Cassette for preparation of beverages
Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a cassette for preparation of beverages, and more particular, to a cassette for preparation of beverages, comprising a supply compartment for holding a beverage ingredient (such as milk powder or milk concentrate), and a dosage unit connected to the supply compartment.
In a further aspect the present invention relates to a beverage preparation device comprising a connector part for receiving a cassette.
Prior art
Preparation of beverages from a beverage ingredient stored in a cartridge is known in the art. E.g. international patent publication WO2010092459 discloses a beverage vending machine having a cabinet and using a number of containers for soluble material. The container comprises a feeding element for transporting an amount of the soluble material to a further part of the beverage vending machine, where the soluble material is mixed with (heated) water.
Summary of the invention
The present invention seeks to provide an enhanced solution for preparation of beverages from a beverage ingredient, where the beverage is prepared using containers or the like, and the beverage is prepared using such a container on a preparation site.
According to the present invention, a cassette according to the preamble defined above is provided, wherein the cassette further comprises a fluid inlet, a beverage outlet, and a mixing compartment accommodating the fluid inlet and the beverage outlet, wherein the mixing compartment comprises a mixing unit connected to the dosage unit, the fluid inlet and to the beverage outlet for preparing a beverage, the (active) mixing unit being driven in operation for an active, externally driven mechanical mixing operation.. Having these major preparation elements integrated in the cassette itself provides the benefit that the beverage preparation device using such a cassette can be designed with fewer components. Furthermore, this embodiment allows a much more controlled logistic process from source to final prepared beverage, including transport and re-use of the cassette.
Short description of drawings
The present invention will be discussed in more detail below, using a number of exemplary embodiments, with reference to the attached drawings, in which
Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 shows a schematic view of a beverage preparation device using a cassette according to a further embodiment;
Fig. 3 shows a transparent side view of a cassette according to a further embodiment; Fig. 4-8 show detail views of the embodiment of the cassette shown in Fig. 3.
Detailed description of exemplary embodiments
The present invention embodiments relate to a cassette 10 which can be filled with a beverage ingredient 5, such as milk powder or milk concentrate, and which can be used in an apparatus for preparing beverages using a preparation fluid, such as water. As an example, such a cassette may be used for providing cold milk prepared from water and milk powder. Also other beverage ingredients can be used, in a powder or in a liquid form (e.g. chocolate powder, powdered soup, etc).
In Fig. 1 a perspective view is shown of a cassette 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the internal elements of the cassette 10 are partially shown.
The cassette 10 comprises a supply compartment 10a for holding a beverage ingredient 5 such as milk powder and a dosage unit 20 connected to the supply compartment 10a. The dosage unit 20 is arranged to provide a dose or metered amount of beverage ingredient 5 to the downstream elements of the cassette 10, and embodiments of the dosage unit 20 will be discussed below.
The cassette 10 further comprises a fluid inlet 32, and a beverage outlet 34, both accommodated in a mixing compartment 10b. The mixing compartment 10b comprises a mixing unit 30 connected to (or in communication with) the dosage unit 20, the fluid inlet 32 and to the beverage outlet 34 for preparing a beverage.
As shown in the embodiment of Fig. 1 , the supply compartment 10a and mixing compartment 10b form a closed off, re-sealable housing of the cassette 10. The two parts can be separated, e.g. for cleaning the supply and mixing compartments 10a, 10b, and for refilling the supply compartment 10a with the beverage ingredient 5. Material of the supply and mixing compartments 10a, 10b may be hard plastic material, such as polyethylene or polypropylene, or other suitable materials which allow re-use and cleaning of the cassette 10 parts.
The supply compartment 10a is optionally provided with a lid 1 1 at the top, which can be sealed after filling the supply compartment 10a. The supply compartment 10a and mixing compartment 10b may also be sealed of at the connecting interface between the two elements, e.g. using a clamping mechanism and/or the use of a sealing band. In operational use, the beverage ingredient 5 is thus kept in a closed off and controlled environment at all times.
The dosage unit 20 is formed in the bottom part of the supply compartment 10a, and comprises a funnel shaped element 12 attached to or forming the bottom part of the supply compartment 10a. Further elements of the dosage unit 20 comprise a drive connection 22 for the dosage unit 20, a feeder device 21 driven and supported by the drive connection 22, and a locking bearing 24, arranged to lock the feeder device 21 in a first position and to allow rotation of the feeder device 21 in a second position of the locking bearing 24. The feeder device 21 is e.g. a worm wheel, screw gear or screw feeder based transporting device (Archimedean gear) which is arranged to transport a metered amount of beverage ingredient 5 towards the mixing unit 30 (to be discussed below). The drive connection 22 is implemented in an embodiment as a first non-mechanical link or drive connection 22, e.g. using a magnetic coupling link. This allows to keep the cassette 10 completely sealed off from the environment.
