Title of Invention

AN AUTOMATIC POD CONVEYOR AND BREWER ASSEMBLY FOR FRESH HOT BEVERAGE

Abstract This invention relates to an automatic pod-conveyor and brewer assembly for fresh hot beverage. The brewer sub-assembly (100) includes a pneumatic cylinder (110) with its piston rod (120) fitted to a brewer plunger (130). An injection nozzle (180) is detachably fixed from underneath to the brewer base (195) with its conical tip protruding into the brewer chamber (150). The single serving pod (160) is a receptacle (510) containing the brewing, infusible or other material (520), covered and sealed with a porous membrane (530).The injection nozzle (180) injects hot pressurized water, received through its interior from a suitable water heating system, into the single serving pod (160) placed within the brewer sub-assembly (100), and the brewed beverage flows out to a dispensing cup through a liquor outlet port (190) in the brewer base (195). The pneumatic cylinder (110) is operated by air solenoid valve (165) with compressed air drawn from a compressed air storage tank (170). The pod-conveyor sub-assembly (200) includes a pod-conveyor (210) which, by its rotational movement in a horizontal plane, conveys the pod (160) to the brewer sub-assembly (100) from chutes (280, 290). The pod-conveyor (210) is operated by a pusher motor (250) in co-operation with a pusher gear (230) fitted to the integral shaft (215) of the pod-conveyor (210). The assembly can be used to prepare hot beverage of a wide variety of brewing, infusible or other materials including, without implying any limitation thereto, tea, coffee, materials of plant origin such as floral pieces like Jasmine flowers, vegetable pieces like carrots, onions, materials of animal origin such as honey or any other suitable beverage powder or material which can be placed in the single serving pod (160) of the assembly.
Full Text Field of Invention
This invention relates to an automatic pod conveyor and brewer assembly for
fresh hot beverage wherein the pod conveyor sub-assembly in conjunction with
an electronic processor, automatically conveys and precisely positions a single
serving pod in the brewer sub-assembly and wherein the brewer sub-assembly
in conjunction with a water heating system, automatically brews freshly the
brewing material contained in thus conveyed single serving pod using hot
pressurized water provided by the water heating system, through the interior of
an injection nozzle detachably fixed to the brewer base. Each individual serving
of fresh hot beverage thus prepared has consistency in taste and flavor, which
is like the hot beverage manually brewed at that instant of time. The brewing,
infusible or other material that may be contained in the single serving pod
include, without implying any limitation thereto, materials such as tea, coffee,
material of plant origin such as floral pieces like jasmine flowers, vegetable
pieces like carrots, onions, materials of animal origin such as honey or any
other suitable beverage powder or material that can be used in the pod. The
brewing by the assembly is fast which makes the assembly specifically, but
without implying any limitation thereto, useful for use in offices, ceremonial
functions, public meetings, etc where a large number of cups of hot beverage
are required in a short period of time.
Prior Art
Automatic or semi-automatic brewing and dispensing machines are known in
the art for hot beverages such as tea, coffee, soup and hot chocolate drink, etc.
In these machines, the beverage material used is either in loose form or is
contained in a container. Some machines use flexible containers such as filter
paper bags containing roast and ground coffee or leaf tea. Some machines use

single serving cartridges, which may be rigid, semi-rigid or flexible. The main
assembly in such machines is the brewing assembly wherein the single serving
cartridges are pierced by suitable means provided therein. The hot pressurized
water is made to flow into the single serving cartridge which commingles with
the brewing material contained in the single serving cartridge and brews the
brewing material therein. The brewers have outlet for flow out of thus brewed
liquid into a dispensing cup.
In order to enhance the capacity of the brewers for brewing single serving
cartridges, magazine tubes are known to be used which stack plurality of single
serving cartridges. In such configurations, suitable conveying mechanisms are
provided for conveying one single serving cartridge at a time from a magazine
tube to the brewer assembly. The plurality of magazine tubes, each magazine
tube having plurality of single serving cartridges with same brewing material or
each magazine tube stacking single serving cartridges of different brewing
material, are known. These magazine tubes are provided on a magazine plate,
which is rotatable so that a single serving cartridge having desired brewing
material could be positioned or selected and conveyed by the conveying means
so that the brewing material may be brewed in the brewer assembly.
US patent No. 6,997,103 discloses a brewing apparatus, which uses a flexible
container for brewing material. The brewing material is contained in a sachet,
which is sealed with a flexible plastic film on one side, filter paper on other side
and has an extension on one side as an outlet for the brewed liquid. There are
two clamp members, which can be moved closer to each other to enclose the
sachet. One of the clamp members has an elastomeric membrane supported on
a hydraulic reservoir whereas the other clamp member has a rigid wall, which is
provided with a metallic injector tube projecting outwards. The two rigid

spacing elements are provided with means to define recess around the injection
tube. Upon closure of the clamps, the hydraulic pressure causes the flexible
sheet to bulge outwards against the injector tube resulting in piercing of the
film. The water flows into the sachet through the injector tube and the brewed
liquid flows out through the extension of the sachet.
A drawback of the above device is that a flap formed by a portion of the flexible
film of the sachet forms a valve over the tip of the injector tube which is
presumed to be sufficiently flexible that upon injection of the liquid through the
injector tube outlet hole, the flap gets displaced to allow the liquid to enter the
sachet and when the supply of liquid to injector tube stops, the back pressure
of the sachet presses the flap against the outlet hole of the injector tube
thereby preventing any of the contents of the sachet from entering and
clogging the injector tube. However, the backpressure may not always be
sufficient to keep the flap fully and tightly pressed against the outlet hole of
injector tube with the result that the clogging of the injector tube with the
contents of the sachet may occur after entry of brewing water into the sachet.
Another drawback of the above brewing arrangement is that it is applicable
only to flexible containers like a sachet, wherein the plastic film covering the
sachet is capable of bulging out on application of hydraulic pressure from one
side and being pierced by the injector tube.
Still another drawback of the above brewing arrangement is that it cannot be
used for sachets or cartridges formed with rigid or semi-rigid materials.
Further drawback of the above brewing arrangement is that it is not suitable for
automatic operation of brewing with plurality of sachets. The arrangement does
not include any conveying mechanism for automatically conveying/positioning

the sachet from a magazine tube or other such storage means for plurality of
sachets to the brewing position. The above mechanism is therefore not suitable
for meeting the bulk demand in a short time in offices, ceremonial functions,
etc.
Yet further drawback of the above brewing arrangement is that the injector
tube may penetrate completely into the sachet and therefore the flexible film
may not form the desired valve flap covering the injector outlet hole as
assumed in the arrangement, due to imprecise positioning of the sachet in the
brewing mechanism, thereby resulting in clogging of the injector tube with
sachet contents during the flow out of the brewed liquid.
US patent no.4,846,052 discloses a device for brewing of brewing material
contained in a rigid single cartridge. The device comprises an extraction device
and a single cartridge holder. The extraction device has an injection element
with plurality of holes for injecting hot water into the cartridge. A cartridge is
placed in the said cartridge holder beneath the extraction device so that the
injection element pierces the cartridge. The hot water flows through the
plurality of holes of the injection element into the brewing material contained in
the cartridge. The brewed liquid flows out through the filter paper sealing the
cartridge and through an outlet of the cartridge holder.
A drawback of the above device is that piercing and water injection is made
from one side of the cartridge and the brewed liquid flows out from other side.
There may not be uniform wetting of the brewing material contained in the
cartridge due to the formation of channels within the brewing material and as
such there may not be thorough brewing of the brewing material contained in
the cartridge.

Another drawback of the above machine is that it requires complex piercer
structure with multiple holes. It also requires the injection element to have a
precision angle of point of injection in the range of 20 to 40 degrees in order
not to damage the upper dome of the cartridge.
Still another drawback of the above machine is that it requires a very high
pressure of 8 to 15 bars which could result in the bursting of the cartridge due
to any localized imperfection or weakness during construction in its wall.
Additionally the cartridge needs to have a specialized design with thicker
material of the wall to withstand such high pressure which adds to the cost and
complexity.
Further drawback of the above machine is that it has complex mechanism for
releasing the used cartridge.
Still further drawback of the above machine is that the cartridges require a
specialized annular edge which is firmly held within the device during extraction
through cooperating means. Any misplacement of the cartridge within the
device during brewing will result in deformation or bursting of the cartridge.
This also necessitates a complex design of the cartridge holding means on the
device.
Yet further drawback of the above machine is that it depends upon the internal
pressure of the brewed liquid during brewing, for the cover of the cartridge to
split open along its weakening line allowing the brewed liquid to flow out. The
pressure inside may get reduced due to the brewing material and filter paper or
the pressure inside the pod may not always be adequate enough to split open
the cover of the cartridge along the weakening line for the brewed liquid to
flow out.

Even further drawback of the above device is that it is not suitable for
automatic operation as it does not have plurality of cartridges stacked in
plurality of magazine tubes and does not have automatic means for positioning
or conveying the cartridges within the brewing device. The device is therefore
not suitable for meeting the bulk demand in a short time like in offices,
ceremonial functions, etc.
US Patent No. 5,325,765 discloses a beverage filter cartridge wherein the
cartridge has three elements. The first element is a base with inverted
truncated cone shape with bottom closed and top end open. The second
element is a filter in the form of an inverted cone containing the brewing
material, wherein the cone has higher tapering on sides and less height than
the base so that when the filter is housed in the base with sealing engagement
at their rims, it forms a chamber between the surface of filter and base so as to
receive the outflow of brewed liquid out of the filter cone. Third element is a
dome shaped lid of a piercable material. The three element cartridge as above
is housed in a housing whose upper part has a penetrator needle to puncture
the lid and allow the hot pressurized water to flow into the filter cone through a
hole in the penetrator needle and the lower part of the housing has a second
penetrator needle for flow out of the brewed liquid.
A drawback of the above device is that it requires multiple piercing means, one
to puncture the filter cone lid for allowing the brewing water to flow into the
brewing material contained in the filter cone and other to pierce the bottom of
the housing to allow the flow out of the brewed liquid into a dispensing cup.
Another drawback of the above device is that it requires specialized cartridges
of a complex design which would require specialized machinery to produce.

