Refillable consumable beverage flavoring cartridge

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9664437-B2
Application number	US-91534210-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2010
Priority date	Oct 29, 2010
Publication date	May 30, 2017
Grant date	May 30, 2017

Abstract

A refrigerator includes a refrigerator cabinet, a freezer compartment, a fresh food compartment, a door providing access to the refrigerator, and a beverage dispensing system. The beverage dispensing system includes a beverage cartridge. The beverage cartridge includes a filter, a pump, and a beverage medium, wherein the beverage medium is combined with water to produce a flavored beverage. The beverage medium may be a powder or a syrup, which when mixed with water, produces a desired flavored beverage. The beverage cartridge is combined and connected with the beverage dispensing unit to filter and pump water in to pass through and mix with the flavor medium to produce a flavored beverage which may be passed through the refrigerator to an output where a user can fill a container with the flavored beverage.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A refrigerator, comprising:
a refrigerator cabinet;
a freezer compartment disposed within the refrigerator cabinet;
a fresh food compartment disposed within the refrigerator cabinet;
a door for providing access to the fresh food compartment;
a beverage dispensing system operatively connected to the door; and
a single cartridge the cartridge comprising a filter, a pump, and a beverage medium all disposed within the cartridge, said beverage medium being a powder; and
wherein the cartridge is configured to filter water with the filter to produce filtered water and pump the filtered water through the beverage medium using the pump and substantially all within the cartridge;
whereby the beverage dispensing system includes the beverage medium but not the filter;
said single pump configured to pump the water into and out of the cartridge; and
said single cartridge being refillable with said beverage medium through a beverage medium access port in the cartridge, said single cartridge being reusable such that the single cartridge can be used in conjunction with the beverage dispensing system more than once;
said filter and said pump being the same with each reuse of said single cartridge.

2. The refrigerator of claim 1 further comprising a water system disposed within the refrigerator cabinet to supply water to the cartridge for exposure to the medium to form a beverage drink for dispensement from the beverage dispensing system.

3. The refrigerator of claim 2 wherein the beverage dispensing system further comprising a heating system.

4. The refrigerator of claim 3 wherein the filter comprises an ion filter adapted to remove minerals in the water.

5. The refrigerator of claim 4 wherein the water is hot water.

6. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein the cartridge further comprises a reservoir.

7. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein the cartridge comprises a plurality of input ports and a plurality of output ports.

8. The refrigerator of claim 7 wherein the plurality of input ports includes a filter input port and wherein the plurality of output ports includes a filter output port.

9. The refrigerator of claim 7 wherein the plurality of input ports includes a pump input port and wherein the plurality of output ports includes a pump output port.

10. A method of reusing a flavor cartridge in a refrigerator beverage dispensing system of a refrigerator to produce a flavored beverage, comprising:
providing a single, reusable cartridge filled with a beverage medium, said medium being a powder, the cartridge also including a single pump and a filter disposed therein;
passing water through the filter outside of the beverage dispensing system to produce filtered water;
passing the filtered water through the beverage medium in the beverage dispensing system via the single pump in the cartridge to produce a flavored beverage for dispensing from the refrigerator; and
dispensing the flavored beverage via the single pump;
wherein the water is filtered and passed through the beverage medium substantially all within the single, reusable cartridge;
said single cartridge being refillable through a beverage medium access port with said beverage medium and reusable such that the single cartridge can be used in conjunction with the beverage dispensing system more than once;
said filter and said pump being the same with each reuse of said single cartridge.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the pump of the cartridge passes the filtered water into the beverage dispensing system, including through the beverage medium in the reusable cartridge.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising dispensing the flavored beverage from the refrigerator.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the filter includes an ion exchange filter.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising passing the filtered water through a heating system to produce hot water.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the flavored beverage is a hot flavored beverage.

16. A refrigerator, comprising:
a refrigerator cabinet;
a freezer compartment disposed within the refrigerator cabinet;
a fresh food compartment disposed within the refrigerator cabinet;
a door for providing access to the fresh food compartment;
a beverage dispensing system operatively connected to the door; and
a single cartridge the cartridge comprising a filter, a pump, and a beverage medium all disposed within the cartridge, said beverage medium being a powder; and
wherein the cartridge is configured to filter water with the filter to produce filtered water and pump the filtered water through the beverage medium using the pump and substantially all within the cartridge;
whereby the beverage dispensing system includes the beverage medium but not the filter;
said single pump configured to pump the water into and out of the cartridge; and
said single cartridge being refillable with said beverage medium through a beverage medium access port in the cartridge, said single cartridge being refillable and reusable such that the single cartridge can be used in conjunction with the beverage dispensing system more than once;
said filter and said pump being the same with each reuse of said single cartridge.

Assignees

• Anselmino Philip A
• Chase Kevin M
• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Anselmino Philip A
• Chase Kevin M

Classifications

• F25D23/126 Primary

  Water cooler · CPC title

• A47J31/00

  Apparatus for making beverages (household machines or implements for straining foodstuffs A47J19/00; preparation of non-alcoholic beverages, e.g. by adding ingredients to fruit or vegetable juices, A23L2/00; coffee or tea pots A47G19/14; tea infusers A47G19/16; brewing of beer C12C; preparation of wine or other alcoholic beverages C12G) · CPC title

• A47J31/407

  with ingredient-containing cartridges; Cartridge-perforating means · CPC title

• A47J31/06

  Filters or strainers for coffee or tea makers {; Holders therefor} · CPC title

• F25D2323/121

  the refrigerator is characterised by a water filter for the water/ice dispenser · CPC title