The funnel shaped element 12 may be provided with struts or other support elements for holding the funnel shaped element 12 in its position inside the mixing compartment 10b, e.g. on top of a recessed space 15 in the mixing compartment 10b.
The mixing unit 30 is an active mixing unit and comprises a number of elements, starting with a reception bowl 27, which is connected to the dosage unit 20 for receiving a metered amount of beverage ingredient 5. The mixing bowl 27 is also in communication with the fluid inlet 32 which in the embodiment shown, is arranged to provide a fluid in a bottom part of the mixing bowl 27. Here initial mixing of the beverage ingredient 5 and fluid can take place. Furthermore, the mixing unit 30 is provided with a mixing disc 33, suspended in the mixing unit 30, which is driven mechanically using a second non-mechanical link 31 . The mixing unit 30 is driven in operation for an active, externally driven mechanical mixing operation.
In an embodiment, the second non-mechanical link 31 is a magnetic link, allowing to keep the pathway of the beverage in preparation completely sealed off from the environment by the structural envelope of the mixing unit 30.
In the embodiment of Fig. 1 a further functional element is shown in the form of bar code 14. This barcode 14 (or other identification tag, such as a QR code, RF-ID tag, etc.) represents information about the specific cassette 10, such as contents, reference to a process for using the beverage ingredient 5 (recipes), shelf live, tracking and tracing data, etc. Below the barcode 14, a grip part 37 is provided in the cassette 10, allowing easier handling of the cassette 10.
The second non-mechanical link 31 and fluid input 32 are positioned inside a recess 15 of the mixing compartment 10b (and in one embodiment also the drive connection 22). This allows to position the cassette 10 in a beverage preparation device 1 in only one possible orientation using an (extending) connection part 2 of the beverage preparation device 1 , as is illustrated in the schematic view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 2.
Thus in a further aspect of the present invention, a beverage preparation device 1 is provided comprising a connector part 2 for receiving a cassette 10 according to any one of embodiments described herein.
The connector part 2 comprises a first interface 6 for driving the dosage unit 20 (more specifically the drive connection 22), a second interface 7 for driving the mixing unit 30 (more specific the second non-mechanical link 31) and a water input interface 8 for connection to the fluid inlet 32. The beverage preparation device 1 further comprising a control unit 3 connected to the first interface 6, second interface 7 and water input interface 8.
In an embodiment, the control unit 3 is arranged to provide a time period between ending the first interface drive signal and the water input interface signal, allowing to rinse any possibly beverage ingredient 5 from the mixing bowl 27 further into the mixing unit 30. The control unit 3 is connected to a reader unit 4 in a further embodiment for receiving data relating to the product in the cassette 10, and to control the first interface 6, second interface 7 and water input interface 8 depending on the received data.
In one specific embodiment, the control unit 3 is arranged to control an operating speed of the first interface 6 for driving the feeder device 21 . This allows to control the dispensing process of the beverage ingredient 5 of the beverage preparation apparatus 1 very accurately, and allows to provide a constant quality of the dispensed product, even when various quantities of beverage ingredient 5 and water are being used.
The connections 22, 31 , 32 of the cassette 10 are also oriented in a single direction in an embodiment, allowing e.g. a linear shifting movement of the cassette 10 towards the beverage preparation apparatus 1 to make the connections with corresponding terminals in the beverage preparation apparatus 1 . The beverage preparation apparatus 1 can thus be a very simple design, comprising only the control circuitry and drive control mechanisms for the supply of the fluid, dosage of the beverage ingredient 5 and drive of the mixing unit 30.
In Fig. 3 a further embodiment of the cassette 10 is shown in a partially transparent side view (which would be possible when using a transparent plastic material for the cassette elements). Internal elements are shown in striped lines. Figs. 4-8 show enlarged parts of the embodiment of Fig. 3 allowing to see more details of parts of the cassette 10.
In the transparent view of Fig. 3, a further functional element is shown in the form of an anti-compacting device 28 which is provided as part of the dosage unit 20 to keep the beverage ingredient 5 as a powdered, non-compacted substance. In the embodiment shown the anti- compacting device is a disc shaped device 28 mounted on the inside of the supply
compartment 10a, e.g. using a mounting bearing 29 as part of the funnel shaped element 12. The disc shaped device 28 is provided with rims 41 on its major surface for keeping the beverage ingredient 5 loose. The disc shaped device 28 is driven at its edge or rim by the feeder device 21 , e.g. using cogs 42 as shown in the embodiment of Fig. 3.
