GB2505659A - Infusion apparatus having means for driving motion of an infusion substance containing capsule - Google Patents

Abstract

Infusion apparatus for infusing a liquid with an infusion substance for making a beverage is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a means for coupling said apparatus to a capsule 102 holding said infusion substance. The capsule 102 has at least one inlet portion (116, Fig.4b) for receiving liquid and at least one outlet portion 118 for discharging said liquid. Means 110 are provided for driving motion of said capsule 102 in a chamber 106 containing said liquid. The motion causes liquid to be drawn into the capsule through the inlet portions and discharged through the outlet portions. The motion may comprise rotation of the capsule which induces a circulation of liquid which enters the capsule and is then forced out due to centrifugal force. Another aspect relates to the capsule containing the infusion substance.

Description

Brewing apparatus, system and method

Field of invention

This invention relates to an apparatus for brewing beverages, in particular but not limited to apparatus for use in brewing infusion beverages such as tea or coffee.

Background

Beverages such as tea involve infusing a solid in a liquid; the strength and flavour of the drink depends on a number of factors including the time it is infused for and the method of infusing. It is therefore hard to consistently produce a particular flavour and taste; this is a particular problem in retail environments where drinks to a certain specification are desired. In such environments, speed is also a concern because infusion beverages can take several minutes to infuse to the correct strength. Typically, a customer is given the beverage before it is properly infused and the customer has to decide how to finish the infusion process. This experience can be unsatisfying for the customer, and the alternative where the vendor completes the infusion process would result in a delay and the beverage may not be to the customer's taste.

Thus a consistent, customisable and fast way of producing infusion beverages is needed.

Summary

In one aspect of the present invention there is provided infusion apparatus for infusing a liquid with an infusion substance, the apparatus comprising: means for coupling said apparatus to a capsule holding said infusion substance, which capsule has at least one inlet portion for receiving said liquid into said capsule and at least one outlet portion for discharging said liquid from said capsule; means for driving motion of said capsule in a chamber containing said liquid, wherein said motion causes liquid to be: (a) drawn through said at least one inlet portion of said capsule to infuse said liquid drawn through said capsule with said infusion substance; and (b) discharged from said at least one outlet portion of said capsule.

In one aspect of the present invention there is provided an infusion apparatus for infusing a liquid with an infusion substance, the apparatus comprising means for coupling said apparatus to a capsule holding said infusion substance, which capsule is adapted to receive said liquid into said capsule and discharge said liquid from said capsule. The apparatus further comprising means for driving motion of said capsule in a chamber containing said liquid, wherein said motion causes liquid to be: (a) drawn through said capsule to infuse said liquid with said infusion substance; and (b) discharged from said capsule.

The driving means may be adapted to drive motion comprising rotation of the capsule.

The driving means may be adapted to drive motion comprising reciprocal motion of the capsule.

The driving means may be operable to provide a direct mechanical drive to said capsule for driving said motion.

The driving means may be operable to generate a magnetic field for driving said motion.

The driving means may be operable to selectively energise a plurality of coils to generate a time varying magnetic field for driving said motion.

The driving means may be operable to induce rotation of a permanent magnetic to generate a time varying magnetic field for driving said motion.

The driving means may be adapted to drive motion of said capsule which causes said liquid to be recirculated through said capsule.

The apparatus may further comprise means for supplying said chamber with liquid from a reservoir of said liquid.

The apparatus may further comprise means for heating said liquid to a required temperature.

The apparatus may comprise means for measuring the temperature of said liquid The apparatus may comprise means for controlling said heating means based on measurements from said temperature measuring means.

The heating means may be operable to induce heating using magnetic induction.

The heating means may be operable to induce heating using thermal radiation.

The heating means may be operable to heat liquid in a vessel placed in or on said apparatus.

The apparatus may be configured for said motion to occur in a chamber forming part of said apparatus.

The chamber may be configured for manual insertion of said capsule into said chamber and removal of said capsule from said chamber or vessel.

The chamber may comprise a chamber outlet for discharging infused or partially infused liquid from said chamber into a processing reservoir (or a user vessel) and a chamber inlet for receiving infused or partially infused liquid from said processing reservoir (or a user vessel).

The motion of the capsule may cause said infused or partially infused liquid to be recirculated through said chamber inlet and said chamber outlet via said processing reservoir (or a user vessel).

At least one of said chamber inlet and chamber outlet may be provided with means for heating liquid passing through said chamber inlet and/or chamber outlet.

The apparatus may comprise a processing reservoir into which said infused or partially infused liquid is discharged and from which said infused or partially infused liquid is drawn into said chamber.

The processing reservoir may comprise means for discharging said liquid (e.g. a valve) when infusion of said infusion substance has been completed.

The apparatus may be configured for said motion to occur in a vessel comprising said chamber (e.g. a cup, mug, beaker or the like) placed in or on said apparatus.

The apparatus may further comprise means for inserting said capsule into said chamber and removing said capsule from said chamber.

The apparatus may comprise means for measuring an infusion state of said liquid during the infusion process.

