Nestec S.a.

Societe Des Produits Nestle S.a.

Laurastar Sa

Be Wtr Sa

Jean-Luc Denisart

Christian Talon

Enzo Bonacci

HansPeter Pleisch

Alfred Yoakim

Jean-Paul Denisart

Antoine Cahen

Antoine Ryser

Christian Jarisch

Christophe Boussemart

Alain Meier

Samuel Odet

Vincent Rognon

Thomas Kaeser

Zenon Ioannis Mandralis

Laurent Seydoux

Yann Epars

Andre Noth

Bertrand Guyon

Marco Magatti

Alexa Perrin

Christophe Sebastien Paul Heydel

Frédéric Doleac

Sylvain DeCastel

Alexandre Kollep

Yves Marmier

Nihan Dogan

Lucio Scorrano

Pierre Struzka

Frederic Doleac

Etienne Lebreton

Cedric Beausire

Larry Sacha Baudet

Marc Raederer

Jean-Luc Colantonio

Stéphane Pellegrini

Samer Abdo

Peter Koch

Yann Mieville

Frank Römer

Ralph Kugler

Roman Leuzinger

Patrick Caprotti

Mohamed Raad

Abdelmalek Benelmouffok

Didier Pont

Cynthia Scherz

Patrick Kern

Hans Peter Pleisch

Silvio Butscher

Akos Spiegel

Philippe Baenninger

Sebastien Dassi

Damien Neurohr

Sébastien Dassi

Ahmed Azouz

Anders Vestreli

Irène Verettas

Stéphane Hentzel

Christoph Czarnetzki

Zenon Loannis Mandralis

Karl Hug

Alex Kollep

Olivier Paillard

Jacques Schaeffer

Chistophe S Boussemart

Denisart Jean-Paul

Christophe Sébastien Paul Heydel

Cédric Beausire

Hanspeter Pleisch

Martin Muller

Fabien Chiappini

Francisco Campiche

Frank Romer

Sylvain Decastel

Christophe S Boussemart

Martin Müller

A beverage preparation machine includes a fluid system comprising a fluid source, a pump, a heating element, at least two container holders adapted for receiving ingredient containers, and a control unit for controlling the fluid system to prepare a beverage by mixing fluid with the beverage ingredient contained in the containers to produce a mixed beverage component in each of the containers. The control unit is further arranged to dispense part or whole of the mixed components sequentially or simultaneously to produce the beverage. The container holders differ from one another for holding containers of different sizes and/or types. Separate fluid injection interfaces have different structural and kinematic configurations and are arranged for independently delivering fluid in one of the corresponding ingredient containers. Each interface is connected to the fluid system and adapted to a different container.

System for multi-ingredient beverage preparation from various container types

The invention concerns a beverage preparation machine () comprising a fluid system comprising a fluid source (), a pump (), a heating element (), at least two container holders () adapted for receiving ingredient containers (), a control unit () for controlling the fluid system to prepare a beverage by mixing fluid with the beverage ingredient contained in the containers to produce a mixed beverage component in each of the containers, wherein the control unit is further arranged to dispense part or whole of the mixed components sequentially or simultaneously to produce the beverage, wherein the container holders () differ from one another for holding containers of different sizes and/or types and, and wherein it further comprises separate fluid injection interfaces () having different structural and kinematic configurations, and arranged for independently delivering fluid in one of the corresponding ingredient containers; each interface being connected to the fluid system and being adapted to a different container.

A container for food or beverage preparation has walls defining at least one compartment adapted for containing at least one precursor ingredient, the walls including at least one fluid connection portion for fluidly coupling to a cooperating fluid connection portion of a food or beverage preparation machine having at least one source of a fluid mixing ingredient, whereby a food or beverage product is prepared within the compartment by mixing the mixing ingredient with the precursor ingredient. The container further includes at least one food or beverage delivery wall, and the container includes built-in pump means suitable for pumping the mixing ingredient from the source when the container is fluidly connected to the machine and for generating a fluid circulation within the at least one compartment, such that a food or beverage product is prepared and expelled through the delivery wall.

