The present invention relates to an ingredient cartridge for a beverage machine compris¬ ing an outlet opening sealed by a cover, the cartridge being adapted to be placed in en¬ gagement with a dosing assembly.

Such beverage machines are operated by the customers or attendances, for instance, using push buttons to select the type of beverage required. The machines are connected to a water supply or are provided with a separate water container but the attendances have to refill ingredients when needed. Normally, the ingredients have been supplied from pouches being opened and then are poured into a container situated within the bev¬ erage machine. The result of refilling by means of pouches could easily be that some of the ingredients end up outside the container which is aesthetically unpleasing and can also give rise to the malfunction as to the beverage machine itself.

Closed containers or cartridges for ingredients are disclosed by NO patent no. 146771 and NO patent publication no. 20025766, for instance. The former describes a container adapted to be perforated in the top for the supply of pressurized water so as to create an opening in the bottom having a weakening line surrounding a small area to be opened. The weakening line is broken due to the water pressure and the powder is moved out along with water. As an alternative the weakening line can be cut open using a knife or scissors prior to the installation within the beverage machine to avoid the use of pressur¬ ized water. The latter shows an ingredient cartridge comprising an outlet opening sealed by a sheet and is adapted to be installed in tight-fitting contact with a dosing apparatus. During insertion of the cartridge into the dosing apparatus the sheet is opened along a weakening line or the like formed therein.

One object of the present invention is to provide an ingredient cartridge of the type mentioned above which is opened in a simplified manner not involving the use of pres¬ surized water or relatively complex opening means when inserted or during insertion into the dosing assembly.

This object is achieved by means of a cover releasably fastened along the circumference of the outlet opening and being removable by pulling an end of the cover situated out¬ side the cartridge, when the cartridge has been inserted into the dosing assembly. Thus, all of the cover can be removed from both the cartridge and dosing assembly preventing potential malfunction due to remains of the cover. The removal can also be effected in a very simple and manual manner just using the end of the cover situated outside the car¬ tridge, whereby the cover is ripped away from the remainder of the cartridge.

According to one embodiment the cover can advantageously be made in the form of a double folded sheet having opposite the fold an end situated outside the cartridge and is made from metal, plastic, paper, for instance. Further, the cartridge can be formed of an upper portion made from a foldable material, and a lower portion made from a rigid material. These features are providing for a very simple production and reliable re¬ moval of the cover.

According to another embodiment the lower cartridge portion can be provided with a sloping end and, moreover, be equipped with means for securing the cartridge to the dosing assembly, e.g. in the form of a lug projecting from the sloping end. These fea¬ tures enable the cartridge to be inserted in a stable and releasable manner into the dosing assembly and the volume available for ingredients fully released into the dosing assem¬ bly to be maximized.

Further, according to still another embodiment the cartridge can be provided with a mi¬ crochip adapted for communication with the dosing assembly to monitor the content of ingredients within the cartridge, whereby the reuse of an emptied cartridge being re¬ filled with ingredients is prevented. The microchip preferably is either of read/write type signalling "empty" cartridge to a microprocessor or of read only type signalling cartridge identity for microprocessor monitoring purposes which is adapted to control the dosing assembly. Such an empty signal or identity signal with monitoring control is providing a beverage machine not able of preparing any beverage.

Alternatively, the ingredient cartridge can be provided with flanges adapted to be pushed into complementary grooves formed on the dosing assembly allowing the car¬ tridge to be secured in a stable manner to the dosing assembly.

In the following the present invention is to be explained by means of an preferred em¬ bodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 diametrically shows an exploded perspective view of an ingredient cartridge hav¬ ing an upper portion made from a foldable material and having a microchip to monitor the content within the cartridge, a lower portion made from a rigid material and includ¬ ing an outlet opening, and a removable cover sealing the outlet opening; Fig. 2 diametrically shows a perspective view of the ingredient cartridge inserted into a dosing assembly;

Fig. 3 diametrically shows a a vertical cross section of the ingredient cartridge and the dosing assembly in Fig.2;

Fig. 4 diametrically shows a top view of a blank for the upper cartridge portion illus¬ trated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 diametrically shows a perspective view of the lower cartridge portion;

Fig. 6 diametrically shows a top view of the lower cartridge portion;

Fig. 7 diametrically shows a vertical cross section of the lower cartridge portion along line A-A in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 diametrically shows a perspective view of another embodiment of the present cartridge made of plastics and secured by means of flanges provided thereon to a dosing assembly; and

Fig. 9 diametrically shows a perspective view, a partial side view, and a partial cross section, respectively of the ingredient cartridge in Fig. 8.

According to the present invention the ingredient cartridge is primarily but not exclu¬ sively intended for use when preparing beverages based on coffee and milk, such as black coffee, espresso coffee, cafe-latte, cafe-au-lait or the like, as well as chocolate. Thus, each cartridge is filled with a powdery or grainy material made from coffee, milk or chocolate and a number of cartridges containing the powder needed are inserted into a beverage machine (not showed). It is understood that the cartridge could alternatively be filled with another material based on fruit or nutrition concentrate, for instance, when preparing beverages other than coffee or chocolate.

