HK1228363A1 - Method and apparatus for beverage carafe detection - Google Patents

Description

Method and apparatus for beverage bottle detection

Technical Field

The present invention relates to beverage forming systems, such as systems for carbonating a liquid and/or mixing a liquid with a beverage medium to form a beverage.

Background

Beverage forming systems that use a liquid, such as water, to form a beverage are well known. For example, U.S. patent application publication 2011/0185907 discloses a coffee maker and a container that can be docked to the coffee maker at a filling position to receive coffee prepared by the machine. Such a machine can detect the presence of a container in the filling position and start the mode of operation for producing coffee when the container is in the filling position.

Disclosure of Invention

In certain embodiments, a beverage forming apparatus may be configured to dispense different volumes of liquid depending on whether a bottle is positioned at a bottle receiving area. In certain embodiments, when a bottle with an associated magnetic element is placed at the bottle receiving area and the detector detects the presence of the magnetic element, the beverage forming machine dispenses a volume greater than a threshold volume. When the detector does not detect the magnetic element, the apparatus may be configured to dispense only a volume of beverage less than the threshold volume. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention provide a more convenient and more versatile system, for example, because the apparatus is configured to dispense different volumes of beverage depending on whether or not a bottle is at the bottle receiving area. Furthermore, it may be prevented that an undesirably large amount of beverage (e.g., an amount greater than a threshold volume) is dispensed in the absence of a bottle in the bottle receiving area, because the apparatus is configured to only dispense a volume of beverage less than the threshold volume when no bottle is detected.

According to one aspect, a beverage forming apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a beverage bottle having: a body defining an interior space for holding a beverage; an opening through which beverage can be dispensed into the interior space; and a magnetic element associated with the lower portion of the vial. The apparatus also includes a housing having a bottle receiving area to receive the bottle, and wherein the bottle is associated with the housing to receive the beverage dispensed within the opening. The protrusion may be associated with a lower side of one of the bottle and the housing. A first recess for receiving the protrusion may be formed in the other of the bottle and the housing. The detector may be arranged to detect the presence of the magnetic element when the protrusion is inserted in the recess. The beverage forming station may be supported by the housing and arranged to combine the precursor liquid with a beverage material to form a beverage that is dispensed into the bottle at the bottle receiving area. A liquid supply system may be supported by the housing to provide precursor liquid to the beverage forming station. The control circuitry may be arranged to control the liquid supply system to deliver precursor liquid to the beverage forming station to dispense more than a threshold volume of beverage (e.g., between about 8-20 ounces of beverage) only when the detector detects the magnetic element.

In certain embodiments, the engagement between the protrusion and the first recess sets the rotational position of the bottle. In certain embodiments, the bottle includes a circular opening at the top of the body and a lid disposed over the circular opening, the lid having an opening in a surface into which the beverage is dispensed. The engagement between the protrusion and the first recess may allow the opening to be aligned below an outlet for dispensing the beverage. Thus, aspects of the invention provide more control during beverage formation, for example because beverage can be dispensed into a bottle in an amount greater than a threshold volume only when the magnetic element is detected during beverage formation and the protrusion is in the recess, the opening being positionable below the outlet. This may allow the opening to be smaller (e.g., less than about 2cm in diameter), and such a smaller opening allows the bottle to maintain beverage temperature (hot or cold) for a longer period of time.

In certain embodiments, the apparatus includes a drip tray arranged to engage the housing at the vial receiving area. In certain embodiments, a bottle may be positioned at the bottle receiving area to receive a volume of beverage greater than a threshold volume only when the drip tray is removed. In other embodiments, the bottle may be positioned at the receiving area (e.g., by placement on a drip tray) and may receive a volume of beverage that is less than a threshold volume. In some embodiments, the drip tray may engage the housing only when the vial is not in the vial-receiving region. In certain embodiments, the drip tray includes at least one engagement feature that engages the housing. In embodiments where the first recess is associated with the housing, the at least one engagement feature comprises a tab extending from the drip tray and having a different shape than the protrusion.

In some embodiments, the housing includes a first recess for receiving the protrusion and a second recess for receiving the at least one engagement feature. In this embodiment, the first recess may be located below the second recess (e.g., the location that receives the protrusion is below the location that receives the at least one engagement feature).

According to another aspect, a method of controlling a beverage forming apparatus having a housing including a bottle receiving area to receive a bottle and one of a first recess and a protrusion associated with an outer surface of the housing is also disclosed. The method includes placing a bottle at a bottle receiving area, the bottle having: a body defining an interior space for holding a beverage; the other of the opening, recess and projection through which beverage can be dispensed into the interior space, the other being associated with the lower side of the bottle; and a magnetic element associated with the lower portion of the vial. The method further comprises the following steps: inserting the protrusion into the first recess; the presence of the magnetic element is detected. In certain embodiments, the liquid supply system is controlled to deliver precursor liquid to the beverage forming station to dispense more than the threshold volume of beverage only when the detector detects the magnetic element. The liquid supply system may be controlled to deliver precursor liquid to the beverage forming station to dispense only less than the threshold volume of beverage when the detector does not detect the magnetic element. In certain embodiments, the threshold volume is about 8 ounces of beverage.