Capsule for beverage preparation

A machine () for homogenising a food substance has: a container () with a side wall () and a bottom wall () delimiting a cavity ('); an impeller () with an impelling member () forming an impelling surface (&#x2032;) that is drivable in rotation (r) about a central axial direction (&#x2032;) of the impelling surface (&#x2032;&#x2033;) for imparting a mechanical effect to the food substance; and a module () which has a housing means (&#x2032;) that contains an inner chamber () and that delimits a seat () for the container (), the chamber () containing an electric motor (). The electric motor () has an output drive axis (&#x2032;) with a driver device (&#x2033;) configured to drive a follower device () of the impeller (). The driver device (&#x2033;) and the follower device () are magnetically coupled through a sidewall () and/or bottom wall () of the container (). The driver device (&#x2033;) comprises a ferromagnetic or magnetic field-generating element () that is arranged to be magnetically coupled to a corresponding ferromagnetic or magnetic field-generating element () of the follower device (). The follower device () extends over a predominant part of the bottom wall () of the container () or across a substantial part of the wall () along a diameter thereof. The driver device () extends over a predominant part of a bottom part of the seat () or across a substantial part of the bottom part of the seat () along a diameter thereof. The ferromagnetic and magnetic field generating elements () are positioned at extremal or peripheral parts of the follower device () and of the driver device (&#x2033;).

Machine for homogenising a food substance

A machine () for homogenizing a food substance includes a container () delimiting a cavity (') for containing the food substance. The machine has an impeller () with an impelling member () having a generally disc-shaped or conically-shaped impelling surface (&#x2032;&#x2033;) that is drivable in rotation about a central axial direction (&#x2032;) for imparting a mechanical effect to the food substance in the container () to homogenize different phases in the food substance. The impelling member () has at least one opening () which extends through the member () from the impelling surface (&#x2032;&#x2033;) to an opposite surface () of the member ().

Impeller for food processor

Device for preparing a liquid beverage from a cartridge, comprising a supply unit () for supplying injection fluid to the cartridge (), a cartridge holder () configured to accept and support a cartridge; the said cartridge holder being detachable from the device and complementary insertion means () are configured to allow the cartridge holder to be inserted from its detached position into the supply unit (). The injection means () are provided and form part of the supply unit. The injection means are able to move into engagement. Sealing means () are also provided in association with the injection means in 'order to provide sealing locally between the said injection means and the cartridge.

Device for preparing a liquid beverage from a cartridge

The invention concerns pack () with an inner volume () in which a food or beverage ingredient () is stored and in which a beverage is produced when water is introduced inside,&#x2014;said inner volume () being defined by two sheets of material () joined to one another at their edges and said inner volume () presenting a generally plane shape defining a plane (P) vertically oriented during beverage production,&#x2014;said pack comprising at least one inlet () for introducing water in the inner volume and at least one outlet () for delivering the beverage from said inner volume, the water inlet () and the beverage outlet () being included in one single insert (), said single insert () being positioned at the bottom of the pack and being partially positioned between two joined edges of the sheets of material (), the water inlet () being oriented essentially perpendicularly to the plane (P) defined by the inner volume (), and&#x2014;wherein the single insert () comprises a centring hole () extending essentially perpendicularly to the generally plane (P) shape of the inner volume.

Pack, system and method for preparing beverages

The present invention is directed to a capsule () for containing a food ingredient, adapted to be functionally inserted in the cavity of a food preparation machine (), characterized in that said capsule () comprises at least one resilient portion () that is deformable when said capsule is inserted into the machine cavity, and/or when said cavity is closed, and in that at least one machine operational data is function of the elastic deformation properties of the resilient portion.

Capsule for use in a food preparation machine

The present invention is directed to a food preparation machine () for preparing a food product by mixing a fluid with an ingredient, said machine comprising: i. a base () having a fluid reservoir () and a pump able to withdraw said fluid through fluid-conducting pipes, said base optionally comprising an element suitable for heating and/or chilling said fluid, ii. a brewing unit () comprising connecting means () for connecting fluidly to said fluid-conducting pipes of said base (), and further comprising fluid injection means and at least two cavity parts () able to assemble to create a closed cavity for enclosing said ingredient, such that said brewing unit () can inject fluid through said ingredient under pressure for mixing with said ingredient, characterized in that said brewing unit () is fully detachable from said base (), and comprises locking means () suitable for preventing disassembly of the cavity parts () when fluid pressure within said cavity and/or said ingredient exceeds atmospheric pressure.

