly directed inlet for supplying water to a cartridge received in the delivery head;

a downwardly directed outlet for outflow of the beverage;

a barcode reader having a barcode reader window through which a signal can be transmitted;

wherein the inlet, outlet and barcode reader window are arranged in a line with the outlet between the inlet and barcode reader window, and the delivery head further comprises an ejection chute, the inlet, outlet, barcode reader window and ejection chute being in a line with the outlet and inlet between the barcode reader window and the ejection chute.

2. A delivery head as claimed in claim 1 wherein the delivery head comprises a first portion defining a support surface for a cartridge, the inlet, outlet and barcode reader window being located in or on the first portion.

3. A delivery head as claimed in claim 2 wherein the support surface comprises a horizontal surface.

4. A delivery head as claimed in claim 1 wherein the inlet comprises an inlet piercer for forming an inlet opening in a cartridge received in the delivery head.

5. A delivery head as claimed in claim 1 wherein the outlet comprises an outlet piercer for forming an outlet opening in a cartridge received in the delivery head.

6. A delivery head as claimed in claim 1 wherein the inlet comprises an inlet piercer for forming an inlet opening in a cartridge received in the delivery head, the outlet comprises an outlet piercer for forming an outlet opening in a cartridge received in the delivery head, and the inlet piercer and the outlet piercer are movable between an extended position and a retracted position.

7. A delivery head as claimed in claim 1 wherein the barcode reader window is located at the front of the delivery head and the ejection chute is located at the rear of the delivery head.

8. A delivery head as claimed in claim 1 wherein the centroid of the inlet, the centroid of the outlet and the centroid of the barcode reader window lie on a straight line.

9. A delivery head as claimed in claim 1 wherein the barcode reader window comprises a rectangular window wherein the longer side of the rectangular window is arranged perpendicular to the line joining the inlet, outlet and barcode reader windows.

10. A delivery head as claimed in claim 1 wherein the delivery head further comprises a clamping member movable relative to the first part from an open position to a clamping position and to an ejection position,

in the open position, the clamping member is positioned to enable loading of a cartridge into the delivery head;

in the clamping position, the clamping member is capable of clamping onto the cartridge;

in the ejection position, the clamping member is positioned to enable ejection of the cartridge;

the clamping member is movable in a direction substantially parallel to the first portion from a clamping position to an ejection position, wherein movement of the clamping member to the ejection position moves the inlet and outlet of the cartridge away from the barcode reader window of the delivery head without passing over or adjacent the barcode reader window of the delivery head.

11. A beverage preparation machine comprising a delivery head as claimed in any preceding claim.

12. A beverage preparation system comprising a beverage preparation machine as claimed in claim 11 and one or more cartridges, wherein the one or more cartridges contain one or more beverage ingredients.

13. A cartridge for use in a beverage preparation machine of the type comprising:

a delivery head;

an upwardly directed inlet for supplying water to a cartridge received in the delivery head;

a downwardly directed outlet for outflow of the beverage; and

a discharge chute;

a barcode reader having a barcode reader window through which a signal can be transmitted;

the cartridge comprises or is adapted to contain in use a quantity of one or more beverage ingredients,

the lower surface of the cartridge comprising an inlet and an outlet, the inlet and outlet of the cartridge being arranged to communicate with an upwardly directed inlet and a downwardly directed outlet, respectively, of a delivery head of the machine when the cartridge is inserted into a beverage preparation machine, such that, in use, water from the upwardly directed inlet passes upwardly through the inlet of the cartridge and a beverage made from water and the one or more beverage ingredients passes downwardly through the outlet of the cartridge to flow out of the downwardly directed outlet,

the lower surface of the cartridge further comprising a barcode which, in use, can be read by a barcode reader of the beverage preparation machine to control operation of the beverage preparation machine,

characterised in that the barcode, the inlet and the outlet of the cartridge are located in a line with the outlet between the inlet and the barcode, and the barcode reader window and the ejection chute are located in a line with the upwardly directed inlet and the downwardly directed outlet, and the upwardly directed inlet and the downwardly directed outlet are between the barcode reader window and the ejection chute.

14. The cartridge of claim 13, wherein the outlet of the cartridge is located at or near the center of the lower surface of the cartridge.

15. The cartridge of claim 13, wherein the inlet and outlet of the cartridge are initially closed by one or more frangible membranes.

16. The cartridge of claim 13, wherein a centroid of an inlet of the cartridge, a centroid of an outlet of the cartridge, and a centroid of the barcode lie on a straight line.

17. The cartridge according to claim 13, wherein the barcode comprises a rectangular arrangement of encoding lines, wherein a longer side of the rectangular arrangement is arranged perpendicular to a line connecting the inlet of the cartridge, the outlet of the cartridge and the barcode.

18. A method of dispensing a beverage from a cartridge using a beverage preparation machine,

the beverage preparation machine is of the type having a delivery head comprising: an inlet for supplying water to the cartridge, an outlet for the beverage, a barcode reader having a barcode reader window, an ejection chute, and a clamping member; the barcode reader window and the ejection chute are in line with the inlet and the outlet, and the inlet and the outlet are between the barcode reader window and the ejection chute;

the cartridge is of the following type: including an inlet, an outlet, and a bar code; the inlet of the cartridge, the outlet of the cartridge, and the bar code are in a line and the outlet of the cartridge is between the inlet of the cartridge and the bar code;

wherein, the method comprises the following steps:

moving the clamping member to the open position;

inserting a cartridge into a delivery head;

moving the clamping member to the closed position such that the inlet, outlet and barcode of the cartridge are aligned with the inlet, outlet and barcode reader window, respectively, of the delivery head;

pumping water through the inlet of the delivery head and the inlet of the cartridge to form a beverage from the one or more beverage ingredients of the cartridge;

delivering the beverage out of the outlet of the cartridge and the outlet of the delivery head;

moving the clamping member from the closed position to the ejection position to move the cartridge into alignment with the ejection chute to effect ejection of the cartridge from the delivery head;

wherein movement of the cartridge to the ejection chute causes the inlet and outlet of the cartridge to move away from the barcode reader window of the delivery head without passing over or adjacent the barcode reader window of the delivery head.