NZ620962B2

NZ620962B2 - Method and apparatus for cartridge-based carbonation of beverages

Info

Publication number: NZ620962B2
Application number: NZ620962A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: Marc Angotti; Neil Lester Campbell; Ray Carroll; Peter Cauwood; Wai Chan; Mark Cohen; Frank Consoli; Chris Covey; Barry Dobson; Richard Estabrook
Original assignee: Keurig Green Mountain Inc
Priority date: 2011-08-03
Filing date: 2012-08-02
Publication date: 2016-07-01

Abstract

Systems, methods and cartridges for carbonating or otherwise dissolving gas in a precursor liquid, such as water, to form a beverage. A gas source (41) can be provided in a cartridge which is used to generate gas that is dissolved into the precursor liquid. A beverage medium (42), such as a powdered drink mix or liquid syrup, may be provided in the same, or a separate cartridge as the gas source (4) and mixed with the precursor liquid to form a beverage. The use of one or more cartridges for the gas source (41) and/or beverage medium (42) may make for an easy to use and mess-free system for making sparkling beverages, e.g., in the consumer's home. drink mix or liquid syrup, may be provided in the same, or a separate cartridge as the gas source (4) and mixed with the precursor liquid to form a beverage. The use of one or more cartridges for the gas source (41) and/or beverage medium (42) may make for an easy to use and mess-free system for making sparkling beverages, e.g., in the consumer's home.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CARTRIDGE—BASED CARBONATION OF BEVERAGES This application claims the benefit of US. ional application 61/514,676, filed August 3, 2011, which is hereby incorporated by nce in its entirety. This application is a continuation—in—part of US. Application 13/017,459, filed y 31, 2011, which claims the benefit of US. Provisional application 61/337,184, filed February 1, 2010.

BACKGROUND The inventions described herein relate to dissolving gas in liquids, e.g., carbonation, for use in preparing a beverage. Systems for carbonating liquids and/or mixing liquids with a beverage medium to form a beverage are bed in a wide variety of publications, including US. Patents 655, 4,040,342; 4,636,337; 6,712,342 and 5,182,084; and PCT ation .

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Aspects of the invention relate to carbonating or otherwise dissolving a gas in a precursor liquid, such as water, to form a beverage. In some embodiments, a carbon dioxide or other gas source can be provided in a dge which is used to generate carbon dioxide or other gas that is dissolved into the precursor liquid. A beverage medium, such as a powdered drink mix or liquid syrup, may be provided in the same, or a separate cartridge as the gas source and mixed with the precursor liquid (either before or after carbonation) to form a ge. The use of one or more cartridges for the gas source and/or beverage medium may make for an easy to use and mess—free system for making carbonated or other sparkling beverages, e.g., in the consumer’s home. (The term “carbonation” or “carbonated” is used herein to generically refer to beverages that have a dissolved gas, and thus refers to a sparkling beverage whether the dissolved gas is carbon dioxide, nitrogen, oxygen, air or other gas. Thus, aspects of the invention are not limited to forming ges that have a dissolved carbon dioxide content, but rather may include any ved gas.) In one aspect of the invention a beverage making system includes a beverage precursor liquid supply arranged to provide a sor liquid. The precursor liquid supply may include a oir, a pump, one or more conduits, one or more , one or more sensors (e.g., to detect a water level in the reservoir), and/or any other suitable components to provide water or other precursor liquid in a way suitable to form a beverage. The system may also include a single cartridge having first and/or second cartridge portions. The first dge portion may contain a gas source arranged to emit gas for use in ving into the precursor , e.g., for carbonating the precursor liquid, and the second cartridge n may contain a beverage medium arranged to be mixed with a liquid precursor to form a ge. The system may include a cartridge interface, such as a chamber that receives and at least partially encloses the cartridge, a connection port arranged to ﬂuidly couple with the cartridge, or other arrangement. A gas ution device may be arranged to dissolve gas that is emitted from the first cartridge portion into the precursor liquid, and may include, for example, a membrane contactor, a chamber suitable to hold a liquid under pressure to help dissolve gas in the liquid, a r, a sprinkler arranged to introduce water to a pressurized gas environment, or other arrangement. The system may be ed to mix precursor liquid with the beverage medium, whether before or after gas is dissolved in the liquid, to form a beverage. The beverage medium may be mixed with the liquid in the cartridge, in another portion of the system such as a mixing chamber into which beverage medium from the cartridge is introduced along with sor liquid, in a user’s cup, or elsewhere.

In one aspect of the invention, a beverage making system includes a beverage precursor liquid supply arranged to provide a precursor liquid, and a cartridge chamber ed to hold first and/or second cartridge portions. The cartridge chamber may have a single cartridge receiving portion for ing one or more cartridges, or may include a plurality of cartridge receiving portions that are separated from each other, e.g., for receiving two or more cartridges. If multiple receiving portions are provided, they may be opened and closed simultaneously or independently of each other. A first cartridge portion may be provided in the dge chamber where the first cartridge portion contains a gas source arranged to emit carbon dioxide or other gas for use in carbonating the precursor liquid. In some embodiments, the gas source may include a charged molecular sieve, such as a zeolite that is in solid form (e.g., s) and has adsorbed carbon dioxide or other gas, that releases gas in the presence of water. A second cartridge portion may be provided in the dge chamber where the second cartridge portion contains a beverage medium arranged to be mixed with a liquid precursor to form a beverage. The system may be arranged to carbonate the precursor liquid using the gas emitted by the first dge portion and to mix the beverage medium of the second cartridge portion with the precursor liquid. The precursor liquid may be carbonated in the first cartridge n, or in one or more other areas (such as a reservoir or membrane carbonator) to which gas is delivered. Mixing of the precursor liquid with beverage medium may occur before or after carbonation, and may occur in the second dge portion or in another on, such as a mixing chamber separate from the second cartridge portion.

The system may include a gas source activating ﬂuid supply arranged to provide ﬂuid to the cartridge chamber for contact with the gas source to cause the gas source to emit gas.

For example, the gas activating ﬂuid supply may be arranged to control an amount of ﬂuid (such as water in liquid or vapor form) provided to the cartridge chamber to control an amount of gas produced by the gas source. This may allow the system to control a gas pressure used to carbonate the precursor liquid. Thus, the cartridge chamber may be arranged to hold at least the first cartridge n in the cartridge chamber under a pressure that is greater than an ambient pressure. tely, the first cartridge portion may be ed to withstand a pressure caused by gas emitted by the gas source without a supporting structure or other enclosure. A gas supply may be arranged to conduct gas emitted by the gas source, under pressure greater than the ambient re, to beverage precursor liquid to carbonate the precursor liquid. The gas may be conducted to a carbonation tank, a membrane contactor, or other suitable arrangement for carbonation. For e, the system may include a carbonator that es a membrane that separates a liquid side from a gas side of the carbonator, where the gas is provided to the gas side and the beverage precursor liquid supply provides sor liquid to the liquid side such that gas on the gas side is dissolved in the precursor liquid on the liquid side. A pump may move precursor liquid from a reservoir through the carbonator for subsequent discharge as a beverage, or the precursor liquid may be circulated back to the reservoir for one or more onal passes through the ator.

In some embodiments, the system may mix the beverage medium with precursor liquid to form a beverage such that none of the beverage contacts the gas source. However, in other embodiments, the precursor liquid may contact the gas source, e.g., where the liquid is passed through the first cartridge portion to be carbonated. The first and second cartridge portions may each be part of respective first and second cartridges that are distinct from each other, or the cartridge ns may be part of a single cartridge. If part of a single cartridge, the first and second cartridge ns may be separated from each other, e.g., by a permeable t such as a , or an impermeable element such as a wall of the cartridge that may or may not be frangible, burstable (such as by suitable pressure), piercable or otherwise breached to allow the first and second cartridge portions to communicate with each other. A cartridge associated with the first and second cartridge portions may be pierced or otherwise arranged for ﬂuid communication while in the cartridge chamber to allow access to the first and second portions. For example, if the cartridge portions are in separate cartridges, the two cartridges may be pierced by closing of the cartridge chamber to allow ﬂuid to be provided to and/or gas to exit from the first cartridge portion, and to allow the beverage medium to exit the second dge portion whether alone or with a mixed precursor liquid.

In some ments, the first and cartridge portions may each have a volume that is less than a volume of carbonated beverage to be formed using the cartridge portions. This can provide a icant age by allowing a user to form a relatively large volume beverage using a ve small volume cartridge or dges. For example, the system may be arranged to use the first and second cartridge portions over a period of time less than about 120 seconds to form a carbonated liquid having a volume of between 100 — 1000 ml and a carbonation level of about 1 to 5 volumes. Carbonation may occur at pressures between 20— 50 psi, or more. The cartridge portions in this embodiment may have a volume of about 50 ml or less, reducing an amount of waste and/or adding to convenience of the system.

In another aspect of the invention, a method for forming a beverage includes providing first and second cartridge portions to a ge making machine where the first cartridge portion contains a gas source arranged to emit gas for use in carbonating a liquid, and the second cartridge portion contains a beverage medium arranged to be mixed with a liquid precursor to form a beverage. A ﬂuid, such as water in liquid or vapor form, may be provided to the cartridge chamber to cause the gas source to emit gas, and a precursor liquid may be carbonated by dissolving at least a portion of the gas emitted from the gas source in the sor liquid. The precursor liquid may be mixed with a beverage medium to produce a beverage, either before or after carbonation.

As noted above, the gas source may be in solid form in the first dge portion, e.g., including a charged zeolite. An amount of ﬂuid provided to the first cartridge portion may be controlled to control gas production by the gas source, e.g., to maintain a pressure of gas produced by the gas source to be within a desired range above an ambient pressure. In one embodiment, the gas source includes a charged e, and an amount of ﬂuid provided to the cartridge chamber is controlled so as to cause the charged zeolite to emit gas over a period of at least 30 seconds or more.

Carbonation of the precursor liquid may include providing gas to a reservoir that contains precursor liquid, ing gas to a gas side of a membrane such that gas on the gas side is dissolved in the precursor liquid on a liquid side of the membrane, ng precursor liquid in a gas—filled space, passing the precursor liquid through the first cartridge portion under pressure, and so on.

WO 19963 5 As mentioned above, the first and second cartridge portions may each be part of respective first and second cartridges that are distinct from each other, or the cartridge portions may be part of a single cartridge. If part of a single dge, the first and second cartridge portions may be separated from each other, e.g., by a cartridge wall. Mixing of the precursor liquid may occur before or after carbonation, and may occur in the second cartridge portion or in r location, such as a mixing chamber separate from the second cartridge portion.

In one embodiment, the steps of providing a ﬂuid and carbonating may be performed over a period of time less than about 120 s (e.g., about 60 seconds) and using a gas re of 20—50 psi (e.g., above ambient) to form a ated liquid having a volume of between 100 — 1000 ml (e.g., about 500 ml) and a carbonation level of about 2 to 4 volumes (or less or more, such as l to 5 volumes). Thus, systems and methods according to this aspect may produce a relatively highly carbonated beverage in a relatively short period of time, and without requiring high pressures.

In another aspect of the invention, a beverage making system includes a ge precursor liquid supply for providing a precursor liquid, a cartridge chamber or other interface arranged to hold a cartridge, and a dge including an internal space ning a gas . The gas source may be arranged to emit gas for use in carbonating the precursor liquid, e.g., in response to t with a ﬂuid, such as water or other activating agent. A gas activating ﬂuid supply may be arranged to provide ﬂuid to the cartridge chamber for contact with the gas source to cause the gas source to emit gas, and the activating ﬂuid supply may be arranged to control an amount of ﬂuid provided to the cartridge chamber to control an amount of gas emitted by the gas source, e.g., to control a pressure in the cartridge chamber or other area. A gas supply may be arranged to conduct gas emitted by the gas , under pressure greater than the ambient pressure, to sor liquid provided via the beverage precursor liquid supply to carbonate the precursor liquid. The ability to control gas production, and thus pressure, in a relatively simple way of controlling ﬂuid ﬂow into the cartridge chamber, may provide advantages of a simple control and system operation.

The beverage precursor liquid supply may include a reservoir that ns precursor liquid, a carbonator that includes a membrane that separates a liquid side from a gas side of the carbonator, a pump that moves precursor liquid from the reservoir through the carbonator or other portion of the system, one or more filters or other liquid treatment devices, and so on.

The cartridge chamber may be arranged to hold the cartridge in the chamber under a pressure that is greater than an ambient pressure, e.g., within a pressure range that is suitable for WO 19963 6 carbonating the precursor liquid. In some embodiments, gas pressure used for carbonation may be between about 20 and 50 psi, although higher (and lower) pressures are possible.

In another aspect of the invention, a method for forming a beverage includes providing a cartridge having an internal space that is sealed to enclose a gas source in the internal space, providing ﬂuid to the cartridge to cause the gas source to emit gas, controlling an amount of ﬂuid ed to the dge over a period of time to control an amount of gas emitted by the gas source during the period of time, and carbonating a sor liquid by dissolving at least a portion of the gas emitted from the gas source in the precursor liquid.

The sor liquid may be mixed with a beverage medium to produce a beverage, either before or after ation, Whether in a cartridge or other area. In one embodiment, the cartridge may be pierced using a beverage making machine to provide liquid to the cartridge, While in other embodiments liquid may be provided to the dge via a d port or other arrangement. As with the ments above, the liquid may be carbonated in the cartridge or other area, such as a carbonator or reservoir, the cartridge may include a second portion that includes the beverage medium (or a second dge may be used with the beverage medium), and so on.

In another aspect of the invention, a method for forming a carbonated beverage includes providing a cartridge having an internal space that is sealed to enclose a gas source in the internal space Where the gas source is in solid form, opening the cartridge (such as by piercing) and causing the gas source to emit gas, and carbonating a liquid by dissolving at least a portion of the gas emitted from the gas source in the . The liquid may be mixed with a beverage medium by passing the liquid through a cartridge chamber that contains the beverage medium to produce a beverage. By mixing the liquid with beverage medium in a cartridge, the need for a separate mixing chamber may be avoided, and ﬂavor contamination between consecutively made beverages may be reduced (because the cartridge serves as the mixing chamber and is used only once).

In one embodiment, the cartridge that encloses the gas source also includes the cartridge chamber that contains the beverage medium. For example, liquid may be introduced into a first portion of the cartridge Where the gas source is located for carbonation, and pass from the first portion to a second portion Where the beverage medium is d. In r embodiment, the cartridge chamber Where liquid is mixed with beverage medium may be part of a second cartridge separate from the cartridge that encloses the gas source.

Gas from the cartridge may be routed to an area Where the gas is dissolved in the liquid, e.g., to a ne contactor, a reservoir that holds a substantial portion of the liquid, or other arrangement. A pressure of the gas may be controlled by controlling an amount of ﬂuid provided to the cartridge. As with other aspects of the invention, various embodiments and optional features described herein may be used with this aspect of the ion.

In another aspect of the ion, a kit for forming a beverage includes a first cartridge having an internal space that is sealed and contains a gas source in the internal space. The gas source may be in solid form, or stored in the internal space at pressures below 100 psi, and arranged to emit gas for use in ating a precursor liquid. The first cartridge may be arranged to have an inlet through which ﬂuid is provided to activate the gas source and an outlet through which gas exits the first cartridge. For example, the first cartridge may be pierced to form the inlet and outlet, or the first dge may have a defined inlet/outlet.

A second cartridge of the kit may include an internal space that is sealed and contains a beverage medium for use in mixing with the precursor liquid to form a beverage. The second cartridge may be arranged to mix a precursor liquid with the beverage medium in the second cartridge, and thus may be able or otherwise arranged to allow inlet of liquid and outlet of mixed liquid/beverage medium. The first and second cartridges may each have a volume that is less than a volume of beverage to be formed using the first and second cartridges, e.g., the cartridge may have a volume of about 50ml and be used to make a ge having a volume of about 500 ml. The first and second cartridges may be joined er, e.g., such that the cartridges cannot be separated from each other, without use of tools, without ng at least a portion of the first or second cartridge. In one embodiment, the first and second cartridges may be joined by a welded joint or by interlocking mechanical fasteners.

In r aspect of the invention, a cartridge for forming a beverage includes a container having an internal space that is sealed and contains a gas source in the al space. The gas source may be in solid form (such as a charged zeolite or other molecular sieve) and arranged to emit gas for use in carbonating a precursor liquid. In one arrangement, the gas or other gas source may be stored in a sealed space in the cartridge for an extended period at a pressure of less than about 100 psi prior to the sealed space being opened. Thus, the cartridge need not necessarily be capable of withstanding high pressures to store the gas source. The container may be arranged to have an inlet through which ﬂuid is provided to te the gas source and an outlet through which gas exits the container for use in carbonating the sor liquid. In one embodiment, the container may be pierceable by a beverage making machine to form the inlet and to form the outlet, e.g., at the top, bottom, side and/or other locations of the cartridge. In one arrangement, the container may e a lid that is pierceable by a beverage machine to form both the inlet and outlet. The container may have at least one portion that is semi—rigid or ﬂexible, e.g., that is not suitable to Withstand a pressure over about 80 psi inside the cartridge Without physical support. The container may include a second chamber that contains a beverage medium for use in ﬂavoring the precursor liquid to form a beverage, and the second chamber may be isolated from a first chamber in which the gas source is ned. The container may have a volume that is less than a volume of carbonated beverage to be formed using the cartridge.

In another aspect of the ion, a beverage making system includes a cartridge chamber arranged to hold a cartridge under a re that is greater than an ambient pressure, and a cartridge including an internal space containing a gas source arranged to emit gas for use in carbonating a liquid. The cartridge may have a volume that is less than a volume of ge to be created using the cartridge, e.g., a volume of 50ml or less for use in ating a volume of liquid of about lOO—lOOOml to a carbonation level of at least about 1 to 4 volumes. A beverage precursor liquid supply may e precursor liquid into the al space of the cartridge to cause the gas source to emit gas and cause at least some of the gas to be dissolved in the precursor liquid While in the internal space. Carbonating the liquid in a cartridge r can simplify system operation, e.g., by eliminating the need for ation tanks or other carbonators. Instead, the cartridge may function as a carbonator, at least in part. In one embodiment, the cartridge includes a second chamber that contains a beverage medium for use in mixing with the precursor liquid to form a beverage. The second chamber may be isolated from a first chamber in which the gas source is contained, or the first and second chamber may communicate, e.g., liquid may be introduced into the first chamber to be carbonated and pass from the first r to the second chamber Where the beverage medium is located.

In another aspect of the invention, a method for forming a beverage includes ing a cartridge having an internal space that is sealed to enclose a gas source in the internal space Where the cartridge has a volume that is less than a volume of beverage to be created using the cartridge. Liquid may be provided into the cartridge to cause the gas source to emit gas, and the liquid may be carbonated by dissolving at least a portion of the gas emitted from the gas source in the liquid While the liquid is in the cartridge. The liquid may be mixed with a beverage medium to produce a beverage, either before or after ation in the cartridge. In fact, the cartridge may include a second chamber that contains a beverage medium for use in mixing with the precursor liquid to form a beverage, and the cartridge may have a volume that is less than a beverage to be made using the cartridge. The cartridge may be pierced using a beverage making machine to form an inlet and an outlet.

In another aspect of the invention, a beverage making system includes a ge precursor liquid supply, a cartridge chamber or other interface arranged to hold a cartridge in a chamber, and a cartridge ing an internal space containing a gas source that is in solid form and is arranged to emit gas for use in carbonating a liquid. A gas activating ﬂuid supply may provide liquid to the cartridge for contact with the gas source to cause the gas source to emit gas. The system may also include a carbonator that has a membrane that separates a liquid side from a gas side, where the gas emitted by the cartridge is provided to the gas side and the beverage precursor liquid supply es sor liquid to the liquid side such that gas on the gas side is dissolved in the sor liquid on the liquid side. The cartridge interface may be arranged to hold the cartridge in the chamber under a pressure that is greater than an ambient pressure, e.g., within a pressure range used to carbonate the liquid in the carbonator. A gas supply may be arranged to conduct gas emitted by the gas source, under pressure greater than the ambient pressure, from the cartridge r to the gas side of the carbonator. The membrane of the carbonator may include a plurality of hollow fibers where an interior of the hollow fibers is part of the liquid side and an exterior of the hollow fibers is part of the gas side.

In another aspect of the invention, a method for forming a beverage includes providing a cartridge having an al space that is sealed to enclose a gas source in the al space that is in solid form and arranged to emit gas, opening or otherwise accessing the cartridge (such as by piercing) and causing the cartridge to emit gas, and carbonating the liquid by dissolving at least a portion of the gas emitted from the gas source in a liquid. The gas may be located on a gas side of a membrane and the liquid being located on a liquid side of the membrane. The ne may be formed by a plurality of hollow fibers where the liquid side is located at an interior of the fibers and the gas side is at an or of the .

A gas pressure at the gas side may be controlled based on controlling an amount of liquid provided to the cartridge.

In another embodiment, a cartridge for use by a beverage making machine in forming a ge includes first and second portions that are attached together and separated by an impermeable barrier, such as a lid or other container part of the first and/or second portion.

The first portion may contain a gas source for emitting a gas to be dissolved in a beverage precursor liquid, and the second portion may contain a beverage medium for mixing with a precursor liquid to form a beverage. The first and second portions may be arranged with respect to each other so that the cartridge has a plane where the first portion is located below the plane and the second portion is located above the plane. For e, the second portion W0 2013/019963 10 PCT/U82012/049356 may be stacked on top of the first n, e.g., with lids of the first and second portions located adjacent each other.