Fig. 4 shows a detail of the top part of the cassette 10, where the optional lid 1 1 is provided for closing off the supply compartment 10a. In a controlled environment, the lid 1 1 can be removed for cleaning the inside of the supply compartment 10a and for refilling the supply compartment 10a. As shown, the lid 1 1 is in a clamping arrangement with the edge of the supply compartment 10. Alternatively or additionally a sealing band or tape can be used to enhance the sealing of the cassette 10.
All elements inside the supply compartment 10a, e.g. the anti-compacting device 28, can be taken out in a further embodiment in, such that a supply compartment 10a remains with straight surfaces that can be easily cleaned. A similar embodiment may be provided for the mixing compartment 10b, where e.g. the mixing unit 30 can be easily removed, e.g. for cleaning or replacement purposes. These embodiments also allow preventive maintenance at a central location, away from the beverage preparation device 1 .
The cleaning, filing and other maintenance work on the cassettes 10 on a central location has several advantages, such as a better control of the working environment. Furthermore, specialized staffing can be used as well as tooling equipment in the central location, allowing a more cost-efficient operation,
Fig. 5 shows a detail of the dosage unit 20, more specifically one side of the attachment of the feeder device 21 in the cassette 10. The feeder device 21 is appended in the cassette 10 using the locking bearing 24 as discussed above. The locking bearing 24 is e.g. a cylindrically shaped element, in which the feeder device 21 can rotate freely in a second (operational) position of the locking bearing 24 in the cassette 10 (which would then extend through an opening 25 in the cassette wall. In Fig. 5, the first position (transport position) of the locking bearing 24 is shown, where the locking bearing prevents the feeding device 21 from rotating. Furthermore, in this first position the locking bearing 24 closes off an opening 26 towards the mixing bowl 27, keeping the environment inside the supply compartment 10a completely sealed off from the external environment. After filling of the cassette 10, the opening 25 can be closed off using a tear away sticker or the like, ensuring that the locking bearing 24 stays in the first, locking, position, and assuring that the cassette 10 remains sealed before use.
Fig. 6 shows a detailed view of the other side of the feeding device 21 in the dosage unit 20, where the feeding device 21 is appended using the drive connection 22. The drive connection 22 may be a regular mechanical drive link, with the necessary sealing elements such as O-rings to keep the internal space of the supply compartment 10a sealed off. In an enhanced embodiment, the drive connection 22 is a non-mechanical link such as a magnetic link, allowing to keep the supply compartment 10a as an integral sealed off environment. Also shown in Fig. 6 is a part of the funnel shaped element 12 at the bottom of the supply compartment 10a, which provides for a proper flow of the beverage ingredient 5 towards the feeder device 21 .
Figs. 7 and 8 provide detailed views of the mixing unit 30. From the mixing bowl 27, a pathway is created for the initial mixture of beverage ingredient 5 received from the dosage unit 20 and the fluid received from the fluid inlet 32. The pathway is formed by an entry channel 35 and an exit channel 36, and in between a mixing chamber is provided where the mixing disc 33 can rotate for enhanced mixing and preparation of the beverage. The mixing disc 33 is e.g. provided with fins or extensions on its major surface, e.g. extending perpendicular to the major surface of the disc 33.
In an alternative embodiment the pathway in the mixing unit 30 is coated with PTFE and/or silver ions or other anti microbiological substances
In a further alternative embodiment all parts of the pathway are formed seamless. The mixing disc 33 is, as mentioned above, appended in the structure of the mixing unit
30, e.g. using sliding bearings. Friction lowering material or coatings may be used, e.g. in the form of Teflon. The mixing disc 33 is furthermore provided with elements forming the non- mechanical link 31 , e.g. using magnets or magnetized material. Two alternative embodiments are shown in the cross sectional views of Fig. 9a and 9b, which show the entire mixing unit 30 positioned in the mixing compartment 10b. In Fig. 9a, the mixing disc 33 is rotating around a fixed part of the structure of the mixing unit 30 adjacent to the recess 15 in the mixing compartment 10b. The mixing disc 33 is provided with a magnetic ring 33a directly adjacent to the fixed part. From the beverage preparation apparatus 1 , the second interface 7 has the form of a rod, the end of which is magnetized or provided with magnets for non-mechanically driving the mixing disc 33. In the embodiment of Fig. 9b, the magnetic ring 33a is provided at the outer rim of the mixing disc 33, and the second interface 7 has a tube shaped end provided with suitable magnetic material.
The mixing unit 30 may be embodied as described herein relating to the various embodiments. Alternatively the mixing unit 30 may be embodied as described in the pending application NL20005122 from the same applicant, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention embodiments have been described above with reference to a number of exemplary embodiments as shown in the drawings. Modifications and alternative implementations of some parts or elements are possible, and are included in the scope of protection as defined in the appended claims.