Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090017177 | CAPSULE WITH OUTER SEALING MATERIAL PRESSURIZED BY A FLUID - A method for producing a beverage from an ingredient-containing capsule by inserting a sealed capsule into a capsule enclosure space of a beverage production device, enclosing the capsule by a relative displacement of at least two enclosing members which define the capsule enclosure space, and opening an inlet face of the capsule and injecting a fluid under pressure into the capsule in order to open an outlet face of the capsule. The capsule is provided at its outer surface with sealing material which is exposed to the fluid pressure in the capsule enclosure space. After enclosing the capsule, the fluid pressure in the capsule at least partially acts on the sealing material, such that in turn the sealing material is pressed against one of the enclosing members thus constituting a flow resistance that is sufficient to guarantee a pressure build-up inside the capsule sufficient for the pressure-assisted opening of the outlet face of the capsule. | 01-15-2009 |
20090280219 | CAPSULE WITH SEALING MEANS - A capsule ( | 11-12-2009 |
20100218684 | HEATING DEVICE WITH AN INTEGRATED THERMOBLOCK FOR A BEVERAGE PREPARATION MACHINE - An in-line heating device for a liquid food or beverage preparation machine in which liquid is circulated through the heating device and then guided into a brewing chamber. This heating device includes a thermoblock with a metal mass that incorporates an inlet, an outlet and a heating chamber extending therebetween to form a passage for guiding the liquid circulating through the mass, with the mass arranged to accumulate heat and to supply heat to the liquid; and one or more electric components that are rigidly secured onto or into the thermoblock and that are connected to a printed circuit board or a flex-print arranged to control the thermoblock. The electric components are rigidly connected to the printed circuit board or flex-print, in particular via rigid connector pins or blades or rigid plug and socket members. | 09-02-2010 |
20100282090 | INTEGRATED HEATER FOR A BEVERAGE PREPARATION DEVICE - An integrated in-line heater for a liquid food or beverage preparation machine, in which liquid is circulated through the heater and then guided into a brewing chamber for brewing a food or beverage ingredient, for instance within a pod or capsule, supplied into the brewing chamber. An upstream part of the brewing chamber may be formed by the heater. One or more electric components may be incorporated into the heater and rigidly connected to a printed circuit board. The heater may have a tubular inner core that is eccentric with respect to a tubular or prismatic outer member which form together a helicoidal heating chamber of variable cross-section. | 11-11-2010 |
20100288132 | BEVERAGE BREWING UNIT - A beverage machine having a beverage brewing unit for receiving a single-serve capsule and including a capsule holding assembly for holding a capsule in a position during insertion by gravity of the capsule in the brewing unit; and a water injection assembly for at least partially enclosing the capsule and providing water in the capsule. The capsule holding part forms a front part of the unit and is mounted to the capsule injection assembly in a manner to be displaceable along a substantially horizontal path whereas the water injection assembly is located in a rear fixed part of the unit. The beverage machine has an outermost casing. One of these brewing unit assemblies can be moved or telescoped out or through this casing for inserting/removing the ingredient capsule and retracted into the outermost casing for bringing the brewing unit into its capsule extraction configuration. | 11-18-2010 |
20110126717 | BEVERAGE MACHINE WITH CARRYING HANDLE AND CONFIGURABLE APPEARANCE & SIDE FUNCTIONS - A machine for preparing a beverage having a main body containing a brewing unit and a handle movable relative to the main body, so as to act on the brewing unit to open the brewing unit for introduction or removal of an ingredient into and from the unit, and act to close the brewing unit for extraction of such ingredient within the unit. The movable handle has a gripping part and is arranged to be drivable by a human hand. The main body and the movable handle are so connected and configured that the gripping part has a carrying position in which the gripping part is seizable by the human hand for safe lifting and single-handed displacing of the machine. | 06-02-2011 |
20120230482 | REMOTE DIAGNOSIS OF BEVERAGE PREPARATION MACHINES - A communication system ( | 09-13-2012 |
20120285966 | BEVERAGE MACHINE WITH REMOVABLE LIQUID SUPPLY RESERVOIR - A beverage preparation machine ( | 11-15-2012 |
20120328456 | REDUCTION OF PUMP NUISANCE | 12-27-2012 |
20130014647 | VIBRATION PROOF WATER TANK OF A BEVERAGE MACHINEAANM Mori; PeterAACI WalperswilAACO CHAAGP Mori; Peter Walperswil CHAANM Gavillet; GillesAACI UrsyAACO CHAAGP Gavillet; Gilles Ursy CH - A beverage preparation machine ( | 01-17-2013 |
20130247772 | BEVERAGE MACHINE WITH RELIABLE USER-INDICATOR - A beverage machine comprises: a processing unit ( | 09-26-2013 |
20130269536 | BEVERAGE BREWING UNIT - The invention relates to a beverage machine that includes a brewing unit which can be opened for introducing or removing an ingredient capsule and closed for brewing a beverage from the ingredient capsule; a passage having an opening and which is arranged for guiding the ingredient capsule from the passage opening into the brewing unit; and a closing part for closing the passage opening when the brewing unit is closed. The closing part is relatively movable over the passage opening with a generally parallel relative movement thereto from an open relative position in which the ingredient capsule can be passed into the brewing unit via the passage to a closed relative position, in which the passage opening is closed by the closure member. The closing part optionally extends over edges of the passage opening. | 10-17-2013 |
