Beverage preparation machine with seal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023218105-A1
Application number	US-202118006170-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 23, 2021
Priority date	Jul 24, 2020
Publication date	Jul 13, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A machine (1) for serving a beverage (7) via a dispensing outlet (8) to a consumer receptacle (9) by mixing water (3) from a water source (3) with a flavouring ingredient (2), has a mixing unit (10) that comprises: a stationary support (11); a seat (12) having an ingredient opening (120); a closure part (13) configured to close and open the ingredient opening (120); and a wall part (14) that is movable inside the seat (12). The seat (12), the closure part (13) and the wall part (14) are: mounted to the support (11); and relatively movable between a transfer configuration and a mixing chamber configuration in which the seat (12) and the closure part (13) and the wall part (14) form a mixing chamber (12′) fluidically connected with the water source (3′). The mixing unit (10) has a closure seal (15) which is located between the closure part (13) and the seat (12) when closed by the seat (12) so that the closure seal (15) is urged between the seat (12) and the closure part (13) in a direction that is substantially parallel to a direction of opening and/or closing the seat (12) by the closure part (13).

First claim

1 . A machine for handling a flavouring ingredient and preparing a beverage therefrom and serving said beverage via a dispensing outlet to a consumer receptacle comprising:
a support that is stationary during said handling of said flavouring; a seat having an ingredient opening configured to receive said flavouring ingredient unwrapped before mixing with said water; a closure part configured to close and open the ingredient opening; and a wall part that is movable inside the seat and dimensioned to be in sliding contact along and over inner boundaries of said inner shape of the seat at a seal that is stationary relative to the wall part and that seals the wall part against the inner shape, the seat, the closure part and the wall part being: directly or indirectly mounted to the support; and relatively movable between: a transfer configuration for supplying said flavouring ingredient into the seat and/or removing such ingredient upon beverage preparation; and a mixing chamber configuration in which the seat and the closure part and the wall part form a mixing chamber fluidically connected with the water source, during beverage preparation, said flavouring ingredient being mixed with said water in the mixing chamber to form said beverage prior to serving thereof via the dispensing outlet, the mixing unit comprises a closure seal, which is located between the closure part and the seat when closed by the seat so that the closure seal is urged between the seat and the closure part in a direction that is substantially parallel to a direction of opening and/or closing the seat by the closure part.

2 . The machine of claim 1 , wherein the closure part comprises a peripheral sealing member displaceably mounted on a closure holder and urged away from the holder against the seat.

3 . The machine of claim 1 , wherein the mixing chamber is in fluid communication with a valve configured to release pressure from the mixing chamber when containing said flavouring ingredient prior to driving said water into the mixing chamber for mixing with the flavouring ingredient.

4 . The machine of claim 1 , wherein the seat is configured to move relatively to the support according to simultaneous and/or successive geometric translation and geometric rotation.

5 . The machine of claim 1 , wherein the mixing unit comprises said wall part actuator that is connected to the wall part by a wall part transmission.

6 . The machine of claim 1 , wherein the support and the seat are connected by a guide-rail arrangement that is stationary relative to the support and a guide-rail counter-member arrangement that is stationary relative to the seat, or vice versa, such as an arrangement that is fixed to or integral with the support and/or an arrangement that is fixed to or integral with the seat.

7 . The machine of claim 6 , wherein the guide-rail arrangement has a first guide-rail section and a second guide-rail section that is different to the first guide-rail section, and wherein the guide-rail counter-member arrangement has a first guide-rail counter-member cooperating with the first guide-rail section and a second guide-rail counter-member cooperating with the second guide-rail section such that the first and second guide-rail sections and the first and second guide-rail counter members cooperate to set together a positioning and orientation of the seat relative to the support.

8 . The machine of claim 1 , wherein the mixing unit comprises a waste ingredient remover configured to remove a waste ingredient, from the ingredient opening upon beverage preparation.

9 . The machine of claim 1 , wherein, after an introduction into the seat's ingredient opening in the transfer configuration of at least one solid portion of a self-supporting agglomerate of said flavouring ingredient and subsequent relative movement from the transfer configuration into the mixing chamber configuration and prior to serving said beverage via the dispensing outlet,
said control unit is configured to control a preconditioning of the flavouring ingredient by: a portion break-up relative movement of the seat and the closure part and the wall part, such as by controlling said or one or more actuators; and a portion loosening supply of water from a or said water source into the mixing chamber, such as by controlling a or said liquid driver.

10 . The machine of claim 9 , wherein the control unit is configured to control via said at least one actuator said break-up relative movement between the wall part and the closure part so as to exercise a compression force onto the solid portion(s) between the closure and wall parts to break-up the solid portion(s).

11 . The machine of claim 9 , wherein the control unit, to control the preconditioning of the flavouring ingredient, controls said liquid driver to supply said portion loosening supply of water into the mixing chamber and then to interrupt the supply of water for a period of time.

12 . A combination of a machine for handling a flavouring ingredient and preparing a beverage therefrom and serving said beverage via a dispensing outlet to a consumer receptacle comprising:
a support that is stationary during said handling of said flavouring ingredient; a seat having an ingredient opening configured to receive said flavouring ingredient unwrapped before mixing with said water; a closure part configured to close and open the ingredient opening; and a wall part that is movable inside the seat and dimensioned to be in sliding contact along and over inner boundaries of said inner shape of the seat at a seal that is stationary relative to the wall part and that seals the wall part against the inner shape, the seat, the closure part and the wall part being: directly or indirectly mounted to the support; and relatively movable between: a transfer configuration for supplying said flavouring ingredient into the seat and/or removing such ingredient upon beverage preparation; and a mixing chamber configuration in which the seat and the closure part and the wall part form a mixing chamber fluidically connected with the water source, during beverage preparation, said flavouring ingredient being mixed with said water in the mixing chamber to form said beverage prior to serving thereof via the dispensing outlet, the mixing unit comprises a closure seal which is located between the closure part and the seat when closed by the seat so that the closure seal is urged between the seat and the closure part in a direction that is substantially parallel to a direction of opening and/or closing the seat by the closure part and a flavouring ingredient for preparing said beverage in the machine.

13 . A method of handling a flavouring ingredient and preparing a beverage therefrom and serving a beverage via a dispensing outlet to a consumer receptacle, said method comprising: providing a machine for handling a flavouring ingredient and preparing a beverage therefrom and serving said beverage via a dispensing outlet to a consumer receptacle comprising:
a support that is stationary during said handling of said flavouring ingredient; a seat having an ingredient opening configured to receive said flavouring ingredient unwrapped before mixing with said water; a closure part configured to close and open the ingredient opening; and a wall part that is movable inside the seat and dimensioned to be in sliding contact along and over inner boundaries of said inner shape of the seat at a seal that is stationary relative to the wall part and that seals the wall part against the inner shape, the seat, the closure part and the wall part being: directly or indirectly mounted to the support; and

Assignees

• Nestle Sa

Inventors

• Dupasquier Yan
• Gavillet Gilles
• Moser Renzo
• Thomas Christian

Classifications

• A47J31/3614 Primary

  Means to perform transfer from a loading position to an infusing position · CPC title

• A47J31/3604 Primary

  with a mechanism arranged to move the brewing chamber between loading, infusing and ejecting stations · CPC title

• A47J31/3619

  Means to remove coffee after brewing · CPC title

• A47J31/401

  whereby the powder ingredients and the water are delivered to a mixing bowl · CPC title

• A47J31/405

  with one or more infusion chambers moving successively between loading, infusing and dumping stations · CPC title