In yet another embodiment, a beverage forming apparatus is disclosed. The equipment comprises a beverage bottle and a beverage bottle: a body defining an interior space for holding a beverage and an opening through which the beverage can be dispensed into the interior space. The apparatus further comprises: a housing having a bottle receiving area to receive a bottle, and wherein the bottle is associated with the housing to receive a beverage dispensed within the opening. The detector may be arranged to detect the presence of a vial when the vial is in the vial receiving region. The beverage forming station may be supported by the housing and arranged to combine the precursor liquid with a beverage material to form a beverage, the beverage being dispensed from the outlet at the bottle receiving area. A liquid supply system may be supported by the housing to provide precursor liquid to the beverage forming station. The control circuitry may be arranged to control the liquid supply system to deliver precursor liquid to the beverage forming station to dispense more than the threshold volume of beverage only when the detector detects a bottle, and to control the liquid supply system to deliver precursor liquid to the beverage forming station to dispense only less than the threshold volume of beverage when the detector does not detect a bottle. In certain embodiments, the threshold volume is about 8 ounces of beverage. In certain embodiments, the apparatus includes a drip tray positionable at the vial receiving area, and the vials can be detected by the detector of the vial receiving area only if the drip tray is removed from the vial receiving area. In certain embodiments, the vial includes a protrusion extending from the vial body, the housing includes a first recess configured to receive the protrusion, and the detector is arranged to detect the vial only when the protrusion is received within the first recess. In other embodiments, the housing comprises a protrusion extending from the housing, the vial comprises a recess arranged to receive the protrusion, and the detector is arranged to detect the vial only when the protrusion is received within the recess.

It should be appreciated that the foregoing concepts as well as the additional concepts discussed below may be arranged in any suitable combination, as the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

The foregoing and other aspects, embodiments and features of the present teachings can be more fully understood from the following description, taken together with the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by a like numeral. For purposes of simplicity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a beverage forming apparatus according to an embodiment, with a bottle positioned in a bottle receiving area of a beverage forming machine;

FIG. 2 is a left side view of an apparatus according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a right side view of an apparatus according to an embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a bottle receiving area according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a bottle according to an embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of a beverage forming apparatus according to an embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of a beverage forming apparatus according to an embodiment, wherein a bottle is located in a bottle receiving area of a beverage forming machine;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a vial at a vial receiving area according to one embodiment;

FIG. 9 is the embodiment of FIG. 8 with the vial disengaged from the housing;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of components of a beverage forming apparatus according to an embodiment;

FIG. 11A is a perspective view of a drip tray engaged with a housing according to one embodiment; and

FIG. 11B is the embodiment of FIG. 11A with the drip tray disengaged from the housing;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a drip tray according to one embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a receiving area of a bottle according to one embodiment; and

FIG. 14 is a schematic side view of a beverage forming apparatus according to an embodiment.

Detailed Description

It should be appreciated that aspects of the invention will be described herein with reference to certain illustrative embodiments and the accompanying drawings. The illustrative embodiments described herein are not necessarily intended to show all aspects of the invention, but rather are used to describe a few illustrative embodiments. Further, it should be understood that aspects of the present invention may be used alone or in combination with other aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a beverage forming apparatus 100 in an illustrative embodiment incorporating aspects of the invention. Although the beverage forming apparatus 100 may be used to form any suitable beverage, such as tea, coffee, other infusion-type beverages, beverages formed from liquid or powdered concentrates, soups, juices, or other beverages made from dry materials, in this illustrative embodiment, the apparatus 100 is arranged to form coffee or tea beverages. As is known in the art, a beverage cartridge 1 may be provided to the apparatus 100 and used to form a beverage that is deposited into a bottle (carafe) 2. (as used herein, a bottle includes any suitable container arranged to receive a dispensed beverage.) if used, the cartridge 1 may be placed manually or automatically within the beverage forming station 11 of the beverage forming machine 10. For example, the beverage forming station 11 may include a cartridge receiving arrangement that is exposed to receive the cartridge 1 when a user operates a handle or other actuator. With the cartridge 1 placed in the cartridge receiving arrangement, the actuator may be operated to at least partially enclose the cartridge 1, e.g. such that water or another precursor liquid can be introduced into the cartridge 1 to form a beverage. For example, with the cartridge 1 held in the beverage forming station 11, the cartridge 1 may be pierced to form inlet and outlet openings through which water or other precursor liquid enters the cartridge 1 and beverage exits the cartridge 1 through the outlet opening. Us patent 8,361,527 describes a cartridge and system for introducing liquid into the cartridge that may be used in embodiments of the present invention and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Of course, aspects of the invention may be used with any suitable arrangement of the apparatus 100, including drip coffee brewers, carbonated beverage machines, and other devices arranged to form a beverage (in any event a beverage). For example, the cartridge 1 need not be used, and instead beverage material for forming a beverage may be provided to the mixing chamber or brew basket by a user or via a hopper system.

In an embodiment, beverage forming machine 10 includes a housing 17, housing 17 housing and supporting components of machine 10, such as user interface 14 for controlling system operation, and defining a bottle receiving area 12, bottle 2 being positionable in bottle receiving area 12 to receive a beverage dispensed by machine 10. Thus, at the bottle receiving area 12, the bottle 2 is associated with the machine 10 to receive the dispensed beverage and can be supported by the housing 17. As can be seen from fig. 1, machine 10 may be placed on surface 9 (e.g., a kitchen countertop), and bottles 2 may also be positioned on surface 19 when bottles 2 are placed at bottle receiving areas 12.

As shown in fig. 2, vial 2 may be received in vial receiving area 12 such that vial 2 is at least partially surrounded by housing 17. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that housing 17 may be configured such that bottles 2 are more or less exposed when in bottle receiving area 12. In fig. 3, for example, housing 17 is configured such that vial 2 is less exposed at vial-receiving region 12.

According to one aspect, the housing 17 is configured to engage with the bottle 2. In certain embodiments, as shown in fig. 4, the housing has a first recess 32 in an outer surface 34 of the housing 17 to engage the bottle 2. As shown in this figure, a first recess 32 may be formed in a lower portion of the outer surface 34, adjacent the bottle receiving area 12. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the first recess 32 may be located at any suitable portion of the housing 17, as the present disclosure is not limited in this respect. One of ordinary skill in the art will also appreciate that the first recess 32 may have any shape or size suitable for engagement with the bottle 2.