Yet another drawback of the device is that the piercing means have to puncture
the base of the beverage filter cartridge which is made up of material such as
polystyrene, polyethylene, etc, which could blunt the tip of the piercing means
over a period of time, reducing the efficacy of the mechanism. US patent No.
6,606,938 discloses a single serve brewer, which has a housing containing a
liquid storage tank. A shaft extending vertically upwards from the liquid tank
has a conical shaped baffle at its lower end and a pivotal arm at its upper end,
which extends to the brewing chamber designed to accept a single serve
beverage filter cartridge. An air pump on a platform is connected to a bladder
and also to a port on the conical baffle via a first flexible hose. A tube
extending to tank through the baffle is connected via second flexible hose to a
first tubular probe carried by the said arm. A helical spring and a second tubular
probe are provided under the brewing chamber.
When the bladder is inflated, it pushes down the pivotal arm and shaft resulting
in compressing the spring under the cartridge leading to pressing down and
piercing of the bottom of the cartridge by second tubular probe. When the
pressure releases, the lid of the container is pierced by the first tubular probe.
The compressed air is then fed into the liquid tank via first flexible hose causing
a metered amount of hot water from the liquid tank to be expelled and fed into
the cartridge via second flexible hose. The beverage thus prepared passes
through a filter and through the second tubular probe into the dispensing cup.
A drawback of the above device is that the supply of brewing water into the
single serving cartridge is by a complex and cumbersome mechanism involving
air pump, bladder, two flexible hoses, a shaft, a pivotal arm etc.

Another drawback is that it requires two tubular probes as piercing means, one
tubular probe for piercing the container lid and the other tubular probe for the
bottom of the cartridge.
Yet another drawback is that it requires a complex mechanism to first puncture
the bottom of the cartridge and then puncture the lid of the cartridge in a
sequence. This sequential puncturing of the cartridge at both ends results in
slower cycle time and the consumer has to wait longer for the cup of beverage.
Still another disadvantage is that it is not suitable for bulk servings as the
cartridges need to be manually loaded into the brewing chamber for each cup
desired to be made, thereby making it unsuitable for scenarios such as offices,
ceremonial functions, etc, where high speed of dispensing is required.
Further drawback of the above device is that the second tubular device is used
for piercing the bottom of the cartridge as well as being an outlet for the
brewed liquid. This tubular device may get clogged with the brewing material
during the flow out of the brewed liquid.
US patent No. 6079315 discloses a beverage filter cartridge holder, which is
mounted on a slidable drawer. The system includes an axially moveable lid,
which is manipulated by a linkage yoke driven by an electric motor. When the
lid moves axially downwards, it causes a downwardly projecting apertured
probe to pierce the top of the cartridge to provide an inlet for hot water for
brewing. It also causes another hollow piercing member to pierce the bottom
surface of the cartridge to provide an exit flow path for the brewed liquid.
A drawback of the above system is that the brewer requires a very complex
internal mechanism to receive the cartridges, position it in perfect alignment

and effect the puncturing of the cartridge from top and bottom during the
brewing process, and ejection of the used cartridge.
Another drawback of the above system is that the cartridge has to be manually
loaded within the beverage filter cartridge holder by opening the slidable
drawer, which makes the system time consuming to brew a cup of beverage.
Yet another drawback of the above system is not suitable for bulk servings as
there is no mechanism for automatic conveying of single serving cartridge in
the cartridge holder from a cartridge storage means for plurality of cartridges.
Yet another drawback of the above system is that the lid of the brewing
chamber is operated using a complex pinion driven rack, electric motor, vertical
tracks, etc. Additionally, the pivotal mounting of the brewing chamber on
slidable drawer is of a very complex design and may get misaligned due to
repeated and frequent use, in turn causing misalignment of the beverage filter
cartridge.
Further drawback of the above system is that it requires multiple piercing
means, one for piercing top for inflow of hot water for brewing and another for
piercing the bottom surface of the cartridge for outflow of the brewed liquid.
This adds to the complexity of the brewer design and manufacturing cost.
US patent no. 7,328,651 discloses four embodiments of a cartridge and a
beverage preparation machine. The cartridge comprises an outer member, an
inner member and a laminate. The interior of the cartridge is filled with one or
more beverage ingredients. In the first version of the cartridge, the outer
member is a bowl shaped shell having a curved annular wall, a closed top and
an open bottom, which together define a receptacle. At the center of the top,
an inwardly directed cylindrical extension with stepped profile is provided. A

manifold is formed between annular wall and a coaxial secondary wall, which
run around the circumference of the annular wall. Around 20 to 40 slots are
provided on the annular wall. At the periphery of the outer member, a
cylindrical inlet chamber with closed upper surface is provided. This inlet
chamber is in communication with the manifold at 1 to 4 slots. The inner
member comprises an annular frame and a downwardly extending cylindrical
funnel. A filter paper is placed on the annular frame. The annular frame has
outer rim and inner hub, which are joined by equispaced radial spokes. The
cylindrical funnel has an outer tube surrounding an inner discharge spout
through which the prepared beverage is discharged into a cup. The four variant
embodiments of cartridge disclosed in the patent differ in minor constructional
changes in elements such as spout discharge, radial spokes, slots on the
annular wall, provision of an air inlet, etc.
The beverage preparation machine disclosed in the above patent is adapted to
use the cartridges of the above type. It comprises a housing, a water tank, a
water heater, a water pump, an air compressor, a control processor, a user
interface and a cartridge head. The cartridge head comprises a cartridge
holder, cartridge recognition means and inlet and outlet piercers. The water
heater heats the water to 20 to 85 degrees Celsius. The inlet piercer is a hollow
needle like tube for perforating the laminate and allows water inflow through a
water conduit. The outlet piercer is an open-ended cylinder having dimensions
larger than the discharge spout.
A drawback of the cartridges used in the above machines is that these are quite
complex to manufacture and relatively expensive.
Another drawback of the above machine is that it requires four-stage discharge
cycle. In the pre-wet stage, the cartridge is charged with water from the water

storage tank by means of water pump. In the next stage of 'pause', the
beverage ingredients are allowed to soak in water injected during the pre-wet
stage. In the next stage of brewing/mixing, water is passed into the cartridge
to produce beverage. In the last stage of 'air purge, the pressurized air is blown
through the beverage preparation machine and the beverage cartridge to
ensure that all the beverage is dispensed and that flow path is cleared so that
is ready for dispensing another beverage. In view of above, the delivery time
for beverage by the above machine is longer which is typically between 10 and
120 seconds. As a result, the consumer has to wait a long time before he is
able to consume his beverage.
Still another drawback of the machine is that the consumer has to manually
place the cartridge in the cartridge holder prior to operating the machine and
then manually remove and dispose the used cartridge. This slows down the
cycle time and also makes it less user-friendly. In certain scenarios an
additional operator may have to be deployed to run the machine, requiring
additional manpower expenses.
Yet another drawback of the machine is that the operator has to precisely
position the cartridge on the cartridge mount such that the handle of the
cartridge is located in an irregularity on the cartridge mount. It is quite possible
that the cartridge may be misaligned by an untrained operator or due to human
error resulting in imperfect brewing or jamming or damage to the machine,
when the cartridge holder is closed by operation of the clamping lever.
Further drawback of the machine is that it has no means for stacking plurality
of cartridges and automatically conveying the cartridges for brewing. Due to
this, the machine is not suitable for bulk servings in short time that is necessary
for meeting demand in offices, ceremonial functions, etc.

US patent No.6,536,332 discloses a brewing assembly of an automatic coffee
machine for brewing coffee powder pre-packed in a cartridge. The brewing
chamber is formed by two brewing chamber portions- an upper portion and a
lower portion. The bottom of the brewing chamber is provided with plurality of
perforator members in the shape of inclined knife blades, which are adapted to
perforate the backside of the cartridge. The upper brewing chamber portion is
provided with an extension member whose shape corresponds to the outer
shape of the cartridge. The upper brewing chamber portion is provided with an
extension member with a central opening with such diameter that the
perforating members would not injure the operating person. When the closure
piston abuts against the upper portion, the perforator members penetrate the
bottom of the cartridge creating longitudinal slots therein. The brewing water
flows through the said central opening and through the slots thus created, into
the interior of the cartridge, thereby brewing the coffee powder contained in
the cartridge.
A drawback of the above apparatus is that it requires bottom of the cartridge to
be provided with slots of dimensions so as to accommodate knife-shaped
inclined perforator members. This requires precise positioning of the cartridges
so that the slots of the cartridges are in alignment with the position of the
inclined arrangement of the knife-shaped perforator members.
Another drawback of the above apparatus is that it is also not suitable for
operation with cartridges stacked in plurality of magazine tubes, as there is no
conveying mechanism for conveying a cartridge from a magazine tube to the
brewer unit. The above device is also therefore not suitable for meeting the
bulk demand in a short time like in offices, ceremonial functions, etc.