Although illustrated as being rectangular in cross section, when seen horizontally, it is understood that the present ingredient cartridge can possess other shapes only dictated by the shape of the dosing assembly and the demand of providing suitable engagement therebetween as well as the available space within the beverage machine involved. As illustrated in Fig. 1 and 2 the ingredient cartridge 1 is comprising an outlet opening 2 sealed by a cover 3 and is adapted to be placed into a dosing assembly 4 in a tight- fitting manner, for instance. The cartridge is formed of an upper portion 8 preferentially made from a foldable material, and a lower portion 9 made from a more rigid material. The upper cartridge portion 8 is formed using a blank made of a suitable material such as cardboard and is provided with a number of folding lines 12-19, see Fig. 4. The upper and lower cartridge portion are secured to one another with any suitable means. To pre¬ vent unwanted penetration of air or vapour into the cartridge, the blank can be coated (not showed) in any convenient manner. A suitable number of cartridges can also be wrapped in plastics, for instance, to achieve airtight long-term storage.

The cover 3 is releasably fastened along the circumference of the outlet opening 2 and is removable by pulling an end 5 of the cover situated outside the cartridge 1, when the cartridge has been inserted into the dosing assembly 4. Such a pulling will consequently result in the cover being torn off from the lower cartridge portion 9. The cover advanta¬ geously is in the form of a double folded sheet 3 where the lower sheet fold has a length allowing it to project outside the cartridge. It is appreciated that the cover does not have to be in the form showed comprising of a double folded sheet. For instance,when the outlet opening 2 is having a relatively short length the cover can be in the form of a sin¬ gle-layer sheet (not showed) being released by a jerk performed immediately prior to the sheet is to be removed by pulling the end 5 outside the cartridge. Alternatively, the contact area between the sheet and the lower cartridge portion could be made as small as possible to allow the tearing-off when using an unfolded sheet but sufficient large to prevent an unintentional opening of the cartridge. The sheet is made from metal, plastic, paper or the like and can be releasebly fastened using adhesives or thermal bindings, for instance.

The cartridge 1 is provided with a microchip 7 adapted for communication with a mi¬ croprocessor (not showed), whereby the content of ingredients within the cartridge can be monitored. The microchip is either of read/write type or of read only type and is ca¬ pable of communication with the microprocessor controlling the dosing assembly 4 and consequently enables registration of the amount of ingredients emptied from or still re¬ maining in the cartridge. Thus, only cartridges with a valid microchip can be used in the machine, and reuse of a used and empty cartridge being refilled with new ingredients is prevented, as already mention above. As indicated in Fig. 1 and 5-7 the outlet opening 2 is formed in the lower portion 9 of the cartridge 1. At least one cross piece 20 is used to maintain the width of the opening. To ensure a stable mounting when inserted into the dosing assembly 4 and to maximize the volume available for ingredients that are fully released into the dosing assembly, the lower cartridge portion is provided with a sloping end 10. Further, to achieve a releas- able securing to the dosing assembly the cartridge is provided with means 11, preferen¬ tial in the form of a flexible lug 11 projecting from the sloping end 10. The lug 11 is to be inserted into a corresponding slot; cf. Fig. 3, in the dosing assembly and releasably locked therein. At the top of the upper cartridge portion 9 each folding line 14, 17, 18 is formed in a different manner along its length, see Fig. 4, as to weaken the cartridge as little as possible in the gripping area thereof.

The end 5 of the cover 3 situated outside the cartridge itself is supported on projection 21 formed in the extension of the lower cartridge portion 9 at an end opposite of the sloping end 10. As best illustrated in Fig. 6 notches 22, 23 are advantageously formed one at each side of the projection to facilitate removal of the cover 3 by breaking the projection, whereafter the cover is removed by pulling the cover end along with the broken projection.

Briefly spoken the present ingredient cartridge is used as follows. After the empty car¬ tridge has been removed from the beverage machine a new cartridge 1 having the cover 3 intact is inserted into the dosing assembly 4. At first, the lower cartridge portion oppo¬ site the operator with the projecting end mating with the dosing assembly slot is intro¬ duced while holding the cartridge aslant. The sloping end 10 is then lowered until con¬ tact is achieved with a corresponding surface 24 within the dosing assembly and during lowering the lug 11 is consequently led into the slot formed in the dosing assembly. Thereafter, the projection 20 is broken and the cover 3 is removed by pulling the sheet end 5 situated outside the cartridge above an outlet end 25. At last, an outlet cap 26 is turned aside. The outlet cap will advantageously prevent possible waste of ingredients remaining in the dosing assembly through the outlet end during the period between the removal of the empty cartridge and the installation of a new one. When the microchip is confirming a new approved cartridge has been inserted, the beverage machine is acti¬ vated by means of the microprocessor for preparing new beverage as requested by the customers.

An alternative embodiment of the present cartridge is illustrated in Fig. 8 and 9. In this case the cartridge 31 is made from another material than cardboard, preferentially plas- tic, and the end provided with the outlet opening is flat. The cartridge 31 and dosing assemply 35 are secured to one another by means of flanges 32 and grooves 36 com¬ plementary thereto formed on the cartridge and dosing assembly, respectively. When replacing the empty cartridge 31 with the new one, the flanges 32 on each side of the cartridge are pushed into the respective groove 36 at the upper end of the dosing assem¬ ply 35. Then the cover 33 is removed by pulling the free end 34 thereof situated outside the cartridge. Although illustrated in Fig. 8 and 9 as extending all the way around three sides of both the cartridge 31 and dosing assembly 35, the flanges 32 and grooves 36 can be made shorter and only situated along apart of the side walls of the cartridge and dosing assembly, respectively.

It is appreciated that the cartridge 31 can be provided with a microchip (not showed) as mentioned above.