In some embodiments, the housing has a second recess 36 for engagement with a drip tray 40 (see fig. 11A and 11B). Like the first recess 32, the second recess 36 may be formed in a lower portion of the housing 17, but the second recess 36 may also be formed in another suitable portion of the housing to engage the drip tray 40. In certain embodiments, a second recess 36 is formed in the outer surface 34 of the housing 17 adjacent the vial receiving area 12. In certain embodiments, the second recess 36 is formed over the first recess 32. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that although the second recess 36 is shown adjacent the first recess 32 in fig. 4, in other embodiments, the first recess 32 and the second recess 36 may be separate from each other. One of ordinary skill in the art will also recognize that the second recess 36 may have any shape or size suitable for engagement with a drip tray. The shape and size of the second recess 36 may be the same as the shape and size of the first recess 32. The first recess 32 and the second recess 36 may be shaped and sized differently.

Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of a bottle 2 according to an embodiment. As shown in this figure, the bottle 2 may include a body 21, the body 21 defining an interior space in which the beverage is held. Body 21 may be formed, shaped, or constructed in any suitable manner and using any suitable materials and material combinations. For example, the body 21 may be formed of a molded plastic material, metal, or other material, and may be insulative or non-insulative.

In certain embodiments, as shown in fig. 5 and 6, the vial has a protrusion 30 associated with the vial 2 to engage the housing 17 when the vial 2 is in the vial receiving area 2. The protrusion 30 may be associated with the bottom side of the bottle 2, as shown in fig. 5, but the protrusion 30 may be associated with any suitable portion of the bottle 2. For example, the protrusion 30 may be associated with the body 21, the handle 25, and/or the cover 22. In at least some embodiments, the location of the protrusion 30 on the bottle 2 corresponds to the location of the first recess 32 on the housing, e.g., the protrusion 30 is located at the same height above the bottom of the bottle 2 as the first recess 32 is above the bottom of the machine 10. Thus, projection 30 and first recess 32 may be located at the same height above surface 19 on which machine 10 and bottle 2 are supported. In some embodiments, first recess 32 may be located at the bottom of machine 10, with both bottle 2 and protrusion 30 supported on surface 19.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that although only one protrusion 30 is shown in fig. 5, the bottle 2 may have more than one associated protrusion 30. In embodiments having more than one protrusion, the housing 17 may have more than one corresponding first recess 32 to engage with the protrusions 30. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that while all of the projections may be associated with the same portion of the bottle 2 (e.g., associated with the bottom side of the bottle), the projections may also be associated with different portions (e.g., with the main body and the bottom side).

In certain embodiments, the protrusion 30 is removably attached to the bottle 2. For example, in one embodiment, the protrusion 30 may be magnetically coupled to the bottle 2. In this embodiment, the protrusion 30 may be connected to the bottle 2 to engage with the housing and then disconnected from the bottle after the beverage is formed (e.g., to provide the beverage). The protrusion 30 may also be connected to the bottle 2 via an interface (e.g., via a wiring harness removably attached to the bottle 2). In certain embodiments, the protrusion 30 is permanently attached to the bottle 2. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the protrusion 30 may be attached to the bottle 2 via any suitable method, such as via a fastener or via a screw. One of ordinary skill in the art will also appreciate that the bottle 2 may be formed or otherwise constructed such that the protrusion 30 is secured to the bottle 2 or integral with the bottle 2.

The protrusions 30 may be shaped, formed or constructed in any suitable manner and using any suitable material. In certain embodiments, as shown in fig. 7, which is a bottom view of the apparatus 100 with the vial 2 at the vial receiving area 12, the protrusion 30 has a curved shape, for example in the form of a partial disk element. The protrusions may also be circular, semi-circular, or any other suitable shape, as the present disclosure is not limited in this respect. For example, the protrusions 30 may also be square, triangular, or rectangular. In certain embodiments, the shape of the protrusion 30 corresponds to the shape of the first recess 32. As seen in fig. 7, for example, in certain embodiments, when vial 2 is in vial receiving area 12 (e.g., when projection 30 is fully received by first recess 32), there is precise contact geometry between projection 30 and first recess 32.

The protrusions may also be of any suitable size, as the present disclosure is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6, the protrusion 30 may have a thickness T. In certain embodiments, the thickness T of the protrusion is less than about 3 cm. Other suitable thicknesses T of protrusion 30 may be used to mate bottle 2 with housing 17. In certain embodiments, the protrusion has a length L (or, for protrusions having a circular or semi-circular shape, a radius R). In certain embodiments, the length L of the protrusion is greater than the thickness T of the protrusion. In certain embodiments, the size and thickness T of the protrusion corresponds to the size and thickness of the first recess 32.

According to another aspect, projection 30 may be configured to notify device 100 of the presence of vial 2 at vial-receiving area 12. In certain embodiments, the protrusion comprises a magnetic element configured to alert the presence of the vial 2. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the protrusion 30 includes a magnet 39. In some embodiments, magnets 39 are embedded in protrusions 30, but magnets 39 may also be attached to the outer surface of protrusions 30. The protrusion 30 may also be formed from or coated with a magnetic material, or may be formed from steel or another suitable material that can be magnetized. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the protrusion 30 may also be formed from other suitable materials or combinations of materials or may include other components suitable for informing the device 100 of the presence of the vial 2 at the vial-receiving area 12.

In certain embodiments, the apparatus 100 comprises a detector 13, the detector 13 being arranged to detect the presence or absence of a vial 2 at the vial receiving area 12. In some embodiments, the bottle 2 cannot be detected at the bottle receiving area 12 when the drip tray 40 is engaged with the housing 17. In certain embodiments, when the drip tray 40 is engaged with the second recess 36, the drip tray 40 blocks access to the first recess 32 (e.g., the protrusion cannot be received by the first recess 32).

