Nestec S.a.

Societe Des Produits Nestle S.a.

Fabien Ludovic Agon

Alfred Yoakim

Youcef Ait Bouziad

Christophe Boussemart

Marc Delbreil

Antoine Ryser

Alexandre Kollep

Marco Magatti

Alexandre Perentes

Christian Jarisch

Gilles Gavillet

Jean-Marc Flick

Matthieu Ozanne

Peter Möri

Philippe Dumur

Andre Noth

Da Mi Byun

Gregory Savioz

Matthias Schmiedbauer

Minh Quan Phan

André Noth

Sheldon Fernandes

Markus Johannes Mayer

Frederique Huillet

Grégory Savioz

Bianca Hanauer

Christophe S Boussemart

Frédérique Huillet

The invention pertains to the field of the beverage preparation machines having an ingredient processing module for preparing a beverage with at least one ingredient supplied with a capsule. The machine comprises a positioner arranged to hold at least one capsule out of the ingredient processing module. It further comprises a sensing arrangement adapted to detect an event related to the insertion by a user of a capsule and/or the presence of the capsule on or into the positioner. The machine is configured, upon detection of the event, to transfer the capsule to the ingredient processing module by using transfer means, and then to start the preparation of the beverage. More particularly, the invention relates to a machine providing a convenient and safe solution to fully automate the preparation of a beverage.

Automatic beverage machine

The invention relates to method for preparing a foodstuff in a food processing system (), the system comprising solid state radio frequency cooking means () that transmits an electromagnetic wave to a food substrate and a cavity where the food is cooked, the method monitoring the return power losses, which are the difference between the power emitted by the solid state radio frequency cooking means () and the reflected power in the cavity, for optimising the delivery of the radio frequency power to the food substrate by controlling and adjusting at least two parameters: the emitted frequency of the solid state radio frequency cooking means () and the distance of the cooking means () to the food substrate. In the method of the invention, the dielectric properties, the water content and/or the compaction of the food substrate are monitored throughout the preparation method.

Method for preparing a foodstuff with a food processing system

Disposable foaming device () for foaming a fluid () comprising a container compartment () and a foaming compartment (), the container compartment () being pressurized by primary incoming air (') so that the fluid () is driven into the foaming compartment (), wherein the foaming compartment () is provided with secondary incoming air (&#x2032;) to be mixed with the fluid () coming from the container compartment (), the foaming compartment () being designed in such a way that the mixture of air and fluid () is moved under certain level of shear stress calculated so that it allows the mixture of air and fluid () to be emulsified in the foaming compartment (). Typically, the foaming compartment () comprises an inner cylinder () and an outer cylinder (), the inner cylinder () and the outer cylinder () being arranged concentrically so that a gap () is formed between them, the inner cylinder () being rotatable with respect to the outer cylinder (), such that the mixture of fluid () and air is emulsified when driven through the gap ().

Disposable foaming device

A machine () for dispensing a beverage () from a capsule () has: an external housing () having an external front face (), two external spaced-apart lateral side faces (') that extend rearwards behind the external front face () and that face each other; a beverage outlet () located on the external front face () and above a front area () for placing a user-receptacle () for collecting beverage () from the outlet (); and a capsule handling device () that has a first part () and a second part () that are relatively movable between a capsule transfer position and a capsule extraction position. At least one part () of the first and second parts () is arranged to translate towards and away from at least one of the two external lateral side faces (&#x2032;) so that the first and second parts () relatively move between the transfer and the extraction positions.

Shallow machine

The present invention relates to a beverage preparation device for preparing hot and cold beverages, the device () comprising a hot extraction module () comprising a brewing unit () for injection of hot liquid into a beverage ingredients containing capsule, a hot beverage outlet () connected to the brewing unit () for dispensing of a hot extracted beverage, and a cooling module () comprising a cooling reservoir () for receiving the hot extracted beverage, wherein the hot beverage outlet () and the cooling module () are arranged moveably relative to each other such that the hot extracted beverage may be selectively dispensed from the hot beverage outlet () into the cooling reservoir () of the cooling module () in at least one relative position of the hot beverage outlet () and the cooling module ().

Beverage preparation device for hot and cold beverages

A machine () for preparing a beverage from at least one ingredient () comprises: an ingredient processing module (); an ingredient passage () having an ingredient mouth () for inserting along an insertion direction () an ingredient from outside such machine () into the ingredient processing module; and a cover () pivotable between a position covering the ingredient passage and a position uncovering the ingredient passage, The cover () is pivotable about a pivoting axis () that is generally parallel to the insertion direction () and/or that is generally perpendicular to the mouth () of the passage ().