The means for measuring an intusion state may comprise a light sensor.

The apparatus may comprise means for processing a measurement from the light sensor to determine the colour (transparency or opaqueness) and hence said infusion state of the liquid.

The chamber may be adapted to form a centrifugal infusion pump when said capsule is in said chamber, said capsule forming a rotor of said centrifugal pump.

The apparatus may further comprise means for introducing a fluid (e.g. air, nitrogen, oxygen or the like) into said liquid during infusion.

The apparatus may further comprise means for introducing a flavour enhancer into said liquid before, during or after infusion.

The apparatus may further comprise means for controlling motion and/or heating of said liquid based on a recipe associated with said capsule and/or infusion substance contained in said capsule.

The capsule may comprise means for identifying said capsule, an infusion substance contained in said capsule, and/or a recipe associated with said capsule and wherein said means for controlling motion and/or heating of said liquid may be operable to read said identifier to identify said recipe associated with said capsule and/or infusion substance contained in said capsule.

The capsule may form part of said apparatus and may be adapted for repeated filling (partially or fully), emptying and refilling (partially or fully) of said capsule with said infusion substance.

The coupling means may be configured for releasable coupling of said apparatus to said capsule.

The apparatus may be configured for use in brewing a beverage by infusing said liquid with said infusion substance.

The infusion substance may comprise at least one of tea (e.g. leaf tea, black tea, green tea, herbal tea, fruit tea etc.), and coffee.

In another aspect of the present invention there is provided a capsule for use in infusion apparatus for infusing a liquid with an infusion substance, the capsule comprising: a housing comprising a cavity for holding said infusion substance, at least one inlet portion for receiving said liquid into said cavity and at least one outlet portion for discharging said liquid from said cavity; and means for coupling said capsule to means for driving motion of said capsule in said apparatus; wherein said capsule is adapted to, as a result of said motion: (a) draw liquid through said at least one inlet portion to infuse said liquid with said infusion substance in said cavity; and (b) discharge said infused liquid from said at least one outlet portion of said capsule.

In another aspect of the present invention there is provided a capsule for use in infusion apparatus for infusing a liquid with an infusion substance, the capsule comprising a housing comprising a cavity for holding said infusion substance, the capsule being adapted to receive said liquid into said cavity and discharge said liquid from said cavity; and means for coupling said capsule to means for driving motion of said capsule in said apparatus; wherein said capsule is adapted to, as a result of said motion: (a) draw liquid through said capsule to infuse said liquid with said infusion substance in said cavity; and (b) discharge said infused liquid from said capsule.

The coupling means may be adapted to magnetically couple to said driving means.

The capsule may comprise a permanent magnet.

The capsule may further comprise means for heating liquid in and/or surrounding said capsule.

The heating means may comprise a conductive element for inductive heating of said liquid in and/or surrounding said capsule.

The magnetically conductive element may comprise a ferrous metallic element.

The capsule may further comprise a temperature sensor.

The temperature sensor may be adapted to provide a measurement for use in a heating feed-back system.

The temperature sensor may be coupled to means for communicating measurements of said temperature to said apparatus (for example via passive radio frequency communication or the like).

The capsule may further comprise means for identifying said capsule, an infusion substance contained in said capsule, and/or a recipe associated with said capsule.

The identifying means may comprise at least one of a barcode, a Quick Recognition (QR) code, a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, and a mechanical identifier (e.g. raised and/or sunken portions of a surface adapted to encode an identity of the capsule, infusion substance and/or recipe).

The capsule may comprise a plurality of internal formations for controlling the flow of liquid through the capsule and/or for controlling the distribution of said infusion substance within said capsule.

The internal formations may comprise at least one of baffles, vanes, and partitions.

The capsule may be frustoconical in shape.

The capsule may have an impermeable cover layer (for example a foil layer or the like).

The impermeable cover layer may be provided over said inlet portion and/or said outlet portion and wherein said impermeable cover layer is pierceable an/or peelable to provide for liquid communication with said inlet portion and/or said outlet portion.

The capsule may be adapted to form a rotor of a centrifugal pump when, in operation, the capsule is being driven by said driving means of said apparatus.

The capsule may be adapted to be re-usable through repeated filling (partially or fully), emptying and refilling (partially or fully) of said capsule with said infusion substance.

The capsule may be prefilled with said infusion substance and may be adapted to be disposable after a single use or limited number of uses.

The capsule may have a major surface region that is substantially impermeable to said liquid during use and a minor surface region, smaller than said major surface region, in which said at least one inlet portion and at least one outlet portion are provided.

The configuration of said major and minor surface regions may be adapted such that when motion of said capsule ceases said infusion process is substantially inhibited.

The capsule may be generally disc or cylinder shaped.

The capsule may be substantially annular and/or torroidal in shape.