In one illustrative embodiment, a cartridge for use by a beverage making machine in forming a beverage includes a container with first and second portions that are attached together and separated by an impermeable barrier, such as a foil lid used to close a container part of the first and/or second portion. The first portion may contain a gas source for emitting a gas to be dissolved in a ge precursor liquid, and the second portion may contain a ge medium for mixing with a precursor liquid to form a beverage. The second portion may e a wall, such as a lid, a sidewall of a container part, a bottom of a container part, a wall of a bag, etc., that is movable to force beverage medium to exit the second portion for mixing with sor liquid. The wall may be movable in any suitable way, such as by air or other gas pressure, a plunger, piston or other item contacting and moving the wall, and so In the embodiments above, the first portion may have an inlet through which ﬂuid is ed to activate the gas source (e.g., a lid or other part of the first n may be pierced to form an inlet g) and an outlet through which gas exits the first portion for dissolving in the precursor liquid (e.g., a lid or other part of the first portion may be pierced to form an outlet opening). The inlet and outlet may be d on a same side of the first portion, such as a top of the first portion. In one arrangement, the first portion may include a surface arranged to accommodate piercing to form an inlet through which ﬂuid is ed to activate the gas , and the first portion may be attached to the second portion such that the surface is unexposed. For example, the second portion may be attached to the first portion so that the piercable part of the first portion is covered by the second portion. This arrangement may help reduce the likelihood that the surface is prematurely pierced, e.g., pierced by accident prior to the cartridge being associated with a beverage making e. The second portion may have an outlet through which the beverage medium exits the container for mixing with the precursor liquid, e.g., a part of the second portion may be pierced to form an opening for beverage medium exit, the second portion may have a frangible seal or other element that opens to release beverage medium, etc.

In one embodiment, the movable wall defines, at least in part, the first portion of the cartridge. For example, the first portion may be defined at least in part by a first chamber wall, and the second n may be defined at least in part by a second chamber wall that s a second space. The first chamber wall may be received into the second space, e.g., like a plunger, and be movable relative to the second chamber wall to expel beverage medium W0 2013/019963 11 PCT/U82012/049356 from the second portion of the cartridge. In some embodiments, the wall may e a layer of barrier material, such as a metal foil, a metal olymer laminate, a layer of plastic material, etc. For example, the second portion may be defined by a e formed by a layer a metal foil material, such as a sheet aluminum. The layer of barrier material may be arranged to open (e.g., by bursting or piercing) and allow beverage medium to exit the second portion when a force is applied to the barrier material. For example, the cartridge may include a piercing element that opens the second portion when a force is applied to the r material. In another embodiment, the wall includes corrugations and a frangible outlet that is openable based on pressure inside the second n. The wall may be pressed so that the corrugations collapse, e.g., in a staged or sequential fashion, to force beverage medium through the outlet, which may include a burstable seal formed by a weakened portion of the wall (e. g., by scoring, partial perforation, etc.). Like the second portion, the first n may be defined by a capsule formed by a layer of barrier material, and the first and second ns may be attached together, e.g., by crimping rims or edges of the barrier material together.

The first and second portions may be sealed from an exterior environment and the first portion may contain a carbon dioxide source in solid form (such as a d zeolite) ed to emit carbon dioxide gas for use in mixing with a beverage precursor liquid to form a beverage. In one embodiment, a pressure in the first portion prior to breaking a seal of the first portion to expose the gas source may be relatively low, e.g., less than 100 psi.

However, the gas source may be arranged to emit gas suitable for forming a carbonated beverage having a volume of between 100 — 1000 ml and a carbonation level of about 1 to 5.

These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Aspects of the invention are described with reference to the following drawings in which like numerals nce like elements, and wherein: shows a illustrative embodiment of a ge making system having a removable reservoir; shows a illustrative embodiment of a beverage making system having a tor arranged to circulate precursor liquid; shows a illustrative embodiment of a beverage making system in which liquid is carbonated in a single pass through a carbonator; W0 2013/019963 12 PCT/U82012/049356 shows an illustrative embodiment of a beverage making system in which a gas cartridge is located in a carbonation reservoir; shows an illustrative embodiment of a cartridge chamber; shows an illustrative embodiment of gas and beverage medium cartridges joined together; FIGs. 7 and 8 shown perspective and top views, respectively, of gas and beverage medium cartridges; shows an illustrative embodiment of a cartridge arranged to carbonate a liquid in the dge; shows an illustrative embodiment of a cartridge arranged to carbonate a liquid in the dge in an alternative orientation; shows an illustrative ment of a cartridge having isolated chambers containing a gas source and a beverage medium; shows a cross sectional view of a cartridge having a movable part to configure the cartridge for use in forming a beverage; shows a cross sectional view of the cartridge after movement of the movable part; shows an exploded view of the cartridge; shows an exploded view of a cartridge having a first portion located over a second portion; shows a cross sectional view of the cartridge; shows a perspective view of a cartridge having a planar support; shows an exploded view of the dge; shows a cross sectional view of the cartridge; shows a cross sectional view of the dge with beverage medium being expelled from a second portion of the dge; shows a top view of a part of the support of the cartridge below the second portion; shows a schematic view of an arrangement in which precursor liquid and beverage media have a coaxial ﬂow; shows a modification of the cartridge in which the second portion is positioned over the first n; shows an exploded view of a cartridge having a mixing chamber portion; shows an assembled perspective view of the cartridge; W0 2013/019963 13 shows a cross nal view of the cartridge; shows a cross sectional view of the cartridge with beverage medium expelled from the second portion; shows a perspective view of a cartridge including side—by—side gas source and beverage medium portions; shows an ed view of the cartridge; shows a cross sectional view of the dge; shows a schematic view of a beverage making system employing gravity and/or pressure feed of precursor liquid; shows a schematic view of a beverage making system with an ice sing function; shows a schematic view of a beverage making system employing heat or other activation of a gas source; shows a schematic view of a beverage making system employing a r to supply precursor liquid; shows a schematic view of a beverage making system arranged to cycle sor liquid through a gas dissolution device; shows a schematic view of a cartridge having an activation ﬂuid ﬂow controller; FIGs. 37 and 38 show a schematic view of a cartridge having an activation ﬂuid ﬂow controller that interacts with a beverage making machine; FIGs. 39 and 40 show an arrangement in which pressure in a cartridge moves the cartridge to control activation ﬂuid ﬂow; FIGs. 41 and 42 show a close up view of an activation ﬂuid supply needle and activator inlet of a cartridge for use in the FIGs. 39 and 40 embodiment; FIGs. 43 and 44 show an illustrative ment in which pressure in a cartridge is detected by a beverage making machine; shows a cross sectional view of a cartridge arranged similarly to that in FIGs. 28—30 and ed to allow for pinch l of ﬂuid ﬂow in the cartridge; shows another embodiment in which pressure in a cartridge is detected by a beverage making machine; FIGs. 47 and 48 show an embodiment in which pressure in a cartridge is detected by a beverage making machine and activation ﬂuid ﬂow is controlled by a valve actuator of the machine; W0 2013/019963 14 PCT/U82012/049356 FIGS. 49 and 50 show a schematic diagram of a ﬂow ller arrangement for a cartridge for automatic gas pressure control; shows a cross sectional view of a cartridge having a filter; shows an exploded view of another embodiment of a cartridge having a filter; FIGs. 53 and 54 show cross sectional views of the second portion and the first portion, respectively of the embodiment; shows a cut away perspective view of an insert end of the cartridge of FIG. shows a cross sectional view of a dge arranged to allow a user to define a beverage characteristic by interacting with the cartridge; shows a perspective view of the cartridge; shows an assembled view of a cartridge having first and second ns joined such that lid portions are adjacent each other; shows a side view of the embodiment with the first and second portions detached; shows a top view of the arrangement; shows a cartridge with first and second ns joined together by a lid section and in a folded configuration; shows the embodiment in an unfolded configuration; shows a cross sectional view of an illustrative cartridge with an internal piercing element; shows an exploded view of a cartridge having a portion formed as a gusseted bag and another portion received into the gusset cavity; and shows a cartridge with a second portion containing a ge medium and a pressurized gas used to expel the ge medium.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION It should be tood that aspects of the invention are bed herein with reference to the figures, which show illustrative embodiments. The illustrative embodiments described herein are not necessarily intended to show all embodiments in ance with the invention, but rather are used to describe a few illustrative embodiments. Thus, aspects of the invention are not intended to be construed ly in view of the illustrative embodiments.

W0 2013/019963 15 PCT/U82012/049356 In addition, it should be understood that aspects of the ion may be used alone or in any suitable combination with other aspects of the invention.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a ﬂuid (such as water, water vapor, or other) may be provided to a carbon dioxide or other gas source in a cartridge so as to cause the gas source to emit gas that is used to carbonate or otherwise for dissolution in a liquid. In one embodiment, beverage making machine may e a gas activating ﬂuid supply arranged to provide ﬂuid to a cartridge chamber for contact with the gas source so as to cause the gas source to emit gas. In other arrangements, the gas source may be caused to e gas in other ways, such as by heating, exposing the source to microwaves or other electromagnetic radiation, etc. A gas supply of the machine may be arranged to conduct gas emitted by the gas source, under pressure greater than the ambient pressure, to a precursor liquid to carbonate the precursor liquid. In some ments, the gas source may be in solid form, such as a zeolite, activated carbon or other molecular sieve that is charged with carbon dioxide or other gas, and the use of a dge may not only isolate the gas source from activating agents (such as water vapor in the case of a charged zeolite), but also potentially eliminate the need for a user to touch or otherwise directly handle the carbon dioxide source.

Having a gas activating ﬂuid supply may enable the use of another aspect of the invention, i.e., a volume or other measure of the ﬂuid ed to the cartridge may be controlled to control the rate or amount of gas that ed by the gas . This feature can make the use of some gas s, such as a charged zeolite material, possible without requiring gas storage or high pressure components. For example, zeolites charged with carbon dioxide tend to e carbon dioxide very rapidly and in relatively large quantities (e. g., a 30 gram mass of charged zeolite can easily produce l—2 liters of carbon dioxide gas at atmospheric pressure in a few seconds in the presence of less than 30—50ml of water). This rapid release can in some circumstances make the use of zeolites impractical for producing relatively highly carbonated liquids, such as a carbonated water that is carbonated to a level of 2 volumes or more. (A carbonation “volume” refers to the number of volume measures of carbon dioxide gas that is dissolved in a given volume measure of liquid. For example, a 1 liter amount of “2 volume” carbonated water includes a 1 liter volume of water that has 2 liters of carbon e gas ved in it. Similarly, a 1 liter amount of “4 volume” ated water includes a 1 liter volume of water that has 4 liters of carbon dioxide dissolved in it. The gas volume measure is the gas volume that could be released from the carbonated liquid at atmospheric or ambient re and room temperature.) That is, W0 2013/019963 16 2012/049356 dissolution of carbon dioxide or other gases in liquids typically takes a certain amount of time, and the rate of dissolution can only be increased a limited amount under less than e conditions, such as pressures within about 150 psi of ambient and temperatures within about +/— 40 to 50 degrees C of room temperature. By lling the rate of carbon dioxide (or other gas) production for a carbon dioxide (or other gas) source, the total time over which the carbon dioxide (or other gas) source emits carbon dioxide (or other gas) can be extended, allowing time for the carbon dioxide (gas) to be dissolved without requiring relatively high pressures. For example, when employing one illustrative embodiment incorporating one or more aspects of the invention, the inventors have produced s having at least up to about 3.5 volume ation levels in less than 60 seconds, at pressures under about 40 psi, and at temperatures around 0 degrees Celsius. This capability allows for a carbonated beverage machine to e at relatively modest temperatures and pressures, potentially eliminating the need for relatively expensive high pressure tanks, conduits and other components, as well as extensive pressure releases, containment ures and other safety es that might otherwise be required, particularly for a machine to be used in the consumer’s home. Of course, as discussed above and elsewhere herein, aspects of the invention are not limited to use with carbon dioxide, and d any suitable gas may be dissolved in a liquid in accordance with all aspects of this disclosure.

In r aspect of the ion, a portion of a precursor liquid that is used to form a beverage may be used to activate the gas source. This e may help simplify operation of a beverage making machine, e.g., by eliminating the need for special activation substances.

As a result, a beverage making machine, or a method of forming a sparkling beverage, may be made less expensively and/or without l purpose ingredients. For example, in the case of a machine making carbonated water, all that is needed to activate the carbon dioxide source may be a portion of the water used to form the beverage. It should be understood, however, that other aspects of the invention need not require the use of a portion of precursor liquid to te a carbon dioxide source, and instead may use any suitable activating agent, such as a citric acid in aqueous form that is added to a bicarbonate material, heat, microwave or other electromagnetic ion used to activate a zeolite source, and others. For example, the cartridge that includes the carbon dioxide source may e (as part of the source), an activating agent whose addition to another component of the carbon dioxide source is controlled to l carbon dioxide production. shows one illustrative embodiment that incorporates at least the aspects of providing a ﬂuid to a cartridge and/or cartridge chamber to activate a gas source, as well as 17 2012/049356 controlling the ﬂuid ﬂow to l gas production, and the use of a portion of beverage precursor liquid to activate a gas source. The beverage making system I of includes a beverage precursor liquid 2 that is contained in a reservoir ll. The beverage precursor liquid 2 can be any suitable liquid, ing water (e.g., ﬂavored or otherwise treated water, such as sweetened, filtered, deionized, softened, carbonated, etc.), or any other suitable liquid used to form a beverage, such as milk, juice, coffee, tea, etc. (whether heated or cooled relative to room ature or not). The reservoir ll is part of a beverage precursor supply 10, which also includes a lid 12 that engages with the reservoir ll to form a sealed enclosure, a pump 13 to circulate the precursor liquid 2, and a nozzle, showerhead or other component 14 that serves to disperse the sor liquid 2 in a headspace in the reservoir ll. Of course, the precursor supply 10 may be arranged in other ways, e.g., to include additional or different ents. For example, the reservoir ll and lid 12 may be replaced with a closed tank that has suitable inlet/outlet ports, the pump 13 and/or nozzle 14 may be eliminated, and or other changes.

In this embodiment, the reservoir ll is initially provided with the precursor liquid 2 by a user, who provides the liquid 2 in the reservoir ll, e.g., from a water tap or other source.

The user may also provide ice or other cooling medium in the reservoir ll as desired, so as to cool the ultimate ge made. In other embodiments, the system I may include a refrigeration system or other cooling system (such as that found in refrigerators, air conditioning units, thermoelectric cooling units, or other devices used to remove heat from a material) to cool the liquid 2 whether before, during and/or after carbonation. In some arrangements, g the precursor liquid 2 may help the carbonation process, e.g., because cooler liquids tend to dissolve carbon dioxide or other gas more rapidly and/or are e of dissolving larger s of gas. However, in one aspect of the invention, a carbonated liquid may be cooled after the carbonation process is te, e.g., just before discharge using a ﬂow through chiller. This feature may allow the system I to chill only the beverage, and not other portions of the system, such as the reservoir ll, carbonator, pump, etc., ng the heat output by the system 1. Although a user initially es the beverage precursor liquid 2 in the reservoir ll, the precursor supply 10 may include other components to provide liquid 2 to the reservoir ll, such as a plumbed water line, controllable valve, and liquid level sensor to automatically fill the reservoir ll to a desired level, a second water reservoir or other tank that is ﬂuidly ted to the reservoir ll (e. g., such as a removable water tank found with some coffee making machines along with a pump and conduit to route water from the removable tank to the reservoir ll), and other arrangements.

W0 2013/019963 18 2012/049356 The beverage making system 1 also includes a carbon dioxide activating ﬂuid supply that provides a ﬂuid to a cartridge 4 so as to activate a carbon dioxide source 41 to e carbon dioxide gas. In this embodiment, the carbon dioxide source 41 is located in a portion of the cartridge 4 and includes a charged adsorbent or molecular sieve, e.g., a zeolite material that has adsorbed some amount of carbon dioxide gas that is released in the presence of water, whether in vapor or liquid form. Of course, other carbon dioxide source materials may be used, such as charcoal or other molecular sieve materials, carbon nanotubes, metal organic frameworks, covalent organic frameworks, porous polymers, or source materials that generate carbon dioxide by al means, such as sodium onate and citric acid (with the addition of water if the bicarbonate and acid are initially in dry form), or others. In addition, aspects of the invention are not necessarily limited to use with carbon dioxide gas, but may be used with any le gas, such as nitrogen, which is dissolved in some beers or other ges, oxygen, air, and others. Thus, reference to nation77 4‘carbon e source” “carbon dioxide activating ﬂuid supply”, etc., should not be interpreted as limiting s of the invention and/or any embodiments to use with carbon dioxide only. Instead, aspects of the invention may be used with any suitable gas. In one embodiment, the charged adsorbent is a zeolite such as analcime, chabazite, clinoptilolite, heulandite, natrolite, phillipsite, or stilbite. The zeolite may be naturally occurring or synthetic, and may be capable of holding up to about 20% carbon dioxide by weight or more. The zeolite material may be arranged in any suitable form, such as a solid block (e.g., in disc form), particles of spherical, cubic, irregular or other suitable shape, and others. An arrangement that allows the zeolite to ﬂow or be ﬂowable, e.g., spherical particles, may be useful for packaging the zeolite in dual cartridges. Such an ement may allow the zeolite to ﬂow from a hopper into a cartridge container, for example, simplifying the manufacturing process. The surface area of the zeolite les may also be arranged to help control the rate at which the zeolite releases carbon dioxide gas, since higher surface area measures typically increase the gas production rate. Generally, zeolite als will release adsorbed carbon dioxide in the presence of water in liquid or vapor form, allowing the e to be activated to release carbon dioxide gas by the addition of liquid water to the zeolite.

The carbon dioxide ting ﬂuid supply 20 in this embodiment includes a conduit that is ﬂuidly coupled to the pump 13 and a valve 21 that can be controlled to open/close or otherwise control the ﬂow of precursor liquid 2 into the dge 4. As can be seen, circulation of the liquid 2 by the pump 13 can allow the activating ﬂuid supply 20 to divert some (e.g., a first portion) of the precursor liquid 2 to the cartridge chamber 3 to cause the W0 2013/019963 19 PCT/U82012/049356 creation of carbon dioxide gas, e.g., by opening the valve 21. Other arrangements or additions are possible for the carbon dioxide activating ﬂuid supply 20, such as a suitably sized orifice in the conduit leading from the pump 13 outlet to the cartridge 4, a pressure— reducing element in the conduit, a ﬂow—restrictor in the conduit, a ﬂow meter to indicate an amount and/or ﬂow rate of liquid into the cartridge 4, and so on. In addition the liquid source need not use precursor liquid 2 to activate the carbon dioxide source 41, but instead may use a dedicated source of ﬂuid for activation. For example, the carbon dioxide activating ﬂuid supply 20 may include a syringe, piston pump or other ve displacement device that can meter desired amounts of liquid er water, citric acid or other material) that are delivered to the cartridge 4. In another ment, the activating ﬂuid supply 20 may include a gravity fed liquid supply that has a controllable ry rate, e.g., like the drip—type liquid supply systems used with intravenous lines for providing liquids to hospital patients, or may spray atomized water or other liquid to provide a water vapor or other gas phase activating ﬂuid to the cartridge 4. er, although suggests that the activating ﬂuid supply 20 provides liquid to a top of the cartridge 4, the liquid source 20 may provide the ﬂuid to a bottom of the cartridge 4, e.g., to ﬂood the bottom of the cartridge, or other suitable location. It is also vable that an activating liquid can be provided in the cartridge with the carbon dioxide source 42, e.g., in a chamber that is pierced to allow contact of the liquid with the source 42.

In accordance with one embodiment, the cartridge 4 (having one or more portions) may be d in a cartridge chamber 3 during carbon dioxide production. As a , the cartridge 4 may be made of a relatively ﬂexible material or otherwise constructed so that the cartridge 4 cannot withstand a relatively high pressure gradient between the interior and exterior of the cartridge 4. That is, the cartridge chamber 3 may contain any pressure generated by the carbon dioxide source 41 and support the dge 4 as necessary. In this illustrative ment, the cartridge 4 is ned in a closed and sealed chamber 3 that has a space or gap surrounding all or most of the cartridge 4. The pressure n the interior space of the cartridge 4 and the exterior of the dge 4 is allowed to equalize, e.g., by allowing some of the gas emitted by the carbon dioxide source 41 to “leak” into the space around the cartridge 4, and so even if the dge 4 is made of a relatively semi—rigid, ﬂexible or weak material, the cartridge 4 will not burst or collapse. In alternate arrangements, the cartridge 4 may be made to fit a receiving space in the cartridge chamber 3 so that the r 3 supports the cartridge 4 when pressure is built up inside the cartridge 4.

This support may be suitable to prevent the cartridge 4 from bursting or otherwise preventing W0 2013/019963 20 PCT/U82012/049356 the dge 4 from oning as desired. In yet other embodiments, the cartridge 4 may be made suitably robust (either in whole or in part) so as to withstand vely high pressures (e. g., 1 atm or more) in the cartridge interior space. In such a case, the cartridge chamber 3 need not function as much more than a physical t to hold the cartridge 4 in place or otherwise establish a connection to the cartridge for gas output by the cartridge 4 and/or liquid supply to the cartridge 4. For example, the cartridge chamber 3 in such an arrangement may simply include a connection port that serves to ﬂuidly and physically couple the cartridge 4 to the system 1. Thus, in some embodiments, the cartridge may be mechanically robust enough to withstand pressures up to 90 psig, e.g., like a conventional ated soft drink can, and be ﬂuidly coupled to the system 1, but without receiving physical support from the system 1 (e. g., the cartridge may be exposed and not enclosed by walls of a chamber) to prevent the cartridge 4 from ng during use.

A carbon dioxide gas supply 30 may be arranged to provide carbon e gas from the cartridge chamber 3 to an area where the gas is used to carbonate the liquid 2. The gas supply 30 may be arranged in any suitable way, and in this illustrative embodiment includes a conduit 31 that is ﬂuidly ted between the cartridge chamber 3 and the reservoir ll, and a filter 32 that helps to remove materials that may contaminate the precursor liquid 2, such as particles from the carbon dioxide source 41. The gas supply 30 may include other components, such as pressure regulators, safety valves, control valves, a compressor or pump (e. g., to increase a pressure of the gas), an lator (e.g., to help maintain a relatively constant gas re and/or store gas), and so on. (The use of an accumulator or similar gas storage device may obviate the need to control the rate of gas output by a cartridge. Instead, the gas source may be permitted to emit gas in an uncontrolled manner, with the emitted gas being stored in an accumulator for later delivery and use in producing a sparkling beverage.