20130344206 | AUTOMATIC BEVERAGE MACHINE - The invention pertains to the field of the beverage preparation machines having an ingredient processing module for preparing a beverage with at least one ingredient supplied with a capsule. The machine comprises a positioner arranged to hold at least one capsule out of the ingredient processing module. It further comprises a sensing arrangement adapted to detect an event related to the insertion by a user of a capsule and/or the presence of the capsule on or into the positioner. The machine is configured, upon detection of the event, to transfer the capsule to the ingredient processing module by using transfer means, and then to start the preparation of the beverage. More particularly, the invention relates to a machine providing a convenient and safe solution to fully automate the preparation of a beverage. | 12-26-2013 |
20140020563 | HEATING DEVICE WITH AN INTEGRATED THERMOBLOCK FOR A BEVERAGE PREPARATION MACHINE - A combination of a flow meter and printed circuit board or flex-print for a liquid food or a beverage preparation machine, which board or flex-print is rigidly connected to the flow meter. This combination is used in a liquid food or beverage preparation machine that includes an in-line heating device in which machine liquid is circulated through the heating device and then guided into a brewing chamber that includes a capsule or pod housing for brewing a food or beverage ingredient supplied into the brewing chamber. | 01-23-2014 |
20140022044 | HEATING DEVICE WITH AN INTEGRATED THERMOBLOCK FOR A BEVERAGE PREPARATION MACHINE - A liquid food of beverage preparation machine that includes an electric supply circuit connectable to an electric power source; a heater powered by the electric supply circuit; and a thermal fuse device in thermal communication with the heater and associated with the electric supply circuit, the fuse device being arranged to interrupt the electric supply circuit from the power source when the heater exceeds a temperature limit. The thermal fuse device is reversible and includes a switch for automatically interrupting the electric supply circuit when the heater exceeds the temperature limit, the switch being operable by a user to close the electric supply circuit when the heater has a temperature that has returned below the temperature limit. | 01-23-2014 |
20140026759 | HEATING DEVICE WITH AN INTEGRATED THERMOBLOCK FOR A BEVERAGE PREPARATION MACHINE - A liquid food or beverage preparation machine that includes a fluid arrangement and a printed circuit board for controlling one or more functions of the fluid arrangement, with the printed circuit board being enclosed within a substantially impervious housing to protect the printed circuit board from fluid or vapor emissions from the fluid arrangement. | 01-30-2014 |
20140053733 | INTEGRATED HEATER FOR A BEVERAGE PREPARATION DEVICE - An in-line heater for a liquid food or beverage preparation machine, in which machine liquid is circulated through the heater and then guided into a brewing chamber for brewing a food or beverage ingredient supplied into said brewing chamber. The heater has a body incorporating an inlet, an outlet and a heating chamber extending therebetween, with the inlet, outlet and heating chamber forming together a rigid passage for guiding the liquid circulating through the body, and one or more electric components that are secured on or in the body and connected to a printed circuit board arranged to control the heater. The one or more electric components are rigidly connected to the printed circuit board. | 02-27-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100108638 | Method for producing a mould for nanostructured polymer objects - A mould for objects made of polymer material is produced by successively depositing a barrier thin layer and a thin layer of diamond-like carbon on at least a part of a metal support. The thin layer of diamond-like carbon is then nanopatterned with a predetermined pattern presenting a form factor of more than 1. Nanopatterning is performed by selective chemical etching in dry phase through a hard mask and etching stops at an interface between the thin layer of diamond-like carbon and the barrier thin layer. The hard mask used was formed beforehand on a free surface of the thin layer of diamond-like carbon by selective chemical etching in dry phase performed through a void lattice delineated by nanoparticles deposited beforehand on a free surface of said hard mask. The barrier thin layer and the nanopatterned thin layer of diamond-like carbon form a bilayer coating presenting a thickness comprised between about 100 nm and about 10 μm. | 05-06-2010 |
20110192521 | METHOD FOR USING A SUPER-SLIPPERY THIN LAYER CHARACTERISED BY THE METHOD FOR MAKING SAME - The invention relates to the use of a super-slippery thin-layer film or coating for enhancing the lubrication capacity of a part to be subjected to great friction and wear. The film of the invention for improving the lubrication capacity of parts to be subjected to important friction and wear includes at least: a layer ( | 08-11-2011 |
20110198059 | HEAT EXCHANGE STRUCTURE AND COOLING DEVICE COMPRISING SUCH A STRUCTURE - A heat exchange structure including a primary face including non-through holes formed in the face. The inner surface of the holes and the surface of the primary face outside the holes are covered with nanoparticles. The inside of the holes have a non-wettability property relative to a given liquid and the surface of the face between the holes have a wettability property relative to the liquid. | 08-18-2011 |
