US 12,064,052 B2
Beverage machine using pods that contain whole brewing elements
Adam Teddy Eller, East Palo Alto, CA (US); Erik Charles Pfleiderer, Palo Alto, CA (US); and Chad Burnham Ingerick, Palo Alto, CA (US)
Assigned to SMART COFFEE TECHNOLOGY, Palo Alto, CA (US)
Filed by Smart Coffee Technology, Palo Alto, CA (US)
Filed on Dec. 14, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/081,645.
Application 18/081,645 is a continuation of application No. 16/747,338, filed on Jan. 20, 2020, granted, now 11,534,019.
Application 16/747,338 is a continuation of application No. 15/970,839, filed on May 3, 2018, granted, now 10,537,202, issued on Jan. 21, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/500,734, filed on May 3, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2023/0190032 A1, Jun. 22, 2023
Int. Cl. A47J 31/40 (2006.01); A47J 31/42 (2006.01); A47J 31/44 (2006.01)
CPC A47J 31/407 (2013.01) [A47J 31/42 (2013.01); A47J 31/4492 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for brewing a beverage with whole brewing elements included in a beverage pod using a beverage machine, the method comprising:
receiving, at an input to the beverage machine, the beverage pod including the whole brewing elements, the beverage pod comprising a machine-readable code representing instructions for brewing the beverage with the whole brewing elements included in the beverage pod using the beverage machine;
reading, using the beverage machine, the machine-readable code to determine the instructions for brewing the beverage;
grinding, using a grinder of the beverage machine, the whole brewing elements into grounds according to the instructions, the whole brewing elements released to the grinder from the beverage pod;
brewing, using the beverage machine, the grounds into the beverage according to the instructions, the brewing comprising:
sealing a brew chamber for a brew time defined by the instructions, wherein:
the brew chamber comprises an upper section and a lower section attached to a lower plunger, the upper section decouplable from the lower section, and
the brew chamber is sealed by actuating the lower plunger to couple to the lower section to the upper section,
filling the brew chamber with liquid according to the instructions to brew the beverage, and
agitating liquid in the brew chamber according to the instructions while brewing the beverage; and
dispensing the liquid from the brew chamber as the beverage.