In certain embodiments, the detector 13 is configured to detect the presence of a magnetic element. The probe 13 may be adjacent to the outer surface of the first recess 32. The detector may also be positioned inside the housing 17 or may be embedded in the outer surface 34 of the housing or in the outer wall of the first recess 32. As shown in fig. 7, although the apparatus includes only one detector 13, more than one detector 13 may be used to detect the presence or absence of a magnetic element (and thus the presence or absence of a vial 2 at the vial-receiving region 12).

In certain embodiments, the detector 13 detects the presence of the magnetic element of the protrusion 30 via a sensor. In one embodiment, the detector 13 comprises a reed switch, although other suitable detectors may be used, as the present disclosure is not limited in this respect. For example, in some embodiments, the detector 13 includes a Hall effect sensor for detecting the magnetic element. The detector 13 may also include inductive, resistive, capacitive, or other sensors suitable for detecting magnetic elements, as the present disclosure is not limited in this respect. In certain embodiments, the detector 13 detects the bottle 2 (e.g., only closes the switch) only when the protrusion 30 is fully inserted within the first recess 32 and the magnet 39 is proximate to the sensor 13.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the detector 13 may have other arrangements for detecting the vial 2. For example, in some embodiments, the detector 13 may include a switch that is mechanically actuated when the protrusion 30 is inserted into the first recess 32. In other embodiments, the detector 13 may detect the presence of an RFID tag or another component via radio frequency energy. The detector 13 may also comprise an optical sensor. Also, the vial need not include a protrusion for detection by the machine 10, but rather the vial may include a recess for receiving the protrusion of the machine (see, e.g., fig. 14), or the vial may include neither a protrusion nor a recess, e.g., may include a magnetic element embedded in the vial body for detection by the detector. Thus, the machine does not necessarily comprise projections or recesses, but can detect the presence or absence of bottles not having these features.

According to another aspect, the apparatus 100 is configured to set the rotational position of the vial 2 at the vial-receiving area 12, e.g., based on engagement of the vial with the housing 17. As shown in fig. 5, the body 21 of the bottle 2 defines a top opening that receives the cap 22. The cover 22 may be removable from the body 21, for example to facilitate cleaning of the interior space, and may engage the body 21 in any suitable manner. For example, the lid 22 may have a cylindrical portion that fits within a top opening of the body 21 and one or more gaskets (such as O-rings positioned on the cylindrical portion) may help provide a watertight seal between the lid 22 and the body 21 when the cylindrical portion fits within the opening. In another embodiment, the cap 22 may be threadably engaged with the body 21 and may include a gasket (such as a rubber gasket positioned between a rim of the body 21 at the top opening and the cap 22) that provides a seal when the cap 22 is screwed onto the body 21.

Although the top of the body 21 may be adapted to receive a beverage, in some embodiments, the lid 22 includes a beverage opening 23 through which a beverage may be dispensed into the interior space of the body 21. In certain embodiments, the opening 23 is a small opening, but the opening can have any size suitable for allowing beverage to be dispensed into the interior space of the body 21. For example, in certain embodiments, the opening 23 has a size of less than about 2cm, although the opening 23 may have other suitable sizes. In certain embodiments, the body has a spout 26, the spout 26 being configured to dispense the beverage from the interior space. As shown in FIG. 5, in some embodiments, the opening 23 may be located near the spout, but the opening may be placed in any suitable location of the lid 22 to allow beverage to be dispensed into the interior space of the body 21. Although not shown, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the opening may have a lid that covers the opening 23 or is made of a plug that is inserted into the beverage opening and may be removed from the opening 23.

In certain embodiments, as shown in fig. 8, the opening 23 is located in a portion of the lid 22 corresponding to the beverage outlet 18 of the housing 17. In an embodiment, beverage opening 23 is positioned below outlet 18 when bottle 2 is in bottle receiving area 12 and protrusion 30 is inserted in first recess 32.

In certain embodiments, as shown in fig. 7 and 8, the precise contact geometry between the protrusion 30 and the first recess 32 aligns the opening 23 below the outlet 18. In certain embodiments, the engagement between the protrusion 30 and the first recess 32 sets the rotational position of the bottle 2 at the bottle receiving area 12. As used herein, engagement between a protrusion and a first recess may include receipt of the protrusion by the first recess with or without contact between the protrusion and the first recess. For example, in some embodiments, the protrusion may be inserted within and received by the first recess without any physical interaction or contact between the protrusion and the first recess.

As shown in fig. 9, the bottle 2 may be rotated in any suitable direction (e.g., about axis a) when the bottle 2 is disengaged from the housing 17. When the bottle 2 is placed in the bottle receiving area 12 and the protrusion 30 is inserted within the first recess 32, the engagement between the protrusion 30 and the first recess 32 may limit the X and Y rotation of the bottle. Which may maintain the position of the opening 23 below the outlet 18 during beverage formation. As seen in fig. 7, for example, when the protrusion 30 is received at the first recess 32, rotational movement of the bottle at the bottle receiving area 12 is limited.