Gas released from the accumulator could be released in a controlled manner, e.g., at a controlled pressure and/or ﬂow rate.) In this embodiment, the conduit 31 extends below the surface of the precursor liquid 2 in the reservoir ll so that the carbon e gas is ed into the liquid 2 for dissolution. The conduit 31 may include a sparging nozzle or other arrangement to aid in dissolution, e.g., by ng relatively small gas bubbles in the liquid 2 to increase the dissolution rate. Alternately, the conduit 31 may deliver the gas to a headspace (if t) in the reservoir ll rather than below the surface of the liquid 2.

Carbonation of the precursor liquid 2 may occur via one or more isms or processes, and thus is not limited to one particular process. For example, while carbon dioxide gas delivered by the conduit 31 to the reservoir ll may function to help dissolve W0 2013/019963 21 PCT/U82012/049356 carbon dioxide in the liquid 2, other system components may r aid in the carbonation process. In this illustrative embodiment, the precursor supply 10 may assist in carbonating the liquid by circulating the liquid via the pump 13 and the nozzle 14. That is, liquid 2 may be drawn from the reservoir 13 via a dip tube 15 and sprayed by the nozzle 14 into a carbon dioxide—filled headspace in the reservoir ll. As is known in the art, this process can help the liquid 2 to dissolve carbon dioxide gas, e.g., by increasing the surface area of liquid 2 exposed to gas. While in this embodiment the dip tube 15 is separate from the reservoir ll and extends below the surface of the precursor liquid 2, the dip tube 15 may be arranged in other ways, such as being made integrally with the wall of the reservoir ll. If the dip tube 15 is made integrally with the reservoir ll, connecting the reservoir ll to the lid 12 may establish a ﬂuid connection between the dip tube 15 and the pump 13. Forming the dip tube integrally with the reservoir ll may allow the system 1 to accommodate ently sized (and thus different volume) reservoirs ll. In on, this arrangement may help ensure that only suitably configured reservoirs ll (e. g., a container arranged to withstand system pressures) is used. Alternately, the dip tube 15 could be made ﬂexible or otherwise accommodate reservoirs ll having a different height. Whether al with the reservoir ll or not, the dip tube 15 may include a filter, strainer or other arrangement to help prevent small particles, such as ice chips, from being drawn into the pump 13. In some embodiments, the oirs ll can function as a drinking glass as well as a reservoir ll in the system 1. That is, a user may provide a reservoir/drinking glass ll to the system 1 (e.g., including a desired amount of water, ice and/or beverage medium), and after carbonation is complete, use the reservoir/drinking glass ll to enjoy the beverage. The reservoir ll may be insulated, e. g., to help keep a beverage cold, as well as made to and suitable pressures experienced in use with the system 1.

The various components of the system 1 may be controlled by a controller 5, which may include a programmed general e computer and/or other data sing device along with suitable software or other operating instructions, one or more memories (including ansient storage media that may store software and/or other operating instructions), a power supply for the controller 5 and/or other system components, ature and liquid level sensors, pressure sensors, RFID interrogation devices, input/output interfaces (e.g., to display information to a user and/or receive input from a user), communication buses or other links, a display, switches, relays, triacs, , mechanical linkages and/or actuators, or other components necessary to perform d input/output or other functions. In this illustrative embodiment, the controller 5 controls the operation of the valve 21 of the W0 2013/019963 22 PCT/U82012/049356 activating ﬂuid supply 20 as well as the pump 13 of the precursor liquid supply 10. Also shown in is a sensor 51, which may ent one or more sensors used by the controller 5. For example, the sensor 51 may include a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the precursor liquid in the oir 11. This information may be used to control system ion, e.g., warmer precursor liquid temperatures may cause the controller to increase an amount of time d for carbon dioxide gas to be dissolved in the precursor liquid 2. In other arrangements, the temperature of the precursor liquid 2 may be used to determine whether the system 1 will be operated to carbonate the liquid 2 or not. For example, in some arrangements, the user may be required to add suitably cold liquid 2 (and/or ice) to the reservoir 11 before the system 1 will operate. (As discussed above, relatively warm precursor liquid 2 temperatures may cause the liquid to be insufficiently carbonated in some conditions.) In another embodiment, the sensor 51 may include a pressure sensor used to detect a pressure in the oir 11. This information may be used to determine whether the reservoir 11 is improperly sealed to the lid 12 or another pressure leak is t, and/or to determine r sufficient carbon dioxide gas is being produced by the cartridge 4. For example, low detected pressure may cause the controller 5 to allow more liquid to be delivered by the ting ﬂuid supply 20 to the cartridge 4, or prompt the user to check that the reservoir 11 is ly d with the lid 12. Likewise, high pressures may cause the ﬂow of liquid from the activating ﬂuid supply 20 to be slowed or stopped.

Thus, the controller 5 can control the gas pressure in the reservoir 11 and/or other areas of the system 1 by controlling an amount of liquid delivered to the cartridge 4 and/or the cartridge chamber 3. The sensor 51 may alternately, or additionally, detect that the reservoir 11 is in place, and/or whether the reservoir 11 is properly engaged with the lid 12. For e, a switch may be closed when the reservoir 11 is properly seated on a seal of the lid 12, indicating proper ment. In another arrangement, the oir 11 may include an RFID tag or other electronic device that is capable of communicating its identity or other characteristics of the reservoir 11 to the controller 5. This information may be used to confirm whether the reservoir 11 is suitable for use with the system 1, to control certain operating conditions (e.g., an operating pressure may be limited based on the type of reservoir used, the precursor liquid may be carbonated to a level that corresponds to the oir 11, and so on), and/or for other uses. The sensor 51 could also detect the presence of a cartridge 4 in the chamber 3, e.g., via RFID tag, optical recognition, physical sensing, etc. If no cartridge 4 is detected, or the controller 5 detects that the cartridge 4 is spent, the controller 5 may prompt the user to insert a new or different cartridge 4. For example, in W0 2013/019963 23 PCT/U82012/049356 some embodiments, a single cartridge 4 may be used to carbonate multiple volumes of precursor liquid 2. The controller 5 may keep track of the number of times that the cartridge 4 has been used, and once a limit has been reached (e.g., 10 drinks), prompt the user to replace the cartridge. Other parameters may be detected by the sensor 51, such as a carbonation level of the precursor liquid 2 (which may be used to control the carbonation process), the presence of a suitable vessel to receive a ge discharged from the system 1 (e. g., to prevent ge from being spilled), the presence of water or other precursor liquid 2 in the reservoir ll or ere in the sor supply 10, a ﬂow rate of liquid in the pump 13 or associated conduit, the presence of a headspace in the reservoir ll (e. g., if no headspace is desired, a valve may be activated to discharge the headspace gas, or if only carbon dioxide is desired to be in the headspace, a snifting valve may be activated to discharge air in the headspace and replace the air with carbon dioxide), and so on.

The controller 5 may also be arranged to allow a user to define a level of carbonation (i.e., amount of dissolved gas in the beverage, whether carbon dioxide or other). For example, the controller 5 may include a touch screen display or other user interface that allows the user to define a desired carbonation level, such as by allowing the user to select a carbonation volume level of l, 2, 3, 4 or 5, or selecting one of a low, medium or high carbonation level. All cartridges used by the system 1 may include sufficient gas source material to make the highest level of carbonation selectable, but the controller 5 may control the system to dissolve an amount of gas in the beverage that is consistent with the selected level. For example, while all cartridges may be arranged for use in creating a “high” carbonation beverage, the controller 5 may operate the system 1 to use less of the available gas (or cause the gas source to emit less gas than possible) in carbonating the beverage.

Carbonation levels may be lled based on a detected carbonation level by a sensor 51, a detected pressure in the reservoir or elsewhere, an amount of gas output by the cartridge 4, or other es. In another ment, the cartridge 4 may include indicia readably by the controller, e. g., an RFID tag, barcode, alphanumeric string, etc., that indicates a carbonation level to be used for the beverage. After determining the carbonation level from the cartridge 4, the controller 5 may control the system 1 ingly. Thus, a user need not select the carbonation level by interacting with the system 1, but rather a carbonation level may be tically adjusted based on the beverage selected. In yet another embodiment, a user may be able to select a gas source cartridge 4 that s a carbonation level the user s. (Different carbonation levels may be provided in the different dges by having ent amounts of gas source in the cartridge 4.) For e, cartridges providing low, W0 2013/019963 24 PCT/U82012/049356 medium and high carbonation levels may be provided for selection by a user, and the user may pick the cartridge that matches the desired carbonation level, and provide the selected cartridge to the system 1. Thus, a gas source cartridge labeled “low” may be chosen and used with the system to create a low level carbonated beverage.

A user may alternately be ted to define characteristics of a beverage to be made by interacting in some way with a cartridge 4 to be used by the system 1. For example, tab, notch or other physical feature of the cartridge may be d or formed by the user to signify a d beverage characteristic. For example, a broken tab, slider tor, a d or uncovered perforation on a portion of the cartridge, etc., that is created by the user may indicate a desired carbonation level, an amount of beverage medium to use in forming the beverage (where the system 1 is llable to use less than all of the ge medium in the cartridge to form a beverage), and so on. Features in the dge 4 may also be employed by the controller 5 detect features of the cartridge, a beverage being formed or other ents of the system 1. For example, light guides in a cartridge 4 may e a light path to allow the controller 5 to optically detect a level of beverage medium in the cartridge 4, a ﬂow of precursor liquid in the cartridge 4, pressure in the cartridge (e.g., where deﬂection of a cartridge portion can be detected and indicates a pressure), a position of a piston, valve or other cartridge component, an e of beverage medium in the cartridge (to signify completion of beverage formation), and so on. Other sensor features may be incorporated into the cartridge, such as electrical sensor contacts (e.g., to provide conductivity measurements representative of a carbonation level or other properties of a precursor liquid), an acoustic sensor (to detect gas emission, ﬂuid ﬂow, or other characteristics of the cartridge), and so on.

To cause the beverage making system 1 to create a carbonated beverage, a user may first provide a desired amount of precursor liquid 2 in the reservoir ll, along with optional ice and/or a beverage medium. Altemately, the carbonated liquid may be ﬂavored after carbonation is complete either by automated or manual means. The reservoir ll is then engaged with the lid 12, such as by ng a screw thread on the reservoir ll with the lid 12, activating a clamp mechanism, or other. A cartridge 4 containing a carbon dioxide source 41 (e. g., in solid form, such as a d zeolite) may be placed in the cartridge chamber 3 and the chamber 3 closed. In other embodiments, the cartridge 4 may be ise ﬂuidly d to the system 1, such as by engaging a threaded portion of the cartridge 4 with a corresponding port of the system. The cartridge chamber 3 may operate in any suitable way, e.g., like that found in many cartridge—based coffee or other beverage machines. For W0 19963 25 PCT/U82012/049356 example, a manual lever may be operated to lift a lid of the chamber 3, exposing a cartridge receiver portion of the chamber 3. With the cartridge 4 in the chamber 3, the lever may be again activated to close the lid, sealing the chamber 3 closed. With the cartridge 4 associated with the system 1, the ller 5 may then activate the system 1 to deliver liquid to the chamber 3, e.g., to cause carbon e to be generated. The controller 5 may start ion in an automated way, e.g., based on detecting the presence of a cartridge 4 in the chamber 3, liquid 2 in the reservoir ll and closure of the chamber 3. Alternately, the controller 5 may start system operation in response to a user pressing a start button or ise providing input (e.g., by voice activation) to start beverage preparation. The controller 5 may start operation of the pump 13, drawing liquid from the dip tube 15 and discharging the liquid 2 at the nozzle 14. The valve 21 may be opened to deliver a suitable portion of the precursor liquid 2 to the chamber 3, and carbon dioxide gas created may be provided to the reservoir ll by the gas supply 30. ion may continue for a preset amount of time, or based on other conditions, such as a detected level of ation, a drop in gas production by the cartridge 4, or other parameters. During operation, the amount of liquid provided to the chamber 3 may be controlled to control gas output by the dge 4.

Control of the liquid provided to the cartridge 4 may be made based on a timing sequence (e. g., the valve 21 may be opened for a period of time, followed by valve closure for a period, and so on), based on detected pressure (e.g., liquid supply may be stopped when the pressure in the chamber 3 and/or reservoir ll exceeds a threshold, and resume when the pressure falls below the old or another value), based on a volume of activating liquid delivered to the chamber 3 (e. g., a ic volume of liquid may be delivered to the cartridge 4), or other arrangements. When complete, the user may remove the beverage and reservoir ll from the lid 12. shows only one illustrative ment of a ge making system 1, but other arrangements are possible, including systems that incorporate other aspects of the invention. For example, in one aspect of the invention, ﬂavoring of a ing beverage may be done in an automated way, and may occur in a cartridge. This feature may make the beverage formation process easier and more convenient for a user, as well as help reduce the likelihood of cross contamination between ges and/or the need to rinse a mixing chamber. That is, by mixing a beverage medium with the precursor liquid in a cartridge (which may be disposable), each beverage made by the system 1 may effectively be made using its own mixing chamber. For example, if a carbonated cherry beverage is made using the system 1, followed by lemon beverage, there may be a possibility that the cherry ﬂavor W0 2013/019963 26 PCT/U82012/049356 left behind in a mixing chamber will carry over into the subsequent lemon ge. Rinsing or other cleaning of a mixing chamber can help ate or reduce such ﬂavor cross over, but mixing each beverage in a cartridge may ate the need to rinse a mixing chamber or other system components entirely. Mixing of the beverage medium with precursor liquid may occur in a dedicated mixing chamber of the cartridge(s), in a cartridge portion that holds a beverage medium, and/or in a cartridge portion that holds a gas source. However, it should be understood that a beverage medium may be mixed with a precursor liquid in other ways, such as by expelling the beverage medium from a dge directly into a user’s cup or other container, or into a mixing chamber of the beverage making machine. Thus, the beverage medium could be mixed with sparkling water or other liquid directly in the user’s cup.

In another aspect of the invention, precursor liquid may be carbonated using a contactor (a type of carbonator or gas ving device) that includes a porous membrane (e. g., that is porous at least to gas) having a gas side and a liquid side. Precursor liquid on the liquid side of the carbonator may be exposed to gas on the gas side of the ne, and since the membrane may be arranged to se the surface area of the liquid exposed to gas, dissolution of carbon dioxide or other gas into the precursor liquid may be done more rapidly than using other techniques. In one embodiment, the carbonator may include a contactor with a hollow fiber arrangement in which hollow fibers made of a hydrophobic material, such as polypropylene, carry the precursor liquid. The fibers are porous, having holes that, combined with the hydrophobicity of the material, allow for contact of gas on the exterior of the fibers with the liquid while preventing the liquid from exiting the fiber or. Membrane contactors suitable for such use are made by Membrana of Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.

Of course, other “membrane” arrangements may be used, such as arrangements that prevent bulk ﬂow of liquid across a barrier, but allow gas to pass through the barrier for dissolution in the liquid. For example, a membrane having a ﬂat, spiral wound and/or a ﬂat, interdigitated arrangement could be used instead of a hollow fiber arrangement. Also, in some arrangements the ﬂow of gas through the contactor may be generally opposite that of the ﬂow of liquid through the contactor, e.g., to help with gas exchange. However, other ﬂow arrangements are possible.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a cartridge chamber of a beverage making system may be arranged to hold first and second cartridge portions where the first cartridge portion ns a carbon dioxide source ed to emit carbon dioxide gas for use in carbonating the precursor , and the second cartridge portion contains a ge medium arranged to be mixed with a liquid precursor to form a beverage. The cartridge chamber may have a single cartridge receiving portion for receiving both cartridge portions, or may include a plurality of cartridge receiving portions that are separate from each other, e.g., for receiving two or more cartridges that are each associated with a first or second cartridge portion. Such an arrangement may help simplify use of the system, particularly where the cartridge portions are arranged for only a single use, e.g., formation of a single volume of beverage and discarded thereafter. For example, a user may be enabled to place one or two cartridges that include the first and second cartridge portions in receiving ns of the cartridge chamber t the need for establishing pressure—tight, leak—proof or other connections needed for the system to operate properly. Instead, the cartridge portions may be simply placed in a receiver, and the dge r closed, making the system ready for beverage production. shows another illustrative embodiment that incorporates the aspects of using a membrane contactor to carbonate the precursor liquid with a cartridge—provided gas, mixing a beverage medium with liquid in a cartridge, and the use of a cartridge chamber that receives first and second cartridge portions that respectively contain a gas source and beverage medium. This ment is similar to that in in many ways, and may be modified to have one or more ents like that in However, certain alternate arrangements are shown in to illustrate another few ways in which a beverage making system 1 may be ed in accordance with aspects of the invention. In this embodiment, the oir ll is a closed tank having no ble lid. Precursor liquid 2 may be provided to the reservoir ll in any suitable way, such as by a plumbed water connection (not shown), by the pump 13 (or other pump) pumping liquid from a separate storage tank (not shown) into the reservoir ll, by a y feed of liquid from a separate storage tank through a controllable valve (not shown), and others. The oir ll may have any suitable volume, and is ﬂuidly coupled to a pump 13 that can circulate the sor liquid 2 through a contactor 6 and back to the reservoir ll via a nozzle 14. (Such a ation feature may help in dissolving gas in a precursor liquid 2 and may be used in any beverage making system 1 bed herein or otherwise contemplated within the scope of this disclosure.) As discussed above, the precursor liquid 2 may pass through hollow fibers in the contactor 6 to pick up carbon dioxide or other gas around the fibers, but this ement could be reversed, with gas ﬂowing in the fibers and the precursor liquid 2 located on the exterior of the fibers. A filter 16 may be provided to remove materials in the precursor liquid 2 that might clog the fibers, pores in the fibers or otherwise interfere with the operation of the contactor 6. Altemately, or in addition, the filter 16 may condition the liquid 2, e.g., by softening, removing alkaline or W0 2013/019963 28 PCT/U82012/049356 other elements that tend to raise the pH of the liquid 2, by removing elements that may prevent the formation of a good tasting beverage, and so on. For example, the filter 16 may e an activated charcoal and/or other components found in commonly used water filters.

The contactor 6 may be arranged to have a plurality of hollow fibers extending within a closed tube or other chamber so that the inner passages of the fibers ﬂuidly connects a ﬂuid inlet of the contactor 6 to a ﬂuid outlet. The gas space around the fibers may communicate with the carbon dioxide supply 30 via one or more ports on the gas side of the contactor 6. It should be understood, however, that the contactor 6 may be arranged in other ways, such as having one or more nes in the form of a ﬂat sheet or other forms other than tubular to define a liquid side and a gas side of the contactor 6.

The activating ﬂuid supply 20 is arranged similarly to that in with a controllable valve 21 ﬂuidly coupled to an output of the pump 13. However, in this embodiment, the ting ﬂuid supply 20 introduces liquid near a bottom of the cartridge chamber 3 and the cartridge 4. This arrangement may help the activating ﬂuid supply 20 to better control gas release from the carbon dioxide source 41. For example, dropping water onto the carbon dioxide source 41 from the top may allow the water to spread over a wide area, allowing charged zeolites or other source materials spread over a wide area to release gas. By providing liquid from below, the activating ﬂuid supply 20 may ﬂood the cartridge 4 and/or r 3, thereby allowing water to t source als 41 starting from the bottom up. This may allow for closer l of the volume of source materials 41 that are ted to e gas. In the case that the carbon dioxide source 41 can wick or otherwise move water upwardly (such as by capillary action), portions of the source 41 may be separated from each other by non—wicking agents. For example, the source 41 may include a set of stacked discs of zeolite material that are ted by a non—wicking material, such as metal or solid plastic separators. This may allow the ﬂuid supply 20 to stepwise increase the ﬂuid level in the cartridge 4 over a period of time to sequentially activate individual discs.

Gas produced by the cartridge 4 is routed by the gas supply 30 (via an optional filter 32 and conduit 31) to the gas side of the contactor 6. The conduit 31 may e a water— buoyant check valve or other arrangement that allows gas to pass to the tor 6, but prevents liquid from exiting the cartridge chamber 3. For example, a ﬂoating ball in the cartridge chamber 3 may normally leave an opening of the conduit 31 free for gas ﬂow, but may raise upwardly on the surface of liquid in the cartridge 4 to close the opening, e.g., in case that the activating ﬂuid supply 20 provides an excess of activating . The controller 5 may monitor the gas pressure in the chamber 3, in the conduit 31 and/or in the W0 2013/019963 29 PCT/U82012/049356 gas side of the contactor 6 to control the activating ﬂuid supply 20 and gas production. In one embodiment, the activating ﬂuid supply 20 may be controlled to provide approximately —45 psi gas pressure at the gas side of the contactor 6. This pressure has been found to work at least adequately in carbonating about 400—500ml of water at a temperature of about 0 degrees C in about 30—60 seconds using a hollow fiber contactor, as described in more detail below in the Examples. As carbon dioxide in the contactor is dissolved into the precursor liquid 2, the re on the gas side will drop, prompting the controller 5 to supply additional liquid 2 to the dge 4a to cause additional gas to be d. Similar to the system in this process may be performed based on any criteria, such as the e of a specific amount of time, the detection of a specified level of carbonation of the liquid 2, exhaustion of the carbon dioxide source 41, a volume of liquid delivered to the dge 4a, etc., so that a pressure of the carbon e gas can be maintained within a desired range above ambient pressure.

