Claims
- 1. A cartridge for preparation of a drink with water under pressure from an apparatus comprising:
a chamber having a top end for allowing flow of water under pressure into said chamber during making the drink, a side wall, and a bottom end for allowing flow of drink out of said chamber during making the drink; a supply of soluble solids in said chamber; and a solubility promoter in said chamber for facilitating the dissolution of said soluble solids, said solubility promoter comprising an upper surface in communication with said top end of said chamber, a lower surface in contact with said soluble solids, a peripheral wall conforming to said side wall of said chamber to prevent water from passing through the interface between said peripheral wall and said side wall, and openings for distributing the water from said top end of said chamber onto said soluble solids, said solubility promoter being adapted to move downward within said chamber and to allow said peripheral wall to conform to said side wall of said chamber during the downward movement of the solubility promoter in said chamber as said soluble solids is being carried out of said bottom end of said chamber by water as a drink.
- 2. A cartridge as defined in claim 1 wherein said solubility promoter is adapted to sink in water, thereby facilitating the downward movement of said solubility promoter within said chamber.
- 3. A cartridge as defined in claim 1 wherein said solubility promoter is a plug of porous materials sufficiently compressed to allow said plug to expand in height to cause said lower surface to move downward toward said bottom end of said chamber as said soluble solids is being carried out of said bottom end of said chamber by water.
- 4. A cartridge as defined in claim 3 wherein said plug of porous materials is adapted to be compressed so highly that said plug can expand to occupy substantially the complete volume of said chamber after said soluble solids is carried out of said chamber by water during brewing, thereby making said cartridge substantially drip-free for disposal.
- 5. A cartridge as defined in claim 1 wherein said solubility promoter comprises a plug of porous materials comprising at least one of dry used coffee grounds, sands, foam, fibers, ground bones, grain products, ground shells, roasted coffee grounds and finely ground stones.
- 6. A cartridge as defined in claim 1 wherein said chamber comprises a top filter that constitutes said top end, a bottom filter that constitutes said bottom end, and a seam formed between said top and bottom filters.
- 7. A cartridge as defined in claim 6 wherein said bottom filter has a bottom, a substantially vertical side wall and an open top end, said side wall of said bottom filter constituting said side wall of said chamber.
- 8. A cartridge as defined in claim 7 wherein said top filter has a bottom, an open top end and a substantially vertical side wall adapted to fit into said open top end of said bottom filter and to seal to the upper part of said side wall of said bottom filter to form said seam, thereby making said seam substantially vertical.
- 9. A cartridge as defined in claim 6 further comprising a flow promoter for facilitating the flow of the drink out of said chamber, said flow promoter comprising at least one elongated opening formed on said bottom filter, said elongated opening being adapted to be sufficiently small to prevent said soluble solids from leaking out of said chamber during handling of said cartridge and to become sufficiently large to allow said soluble solids in certain non-dissolved form to pass through during brewing.
- 10. A cartridge as defined in claim 1 further comprising an inlet for mounting said cartridge to the apparatus and an outlet for dispensing the drink from said bottom end of said chamber to a receptacle for consumption.
- 11. A cartridge as defined in claim 10 wherein said inlet, said chamber and said outlet is formed as a single, integral body.
- 12. A cartridge as defined in claim 1 wherein said soluble solids comprises at least one of milk, cocoa, vitamin, creamer and protein.
- 13. A cartridge as defined in claim 1 wherein said openings of said solubility promoter are made sufficiently resistive to flow to produce a sufficiently large downward force when water flows through said promoter, said downward force being adapted to push said soluble solids out of said chamber.
- 14. A cartridge as defined in claim 1 wherein said solubility promoter further comprises a porous disc in contact with said soluble solids, said porous disc being not attached to said chamber and being adapted to move downward along said side wall of said chamber as said soluble solids is being carried out of said chamber by water, thereby maintaining said contact with said soluble solids to cause uniform the distribution of water to said water-soluble solids.
- 15. A cartridge for the preparation of a drink with water under pressure from an apparatus comprising:
a chamber having a top end for allowing flow of water under pressure into said chamber during the drink making process, a side wall, and a bottom end for allowing flow of drink out of said chamber during the drink making process; a supply of flavor-containing materials in said chamber to interact with the water under pressure to produce a drink; and a dryer for drying said cartridge to make it drip-free for disposal, said dryer including a predetermined amount of gas-generating materials, said gas-generating materials being adapted to be stable prior to contacting with the water and to chemically produce a volume of gas upon contacting with the water for pushing residual water out of said chamber at the end of the drink making process, thereby drying said cartridge.
- 16. A cartridge as defined in claim 15 wherein said gas-generating materials includes a first and a second solid compounds, at least one of said first and second solid compounds being soluble in the water to form a solution for causing intimate contact, thus chemical reaction, between said first and second compounds to produce gas.
- 17. A cartridge as defined in claim 15 wherein said gas-generating materials includes a predetermined amount of salt comprising at least one of a carbonate salt and bicarbonate salt and a predetermined amount of edible acidic materials.
