Mars, Incorporated

Lavazza Professional North America, LLC

Luigi Lavazza S.p.a

Peter D Austin

Paul Robert Fletcher

David P Knowles

Sam Hyde

Darren Nicholls

Paul Fletcher

Mark Thompson

David Knowles

Philip Mould

Phil Mould

Philip James Mould

A beverage preparation capsule containing a beverage preparation ingredient, having a body with side walls formed from one or more substantially air- and liquid-impermeable sheet materials defining a chamber containing a beverage preparation ingredient and further defining an outlet channel having an upstream end in fluid communication with the chamber for escape of beverage from the chamber. At least a region of the outlet channel is filled by a filtration material for filtering the beverage escaping from the chamber. Also provided is a clamp assembly for preparing a beverage from such a capsule, the clamp assembly comprising two or more clamp members, wherein an inner wall of at least one of the clamp members comprises a concave base surface for receiving the capsule and one or more pressure pads projecting from the concave base surface for selectively constricting a region of the capsule.

Apparatus for preparing a beverage

Capsules, apparatus, and methods for preparing a beverage

A beverage preparation apparatus for preparation of a beverage from a capsule in a clamp assembly (). The clamp assembly has a first clamp member () and a second clamp member, where the inner surfaces of the first clamp member and the second clamp member form a clamp chamber () for substantially enclosing and supporting a capsule () during beverage preparation. The second clamp member comprises a rigid peripheral frame () having a central void and a resilient layer () extending across said central void. There is a piston () positioned in the central void and resiliently coupled to the peripheral frame () to allow limited resilient movement of the rigid peripheral frame () relative to the piston ().

Beverage preparation with pressurized liquid

A beverage preparation capsule containing a beverage preparation ingredient, having a body with side walls formed from one or more substantially air- and liquid-impermeable sheet materials defining a chamber containing a beverage preparation ingredient and further defining an outlet channel having an upstream end in fluid communication with the chamber for escape of beverage from the chamber. At least a region of the outlet channel is filled by a filtration material for filtering the beverage escaping from the chamber. Also provided is a clamp assembly for preparing a beverage from such a capsule, the clamp assembly comprising two or more clamp members, wherein an inner wall of at least one of the clamp members comprises a concave base surface for receiving the capsule and one or more pressure pads projecting from the concave base surface for selectively constricting a region of the capsule. Also provided are a beverage preparation apparatus and system comprising the clamp assembly, and a method of preparing a beverage from the apparatus.

Capsules, apparatus and methods for preparing a beverage

Capsule nozzle

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Basingstoke, United Kingdom

Peter D Austin