Once carbonation of the precursor liquid 2 is complete, the controller 5 may direct the liquid 2 to a beverage medium cartridge 4b in the cartridge chamber 3. While the precursor liquid 2 may be caused to ﬂow from the reservoir ll in any suitable way (such as by gravity, a pump, etc.), in this embodiment, the controller 5 activates an air pump 7 which pressurizes the reservoir ll such that the precursor liquid 2 is forced to ﬂow via a conduit to the cartridge r 3 and the beverage medium cartridge 4b. In other embodiments, gas pressure created by the carbon dioxide source 41 may be used to pressurize the reservoir ll and drive the ﬂow of the precursor liquid to the beverage medium cartridge 4b. For example, when carbonation is complete, gas from the cartridge 4a may be routed ly into the reservoir ll instead of to the contactor 6 so as to pressurize the reservoir ll. Although no valve is shown in the conduit that ﬂuidly couples the reservoir ll and the cartridge 4b, a controllable valve, pump or other suitable component may be added to control ﬂow as desired. The use of air or other gas to move liquid 2 through the cartridge 4b (or to expel beverage medium from the cartridge 4b) may allow the system 1 to “blow down” the cartridge 4b at or near the end of the beverage process, e.g., to remove any remaining material from the cartridge 4b. This may be useful in making the cartridge 4b less messy to handle (e.g., by reducing the hood that the cartridge 4b will drip when removed from the chamber 3. A similar s may be used to blow down the cartridge 4a, e.g., using an air pump or gas produced by the source 41.

Flow of the precursor liquid 2 through the beverage medium dge 4b may cause the liquid 2 to mix with the beverage medium 42 before being discharged, e.g., to a waiting W0 2013/019963 30 PCT/U82012/049356 cup 8 or other container. The beverage medium cartridge 4b may include any suitable ge making materials (beverage medium), such as concentrated syrups, ground coffee or liquid coffee extract, tea leaves, dry herbal tea, powdered beverage concentrate, dried fruit t or powder, natural and/or artificial ﬂavors or , acids, aromas, viscosity modifiers, clouding agents, antioxidants, powdered or liquid concentrated on or other soup, powdered or liquid medicinal materials (such as powdered vitamins, minerals, bioactive ingredients, drugs or other pharmaceuticals, nutriceuticals, etc.), powdered or liquid milk or other creamers, sweeteners, thickeners, and so on. (As used herein, “mixing” of a liquid with a beverage medium includes a variety of mechanisms, such as the dissolving of substances in the beverage medium in the liquid, the extraction of substances from the beverage , and/or the liquid otherwise receiving some material from the beverage medium.) The liquid 2 may be introduced into the cartridge 4b in any suitable way, and/or the cartridge 4b may be arranged in any suitable way to aid in mixing of the liquid 2 with the beverage medium 42.

For example, the precursor liquid 2 may be introduced into the cartridge 4b so as to cause a spiral or other ﬂow pattern, the cartridge 4b may include a labyrinth or other tortuous ﬂow path to cause ence in the ﬂow to aid in mixing, and so on. One potential advantage of mixing the precursor liquid 2 in a beverage medium cartridge 4b is that cross contamination of beverage medium that may occur with the use of a mixing chamber that is used to mix beverage medium and liquid 2 for every beverage made by the system 1 may be avoided.

However, the system 1 could be modified to employ a reused mixing chamber, e.g., a space where beverage medium 42 that is ed from a cartridge 4b and precursor liquid 2 are mixed together in much the same way that fountain drinks are formed by commercial drink machines. For example, the beverage medium 42 could be driven from the cartridge 4b (e.g., by air pressure, carbon e gas pressure created by the dge 4a, by gravity, by suction created by an or pump, venturi or other arrangement, etc.) into a mixing chamber or the user’s cup where the precursor liquid 2 is also introduced. Rinsing of the mixing chamber may or may not be necessary, e.g., to help prevent cross contamination between ges.

In some arrangements, the entire volume of beverage medium 42 may be discharged into the mixing chamber, causing initial s of ﬂavored precursor liquid 2 exiting the mixing chamber to have a high beverage medium concentration. However, as the beverage medium 42 is swept from the mixing chamber by the precursor liquid 2, the precursor liquid itself may ively rinse the mixing chamber. In ements where the beverage medium 42 is a dry material, such as a powder, some precursor liquid may be introduced into the cartridge to pre—wet the medium 42 or otherwise improve an ability to mix the medium 42 with precursor W0 2013/019963 31 2012/049356 liquid 2. The wetted medium 42 may be mixed with additional precursor liquid 2 in the cartridge, or the wetted medium 42 may be expelled from the cartridge, e.g., by air pressure, a plunger, etc., to a mixing chamber or other location for additional mixing with precursor liquid 2. Liquid 2 may be introduced into a mixing chamber using le streams, e.g., to e a mixing rate using low ﬂow speeds so as to reduce loss of dissolved gas.

The embodiment of could be modified so that ﬂow of precursor liquid 2 exiting the contactor 6 is routed directly to the beverage medium dge 4b or to another mixing chamber where beverage medium 42 is mixed with the carbonated precursor liquid 2, e.g., like that shown in That is, in this rative embodiment, carbonated precursor liquid 2 does not circulate from the reservoir ll, through the contactor 6 and back to the reservoir ll, but instead precursor liquid 2 makes a single pass through the contactor 6 and then proceeds to mixing with the ge medium 42 in a mixing chamber 9 and discharge to a cup 8. However, the arrangement of could also include a circulation circuit to allow liquid 2 to be circulated from the reservoir ll or other tank, through the contactor 6, and back to the reservoir ll or other tank. The mixing chamber 9 may take any suitable form, e.g., may cause the precursor liquid 2 and beverage medium 42 to move in a spiral, swirl or other fashion to enhance mixing, may have one or more motor driven blades, ers or other elements to mix contents in the chamber 9, and so on. While the mixing chamber 9 may be separate from the cartridge 4, the mixing r 9 could be incorporated into a cartridge 4 if desired. The mixing chamber 9 may be cooled as well, e.g., by a eration system, to help cool the beverage provided to the cup 8. Altemately, the precursor liquid 2 may be cooled in the reservoir ll and/or any other locations in the system I. In the case where the carbonated liquid 2 is not ﬂavored or where the liquid 2 is mixed with the beverage medium 42 before passing through the carbonator 6, the mixing chamber 9 may be eliminated or arranged to mix the precursor liquid 2 and beverage medium 42 upstream of the contactor 6. Alternately, the precursor liquid supply 10 may be arranged to mix the sor liquid 2 with the ge medium 42 in the cartridge 4b prior to routing the liquid 2 to the contactor 6. In this embodiment, the beverage medium 42 may be delivered to the mixing chamber 9 by any suitable means, such as air or other gas pressure (e. g., as supplied by an air pump, the gas source 41 or other), by gravity feed (e.g., by the opening of a valve or door), by introducing all or part of the precursor liquid 2 used to make the beverage into the second cartridge 4b, by compressing the cartridge 4b to force the medium 42 to ﬂow to the mixing chamber 9, and others. The controller 5 may detect the gas pressure on the gas side of the tor 6, and control ﬂuid supply to the cartridge 4a W0 2013/019963 32 PCT/U82012/049356 accordingly, e.g., to maintain a suitable gas pressure in the contactor 6. The reservoir ll may be a water storage tank that is not pressurized in this embodiment, and may be removable from the system 1, e.g., to make filling by a user easier. The user may add ice and/or beverage medium to the sor liquid 2 in the reservoir ll, if desired. Alternately, the oir ll and pump 13 may be replaced by a plumbed connection to a pressurized water supply and an optional control valve and/or pressure reducer. Of course, as with other embodiments, the system I may be suitably ed in a housing having a visible y, user input buttons, knobs, or touch screen, user—operated devices for opening/closing a cartridge chamber, and other features found in beverage making machines.

Other arrangements for a beverage forming system I are le, such as that shown in In this illustrative embodiment, the cartridge chamber 3 is combined with the reservoir ll such that the cartridge 4a having a carbon dioxide source 41 is d in the reservoir ll. The cartridge 4a may be placed in the reservoir ll/cartridge chamber 3 by removing the lid 12 from the reservoir ll. Liquid may be provided to the cartridge 4a by any suitable activating ﬂuid supply 20, such as an arrangement like that in a syringe or piston pump that delivers a metered amount of liquid to the cartridge 4a, and . In this embodiment, the carbon dioxide supply 30 is combined with the reservoir ll such that a portion of the reservoir functions to deliver carbon dioxide gas to the precursor liquid 2. The pump 13 may aid the carbonation process by circulating the liquid 2 and spraying the liquid 2 into a carbon dioxide—filled headspace in the reservoir ll. In r embodiment, a contactor 6 may be provided in the reservoir ll (e.g., at the location of the nozzle 14) so that the liquid 2 ﬂows through hollow fibers ing downwardly from the lid 12 while carbon dioxide in the headspace is absorbed by the liquid while passing through the . In yet another arrangement, the membrane portion of a contactor 6 may be at least lly submerged in the precursor liquid 2, and gas from the source 41 may be passed through hollow fibers of the contactor 6. As a result, the liquid 2 on the outside of the fibers may pick up carbon dioxide from the gas passing through the fibers. In such an arrangement, the fibers of the contactor 6 may be located in the reservoir ll or other tank as shown, or could be located in the user’s cup 8. In this way, liquid 2 could be carbonated or otherwise have gas dissolved while in the cup 8.

While the cartridge r 3 may be arranged in any suitable way, shows one illustrative arrangement in which both a carbon dioxide source cartridge 4a and a beverage medium cartridge 4b can be received by the same cartridge chamber 3. In this embodiment, the cartridges 4a, 4b (which respectively have a portion that contains a gas W0 2013/019963 33 PCT/U82012/049356 source 41 and beverage medium 42) are received in separate cartridge receivers 33, and each cartridge receiver 33 may include a piercing element 34 at a bottom of the cartridge er 33. The piercing element 34, which may e a hollow needle, spike, blade, knife or other arrangement, may form an g in the respective cartridge 4. Altemately, the cartridges 4 may have defined openings, e.g., one or more ports, that include a septum or other valve—type t that permits ﬂow into and/or out of the cartridge 4. Similarly, the lid 12 may include piercing element 35 that form an opening in the top of the respective cartridge 4, e.g., when the lid 12 is closed. When closed, the lid 12 may form a sealed chamber in which the cartridges 4a, 4b are located and isolated from each other. The gs formed in the cartridges 4a, 4b may allow for communication with the interior space of the cartridges 4a, 4b as outlined in For example, an opening at the top of the cartridge 4a may allow carbon dioxide or other gas to exit the cartridge chamber 3, while the opening at the bottom of the cartridge 4a may allow for water or other activating ﬂuid to enter the dge 4a. Of course, the openings may be formed in other locations, such as an opening for allowing ﬂuid input to occur at the top or side of the cartridge. Likewise, gas may exit the dge h a , side or otherwise located opening. As mentioned above, gas may be permitted to leak from the cartridge 4a into the space in the dge chamber 3 around the dge 4a, e.g., through the opening in the cartridge 4a, through a hole or other opening in the piercing element 35, etc. This may allow the pressure around the cartridge to equalize with the pressure inside the cartridge during gas production, helping to prevent ng of the cartridge 4a. Alternately, the cartridge 4a may fit closely into the cartridge receiver 33 so that the cartridge chamber 3 can t the cartridge 4a (if necessary). The opening in the top of the beverage medium cartridge 4b may allow for precursor liquid 2 to be introduced into the cartridge 4b (e.g., for mixing with the beverage medium), or for pressurized air or other gas to enter the cartridge (e. g., for forcing the beverage medium 42 from the cartridge 4b and into a mixing chamber or cup). The opening at the bottom of the cartridge 4b may allow for beverage to exit to a waiting cup or other container, or for the beverage medium to travel to a mixing chamber or cup. As with the cartridge 4a, opening in the beverage medium cartridge 42 may be ed in any suitable location or locations.

The cartridge chamber 3 may open and close in any suitable way to allow cartridges 4 to be placed in and/or removed from the chamber 3. In the embodiment, the lid 12 is pivotally mounted to the receiver portion of the r 3, and may be opened and closed manually, such as by a handle and linkage arrangement, or automatically, such as by a motor drive, to close the cartridge receivers 33. In other embodiments, the lid 12 may have two or W0 2013/019963 34 more sections that are each ated with a tive cartridge receiver 33. Thus, the lid sections can be moved independently of each other to open/close the cartridge receivers 33.

Of course, the lid 12 may be arranged in other ways, such as being engaged with the ers 33 by a threaded connection (like a screw cap), by the receivers 33 moving away and toward the lid 12 while the lid 12 remains stationary, by both the lid and receiver portion moving, and so on. In addition, a dge chamber 3 need not necessarily have a lid and receiver arrangement like that shown in but instead may have any suitable member or members that cooperate to open/close and support a cartridge. For example, a pair of clamshell members may be e relative to each other to allow receipt of a cartridge and physical support of the cartridge. Some other illustrative cartridge chamber arrangements are shown, for example, in US. Patents 6,142,063; 938; 6,644,173; and 7,165,488. As mentioned above, the dge chamber 3 may allow a user to place one or more dges in the chamber 3 without the need for the user to take special steps to establish a pressure—tight, leak—proof or other lized connection between the cartridge and other portions of the system 1. Instead, in some embodiments, the user may be able to simply place the cartridge in a ing space, and close the cartridge chamber.

The cartridges 4 used in various ments may be arranged in any suitable way, such as a relatively simple frustoconical cup—shaped container having a lid attached to the top of the container, e. g., like that in some beverage cartridges sold by Keurig, Incorporated of Reading, Mass. and shown in US. Patent 5,840,189, for example. In one embodiment, a cartridge having a frustoconical cup—shaped container and lid may have an approximate diameter of about 30—50mm, a height of about 30—50mm, an internal volume of about 30—60 ml, and a burst ance of about 80 psi (i.e., a resistance to cartridge bursting in the presence of a pressure gradient of about 80 psi from the inside to outside of the cartridge in the absence of any physical support for the dge). However, as used herein, a “cartridge” may take any suitable form, such as a pod (e.g., d layers of filter paper encapsulating a material), capsule, sachet, package, or any other arrangement. The cartridge may have a defined shape, or may have no defined shape (as is the case with some sachets or other packages made entirely of ﬂexible material. The cartridge may be impervious to air and/or liquid, or may allow water and/or air to pass into the cartridge. The cartridge may include a filter or other arrangement, e.g., in the beverage medium cartridge 4b to help prevent some portions of the beverage medium from being provided with the formed beverage, and/or in the gas cartridge 4a to help prevent carbon dioxide source material from being introduced into the beverage or other system components.

W0 2013/019963 35 PCT/U82012/049356 In one aspect of the invention, the cartridge or dges used to form a beverage using the beverage making system may have a volume that is less, and in some cases substantially less, than a beverage to be made using the cartridge(s). For example, if carbon dioxide and beverage medium dges 4 are used, the cartridges may each have a volume that is about 50 ml or less, and be used to form a beverage having a volume of about 200—500 ml or more. The inventors have found (as shown in some of the Examples below) that an amount of charged carbon e adsorbent (e.g., a d zeolite) of about 30 grams (which has a volume of less than 30ml) can be used to produce about 400—500 ml of carbonated water having a ation level of up to about 3.5 volumes. Moreover, it is well known that beverage—making syrups or powders having a volume of less than about 50ml, or less than about 100ml, can be used to make a suitably d beverage having a volume of about 400—500 ml. Thus, relatively small volume cartridges (or a single cartridge in some arrangements) having a volume of about 100 ml to about 250ml or less may be used to form a carbonated beverage having a volume of about 100 to 1000 ml, and a carbonation level of at least about 1.5 to 4 volumes in less than 120 seconds, e.g., about 60 seconds, and using pressures under 50 psi.

While the carbon dioxide and ge medium cartridges 4 can be provided tely, in one embodiment, the dges 4 may be joined together, like that shown in The cartridges 4a, 4b may be connected together by any suitable arrangement, such as tabs 43 that extend from respective cartridges 4a, 4b and are attached together, e.g., by thermal welding, adhesive, interlocking mechanical fasteners such as snaps or clips, etc. This arrangement may allow the cartridges 4a, 4b to be made separately in the manufacturing setting, e. g., because the cartridges require very different processes for manufacturing. For example, the beverage medium cartridge 4b may require a highly sterile environment, whereas the gas cartridges 4a need not be made in such an nment. In contrast, the gas cartridges 4a may need to be manufactured in a water vapor—free environment, whereas the beverage medium cartridge 4b may not be subject to such requirements. After manufacture of the cartridges 4a, 4b, the cartridges may be attached together in a way that prevents their separation without the use of tools (such as a scissor) and/or damage to one or both of the dges. The cartridge chamber 3 may be arranged to accommodate the attached cartridges, allowing a user to place a single item in the chamber 3 to form a beverage. In addition, the dges 4 and/or the way in which the cartridges are attached, together with the arrangement of the cartridge chamber 3 may help ensure that the gas cartridge 4a and beverage medium cartridge 4b are placed in the proper cartridge receiver 33. For example, W0 2013/019963 36 PCT/U82012/049356 the cartridges 4 may have different sizes, shapes or other configurations so that the combined cartridges 4 cannot be placed into the chamber 3 in the wrong orientation. Altemately, the controller 5 may detect that the cartridges have been improperly placed (e.g., by communicating with an RFID tag on one or both of the cartridges, by optically or otherwise identifying the cartridges, etc.), and prompt the user to make a change as necessary.

FIGs. 7 and 8 show r embodiment in which a pair of cartridges are joined together in a way that helps prevent improper placement of the cartridges in a chamber and/or enables the cartridges to e in other orientations. As shown in the cartridges 4a and 4b are attached by a connection 43 such that with the cartridge 4a arranged in an upright orientation with the container bottom 44 facing downward and the lid 45 covering the top of the ner facing upward, the cartridge 4b is on its side with the lid 45 facing to the side. shows a top view of the embodiment, with the lid 45 of the cartridge 4a facing the viewer and the lid 45 of the cartridge 4b facing downwardly. This arrangement may be useful in embodiments where the cartridges 4 are pierced only at the lid area, e.g., are not pierced in the bottom 44 or other portions of the container. That is, the gas cartridge 4a may be pierced at the lid 45 to allow liquid to be introduced into the cartridge 4a, and to allow gas to exit. In some embodiments, the inlet for uction of activating ﬂuid (liquid and/or gas) may be the same opening as the outlet for gas emitted by the gas source. For e, a single hole may be pierced in the lid 45 through which water is introduced, and through which gas emitted by the gas source exits. Similarly, the lid 45 of the cartridge 4b may be pierced to allow liquid to be introduced into the dge 4b for mixing with the beverage medium 42 and to allow a ﬂavored beverage to exit the cartridge 4b. Avoiding piercing of the container may be useful in ements where the container is made of a relatively thick and/or rigid material (e.g., to and operating pressures for the cartridge 4).

In another aspect of the invention, a single cartridge may be used to provide a carbonating gas as well as a beverage . In fact, in some embodiments, the sor liquid can be both carbonated and ﬂavored in the same cartridge. For example, shows a cross sectional view of a cartridge 4 that es both a gas source 41 (e. g., a zeolite carbon dioxide source) and a beverage medium 42. In this embodiment, the cartridge 4 includes first and second chambers (or portions) 46, 47 that respectively contain the gas source 41 and the beverage medium 42. The first and second chambers (or portions) 46, 47 may be separated from each other by a permeable element, such as a filter, or an impermeable element, such as a wall molded with the cartridge ner. In this embodiment, the first and second chambers (or portions) 46, 47 are separated by a filter 48 that is attached to the lid 45, but could be arranged in other ways. Precursor liquid and/or an activating liquid may be introduced into the first chamber 46 by a piercing element 35 or other arrangement, such as a port formed as part of the cartridge 4. The interior space of the cartridge 4 may be ined under pressure, e.g., 30—150 psi above ambient or greater, so that dissolution of carbon dioxide gas released by the source 41 occurs more rapidly than would occur at lower res. In on, the system 1 arranged to use such cartridges may include a backpressure valve or other arrangement that helps to maintain a suitable re in the cartridge 4, e. g., as an aid to ation. As mentioned above, a cartridge r 3 that holds the cartridge 4 may be arranged to closely fit the cartridge 4 as needed to support the cartridge and prevent the cartridge from bursting. Alternately, pressure in the dge 4 may be allowed to leak into a space around the cartridge 4 to equalize the pressures inside and outside of the cartridge, or the cartridge may be made to withstand ing pressures without al or other support. Carbonated precursor liquid 2 and/or a liquid/gas bubble mixture may pass through the filter 48 into the second chamber 47 for mixing with the beverage medium 42. Thereafter, the precursor liquid 2 and beverage medium 42 mixture may exit the cartridge 4, e.g., through a ng element 34 at the container bottom 44.

Dissolution of carbon dioxide into the precursor liquid 2, as well as mixing of the beverage medium 42 with the liquid 2, may ue after the materials exit the cartridge 4. For example, a mixing chamber may be located downstream of the cartridge 4 to help more thoroughly mix the beverage medium and liquid if needed. Also, a conduit downstream of the cartridge may help ue dissolution of gas, e.g., by maintaining pressure in the liquid.

While FIGS. 9 and 10 show an arrangement in which the gas source 41 and the beverage medium 42 are separated by a filter 48, in other arrangements the gas source 41 and beverage medium 42 may be mixed together, e.g., so that a precursor liquid 2 is both mixed with beverage medium 42 and exposed to gas from the gas source 41 at a same time. In some cases, gas that is not dissolved into the liquid 2 may be routed to another location, such as a contactor 6, for exposure to and dissolution into the liquid 2 at an upstream or downstream location, e. g., to increase a level of dissolved gas. In one embodiment, particles of gas source material 41 may be coated with a beverage medium 42.

In the embodiments above, the cartridge 4 has been described to have a d bottom and top with the cartridge operating in an upright uration. However, as suggested in connection with FIGs. 7 and 8, a cartridge may be operated in any suitable orientation. For example, shows an embodiment in which a cartridge configured like that in is used while the cartridge 4 is on its side. (Note that the cartridge 4b in FIGs.