Beverage machine with a cover for an ingredient inlet

The invention concerns a brewing unit () having a cavity for enclosing a food ingredient contained in a package (C), comprising first () and second () cavity parts, and fluid injection means (), characterized in that said first and second cavity parts () are hinged in a pivotal arrangement between open and closed positions and in that, when said cavity parts are pivoted in a closed position, the fluid injection means () and/or the first cavity part () are movable in translation relative to the second cavity part (), between:&#x2014;a closed unlocked position that allows relative pivotal movement between cavity parts, and&#x2014;a closed locked position wherein said cavity parts are translated in contact with each other to close said brewing cavity, and wherein said injection means () protrude inside the brewing cavity to pierce a wall of the portion package.

Brewing unit for a food preparation machine

The invention concerns a food or beverage preparation machine () for preparing a flowable food product or a beverage by mixing a fluid with a precursor ingredient, said machine comprising: characterized in that said base () and said detachable functional element () both have cooperating magnetic attachment means such that the detachable element and the base can be removably connected with an attracting magnetic effect, and then disconnected by rotating said detachable element relative to said base with a repelling magnetic effect.

Food or beverage preparation machine with detachable brewing unit

A machine () for preparing a beverage comprises: a mixing unit () for receiving a capsule () containing a pre-portioned flavoring ingredient; a liquid circuit () for circulating a liquid from a liquid reservoir () into the mixing unit for mixing said flavoring ingredient and said liquid to form the beverage (); a beverage outlet () for dispensing such beverage upon formation to a beverage dispensing area () for supporting a user-cup or a user-mug (); and a carrying handle () for seizing and carrying such machine single-handed. The carrying handle (), in particular when seized single-handed during such carrying: extends over and above said beverage dispensing area (); and/or has a seizure surface () forming a loop () in cross-section around the mixing unit () and/or the beverage outlet (), the seizure surface being seizable by a single human hand () over a predominant part of the cross-sectional loop ().

Beverage machine with a handy outlet

A beverage preparation machine () comprises: an arrangement () for processing one or more beverage ingredients to dispense a beverage; a control unit () connected to the ingredient processing arrangement for controlling the processing of such one or more beverage ingredients; and a communication module () for communication with an external network (). The communication module () is prevented from controlling the ingredient processing arrangement ().

Beverage machine for a network

A machine () for preparing a beverage comprises: a handle () having a drive portion () arranged to be contacted and driven by a human hand to move the handle into a beverage preparation position; and a user-interface () for initiating beverage preparation. This drive portion comprises this user-interface.

Ergonomic handle with user-interface

The present invention relates to beverage preparation machine () with a virtual shopping functionality. The machine comprises a touch screen () and a control unit (). The touch screen () is adapted to display an image () of the interior of a shop offering goods () related to the machine () on the touch screen (), to display an image of a container () on said touch screen (), and to submit information on a touch operation to the control unit (). The displayed interior corresponds to the interior of a physical shop offering said goods (), in particular to the interior of a shop of a chain of physical shops having a standardized presentation of said goods (). The control unit () is adapted to accept selection of a good () for purchase upon detecting a touch operation on a good () on the touch screen () and on the container () on the touch screen ().

Method, medium, and system for a beverage preparation machine with virtual shopping functionality

The present invention relates to a beverage preparation machine with ambience emulation functionality. A providing arrangement () provides data with visible 5 content for generating a predefined ambience when reproduced, wherein the provided data are linked to context information, said context information being indicative of a situation. An acquisition arrangement () acquires at least one actual context 10 information indicating an actual situation, and a display () reproduces data being associated to the acquired actual context information for generating an ambience related to the actual situation.

Beverage preparation machine with ambience emulation functionality

The present invention relates to a beverage preparation machine () having an extended user-advisory functionality, comprising a control unit () for recognizing an actual or upcoming event triggering said user-advisory functionality, such as a disturbance of such machine () based on monitored machine parameters or a machine contextual event, a communication module () for communicating with a remote external device () via a communication network (), and a display () for displaying messages, wherein the control unit () in said user-advisory functionality is further adapted to establish a connection via the communication module () to said external device () offering a resource for managing the actual or upcoming event, and to control the display of a message on the display () indicating the actual or upcoming event and advising a user on managing said event. The present invention further relates to a program stored on a memory device and executable by a control unit () of the beverage preparation machine () for providing an extended user-advisory functionality for a beverage preparation machine ().

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Le Bouveret, Switzerland

Fabien Ludovic Agon