US patent no. 7,013,797 discloses a capsule magazine unit comprising six
cylindrical capsule magazine tubes fitted in a circular arrangement on a round
base. Each capsule magazine tube has an opening for capsule removal through
which the lowermost of the capsules stacked in the tube, can be pushed out.
The patent mentions that use can be made of a mechanism in the espresso
machine as known in the art to automatically remove the capsule from the
capsule magazine tube, which is made to rotate into a removal position and
convey this capsule to a brewing position. In order to avoid unintentional sliding
of the lowermost capsule out of the capsule removal opening, a blocking ring is
provided around the capsule magazine unit, which can be lifted up when
required by lifting elements provided in the holding device, to allow the
positioning of the cartridge in the brewer.
The above patent admits that the conveying of the cartridge from the magazine
tube to brewing position and the brewing of the brewing material contained in
the cartridge is by mechanisms known in the art. Thus, the above invention
relates exclusively to plurality of magazine tubes and only the known conveying
means are used.
US patent No. 6,820,535 reports a capsule conveying mechanism comprising a
capsule-conveying driving motor with a drive mechanism equipped with a
driving disc provided with a driving stud. The lowest capsule in the magazine
tube is pushed out by a capsule gripper, then an actuating lever swivel
mounted on a rotation bearing, conveys a single serving capsule into the
brewing unit. Inside the brewing unit, a spindle mechanism causes a capsule
piercer to pierce the upper surface of the single serving capsule and then the
pressurized hot brewing water flows into the capsule. When pressure inside the
cartridge builds up to a certain level, the membrane forming the base of the

cartridge gets pressed against a pyramid profiled plate, thus getting pierced.
The brewed liquid flows out through the pores thus created by the piercing and
through the draining hole on the plate and then through an outlet of the
brewing unit.
A drawback of the above device is that it requires multiple piercing means, a
capsule piercer for piercing one side of the capsule for entry of water at high
temperature and pressure and a plate having multiple pyramid-profiled points
for piercing of the membrane on the other side of the capsule for allowing the
brewed liquid to flow out.
Another drawback of the above device is that there is a complex mechanism for
conveying of the capsule from the magazine tube to the brewing unit which
involves an actuating lever, drive motor, driving disc, driving stud, capsule
gripper, and the actuating lever being swivel mounted on a rotation bearing.
Similarly, the brewing unit also involves complex mechanism involving spindle
piston drive consisting of a drive motor, drive mechanism, drive pin engaging
with an outer gear tooth system of a spindle piston, drive gear equipped with
inner gear tooth system, and so on. The complexity of the machine and
relatively more number of moving components may cause higher operating and
maintenance costs, in addition to the machine being more expensive to
manufacture.
Still another disadvantage of the above brewing assembly is that the outflow of
the brewed liquid occurs through holes in the sealing membrane of the single
serving capsule created by multiple pyramid profile plate. The miniscule
particles of brewed material may flow out through these holes along with the
brewed liquid thereby reducing the quality of the dispensed beverage or
blocking the exit tubes that convey the brewed liquid out of the brewing unit.

Further drawback of the above assembly is that the inflow of hot water into the
capsule takes place from one side and out flow of brewed liquid occurs from
other side of the capsule with the result that the brewing of the brewing
material contained in the pod may not be thorough as some of the brewing
material particles may not be wetted. Additionally, the arrangement of inflow of
water from one side and outflow from the other side results in the design of the
assembly being very complex and the brewer unit being bulky.
PCT application PCT/US2005/031604 reports a pod conveying mechanism
wherein a pod carousel having plurality of compartments containing pod
cartridges, is rotated by a spindle motor whereby the appropriate pod cartridge
is dropped into the turret aperture of a turret assembly, with the help of an
escapement ratchet operating in conjunction with a solenoid. A turret motor
rotates the turret plate towards an injector assembly where a drive motor
lowers an injection head whereby the injection nozzle of the injector head
penetrates the top seal of the cartridge. The hot pressurized from a heat
exchanger flows through the injection nozzle and then through the plurality of
apertures provided in the insert enclosing the top end of the pod cartridge. The
pressure build up of the incoming water inside the pod cartridge causes a
scored area of bottom seal of the pod to open allowing the brewed beverage to
flow out through a collection funnel into the dispensing cup.
A drawback of the above mechanism is that the conveying and brewing
mechanism, when compared to the present invention, is relatively complex in
construction. A spindle motor first rotates the carousel, an escapement ratchet
then positions the pod into the aperture on a turret plate where it is pierced by
the injection nozzle of the injector assembly.

Another drawback of the above apparatus is that for piercing the foil on the top
side of the capsule, there is an injector assembly, which is complex in
construction, consisting of an injector head moveable in a vertical plane by a
cam system driven by a motor. The cam cooperates with an idler wheel, which
pushes a support plate downward whereby the injector head comes in contact
with the pod cartridge. This type of design also necessitates detents and limit
switches in both the pod carousel as well as turret wheel since their correct
positions is critical during their rotation.
Still another drawback of the above apparatus is that the pod cartridge used in
the apparatus is relatively complex and therefore more complex to manufacture
and relatively more expensive as compared to the pod of simple design used in
the present invention. In the above apparatus, the pod cartridge has
thermoplastic insert with a plurality of apertures provided at the top of the pod
cartridge, the insert being further covered with a foil. The bottom of the pod
cartridge is made of a filter paper or a foil with a scored area, which becomes
detached when the hot pressurized water gets injected into the pod cartridge.
The hot pressurized water enters into the pod cartridge through the apertures
in the insert and flows out through the scored area. The complexity of the said
pod cartridge and its higher cost result in the increase in the final cost per cup
of beverage to the consumers.
Further drawback in the above apparatus is that the water flows into the pod
cartridge from the top and flows out through the bottom, which necessitates
provision of filter paper with apertures on one side and means for allowing the
flow of water from the other side.

Another drawback of the above mechanism is that the design uses an eccentric
cam to lower the support plate and the injector head. This cam activated
mechanism is generally slow in operation and increases the cycle time per cup.
Yet another drawback of the system is that there is a complex mechanism for
lifting the pod cartridge from the turret aperture prior to it being pushed into
the disposal bin by the sweeping arm.
Objects of Present Invention
An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic pod conveyor and
brewer assembly for fresh hot beverage wherein the brewer sub-assembly with
a novel configuration, in conjunction with an electronic processor, automatically
brews the brewing material contained in a single serving pod, which has been
conveyed by a pod conveyor sub-assembly from a chute and precisely
positioned in the brewer sub-assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic pod
conveyor and brewer assembly for fresh hot beverage wherein each individual
single serving of hot beverage prepared by the brewer sub-assembly has
perfect consistency in taste and flavor.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic pod
conveyor and brewer assembly for fresh hot beverage wherein each individual
single serving of hot beverage prepared by the brewer sub-assembly has the
taste and flavor like the hot beverage manually freshly prepared at that instant
of time and at that location.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic pod-
conveyor and brewer assembly for fresh hot beverage wherein the brewer sub-
assembly is substantially airtight during brewing which prevents the escape of

the volatile chemicals which contribute to the aroma, flavor and taste of the
prepared fresh hot beverage. These volatile chemicals remain contained with
the brewed liquid, and therefore enhance the flavor, taste and aroma of the
dispensed hot beverage.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic pod
conveyor and brewer assembly for fresh hot beverage wherein the brewing of
the brewing material in the single serving pod is carried out within a short time
of 15 to 20 seconds.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic pod
conveyor and brewer assembly for fresh hot beverage wherein hot brewed
beverage or hot water infusion or any hot beverage can be prepared with wide
variety of brewing, infusible or other material that may be contained in the
single serving pod that may include, without implying any limitation thereto,
materials such as tea, coffee, material of plant origin such as floral pieces like
jasmine flowers, vegetable pieces like carrots, onions, materials of animal origin
such as honey or any other suitable beverage powder or material that can be
contained in the single serving pod of the present invention.
Further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic pod conveyor
and brewer assembly for fresh hot beverage, wherein only such single serving
pod can be used whose external contour conforms to the internal contour of
the chute where the pods are stacked and also whose external contour
conforms to the inward contour at the forward end of the pod conveyor, so that
it may be securely conveyed by the pod conveyor and precisely positioned in
the brewer sub-assembly. Thus, the assembly design has inherent means to
limit the use to pods of specific design and dimensions, thereby preventing use
of inferior/spurious single serving pods.

Yet further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic pod
conveyor and brewer assembly for fresh hot beverage, wherein a combination
of special design of the pod, the optimized temperature and pressure, as well
as the rate of flow of hot pressurized water into the pod, enable brewing with
high speed, without compromising on the quality of the hot beverage. This
makes the assembly specifically suitable for brewing large number of cups in a
short period, which is particularly required in places like offices, commercial
establishments, ceremonial functions, etc.
Still further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic pod
conveyor and brewer assembly for fresh hot beverage wherein a uniquely
designed pod conveyor, by its clock-wise and anti-clockwise rotational
movement on a vertical integral shaft in a substantially horizontal plane,
performs multiple functions by securing the pod within its inward contour at its
forward end. The multiple functions include conveying the single serving pod
from a chute to the brewer sub-assembly without the help of any guide
channel, precisely positioning the pod on a filter disc in the brewer sub-
assembly and then disposing off the used pod into a disposal bin. The pod-
conveyor, therefore, simplifies mechanical design and operations.
Still further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic pod
conveyor and brewer assembly for fresh hot beverage wherein just one means
namely injection nozzle performs the multiple functions of puncturing the
porous membrane of the single serving pod as well as injecting of hot
pressurized water for brewing into the pod. This simplifies the complexity of the
brewer design.
Even further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic pod
conveyor and brewer assembly for fresh hot beverage wherein the injection

nozzle penetrates up to the top end of the pod kept in inverted position causing
the injected hot pressurized water to splash back from the top end of the pod,
thereby resulting in the uniform spreading of hot pressurized water inside the
pod and brewing every minute particle of the brewing material contained in the
pod.
Yet further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic pod-
conveyor and brewer assembly for fresh hot beverage wherein the need for
multiple piercing means, one for piercing top surface of the cartridge for entry
of brewing water and other for piercing the bottom for flow out of brewed
liquid, is obviated, as is known in the art.
Still further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic pod
conveyor and brewer assembly for fresh hot beverage which uses low cost
single serving pods of simple structure as compared to some of the costly pods
of complex structure known in the art (which incorporate puncturing or
injecting means) and therefore the single serving pods of the present invention
are easy to manufacture and are cost-effective thereby making the cost per cup
viable for the consumers in the developing markets.
Even further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic pod
conveyor and brewer assembly for fresh hot beverage, which is hygienic, since
the assembly does not require any human intervention during the entire
brewing process and the assembly also incorporates an automatic disposal
mechanism, which ensures spillage-free disposal of the used pods into the
disposal bin, after the completion of brewing.
Yet further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic pod
conveyor and brewer assembly for fresh hot beverage which uses static chutes