W0 2013/019963 38 PCT/U82012/049356 7 and 8 may be used in a similar way to that shown in .) Precursor liquid may be introduced into the first chamber (or portion) 46 (e.g., via the piercing element 35), causing the gas source 41 to emit gas and at least partially ﬂooding the cartridge 4 interior space. As with the embodiment, the liquid may be carbonated and mix with the beverage medium 42 before exiting the cartridge, e.g., via the piercing element 34.

As also mentioned above, a single cartridge 4 may be arranged to have first and second rs 46, 47 that are isolated or ted from each other. FIG. ll shows one such ment in which first and second chambers (or ns) 46, 47 are separated by a wall 49. A cartridge like that shown in FIG. ll may be used, for example, in a system I like that shown in although the cartridge chamber 3 may need to be modified to accommodate the single cartridge 4. As shown in FIG. ll, in one embodiment, activating liquid may be provided via a piercing element 35 at a top of the first chamber (or portion) 46, and gas may exit via the same or a different g. Alternately, activating liquid may be introduced via the piercing element 34 at the bottom of the first chamber (or portion) 46, and gas may exit via the ng element 35 at the top. In yet another embodiment, precursor liquid may be introduced at the top piercing element 35 and carbonated liquid may exit via the bottom piercing element 34. The first chamber (or portion) 46 may include a filter or other suitable components, e.g., to help prevent the gas source 41 from exiting the chamber (or portion) 46. Regarding the second chamber (or n) 47, air or other gas may be introduced via the piercing t 35 at a top of the second chamber (or portion) 47, causing beverage medium 42 to be moved out of the piercing element 34 at the bottom of the second chamber (or portion) 47, e.g., to a mixing chamber or user’s cup. Alternately, precursor liquid may be introduced via the piercing element 35 at a top of the second chamber 47, may mix with the beverage medium 42 and exit the cartridge 4 out of the piercing element 34. As sed above, the piercing element 34, 35 arrangement in this illustrative embodiment should not be interpreted as limiting aspects of the invention in any way. That is, piercing elements need not be used, but instead ﬂow into/out of the cartridge 4 may occur through defined ports or other openings in the dge 4. Also, ﬂow ports or other openings in the cartridge need not necessarily be located at the top, bottom or other ic location.

The cartridge(s) may be made of any le materials, and are not limited to the container and lid constructions shown herein. For example, the cartridge(s) may be made of, or otherwise e, materials that provide a r to moisture and/or gases, such as oxygen, water vapor, etc. In one embodiment, the cartridge(s) may be made of a polymer laminate, e.g., formed from a sheet including a layer of polystyrene or polypropylene and a W0 2013/019963 39 2012/049356 layer of EVOH and/or other barrier material, such as a metallic foil. Moreover, the cartridge(s) materials and/or construction may vary according to the materials contained in the cartridge. For example, a gas cartridge 4a may require a robust moisture barrier, whereas a beverage medium cartridge 4b may not require such a high moisture resistance. Thus, the cartridges may be made of ent materials and/or in different ways. In addition, the cartridge interior may be ently constructed according to a desired function. For example, a beverage medium dge 4b may include bafﬂes or other structures that cause the liquid/beverage medium to follow a tortuous path so as to encourage mixing. The gas dge 4a may be arranged to hold the gas source 41 in a particular location or other arrangement in the interior space, e.g., to help control wetting of the source 41 with activating liquid.

A dge may also be arranged to provide a visual or other detectable indication regarding the cartridge’s fitness for use in forming a beverage. For example, the cartridge may include a pop—up tor, color tor or other e to show that the gas source has been at least partially ted. Upon viewing this indication, a user may determine that the cartridge is not fit for use in a beverage making machine. In another embodiment, an RFID tag may be associated with a sensor that detects gas source activation (e.g., via pressure increase), beverage medium spoilage(e.g., via temperature increase), or other characteristic of the dge, which may be transmitted to a reader of a beverage making machine. The machine may display the condition to a user and/or prevent activation of the e to use the cartridge to form a beverage.

In another aspect of the invention, a cartridge may include a gas source portion, a beverage medium portion and a mixing chamber portion (also referred to as first, second and third portions, respectively) that are separated from each other. Thus, as discussed above, a cartridge may include a mixing chamber that is separate from a portion that is used to hold a beverage medium prior to use of the cartridge. The first portion may contain a gas source for emitting a gas to be dissolved in a beverage precursor liquid, the second portion may contain a beverage medium for use in mixing with a beverage precursor liquid to form a beverage, and the third portion may be arranged to receive beverage medium from the second portion and receive precursor liquid to mix the precursor liquid with the beverage medium. The precursor liquid may enter the third n with the beverage medium and/or enter the third portion via a separate ﬂow path. Thus, the cartridge may be capable of mixing a precursor liquid (e.g., whether carbonated or not) with ge medium and outputting a mixed beverage (e.g., for later carbonation). This may help avoid the need to clean a mixing W0 2013/019963 40 2012/049356 r, e.g., because the cartridge may be made disposable so that each beverage is made using its own mixing chamber. FIGs. 12, 13 and 14 show a cross sectional view of a dge 4 having first, second and third portions prior to configuration ready to make a beverage, a cross sectional view of the cartridge 4 after being configured to make a beverage, and an exploded perspective view of the cartridge, respectively. In this embodiment, the cartridge 4 includes a first n 46 that partially surrounds a second portion 47 and a third portion 62, e.g., the first portion 46 has parts positioned around the second and third portions 47, 62 in at least one plane. Also, the third portion 62 partially surrounds the second n 47. However, this concentric arrangement of the first, second and third portions 46, 47, 62 is not required, as these portions may be arranged in any suitable way with respect to each other. A top end of the first, second and third portions 46, 47, 62 is sealed closed by a lid 45, e.g., a foil laminate that is part of the dge ner. (In one embodiment, the lid 45 may include two or more separate portions, such as a first part that covers the second portion 47 after ge medium is placed, and a second part that covers the first portion 46 (and possibly the second portion 47 as well) after the gas source 41 is placed. This may make filling of the first and second portions 46, 47 easier during manufacturing.) As a result, the first portion 46 may be isolated from an external environment, e.g., to help resist contact of the gas source 41 with moisture or other materials. By virtue of a closure at the beverage medium outlet 47b of the second n, e.g., a burstable or frangible membrane, septum, etc., the second portion 47 is likewise isolated from an exterior environment, so as to help t spoilage of the beverage medium 42, as necessary. While a top region of the third portion 62 is closed by the lid 45, a bottom region of the third portion 62 may be left open, or may be covered by another t, such as a second lid or other cover.

This embodiment incorporates another aspect of the invention, i.e., that a cartridge may include a movable part arranged to move so as to configure the cartridge useable for making a beverage. For example, the movable part may move relative to the cartridge container to open the gas source portion and/or the beverage medium portion, e.g., as shown in . In the illustrative embodiment of , the movable part 61 includes a plurality of piercing elements 34, 35 arranged to form one or more openings in the lid 45, although other arrangements are possible. For example, a e part 61 may move to open a valve so as to open an inlet or outlet of the cartridge 4, to break off a tab or other frangible element to open an inlet or outlet, couple a pair of conduits together, and so on. In this embodiment, the e part 61 includes a piercing element 35 to form an activator inlet 46a into the first portion 46, e. g., to allow the introduction of ﬂuid (liquid water or water W0 2013/019963 41 PCT/U82012/049356 vapor) to te the gas source 41. The movable part 61 also includes a piercing element 34 to form a gas outlet 46b into the first portion 46, allowing for gas d by the gas source 41 to exit the cartridge 4, e.g., for dissolving into a precursor liquid and forming of a beverage. It is also possible that a single piercing element 34/35 may function to form the inlet 46a and the outlet 46b, e.g., where a same hole in the lid 45 serves to admit activating ﬂuid and emit gas. A piercing element 35 is also ed to form a precursor liquid inlet 47a into the second portion 47 to allow the uction of precursor liquid (whether having a substantial amount of dissolved gas or not) for mixing with the beverage medium 42 and helping to move the beverage medium 42 from the second portion 47 and into the third portion 62. Precursor liquid may also be introduced into the third portion 62 by one or more piercing elements 35 for mixing with the beverage medium 42. Thus, in accordance with an aspect of the invention, the cartridge 4 may be arranged to direct a n of precursor liquid used to make a beverage through a beverage medium portion, and bypass or otherwise direct a remaining portion of the precursor liquid into a mixing chamber n of the cartridge. In one embodiment, imately 10—40% of the precursor liquid used to form a beverage may be introduced into the second portion 47 and about 60—90% of the precursor liquid may be introduced into the third portion 62. Of course, other relative amounts may be used, as suitable. Precursor liquid may be introduced into the third portion 62 to creating a swirling action, turbulence or other motion to help mix the precursor liquid and the beverage medium.

The n of precursor liquid introduced into the second portion 47 may help wet the beverage medium 42, e.g., where the beverage medium 42 is a powdered material, which may help with .

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the cartridge 4 may include a lock element that prevents movement of a movable part, e.g., which is movable to configure the cartridge suitable to form a beverage, and the lock element may be releasable by a user. As shown in , the cartridge container or the movable part 61 may include a lock ring 71 that prevents the movable part 61 from moving relative to the container, e.g., to pierce the lid 45. The lock ring 71 may be removable or otherwise releasable by a user, e.g., by pulling on a tab that causes the lock ring 71 to separate from the ner at a ation or other line of weakness. The lock element may take other arrangements, such as one or more off fins or tabs, a removable plug, or other structure. In another arrangement, the lock element may be removed or otherwise released by the beverage making machine, e.g., after the cartridge 4 is associated with the e and a door closed.

W0 2013/019963 42 PCT/U82012/049356 Another aspect of the invention incorporated into the cartridge of is that the gas source portion at least partially surrounds the beverage medium portion and/or the mixing chamber portion. This feature may help enlarge the volume of the gas source portion without unnecessarily enlarging the cartridge, e.g., to help the gas source portion store gas emitted by the gas source without experiencing large pressure changes that might be present in a r volume chamber. That is, a somewhat larger gas source chamber volume may provide the gas source chamber with an ability to store gas emitted by the gas source while smoothing pressure variations. Thus, the gas source portion may be arranged to function as a kind of accumulator that stores gas emitted by the gas source.

While in this embodiment the cartridge 4 includes a movable part 61 with piercing elements, the cartridge 4 need not include a movable part 61 that moves to configure the cartridge for forming a beverage. Instead, the cartridge 4 may be arranged without the movable part 61, and a beverage machine that uses the cartridge may include a suitable set of ng elements or other ents ed to interact with the cartridge to icate with inlets and/or outlets of the cartridge as le.

In another aspect of the invention, a dge may include an activation ﬂuid inlet that s an activation ﬂuid to a bottom of the gas source portion. This arrangement may allow for improved control of gas release, e.g., because a gas source may be exposed to activation ﬂuid from a bottom to a top. Thus, if the activation ﬂuid is water, a lower part of the gas source portion may be ﬂooded with water, g a lower layer of the gas source to be activated. However, higher layers of gas source may remain unactivated because the tion water does not reach above a lower part of the gas source. To activate upper players of the gas source, more water may be ed to the gas source portion, raising the top level of the activation ﬂuid in the gas source portion. Flooding of the gas source portion may be continued at a controlled rate, thereby controlling gas emission of the gas source.

This arrangement may help avoid wetting a gas source from a top surface of the source, such as by sprinkling water on the top surface of a charge of zeolite material. This sprinkling may cause uncontrolled g, and thus activation, of the source, causing the gas source to emit gas in a less controlled way.

FIGs. 15 and 16 show an ed view and a cross sectional view, respectively, of an illustrative embodiment of a cartridge 4 that includes an activation ﬂuid inlet that provides activation ﬂuid to a bottom of the gas source portion. In this illustrative ment, the first portion 46 includes a gas source 41 and an activator inlet 46a with a conduit that extends from near a top of the first portion 46 to near a bottom of the first portion 46. Thus, for W0 2013/019963 43 PCT/U82012/049356 example, a beverage making machine may pierce a lid 45 that seals the first n 46 and the activator inlet 46a closed, and introduce water into the activator inlet 46a. The water may ﬂow down the conduit of the inlet 46a and into the bottom of the first n 46, wetting a lower layer of gas source and causing the gas source to emit gas. Of course, other activation ﬂuids may be used, such as citric acid, water vapor, etc. Also, while in this embodiment the activator inlet 46a includes a conduit that is molded into the sidewall of the container body, the activator inlet 46a may be arranged in other ways, such as by a conduit that extends from a bottom wall of the first portion 46, a conduit that extends downwardly from a piercing element, and so on. Emitted gas may exit via r opening in the first portion 46 (such as a molded port or pierced opening) or may exit via the activator inlet 46a (e.g., via small holes in the inlet 46a near a top of the conduit that allow gas to pass but resist the passage of liquid water, or via a trap such as an “S” shaped conduit that resists liquid water ﬂow).

Other ways of controlling gas release may be used in a cartridge, such as encapsulating gas source material 41 in a structure that bursts, dissolves or ise es to expose the interior gas source to activating ﬂuid. For example, capsules containing gas source 41 may be arranged to dissolve at different rates, thereby releasing gas source material for activation in a time—release fashion. Other arrangements are possible as well, such as a first portion 46 that has multiple steps or platforms on which gas source 41 is located. As the first portion 46 is ﬂooded with water or other activator, the gas source 46 at each step may be exposed one after the other, thereby causing a staged emission of gas.

Another aspect of the invention incorporated into the embodiment of FIGs. l5 and 16 is a spiral—shaped, helical, zig—zag or other tortuous ﬂowpath l that holds beverage medium and helps precursor liquid ﬂowing in the spiral—shaped channel to mix with the beverage . For example, the cartridge 4 es a precursor liquid inlet 47a that directs precursor liquid into an outer region of a spiral—shaped l (in this case, via a downwardly extending conduit that s from a top of the first n 46 to the second portion 47). ge medium 42 is arranged in the spiral—shaped channel to partially fill the depth of the channel so that precursor liquid may ﬂow over and/or in the beverage medium.

As the precursor liquid ﬂows through the spiral—shaped channel, beverage medium may mix with the liquid, forming the beverage. The spiral—shaped l may be arranged to provide for laminar ﬂow, e.g., to help reduce loss of carbonation or other dissolved gases in the precursor liquid, if present. Altemately, the spiral shaped or other tortuous channel may be arranged to provide turbulent ﬂow, ially helping to mix the precursor liquid and beverage medium. Mixed beverage medium and precursor liquid exiting the cartridge near a W0 2013/019963 44 PCT/U82012/049356 center of the spiral shaped channel may pass directly into a user’ s cup or may enter a mixing chamber, whether part of the cartridge or the ge making machine. Flow channel shapes other than spiral may be used, e.g., a helical, zig—zag, and/or serpentine pathway may be arranged to provide laminar or other ﬂow characteristics. Thus, a dge second portion that contains beverage medium may include any suitable ﬂow arrangements to help mix a precursor liquid with beverage medium.

The embodiment of FIGs. 15 and 16 also includes a feature that an outlet of the second portion 47 may include a closure (e.g., a cap) that is arranged to be broken off, pierced, removed or otherwise opened by a user and/or by a beverage making machine.

Thus, the outlet need not necessarily be opened by a presence of pressure in the second portion 47. Also, the first and second ns 46, 47 in this embodiment are made of separate parts that are held together by a sleeve 75 that wraps around the portions 46, 47.

The sleeve 75 may also on to seal the side of the sor inlet 47a, and/or the activator inlet 46a. However, it should be understood that the first and second portions 46, 47 may be made as a , unitary piece, and configured to eliminate any need for a sleeve 75.

In accordance with r aspect of the invention, a beverage medium portion of a cartridge may e a wall that is movable to expel beverage medium from the beverage medium portion. For example, the beverage medium portion may be defined by a barrier layer (e. g., a foil laminate) that is arranged to surround a beverage medium. The barrier layer may be ﬂexible so that the second portion of the cartridge can be squeezed, pressed or ise have a force exerted on it so as to reduce the volume of the second portion to force the beverage medium from the second portion. For example, the barrier layer may form a pouch that contains beverage medium, and the pouch may be ed to force the beverage medium to exit, e.g., into a user’s cup, a mixing chamber of the cartridge, or other location where the beverage medium is mixed with a liquid precursor. In another illustrative arrangement, the second portion may include a syringe—type arrangement where a plunger is moved in the second portion to force beverage medium from the second portion. Other arrangements are possible, as discussed more below.

FIGs. l7—20 show a perspective view, an exploded view, a cross—sectional view during gas output and a sectional view during beverage medium mixing of an rative embodiment having a movable element to expel beverage medium from the cartridge. In this embodiment, the cartridge container includes a planar support 72 that supports a first portion 46, located below the t 72, and a second portion 47 located above the support 72. The first portion 46 is formed integrally with the support 72, e.g., is W0 2013/019963 45 PCT/U82012/049356 molded as a unitary part with the t 72, but could be formed in other ways, such as by a separate part that is attached to the support 72. The first portion 46 has a hemispherical shape with an tor inlet 46a near a bottom of the first portion 46 and a gas outlet 46b on a top side of the planar support 72. (As with all embodiments described herein, ve terms “top”, m”, etc., are used for ease of description and understanding, and should not be understood as limiting the cartridge arrangements, their orientation during use, or other features of the dge.) Thus, water or other activation ﬂuid may be introduced near a bottom of the first portion 46, e.g., to controllably ﬂood the first portion 46, with gas emitted by the gas source 41 exiting via a port on the support 72. The activator inlet 46a and gas outlet 46b may be opened by a piercing element, physical action to remove a break off tab, removal of a peel off foil, etc.

The second portion 47 in this embodiment includes a blister pouch that is formed by a layer of r material, such as a foil laminate. The second n 47 may have any shape or size, but in this embodiment has a generally disc—like shape with a dome—like upper surface. A lower part of the blister pouch includes a layer of barrier material that covers a substantial part of the top surface of the support 72, e.g., to seal the first portion 46 closed as well as form a bottom of the second portion 47, but may be arranged in other ways. The blister pouch overlies a spike 73 on the support 72 so that if the blister pouch is urged toward the support 72, e.g., as shown in , the spike 73 may pierce the second portion 47, ing the beverage medium. ingly, movement of a wall (e.g., an upper part of the blister pouch) of the second portion 47 may cause beverage medium to exit the second portion 47. Movement of the wall may be caused by a plunger of the beverage making machine pressing down on the second portion 47 (as shown in ), or in other ways.

For example, gas pressure generated by the gas source 41 may be routed to a suitable location (such as into the second portion 47, a pneumatic bladder, or to the plunger of the beverage making machine) to force beverage medium from the second n 47.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, beverage medium exiting the second portion 47 may be directed to a precursor liquid inlet 47a, e.g., where carbonated water is introduced into the cartridge. In this embodiment, the cartridge includes four precursor inlet ports, though other numbers of ports may be used. Also, an upper surface of the support 72 around the spike 73 is arranged to provide ﬂow paths for the beverage medium so as to direct the beverage medium to areas near the precursor liquid inlets 47a. For example, shows a top view of a n of the t 72 that underlies the second portion 47. In this embodiment, the support 72 defines four ﬂow paths for the beverage W0 2013/019963 46 PCT/U82012/049356 medium 42 to travel from near the spike 73 to each of the precursor liquid inlets 47a. As a result, when the second portion 47 is pierced by the spike 73 and beverage medium is released, the beverage medium may ﬂow outwardly to the inlets 47a. (Flow of beverage medium 42 may occur with both liquid and solid (e.g., powdered) beverage media.) Thus, beverage medium may be encouraged to dissolve more rapidly and/or completely, e.g., because the beverage medium may be divided into relatively small portions to increase its surface area and contact with precursor liquid. It should be understood that other arrangements may be used to route beverage medium movement to a precursor liquid inlet 47a. For example, four spikes 73 may be provided on the support 72, with one spike 73 located near a respective inlet 47a. Thus, the second portion 47 may be pierced in locations adjacent each inlet 47a, causing beverage medium to be released from the second portion 47 directly into the inlets 47a. In another ment, the spikes 73 may each include a ﬂow channel (e.g., include a hollow piercing needle) so that beverage medium 42 is caused to ﬂow through the spike 73 to a desired on adjacent an inlet 47a. Other configurations will occur to those of skill in the art.

One feature of the arrangement shown in is that beverage medium may be uced to precursor liquid in a direction erse to the ﬂow of the precursor liquid, which may help break the ﬂow of beverage medium up into smaller particles and increase a dissolution rate. For example, beverage medium 42 introduced at each of the inlets 47a may ﬂow generally perpendicularly to the ﬂow of precursor liquid into the inlets 47a. Altemately, beverage medium may be ed into a ﬂow of precursor liquid in a coaxial fashion, e.g., a central ﬂow of beverage medium may be surrounded by a coaxial ﬂow of precursor liquid.

For example, shows an illustrative embodiment in which the support 72 includes ﬂow channels to direct sor liquid 2 to multiple locations where beverage medium 42 is released from the second portion 27, e.g., by multiple spikes 73 on the support 72. The regions where the precursor liquid 2 and beverage medium 42 meet may be configured so that the liquid 2 generally surrounds the beverage medium 42, e.g., in a coaxial ﬂow. The ﬂow rates of the respective ﬂows may be ed to help enhance mixing or other characteristics of beverage tion, such as foam tion, air entrainment, and so on.

For example, faster ﬂowing precursor liquid 2 may help to draw and thin the beverage medium 42 ﬂow, thereby helping to se the surface area of the beverage medium d to the liquid. A mixing chamber may be ed to help enhance this effect, e.g., by providing progressively elongated ﬂow. In addition to potentially aiding mixing, providing a coaxial ﬂow of precursor liquid and beverage medium may also help prevent contact of the beverage medium (which may be relatively more viscous) with a wall of a mixing chamber or other conduit, helping to reduce the chance of the beverage medium sticking to the wall. In fact, less viscous material (precursor liquid) may be ed to the walls of a mixing chamber or other conduit with more s material (beverage medium) located away from the walls. In addition, or alternately, a less viscous material may be introduced into a mixing chamber to wet the walls of the mixing chamber prior to introduction of beverage medium, e.g., to help prevent sticking of beverage medium to the chamber wall.

