Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Koninklijke Douwe Egberts B.v.

Saralee/de N.v.

Versuni Holding B.v.

Joeke Noordhuis

Fred Fraij

Paulus Cornelis Duineveld

Fransiscus Hermannus Feijen

Hendrikus Lodewijk Joseph Franciscus Holten

Jacob Willem Zijlstra

Peter Rijskamp

Gerbrand Kristiaan De Graaff

Judith Margreet Hanneke Ogink

Hans J Kodden

Marinus Christiaan Hansen

Klaas Kooijker

Nicholas Andrew Hansen

Sipke Theo Douma

Bart-Jan Zwart

Tim Gerard Tibbe

Jarno Beekman

Johan Van Toor

Wilhelmus Johannus Joseph Maas

Victor Hennink

Rodin Enne Bruinsma

Peng Chau Quah

Gertrude Riëtte Bakker-Van Der Kamp

Gert H Westrup

Edwin Wilco Drost

Jan Buffinga

Jan Klaassen

Hendrik Klaas Louwsma

Yde Johannes Venema

Johannes Rogier De Vrind

Peter Tjeerdsma

Massimiliano Sceusa

Andrea Pecci

Thijs Jelle Feenstra

Harrison Lloyd Woodall

Kasper Roelof Loopstra

Gertrude Riëtte Bakker-van Der Kamp

Andrea Favero

Gabriel Costa Eufrasio

Douwe Wijtsma

Roel Steunenbeg

Hermanus Josephus Kodden

Marinus Christian Hansen

Gerben De Roode

Ruth Anna Elisabeth Schlecht

Nathan James Wrench

Richard Francis Day

Dispensing module for a beverage preparation machine For providing a beverage with a proper consistency using a capsule-based brewing system wherein hot liquid is injected into the capsule under pressure, which capsule is placed against a brewing plate () with protrusion () arranged to cut the capsule cover under pressure, it has been found that a free flow of the prepared beverage can flow gradually from the brewing plate () towards an outlet nozzle (). An open passage () from the brewing plate () via a collector chamber () downstream of the brewing plate, to the outlet nozzle () may be provided with an open and slanted gutter () to lead the beverage out of the collector chamber () to provide the best results. Due to the open nature of the conduit, jets of beverage form the brewing plate may the open gutter and soil the machine. This may be prevented by providing appropriate shielding () between the brewing plate and the gutter or an opening thereof.

Dispensing module for a beverage preparation machine

A coffee machine makes use of a valve arrangement for controlling the coupling of a water heater outlet selectively to one of two or more outlets, such as a steam delivery nozzle and a brew chamber. The valve arrangement comprises an active valve between the inlet channel and a first one of the outlets and a passive valve downstream of the active valve from the water heater outlet, coupled to a second one of the outlets. A cam surface controls the active valve, wherein the angular position of the cam surface controls the coupling of the inlet channel to the first one of the outlets. The rotation may be driven by rotational coupling to a brew chamber motor. This coffee machine design makes use of a single valve arrangement to provide the flow control from the water heater. This provides a compact arrangement with a low component count and simple control mechanism. It also enables all valve mechanisms to be outside the water or steam flow.

Coffee machine with integrated steam and hot water generation

A mixing apparatus includes an inner container and an outer container which define mixing fluid passageways between them. The inner container is received in the outer container with at least two different orientations. Each orientation forms a different set of passageways each including a mixing chamber and a riser passage, where the passageways lead from the inner container to the mixing chamber. The different orientations create different designs of the passageways, to give different mixing functionality.

Mixing apparatus for example creating frothed milk

The invention provides a beverage maker comprising a pressure-controlled switching valve () that comprises the following components: a valve body () comprising an internal switching space (); a switching device () being movably arranged in the internal switching space () and comprising two functional valve members () that are arranged and configured to seal respective fluid outlet openings () of the valve body () in respective positions of the switching device (); a position setting device () for displacing the switching device () under the influence of fluid pressure acting on the position setting device () at one side thereof; and a biasing mechanism () acting on the entirety of the switching device () and the position setting device () coupled thereto. One side of at least a functional portion () of the position setting device () is open to a conduit system of the beverage maker.