- 18. A cartridge as defined in claim 17 wherein said acidic materials contains at least one of citric acid, ascorbic acid and oxalic acid.
- 19. A cartridge as defined in claim 17 wherein said salt and acidic materials are arranged adjacent to each other.
- 20. A cartridge as defined in claim 15 wherein said dryer further comprises a water-permeable membrane for enclosing said gas-generating materials.
- 21. A cartridge as defined in claim 15 wherein said supply of flavor-containing materials comprises a supply of soluble materials and a supply of roasted ground coffee.
- 22. A cartridge as defined in claim 15 wherein said chamber comprises a top filter that constitutes said top end, a bottom filter that constitutes said bottom end, and a seam formed between said top and bottom filters.
- 23. A cartridge as defined in claim 15 wherein said chamber further comprises an inlet for mounting said cartridge to the apparatus and an outlet for dispensing the drink to a receptacle for consumption.
- 24. A cartridge for preparation of a drink with water under pressure from an apparatus comprising:
a chamber comprising a top filter for allowing flow of water under pressure into said chamber, a bottom filter for allowing flow of drink out of said chamber during making the drink, and a seam formed between said top and bottom filters; a supply of soluble solids located above said bottom filter in said chamber; and a flow promoter in said chamber for facilitating the flow of the drink out of said chamber, said flow promoter comprising at least one elongated opening formed on said bottom filter, said elongated opening being adapted to be sufficiently small to prevent said soluble solids from leaking out of said chamber during transportation and storage of said cartridge and to become sufficiently large to allow said soluble solids in certain non-dissolved form to pass through during making the drink.
- 25. A cartridge as defined in claim 24 further comprising a third filter on said bottom filter to cover said at least one elongated opening, said third filter having filtration openings sufficiently large to allow said soluble solids in certain non-dissolved form to pass through during making the drink, thereby discouraging formation or accumulation of gel or gel-like materials above said third filter.
- 26. A cartridge as defined in claim 24 further comprising a supply of substantially insoluble solids located between said supply of soluble solids and said top filter in said chamber and a third filter located between said supply of substantially insoluble solids and said bottom filter in said chamber, said substantially insoluble solids being permeable to water to allow the water from said top filter to pass through to reach said soluble solids, said third filter being adapted to restrict said substantially insoluble solids from passing through said at least one elongated opening on said bottom filter during making the drink.
- 27. A cartridge as defined in claim 24 wherein said third filter is located above said soluble solids.
- 28. A cartridge as defined in claim 24 wherein said elongated opening comprises a normally closed cut.
- 29. A cartridge as defined in claim 24 wherein said bottom filter has a bottom, a substantially vertical side wall and an open top end.
- 30. A cartridge as defined in claim 29 wherein said top filter has a bottom, an open top end and a substantially vertical side wall adapted to fit into said open top end of said bottom filter and to seal to the upper part of said side wall of said bottom filter to form said seam, thereby making said seam substantially vertical.
- 31. A drink station for the preparation of a drink by introducing water from a water delivery system of an apparatus to a supply of flavor-containing materials, said drink station comprising:
a container having a chamber for receiving a supply of flavor-containing materials and allowing the interaction of the flavor-containing materials and water therein to produce a drink and an outlet for the drink; a head having a seal member for forming a watertight seal with said container and an water inlet connected to the water delivery system; and a hydraulic press at least partly receivable in said chamber of said container for facilitating the interaction between the flavor-containing materials and water, said hydraulic press comprising a press plate having a bottom surface for pressing against the supply of flavor-containing materials in said container and a plurality of openings on said bottom surface for distributing water to the flavor-containing materials, and an expandable chamber having an upper end connected to said water inlet and a bottom end connected to said press plate, said expandable chamber being adapted to operate between an expanded position, in which the water is delivered by the water delivery system into said expandable chamber via said water inlet under pressure and causes said expandable chamber to expand, thereby causing said press plate to move downwards to press against the flavor-containing materials in said container to facilitate the interaction between the flavor-containing materials and water therein, and a retracted position, in which the water delivery system stops delivering water to said expandable chamber and allows said expandable chamber to shrink, thereby causing said press plate to move upwards and away from the flavor-containing materials in said container.
- 32. A drink station as defined in claim 31 further comprising a drainage valve having an first end connected to said expandable chamber of said hydraulic press and a second end to a water container, said valve being adapted to be in a closed position when the pressure in said expandable chamber exceeds a certain pressure, thereby preventing the water from entering the water container, and in an open position when the pressure in said expandable chamber decreases to a certain pressure, thereby draining the water in said expandable chamber into the water container.
- 33. A brew station as defined in claim 32 further comprising a drainage conduit having a first end connected to said drainage valve and a second end located close to said press plate, said drainage conduit being adapted to allow said second end to stay close to said press plate even when said expandable chamber is in its expanded position.
- 34. A brew station as defined in claim 31 further comprising a flow restriction in the water passageway between said bottom surface of said press plate and said water inlet for causing a sufficient pressure drop between said expandable chamber and said container.
- 35. A brew station as defined in claim 31 further comprising a flow restriction valve in the water passageway between said bottom surface of said press plate and said water inlet, said restriction valve opens only when the pressure in said expandable chamber exceeds a predetermined value.