The embodiment of FIGs. l7—20 also includes a third portion 62, located below the second portion 47 and the t 72. Precursor liquid introduced via the precursor liquid inlet 47a and beverage medium 42 forced from the second portion 47 may enter into the third n 62, e.g., for thorough mixing, foam tion, or other processing to create a beverage. In this embodiment, the third portion 62 includes a funnel shape, e.g., to induce a swirling motion of the precursor liquid and beverage medium to help with mixing, but could be arranged in other ways. For example, the third portion 62 may include an eductor (e.g., to entrain air, liquid or other als in a beverage), a jet (e. g., to increase the speed of ge medium ﬂow and/or contact with surrounding air), a ﬂow straightener (e.g., to help output the beverage from the cartridge in a predictable and desired way), and others. Like the first n 46, the third portion 62 may be formed unitarily with the t 72 or may be made as a separate component and joined to the t 72. Of course, the third portion 62 is not ed for the cartridge, e.g., where a beverage making machine that uses the cartridge 4 includes a mixing r or other feature.

While FIGs. l7—20 show an arrangement in which the first and second portions 46, 47 are offset from each other, other configurations are possible. For example, shows a cross sectional view of a cartridge similar to that in FIGs. 17—20, but with the first chamber 46 located ly below the second portion 47. In addition, the first portion 46 may be arranged around a portion of a third chamber 62, e.g., to help make the cartridge more compact. Thus, the cartridge in may incorporate aspects of the invention regarding having a second portion 47 above a plane and a first portion 46 below the plane, as well as having the first portion 46 surround a part of the third portion 62. As with the cartridge of FIGs. 17—20, the cartridge in may include a sidewall that extends around the periphery of the cartridge 4, e.g., to make the cartridge 4 easier to handle by a user, to help protect ns of the cartridge 4 from damage, and/or help orient the cartridge 4 properly when associated with a beverage making machine. The arrangements of FIGs. l7—23 may W0 2013/019963 48 PCT/U82012/049356 include other physical features, such as features that help ensure proper orientation and placement of the cartridge 4 when associated with a beverage making machine. For example, the cartridge of FIGs. 17—23 may include a vertical sidewall that extends around the support 72, e.g., forming a wall around the other cartridge 4 ns. The configuration may help protect cartridge components from damage (e.g., accidental piercing of the second portion 47), help make handling of the cartridge easier (e.g., allow the cartridge to be placed on a table without rolling), and/or help properly orient the cartridge with respect to a beverage machine.

In another aspect of the invention, a second portion of a dge may include two or more rtions that each hold a corresponding volume of beverage medium 42. The dge may operate so that a controllable number of the sub—portions is caused to r its corresponding charge of beverage medium, e.g., to allow for different s of beverage medium to be used in making a beverage, to provide for staged release of different beverage media (e.g., ng beverage medium may be released prior to a foaming medium so that the resulting beverage has a foam provided on the top of the beverage), to accommodate the separation of incompatible components (e.g., components that do not mix well with each other or react er in an undesirable way prior to beverage formation), or others. For example, the second portion 47 in the embodiment may include two or more pouches formed inside of the second chamber 47, e.g., that are separated from each other by a ble impermeable membrane. Thus, a plunger of the beverage making machine may s the second n 47 a corresponding amount to cause delivery of a suitable number of the sub—portions. For example, the sub—portions may be stacked and separated by respective nes like layers of a cake. Initial depression of the second portion 47 may cause a lowermost rtion to open and deliver its contents. Further depression by the plunger may cause a next sub—portion to open and deliver its contents and so on. In this way, any desired number of sub—portions may be deployed, or not, as optionally set by a user of the machine . By having separated sub—portions, less than all of the beverage medium in a cartridge may be used to form a beverage while minimizing leakage of the unused beverage medium when the cartridge is removed from the beverage making machine.

In another aspect of the invention, a first n of a cartridge may move relative to a second portion to force beverage medium to exit from the second portion. For example, FIGs. 24—27 show an exploded view, a perspective view, a cross—sectional view with a beverage medium in a second portion, and a cross—sectional view with beverage medium expelled from the second portion of a cartridge, respectively, in which a first portion may act W0 2013/019963 49 PCT/U82012/049356 as a plunger to drive ge medium from a second n of the dge. The first portion 46 may be defined at least in part by a first chamber wall, e.g., a cup—shaped element that is received into the second portion 47. The second portion may be defined at least in part by a second chamber wall that defines a second space, e.g., where beverage medium is located. The first chamber wall of the first portion 46 may be received into the second space and be e relative to the second r wall to expel beverage medium from the second portion of the cartridge. For example, FIGs. 26 and 27 show how the first portion 46 may be moved rdly relative to the second portion 47 so that the first portion is further received into the second portion to force beverage medium from the second portion. In essence, the first portion 46 may function as a plunger in the second space of the second portion 47 to force beverage medium 42 to the outlet of the second portion. Movement of the first portion 46 relative to the second portion 47 may be caused in any way, such as by a beverage making machine including a motor drive that moves the first portion 46, introducing gas pressure (e.g., d by the gas source 41) into a bladder that expands to cause movement of the first portion 46, moving the second portion 47 upwardly relative to the first portion 46 (which may remain stationary relative to the machine), and so on. Also, the cartridge 4 may include a lock element that prevents relative movement of the first and second portions 46, 47 until released by a user and/or a beverage making e. The second portion 47 may include an outlet closure at the beverage medium outlet 47b that opens in response to increased pressure in the second portion 47, in se to piercing, mechanical fracture, etc. Thus the outlet 47b of the second portion 47 may open in any suitable way to allow for beverage medium 42 to exit the second portion 47.

Another aspect of the invention incorporated into this embodiment is that a mixing chamber portion of the cartridge (a third n) may partially surround the first and second portions 46, 47. Such an ement may help to make the cartridge 4 more compact, as well as provide a larger space in which precursor liquid and beverage medium can move to help with . In addition, when coupled with an arrangement in which the first portion is received in the second portion, the overall size of the cartridge may be reduced, particularly after use of the cartridge. It is also possible to make the third portion reusable, e.g., a user could remove and clean the third portion as needed, and replace the first and second portions for each new beverage to be made. This feature may help reduce waste, yet provide the user with the ability to replace a third portion used with the cartridge only as needed. In this ment, the third portion 62 is arranged with vanes, fins or other features to help induce movement of precursor liquid and beverage medium, e.g., to help with mixing. However, W0 2013/019963 50 PCT/U82012/049356 other arrangements are possible. (As with any features described herein, the use of vanes, fins or other features to help induce mixing may be used with any suitable cartridge configuration.) Moreover, different arrangements for the third portion 62 may be provided for different beverages. For example, highly ated beverages made with readily dissolvable beverage media may have the third n arranged to induce little movement, e.g., to help reduce loss of carbonation due to turbulent motion of the liquid. However, with other beverages, such as hot ate, more turbulent motion may be induced in the third chamber to help with mixing, and with no concern for loss of carbonation (since the beverage is not carbonated). Thus, a beverage making machine may be configured to make a wide variety of hot, cold, carbonated, still and other ges by, at least in part, providing different cartridge arrangements.

Close proximity of the gas source 41 and the beverage medium 42 in a cartridge 4 may provide the cartridge 4 with the ability to control or use heat generated by the gas source 41. For e, heat emitted by a e gas source material during gas release may be absorbed by a beverage medium 42. In the case where the beverage medium 42 is a relative viscous liquid at lower temperatures, heating of the beverage medium 42 by the gas source 41 may reduce the viscosity of the beverage medium and enhance its dissolution into precursor liquid. In addition, or alternately, t of heat by the ge medium 42 or other portion of the cartridge 4 from the gas source 41 may help t or otherwise resist excessive heat buildup in the cartridge 4. This may help reduce the risk of heat damage to the cartridge and/or help the gas source 41 emit gas more efficiently, e.g., where high heat levels may inhibit gas release.

In another aspect of the invention, a cartridge may be arranged to have a gas outlet and a beverage medium outlet on a same side of the cartridge container. In some embodiments, the cartridge may further have an activator inlet through which ﬂuid is provided to activate a gas source and/or a precursor liquid inlet through which precursor liquid is introduced into the container for mixing with the ge medium on a same side of the container as the gas outlet and the ge medium . Such an arrangement may make for a conveniently d and used cartridge. For example, by providing inlet(s) and outlet(s) on a same side of the cartridge, an interface between the beverage making machine and the cartridge may be simplified. For example, in some cases, a cartridge may be simply plugged into or otherwise associated with the beverage making e in a simple way with needed connections made in one local area on a single side of the cartridge.

W0 2013/019963 51 2012/049356 FIGS. 28—30 show an illustrative embodiment of a cartridge that includes a gas outlet, beverage medium outlet, activator inlet and precursor liquid inlet all located on a same side of the container. While a cartridge having these features may be arranged in other ways, in this embodiment, first and second portions 46, 47 of the cartridge container are formed by a pair of layers of barrier material 79, e.g., a foil te, that are joined together to form a pair of pouches for the first and second portions 46, 47. Of course, the container could be arranged otherwise, e.g., by a molded plastic body that defines the first and second portions 46, 47 with a shape like that shown in . The layers of barrier al 79 are bonded er to form the first and second ns 46, 47, and are also joined to an insert 74 that defines, at least in part, the gas outlet 46b, activator inlet 46a, precursor liquid inlet 47a and beverage medium outlet 47b. The insert 74 in this embodiment includes a pair of molded plastic parts arranged to not only define the inlets/outlets, but also to enhance bonding of the barrier layers to the insert 74. For e, an inner part of the insert 74 may be bonded to the barrier material 79, ng the cartridge 4 to be provided with gas source 41 and beverage medium 42, and then the outer part of the insert 47 (which may define the inlet/outlet interfaces to the beverage making machine) to be engaged, closing the first and second portions 46, 47. However, other arrangements are possible, such as one in which the insert 74 is eliminated and the layers of barrier material 79 are pierced to form the inlets/outlets as needed, or a single piece insert 74. In this embodiment, the insert 74 is arranged to close the inlets/outlets, e.g., by a foil lid, and require ng at each of the inlets/outlets to open the inlets/outlets. Altemately, one or more of the inlets/outlets may include a closure that can be opened by breaking off a tab, peeling a foil cover from the inlet/outlet, exposing the inlet/outlet to a suitable pressure threshold to cause the closure to burst or otherwise open, and so on.

By forming the first and second portions 46, 47 in a side—by—side arrangements like that in FIGs. 28—30, a surface area between the first and second portions 46, 47 may be d and/or have its moisture bility reduced so as to reduce migration of moisture from the beverage medium 42 in the second n 47 into the first portion 46. That is, if the beverage medium includes moisture (such as with some concentrated syrups), water may migrate from the beverage medium 42 and into the first portion 46, which may cause partial activation of a gas source 41 (if the gas source 41 is activatable by water). This may cause problems where a wall or other element separating the beverage medium 42 from the gas source 41 is vely ble. However, a side—by—side arrangement like that in FIGs. 28— may allow for adjustment of the width of the barrier layer seal between the portions 46, W0 2013/019963 52 PCT/U82012/049356 47, thereby controlling the permeability of the joint. Other arrangements may be used to reduce moisture migration between the first and second portions 46, 47 (or other cartridge portions), such as through a choice of als, relative positions of the first and second portions 46, 47 (e. g., moisture is very ly to travel from the beverage medium 42 to the gas source in the ments of FIGS. 12 and 17, for example, because of the physical separation of the portions), and so on.

Another aspect of the invention incorporated into this embodiment is that the gas outlet 46b includes a conduit 46d that extends from the gas outlet, through the gas source part of the first portion (i.e., where the gas source 41 is located), through a filter 46c, and into the gas outlet part of the first portion. While in this embodiment the conduit 46d is formed by a tube, the conduit 46d could be formed by the barrier layers themselves, e.g., by joining the r layers in a way to form a conduit 46d. In accordance with another aspect of the invention and as can be seen in FIGs. 28—30, the barrier layers are joined together in a pattern to form a filter 46c that helps to keep gas source materials 41 in a gas source part of the first portion and permits primarily gas to pass through the filter 46c to a gas outlet part of the first portion where the gas can enter the conduit 46d and pass to the gas outlet 46b. While the pattern in which the barrier layers 79 may be joined er to form the filter 46c can vary, in this ment, the barrier layers are joined at locations having a circular (or other suitable) shape that are separated from each other by a suitable distance and configuration to help prevent gas source materials 41 from passing between the joined areas. Other ements are possible for the filter 46c however, such as a piece of filter paper, a hydrophobic non—woven material that permits gas to pass, but resists liquid passage, or other element that permits gas to move toward the conduit 46d, but resists nt of gas source al and/or liquid. In addition or alternately to the filter 46c, the conduit 46d may include a filter element, such as a filter plug in the conduit 46d, to help further resist movement of gas source materials 41 from the gas outlet 46b. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a t of the gas outlet 46b may extend from a bottom of the first portion 46 to a top of the first portion 46 without the presence of a filter 46c. Instead, gravity may be relied on to in gas source material 41 from traveling toward a top of the first n 46 and entering the conduit 46d. Alternately, a filter in the conduit 46d (such as a plug mentioned above) may function to resist entry of gas source material into the conduit 46d.

Thus, the distal end of the conduit at the upper end of the first portion 46 may receive emitted gas and conduct the gas to the gas outlet 46b.

W0 2013/019963 53 PCT/U82012/049356 The way in which the barrier layers 79 are joined together to form the first chamber 46, e.g., including the filter 46c, may help to hold the gas source material 41 in a fixed bed arrangement. That is, the gas source 41 may be held relatively firmly, so that the gas source 41 does not freely move in the first portion 46. This may help with controlled wetting of the gas source 41, since the distribution of the gas source in the first portion 46 may be known, and the interaction of activating ﬂuid with the gas source predictable and repeatable. The gas source 41 may be arranged to allow for free movement of gas through the fixed bed of materials, e. g., by sizing and shaping les of gas source material so as to prevent extremely close packing. In another embodiment, rather than have the cartridge arranged to exert a force on the gas source 41 so as to form a fixed bed of material, an external force may be exerted on the first portion 46 to provide a fixed bed of material. For example, the air r ement sed above may be used to squeeze the gas source 41 in the first portion 46, thereby preventing ﬂowing of the gas source 41 in the first portion 46. In other cartridge embodiments, such as that in , for example, the first portion 46 may include a component, such as a resilient sponge material or a permeable membrane that is positioned at the top of the gas source 41 and is attached to the wall of the first portion 46, to help keep the gas source 41 in a fixed bed arrangement.

Another aspect of the invention orated into this embodiment is that the precursor liquid inlet 47a may include a conduit extending into the second portion 47 that is arranged to introduce precursor liquid into the second portion at multiple locations along the conduit. Such an arrangement, e.g., as can be seen in , may help to better bute the liquid in the second portion and mix the precursor liquid with the beverage medium which exits the second n 47 via the beverage medium outlet 47b. Features may be ed to help prevent entry of beverage medium 42 into the conduit and its perforations or other openings, e.g., to help ensure even and predictable ﬂow of precursor liquid into the second portion 47. For example, a perforated conduit may be sheathed in a frangible cover that separates the conduit from the beverage medium 42 prior to use, but breaks, dissolves or ise opens to permit entry of precursor liquid into the second portion 47. In r embodiment, the t may include a plug, filter or other component to help prevent ingress of beverage medium into the conduit and/or its perforations. As with the gas outlet conduit, the precursor liquid inlet conduit could be formed by the r layers, e.g., which may be joined to form a ﬂow path extending along the length of the second portion 47, as well as to have multiple outlets along its length to help distribute ﬂuid into the second n 47. Such outlets may be formed to be closed prior to cartridge use, but may burst or W0 19963 54 PCT/U82012/049356 otherwise open with the introduction of precursor liquid into the second portion 47. This arrangement may also provide the onal feature of allowing the second portion 47 to be squeezed ﬂat to expel beverage medium. In yet another embodiment, the sor inlet 47a may include a trouser valve, e.g., a ﬂat, relatively e tube, that may be folded or rolled in the second portion prior to use of the cartridge. With introduction of precursor liquid into the inlet 47a, the trouser valve may /unfold, ng precursor liquid to enter the second portion 47. However, the rolled/folded configuration of the valve prior to deployment may help prevent the ingress of beverage medium into the precursor liquid inlet 47a.

Another aspect of the invention relates to the arrangement that allows the second n 47 to be squeezed or otherwise manipulated by an external force to cause beverage medium to be expelled from the beverage medium outlet 47b. This feature may be used whether or not precursor liquid is introduced into the second portion 47. For example, the cartridge may be modified to eliminate the precursor liquid inlet 47a, and instead, the second portion 47 may be squeezed to force the beverage medium 42 to exit via the beverage medium outlet 47b, e.g., for mixing with precursor liquid outside of the cartridge 4.

Altemately, the second portion 47 may be squeezed after precursor liquid has been introduced into the second portion 47, e.g., to help remove liquid from the second portion and reduce dripping of the cartridge when removed from the beverage making machine. In yet another arrangement, a cartridge holder of a beverage making machine may apply a force to the cartridge that tends to squeeze the second portion 47 and expel beverage medium 42, but with a force or pressure that is less than a pressure of precursor liquid introduced into the second portion 47. Thus, the second portion 47 may expand to receive precursor liquid 2, but when precursor liquid 2 stops, the cartridge holder may squeeze the second portion 47 to substantially evacuate its contents. The cartridge holder may apply the ing force in any of a variety of ways, such as by employing an air bladder to which a suitable air pressure is applied to squeeze the cartridge in the cartridge . The force of the air bladder or other ent may vary during use of the cartridge, e.g., to help with mixing and/or expulsion of beverage medium from the second n 47. For example, a pressure applied to the r may be relatively high during an initial portion of the beverage making cycle to expel beverage medium from the second portion 47 and reduce the volume of the second portion 47. Thereafter, the pressure of the bladder may be released or otherwise reduced, allowing precursor liquid to be introduced into the second portion 47, enlarging its volume.

Again, the pressure of the r may be sed to expel mixed liquid and beverage medium from the second portion 47, and reducing the volume of the second portion 47. This W0 2013/019963 55 PCT/U82012/049356 cycling of the bladder pressure may be ed to effect better mixing in the second n 47 and/or complete expulsion of beverage medium 42. Again, an air bladder is not required to perform this function, as other arrangements, such as a motor driven wall, plunger, roller, etc., may be used. In short, the cartridge may be manipulated by an external force prior to, during or after introduction of sor liquid to help with mixing, expulsion of beverage medium, and/or ng dripping of the cartridge after use.

As mentioned above, the system schematics shown in FIGs. 1—4 are only a few of the possible arrangements regarding a beverage making system 1. For example, shows another schematic m of a beverage making system 1 that may use any of the cartridge arrangements discussed herein or an alternate cartridge arrangement. In this embodiment, a reservoir ll is arranged to provide precursor liquid 2 to a contactor 6 by gravity feed and/or gas pressure. Of course, other arrangements are possible for moving liquid from the reservoir ll to the contactor 6, such as the use of a pump. Also, although a contactor 6 is shown in this illustrative embodiment and others discussed below, other ation or gas dissolving devices may be used instead, such as a carbonation tank. The system 1 of may operate as follows: valves V1 and V2 may be opened, allowing delivery of liquid 2 to the first portion 46 of a cartridge 4 by gravity feed via the contactor 6. The liquid 2 may activate a gas source 41, which emits gas that is directed to the contactor 6. Some of the gas introduced into the tor 6 may be dissolved in liquid 2 in the tor 6, while r portion of the gas may be directed to the reservoir ll. Gas provided to the reservoir ll may increase a pressure in the reservoir ll, forcing liquid 2 to ﬂow toward the contactor 6.

Pressure in the reservoir ll may help to increase the l carbonation level of the precursor liquid, e.g., by pre—carbonating the water as the reservoir ll acts as a carbonation tank. Increased acidity of the liquid 2 in the reservoir ll may also help reduce scale build up and/or bacterial growth in the reservoir. The pressure in the reservoir ll may be controlled by controlling a valve V3 to control an amount of gas admitted into the reservoir ll. In addition, the valve V2 may be controlled to control the amount of liquid 2 that enters the first n 46, thereby controlling activation of the gas source 41. The valve V2 may be operated to pass liquid 2 having a suitable amount of ved gas (e.g., carbonated liquid 2) to the second portion 47 of the cartridge 4 for mixing with beverage medium 42. Another valve may be provided to vent gas from the gas dissolution device (e.g., tor 6) in this and other embodiments, if desired. An optional valve V4 may be opened to allow the formed beverage to ﬂow to a waiting cup or other holder 8, and an optional valve may be opened to vent gas pressure from the gas side of the contactor 6. By feeding gas emitted by the gas W0 2013/019963 56 source 41 to the reservoir ll, the system may be ﬂushed of , e.g., by the gas pushing liquid out of the oir ll, the contactor 6 and the second portion 47 of the dge 4.