of simple design, containing stack of inverted single serving pods, thereby
minimizing the precision components required for alignment of pods within the
chutes and thus reducing the maintenance.
Still further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic pod-
conveyor and brewer assembly for fresh hot beverage which uses a
combination of non-corrosive food grade filter disc having fine pores of up to
250 microns, along with porous membrane used on the top of the single
serving pod, both of which together prevent miniscule particles of brewing
material from flowing along with the brewed liquid into the dispensing cup
thereby ensuring superior quality of the dispensed hot beverage.
Even further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic pod
conveyor and brewer assembly for fresh hot beverage, wherein a sensor placed
below the first chute, detects and sends signal to an electronic processor when
that chute is empty, which in turn triggers the pod conveyor to move backward
behind second chute and convey pods from this chute, placed adjacent to the
first chute, on the same chute supporting plate. Similarly a sensor placed
beneath the second chute detects whether that chute is empty. If so, it sends a
signal to the electronic processor which in turn causes pod-conveyor to move to
rest/start position behind first chute; causes halting till refill of chutes with
pods, of the brewing process in the brewer sub-assembly and simultaneously
sends signal to electronic display panel (not shown) providing message to the
operator to refill fresh stock of the pods in the chutes. This enables the
operation of the assembly with higher number of single serving pods stacked in
plurality of chutes, which is necessary for meeting bulk demands in short time.
This also eliminates the need for separate motor and associated mechanism for

rotation and alignment of the base plate on which pod chutes are fitted, as is
known in the art.
Still further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic pod
conveyor and brewer assembly for fresh hot beverage wherein a novel
mechanism of pneumatic cylinder operated using compressed air from a
compressed air storage tank, speedily moves the brewer plunger up and down,
into the brewer chamber during the brewing process, resulting in significant
reduction in cycle time per brew as compared to conventional methods like a
cam type plunging mechanism.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention would be apparent from
the understanding of detailed description of the invention that follows.
Statement of Invention
According to this invention, there is provided an automatic pod conveyor and
brewer assembly for fresh hot beverage wherein the brewing, infusible or other
material (520) is contained in a single serving pod (160) stacked in inverted
position in plurality of static vertically extending chutes (280, 290) and wherein
said single serving pods (160) are conveyed by the pod-conveyor (210) by its
rotational movement on an integral shaft (215) to the brewer sub-assembly
(100) and wherein the said assembly comprises:
(a) a brewer sub-assembly (100) which includes:
- a pneumatic cylinder (110) mounted on a supporting plate
(115);
- a brewer plunger (130) fitted to the piston rod (120) of the said
pneumatic cylinder (110) underneath the said supporting plate

(115), the said piston rod (120) being fitted through a
dimensionally aligned circular aperture (125) in the said
supporting plate (115);
-a brewer chamber (150);
-a filter disc holding plate (140) mounted on the springs (148)
through a dimensionally aligned aperture (149) in the said base
plate (220) and capable of uninterrupted movement up and down
into the body of the said brewer chamber (150);
- a filter disc (135) having fine pores, dimensionally aligned with
and placed over aperture (147) in the said filter disc holding plate
(140);
- a brewer base (195) having brewed liquor outlet port (190); and
- an injection nozzle (180) detachably mounted on the said
brewer base (195) by means of a flange wherein hot pressurized
water from a water heating sub-assembly (not shown) traverses
through the interior of the said injection nozzle (180) on opening
of an outlet solenoid valve (not shown) of the said water heating
sub-assembly via the connecting tube (181), wherein the said
injection nozzle (180) protrudes into the said brewer chamber
(150) through the said brewer base (195) in such a way that
when the said brewer plunger (130) activated by the pneumatic
cylinder (110) pushes the pod (160) kept on the said filter disc

(135) down into the body of the said brewer chamber (150), the
conical tip of the said injection nozzle (180) is capable of
puncturing the said porous membrane (530) of the said pod (160)
and injecting the hot pressurized water into the interior of the pod
(160);
(b) a pod conveyor sub-assembly (200) which includes:
-a pod conveyor (210) rotatable on an integral shaft (215) in
clockwise and anti-clockwise direction within the space between a
base plate (220) and a chute supporting plate (270), the said pod
conveyor (210) having an inward contour (330) at its forward end
which aligns with the external contour of the said pod (160), and
the said chute supporting plate (270) being placed above the said
base plate (220) and being spaced apart thereto;
- a pusher gear (230) provided underneath the said base plate
(220) and fitted on to the said integral shaft (215) through an
aligned bush (225) on the said base plate (220);
-a pusher motor (250) provided with motor gear (240) which is
engaged with the said pusher gear (230), the said pusher motor
(250) being fixed underneath a motor plate (260) which is fixed
underneath the said base plate (220) by a fixing means such as
four bolts (251, 251, 251, 251);

- chutes like (280, 290) fitted on chute supporting plate (270)
over apertures (275, 276), which are dimensionally aligned with
chutes (280, 290) and single serving pods (160);
-a sensor (295) fixed underneath base plate (220) and beneath
chute (280) which , when it detects chute (280) to be empty, is
capable of sending signal to the electronic processor (300) which
in turn causes the pod conveyor (210) to move to a position
behind chute (290);
- a sensor (296) fixed underneath base plate (220) and beneath
chute (290) which is capable of sending signal to the electronic
processor (300) when it detects said chute (290) to be empty; the
electronic processor (300) in turn causing pod conveyor (210) to
move to the rest/start position behind chute (280) and
concurrently causing halting of the brewing process in the brewer
sub-assembly (100) till refill of empty chutes (280, 290) with fresh
pods (160), and also sending signal to the electronic display panel
(not shown) providing message to the operator to refill the empty
chutes (280, 290) with fresh pods (160); and
- limit switches (340, 350, 360, 370, 380) which when activated
are capable of sending a signal to the electronic processor (300)
to cut off the power supply to the pusher motor (250) when pod
conveyor (210) is at specific positions during rotational clockwise
or anti-clock movements; wherein limit switch (350) becomes
activated when the pod conveyor (210) is precisely positioned in

the brewer sub-assembly (100), limit switch (360) becomes
activated when the pod conveyor (210) is positioned between
chute (280) and brewer sub-assembly (100) while brewing is in
progress in the brewer chamber (150), limit switch (370)
becomes activated when the used pod (160) has been pushed
into a disposal bin (196), limit switch (380) becomes activated
when the pod-conveyor (210) reaches back to its rest/start
position and wherein further limit switch (340) becomes activated
when the sensor (295) senses chute (280) to be empty and the
pod-conveyor (210) is positioned behind chute (290) and limit
switch (380) is activated again when sensor (296) detects chute
(290) also to be empty and pod-conveyor (210) reaches back to
its rest/start position behind chute (280)
(c) an electronic processor (300) connected to pusher motor (250), and
air solenoid valve (165);
(d) a single serving pod (160) comprising a receptacle (510) containing
brewing material (520) up to 20 grams covered and sealed with a food
grade porous membrane (530); and
(e) an air compressor (175) pumping compressed air to compressed air
storage tank (170) which is connected to air solenoid valve (165) by
connecting tube (167) and the said air solenoid valve (165) is further
connected to pneumatic cylinder (110) by connecting tube (166) and
wherein the brewer plunger (130) fitted to the piston rod (120) of the

pneumatic cylinder (110) is operable up and down in the brewer
chamber (150) by means of compressed air.
The brewer sub-assembly of the present invention has a novel construction
involving the use of a pneumatic cylinder mounted on a supporting plate with a
brewer plunger fitted to the piston rod of the pneumatic cylinder, from
underneath the supporting plate through an aligned circular aperture. The
pneumatic cylinder is operated by compressed air generated by an air
compressor and stored in a compressed air storage tank. The compressed air
operates the pneumatic cylinder, which causes upward and downward
movement of the brewer plunger within a short cycle time. The downward
movement of the brewer plunger results in the downward movement of the
single serving pod placed directly below the brewer plunger and over the filter
disc holding plate, thereby positioning the single serving pod within the brewer
chamber for brewing. During the upward movement of the brewer plunger,
after completion of brewing, the used single serving pod is left on the filter disc
holding plate, and the used pod is pushed by the pod-conveyor into a disposal
bin kept alongside the brewer sub-assembly. The brewer sub-assembly does
not use any conventional methods such as a motor or cam-type plunging
mechanism for its operation.
There is also a simplified mechanism for flow of hot pressurized water into the
single serving pod for the purposes of brewing. A single means of an injection
nozzle with a conical tip is detachably fixed to the brewer base with the said
conical tip protruding upwards, into the brewer chamber, from the brewer base.
During the downward movement of the brewer plunger, the single serving pod
kept over filter disc holding plate with its porous membrane facing downward,

presses against the conical tip of the injection nozzle whereupon porous
membrane of the pod gets pierced and then hot pressurized water flowing
through the interior of the injection nozzle gets injected into the interior of the
pod containing the brewing material for the purposes of brewing. Thus, the
single means of injection nozzle performs the multiple functions of piercing the
porous membrane of the single serving pod as well as injecting hot pressurized
water into the interior of the pod, as against known art which employs multiple
piercing means, with one piercing means for entry of hot pressurized water into
the pod from one side of the pod and then other piercing means for allowing
the brewed liquid to flow out from other side of the pod. The injection nozzle
penetrates right up to the top end of the single serving pod and further, the
entry and flow-out of water being only from one side of the single serving pod,
enables the uniform spreading of hot pressurized water inside the single serving
pod thereby brewing every minute particle of the brewing material contained
within the single serving pod.
The brewer sub-assembly used in the present invention is substantially airtight
during brewing which prevents the escape of aroma and other volatile
chemicals during brewing. Such chemicals thus remain dissolved in the brewed
liquid and further add to the flavor, taste and aroma of the dispensed hot
beverage.
The assembly ensures hygiene by having fully automatic operations with no
human intervention and automatic disposal of used pods into the disposal bin
The pod conveyor used in the assembly is also novel in construction and is
capable of performing the multiple functions including conveying of the single
serving pod from the chute to the brewer sub-assembly without having any

