Koninklijke Douwe Egberts B.v.

Leonardus Henricus Wilhelmus Giesen

Hendrik Johan Dees

Koen Standaar

Wouter Plechelmus Bernardus Nijland

Bram Klabbers

Craig Harvey Nelson

Pim Verburg

Carys Eleri Lloyd

Craig Martin Wilkinson

Stuart Michael Ruan Jones

An exchangeable supply pack for a beverage dispensing machine. The pack comprises a doser including a pump assembly comprising a pump channel between an inlet and an outlet, for receiving a fluid from an ingredient container and for pumping it to the outlet. The pump assembly comprises a pump chamber and at least two engaging gears forming a gear pump. At least one of said gears forms a driving gear and comprises a shaft opening for receiving a driving axle of the beverage dispensing machine. The shaft opening coincides with an axle reception opening of a support wall of the pump chamber, and a flexible seal is arranged at least between the driving gear and the support wall. The seal comprises a through opening coinciding with the shaft opening and the axle reception opening for receiving the driving axle.

Exchangeable supply pack for a beverage dispensing machine, doser, pump assembly and method of manufacturing

A system for preparing beverage consumptions comprising an appliance to prepare and dispense a beverage and at least one exchangeable supply pack. The appliance includes a loading channel to receive the exchangeable supply pack. The exchangeable supply pack has a container to hold a beverage related ingredient, a drive port to receive a driving torque and an ingredient outlet port. The loading channel has a protruding drive shaft for transmitting torque from the appliance to the supply pack, and an ingredient receiving connector for conveying the ingredient from the supply pack to the appliance. The drive port and outlet port of the supply pack are coupled to the drive shaft and the receiving connector. The drive port includes an opening with a concave tapered inner wall defining a funnel shape and cooperates with the protruding drive shaft to assist in aligning the outlet port with respect to the receiving connector.

System for preparing beverage consumptions

A method for taking into use an exchangeable supply pack in a beverage dispensing machine is disclosed. The exchangeable supply pack comprising a dosing pump and a container with a liquid substance to be supplied by the beverage dispensing machine. The method subsequently comprises detecting placement of the exchangeable supply pack and executing an activation procedure. The activation procedure comprises repeating an activation cycle while detecting whether or not a liquid substance is present inside the dosing pump. The activation cycle comprises activating the dosing pump during a first period of time and at least partially deactivating the dosing pump during a second period of time. The activation procedure is completed when it is detected that liquid substance is present in the dosing pump. In addition a beverage dispensing system and a computer program product are disclosed herein.

Method for taking into use an exchangeable supply pack in a beverage dispensing machine and system comprising an exchangeable supply pack and computer program product

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Utrecht, Netherlands

Leonardus Henricus Wilhelmus Giesen