Search

EP-4543262-B1 - BEVERAGE PREPARATION STATION

EP4543262B1EP 4543262 B1EP4543262 B1EP 4543262B1EP-4543262-B1

Inventors

  • CLINE, Travis W.
  • HALL-SPICUZZA, ZANDER J.
  • BEHROOZI, Susan P.
  • ANDERSON, Erik S.
  • KRUGER, Joshua J.
  • PARK, John F.
  • JESSIE, JEFFREY L.
  • POWELL, Raegan T.
  • PADDOCK, Lynnea M.
  • GORMLEY, JOSEPH E.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20230621

Claims (15)

  1. A beverage station (10, 100), comprising: a first zone (20, 200) positioned below a countertop; a second zone (30, 300) positioned at a level of the countertop, and a third zone (40, 400) positioned at an overhead level, the third zone comprising at least one reduced temperature zone, wherein the at least one reduced temperature zone comprises at least one refrigerated dispense (41, 450) having a bottom surface with an opening (416, 426) configured to allow dispensing of an ingredient from underneath the at least one refrigerated dispense, characterized by further comprising an outer frame (4462) configured to be mounted to the bottom surface of the refrigerated dispense and by a retractable drip tray being configured to move relative to the outer frame between a first position positioned beneath the opening of the at least one refrigerated dispense and a second position away from the opening of the at least one refrigerated dispense.
  2. The beverage station of Claim 1, wherein the at least one refrigerated dispense (41, 450) is mounted with an above counter support to a wall or a partition in the third zone (40, 400), the above counter support comprising at least two slides (3468) to allow movement of the at least one refrigerated dispense away or towards from the wall or the partition.
  3. The beverage station of Claim 2, wherein the at least two slides (3468) are attached to a bottom surface of the at least one refrigerated dispense (41, 450).
  4. The beverage station of Claim 3, wherein the retractable drip tray (4464) is spring-loaded.
  5. The beverage station of Claim 3 or Claim 4, wherein the retractable drip tray (4464) comprises a curved front surface.
  6. The beverage station of any one of Claims 3 to 5, wherein the retractable drip tray (4464) is configured to move backwards or forwards when moving between the first position and the second position.
  7. The beverage station of any of the above claims, wherein the first zone (20, 200) further comprises a cup or lid dispense.
  8. The beverage station of any one of the above claims, wherein the first zone (20, 200) further comprises a cabinet (420) for storing one or more gases.
  9. The beverage station of Claim 8, further comprising one or more taps connected to the cabinet (420) for storing one or more gases.
  10. The beverage station of any one of the above claims, wherein the third zone (40 400) further comprises an ice dispense, wherein the ice dispense is an ice dispenser cabinet (420).
  11. The beverage station of any one of the above claims, wherein the third zone further comprises a cup or lid dispense, wherein the cup or lid dispense is a cup or lid (40, 400) dispenser cabinet.
  12. The beverage station of Claim 11, wherein the third zone (40, 400) comprises one or more shelves and further comprises a plurality of liquid dispenses, wherein the plurality of liquid dispenses comprise containers configured to dispense liquids, wherein the plurality of liquid dispenses are positioned on the one or more shelves.
  13. A method of forming a beverage comprising hot or cold ingredients using a beverage station according to any of claims 1 to 12, the method comprising: dispensing at least one cold ingredient into a container from a location overhead.
  14. The method of Claim 13, wherein the at least one cold ingredient is dispensed from a reduced temperature zone.
  15. The method of Claim 14, wherein the cold ingredients are only added to the container from the location overhead.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/355240, filed June 24, 2022. Field The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for preparing beverages, such as, systems and methods for preparing cold beverages in a beverage station. Background Beverages at a coffee store can include a large number of ingredients that can be combined in various ways and at various doses for various drinks. Conventionally, in response to receiving a beverage order, a barista creates the beverage by manually retrieving ingredients from their respective containers and bringing the ingredients to respective equipment to create a drink. Drink orders can be increasingly more complicated, in particular with increasing customization. The locations of the ingredients and equipment needed for one drink may be located at various locations that require the barista to travel. Storing the ingredients and equipment in a way that is practical and accessible for use and for refilling can also be challenging, especially at large scales. US 2020/154949 A1 relates to a modular system for autonomous food assembly; and FR1464613 A relates to a refrigerated display case. SUMMARY The systems, methods and devices of this disclosure each have several innovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for the desirable attributes disclosed herein. According to the present invention, there is provided a beverage station, and a corresponding method of forming a beverage using said beverage station, as defined in the appended claims. A beverage station includes a first zone positioned below a countertop, a second zone positioned at a level of the countertop, and a third zone positioned at an overhead level. The third zone includes at least one reduced temperature zone. According to the invention, the at least one reduced temperature zone can include at least one refrigerated dispense. The at least one refrigerated dispense includes an opening through a bottom surface of the least one refrigerated dispense. The opening is configured to allow dispensing of an ingredient from underneath the at least one refrigerated dispense. The at least one refrigerated dispense can be mounted with an above counter support to a wall or a partition in the third zone. The above counter support can include at least two slides to allow movement of the at least one refrigerated dispense away or towards from the wall or the partition. The at least two slides can be attached to a bottom surface of the at least one refrigerated dispense. The beverage station includes a retractable drip tray configured to move between a first position positioned beneath the opening of the at least one refrigerated dispense and a second position away from the opening of the at least one refrigerated dispense. The retractable drip tray can be spring-loaded. The retractable drip tray can include a curved front surface. The retractable drip tray can be configured to move backwards or forwards when moving between the first position and the second position. In some configurations, the first zone can further include a cup or lid dispense. The first zone can further include a cabinet for storing one or more gases. The beverage station can include one or more taps connected to the cabinet for storing one or more gases. The second zone can include the countertop and a sink. The second zone further can include a whip cream dispense positioned on the countertop. The second zone can further include at least one blender positioned on the countertop. The second zone can further include one or more ingredient dispenses, the one or more ingredient dispenses comprising one or more containers with pumps or scoops, wherein the one or more ingredient dispenses are positioned on the countertop. The second zone can further include one or more dry ingredient dispenses, the one or more dry ingredient dispenses comprising one or more containers to store dry ingredients, wherein the one or more dry ingredient dispenses are positioned on the countertop. The third zone can further include an ice dispense. The ice dispense can be an ice dispenser cabinet. The third zone can further include a cup or lid dispense. The cup or lid dispense can be a cup or lid dispenser cabinet. The third zone can further include one or more shelves. The third zone can further include a plurality of liquid dispenses. The plurality of liquid dispenses can include containers configured to dispense liquids. The plurality of liquid dispenses can be positioned on the one or more shelves. The plurality of liquid containers can be locked onto the one or more shelves. The reduced temperature zone can include a refrigerated zone or a freezer zone. The at least one reduced temperature zone can include an outlet for dispensing a beverage component. The outlet can be positioned above the countertop. The third zone can include a plurality of juice or tea dispenses, an i