guide channel, precisely positioning the pod on the filter disc in the brewer sub-
assembly and disposing off the used pod into the disposal bin, in conjunction
with an electronic processor and the brewer sub-assembly. The pod conveyor,
with the help of pusher motor with its motor gear engaged with the pusher
gear fixed onto the integral shaft of the pod conveyor, is capable of rotation in
anti-clockwise and clockwise direction. During anti-clockwise rotation, the
inward contour at the forward end of the pod conveyor aligns with the external
contour of the pod, firmly holds the pod within said inward contour, conveys
and precisely positions the pod on the filter disc in the brewer sub-assembly
and returns by clockwise rotation to a position between brewer sub-assembly
and the first chute, till the brewing is completed. During the next anti-clockwise
rotation, the pod conveyor disposes off the used pod into the disposal bin and
then returns back to its rest/start position behind the first chute if it is not
empty, or else behind the second chute.
The assembly includes a sensor placed below the first chute closer to the
brewer sub-assembly. The sensor detects the availability of single serving pods
in this chute. When it detects that this chute is empty, it gives signal to the
electronic processor, which causes the pod conveyor to move behind the
second chute and convey pods from this chute to the brewer sub-assembly. A
sensor placed beneath the second chute senses when this chute is empty. If so,
it sends a signal to the electronic processor which in turn causes the pod
conveyor to move to rest/start position behind first chute, causes halting of the
brewing process in the brewer sub-assembly till refill of the empty chutes with
fresh pods and simultaneously sending a signal to the operator on the
electronic display panel (not shown) providing message to the operator to refill
the empty chutes with fresh pods. The presence of these sensors thus
enhances the capability of the assembly to operate with a higher stock of pods

stacked in plurality of chutes. This also eliminates the need for separate motor
and associated mechanism for rotation of the base plate on which pod chutes
are fitted, as is known in the art.
A non-corrosive and food grade filter disc with fine pores of up to 250 microns
each, together with the porous membrane used to cover and seal the brewing
material contained in the pods, prevent miniscule particles of the brewing
material to flow out along with the brewed liquid during the brewing process,
into the dispensing cup, thereby ensuring fine quality of brewed liquid.
The assembly uses minimum mechanical components and simplifies design. It
has therefore enhanced reliability, it is easy and economical to manufacture and
has relatively lower operating and maintenance costs. Its capability to brew
within a short time each individual serving of brewed beverage with consistency
in quality and flavor, makes it specifically useful for meeting bulk demand in
short time in offices, ceremonial functions, public meetings, etc. The single
serving pods used in the assembly have simple structure with no mechanism
whatsoever embodied in the interior of the pods as is known in the art, thereby
making the single serving pods easy to manufacture at low cost, thus making
the cost per dispensed cup also low. The assembly is capable of brewing a wide
variety of brewing/infusible materials that can be placed in these pods. The
brewing, infusible or other material that may be contained in the single serving
pod include, without implying any limitation thereto, materials such as tea,
coffee, material of plant origin such as floral pieces like jasmine flowers,
vegetable pieces like carrots, onions, materials of animal origin such as honey
or any other suitable beverage powder or material that can be used in the pod.

Brief Description of Figures
The invention will now be illustrated with Figures, which are intended to
illustrate one of the embodiment in which the present invention may be
practiced. The accompanying figures are not intended to be taken restrictively
to imply any limitation on the scope of the present invention. Any modifications,
adaptations or equivalent changes by the persons skilled in the art employing
the principles and functional features of the components/sub-assemblies
embodied in the present invention are intended to be within the scope of the
present invention which by no means is to be taken to be limited to the
particular construction herein disclosed and shown by drawings. In the
accompanying Figures:
Fig.1: shows an overall assembly of the automatic pod-conveyor and brewer
assembly for fresh hot beverage.
Fig.2: shows the exploded view of the brewer sub-assembly
Fig.3: shows the exploded view of the pod conveyor sub-assembly
Fig. 4(a): shows the pod conveyor in the rest/start position behind the first
chute.
Fig. 4(b): shows the alignment of the inward contour of the pod conveyor with
the pod and conveying and precisely positioning the pod in the brewer sub-
assembly.
Fig.4(c): shows the pod conveyor between the first chute and the brewer sub-
assembly waiting for the completion of the brewing.
Fig. 4(d): shows the pod conveyor with inward contour aligned with the used
pod at the instant of its disposal into the disposal bin.

Fig.5 (a), 5(b), 5(c): show the construction of three illustrative embodiments of
the single serving pod containing brewing material.
Description of Invention w.r.t. Drawings
According to this invention there is provided an automatic pod conveyor and
brewer assembly for fresh hot beverage which, in conjunction with an electronic
processor, automatically conveys a single serving pod from a chute to brewer
sub-assembly where the brewing material contained in the pod is brewed, in a
time-efficient manner, by incoming hot pressurized water from a water heating
assembly (not shown). The pod conveyor sub-assembly of the present
invention and the brewer sub-assembly of the present invention have novel and
simplified design with relatively less number of mechanical and moving
components as compared to the conveyors and brewer assemblies known in
the art. The brewing operation in the brewer sub-assembly is performed by a
mechanism involving a pneumatic cylinder, which in conjunction, with an
electronic processor and an air compressor, operates a brewer plunger which
presses down the pod into the brewer chamber within a very short time,
reducing the cycle time required per brew, thus making the assembly
specifically useful for meeting bulk demand within short time in places such as
offices, commercial establishments, etc.
Referring to Fig.1, the automatic pod conveyor and brewer assembly of the
present invention comprises of a brewer sub-assembly (100), a pod conveyor
sub-assembly (200) and an electronic processor (300).
Referring to Fig. 2, the brewer sub-assembly (100) includes a pneumatic
cylinder (110) with piston rod (120) mounted on a supporting plate (115) with
the said piston rod (120) being fitted through a dimensionally aligned circular

aperture (125) on the said supporting plate (115). A brewer plunger (130) is
fitted to the piston rod (120) of the said pneumatic cylinder (110) from
underneath the said supporting plate (115). A perforated non-corrosive food
grade metallic filter disc (135) is placed over a filter disc holding plate (140),
which rests on three springs (148) placed between the filter disc holding plate
(140) and the brewer chamber (150). The said filter disc (135) has fine pores of
up to 250 microns each, which together with the porous membrane (530) (Fig.
5ab, 5b, 5c) covering the single serving pod (160), prevents the miniscule
particles of brewing material (520) (Fig. 5a, 5b, 5c) from flowing along with the
brewed beverage into the dispensing cup (not shown). The filter disc holding
plate (140) is placed through a dimensionally aligned aperture (149) in the base
plate (220).
The brewer chamber (150) is fixed underneath the base plate (220) with its top
open end aligned to the circular aperture (149) in the base plate (220) and also
in alignment with the brewer plunger (130) and filter disc holding plate (140) so
that during the upward and downward motion of the piston rod (120) imparted
to it by the pneumatic cylinder (110), the brewer plunger (130) along with filter
disc holding plate (140) with single serving pod (160) placed over it, is capable
of moving to and fro into the body of the brewer chamber (150) in a smooth,
tight-fitting and uninterrupted manner. A brewer base (195) is detachably fixed
to the bottom of the brewer chamber (150) by appropriate fixing means. An
injection nozzle (180) is detachably and conveniently mounted on the brewer
base (195) by means of a flange. Due to this, at any point of time, the injection
nozzle (180) can be easily detached for the purposes of cleaning or
maintenance. A brewed liquor outlet port (190) is provided in the brewer base

(195) for the brewed liquid to flow into a dispensing cup (not shown) via a
dispensing tube (182), which is made of food grade material.
The pneumatic cylinder (110) is connected to an air solenoid valve (165)
through connecting tube (166). The air solenoid valve (165) is in turn
connected to compressed air storage tank (170) through the connecting tube
(167). An air compressor (175) compresses the air and the air thus compressed
by it is stored in the said compressed air storage tank (170). The electronic
processor (300) controls the opening and closing of air solenoid valve (165),
which allows movement of compressed air from compressed air storage tank
(170) to pneumatic cylinder (110) during the brewing process. This mechanism
enables speedy operation of the pneumatic cylinder (110), which results in
rapid downward movement of the brewer plunger (130) via piston rod (120)
into the brewer chamber (150) during brewing process, and subsequent rapid
upward movement of the brewer plunger (130) on completion of the brewing
process. This design significantly reduces the brewing cycle time per brew.
The said injection nozzle (180) is a hollow tube, preferably metallic and more
preferably made of non-corrosive food grade material like stainless steel. The
said injection nozzle (180) has a conical tip which punctures the porous
membrane (530) (Fig. 5a, 5b, 5c) that covers and seals the contents of the
pod (160), when the pod (160) is pressed against the conical tip of the injection
nozzle (180) during the downward motion of brewer plunger (130) imparted to
it by the piston rod (120). Once the porous membrane (530) (Fig. 5a, 5b, 5c) of
the pod (160) is punctured, the conical tip of the injection nozzle (180) directs
hot pressurized water flowing through its interior from a hot water sub-
assembly (not shown) into the interior of the pod (160), thereby brewing the

brewing material (520) (Fig. 5a, 5b, 5c) contained inside the pod (160). The
conical tip of the injection nozzle (180) penetrates up to the top end of the pod
(160) which is in the inverted position, which results in uniform spread of hot
pressurized water within the interior of the pod (160), thereby resulting in
brewing of every minute particle of the brewing material (520) (Fig. 5a, 5b, 5c)
contained in the single serving pod (160). The injection nozzle (180) preferably
has an outer diameter of around 4mm.
Referring to Fig. 3, the pod conveyor sub-assembly (200) includes a pod
conveyor (210), which is rotatable on an integral shaft (215) that is fixed
underneath it and located around the middle portion of its front curvilinear
contour. The pod conveyor (210) is rotatable on the said integral shaft (215) in
clockwise and anti-clockwise direction within the space between a base plate
(220) and chute supporting plate (270). The integral shaft (215) is fitted to the
pusher gear (230) positioned underneath the base plate (220) through a bush
(225) mounted on the base plate (220). The pusher gear (230) is engaged with
the motor gear (240) of the pusher motor (250). Due to this, when the motor
gear (240) is rotated by the pusher motor (250), it results in the rotation of the
pusher gear (230) in the opposite direction. When this happens, it also results
in rotation of the pod conveyor (210) in the same direction as the pusher gear
(230).
The single serving pods (160) containing the brewing material (520) (Fig. 5a,
5b, 5c) are stacked in an inverted position in the plurality of vertical chutes like
chute (280) and chute (290), which are vertical hollow tubes fitted over the
upper surface of a chute supporting plate (270). The chutes (280, 290) extend
vertically upwards from the dimensionally aligned apertures (275, 276) provided

