CN-114532845-B - System and method for controlled liquid food or beverage product production

Abstract

A system for producing controlled heating and/or agitation of a liquid food or beverage product is disclosed. A dispenser (400) for producing a food or beverage liquid product from frozen content (120) in a receptacle (110,1700) includes a chamber configured to hold the receptacle holding the content and a dilution liquid inlet configured to supply dilution liquid to an interior of the receptacle. The dispenser further includes a perforator (1720) configured to perforate the receiver (1700) and form a product outlet for the liquid product from the receiver, and an agitator configured to impart motion to the receiver (110,1700) and/or contents of the receiver that, when supplied with the diluting liquid, increases a flow path from the liquid inlet to the product outlet followed by at least a portion of the diluting liquid relative to a flow path from the liquid inlet to the product outlet followed by a portion of the diluting liquid without the imparted motion.

Inventors

• Matthew P. Roberts
• Paul Carlinian
• Douglas M. Huhn
• CARL WINKLER

Assignees

• 柯梅蒂尔股份有限公司
• 柯梅蒂尔股份有限公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260421

Application Date

20170412

Priority Date

20170412

Claims (20)

1. 1. A method of producing a molten food or beverage liquid product from a receptacle containing frozen liquid contents, comprising the steps of: Receiving a receptacle in a chamber of a dispenser, the receptacle defining a closed interior volume containing frozen liquid content; identifying at least one of a thermodynamic property and a mass of at least one of the receiver and the frozen liquid content, wherein the thermodynamic property is identified using at least one of an optical sensor, a thermal sensor, and an electromagnetic sensor, and wherein the mass is identified using at least one of a mass sensor, an optical sensor, and an electromagnetic sensor; melting at least a portion of the frozen liquid content by selectively performing at least one of the following to produce a molten food or beverage liquid product: Heating the receiver while the receiver is held in the chamber and frozen liquid content within the receiver while the receiver is held in the chamber and without adding liquid to the interior of the receiver while the receiver is held in the chamber; Supplying a diluting liquid to the interior of the receptacle, and Applying motion to at least one of the receiver and the frozen liquid content; Wherein at least one of selectively performing heating, supplying dilution liquid, and applying motion is based on the identified characteristic; Perforating the receiver, and A melted food or beverage liquid product is dispensed from the receptacle.
2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified characteristic is a thermodynamic characteristic.
3. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a component characteristic, and wherein at least one of selectively performing heating, supplying dilution liquid, and applying motion is further based on the component characteristic.
4. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying at least one of: shelf life of the frozen liquid content; a date of manufacture of at least one of the receptacle and the frozen liquid content: a mass of at least one of the receiver and the frozen liquid content; a size of at least one of the receptacle and the frozen liquid content; the shape of the receiver; The color of the receiver; an external pattern on the receiver; an external marker on the receiver; A hardness value of the frozen liquid content; the filling volume of the receiver, and The volume of the headspace of the receiver, and wherein at least one of heating, supplying dilution liquid, and applying motion is selectively performed is further based on the further identified at least one characteristic.
5. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively heating at least one of the receiver while the receiver is held in the chamber and frozen liquid content within the receiver while the receiver is held in the chamber, and not adding liquid to the interior of the receiver further comprises controlling at least one of: The amount of heat supplied; schedule of repeated application of heat, and The time during which heat is supplied during the molten food or beverage production process.
6. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively heating at least one of a receiver when the receiver is held in the chamber and frozen liquid content within the receiver when the receiver is held in the chamber, and not adding liquid to an interior of the receiver comprises heating using at least one of: a heater in contact with a wall of the chamber; an electric heater; A heating gas generator; Heating the liquid pool; An electromagnetic radiation generator; a thermoelectric heater; Chemical heater, and A heated perforator disposed in the receptacle.
7. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively supplying dilution liquid to an interior of the receiver comprises selectively performing at least one of: Adjusting the temperature of the dilution liquid supplied to the interior of the receiver; carbonating a dilution liquid supplied to the interior of the receptacle, Pressurizing a dilution liquid supplied to the interior of the receiver; Controlling the total volume of dilution liquid supplied to the interior of the receptacle during a molten food or beverage production process; controlling the flow rate of the dilution liquid supplied to the inside of the receiver, and During the molten food or beverage production process, a diluting liquid is supplied to the interior of the receptacle at a predetermined time.
8. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein selectively adjusting the temperature of the dilution liquid includes identifying the temperature of the dilution liquid, and selectively at least one of heating the dilution liquid and cooling the dilution liquid.
9. 9. The method of claim 7, wherein selectively adjusting the temperature of the dilution liquid comprises flowing the dilution liquid through a heating channel prior to supplying the dilution liquid to the interior of the receiver.
10. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively imparting motion to at least one of the receiver and the frozen liquid content comprises controlling at least one of: the duration of the movement; The rate of said movement; The frequency of the movement, and The type of movement.
11. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively imparting motion to at least one of the receptacle and the frozen liquid content comprises imparting motion that is at least one of: Rotating; reciprocating; Vibrating; Rocking, and And (3) shaking.
12. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein perforating the receiver comprises selectively perforating the receiver based on the identified characteristics.
13. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein selectively puncturing the receiver based on the identified characteristics further comprises selecting at least one of: A location on the receiver to receive the perforation; a time to perforate the receptacle during a molten food or beverage production process; The size of the through hole and Number of perforations made in the receiver.
14. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein perforating the receiver comprises perforating the receiver with a perforator.
15. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein perforating the receiver comprises at least one of: Selecting the size of the through hole; selectively perforating the receiver a plurality of times; selecting a depth to which the perforator extends into the closed interior volume of the receptacle, and Selectively retracting the perforator.
16. 16. The method of claim 1, wherein dispensing a molten food or beverage liquid product by the receptacle comprises dispensing the molten food or beverage product into a container, and the method further comprises selectively dispensing a bypass liquid into the container, and the bypass liquid does not pass through the receptacle.
17. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the selective dispensing of bypass liquid is based on the identified characteristic.
18. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein selectively dispensing bypass liquid comprises selectively performing at least one of: controlling the temperature of the bypass liquid; carbonating the bypass liquid; Pressurizing the bypass liquid; controlling the total volume of bypass liquid supplied to the container during the molten food or beverage production process; Controlling the flow rate of the bypass liquid, and During the molten food or beverage production process, a bypass liquid is dispensed into the container at a predetermined time.
19. 19. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving input from a user, wherein at least one of selectively performing heating, supplying dilution liquid, and applying motion is further based on the input from the user.
20. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the user input is at least one of: desired food or liquid product temperature; the desired food or liquid product volume; desired food or liquid product efficacy, and The desired texture of the food or liquid product.