This may help prevent ng of the cartridge 4 when it is removed from the system 1, and/or help prevent liquid from stagnating in the system 1 between uses. A volume of liquid used to form the beverage may be controlled by a user, e.g., by ing a desired amount of liquid into the reservoir ll, or by the system I itself, such as by a fill level sensor that operates to fill the oir ll to a suitable level, by a ﬂow meter that detects a volume of water delivered to the second portion 47, and so on. shows a schematic diagram of another beverage making system 1, which again, can be used with any suitable cartridge arrangement. In this embodiment, a reservoir ll provides precursor liquid 2 to a contactor 6 under the control of a valve V4. Liquid 2 may ﬂow into the contactor 6 by gravity, pump, gas pressure, etc., although in this embodiment gravity is employed. Liquid provided to the gas source 41 to activate the gas source 41 is controlled by a valve Vl, which may control ﬂow based on any suitable characteristic, such as elapsed time, a sensed gas pressure, a detected volume in the cartridge 4, etc. With suitable gas emitted by the gas source 41 and routed to the contactor 6, the valve V4 may be opened to permit now carbonated liquid or other liquid having dissolved gas to ﬂow into the second portion 47 of the cartridge 4 for mixing with the beverage medium 42. Again, the liquid need not be routed to the second portion 47, but instead may be routed to a mixing r portion of the dge or other area where beverage medium is mixed with the liquid 2. Altemately, the liquid 2 may pass directly to the cup 8 where the liquid is mixed with a beverage medium. A valve V3 may be opened to allow beverage to ﬂow from the cartridge 4 to the cup 8. At a suitable timing, e.g., before, during or after beverage formation, a valve V5 may open to allow ice 2a to pass into the cup 8. The ice 2a may additionally serve to help cool the precursor liquid 2 in the reservoir ll before passing to the cup 8. A filter or other separator may be employed in the reservoir ll between the ice and the sor liquid 2, e.g., to help reduce bacterial contamination of the precursor liquid 2 by the ice 2a. That is, ice 2a may be stored in the oir ll in a compartment separate from the liquid 2, e.g., by a ble or impermeable r, and delivered to the cup 8 upon opening of the valve V5.

It should also be noted that any gas pressure in the contactor 6 may be vented by a valve or other suitable arrangement before, during or after beverage formation. shows another schematic diagram of a beverage forming system I that, like others, may be used with any suitable number and/or combination of aspects of the invention or other features. In this embodiment, the reservoir ll may hold a volume of precursor liquid 2 equal to several ges. Thus, the system I may make multiple beverages without requiring the addition of liquid to the reservoir ll. A pump 13 and valve Vl control the ﬂow of liquid through a contactor 6 and to the second portion 47 of a cartridge 4. The gas source 41 may be activated in any le way to emit gas that is routed to the gas side of the contactor 6 under the control of a valve V2. For e, the gas source 41 may emit gas in response to being exposed to microwave energy, l heat energy, other electromagnetic radiation, liquid water or water vapor, etc. Gas emitted by the gas source 41 may be dissolved in the liquid 2 in the contactor 6, which may then be mixed with beverage medium 42 in the cartridge 4 or ere. A valve V3 may control the ﬂow of beverage from the system 1, e. g., h a nozzle which may be incorporated into the cartridge and may help to further mix the liquid and beverage medium, may help direct the beverage into a cup 8, may help to aerate or form a foam in the beverage, etc.

Although FIGs. 31—33 are described as involving the direction of all or substantially all of the sor liquid 2 used to form a beverage through the cartridge 4, other arrangements are possible. For example, as discussed above, only a portion of the liquid 2 may be routed h the cartridge 4, e.g., to expel beverage medium 42 from the cartridge to the cup 8 (or other mixing chamber), while a remaining portion of the liquid 2 is routed directly to the cup 8 (or other mixing chamber). Also, a chiller circuit, e. g., including a electric device, refrigeration device, heat exchanger that employs user— supplied ice, or other arrangement, may be included in the system I to chill the precursor liquid 2 before, during and/or after gas dissolution, and/or before, during and/or after mixing of beverage medium with the precursor liquid. shows another illustrative embodiment of a beverage making system I. In this embodiment, a reservoir ll includes three portions, i.e., a main reservoir portion lla, a gas source activating portion llb and a pre—mix portion llc. Initially the main reservoir portion lla may be filled to a desired level, and the gas source ting portion llb and the pre—mix portion llc may be empty. At the start of a beverage formation cycle, a plunger lld may be lowered into the main reservoir portion lla, which causes a lled amount of precursor liquid 2 to spill or otherwise be directed into the gas source activating portion llb and the pre—mix portion llc. Thereafter, as the plunger lld is inserted further into the main reservoir portion lla, the r lld may form a seal with the main reservoir portion lla, preventing any further amounts of liquid 2 from being passed into the gas source activating portion llb and the pre—mix portion llc. r lowering of the plunger lld (and with g of the valve Vl) may cause liquid 2 to pass from the main reservoir portion lla W0 2013/019963 58 2012/049356 through the contactor 6. In addition, liquid 2 in the gas source activating portion llb may be forced through the (open) valve V2 and into the first portion 46 of the cartridge to activate the gas source 41. The valve V2 may control an amount of liquid passed to the first portion 46, e.g., to control an amount and/or pressure of gas emitted, provided that with the valve V2 closed, liquid in the portion llb is ted to exit with movement of the plunger lld so as not to resist its movement. A pressure of gas d by the gas source that is passed to the contactor 6 may be additionally, or alternately, controlled by a pressure regulating valve V4.

Thus, a desired gas pressure may be maintained in the gas side of the contactor 6. Liquid 2 in the pre—mix portion llc may also be forced to ﬂow into the second portion 47 of the cartridge 4 to mix with beverage medium 42. Mixing of the liquid and medium may be complemented by physical disturbance of the materials in the second portion 47, such as by kneading of the second portion 47 (e.g., by a roller or other element), stirring, g, etc. This may help to pre—mix the ge medium 42, and make later mixing with additional precursor liquid 2 more effective. With valve V3 open, pre—mixed beverage medium 42 may pass into a mixing nozzle or other chamber (e.g., which may be part of a third portion 62 of the dge 4 or a part of the beverage making machine), while liquid 2 having dissolved gas from the contactor 6 may also be introduced into the mixing nozzle. (Note that the valve V3 in this and other ments may e a valve that is orated into the cartridge 4, such as a burst valve, duckbill valve, split septum, or other. The mixed precursor liquid 2 and beverage medium 42 may then be routed to a waiting cup 8 or other container. shows another illustrative embodiment of a beverage making system 1 that, like those embodiments discussed above, incorporates one or more aspects of the invention.

This illustrative embodiment includes a pair of syringe pumps 13a, 13b that are arranged to cause precursor liquid 2 to ﬂow from one pump 13, through the contactor 6 and into the other pump 13, and vice versa. In this way, the system 1 can pass precursor liquid 2 through the contactor 6 one or more times, e.g., to increase an amount of dissolved gas in the precursor liquid 2, as desired. Of course, the system 1 could achieve multiple passes through a contactor or other gas dissolving device in other ways, such as by a single pump that directs liquid to ﬂow from a reservoir ll, through a contactor 6 and back to the reservoir ll.

However, in this embodiment, the syringe pump 12a is arranged to draw precursor liquid 2 from a cup 8 or other container through a valve Vl. Thus, a user may place a cup 8 containing a desired volume or type of precursor liquid 2 in association with the system 1, and the system 1 may use the precursor liquid 2 in the cup 8 to form a beverage. A filter at the valve Vl or elsewhere may help reduce a number of bacteria or other organisms that enter W0 2013/019963 59 PCT/U82012/049356 the system 1, helping to reduce potential system contamination. Also, the syringe pump 13 or other pump arrangement may be configured to aspirate a suitable volume of liquid 2 from the cup 8, e. g., by lling a stroke length of the syringe , by detecting ﬂow with a ﬂow meter, by ing a liquid level in the pump or other reservoir, etc.

With the precursor liquid 2 ted into the first syringe pump l3a, the valve Vl may be , and the valve V2 opened to so that the pump l3a can force the liquid 2 into the contactor 6. (While shows there may be gas as well as liquid 2 in the pump 13a, it may be the case that no gas is present in the pump l3a.) Meanwhile, the valve V2 (or another valve) may allow some liquid 2 to ﬂow into the first portion 46 of a cartridge 4 to activate a gas source 41. Thus, liquid may dissolve gas emitted by the gas source 41 as the liquid 2 passes through the contactor 6. The valve V3 may be arranged to allow the liquid 2 ﬂowing from the contactor 6 to enter the second syringe pump 13b for temporary storage therein. With a desired amount of liquid transferred from the first syringe pump 13a to the second syringe pump l3b via the contactor 6, ﬂow may be ed with the second syringe pump l3b causing ﬂow through the contactor 6 and to the first syringe pump 13a. This cycling may be repeated a desired number of times, e.g., based on the output of a carbonation detector, to achieve a desired level of carbonation of the liquid 2. With carbonation or other gas ving complete, the valve V3 may be arranged to pass liquid 2 to the second n 47 of the cartridge, e. g., for mixing with beverage medium 42 and transfer of ge (via open valve V4) to the cup 8. A system like that in may allow a user to define a carbonation or other dissolved gas level for a beverage, and may operate to dissolve gas into the precursor liquid 2 up to the set level, whether before or after mixing beverage medium with the precursor liquid 2.

In another aspect of the invention, a cartridge may be arranged to control a ﬂow of activation ﬂuid into the cartridge to activate a gas source. As discussed above, one option is to have a beverage making machine control ﬂow of activation ﬂuid into the dge.

However, the cartridge itself may also help to control activation of the gas source. Such an arrangement may allow the cartridge itself to define a carbonation or other gas dissolution level, ng ent cartridges to define different gas dissolution levels without requiring a change in system operation. For example, shows a schematic view of a first portion 46 of a cartridge 4 that includes a ﬂow controller 76 in the form of a valve (such as a pressure regulator or pressure activated valve). Activation ﬂuid (e.g., water) may be provided at the activator inlet 46a under a set pressure. When a pressure in the first portion 46 is suitably low, the ﬂow controller 76 may open to allow water to enter the first portion W0 19963 60 PCT/U82012/049356 46, which causes activation of the gas source 41. r, once pressure in the first portion 46 reaches a threshold level, the ﬂow controller 76 may close, stopping ﬂow of water into the first portion 46. This stop in ﬂow will tend to lower the pressure in the first portion 46 as gas is routed to a contactor or other gas dissolution device or vented, and when the pressure again drops suitably, the ﬂow controller 76 may again open. In this embodiment, the ﬂow controller 76 is shown to e a spring that urges a valve gate to close, where the force of the spring is set to provide suitable gas pressure l in the first portion 46. r, other arrangements are le, such as those found in pressure regulator valves, an arrangement in which high pressure in the first portion 46 tends to expand a part of the cartridge to pinch (and thereby close) a ﬂow path from the activator inlet 46a, and so on.

FIGs. 37 and 38 show another illustrative embodiment in which a cartridge 4 includes a ﬂow controller 76 similar to that in . However, in this embodiment, the ﬂow controller 76 (specifically an upstanding strut functioning as a spring element) interacts with a part of the beverage making machine. Thus, when the cartridge 4 in this embodiment is properly associated with the beverage making machine, the ﬂow controller 76 may be caused to operate to control activation ﬂuid ﬂow into the cartridge. Other arrangements r to that in FIGs. 37 and 38 are le, including arrangements in which the beverage making machine may control the opening and closing of a ﬂow ller 76 of the cartridge 4. For example, the arrangement in FIGs. 37 and 38 may be modified so that the beverage making machine moves the strut or other portion of the ﬂow controller 76 (such as a valve gate) to cause the ﬂow controller 76 to open and close. Other ﬂow controller arrangements are possible in such an embodiment, such as a membrane valve, ﬂapper valve, plunger valve, etc., which may be manipulated and controlled by the beverage making machine.

FIGs. 39—42 show another illustrative embodiment of an arrangement for controlling activation ﬂuid ﬂow into a cartridge. In this embodiment, the cartridge 4 has an arrangement r to that in FIGs. 38—30. The cartridge is shown in FIGs. 39 and 40 in a mounted orientation in a beverage making machine. An activation ﬂuid inlet needle or other port extends into an activator inlet 46a of the cartridge and remains nary during beverage formation. In on, a part of the cartridge 4 near an upper end is held fixed relative to the ﬂuid inlet needle. When a pressure in the cartridge 4 is relatively low, a distal end of the inlet needle is positioned relative to the activator inlet 46a of the cartridge 4 so that activation ﬂuid is delivered to the cartridge 4. However, when a re in the cartridge increases, the cartridge expands, pulling the tor inlet 46a away from the inlet needle. This movement stops ﬂow of activation ﬂuid, which does not resume until pressure drops in the cartridge and W0 2013/019963 61 PCT/U82012/049356 the cartridge moves to the orientation shown in . FIGS. 41 and 42 show one arrangement of the ﬂuid inlet needle and the activator inlet 46a for this ment. The inlet needle has an opening on its side so that when the needle extends into the cartridge 4, the activation ﬂuid ﬂow path is open. However, withdrawal of the inlet needle into the activator inlet 46a blocks the ﬂowpath, stopping activation ﬂuid ﬂow. Other arrangements for opening and closing an activation ﬂuid ﬂowpath based on cartridge movement are possible, such as a valve in the activator inlet 46a that opens and closes based on cartridge movement or pressure change, and .

FIGs. 43 and 44 show r arrangement for controlling activation ﬂuid control. In this embodiment, the cartridge again has an ement similar to that in FIGs. 28—30.

When activation ﬂuid is provided to the cartridge and the gas source is activated (as shown in ), the cartridge will te gas, which causes a pressure build up and enlargement of the cartridge 4 (as shown in ). An increase in size of the cartridge in at least one portion may te a switch or other sensor 51, which causes the system controller 5 to stop activation ﬂuid ﬂow to the cartridge 4. When the pressure reduces, the cartridge may reduce in size and the switch or other sensor 51 will be deactivated, allowing activation ﬂuid ﬂow to resume, if appropriate. shows yet another embodiment, again with an arrangement similar to that in FIGs. 28—30. However, in this embodiment, the gas outlet conduit 46d and the precursor inlet 47a conduit are both formed by suitable weld lines g the layers of barrier material 79.

That is, the conduits for gas outlet and precursor inlet into the first and second portions 46, 47, respectively, are formed by the barrier layers 79 only, and do not e a tube or other structure. As a result, ﬂow of activation ﬂuid and/or precursor liquid into the dge may be controlled by pinching the cartridge 4 so as to close one or both of the inlets 46a, 47a. It should be understood that the outlet of gas and/or beverage medium from the cartridge may be similarly controlled. Flow control may be based on any suitable criterion, such as a detected gas pressure, an elapsed timer, detected movement of the cartridge or portions of the cartridge (e. g., caused by a pressure increase in the dge), and so on. shows yet another illustrative embodiment regarding control of ﬂow of tion ﬂuid into a cartridge. In this embodiment, the cartridge 4 has an arrangement like that in , and has a ﬂexible wall or other part at the first portion 46 of the cartridge. As a result, when pressure in the first portion 46 increases to or beyond a threshold level, the e wall may expand outwardly. Movement of the cartridge wall or other part may be detected by the beverage making system 1, such as by a switch or other sensor 51. In W0 2013/019963 62 response, the controller 5 may stop ﬂow of tion ﬂuid into the cartridge 4 until pressure in the first portion 46 is reduced, and the e part of the cartridge retracts or otherwise moves to indicate a suitable drop in re. While in this embodiment, the movable part that indicates pressure in the first n includes a e wall, other configurations are possible, such as a movable piston or plunger, etc.

FIGs. 47 and 48 show yet another embodiment regarding control of activation ﬂuid in a cartridge. In this embodiment, the cartridge includes a ﬂow controller 76 in the form of a valve that may be pinched closed by a valve actuator 81 of the beverage making system 1. In this embodiment, a pressure in the cartridge may be sensed by a sensor 51 that detects a pressure in a line leading from the first portion 46. If a suitably high pressure is detected, the system 1 may cause the valve actuator 81 to move so as to pinch the valve of the ﬂow controller 76 . With a pressure at or below a threshold detected, the valve actuator 81 may allow the valve to open. While in this embodiment the valve of the ﬂow controller 76 is a relatively simple structure in which a portion of the cartridge 4 may be moved to close a ﬂow path (e.g., as in the embodiment of ), other arrangements are possible, such as valves with movable valve gates, plungers, or other structures that may be actuated by a valve actuator. For example, the ﬂow ller 76 may include a membrane valve in which an eable membrane may be moved toward and away from a port so as to control ﬂow into the first portion 46.

FIGs. 49 and 50 show an illustrative embodiment in which a cartridge may control ﬂow of activation ﬂuid into the cartridge 4 independent of a beverage making machine, e.g., like that in . In this embodiment, the cartridge includes a ﬂow controller 76 that includes a valve that can be opened and closed by pressure in the first portion 46. Thus, the ﬂow controller 76 may include a pressure regulator—type valve that autonomously controls pressure in the first n 46 to be within a desired pressure range. In , pressure in the first n is within or below the desired pressure range, and so the valve is open to allow the inﬂow of activation ﬂuid into the first n 46. In , the pressure in the first portion 46 has risen above the desired pressure range, and as such, pressure on the right side of the valve (which is ﬂuidly connected to the first portion 46) causes the valve to move to the left, stopping ﬂow of activation ﬂuid. In some embodiments, the pressure in the first portion as controlled by the ﬂow controller 76 can vary depending on the pressure of incoming activation ﬂuid. That is, the ﬂow controller 76 could be arranged so that the pressure of the tion ﬂuid inﬂuences the operation of the valve, e.g., in one case, so that the pressure in the first portion 46 must exceed the pressure of the ng activation ﬂuid W0 2013/019963 63 PCT/U82012/049356 to allow the ﬂow controller valve to close and stop ﬂow. This arrangement may allow the system 1 to operate different cartridges at different gas pressures in the first portion 46, e.g., by adjusting a pressure of the incoming activation ﬂuid. However, in other embodiments, the ﬂow controller 76 operation may be made independent of the pressure of the tion ﬂuid so that variations in activation ﬂuid pressure have no effect on the controlled pressure in the first n 46. Such an ement may be , for example, where a pump delivering tion water has a variable pressure, and/or where pressure control in the cartridge is bly inﬂuenced by ambient pressures, such as where operation of the system 1 at sea level requires higher gas pressures, but operation at high elevation es lower pressures.

Possible valve configurations for the ﬂow controller 76 are generally known in the art, and are not described in detail herein. Also, the ﬂow controller 76 may operate in a binary fashion (on/off) or may provide for variable ﬂow rates.

In another aspect of the invention, a cartridge may include a filter in the first and/or second portion to separate an inlet from an outlet of the first and/or second portion. For e, a filter may be provided in a first portion of a cartridge to help resist eXit of gas source materials from the first n. A filter may be provided in a second portion of a cartridge to help prevent relatively large, undissolved particles from clogging the outlet, help prevent bacterial contamination of a beverage (e.g., where the precursor liquid includes organisms that can be filtered from the precursor liquid prior to being supplied as a beverage), and/or help distribute precursor liquid in the second portion (e.g., to help with ution). shows a cartridge with an arrangement similar to that in , but this embodiment includes a filter 46c in the first portion, and a filter 77 in the second portion 47.

While in this embodiment the filter 46c and 77 are formed by a single filter element that spans the first and second portions 46, 47, other ements are possible, such as individual filter elements for each portion. The filter 46c may operate to in the e of gas source materials to the gas outlet 46b, while the filter 77 may help reduce microbial contamination of the beverage medium and beverage, and/or help spread the ﬂow of precursor liquid over a larger surface area of the beverage medium. FIGs. 52—54 show another illustrative arrangement of a filter used in a cartridge like that of 1. In this embodiment, a layer of perforated or otherwise suitably permeable al is interposed between the layers of barrier material 79 so that the activator inlet 46a is separated from the gas outlet 46b by the permeable material (which forms a filter 46c in the first portion 46), and the precursor liquid inlet 47a is separated from the beverage medium outlet 47b by the W0 2013/019963 64 permeable material (which forms a filter 77 in the second portion 47). Again, the filters 46c and 77 could be formed in other ways, as this is just one of several possible embodiments.

FIGs. 53 and 54 show how the filters 46c and 77 separate the inlets and outlets of the respective first and second portions 46, 47. In , it can be seen how the filter 77 provides a space into which precursor liquid may enter the second portion 47 and permeate through the filter 77 and uniformly wet the beverage medium 42. In , it can be seen how the filter 46c provides a relatively large surface area for emitted gas to pass through the filter 46c and to the gas outlet 46b. shows a perspective view of how a single piece of ble material can form the filters 46c and 77 in a cartridge like that in FIGs. 52—54. As can be seen, the ble material can traverse a zig—zag path relative to the inlet 46a, 47a and outlets 46b, 47b of the first and second portions 46, 47. To maintain the permeable material in the position shown in , the permeable material may be bonded to the insert 74 and/or the barrier material 79 to keep the inlets/outlets clear.

As discussed above, a cartridge may be configured to allow a user to interact with the dge to define one or more teristics of a beverage to be made. For example, a user may interact with a cartridge to define a carbonation level, a sweetness of the beverage, an amount of beverage medium to use in making the beverage, and so on. FIGs. 56 and 57 show an arrangement of a cartridge that is similar to that in but includes a clip 78 that can be engaged with the cartridge 4 so as to limit an amount of beverage medium 42 that can be used to form a beverage. The clip 78 may be movable relative to the cartridge to provide a continuously adjustable amount of beverage medium that can be used. A similar feature could be used to define an amount of carbonation, e.g., by limiting what portion of the gas source is exposed to activating ﬂuid. Of course, a clip 78 is only one example of how a user could interact with a cartridge to define beverage characteristics. For example, the dge may have one or more removable tabs, adjustable s, holes or other features that can be removed or covered, etc., that could be adjusted by a user. The system ller 5 may recognize the ed feature and control the system I accordingly. ately, the adjusted cartridge feature may itself directly l operation of the system. For example, a broken off tab of the dge may trigger a switch that disables delivery of activating ﬂuid to the cartridge, thereby forcing the machine to make a non—sparkling (or still) beverage.