Food preparation system

The invention concerns pack () with an inner volume () in which a food or beverage ingredient () is stored and in which a beverage is produced when water is introduced inside, &#x2014;said inner volume () being defined by two sheets of material () joined to one another at their edges and said inner volume () presenting a generally plane shape defining a plane (P) vertically oriented during beverage production, &#x2014;said pack comprising at least one inlet () for introducing water in the inner volume and at least one outlet () for delivering the beverage from said inner volume, the water inlet () and the beverage outlet () being included in one single insert (), said single insert () being positioned at the bottom of the pack and being partially positioned between two joined edges of the sheets of material (), &#x2014;said water inlet () being closed by one sheet of material () defining the inner volume (), &#x2014;wherein the single insert () comprises a centering hole () extending essentially perpendicularly to the generally plane (P) shape of the inner volume. The invention also concerns a machine for preparing a beverage from the pack.

Packs and machine for preparing beverages

A beverage preparation machine includes (i) a reservoir for a fluid, (ii) a brewing head adapted for receiving at least one ingredient capsule, (iii) a pump for pumping a predetermined volume of the fluid from the reservoir to the brewing head, (iv) a heating element for optionally heating the fluid pumped from the reservoir before it enters the capsule, (v) an electronic control board able to receive commands from a control panel of the machine. The control panel includes in combination: &#x2014;a rotating wheel which is linked to the control board such that by rotating and/or pressing the wheel, a beverage preparation parameter is set in the control board, and &#x2014;illuminated means, at least a portion of which has the shape of a schematic cup, which is linked to the control board such that the state of the beverage preparation parameter within the control board is represented on the means.

Beverage preparation system

Capsule for the preparation of a beverage from beverage ingredients contained therein, comprising a body () comprising at least one compartment for receiving said beverage ingredients and a flange-like rim () extending outwardly and transversally to a central axis (I) of said body; a membrane () for closing the opening which is sealed onto the flange-like rim, an optical code () containing binary information configured to be read by a camera () of a beverage producing device (), wherein the optical code () is a two-dimensional barcode having rectilinear borders (-) and which is inscribed in a circular area () concentric relative to the center (O) of the membrane having a radius (R) smaller than the radius (R) of the membrane.

Capsule for the preparation of a beverage comprising an identification code

Device for preparing a liquid beverage from a cartridge, comprising a supply unit () for supplying injection fluid to the cartridge (), a cartridge holder () configured to accept and support a cartridge; the said cartridge holder being detachable from the device and complementary insertion means () are configured to allow the cartridge holder to be inserted from its detached position into the supply unit (). The injection means () are provided and form part of the supply unit. The injection means are able to move into engagement with the cartridge and relative to the injection unit. Sealing means () are also provided in association with the injection means in order to provide sealing locally between the said injection means and the cartridge.

Method for providing information to a user from a capsule for the preparation of a beverage in a beverage producing device () comprising a capsule with a two-dimensional barcode () thereon, capturing at least one image of the barcode via a digital camera () and displaying decode information from said image on a display ().

Method for providing information to a user from a capsule for the preparation of a beverage using a code

The present invention is directed to container () for food or beverage preparation, comprising walls () defining at least one compartment adapted for containing at least one precursor ingredient, said walls () comprising at least one fluid connection portion () for fluidly coupling to a cooperating fluid connection portion () of a food or beverage preparation machine () having at least one source () of a fluid mixing ingredient, whereby a food or beverage product is prepared within said compartment () by mixing said mixing ingredient with said precursor ingredient, said container () further comprising at least one food or beverage delivery wall (), characterized in that said container () comprises built-in pump means () suitable for pumping said mixing ingredient from said source () when said container () is fluidly connected to said machine (), and for generating a fluid circulation within said at least one compartment, such that a food or beverage product is prepared and expelled through said delivery wall ().

Growing community of inventors

Cully, Switzerland

Jean-Luc Denisart