In another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of infusing a liquid with an infusion substance performed using infusion apparatus according to any of the above aspects, the method comprising: providing a capsule holding said infusion substance, which capsule has at least one inlet portion for receiving said liquid into said capsule and at least one outlet portion for discharging said liquid from said capsule; driving motion of said capsule in said liquid, wherein said motion causes liquid to be: (a) drawn through said at least one inlet portion of said capsule to infuse said liquid drawn through said capsule with said infusion substance; and (b) discharged from said at least one outlet portion of said capsule.

In another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of infusing a liquid with an infusion substance performed using a capsule according to any of the above aspects, the method comprising driving motion of said capsule in said liquid to: (a) draw liquid through said at least one inlet portion of said capsule to infuse said liquid drawn through said capsule with said infusion substance; and (b) discharge liquid from said at least one outlet portion of said capsule.

In one example there is provided infusion apparatus for infusing a liquid with an infusion substance for making a beverage is disclosed. The apparatus operates with a capsule holding the infusion substance. The capsule is arranged to draw liquid into said capsule and to discharge liquid from the capsule under motion induced by the apparatus.

The invention extends to any novel aspects or features described and/or illustrated herein.

Further features of the invention are characterised by the other independent and dependent claims Any feature in one aspect of the invention may be applied to other aspects of the invention, in any appropriate combination. In particular, method aspects may be applied to apparatus aspects, and vice versa.

Furthermore, features implemented in hardware may be implemented in software, and vice versa. Any reference to software and hardware features herein should be construed accordingly.

Any apparatus feature as described herein may also be provided as a method feature, and vice versa. As used herein, means plus function features may be expressed alternatively in terms of their corresponding structure, such as a suitably programmed processor and associated memory.

It should also be appreciated that particular combinations of the various features described and defined in any aspects of the invention can be implemented and/or supplied and/or used independently.

In this specification the word or' can be interpreted in the exclusive or inclusive sense unless stated otherwise.

The invention extends to methods and/or apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows an example brewing system; Figure 2 shows another example of a brewing system; Figure 3 shows another example of a brewing system; Figures 4 show various capsules for use in a brewing system such as those of Figures 1 -3; Figures 5 show various stages of an example beverage preparation process in an example brewing system; Figures 6(a) and (b) show two stages of another example beverage preparation process in an example brewing system; Figures 6(c) and (d) show details of the brewing system of Figure 6; Figure 7 is a variant of the brewing system of Figure 6; Figures 8(a) to (d) show various stages of an example beverage preparation process in an example brewing system; Figure 8(e) is an example capsule for use in the brewing system of Figure 8; Figure 9 is another alternative example brewing system utilising a different method; and Figures 10(a)-U) show example features of a capsule for use in a brewing system as described herein.

Detailed description

Overview Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, which are designed to allow the production of an infusion beverage in a repeatable manner in a relatively short time period. In some examples, circulation is produced to force liquid through an infusion substance (for example tea, coffee or the like). This circulation continues, recirculating the brewed liquid back through the infusion substance rather than relying only on natural diffusion as a result of the liquid temperature and the concentration gradient between the infusion substance and the liquid in which it is placed.

This recirculation affords a more customisable beverage as the strength and flavour can be altered by altering the time over which the recirculation occurs for and the rate of the recirculation. This is in contrast to known systems (for example conventional filter coffee apparatus) where liquid is passed through an infusion substance only once. Having an improved brewing process such as is described herein, for example, allows a user make a beverage using relatively high quality loose leaf tea, or similar, in a time comparable to using a tea bag, which normally comprises low quality, dusty tea.

Figure 1 is a schematic of one example of a brewing system indicated generally by reference numeral 100. The brewing system comprises a capsule 102 having an internal chamber 105 for holding an infusion substance 104 (also referred to as a brewing' substance), a reservoir 106 for holding a liquid (typically water), an inductive heater 108, and a driving mechanism 110 for driving rotation or oscillation of the capsule 102. Figure 4 shows the capsule 102 in more detail.

In this example, the capsule 102 is a generally annular disc shaped receptacle having a generally central hole 115 defined by a sidewall having at least one, and typically a plurality, of inlet apertures 116 into the chamber 105 in which the infusion substance 104 is held. A sidewall around the circumferential perimeter of the capsule is provided with at least one, and typically a plurality, of outlet apertures into the chamber 105. The apertures 116, 118 and central inlet hole 115 are arranged such that, in operation, liquid are drawn into the capsule via the central hole 115 and the inlet apertures 116 and exit the capsule via the internal chamber, the infusion substance 104, and the outlet apertures, when the capsule is rotated (or oscillated back and forth) in the manner of a centrifugal (sometimes referred to as centripetal') pump. As described in more detail later, Figures 4 and 10 show various alternative designs of the capsule, and its inlet and outlet apertures 116, 118, which may be adapted to improve the flow properties of the liquid through the capsule to optimise the brewing process.

The capsule 102, in this example, is provided with at least one magnet for magnetic coupling to the driving mechanism 110. The driving mechanism 110 comprises a motor and associated gearing arranged to drive rotation of a magnet 112 and thus the capsule 102 by means of the magnetic coupling with the magnet on the capsule. In this example, the driving means is an electric motor which drives a splined shaft 114 via appropriate gearing (in this example a set of bevel gears). It will be appreciated that, alternatively, the motor could be arranged to drive the splined shaft 114 directly rather than via any gearing.