FIG. 10 illustrates a schematic block diagram of various components that may be included in a beverage forming apparatus 100 in an embodiment. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the beverage forming apparatus 100 may be configured in a number of different ways, and aspects of the present invention should not be construed narrowly as relating to only one type of beverage forming apparatus. Water or other precursor liquid may be provided by the liquid supply 15 to mix with the beverage material at the beverage forming station 11. Beverage material (such as ground coffee, tea, powdered beverage mix, etc.) may or may not be provided in the cartridge 1, and the beverage produced by mixing the liquid with the beverage material may be dispensed into the bottle 2. The liquid supply 15 in this embodiment includes a valve 151, the valve 151 being coupled to a source W that provides liquid from a storage tank, a mains water supply or other source. Valve 151 is controlled by control circuit 16 to open and close to provide a desired volume of liquid to tank 152. For example, if tank 152 is empty, valve 151 may open until a conductive probe or other level sensor 157 provides a signal to control circuit 16 indicating when liquid is near or at the top of tank 152. In response to detecting liquid at sensor 157, control circuitry 16 may close valve 151. Of course, other arrangements for providing liquid to the tank 152 are possible, such as a pump (e.g., centrifugal pump, piston pump, electromagnetic pump, diaphragm pump, etc.). Other optional features may be included such as a vent 155 (which may be opened or closed to vent the tank 152), a check valve or other flow controller (which may prevent backflow in the conduit between the source W and the tank 152), or other features. In this embodiment, vent 155 is not controlled by control circuit 16, but remains always open, has an orifice of suitable size to allow venting to fill tank 152, and pressure build up in tank 152 may allow liquid delivery. Also, controlling the volume of liquid provided to the tank 152 may be performed in other ways, such as opening the valve 151 for a defined period of time, running the pump for a predetermined time, detecting the flow rate or volume of liquid into the tank 152 (e.g., using a flow meter), operating the pump for a desired number of cycles (such as the pump being arranged to deliver a known volume of liquid per cycle), using a pressure sensor to detect a pressure rise in the tank 152, or using any other feasible technique.

The liquid in the tank 152 may be heated by a heating element 153, the operation of the heating element 153 being controlled by the control circuit 16, using input from a temperature sensor or other suitable input. Of course, heating a liquid is not necessary, and alternatively (or additionally) the apparatus 100 may comprise a refrigerator for cooling the liquid, a carbonator for carbonating the liquid; or other systems that otherwise condition the liquid. In this embodiment, the liquid in the tank 152 may be dispensed to the beverage forming station 11 via a conduit 156. Liquid may be discharged from the tank 152 by an air pump 154, the air pump 154 being operated to force air into the tank 152 to pressurize the tank and force the liquid in a conduit 156 to the beverage forming station 11. Likewise, liquid may be caused to flow from the tank 152 to the beverage forming station 11 in other ways, such as by opening valve 151 to force additional unheated liquid into the tank 152, thereby causing water to drain from the tank 152 into conduit 156. A flow sensor or other suitable device may be used to determine the amount of liquid delivered to the tank 152, and thus the beverage forming station 11. Alternatively, a pump may be used to force additional liquid into tank 12, or to pump liquid from tank 152 to forming station 11. For example, a specified volume of liquid may be delivered to the forming station 152 by operating a pump to deliver a specified volume of liquid from the source W to the tank 152, for example, a diaphragm pump may deliver 5ml per pump stroke, and thus 100ml of liquid may be delivered to the tank 152 by operating the pump for 20 pump cycles. The liquid may be introduced to the beverage forming station 11 at any suitable pressure, such as 1-2 psig, 30-50 psig, or higher. Although in this embodiment, the conduit 156 is shown extending into the tank 152, the conduit 156 may be arranged in other suitable manners. For example, the outlet of the heater tank 152 to the conduit 156 may be disposed at the topmost end of the tank 152 or otherwise disposed. The conduit 156 may include a check valve or other flow controller, for example, to help prevent backflow from the forming station 11 in the tank conduit 156.

The beverage forming station 11 may use any beverage preparation ingredient, such as ground coffee, tea, flavored beverage mix, or other beverage medium, for example, contained in the cartridge 1 or not contained in the cartridge 1. Alternatively, the beverage forming station 11 may simply serve as an outlet for hot, cold or otherwise conditioned water or other liquid, for example, where the beverage medium is contained in the bottle 2. Once delivery of liquid from the tank 156 to the station 11 is complete, the air pump 154 (or other air pump) may be operated to purge liquid from the beverage forming station 11, at least to some extent, by forcing air into the conduit 156.

The operation of the valve 151, air pump 154, and other components of the apparatus 100 may be controlled by the control circuit 16, for example, the control circuit 16 may include a programmed processor and/or other data processing device and suitable software or other operating instructions, one or more memories (including non-transitory storage media that may store software and/or other operating instructions), temperature and level sensors, pressure sensors, input/output interfaces, communication buses or other links, displays, switches, relays, triacs, or other components necessary to perform desired input/output or other functions.

As noted above, the beverage forming apparatus 100 may include a detector 13, the detector 13 detecting whether the bottle 2 is in the bottle receiving area 12 by detecting the presence or absence of the magnetic element when the protrusion is received by the first recess 32. When the magnetic element is detected, the control circuit 16 may control the apparatus 100 to dispense the stored beverage at more than the threshold volume V_TThe amount of (c) is dispensed from the holding tank to the bottle 2. In certain embodiments, the threshold volume V_TAbout 8 to 20 ounces and the apparatus 100 is configured to dispense 24 or 32 ounces of beverage, for example only when a bottle is detected. If the bottle 2 is removed from the bottle receiving area 12 during beverage formation and the magnetic element is no longer detected, the control unit 16 may prevent the apparatus from dispensing any additional beverage. Apparatus 100 may also be configured to return to vial receiving area 12 if vial 2 is later returned (e.g., magnetic element is again detected), for exampleThe dispensing of the beverage is resumed.

In embodiments in which vial 2 is not used or vial 2 is not detected, control circuitry 24 may be configured such that when the magnetic element is not detected (e.g., when drip tray 40 is engaged with housing 17), the apparatus may only dispense less than threshold volume V_TThe volume of (a). For example, in an embodiment, a container smaller than vial 2 may be associated with housing 17, e.g., positioned at vial receiving area 12 and placed on drip tray 40, to receive less than threshold volume V_TThe beverage volume of (a). In another embodiment, the bottle 2 may be positioned at the bottle receiving area 12 and placed on a drip tray (e.g., the protrusion 30 is not received in the first recess 32) to receive less than the threshold volume V_TThe beverage volume of (a). In some embodiments, the device 100 may dispense a volume of less than about 8 to 20 ounces when the detector 13 detects the absence of the magnetic element (e.g., 8, 12, or 16 ounces of beverage may be dispensed).

