Keurig Green Mountain, Inc.

Keurig, Inc.

Other

Keurig Green Mountian, Inc.

James E Shepard

Ian Tinkler

Paul K Metaxatos

Steffen F Koury

Scott M Vogel

Karen Gallagher

David Manly

Geoffrey Y Smith

Stoyan Plamenov Hristov

James T McGee

Da Deng

Gregory Hurley

Jonathan Alexander Brodie

Stuart Jay Foster

Allison Cummings

Ben C Yoder

Stephanie Simione

Yoav Rabino

Michelle V Stacy

Christopher Godfrey

Peter Thomas Launie, Jr

Thomas Vitella

William T Jacobs

Jianming Huang

Kevin P Sullivan

Brent Boswell

Jaime Zuri

Tom Cominelli

Peter Thomas Launie

Joseph George Fucci

William Philip McHugh

Kevin Thomas Brandimarte

Finn Brudevold

Mario Liuzza

Patrick Lazatin

Timothy MacLean

Peter Nicholas Woskov

Francis C Nutter

Jennifer Zimmerman

Darius Dilmaghani

Jordan Dean Jack Greiner

Gregory Franco

Matthew Johnsen

Constance L Fortini

Jordan Dean Greiner

Timothy Maclean

William Philip Mchugh

Patrick J Lazatin

Francis Nutter

Stoyan Hristov

A beverage forming method and system arranged to allow a user to change one or more brew parameters used by a beverage machine control circuit to perform automatic control during a beverage dispensing operation. For example, a user can adjust a volume of a beverage to be dispensed while the beverage is being dispensed in the user's cup, and the control circuit will adjust automatic control of the dispensing process based on the adjusted volume from the user.

Method and apparatus for adjusting brew parameters during dispensing

Method and apparatus for forming both carafe quantities and smaller (e.g., cup) quantities of a beverage using a cartridge-based beverage machine. A beverage forming machine accommodates cartridges having different sizes and/or shapes, including different rim sizes/shapes. The outlet used for receiving a beverage from a standard cartridge differs from the outlet used for receiving the beverage from a carafe cartridge inserted in a same cartridge holder. Beverage may exit the cartridge in an upward direction in some embodiments.

Apparatus for beverage production

Beverage machine

A method and apparatus for opening and closing a cartridge holder of a beverage forming machine. The cartridge holder may have an opening arranged to receive and hold a cartridge with the cartridge holder. The opening may be adjustable in size and/or shape to allow the cartridge holder to receive and engage with cartridges of different size and/or shape. The cartridge holder may include one or more movable portions that are adjustable in position to effectively adjust a size and/or shape of the opening.

Beverage machine cartridge holder

Method and apparatus for receiving, moving and holding a cartridge. A cartridge holder may be movable between an open position in which the cartridge holder is in an upwardly inclined orientation to receive a cartridge and a closed position in which the cartridge holder is in a downwardly inclined orientation. A cover may be arranged to at least partially cover the opening of the cartridge holder with the cartridge holder in the closed position, yet be positioned away from the opening with the cartridge holder in the open position.

Beverage forming device and method with moving beverage cartridge holder

A method and apparatus for controlling operation of a beverage forming machine arranged for use with cartridges of different types, or receiving an upwardly flowing beverage from a cartridge. A beverage outlet may be movable to receive beverage from a cartridge of a first type, and to not receive beverage from a cartridge of a second type. Different cartridge characteristics may be detected by multiple detectors, e.g., for detecting a presence/absence of a cartridge, a cartridge type and/or an authorization feature.

Beverage forming apparatus with cartridge detectors

A beverage forming system and method in which a wall member mounted to a frame of the system defines a first portion of a chamber, and a cartridge holder movably mounted relative to the frame and the wall member defines a second portion of the chamber. The cartridge holder may have an opening to receive a cartridge and be arranged to hold and move a cartridge between an open position and a closed position. A cover, which may be moveable relative to the wall member and/or the cartridge holder, may be arranged to cover the opening of the cartridge holder with the cartridge holder in the closed position. Thus, with the cartridge holder in the closed position and the cover covering the opening, the cartridge holder, the wall member and the cover define the chamber in a closed state in which a cartridge held by the cartridge holder is enclosed.

Beverage forming device with multi-part beverage cartridge holder

A beverage forming system and method in which characteristics of a dispensed beverage are controlled. A beverage forming system may include an outlet chamber having an inlet opening to receive beverage from a beverage forming chamber, and an outlet opening to output beverage. The outlet chamber may have a standpipe in the outlet chamber between the inlet and the outlet openings that prevents a direct passage of beverage to the outlet openings, thus controlling characteristics of the beverage, such as an amount of foam, the size of bubbles in a foam, etc. The standpipe may have a portion extending upwardly from a bottom of the outlet chamber and impeding a direct flow path between the inlet and the outlet openings, thus forcing flow to pass around and/or over the standpipe portion.

Beverage forming device with beverage outlet control

A beverage forming system and method in which an activation button is arranged on a movable cartridge holder. A beverage forming system may include a cartridge holder movably mounted to a frame and having an opening to receive a cartridge such that the cartridge holder is arranged to hold and move a cartridge between an open position and a closed position. An activation button may be mounted on a top of the cartridge holder with the cartridge holder in the closed position, allowing easy access to the button once the cartridge holder is closed. Operation of the activation button may cause the system to begin a beverage forming process that includes introducing fluid to the cartridge via an inlet.

Beverage forming device with activation button

Apparatus with beverage cartridge holder having movable outlet

Apparatus for cup and carafe beverage production

Beverage carafe

A beverage forming method and system in which a carafe with an associated magnetic element is positionable at a carafe receiving area. One of a protrusion and a first recess is associated with the carafe and the other of the protrusion and the first recess is associated with a housing. The housing includes a detector arranged to detect the presence of the magnetic element when the protrusion is inserted into the first recess. Beverage formation of an amount greater than a threshold volume is enabled when the detector detects the magnetic element.

Method and apparatus for beverage carafe detection

Growing community of inventors

Marblehead, MA, United States of America

James E Shepard