20120067558 | THERMAL EXCHANGE DEVICE WITH INCREASED THERMAL EXCHANGE COEFFICIENT AND METHOD FOR PRODUCTION OF SUCH A DEVICE - A heat exchange device including a first surface configured to be in contact with a source of heat to be discharged and a second surface configured to be in contact with a coolant. The device includes a plurality of recesses fluidically insulated from one another, each recess leading onto the second surface via at least one channel, each channel having a length and a transverse size that prevents the coolant from entering the recess. The second surface has better wettability properties with respect to the coolant and the inner surfaces of the channels and the recesses have wettability properties less than or equal to those of the second surface. | 03-22-2012 |
20120168131 | HEAT EXCHANGE DEVICE WITH IMPROVED EFFICIENCY - A method for heat exchange by boiling a polar liquid on a surface including at least one low-wetting zone, including: a) generating appearance of nuclei of vapor bubbles on the low-wetting zone, and causing the nuclei to grow; and b) making the surface wetting by at least one electro-wetting system, to favor detachment of the gas bubbles formed in this manner. | 07-05-2012 |
20120180978 | HEAT EXCHANGE DEVICE WITH CONFINED CONVECTIVE BOILING AND IMPROVED EFFICIENCY - A heat exchange device with convective and confined boiling includes a channel in a substrate in contact with an element to be cooled, in which a polar fluid flows from upstream to downstream, a mechanism of movement of the fluid by convection in the channel imposing a direction of flow, and a device for movement by electro-wetting positioned between the channel and the element to be cooled to move the fluid in the channel. The channel includes an inner surface having low wettability with regard to the polar fluid. The mechanism of movement by electro-wetting includes electrodes and a controller to apply selectively a potential to the electrodes such that an electrostatic force gradient is applied to the fluid in the direction of flow. | 07-19-2012 |
20130052552 | DEVICE FORMING A MANOMETER INTENDED FOR MEASURING BIPHASIC FLUID PRESSURE, ASSOCIATED METHOD OF MANUFACTURE AND FLUIDIC NETWORK - A device forming a manometer, configured to measure pressure of a biphasic fluid in a fluidic network, including: a first channel inside which a biphasic fluid is able to flow; a second channel emerging into the first channel, wherein the second channel is blind, with each of its dimensions less than capillary length of the fluid's liquid phase, and with at least one of its lengthways wall having a surface energy gradient that decreases from its inlet to the end. The surface energy gradient enables the wetting angle of the meniscus of the fluid's liquid phase to be increased in the blind channel from its inlet to the end. Such a device may find application to measurement of pressure of a biphasic fluid in a heat exchanger or in a fuel cell. | 02-28-2013 |
20130098417 | THERMOGENERATOR COMPRISING PHASE-CHANGE MATERIALS - A thermogenerator including at least one thermoelement and two phase-change materials having different phase-change temperatures, the at least one thermoelement having two opposite main faces, and each of the faces is covered by one of the phase-change materials, such that the thermoelement is subject only to a temperature gradient imposed by the two phase-change materials, during a phase of heating or cooling. | 04-25-2013 |
20130312935 | HEAT-ABSORBING DEVICE WITH PHASE-CHANGE MATERIAL - A heat absorbing device including a structure including plural individual cells delimited by an envelope made of a material that has good thermal conductivity and includes at least one phase-change material, the cells being stacked on top of one another from an end surface so that the structure extends in a direction of thermal flux, the flux being made up of two notable periodic thermal events, the structure including two different sizes of cells. The sizes of the cells are determined as a function of frequency of the thermal events of the thermal flux and a distribution of a number of cells of each size is determined as a function of amplitudes of each event. | 11-28-2013 |
20140158334 | THERMAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WITH VARIABLE-VOLUME MATERIAL - A thermal management system configured to be installed between a heat source and a heat sink, including a first heat conductor and a second heat conductor, a thermal switch configured to allow or prevent thermal connection between the first and second heat conductors, the thermal switch including at least one thermally conductive material that can connect the first and second conductors by a change in its volume, and the thermal switch including a controller configured to transfer thermal energy to the phase-change material to change a connection state. The connection is made when the heat source goes above a critical temperature, since the connection enables a heat flux to be established between the heat source and the heat sink. | 06-12-2014 |
20140369005 | PASSIVE THERMAL MANAGEMENT DEVICE - A thermal management device including a first face configured to be in contact with a hot source and a second face opposite the first face configured to be in contact with a cold source, and at least one network of cells filled with a solid/liquid phase-change material located in a cavity between the first and second faces, wherein the cells include walls formed of carbon nanotubes, wherein the nanotubes extend roughly from the first to the second face, thermally connecting the first face to the second face. | 12-18-2014 |