As described above, the detector 13 may include one or more sensors (e.g., reed switches, hall effect switches, or another suitable switch) that are closed by receiving the protrusion 30 into the first recess 32. The control circuit 16 may be arranged to suitably interpret any type of signal provided by the detector 13 in order to determine whether the magnetic element, and thus the bottle 2, is present.

In certain embodiments, the apparatus has a drip tray 40 for collecting excess or spilled beverage. The drip tray may have any suitable shape and may be formed from any suitable material, and the present disclosure is not limited in this respect. Similar to the bottles 2, the drip tray 40 may also be placed on the same surface 19 that supports the machine 10 (see, e.g., fig. 11A and 11B, which are perspective views of the bottle receiving area engaging and disengaging the drip tray, respectively).

As shown in fig. 12, the drip tray 40 may have at least one engagement feature, such as a tab 42, to engage the drip tray 40 with the housing 17. The drip tray 40 may also be engaged with the second recess 36 via other suitable engagement features, such as hooks, threads, indentations, or latches. Similar to the protrusion 30, in one embodiment the engagement feature(s) may be permanently attached to the drip tray 40, while in other embodiments the engagement feature(s) may be removably attached to the drip tray 40. In certain embodiments, the engagement feature(s) may be attached to the drip tray 40 in any suitable manner. The engagement feature(s) may also be shaped, formed or constructed in any suitable manner and using any suitable material. The engagement feature(s) may also be of any suitable size. In certain embodiments, the shape and size of the engagement feature(s) may correspond to the shape and size of the second recess 36. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the drip tray need not include features for engaging the drip tray, but rather the drip tray may include recesses that engage with engagement features on the housing.

In certain embodiments, at least one engagement feature engages with the second recess 36 of the housing 17. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that when vial 2 is at vial-receiving region 12 (e.g., vial 2 blocks access to second recess 36 and prevents engagement between the engagement feature(s) and second recess 36), drip tray 40 cannot engage with housing 17.

As shown in fig. 12, the drip tray 40 may have more than one tab 42 for engaging the second recess 36. In certain embodiments, as shown, the drip tray 40 has a plurality of tabs 42 connected to one another. In certain embodiments, the location of the tab(s) or other engagement feature on the drip tray 40 corresponds to the location of the second recess 36 or other complementary engagement feature on the housing 17. For example, the tab(s) 42 may be located above the bottom of the drip tray 40 at the same height as the second recess 36 is located above the bottom of the machine 10. Thus, the tab(s) 42 and the second recess 36 may be located at the same height above the surface on which the machine 10 and drip tray 40 are supported.

The tab(s) 42 on the drip tray 40 may have the same or different shape as the projections 30 associated with the bottle 2. As shown in fig. 13, in certain embodiments, the protrusion 30 is received by the shell 17 (e.g., the second recess 32) at a position that is lower than a position at which the at least one tab 42 engages the shell 17 (e.g., the second recess 36). The tab(s) 42 may also engage the housing to the left, to the right, or below the position where the projection 30 is received by the housing 17, as the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

In certain embodiments, the drip tray 40 may be attached to the housing only when the bottle 2 is not present (e.g., when the bottle 2 is detached from the housing). Also, the bottle may be engaged with the housing only when the drip tray 40 is disengaged from the housing 17 (e.g., the protrusion 30 may be received by the first recess 32). One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the bottle 2 may be positioned at the receiving area by placing the bottle 2 on the drip tray 40. In this embodiment, the bottle 2 is not engaged with the housing 17 (e.g., the protrusion 30 is not received by the first recess 32), but the bottle 2 is still positioned to receive the beverage (i.e., at less than the threshold volume V)_TVolume of (d).

As shown in fig. 11-12, when the drip tray 40 is engaged with the housing 17, the drip tray 40 is not configured to notify the apparatus 100 or otherwise be detected by the machine 10. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the apparatus 100 may be configured with a second detector (not shown) to detect the presence of the drip tray 40, or the detector 13 may detect the presence of the drip tray and bottle. In this embodiment, at least one tab 42 may include a magnetic element (similar to protrusion 30) that is detected by at least one detector (e.g., a reed switch, a hall effect switch, or another suitable switch).

According to an aspect of the invention, a method for controlling a beverage forming apparatus may include placing a bottle at a bottle receiving area of a beverage forming machine, where the bottle has a body defining an interior space for holding a beverage, an opening through which the beverage may be dispensed to the interior space, and a protrusion associated with a lower side of the bottle. In certain embodiments, the device includes a housing having a first recess and the protrusion of the vial has a magnetic element. The bottle may be placed at the bottle receiving area such that the protrusion is inserted within the first recess. In certain embodiments, the opening is positioned below the outlet for dispensing the beverage from the housing when the protrusion is inserted within the first recess.

Next, the detector(s) can detect the presence or absence of the magnetic element (and thus the presence or absence of the vial in the vial-receiving region). Allowing only the beverage forming apparatus to dispense less than the threshold volume V if the magnetic element is not detected by the detector_TThe volume of beverage. In certain embodiments, the absence of the magnetic element only allows dispensing of volumes of less than about 8 to 20 ounces (e.g., 6, 8, 12, or 6 ounces of beverage). Allowing the beverage forming apparatus to dispense a volume V above a threshold if the detector detects the magnetic element_TThe volume of beverage. In some embodiments, detection of the magnetic element allows for dispensing of a beverage volume greater than about 8 to 20 ounces (e.g., 24 or 32 ounces of beverage). In embodiments where the magnetic element is detected and the bottle is removed during beverage formation (e.g., where the magnetic element is not present and then the magnetic element is present), operation of the beverage forming apparatus to dispense the beverage may be paused or suspended. In certain embodiments, returning the bottle 2 to the beverage receiving area 2 (e.g., re-detecting the magnetic element) may allow beverage formation to resume.