The shaft 114 is coupled to the magnet 112, causing the magnet 112 to rotate. This produces a rotating magnetic field which subjects the magnet on the capsule 102 to a rotating force whereby to rotate the capsule.

The induction heater 108 comprises coils which are energised with an alternating current.

This produces an alternating magnetic field which is inducted by a conductive (e.g. ferrous) plate provided on the capsule 102 (as illustrated in Figure 4(c)), causing itto heat up.

In operation, the infusion substance 104 is placed into the capsule 102 (or is pre-packed in the capsule 102) which is then placed into the reservoir 106. The reservoir 106 is filled or partially filled with liquid (in this example water) to a required level. The liquid may either be placed in the reservoir at an elevated temperature or be heated, in situ, in the reservoir (for example by using the inductive heaters 108). The capsule 102 couples with a driving mechanism 110, shown in Figure 1 as a magnetic drive. The capsule 102 includes a magnet with opposing polarities on either side (see Figure 4(c)) which are influenced by a corresponding magnet 112 underneath which is rotated by the driving means 110 via splined shaft 114 thus making the capsule 102 rotate. Alternative driving means such as a direct drive (either from the top as in a kitchen whisk or from the bottom as in a blender) could be used. Further alternative driving means are described below, and many more would be clear to a person skilled in the art.

In use the capsule 102 is rotated in hot liquid, the rotation of the capsule 102 inducing a circulation which enters the capsule via the hole 115 at the centre of the rotation. The liquid is then forced due to centrifugal force through the infusion substance and out of one or more openings 118 on the outer edge of the capsule.

The rate of the recirculation can be controlled by adjusting the speed of the driving means 110. Thus, different strengths and flavours of beverage can be generated by altering the speed and direction of the rotation and the time of each such stage. Such a schedule can be programmed into the system and thus a particular brewing process can be replicated exactly. If the capsule 102 is rotated to a sufficient speed, the liquid forms a whirlpool and air can enter the inlet 115. This adds aeration to the brewing process can reduce the bitterness of the beverage and improve the flavour (to some drinker's taste).

Alternatively or additionally a pump may be provided which pumps air (or other fluid) into the brewing liquid to introduce air bubbles into the reservoir 106, in a controlled manner, thereby allowing the flavour of the infused liquid to be controlled to achieve a desired flavour.

Figure 2 shows an alternative example of a brewing system with additional features shown generally by reference numeral 200. The brewing system is generally similar to the brewing system 100 of Figure 1 and like parts having the same reference numeral.

Unlike the brewing system 100 of Figure 1, in the brewing system 200 of Figure 2, the heater comprises halogen heaters 202 rather than inductive heaters. This removes the need for induction material either in the reservoir 106 or on the capsule 102 itself, because the halogen heaters 202 heat the reservoir directly. In this example, a rod 204 is attached to the centre of the capsule 102 to aid removal once the brewing process is complete. This rod 204 may be permanently attached to the capsule 102 (for example for a re-usable capsule) or it could be removably coupled to allow the capsule 102 to be cleaned (or disposed of in the case of a disposable capsule).

A further feature shown in Figure 2 is a brew degree sensor 206 comprising a colour sensor calibrated to the expected colour of the liquid during the brewing process.

Accordingly, the colour sensor senses the colour of the liquid and thus provides an indication of how brewed it is. Such a feature enables a user to specify, more precisely, the colour, and hence taste, of the brew. In use a light (such as a Light Emitting Diode (LED)) is positioned on the outside of the reservoir facing towards the centre of the reservoir. This shines light through the liquid, and is reflected (for example, off the capsule 102) back towards a sensor. Once calibrated, the amount of light received at the sensor can be used to provide an indication of the transparency (and hence colour) of the liquid. To limit the influence of external light sources on the sensor, could the sensor may be shielded and/or be designed to be sensitive to light from the light source only. This selective sensitivity could be achieved, for example, by sensing the light relative to the light at the start of the brewing process, just sensing a particular wavelength of light, or by detecting a light source with a particular pattern (i.e. a flashing light with a certain period).

Figure 3 shows another similar system to that shown in Figure 1 (with like parts having the same reference numerals). The system of Figure 3, however, is embedded into a countertop, indicated generally by the reference numeral 300. In this example, the reservoir comprises a tea pot 302 placed on top of the countertop 304. A capsule is -12-provided in the tea pot, which couples with the magnet generally as described above with reference to Figure 1. The tea pot 302 may have a ridge, bump, column, post or similar formation to keep the capsule in place. As in Figure 1, the system comprises an induction heater 108 which heats a ferrous plate attached to the capsule 102. This acts to heat the liquid in the tea pot 302 prior to and/or during the brewing process. It will be appreciated that the system 300 may be provided as a stand-alone system which is not embedded into a countertop. The motor 110 and heating means 108 are thus provided in a separate unit.