- 36. A brew station as defined in claim 31 wherein said expandable chamber of said hydraulic press comprise a chamber having an elastic side wall adapted to be stretchable by water pressure in said chamber.
- 37. A brew station as defined in claim 31 wherein said expandable chamber of said hydraulic press comprises an outer cylinder connected to said water inlet and an inner cylinder slidingly received in said outer cylinder.
- 38. A method of manufacturing a cartridge for preparation of a drink with water under pressure comprising:
aligning a mold having a sufficiently deep molding chamber with an expandable piston; placing a thin flexible sheet between said mold and expandable piston; pushing said thin flexible sheet into said sufficiently deep molding chamber of said mold with said expandable piston; expanding said expandable piston in said sufficiently deep molding chamber to cause said thin flexible sheet to adopt substantially the shape of said sufficiently deep molding chamber, thereby converting said thin flexible sheet into a flexible container having a sufficiently deep containing chamber; de-expanding said expandable piston in said sufficiently deep molding chamber for facilitating its removal out of said sufficiently deep molding chamber of said mold; moving said expandable piston out of said sufficiently deep molding chamber of said mold; filling a predetermined amount of flavor-containing materials appropriate for the drink into said sufficiently deep containing chamber of said flexible container; and sealing said sufficiently deep containing chamber with a cover.
- 39. A method as defined in claim 38 wherein said expanding step is conducted in such a way that wrinkles or folds are formed on the side wall of said sufficiently deep containing chamber in order to form said sufficiently deep containing chamber.
- 40. A method as defined in claim 39 further comprising a step of stabilizing said wrinkles or folds on the side wall of said sufficiently deep containing chamber by heating said thin flexible sheet.
- 41. A method as defined in claim 40 wherein said thin flexible sheet comprises an adhesive material incorporated in or on said thin flexible sheet, said adhesive material being adapted to be activated by heat during said stabilizing step to cause the layers in said folds or wrinkles to stick to each other.
- 42. A method as defined in claim 39 wherein said thin flexible sheet comprises an adhesive material incorporated in or on said thin flexible sheet, at least most of said adhesive material being located near one surface of said thin flexible sheet for facilitating the formation of said sufficiently deep containing chamber.
- 43. A method as defined in claim 38 wherein said filling step comprises a step of adding a predetermined amount of soluble materials into said sufficiently deep containing chamber and a step of adding a predetermined amount of substantially insoluble materials on top of said soluble materials into said sufficiently deep containing chamber.
- 44. A method as defined in claim 43 wherein said filling step further comprises compressing said substantially water-insoluble materials in said sufficiently deep containing chamber in such a way to cause said insoluble materials to be able to expand in volume when said soluble materials is being carried out of said sufficiently deep containing chamber by water during making the drink, thereby promoting the dissolution of said water-soluble materials.
- 45. A method as defined in claim 38 wherein said filling step further comprises adding a predetermined of gas-generating materials into said sufficiently deep containing chamber, said gas-generating materials being adapted to chemically generating gas upon contacting with the water during making the drink.
- 46. A method as defined in claim 38 wherein said cover includes a second thin flexible sheet and said sealing step comprises attaching the peripheral edge of said second thin flexible sheet to the peripheral edge of said thin flexible sheet.
- 47. A method as defined in claim 38 wherein said cover includes a second thin flexible sheet and said sealing step comprises forming said second thin flexible sheet to cause it to have a bottom, an open top end and a substantially vertical side wall and attaching said side wall of said second thin flexible sheet to the upper part of the side wall of said sufficiently deep containing chamber in said mold.
- 48. A method as defined in claim 47 wherein said forming step of said sealing step comprises placing said second thin flexible sheet on or above said mold and driving said second thin flexible sheet into the upper part of said sufficiently deep containing chamber in said mold to form said bottom, open top end and substantially vertical side wall.
- 49. A method as defined in claim 48 wherein said driving step of said forming step comprises pushing said second thin flexible sheet into the upper part of said sufficiently deep containing chamber in said mold by a piston, expanding said piston until it reaches the upper part of said sufficiently deep containing chamber in said mold, and de-expanding said piston for facilitating the removal of said piston.
- 50. A method as defined in claim 47 further comprising placing a porous disc into said sufficiently deep containing chamber to cover said flavor-containing materials, said porous disc being positioned between said flavor-containing materials and said bottom of said second thin flexible sheet.
- 51. A method as defined in claim 47 further comprising opening the bottom of said sufficiently deep molding chamber of said mold and pushing said bottom of said second thin flexible sheet to push said cartridge out of said opened bottom of said sufficiently deep molding chamber.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a continuation-in-part application of application Ser. No. 09/748,495 filed Dec. 22, 2000 and of application Ser. No. 10/190,399, filed Jul. 6, 2002.
Continuation in Parts (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09748495 |
Dec 2000 |
US |
Child |
10338151 |
Jan 2003 |
US |
Parent |
10190399 |
Jul 2002 |
US |
Child |
10338151 |
Jan 2003 |
US |