While various embodiments are shown and described with respect to the protrusion being associated with the vial and the corresponding recess being formed in the housing, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the protrusion may be associated with the housing and the corresponding recess may be formed in the vial. As shown in fig. 14, for example, the bottle 2 may have a recess 44, the recess 44 may be formed in the lower side of the bottle 2 as shown, but the recess 44 may be formed in another suitable portion of the bottle 2 to receive the projection 46. The protrusion 46 may be associated with a lower portion of the housing 17 or any other suitable portion of the housing 17. In at least some embodiments, the location of the protrusion 46 on the housing 17 corresponds to the location of the recess 44 in the bottle 2. As with other embodiments, the protrusion 46 and the recess 44 may have any suitable shape and size, and in at least some embodiments, the shape and size of the protrusion 46 may correspond to the shape and size of the recess 44.

As shown in fig. 14, the machine 10 may have at least one detector 13 for detecting the presence of the bottle. As in this embodimentThe detector 13 may be located in the protrusion 46, as shown, but the detector 13 may also be located in another part of the housing 17 (e.g. in an outer surface of the housing adjacent the protrusion 46) adapted to detect the presence of the bottle 2. As with the other embodiments, the detector 13 may detect the presence of the magnetic element in the vial 2. As shown in fig. 14, the bottle 2 may include a magnet 39 positioned adjacent to the recess 44. Although magnet 39 is shown behind recess 44 (adjacent the inner surface of recess 44), magnet 39 may be placed above or below recess 44. The magnet 39 may also be positioned adjacent the outer surface of the bottle 2. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other magnetic elements may be used (e.g., all or a portion of the inner surface of the recess 44 may be formed of a magnetic material). As with other embodiments, the detector 13 may detect the vial 2 (e.g., close the switch) only when the protrusion 46 is fully inserted within the recess 44 and the magnet 39 is in close proximity to the detector 13. Also similar to the other embodiments, insertion of the projection 46 into the recess 44 may set the rotational position of the bottle 2 in the bottle receiving area 12. In certain embodiments, when detector 13 detects the presence of a magnetic element, machine 10 is configured to hold the canister to the bottle at more than a threshold volume V_T.To dispense the stored beverage.

For those systems that employ cartridges 1, the beverage forming apparatus 100 may use the cartridges 1 to form a beverage once the cartridges are in the beverage forming station 11. For example, one or more inlet needles may pierce the cartridge 1 (e.g., the lid of the cartridge) to inject heated water or other liquid into the cartridge 1. The injected liquid may be mixed with the beverage medium in the cartridge 1 to form the desired beverage or beverage precursor. The device 100 may also include one or more outlet needles or other elements to puncture or pierce the cartridge 1 at the outlet side (e.g., at the lid of the cartridge) to allow the formed beverage to exit the cartridge 1. Other inlet/outlet piercing structures are also possible, such as multiple needles, showerheads, non-hollow needles, cones, pyramids, knives, blades, and the like. However, other configurations for the inlet or outlet are possible, for example, the cartridge may have a permeable portion that allows water to flow into the cartridge and/or beverage to exit the cartridge 1. Furthermore, it is not necessary that the inlet and/or outlet pierce the cartridge to provide liquid to the cartridge or to receive beverage from the cartridge. Alternatively, communication with the cartridge may be performed using any suitable port or other feature.

While aspects of the invention may be used with any suitable cartridge, or no cartridge at all, certain cartridges may include features that facilitate operation of the beverage forming apparatus 100. As known to those skilled in the art, the cartridge 1 may take any suitable form, such as those commonly referred to as pouches, pods, capsules, containers or other forms. For example, the cartridge 1 may include an impermeable outer lid within which a beverage medium such as roast and ground coffee or other object is contained. The cartridge 1 may also include a filter element so that the beverage formed by the interaction of the liquid with the beverage medium passes through the filter element before being dispensed into the bottle 2. As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, cartridges in the form of pods (e.g., having opposed permeable filter paper layers encapsulating beverage medium) may use the exterior of the cartridge 1 to filter the formed beverage. In this example, the cartridge 1 may be used in a beverage machine to form any suitable beverage such as tea, coffee, other infusion-type beverages, beverages formed from liquid or powdered concentrates, etc. Thus, the cartridge 1 may contain any suitable beverage medium, such as ground coffee, tea leaves, dried herbal tea, powdered beverage concentrates, dried fruit extracts or powders, powdered or liquid concentrated bouillons or other soups, powdered or liquid medicinal materials (such as vitamin powders, pharmaceuticals or other medicaments, nutraceuticals, etc.), and/or other beverage preparation materials (such as milk or other creamers, sweeteners, thickeners, flavorings, etc.). In an illustrative embodiment, the cartridge 1 contains a beverage medium configured for use in a machine for forming coffee and/or tea beverages, however, the invention is not limited in this respect.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the apparatus may be configured to receive cartridges of different sizes and/or cartridges having different amounts of beverage medium to dispense different volumes of beverage to the bottle. For example, in certain embodiments, the cartridge may be adapted to form and dispense more than about 20 ounces of beverage, while in other embodiments, the cartridge may be adapted to form less than about 20 ounces of beverage. Although two beverage volume ranges are mentioned in these examples, it should be appreciated that the cartridge may be configured and sized to dispense more or less volumes of beverage, as the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

As used herein, "beverage" refers to a liquid substance intended for consumption, which liquid substance is formed upon interaction of a liquid with a beverage medium. Thus, beverage refers to liquids that are ready for consumption, e.g., dispensed into a cup and ready for consumption, as well as liquids that undergo other processes or treatments such as filtration or the addition of a flavoring, creamer, sweetener, another beverage, etc., prior to being consumed.