Figure 4 shows example capsules illustrating the features described above. Figures 4(a) and (b) show, in more detail, the capsule 102 shown in Figures 1 to 3. As described previously, the capsule 102 is generally annular or cylindrical in shape with an axis of rotation running through or near the centre. At the centre there is the inlet hole 115 where liquid enters the capsule 102 and, in this example, a single inlet aperture 116, when it is rotating. The liquid is then forced to the outsides of the capsule 102, through an infusion substance 104 and exits via, in this example, a single outlet aperture 118. The inlet and outlet apertures 116, 118 are shown as single circular holes but may be formed of multiple holes in various shapes, or arrangements such as a mesh. The inlet hole 115 and outlet 118 are depicted in Figures 4(a) and (b) as holes, but may be permeable region(s) which allows liquid to enter / exit. Furthermore, the inside of the capsule 102 may have baffles, compartments or pillars to force the liquid to pass through the infusion substance 104. The infusion substance 104 (such as tea) is placed into the chamber 105 of the capsule 102 and a lid 402 is placed on top. The infusion substance may be loose 104-1, or in a container such as a torroidal mesh bag 104-2.

Figure 4(c) shows the underside of a capsule 102 when configured for use in a magnetically driven and inductively heated system. As seen in Figure 4(c), in this example, magnets 404 are embedded into the underside of the capsule. These magnets couple with a rotating magnetic field (produced by a rotating bar magnet for example) which induces rotation of the capsule 102 when in place in the reservoir 106. The underside of the capsule 102 further comprises a layer of ferrous metal such as iron (shown by rings 406) which, in operation, is heated by an alternating magnetic field produced by the induction coil. The conductive plate 406 is adapted to be resistant to corrosion. This may be by being formed of high magnetic permeability stainless steel and/or being encased in a corrosion resistant material.

Figure 4(d) shows a cross section of another example capsule 102. In this example, whilst the capsule is still generally annular, the capsule is of a generally frustoconical shape. Further, in this example, embedded within (or affixed to) the capsule 102 is a temperature sensor 408. The temperature sensor 408 is adapted to sense the local temperature and wirelessly transmit it to a receiver (not shown). For size, power and cost reasons, this sensor is a passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag which may be energised and read by a corresponding RFID reader. Such a temperature sensor 408 allows the brew process to be controlled depending on the temperature, for example, by allowing rotation of the capsule 102 to be delayed until the liquid is at a desired temperature.

Figure 5 shows another example of a brewing system, indicated generally by the reference numeral 500. As explained in more detail below, in this example, a capsule 102 (similar to the capsules described previously) is held above, rather than submerged in, a brew reservoir 502 in which brewed liquid is stored until the brewing process is completed. The capsule 102, in this example, effectively acts as a rotor of a centrifugal pump for recirculating liquid from the brew reservoir 502, through the infusion substance 104 contained in the capsule 102, and back to the brewing reservoir in a brewed or partially brewed form.

The brewing system 500 of Figure 5 comprises a capsule chamber 505 for receiving the capsule 102. The capsule chamber 505 has an inlet conduit 512, in fluid communication with the brew reservoir 502, via which liquid is drawn from the brew reservoir 502 into the capsule chamber 505 when the capsule 102 is rotating to act as a rotor of a centrifugal pump. The inlet conduit 512 is arranged to be positioned generally coaxially with the central inlet hole 115 of the capsule 102 when the capsule 102 is in place in the capsule chamber 505. The capsule chamber 505 has an outlet or return' conduit 514, via which liquid is recirculated back to the brew reservoir 502 when the capsule 102 is acting as a rotor of a centrifugal pump. In this example, the capsule chamber 505 acts as the stator of the centrifugal pump. The outlet conduit 514 is arranged to be located generally proximate the outer perimeter of the capsule 102, from which the liquid pumped through the capsule 102 exits the capsule 102, when the capsule 102 is in place in the capsule chamber 505. The outlet 514 may not be a conduit as shown, rather simply a hole where the liquid drops back into the brew reservoir 502. This can, advantageously, introduce air bubbles into the liquid which aids the brewing process. It will be appreciated that although the inlet and outlet conduits show in the figures extract and return liquid to the brew reservoir at the same height, benefits can be achieved by having the inlet and outlet conduits extract and return liquid to the brew reservoir at different heights to improve mixing (this is particularly useful where flavour enhancers and/or other additives are added to the liquid). -14-

The capsule chamber 505 is provided with a cover portion 509 which is slidable on shafts (or similar arrangements such as vertical bearings or the like) 511 between: an open position in which access is provided to the capsule chamber 505 for insertion and removal of the capsule 102; and a closed position in which the capsule chamber 505 is sealed against leakage of liquid from the capsule chamber 505. A removable and replaceable gasket 513 is provided for positioning between the capsule chamber and the cover portion 509 to improve the quality of the liquid seal.