Description

System and method for controlled liquid food or beverage product production The present application is a divisional application of chinese patent application entitled "system and method for controlled production of liquid food or beverage products" with application date 2017, month 4, 12, national application number 201780036465.4 (PCT application number PCT/US 2017/027149). RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application relates to and claims priority of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/351,911 entitled "Methods of Controlled HEATING AND Agitation for Liquid Food or Beverage Product Creation" filed on Ser. No. 11/15 at 2016 and U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/352,245 entitled "Systems for Controlled HEATING AND Agitation for Liquid Food or Beverage Product Creation" filed on Ser. No. 11/15,591 filed on 2016, each of which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/347,591 entitled "Systems for and Methods of Controlled Liquid Food or Beverage Product Creation" filed on Ser. No. 11/9 at 2016, U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/347,591 claims priority of U.S. 6/16 (e) entitled ""Systems for and Methods of Creating Liquid Food and Beverage Product from a Portion-Controlled Receptacle" filed on 2016, U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No.62/350,928 and U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No.62/380,170 entitled "Systems for and Methods of Creating Liquid Food and Beverage Product from a Portion-Controlled Receptacle" filed on 2016/8/26, and said U.S. patent application No.15/347,591 is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application No.15/265,379, entitled "Systems for and Methods of Agitation in the Production of Beverage and Food Receptacles from Frozen Contents", filed on day 2016, 9, and claims priority from 35U.S. C. ≡120 to U.S. patent application No.15/265,379, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application No.15/185,744, entitled "Systems for and Methods of Providing Support for Displaceable Frozen Contents in Beverage and Food Receptacles", filed on day 2016, 6, 17, which is now U.S. patent application No.9,487,348, which U.S. patent application No.15/185,744 claims priority from 35U.S. C. ≡119 (e) to U.S. provisional patent application No.62/344,212, entitled "Systems for and Methods of Providing Support for Displaceable Frozen Contents in Beverage and Food Receptacles", filed on day 2016, 6, 1, and said U.S. patent application No.15/185,744 is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application No. 15/9,156, entitled "Method of and System for Creating a Consumable Liquid Food or Beverage Product from Frozen Liquid Contents", filed on day 2016, 14, and claims priority from the U.S. patent application No.15/099,156 in accordance with 35u.s.c. ≡120. Technical Field The technical field relates generally to systems and methods for producing liquid food and/or beverage products from frozen content in a controlled manner, and in particular to systems and methods for controlling the melting of frozen content into a liquid and the evaporation of the liquid into a gas. The technical field also relates generally to systems and methods that provide a support for displaceable frozen content in beverage and food receptacles and, in particular, a platform that supports the frozen content within the receptacle to assist in displacing the frozen content from a first position within the receptacle to a second position within the receptacle. The technical field also relates generally to systems and methods that provide a support for displaceable frozen content in beverage and food receptacles and in particular a platform that supports the frozen content within the receptacle to assist in displacing the frozen content from a first position within the receptacle to a second position within the receptacle. The technical field also relates generally to methods and systems for producing a consumable liquid food or beverage product from frozen content and in particular frozen liquid packaged in a receptacle designed to be received by a machine-based dispensing system to facilitate melting and/or dilution of the frozen liquid content and to produce a ready-to-consume food or beverage from the frozen liquid content. The frozen liquid content may be derived from food or beverage concentrates, extracts, and/or other consumable fluids with or without nutrients. Background Current or existing machine-based coffee brewing systems (coffee brewing system) and coffee packaged in a filter cartridge allow consumers to make purported freshly brewed beverages by touching buttons without requiring additional process steps such as measurement, filter treatment and/or mess disposal of spent coffee grounds. These machine-based systems typically utilize a receiver (receiver) that holds dry solids or powder (such as dry coffee grounds, tea leaves, or cocoa powder) and a filter medium that prevents unwanted solids from migrating into the user's cup or glass, as well as som