While the present teachings are described in conjunction with various embodiments and examples, it is intended that the present teachings not be limited to these embodiments or examples. On the contrary, the present teachings encompass various alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only.

Claims (31)

1. A beverage forming apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a beverage bottle having: a body defining an interior space for holding a beverage; an opening through which beverage is dispensed into the interior space; and a magnetic element associated with a lower portion of the bottle;

a housing having a bottle receiving area to receive the bottle and wherein the bottle is associated with the housing to receive the beverage dispensed within the opening;

a protrusion associated with a lower side of one of the bottle and the housing;

a first recess for receiving the protrusion, the first recess being formed in the other of the bottle and the housing;

a detector arranged to detect the presence of the magnetic element when the protrusion is inserted in the recess;

a beverage forming station supported by the housing and arranged to combine a precursor liquid with a beverage material to form a beverage that is dispensed into the bottle at the bottle receiving area;

a liquid supply system supported by the housing to provide precursor liquid to the beverage forming station; and

control circuitry arranged to control the liquid supply system to deliver precursor liquid to the beverage forming station to dispense more than a threshold volume of beverage only when the detector detects the magnetic element.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the protrusion is secured to the bottle.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the protrusion comprises a partial disk portion extending from a side of the bottle.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the protrusion has a thickness of less than about 3 cm.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the protrusion is associated with the vial and the magnetic element comprises a magnet attached to the protrusion.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the protrusion is associated with the housing and the probe is attached to the protrusion.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is arranged to control the liquid supply system to deliver precursor liquid to the beverage forming station to dispense only less than a threshold volume of beverage when the magnetic element is not detected by the detector, and wherein the threshold volume is about 8 ounces.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first recess is formed in an outer surface of the housing adjacent the vial receiving area.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first recess and the protrusion set a rotational position of the bottle when the protrusion is received in the first recess.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bottle includes a circular opening at the top of the body and a lid disposed over the circular opening, a surface of the lid having an opening into which the beverage is dispensed.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing includes an outlet for dispensing the beverage, and the opening is positioned below the outlet when the protrusion is inserted within the first recess.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bottle includes a handle disposed on a side of the bottle that can be grasped by a user to lift the bottle.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a drip tray arranged to engage with the housing at the bottle receiving area.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first recess is associated with the housing and the drip tray includes at least one engagement feature to engage with the housing.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one engagement feature comprises a tab extending from the drip tray and having a different shape than the protrusion.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the housing includes a second recess to receive the at least one engagement feature.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first recess is located below the second recess.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the bottle is positionable to be received at the bottle receiving area only when the drip tray is removed, the protrusion being received by the first recess.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is supported by a surface and the bottle is supported by the surface when the bottle is at the bottle receiving area and the protrusion is received at the first recess.

20. A method for controlling a beverage forming apparatus having a housing with a bottle receiving area to receive a bottle and one of the first recess and protrusion associated with an exterior surface of the housing, the method comprising:

placing a bottle at the bottle receiving area, the bottle having: a body defining an interior space for holding a beverage; an opening through which beverage is dispensed into the interior space; the other of the recess and the projection, the other associated with a lower side of the bottle; and, a magnetic element associated with a lower portion of the bottle;

inserting the protrusion into the first recess;

detecting the presence of the magnetic element; and

controlling the liquid supply system to deliver precursor liquid to the beverage forming station to dispense more than a threshold volume of beverage only when the detector detects the magnetic element.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein placing the bottle comprises placing the bottle with the protrusion secured to the bottle.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein placing comprises placing a vial having an associated protrusion, and detecting comprises detecting a magnet attached to the protrusion.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein placing the bottle comprises placing the bottle with a circular opening at a top of the body and a lid disposed over the circular opening, a surface of the lid having an opening into which the beverage is dispensed.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein placing the bottle at the bottle receiving area comprises placing the bottle on a surface supporting the apparatus.

25. The method of claim 20, further comprising: a drip tray, wherein placing the bottle at the bottle receiving area comprises first disengaging the drip tray from the housing.

26. The method of claim 20, further comprising: controlling the liquid supply system to deliver precursor liquid to the beverage forming station to dispense only less than a threshold volume of beverage when the magnetic element is not detected by the detector, wherein the threshold volume is about 8 ounces.

27. A beverage forming apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a beverage bottle having a body defining an interior space for holding a beverage and an opening through which the beverage is dispensed into the interior space;

a housing having a bottle receiving area to receive the bottle and wherein the bottle is associated with the housing to receive the beverage dispensed within the opening;

a detector arranged to detect the presence of the vial when the vial is in the vial receiving region;

a beverage forming station supported by the housing and arranged to combine a precursor liquid with a beverage material to form a beverage, the beverage being dispensed from an outlet at the bottle receiving area;

a liquid supply system supported by the housing to provide precursor liquid to the beverage forming station; and

control circuitry arranged to control the liquid supply system to deliver precursor liquid to the beverage forming station to dispense more than a threshold volume of beverage only when the detector detects the bottle, and arranged to control the liquid supply system to deliver precursor liquid to the beverage forming station to dispense only less than a threshold volume of beverage when the detector does not detect the bottle.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the threshold volume is about 8 ounces.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising: a drip tray positionable at the bottle receiving area and capable of detecting the bottle by the detector at the bottle receiving area only if the drip tray is removed from the bottle receiving area.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the vial includes a protrusion extending from the vial body, the housing includes a first recess configured to receive the protrusion, and the detector is arranged to detect the vial only when the protrusion is received within the first recess.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the housing comprises a protrusion extending from the housing, the vial comprises a recess arranged to receive the protrusion, and the detector is arranged to detect the vial only when the protrusion is received within the recess.