The brewing system 500 of FigureS further comprises: a motor 510 having a drive shaft for driving rotation of the capsule when in place in the capsule chamber 505; a main reservoir for holding liquid for use in the brewing process; a pump 504 for pumping the liquid from the main reservoir 506 to the brew reservoir 502 and the capsule chamber 505 before the brewing process commences; and a heater for heating the liquid as it is pumped to the brew reservoir 502.

The motor 510 is arranged in the cover portion 509 with the drive shaft located for mechanical coupling to a capsule 102 located in the capsule chamber 505, when the cover portion 509 is in the closed position, whereby to drive rotation of the capsule 102 during operation. The drive shaft of the motor 510 may beneficially include a seal such as an 0-ring or piston seal to inhibit water entering the motor 510 (e.g. to meet a required ingress protection (IF) rating or the like).

The brew reservoir 502 is provided, at its base, with a valve controlled dispensing outlet 516 via which the liquid in the brew reservoir 502 can be dispensed, under gravitational force, into a suitable vessel such as the cup shown in Figure 5.

In use the cover portion 509 is positioned in its open position, without the gasket in place, and the capsule 102 is inserted (shown in Figure 5(a)). The gasket 513 is replaced cover portion 509 is lowered into place to seal the capsule chamber 505 (Figure 5(b)). The pump 504 pumps liquid from the main reservoir 506 through a heater 508 into the brew reservoir 502 effectively to prime the capsule based centrifugal pump. The motor 510 then drives rotation of the capsule 102 about a central axis (Figure 5(c)). In this example the motor 510 provides direct mechanical drive to the capsule 102, although the motor 510 could, alternatively, provide magnetic drive to the capsule 102 as described above.

The motion of the capsule 102 draws liquid into the capsule via the inlet conduit 512 and forces it through the infusion substance under centrifugal force. The liquid then exits the capsule 102 and returns to the recirculation chamber 502 via outlet 514. In this example, the capsule comprises a rotor and the capsule chamber 505 it is placed into effectively forms a stator. The rotor is spun within the stator to act as a pump.

Once brewing has been undertaken for the desired length of time, the motor 510 stops driving the capsule 102 automatically and the valve of the dispensing outlet 516 at the bottom of the recirculation chamber 502 is opened to release the brewed liquid into a cup 518 or other vessel.

Another example of a brewing system is shown in Figure 6, indicated generally by reference numeral 600. The brewing system 600 of Figure 6 is generally similar to that of Figure 5 and like features have the same reference numerals.

Unlike the system 500 of Figure 5, however, the drive mechanism of the system 600 of Figure 6 comprises electrical coils 620 spaced around the periphery of a capsule chamber 605 (as seen in Figure 6(c)). These coils 620 are adapted to be selectively energised so as to produce a magnetic field which attracts a magnet 622 attached to the capsule 102 in the manner of an electric motor. The timing of the energising is arranged to induce rotation the capsule 102. The use of this drive mechanism allows the capsule chamber 605 to be made more accessible by means of a cover portion 607 comprising a hinged lid that can be opened to provide access to the capsule chamber and closed to seal it.

Further, in addition to heating the liquid as described previously, the heating mechanism shown in the system of Figure 6 is enhanced over the system shown in Figure 5.

Specifically, the heating mechanism comprises a coiled fluid conduit 604 wrapped around the inlet conduit 512 and arranged to carry heated fluid from and to the heater 508 to provide additional heating to the liquid being recirculated through the capsule 102. It will be appreciated that the heating fluid conduit 604 may equally be provided on the outlet conduit 514, oron both inlet 512 and outlet 514 conduits.

Figure 6(a) shows a first step of a brewing process. A user opens the hinged lid 607 and places the capsule 102 into the device via opening 602. The user then closes the lid 607 and liquid is fed from a main reservoir 506, via heater 508, as described in relation to Figure 5, priming the pump 504 and filling the brew chamber 502.

The capsule 102 is then spun, as shown in Figure 6(b), to draw the liquid to enter the central hole of the capsule via inlet 512 and exit via the infusion substance and outlet aperture 514. In this example the heating coil 604 round the inlet 512 continues to heat the liquid as it is being recirculated thereby helping to maintain its temperature. This affords accurate control of the temperature at which the liquid comes in contact with the infusion substance (which affects the taste of the final beverage). As in Figure 5, once the brewing process has been completed, a valve or opening 516 is opened at the bottom of the recirculation chamber 502 to empty the beverage into a cup 518.

Figure 6(c) shows, in more detail, an example capsule which contains magnets 622 to form a portion of the motor to drive the capsule rotationally. The windings 620 are located around the circumference of the capsule which, when energised produce a magnetic field.

This attracts the magnets 622 on the capsule, and with appropriately controlled energising of the coils 622, induces rotation of the capsule. The capsule body thus acts as the armature of an electromechanical motor. A capsule could also be connected rotationally with a separate rotor that itself contains the magnets and thus provides the armature portion of an electromechanical motor system.