In another aspect of the invention, a cartridge may include a beverage outlet that s from the cartridge, e.g., towards or to a user’s cup or other container. Such an extending outlet may help r a beverage to a cup in splash—free way, may help reduce W0 2013/019963 65 2012/049356 loss of carbonation or other dissolved gases, and/or may help reduce contact of the beverage with a beverage making e. In one illustrative embodiment, the cartridge may include a trouser valve that includes two ﬂat, ted membranes sealed at opposing edges of the membranes along their length. The trouser valve may be folded or rolled up such that the folds or contact pressures in the rolled position close the valve, if necessary. In one embodiment, a relatively eight film can be used, e.g., to help the valve form a suitable seal when rolled or . When pressure is d to the inner end of the trouser valve, the structure may unfold/unroll and expand into an elongated form. The extension of the trouser valve into a dispensing configuration may open any seal formed by the valve in its folded state and allow beverage to ﬂow along the valve. The valve may be arranged to provide for smooth ﬂow of the beverage through a tapered passageway, potentially reducing the risk of turbulence and loss of carbonation before dispensing. In other embodiments, a cartridge may include a more rigid outlet conduit that s from the cartridge to conduct beverage toward a user’s cup. For example, a retractable tube in the cartridge may extend under pressure built up in the cartridge. If desired, additional mixing action can be included in the beverage outlet ﬂow path, e.g., by shaping the welds of a trouser valve to make the ﬂow path serpentine or to include obstacles to enhance mixing of. Also, since a trouser valve may assume a ﬂat condition after delivery of beverage, e.g., due to resilience of material used to make the valve that causes the valve to fold, the beverage outlet may retain little or no residual beverage, at least as compared to a cylindrical conduit of equivalent length. This may reduce leakage from the cartridge after use, reducing mess.

In another aspect of the invention, a cartridge (such as a mixing chamber portion) may include a mixer or other movable part that interacts with beverage medium and/or precursor liquid to enhance mixing of the beverage. For example, the movable part may be actuated by interaction with ﬂow of the beverage medium or precursor liquid, such as a vibrating reed, rotating blade, or other element. In another embodiment, the movable part may be actuated by an external drive, such as a direct drive shaft of a motor associated with a beverage making machine, a ic ng that provides t—free movement of the mixer or other movable part, a pneumatic or hydraulic drive that provides moving ﬂuid to the cartridge to drive the mixer, and others.

FIGs. 58—60 show assembled, side and top views of another rative embodiment of a cartridge 4 that incorporates one or more aspects of the invention. As can be seen in , the cartridge 4 in this ment includes a container with a first portion 46 and a second portion 47 that can be assembled so that the lids 45a, 45b of the portions 46, 47 are W0 2013/019963 66 PCT/U82012/049356 nt each other. For example, the first portion 46 may be arranged so that a part of the lid 45a is recessed below an upper edge of a rim 462 of a first container part 461 of the first portion 46. The rim 472 of the second container part 471 of the second portion 47 may be arranged to fit within the recess and engage with the rim 462 so as to hold the first and second portions 46, 47 together. For example, the rim 462 may include a groove that receives the rim 472 to releaseably hold the first and second portions 46, 47 together by a friction or interference fit, e. g., so that a user may pull the first and second portions 46, 47 apart by hand and without tools. Altemately, the first and second portions 46, 47 may be held together in an assembled position shown in by an adhesive, an overwrap film, a band of shrink—wrapped material at the junction n first and second portions 46, 47, a piece of tape or band that extends from the first portion 46 to the second portion 47, etc.

Thus, in accordance with an aspect of the invention, the first and second portions 46, 47 may be arranged so that the cartridge has a plane where the first n 46 is located below the plane and the second n 47 is located above the plane. In this case, the plane of the cartridge may be parallel to, and defined by, a portion of the lid 45a, 45b, or may be parallel to a planar portion of a part of the lid 45a or 45b. The first and second portions 46, 47 may be used with a beverage making machine in the assembled ion, or may be moved relative to each other, e.g., separated from each other, for use with a beverage making machine. As sed above, the first and second portions 46, 47 may be oriented in different ways for interacting with a beverage making machine, such as in a side—by—side configuration shown in . In this embodiment, the first and second portions 46, 47 are not connected in , but the first and second portions 46, 47 may be ted by a tether or other structure, e. g., like that shown in FIGs. 6—8. Such a connection may help properly orient the portions 46, 47 for interaction with the beverage making system.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the first and second portions 46, 47 are separated by an impermeable barrier, e.g., the lid 45a or the lid 45b, which in this embodiment are both impermeable (although both need not necessarily be so). Also, as shown in , the lids 45a, 45b of the first and second portions 46, 47 may be arranged to accommodate a piercing element for inlet and/or outlet of gas or other ﬂuids. For example, the lid 45a may have an inlet region 451 ed to accommodate piercing by a ng element (e.g., a needle, blade, etc.) to admit activating water, water vapor or other ﬂuid into the first portion 46 to cause the gas source 41 to release carbon dioxide or other gas. The lid 45a may also have an outlet region 452 arranged to accommodate ng to allow gas or other ﬂuid to exit the first portion 46. However, as mentioned above, the lid 45a may be WO 19963 67 pierced in the same location for ﬂuid outlet, or may not be pierced at all, e.g., where the lid 45a es a defined port for inlet/outlet, or other portions of the first container part 461 are pierced at the bottom, sidewall or elsewhere.

The lid 45b may have an inlet region 451 ed to accommodate piercing to admit activating water, gas or other ﬂuid, whether for mixing with the beverage medium 42, or to push the medium 42 to exit the second portion 47, e.g., through a pierced hole in the bottom of the second portion 47 for mixing with a precursor liquid in a user’s cup, a mixing chamber, etc. The second portion 47 may also include a filter component 48b to help keep beverage medium 42 from contacting a ng element that pierces the lid 45b. The filter component 48b may include a hydrophobic ne, a piece of filter paper, or other suitable component, and may be attached to the lid 45b or other portion of the second container part 471. By avoiding contact of beverage medium 42 with a piercing element, unwanted contamination of the piercing element may be reduced or eliminated. Altemately, or in addition, a piercing element (whether used to pierce an inlet and/or outlet opening of a first or second portion 46, 47) may be arranged to be removable from a beverage making machine (e. g., for cleaning and replacement in the machine). Another possibility is to arrange the second portion 47 so that it can be squeezed, crushed or otherwise have a wall (such as the lid 45b or ner part 471 sidewall) moved to urge beverage medium 42 to exit the second portion 47, e.g., through a burstable or otherwise frangible outlet or pierced hole. For example, the lid 45b may be pressed downwardly in the orientation shown in so that beverage medium 42 is forced out of the second n 47, e.g., through an opening in a bottom part of the second portion 47. Such pressing may be accomplished by a plunger or piston of a beverage making machine that presses downwardly on the lid 45b, crushing the second portion 47 and ing the beverage medium.

The lid 45a (or the lid 45b) may have a pull tab (e.g., as shown in Fig. 60) to aid a user in removing the lid 45a for recycling or other purposes. For example, a user may wish to remove the lid 45a from the first ner part 461 to remove the gas source 41 after use.

The gas source 41 may be contained in a permeable bag or other holder, such as a c mesh bag, filter paper pouch, etc. This bag may help prevent gas source 41 particles from exiting the first portion 46 and/or make removal and disposal/recycling of the gas source 41 materials in the first portion 46 easier. The bag may also help orient or ise position the gas source 41 in the first portion 46, e.g., to keep the gas source 41 away from the lid 45a (such as to avoid contact with a piercing element), to e the gas source 41 for optimal or W0 2013/019963 68 PCT/U82012/049356 other desired receipt of activating liquid (e.g., arrange the gas source 41 in layers or compartments for selective wetting), and so on.

FIGs. 61 and 62 show another illustrative embodiment of a dge 4 that incorporates one or more s of the invention. In this illustrative embodiment, similar to that of , the first and second portions 46, 47 may be arranged on opposite sides of a plane, such as a plane that is parallel to, and positioned at or n, the lids 45a, 45b of the first and second portions 46, 47. As noted above, “above” and “below” are terms used for ease of reference, and since the cartridge 4 may be inverted from the position shown in , the second portion 47 may be said to be “above” the plane and the first portion 46 may be said to be ” the plane in the inverted orientation. The first and second portions 46, 47 may be connected together by a portion of the lids 45a, 45b, i.e., connector 45c, or r element. Thus, the first and second portions 46, 47 may be moved relative to each other from the position in to an orientation like that in , e.g., for introduction into and interaction with a beverage making machine. The connector 45c or other portion of the lid 45 (or of the cartridge 4) may carry an identifier, such as a barcode, RFID tag or other device that can be read by a beverage making system and used to l system operation, e.g., to control a carbonation level, beverage volume, etc. Similar to the FIGs. 58—60 embodiment, the first portion 46 may have the lid 45a pierced in one or more locations to admit activating ﬂuid and/or release gas for ation or other purposes. Of , the first portion 46 may operate to activate a gas source 41 and release gas in any suitable way as discussed herein, such as receiving activating ﬂuid and/or releasing gas through a part of the first portion 46 opposite the lid 45a (e.g., the bottom of the first portion 46 as oriented in Fig. 62). As with other embodiments, the first portion 46 may be made of any suitable material or combination of materials, such as a metal foil (e.g., um) capsule.

Similarly, the second portion 47 may be arranged in a variety of ent ways, but in this embodiment is ed so that a wall 47a of the second portion 47 can be moved so that beverage medium 42 is caused to eXit the second n 47. For example, the wall 47a may include a corrugated sheet of material (such as a sheet of aluminum foil that has a set of steps arranged as concentric annular rings) that can be pressed from the bottom (as shown by the arrows 200 in ) so that the wall 47a is collapsed toward the lid 45b (the lid 45b and upper rim of the wall 47a would be suitably supported by a beverage making machine chamber, for example). Movement of the wall 47a could cause a rise in re in the second portion 47, e.g., so that a burstable seal opens to release beverage medium 42 along the arrow 202. Of course, the wall 47a could be pierced to form an opening to allow W0 2013/019963 69 PCT/U82012/049356 beverage medium 42 to exit, rather than having a burstable or otherwise frangible seal open.

In another illustrative embodiment shown in , the second portion 47 may include an internal piercing element 203 arranged to pierce the wall 47a to form an outlet opening for beverage medium 42. For example, the piercing element 203 may be ed so that with force applied to the lid 45a along the ion of the arrow 204, the ng element 203 may be moved downwardly to pierce the wall 47a. In this , the lid 45a may or may not be pierced. In one arrangement where the lid 45a is pierced, gas, precursor liquid or other ﬂuid may be introduced into the second portion 47 to urge the beverage medium 42 out of the opening formed in the wall 47a. It should also be understood that an internal piercing element may be used with other embodiments described herein, such as in FIGs. 58—60, and may be used in a first portion 46 of a cartridge 4.

The wall 47a may be ed so that when pushed in the direction of the arrows 200 in , the radially outer portions of the wall 47a may se first, with radially inner portions of the wall 47a sing subsequently in a step—wise fashion toward a center of the wall 47a. This may help urge beverage medium 42 to move radially inwardly and out of the outlet. In other embodiments, the wall 47a may be arranged without corrugations, or otherwise without concern for how the wall 47a collapses. Instead, the wall 47a may be simply moved toward the lid 45b and the beverage medium 42 forced from the second portion 47 without control of ﬂow in the second portion 47. If the wall 47a is moved very closely adjacent to the lid 45b, most or all of the beverage medium 42 may be forced from the second n 47. shows another illustrative embodiment in which a second portion 47 of the cartridge 4 is formed as an end—gusseted bag, e.g., formed from a sheet aluminum foil or other metal or plastic material. Such bags are well known in the food packaging art, and the second portion 47 in this embodiment is shown with the gusseted portion facing upwardly.

An outlet nozzle 47b is arranged at a side of the bag (the bottom) opposite the gusset, and may include a burstable septum or other outlet arrangement that opens when the second portion 47 is squeezed or otherwise experiences an increase in pressure in the compartment where the beverage medium 42 is held. In one embodiment, the second portion 47 may be squeezed by air or other gas pressure that is introduced into a closed r in which the second portion 47 is held. The gas pressure may be provided by an air pump, compressed gas , gas produced by the first portion 46, or other arrangement into a closed compartment that causes pressure to be exerted on the exterior of the second portion 47. Thus, the second n 47 may have a wall, e.g., a part of the bag forming the second portion 47, that is moved to urge ge medium to exit the second portion 47. The nozzle 47b may be located outside of the chamber in which re is introduced, e.g., so that beverage medium 42 forced from the nozzle 47b may enter a mixing chamber, a user’ s cup, etc. The nozzle 47b may include atomizing orifices or other features that help form small droplets or streams of beverage medium 42, e.g., as an aid to mixing.

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, at least a part of the first portion 46 may be received into the gusset of the second portion 47. For e, the gusset may form a l ellipsoid shaped cavity into which the first portion 46, which may have a complementary shape, can fit. In one embodiment, the first portion 46 may fit entirely within the gusset such that the first portion 46 can form a e or base of the cartridge 4 such that the dge can stand upright on a ﬂat surface with the first portion 46 supporting the cartridge. For example, the lid 45a of the first portion 46 may provide a ﬂat surface at the top of the cartridge 4 when the first portion 46 is received into the gusset cavity of the second portion 47, ng the cartridge 4 to be inverted and stood on a table top with the first portion 46 resting on the table. However, this is not necessary, and the first portion 46 may de from the gusset cavity of the second portion 47, e.g., with a domed top surface.

With the first portion 46 at least partially received in the gusset cavity, a rim 462 of the first portion 46 may be crimped or otherwise attached to a rim 472 of the second portion 47 to engage the first and second portions 46, 47 together. As in other embodiments, the first portion 46 may include inlet and/or outlet regions 451, 452 arranged to accommodate piercing for inlet and/or outlet ﬂows.

As mentioned above, the second portion 47 may be squeezed or otherwise collapsed to release beverage medium 42. During this process, the first portion 46 may be subjected to the squeezing force, such as air pressure, opposed chamber walls moved toward each other with the second portion 47 located between the chamber walls, etc., or may be at least partially isolated from the squeezing force. For example, a rim 462 of the first portion 46 may be clamped in a cartridge receiver of a beverage making machine so that a sealed chamber located below the rim 462 can be formed around the second n 47. This arrangement may help reduce or eliminate squeezing force on the first portion 46. shows another illustrative embodiment of a cartridge. In this embodiment, the cartridge 4 es a rical ner with a first portion 46 located on one side (an upper region as shown) of the container, and a second portion 47 located on an opposite side (a lower region). The first and second portions 46, 47 may be separated by a wall, e.g., that ishes an air tight space in which beverage medium 42 is located. The first portion 46 may be piercable to admit activating liquid into, and/or allow gas to exit the first n 46, or may be arranged in other ways as discussed above. However, in this ment, the second portion 47 is arranged to initially hold a gas under pressure in the air tight space with the beverage medium 42 so that when an outlet valve 47b is opened (e.g., by moving a part of the valve relative to the second portion 47), the pressurized gas expands and forces the beverage medium 42 to pass through the valve 47b and out of the second portion 47. Thus, a ge making machine using the cartridge 4 would not be required to introduce gas, liquid or other ﬂuid into the second portion 47 to expel the beverage medium 42. Instead, opening of the valve 47b, which could be done automatically by the machine or by a user, could cause the beverage medium 42 to be dispensed. In an alternate embodiment, the pressurized gas in the second portion 47 could be received from the first n 46, e.g., a wall separating the first and second portions 46, 47 could be permeable, at least with the first portion 46 under suitable pressure, so that gas generated by the gas source 41 can ﬂow into the second portion 47, thus pressurizing the second portion 47 for dispensing of the beverage medium 42.

Altemately, pressurized gas could be introduced into the second portion 47 by a beverage forming machine, e.g., via a piercing needle, port or other mechanism.

The release properties of a carbon dioxide adsorbent were measured in the following way: 8 x 12 beads of sodium zeolite 13X (such as are cially available from UOP MOLSIV ents) were obtained. The beads were placed in a ceramic dish and fired in a Vulcan D550 furnace manufactured by Ceramco. The temperature in the furnace containing the beads was raised to 550 °C at a rate of 3 OC/min and was held at 550 °C for 5 hours for firing and preparation of the beads for charging with carbon dioxide.

The beads were removed from the furnace and immediately transferred to a metal container equipped with a tightly fitted lid and entrance and exit ports permitting circulation of gas. With the beads sealed in the container, the container was ﬂooded with carbon dioxide gas and pressurized to 15 psig. (Note, r, that experiments have been performed between 5—32 psig.) The chamber was held at the set pressure for 1 hour. During this hold period the chamber was bled every 15 min. At the end of this period a quantity of gas had adsorbed to the beads.

A 30g sample of charged 13X zeolite was ed, and a beaker filled with 250ml of water at room ature of 22°C. The beaker and water was placed on a balance and the balance zeroed. The 30g of charged zeolite was then added to the beaker and the change in weight versus time was measured. It was shown that the change in weight became approximately steady after a period of 50 seconds, and that the beads lost about 4.2 g (14 wt%) of weight attributed to the release of carbon dioxide. Of course, some carbon dioxide may have been dissolved into the water.

Time (sec) Weight (grams) 0 30 26.7 50 25.8 75 25 .6 100 25 .5 Example 2 Charged e 13X was prepared as in Example 1. A 30 g sample of the charged zeolites was then placed in metal chamber with a water inlet port at the bottom and a gas outlet port at the top. The chamber that held the zeolites was 34 x 34 mm in cross section and had 2 metal filter discs with 64 1/16” diameter holes to retain the zeolite material. Tap water was then ﬂooded into the bottom of the chamber perpendicular to the cross—section at an average ﬂow rate of 60 . Gas evolved through the top outlet port.

The pressure of the gas in the chamber was measured with a re gauge and controlled using a needle valve attached to the exit port of the gas chamber. The needle valve was set to maintain the chamber at a pressure of 35 psig by manually adjusting the valve over the course of ng d zeolites in the chamber to water. Once the valve was set to an operating pressure, the system would perform repeatably with e samples charged in the same manner.

Example 3 Charged zeolite 13X was prepared as in Example 1. A 30 g sample of the charged zeolites was then placed in a semi rigid 50 ml polystyrene—polyethylene—EVOH laminate cup container and lly sealed with a foil lid. The sealed zeolite cartridges were then placed into a sealed, metal cartridge chamber and pierced on the top and bottom.

Tap water was introduced at the bottom of the cartridge with the ﬂow controlled by a solenoid valve. The id valve was actuated via a pressure switch connected to the top gas outlet of the cartridge chamber. During three different tests, the pressure switch was set to three different ing pressures of 5, 22, and 35 psig. The resulting gas at the set pressures was then introduced into the shellside of a hydrophobic membrane contactor (lx5.5 Minimodule from Liquicel, of Charlotte, North Carolina). The other shellside port was plugged to prevent gas from escaping. Water from a reservoir containing 400ml of water and approximately 50 g of ice was circulated from the reservoir, through the contactor, and back to the reservoir (e. g., like that shown in using an Ulka (Milan, Italy) type EAX 5 vibratory pump through the lumenside of the membrane contactor. The pressure of the reservoir and contactor was maintained at the same re as the gas was produced. The system produced gas and circulated the water for approximately 60 seconds before being stopped.

The resulting carbonated water was then tested for carbonation levels using a CaronC from Anton—Paar of Ashland, Virginia. The results for are shown in the table below: System re (psig) Average Carbonation Level (Volumes C02 ved) Thus, the gas was shown to evolve from the zeolites in the cartridges at a controllable rate (based on water delivery to the cartridge r) and then dissolved into water to produce a carbonated beverage. In addition, this illustrates the concept that by controlling system res one can control the level of ation of the finished beverage. It is expected that higher system pressures, e.g., of about 40—50 psi above ambient, would produce a 4 volume carbonated beverage (having a liquid volume of about 500 ml) in about 60 seconds or less.

Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of this invention, it is to be iated that various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such tions, modifications, and improvements are ed to be part of this disclosure, and are intended to be Within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only.

Claims

1. A cartridge for use by a beverage making machine in forming a beverage, comprising: a container including first and second portions that are attached together and separated by an impermeable r, the first portion containing a gas source for emitting a gas to be dissolved in a beverage precursor , the second portion ning a beverage medium for mixing with a precursor liquid to form a beverage, the second portion including a wall that is movable to force beverage medium to exit the second n for mixing with precursor liquid.

2. The cartridge of claim 1, n the first portion is arranged to have an inlet through which fluid is provided to activate the gas source and an outlet through which gas exits the first portion for dissolving in the precursor liquid.

3. The cartridge of claim 2, wherein the inlet and outlet are located on a top of the first portion.

4. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the second portion is arranged to have an outlet through which the beverage medium exits the container for mixing with the precursor liquid.

5. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the wall defines, at least in part, the first portion of the dge.

6. The dge of claim 5, n the first portion is defined at least in part by a first chamber wall, and the second portion is d at least in part by a second chamber wall that defines a second space, wherein the first chamber wall is received into the second space and is movable relative to the second chamber wall to expel beverage medium from the second portion of the cartridge.

7. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the wall includes a layer of barrier material.

8. The cartridge of claim 7, wherein the second portion is defined by a capsule formed by a layer of barrier material.

9. The cartridge of claim 8, wherein the layer of barrier material is arranged to open and allow beverage medium to exit the second portion when a force is d to the barrier material.

10. The cartridge of claim 9, wherein the cartridge includes a piercing element that opens the second portion when a force is applied to the barrier al.

11. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the first portion is d by a capsule formed by a layer of barrier material.

12. The cartridge of claim 11, wherein the second portion is defined by a capsule formed by a layer of barrier al, and the first and second portions are attached together.

13. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the gas source is a charged zeolite.

14. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the first and second portions are sealed from an exterior environment and the first portion contains a carbon e source in solid form arranged to emit carbon dioxide gas for use in mixing with a beverage precursor liquid to form a beverage.

15. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the first portion is sealed from an exterior environment and a re in the first portion prior to breaking the seal of the first portion is less than 100 psi.

16. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the gas source is arranged to emit gas suitable for forming a ated beverage having a volume of between 100 – 1000 ml and a carbonation level of about 1 to 5.

17. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the wall includes corrugations and a frangible outlet that is le based on pressure inside the second portion.

18. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the gas source is contained in a permeable bag.

19. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the first n includes a surface arranged to accommodate piercing to form an inlet h which fluid is provided to activate the gas source and an outlet through which gas exits the container for dissolving in the precursor liquid, the first portion being attached to the second portion such that the surface is unexposed. 20\ ' L—1 I‘_'7 I 10 |II'l 571' ller SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26)