Beverage making device comprising a switching valve

System for preparing a quantity of beverage suitable for consumption, the system comprising an exchangeable capsule (A,B) having a cup-shaped body (A,B) and a lid (A,B) and comprising an apparatus. The apparatus comprises a first brew chamber part () having a cavity for holding the exchangeable capsule (A,B) and a second brew chamber part () for closing the first brew chamber part () to form a brew chamber (). The second brew chamber part () has a sealing member () for providing a liquid sealing engagement between the second brew chamber part () and the lid (A,B) of the exchangeable capsule (A,B). The sealing member () comprises an air purge groove () forming an air purge opening between the sealing member () and the lid (A,B) of the capsule for allowing air in the brew chamber () to escape to an exterior of the apparatus while pressurised liquid is supplied into the brewing chamber () for preparing the beverage.

Air purge groove

A beverage fluid dispensing head comprising a housing; and a fluid track, at least in part, arranged inside the housing. The fluid track comprises: an inlet channel arranged for receiving a beverage fluid, such as coffee, from a beverage apparatus; a collection chamber, fluidly connected to the inlet channel, for receiving the beverage fluid therefrom; and at least one outlet channel. The at least one outlet channel is fluidly connected to the collection chamber for receiving the beverage fluid from the collection chamber. A downstream part of the at least one outlet channel is formed as a tongue-shaped flow guide which is downwardly directed for, in use, guiding the received beverage fluid and submitting the received beverage fluid therefrom in the form of an integral fluid beam for dispensing.

Beverage fluid dispensing head and system

A mixing apparatus is described. The mixing apparatus has a first port for receiving milk, a second port for receiving steam, and a mixing chamber for mixing the milk, the steam, and air. A channel arrangement connects the first port and the second port, and defines an air intake channel which leads to a frothing section. The mixing apparatus is designed such that, in use, the frothing section fills sufficiently with steamed milk that has a direct path from the second port to the mixing chamber is interrupted by the steamed milk. This provides a noise reduction during use of the mixing apparatus. A flow reducing means, such as a barrier, may be used for this purpose.

Mixing apparatus

A beverage maker comprises a heating unit for heating a liquid, a functional unit for accommodating a quantity of a beverage basic material, the functional unit being positioned at an outlet side of the heating unit, and a valve unit including a membrane being positioned at an interface of an inlet of the functional unit and an outlet of the heating unit, and a biasing member for biasing the membrane towards a position for realizing the closed position of the valve unit. The inlet of the functional unit is configured and arranged to be open towards a central portion of the membrane, and the outlet of the heating unit is configured and arranged to be open towards a ring-shaped portion of the membrane encompassing the central portion.

Device for making a beverage

A device () for preparing a beverage on the basis of interaction between a beverage extract and an extracting fluid, particularly a beverage having a crema layer, comprises a brewing chamber () for accommodating a quantity of the beverage extract, having an inlet () for receiving the extracting fluid and an outlet () for discharging the beverage. Furthermore, the device () comprises restricting means () which are movable between an activated position for realizing a restriction () in the outlet () of the brewing chamber () and an inactivated position for minimizing the restriction () in the outlet () of the brewing chamber (), and also actuator means () for controlling the position of the restricting means () in relation to an actual state of pumping means () as present in the device () for realizing a flow of the extracting fluid.

Device and method for preparing a beverage

The present disclosure relates to a capsule-type, food substance containing consumable () for use in a dispenser () for preparation of foodstuff products, the consumable () comprising a housing () comprising at least one rigid wall portion () that is impermeable to liquid, an inlet portion () arranged to enable pressurized water flow into the housing (), when the consumable () is inserted in a processing unit () of the dispenser, at least one primary outlet portion) arranged to enable a primary fluid flow out of the housing (), at least two distinct chambers () arranged in the housing (), and an internal flow control arrangement () operatively coupled with at least one of the at least two distinct chambers (), wherein the internal flow control arrangement () is operable between a first state and a second state to selectively permit or prevent a fluid flow from said at least one chamber () so as to activate a secondary fluid throughput in the second state. The disclosure further relates to a processing unit () for a dispenser () and to a dispenser ().