Figure 6(d) shows, in greater detail, a possible design of the capsule chamber 605 of the system shown in Figures 6(a) and (b). The capsule chamber 605 comprises a stator 626 in which a rotor 624 (which may be the capsule itself or a chamber for receiving the capsule) is provided. The stator 626 has an inlet 605 via which liquid enters the chamber 605 and outlet via which liquid is discharged from it. This arrangement provides a substantially hermetic seal, so that upon starting rotating it expels the air and draws in water, thereby priming the pump. Thus, the rotor 624 comprises the infusion material and is spun within the stator 626. The inlet 512 for the capsule chamber 605 is positioned at or near the centre of rotation of the rotor 624 as previously described, and the outlet 514 is an opening on the same face as the inlet 512, positioned in a section of the stator 626 which extends beyond the rotor 624. In use, liquid is induced to enter the inlet 512 due to the rotation of the rotor 624, it is then forced outwards and enters the section of the stator body 626 which extends beyond the rotor 624 and exits via the outlet 514.

Figure 7 shows another example of a brewing system generally at 700. The brewing system 700 of Figure 7 is generally similar to that of Figure 6 but has a different drive mechanism for driving rotation of the capsule. Specifically, the capsule of the brewing system shown in Figure 7 is rotated by means of a magnetic coupling 712, from beneath, coupling with magnets 404 on the capsule 102 in a similar manner to the examples shown in Figures ito 3 and described above.

Figure 8 shows an example beverage preparation system utilising aspects from a number of the above examples, indicated generally by the reference numeral 800.

The system 800 comprises a main reservoir 806 which is connected for fluid communication with a pump 804 and heater 808 in a similar fashion as is described above.

The system 800 comprises a platform onto which a vessel 818, such as a cup, may be placed to receive a heated liquid when fully brewed. The heater is located beneath the platform and is arranged to provide additional heating, via the platform, to the vessel 818.

In this example, the capsule is a disposable consumable 802. The capsule is shown in more detail in Figure 8(e). As seen in Figure 8(e), which shows a cross section of an example consumable capsule 802, the consumable 802 has a body is formed of a frustoconical container which is heat sealed with a foil lid 820 (this helps to provide additional freshness'). The infusion substance 104 is contained within an internal chamber in the consumable 802 in a circular section surrounding an inlet 115 having inlet apertures providing a fluid path to the internal chamber of the consumable 802 as described previously. The sides of the consumable 802 are sloped so that when rotated, the liquid naturally moves upwards to the foil lid 820. Unlike previous embodiments the sides do not have outlet apertures.

The consumable 802 is effectively a one-use capsule. The consumable 802 is pre-filled with infusion substance and sealed (for example by a foil or other such impermeable lid).

The bottom of the consumable 802 has an opening, or is permeable to liquid. This acts as the inlet 115 during operation of the capsule in the manner of a centrifugal pump. The opening 115 may be sealed by foil in a similar way as the top 820. The system 800 further comprises a plunger 810 which is adapted to couple with the consumable 802 by way of a number of tubular spikes 814 which, in operation, pierce the foil lid of the consumable to provide a plurality of fluid conduits via which liquid can exit the consumable during the brewing process. In the example, where the opening 115 at the bottom of the consumable 802 has a foil covering, this may be pierced at this stage or may be removed by a user prior to insertion of the capsule into the brewing system. The system may also be arranged such that the pressure of the water entering from the conduit is sufficient to puncture the foil cover(s).

The plunger 810 is arranged above the platform and is movable between a position in which the plunger is located above any vessel 818 placed on the platform, and a position in which the plunger is located within any vessel 818 located on the platform (and is submerged within any liquid that fills or partially fills the vessel) by means of a motor 812.

The plunger 810 is also arranged for rotation by the motor 812, or by a different motor (not shown) adapted for rotation rather than vertical movement.

A conduit for conveying the liquid from the main reservoir 806 runs along a longitudinal central axis of the plunger 810. The conduit is arranged to pierce the foil lid 820 of the consumable 802, above the inlet 115, when the consumable is engaged with the plunger Once the foil lid is pierced, the conduit is thus in fluid communication with the inlet 115 of the consumable 802 and its internal chamber. In another example, the foil 820 is not pierced by the conduit, rather the liquid flows around the consumable 820 into the cup 818. The water then enters the consumable at the inlet 115 (which, in this example, is left uncovered or has its foil cover removed prior to insertion to the brewing system) during the infusion process.

The system 800 further comprises a consumable waste bin 803 and a temperature sensor 816. The consumable waste bin 803 is arranged to receive used consumables for easy disposal later. The temperature sensor 816 is coupled to the plunger and is arranged to move with the plunger between a position in which the sensor 816 is located above any vessel 818 placed on the platform, and a position in which the sensor is located within any vessel 818 located on the platform (and is submerged with liquid that fills or partially fills the vessel).

In use, a consumable 802 is placed into the brewing machine 800 in the first stage (shown in Figure 8(a)) via a consumable slot (not visible). This acts to push any previously used consumable 802 which is currently in place (e.g. a previously used consumable 802-1) into the consumable waste bin 803. A vessel 818, such as a cup, is placed underneath and is heated by heater 808 prior to the beverage being prepared.