on the chute supporting plate (270). The apertures (275, 276) conform in
dimension and shape to the internal dimension and shape of the chutes (280,
290). Chutes (280, 290) have one or more vertical slots (310, 320) extending
from top to the bottom, to facilitate loading and stacking of the pods (160)
therein. These chutes (280, 290) are designed to hold up to 100 single serving
pods (160) each, in an inverted position with porous membrane (530) (Fig.5a,
5b, 5c) facing downwards. It is to be noted that the chutes (280, 290) may
have different shapes conforming to the shape of pods (160), which may also
vary in shape (like shown in Fig.5(a), Fig.5(b) and Fig.5(c)). For example, the
chutes (280, 290) may have circular cross-section instead of square cross-
section, when the pods (160) are circular in shape, instead of being square in
shape. The pods (160) can smoothly move downwards through chutes (280,
290) and through the aligned apertures (275, 276) from where these are
conveyed and positioned by the pod conveyor (210) into the brewer sub-
assembly (100).
A sensor (295) is fixed on the base plate (220) and underneath the chute
(280), which provides signal to the electronic processor (300) (Fig.l) when this
chute (280) is empty, i.e. no pods (160) are remaining therein. When the
sensor (295) senses that chute (280) is empty, the sensor (295) sends a signal
to the electronic processor (300) (Fig.l), which in turn activates pusher motor
(250) to cause pod conveyor (210) to rotate in a clockwise direction, which
causes moving of the inward contour (330) of the pod conveyor (210) to a
position behind chute (290) till it activates limit switch (340) which sends a
signal to the electronic processor (300) (Fig.l) to stop further rotational
movement of the pod conveyor (210), by de-activating the pusher motor (250).

A sensor (296) is fixed below the base plate (220) and underneath the chute
(290), which provides signal to the electronic processor (300) (Fig.l) when this
chute (290) is empty, i.e. no pods (160) are remaining therein. When the
sensor (296) senses that chute (290) is empty, the sensor (296) sends a signal
to the electronic processor (300) (Fig.l), which in turn activates pusher motor
(250) to cause pod-conveyor (210) to rotate in an anti-clockwise direction. This
results in rotational movement of the inward contour (330) of the pod-conveyor
(210) to a position behind chute (280) till it activates limit switch (380), which
sends a signal to electronic processor (300) (Fig.l), which in turn stops further
rotational movement of pod conveyor (210) by switching off the power supply
to the pusher motor (250). Simultaneously, the electronic processor (300)
(Fig.l) also halts (till refill of the empty chutes (280, 290) with fresh pods
(160)) the brewing process in the brewer sub-assembly (100) by switching off
power supply to the air solenoid valve (165) (Fig.l). It also sends a signal to
electronic display panel (not shown) to provide message to the operator to refill
the empty chutes (280, 290) with fresh pods (160). Thus sensor (296) prevents
brewing within the assembly when chute (280) and chute (290) are both
empty. The sensors (295, 296) increase the capability of the assembly to
operate with larger number of pods (160) stacked in plurality of static chutes
like (280, 290) to meet bulk demand in short time.
It is to be noted that though drawings show an embodiment of the present
invention having two chutes (280, 290) fitted to the chute supporting plate
(270) over the dimensionally aligned apertures (275, 276), more such chutes
(280, 290) conforming to the shape of pods (160), can be provided and fitted
to the chute supporting plate (270) by suitably modifying the chute supporting
plate (270), pod conveyer (210) and the associated components.

A pusher motor (250) is mounted on a motor plate (260) by suitable fixing
means and the motor plate (260) is fixed underneath to the base plate (220) by
fixing means such as four bolts (251, 251, 251, 251). The pod conveyor (210)
has a curvilinear contour, which is such that it is capable of uninterrupted
rotation in a horizontal plane in clock-wise or anti-clockwise direction within the
space between the base plate (220) and the chute supporting plate (270). The
forward end of the pod conveyor (210) has an inward contour (330), which
aligns with the external contour of the pod (160). Due to this, when this
forward end of the pod conveyor (210) comes in contact with the pod (160)
during anti-clock wise rotation, it aligns with the pod (160) firmly within its
inward contour (330), conveys the pod (160) from the chute (280 or 290) to
the brewer sub-assembly (100), without any guide channel. The pod conveyor
(210) then precisely positions the pod (160) over the filter disc (135) placed on
the filter disc holding plate (140) in the brewer sub-assembly (100). The precise
positioning of the pod (160) in the brewer sub-assembly (100) is enabled by
the limit switch (350) as hereinafter described.
The pod conveyor sub-assembly (200) includes different limit switches (340,
350, 360, 370, 380), which when activated, stop the clockwise or anti-clockwise
rotational movement of the pod-conveyor (210) at specific positions by giving
signal to electronic processor (300) (Fig.1) which in turn switches off the power
supply to the pusher motor (250). The limit switch (350) enables to stop the
further anti-clockwise rotation of the pod conveyor (210) after precise
positioning of the pod (160) over the filter disc (135) in the brewer sub-
assembly (100), as shown in Fig. 4(b). The limit switch (360) enables to stop
the clockwise rotation of the pod-conveyor (210) at a position between the
chute (280) and the brewer sub-assembly (100) till the brewing of the brewing

material (520) (Fig. 5a, 5b, 5c) contained in the pod (160), is completed as
shown in Fig. 4 (c). The limit switch (370) enables to stop the second anti-
clockwise rotation of the pod conveyor (210) after the used pod (160) has been
disposed of by the pod conveyor (210) (as shown in Fig. 4(d)) to a disposal bin
(196) placed by the side of the brewer sub-assembly (100). The limit switch
(380) enables to stop the second clockwise rotation of the pod-conveyor (210)
when the inward contour (330) of the pod-conveyor (210) reaches behind
chute (280) (as shown in Fig. 4(a)). The limit switch (340) enables to stop the
clockwise rotation of the pod conveyor (210) at a position behind chute (290)
when chute (280) is sensed to be empty by the sensor (295). The limit switch
(380) enables to stop the anti-clockwise rotation of the pod conveyor (210)
after it reaches back to its rest/start position behind chute (280) (as shown in
Fig. 4(a)), when chute (290) is also sensed to be empty by the sensor (296).
Referring to Fig. 5(a), 5(b), 5(c), the pod (160) is a receptacle (510) made up
of substantially rigid food grade material, containing the brewing material (520)
and the open side of the receptacle (510) being covered and sealed with a food
grade porous membrane (530) like filter paper. The sealing of the brewing
material (520) contained in pod (160) by a food grade porous membrane (530)
keeps the brewing material (520) inside the pod (160) in a hygienic manner.
The brewing material (520) in the pod (160) is of predetermined quantity, up to
20 grams, preferably in the range of 0.1 to 12 grams, depending upon the
nature of the brewing material (520).
It is to be noted that the pod (160) may have various embodiments as shown
in Fig. 5(a), Fig. 5(b) and Fig. 5(c). The contents of the pod (160) may be
sealed by any porous membrane (530) which could be punctured by the conical
tip of the injection nozzle (180) (Fig. 2) when pod (160) is pressed against it

during the downward motion of the brewer plunger (130) (Fig.2) imparted to it
by piston rod (120) (Fig. 2). The chutes (280, 290) (Fig. 1) also need to be of
the shape and dimensions conforming to the shape and dimensions of the pods
(160) so that the pods (160) are stackable therein in the inverted position, with
one pod (160) stacked over the other and the porous membrane (530) facing
downwards
Working of the Assembly
To begin operation of the assembly, the operator loads pods (160) into the
chutes (280, 290) with the porous membrane (530) of the pod (160) facing
downward and one pod (160) stacked over the other. The vertical slot (310)
provided in chute (280) and vertical slot (320) provided in chute (290) help the
operator to load and stack the pods (160) in correct alignment within the
chutes (280, 290). During this pod loading operation, the pod conveyor (210) is
positioned at its rest or start position with its inward contour (330) behind
chute (280) as shown in Fig. 4(a). During the loading of chute (280) with pods
(160) the lowermost pod (160) contained therein rests on base plate (220)
directly in front of and in alignment with the inward contour (330) of pod
conveyor (210). During the loading of chute (290) with pods (160), the
lowermost pod (160) contained therein rests over the upper surface of the pod-
conveyor (210).
In the operation of the assembly, the electronic processor (300) sends a signal
to the sensor (295) to check for the stock of pods (160) in the chute (280). In
case, chute (280) is not empty i.e. pods (160) are available in this chute (280)
as per the loading process described previously, the sensor (295) sends a signal
to the electronic processor (300), which in turn activates the pusher motor