Capsule-type consumable for use in a dispenser for the preparation of foodstuff products and processing unit for such a dispenser

A device () for frothing a liquid comprises a settling chamber () providing space () in the device () for liquid froth to be formed during operation of the device (); an inlet () for letting in liquid to be frothed to the device (); an inlet () for letting in steam to the device () for realizing a pumping effect on the liquid to be frothed and thereby forming a steam/liquid flow to be supplied to the settling chamber (); a combined inlet/outlet () for letting in frothing gas to the device () for frothing the liquid and letting out liquid froth from the settling chamber (); and an obstacle () arranged in the device () for determining a position in the device () where frothing gas that is let in to the device () during operation of the device () encounters the steam/liquid flow.

Device for frothing a liquid

A device for frothing a liquid includes a tube-shaped housing with an inner surface having a curved periphery. At least one inlet is arranged in a lateral area of the housing for letting in the liquid and a frothing gas, and may have a tangential orientation with respect to the curved periphery of the inner surface of the housing. End faces of the housing are open and function as outlets of the device, where a longitudinal axis of the housing may extend in a horizontal direction. Rings may be provided inside the housing for keeping a rotating flow inside the housing during a period of time which is sufficiently long for a frothing process to take place in an effective manner.

A device () for frothing a liquid () is presented, in particular for providing two or more streams of froth in parallel. The device comprises: a steam generator () for generating a stream of steam (), a steam splitter () for splitting the stream of steam () into a first sub-stream of steam (A) and a second sub-stream of steam (B), wherein the first sub-stream of steam (A) is provided at a first steam outlet (A) and the second sub-stream of steam (B) is provided at a second steam outlet (B), a first frothing unit (A) having a first liquid inlet (A) and a first steam inlet (A), a second frothing unit (B) having a second liquid inlet (B) and a second steam inlet (B), wherein the first steam outlet (A) of the steam splitter () is connected to the first steam inlet (A) of the first frothing unit (A) and the second steam outlet (B) of the steam splitter () is connected to the second steam inlet (B) of the second frothing unit (B). In a further aspect a coffee machine () comprising a coffee brewing unit () and the device for frothing a liquid is presented.

Device () for frothing a liquid, comprising a chamber (), which chamber comprises a supply tube () for supplying the liquid to be frothed and frothing gas, and comprises a substantially round outlet tube () provided at the bottom of the chamber. The outlet tube being arranged for letting out a mixture of the liquid and the frothing gas, i.e. the liquid in a frothed state, and for letting out excess frothing gas. The chamber () is cylinder-shaped and the supply tube () has a tangential arrangement with respect to the chamber () and is provided at a height h from the bottom of the chamber. The ratio of the value of the height (h) of the supply tube and the height (H) of the chamber is in a range between 0.2 to 0.7, and the ratio of the value of the diameter of the outlet tube (d) and the value of the diameter (D) of the chamber is in a range of 0.6 to 0.95. This device provides for a high quality of milk froth without excessive or insufficient foam formation or very coarse foam bubbles.

A device that includes a beverage unit for delivering a beverage under pressure, at least one nozzle in fluid communication with the beverage unit to generate a jet of beverage, a receiving unit with a chamber with at least one drain opening for delivering the beverage and a jet impact member within the chamber and having a top that lies free from an inner wall of the chamber. The nozzle and the jet impact member are oriented such that the jet hits against a portion of the top of the jet impact member to form a mist of the beverage that subsequently leaves the drain opening as a beverage with a foam layer. The device is constructed such that air can only be supplied to the chamber through the at least one drain opening and/or through an air supply channel which extends through the jet impact member into the chamber.

Device for preparing a beverage with a foam layer

Growing community of inventors

Hoogeveen, Netherlands

Joeke Noordhuis