(250) which then causes the pod conveyor (210) to rotate in an anti-clockwise
direction till the pod (160) is conveyed from the chute (280) and is precisely
positioned over filter disc (135) as shown in Fig. 4(b). At this precise instant,
limit switch (350) gets activated and sends a signal to the electronic processor
(300) which in turn switches off the power supply to the pusher motor (250),
thereby stopping further anti-clockwise rotation of the pod-conveyor (210).
Then the electronic processor (300) gives signal to pusher motor (250) which
activates clockwise rotation of the pod conveyor (210) so as to move the pod
conveyor (210) away from brewer plunger (130) prior to when the brewer
plunger (130) comes down into the brewer chamber (150) for brewing. The
limit switch (360) is activated when the inward contour (330) of the pod-
conveyor (210) reaches a position between chute (280) and the brewer sub-
assembly (100) as shown in Fig.4(c), which then sends a signal to the
electronic processor (300) which in turn switches off the power supply to the
pusher motor (250), thereby stopping this clockwise rotation of the pod-
conveyor (210).
On the other hand, if the sensor (295) returns 'no stock' signal to the electronic
processor (300), the electronic processor (300) sends a signal to activate the
pusher motor (250), which in turn rotates the pod conveyor (210) in a clock-
wise direction till the inward contour (330) of the pod conveyor (210) reaches a
position behind chute (290). At this position of the pod conveyor (210), the
limit switch (340) is activated which sends a signal to the electronic processor
(300), which in turn stops the pusher motor (250), thereby stopping the pod-
conveyor (210) at this position. When this happens, and if pod (160) is
available within chute (290), the pod (160) contained within chute (290) which
was hitherto held in position within chute (290) resting over the upper surface

of the pod conveyor (210), drops onto the base plate (220) directly in front of
and in alignment with the inward contour (330) of pod conveyor (210). At this
position of pod conveyor (210), the electronic processor (300) sends a signal to
sensor (296) to check for stock of pods (160) in chute (290). If sensor (296)
senses presence of pods (160) in chute (290), with the lowermost pod (160) in
the said chute (290) resting over the base plate (220) directly in front of and in
alignment with the inward contour (330) of pod conveyor (210), sensor (296)
sends a signal to the electronic processor (300) which activates the pusher
motor (250), which in turn rotates the pod conveyor (210) in an anti-clockwise
direction till pod (160) is conveyed from its position beneath the chute (290)
and is precisely positioned over the filter disc (135) in the brewer sub-assembly
(100), as shown in Fig. 4(b). At this position, limit switch (350) sends a signal
to the electronic processor (300), which in turn stops further rotational
movement of the pod-conveyor (210). Then the electronic processor (300)
gives signal to pusher motor (250) which activates clockwise rotation of the pod
conveyor (210) so as to move the pod conveyor (210) away from brewer
plunger (130) prior to when the brewer plunger (130) comes down into the
brewer chamber (150) for brewing. When the inward contour (330) of the pod
conveyor (210) reaches a position between chute (280) and the brewer sub-
assembly (100) as shown in Fig.4 (c), the limit switch (360) sends a signal to
the electronic processor (300) which in turn switches off the power supply to
the pusher motor (250) thereby stopping further clockwise rotation of the pod
conveyor (210).
If the sensor (296) senses that chute (290) is empty, the sensor (296) sends a
signal to the electronic processor (300), which in turn activates the pusher
motor (250) to cause pod-conveyor (210) to rotate in an anti-clockwise

direction. This results in rotational movement of the inward contour (330) of
the pod-conveyor (210) to a position behind chute (280), as shown in Fig. 4(a)
till it activates limit switch (380), which sends a signal to the electronic
processor (300) which in turn stops further rotational movement of pod
conveyor (210). Simultaneously, the electronic processor (300) also halts the
brewing process in the brewer sub-assembly (100) till refill of the empty chutes
(280, 290) with fresh pods (160) by the operator, by switching off power supply
to the air solenoid valve (165) and also sends a signal to the electronic display
panel (not shown) providing message to the operator to refill chutes (280, 290)
with pods (160). Thus sensor (296) prevents brewing within the assembly when
chute (280) and chute (290) are both empty.
On automatic conveying of the pod (160) from either of the chutes (280, 290)
and after positioning of the pod (160) over the filter disc (135) within the
brewer sub-assembly (100), the electronic processor (300) then signals to
activate the air solenoid valve (165). This allows the compressed air from the
compressed air storage tank (170) to pass through the connecting tube (167)
and also through the connecting tube (166) into the pneumatic cylinder (110).
The compressed air, which thus enters into the pneumatic cylinder (110),
pushes the piston rod (120) downwards, which in turn moves the brewer
plunger (130) down into the brewer chamber (150). The pod (160) which is
directly below the brewer plunger (130) and over the filter disc holding plate
(140) moves downward along with the brewer plunger (130) into the brewer
chamber (150) thereby pressing the porous membrane (530) of the inverted
pod (160) against the conical tip of the injection nozzle (180) resulting in the
puncturing of the porous membrane (530) of the pod (160). After this the
electronic processor (300) activates an outlet solenoid valve (not shown) of a
water heating sub-assembly (not shown), which enables the hot pressurized

water from the said water heating sub-assembly (not shown) to pass through a
connecting tube (181) and enter the pod (160) in the brewer chamber (150)
through the interior of the injection nozzle (180). The conical tip of the injection
nozzle (180) penetrates right up to the top end of the inverted pod (160)
thereby enabling splashing back from the top end of the pod and the uniform
spreading of the hot pressurized water within the pod (160). The hot
pressurized water thus injected into the pod (160) through the injection nozzle
(180) brews the brewing material (520) contained in the pod (160) and the
brewed liquid is filtered by the porous membrane (530) of the pod (160) and
filter disc (135) and then flows into a dispensing cup (not shown) through the
dispensing tube (182). After the specified time required for brewing is
completed, the electronic processor (300) sends a signal to the outlet solenoid
valve (not shown) to close, thereby shutting off the supply of hot pressurized
water into the injection nozzle (180).
After specified time required for brewing is completed, the electronic processor
(300) then deactivates the air solenoid valve (165), which allows the
compressed air inside the pneumatic cylinder (110) to be released, thereby
moving the piston rod (120) along with the brewer plunger (130) upward.
Concurrent to this upward movement of the brewer plunger (130), the filter
disc holding plate (140) along with the filter disc (135) and the used pod (160)
lying over the said filter disc (135), move upwards simultaneously until the filter
disc holding plate (140) returns to its initial rest position, prior to the brewing
process, leaving the used pod (160) on the filter disc (135). The electronic
processor (300) then activates the pusher motor (250) so as to cause rotational
movement of the pod conveyor (210) in an anti-clockwise direction pushing the
used pod (160) from above the filter disc (135) towards the disposal bin (196)

placed adjacent to the brewer sub-assembly (100). At the precise position of
the inward contour (330) of the pod-conveyor (210) when the used pod (160)
falls into the disposal bin (196) (as shown in Fig.4(d)), the limit switch (370) is
activated and sends a signal to the electronic processor (300) which in turn
stops further anti-clockwise rotation of pod-conveyor (210) by switching off
power supply to pusher motor (250). After this, the electronic processor (300)
activates the pusher motor (250) so as to cause rotational movement of the
pod conveyor (210) in a clockwise direction. This clockwise rotational
movement of the pod conveyor (210) is stopped by the limit switch (380) at the
instant when the inward contour (330) of the pod conveyor (210), reaches its
rest/start position behind the chute (280) as shown in Fig. 4(a).
The automatic pod conveyor and brewing sub-assembly for fresh hot beverage
of the present invention is susceptible to modifications, adaptations and
equivalent changes by those skilled in the art. It is to be understood that the
principles, functional features of different components/sub-assemblies as taught
by the present invention can be employed by those skilled in the art in
numerous variant embodiments by making such adaptations, modifications and
equivalent changes. Such variant embodiments are intended to be within the
scope of the present invention, which is further set forth under the following
claims:

We claim:
1. An automatic pod conveyor and brewer assembly for fresh hot beverage
wherein the brewing, infusible or other material (520) is contained in a single
serving pod (160) stacked in inverted position in plurality of static vertically
extending chutes (280, 290) and wherein said single serving pods (160) are
conveyed by the pod conveyor (210) by its rotational movement on an integral
shaft (215) to the brewer sub-assembly (100) and wherein the said assembly
comprises: (a) a brewer sub-assembly (100) which includes:
- a pneumatic cylinder (110) mounted on a supporting plate
(115);
-a brewer plunger (130) fitted to the piston rod (120) of the said
pneumatic cylinder (110) underneath the said supporting plate
(115), the said piston rod (120) being fitted through a
dimensionally aligned circular aperture (125) in the said
supporting plate (115);
-a brewer chamber (150);
-a filter disc holding plate (140) mounted on the springs (148)
through a dimensionally aligned aperture (149) in the said base
plate (220) and capable of uninterrupted movement up and down
into the body of the said brewer chamber (150);

- a filter disc (135) having fine pores, dimensionally aligned with
and placed over aperture (147) in the said filter disc holding plate
(140);
- a brewer base (195) having brewed liquor outlet port (190); and
- an injection nozzle (180) detachably mounted on the said
brewer base (195) by means of a flange wherein hot pressurized
water from a water heating sub-assembly (not shown) traverses
through the interior of the said injection nozzle (180) on opening
of an outlet solenoid valve (not shown) of the said water heating
sub-assembly via the connecting tube (181), wherein the said
injection nozzle (180) protrudes into the said brewer chamber
(150) through the said brewer base (195) in such a way that
when the said brewer plunger (130) activated by the pneumatic
cylinder (110) pushes the pod (160) kept on the said filter disc
(135) down into the body of the said brewer chamber (150), the
conical tip of the said injection nozzle (180) is capable of
puncturing the said porous membrane (530) of the said pod (160)
and injecting the hot pressurized water into the interior of the pod
(160);
(b) a pod conveyor sub-assembly (200) which includes:
-a pod conveyor (210) rotatable on an integral shaft (215) in
clockwise and anti-clockwise direction within the space between a
base plate (220) and a chute supporting plate (270), the said pod
conveyor (210) having an inward contour (330) at its forward end

which aligns with the external contour of the said pod (160), and
the said chute supporting plate (270) being above the said base
plate (220) and being spaced apart thereto;
- a pusher gear (230) provided underneath the said base plate
(220) and fitted on to the said integral shaft (215) through an
aligned bush (225) on the said base plate (220);
-a pusher motor (250) provided with motor gear (240) which is
engaged with the said pusher gear (230), the said pusher motor
(250) being fixed underneath a motor plate (260) which is fixed
underneath the said base plate (220) by a fixing means such as
four bolts (251, 251, 251, 251);
- chutes like (280, 290) fitted on chute supporting plate (270)
over apertures (275, 276), which are dimensionally aligned with
chutes (280, 290) and single serving pods (160);
- a sensor (295) fixed underneath base plate (220) and beneath
chute (280) which, when it detects chute (280) to be empty, is
capable of sending signal to the electronic processor (300) which
in turn causes the pod conveyor (210) to move to a position
behind chute (290),; and
- a sensor (296) fixed underneath base plate (220) and beneath
chute (290) which is capable of sending signal to the electronic

processor (300) when it detects said chute (290) to be empty; the
electronic processor (300) in turn causing pod-conveyor (210) to
move to the rest/start position behind chute (280) and
concurrently causing halting of the brewing process in the brewer
sub-assembly (100) till refill of empty chutes (280, 290) with fresh
pods (160) and also sending signal to the electronic display panel
(not shown) providing message to the operator to refill the empty
chutes (280, 290) with fresh pods (160); and
- limit switches (340, 350, 360, 370, 380) which when activated
are capable of sending a signal to the electronic processor (300)
to cut off the power supply to the pusher motor (250) when pod
conveyor (210) is at specific positions during rotational clockwise
or anti-clock movements; wherein limit switch (350) becomes
activated when the pod conveyor (210) is precisely positioned in
the brewer sub-assembly (100), limit switch (360) becomes
activated when the pod-conveyor (210) is positioned between
chute (280) and brewer sub-assembly (100) while brewing is in
progress in the brewer chamber (150), limit switch (370)
becomes activated when the used pod (160) has been pushed
into a disposal bin (196), limit switch (380) becomes activated
when the pod-conveyor (210) reaches back to its rest/start
position and wherein further limit switch (340) becomes activated
when the said sensor (295) senses chute (280) to be empty and
the pod-conveyor (210) is positioned behind chute (290) and limit
switch (380) is activated again when sensor (296) detects chute

(290) also to be empty and pod-conveyor (210) reaches back to
its rest/start position behind chute (280)
(c) an electronic processor (300) connected to pusher motor (250), and
air solenoid valve (165);
(d) a single serving pod (160) comprising a receptacle (510) containing
brewing material (520) up to 20 grams covered and sealed with a food
grade porous membrane (530); and
(e) an air compressor (175) pumping compressed air to compressed air
storage tank (170) which is connected to air solenoid valve (165) by
connecting tube (167) and the said air solenoid valve (165) is further
connected to pneumatic cylinder (110) by connecting tube (166) and
wherein the brewer plunger (130) fitted to the piston rod (120) of the
pneumatic cylinder (110) is operable up and down in the brewer
chamber (150) by means of compressed air.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said single serving pod (160)
is made up of food grade plastic material.
3. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said single serving pod (160)
contains brewing material (520) of quantity in the range of 0.1 to 12 grams
depending upon the nature of the brewing material (520).
4. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the shape and outer periphery of
pod (160) conforms to the shape and inner periphery of the chutes (280, 290).

5. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the brewing of the brewing
material (520) contained in the single serving pod (160) is completed in a short
time in the range of 10 to 20 seconds.
6. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said chutes (280, 290) can
stack up to 100 pods (160) each, placed in inverted position, with porous
membrane (530) facing downwards.
7. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the chutes (280, 290) have at
least one vertical slot (310, 320), which extends from the top to the bottom of
each chute (280, 290).
8. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said injection nozzle (180) is
made of food grade non-corrosive material like stainless steel.
9. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said filter disc (135) is made
of food grade non-corrosive material like stainless steel.

10. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said filter disc (135) has fine
pores of up to 250 microns each.
11. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the brewing, infusible or other
material (520) contained in the single serving pod (160) include, without
implying any limitation thereto, materials such as tea, coffee, material of plant
origin such as floral pieces like jasmine flowers, vegetable pieces like carrots,

onions, materials of animal origin such as honey or any other suitable beverage
powder or material which can be placed in the said single serving pod (160).
12. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the injection nozzle (180) has an
outer diameter of 4mm.
13. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the conical tip of the said
injection nozzle (180) is capable of penetrating up to the top end of the pod
(160) which is kept in an inverted position, with the porous membrane (530)
facing downward.
14. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the brewed liquid is passed
through two means for filtration purposes including porous membrane (530)
and filter disc (135).
15. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the brewer sub-assembly is
substantially airtight during brewing.
16. An automatic pod conveyor and brewer assembly for fresh hot beverage as
substantially described and illustrated herein with accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an automatic pod-conveyor and brewer assembly for fresh hot beverage. The brewer sub-assembly (100) includes a pneumatic cylinder (110) with its piston rod (120) fitted to a brewer plunger (130). An
injection nozzle (180) is detachably fixed from underneath to the brewer base (195) with its conical tip protruding into the brewer chamber (150). The single serving pod (160) is a receptacle (510) containing the brewing, infusible or other material (520), covered and sealed with a porous membrane (530).The injection
nozzle (180) injects hot pressurized water, received through its interior from a
suitable water heating system, into the single serving pod (160) placed within the brewer sub-assembly (100), and the brewed beverage flows out to a dispensing cup through a liquor outlet port (190) in the brewer base (195). The
pneumatic cylinder (110) is operated by air solenoid valve (165) with compressed air drawn from a compressed air storage tank (170). The pod-conveyor sub-assembly (200) includes a pod-conveyor (210) which, by its rotational movement in a horizontal plane, conveys the pod (160) to the brewer sub-assembly (100) from chutes (280, 290). The pod-conveyor (210) is operated
by a pusher motor (250) in co-operation with a pusher gear (230) fitted to the integral shaft (215) of the pod-conveyor (210). The assembly can be used to prepare hot beverage of a wide variety of brewing, infusible or other materials
including, without implying any limitation thereto, tea, coffee, materials of plant
origin such as floral pieces like Jasmine flowers, vegetable pieces like carrots,
onions, materials of animal origin such as honey or any other suitable beverage powder or material which can be placed in the single serving pod (160) of the assembly.

Documents:

00779-kol-2008-abstract.pdf

00779-kol-2008-claims.pdf

00779-kol-2008-correspondence others.pdf

00779-kol-2008-description complete.pdf

00779-kol-2008-drawings.pdf

00779-kol-2008-form 1.pdf

00779-kol-2008-form 2.pdf

00779-kol-2008-form 3.pdf

779-KOL-2008-(09-01-2014)-ABSTRACT.pdf

779-KOL-2008-(09-01-2014)-CLAIMS.pdf

779-KOL-2008-(09-01-2014)-CORRESPONDENCE.pdf

779-KOL-2008-(09-01-2014)-DESCRIPTION (COMPLETE).pdf

779-KOL-2008-(09-01-2014)-DRAWINGS.pdf

779-KOL-2008-(09-01-2014)-EXAMINATION REPORT.pdf

779-KOL-2008-(09-01-2014)-FORM-1.pdf

779-KOL-2008-(09-01-2014)-FORM-2.pdf

779-KOL-2008-(09-01-2014)-FORM-3.pdf

779-KOL-2008-(09-01-2014)-GPA.pdf

779-KOL-2008-(09-01-2014)-INTERNATIONAL SEARCH REPORT.pdf

779-KOL-2008-(09-01-2014)-OTHERS.pdf

779-KOL-2008-(09-01-2014)-PETITION UNDER RULE 137.pdf

779-KOL-2008--(09-01-2014)-ABSTRACT.pdf

779-KOL-2008--(09-01-2014)-CLAIMS.pdf

779-KOL-2008--(09-01-2014)-CORRESPONDENCE.pdf

779-KOL-2008--(09-01-2014)-DESCRIPTION (COMPLETE).pdf

779-KOL-2008--(09-01-2014)-DRAWINGS.pdf

779-KOL-2008--(09-01-2014)-FIRST EXAMINATION REPORT.pdf

779-KOL-2008--(09-01-2014)-FORM-1.pdf

779-KOL-2008--(09-01-2014)-FORM-2.pdf

779-KOL-2008--(09-01-2014)-FORM-3.pdf

779-KOL-2008--(09-01-2014)-OTHERS.pdf

779-KOL-2008--(09-01-2014)-PA.pdf

779-KOL-2008--(09-01-2014)-PETITION UNDER RULE 137.pdf

779-KOL-2008-ASSIGNMENT.pdf

779-KOL-2008-CORRESPONDENCE 1.1.pdf

779-KOL-2008-CORRESPONDENCE 1.3.pdf

779-KOL-2008-CORRESPONDENCE 1.4.pdf

779-KOL-2008-CORRESPONDENCE-1.2.pdf

779-KOL-2008-CORRESPONDENCE-1.5.pdf

779-KOL-2008-FORM 13.pdf

779-kol-2008-form 18.pdf

779-KOL-2008-FORM 3-1.1.pdf

779-KOL-2008-FORM 3-1.2.pdf

779-KOL-2008-OTHERS 1.1.pdf

779-KOL-2008-OTHERS.pdf

abstract-00779-kol-2008.jpg


Patent Number 261098
Indian Patent Application Number 779/KOL/2008
PG Journal Number 23/2014
Publication Date 06-Jun-2014
Grant Date 03-Jun-2014
Date of Filing 28-Apr-2008
Name of Patentee TATA GLOBAL BEVERAGES LIMITED
Applicant Address 1, BISHOP LEFROY ROAD, KOLKATA-700 020, WEST BENGAL, INDIA
Inventors:
# Inventor's Name Inventor's Address
1 CHATTERJEE, ASHIM FLAT 6, G-BLOCK, NABARAG BUILDING, 15, MAYFAIR ROAD, BALLYGUNJ, KOLKATA-700019
2 MUNUSAMY, BALASUBRAMANIAM W-564, PARK ROAD, ANNA NAGAR WEST EXTENSION, CHENNAI-600101
3 MANI, GEORGE KANDAPPALLIL NO.2, CHINNASAMY NAGAR, REDDIARPALAYAM, PONDICHERRRY 605010
PCT International Classification Number A47J31/00
PCT International Application Number N/A
PCT International Filing date
PCT Conventions:
# PCT Application Number Date of Convention Priority Country
1 NA