Figure 8(b) shows the second stage of the beverage preparation process. The plunger 810 is wound down by a motor 812 to engage with the consumable by means of the tubular spikes 814 which pierce the foil lid of the consumable and hold it in place. The conduit along the longitudinal axis of the plunger 810 pierces the foil above the inlet 115.

When the consumable 802 is attached to the plunger 810, the plunger 810 is lowered into the vessel 818, and is spun as it does so.

Heated liquid is dispensed into the cup 818 via the conduit in the plunger 810, through the inlet 115 of the spinning consumable, the infusion substance in the consumable 802, and the tubular spikes to begin filling the vessel with a brewed liquid as shown in Figure 8(c). The temperature sensor 816 attached to the plunger 810 contacts the liquid when the plunger 810 is down and the vessel is sufficiently full. The temperature sensor 816 monitors the temperature of the liquid and provides feedback to the heater 808 to control the temperature of the brewed liquid. The motor 812 continues to spin the plunger 810, continuing the brewing process, as a result of the pumping action of the consumable, in a manner as described above.

The final step is shown in Figure 8(d). Completion of the brewing process may be determined, for example, by brewing for a pre-defined amount of time, or by means of a sensor (not shown) detecting that the correct brew colour has been achieved. Once completed, the plunger 810 is retracted by the motor 812. It is moved upwards without spinning so that residual liquid in the consumable 802 is not spilled and the brewed liquid does not become too strong. The spikes 814 disengage from the consumable 802. This may be achieved by the consumable 802 being restrained and the plunger 810 being further retracted, or by the spikes 814 being retracted into the plunger 810. The beverage is then ready to be removed and the process can start again with a new consumable 802 being inserted.

Figure 9 shows another example of a beverage preparation system where the capsule is plunged reciprocally up and down rather than spun. Many of the elements are common to the system shown in Figure 8, such as the liquid reservoir 906, the pump 904, heater 908 and vessel 918. The heater 908 heats liquid, which fed into the cup 918 via conduit 920.

In this embodiment a capsule 902, containing the infusion substance, is provided that has inlet/outlet apertures in the upper and lower surfaces of the capsule. The capsule 902 is attached to a plunger 910 which is lowered into the liquid and then moved reciprocally up and down by a motor 912. The plunger 910 includes a seal 922 around its periphery; this stops water from bypassing the infusion material and thus increases the rate of recirculation through the capsule 902. The reciprocal motion forces liquid to pass back and forth through the inlet/outlet apertures of the capsule, and hence the infusion substance, thus causing a brewing action. The capsule 902 may also be rotated by the motor 912 at the same time to improve the brewing process.

Figure 10 shows cross-sections of various designs of capsules/consumables (excluding the infusion substance for simplicity) for use in the brewing systems described above.

Figures 10(a) to (c) show an uncovered version of each design to illustrate various internal features which aid the infusion of the brewing substance and Figures 10(d) to (f) respectively show the capsules of Figures 10(a) to (c) when covered.

-20 -The capsule shown in Figures 10(a) and 10(d) includes a plurality of baffles 1002 each located in alignment with an associated generally circular inlet 116-1. Outlets 118-1 are formed as slots in the cover of the capsule. This arrangement forces the liquid to circumvent the baffles 1002 before exiting via the slots 118-1 thus prolonging the exposure with the infusion substance 104. The baffles 1002 thus effectively force the liquid to travel further through the infusion substance 104 and can hence make the brewing process more efficient.

Figures 10(b) and 10(e) each show a capsule divided into a plurality of segments 1004 each having a respective generally rectangular inlet 116-2, at the general centre of the capsule and a generally circular or oval outlet 118-2 at the external perimeter. The segments 1004 reduce the amount that the infusion substance can clump together, thus increasing the effective surface area of the infusion substance 104.

Figures 10(c) and 10(f) each show a capsule comprising a plurality of vanes 1006 curving outwardly from the general central inlet of the capsule, towards the capsule's outer perimeter. As seen in Figure 10(1) a plurality of inlets 116-3 are provided as a plurality of circular holes arranged in two generally parallel lines spaced around the inlet 115. A plurality of circular or oval outlets 118-3 are provided towards the external perimeter of the cover of the capsule, one between each pair of vanes. The vanes 1006 improve the fluid flow of the liquid through the capsule, thus increasing the speed of the recirculation.

This arrangement also reduces the possibility of the infusion substance clumping together as in Figure 10(b).

Figures 10(g) to (i) show capsules with means for identifying the contents of the capsule.

Figure 10(g) shows the top of a capsule with a Quick Response (QR) code 1008 on. This can be read by a reader (either prior to or after being put into a beverage preparing system). This may be any type of bar code, such as a standard 1 D barcode which can be read by a conventional bar code scanner. The identification of the capsule can be used to program the system to prepare the beverage properly. For example different beverages may require a different brewing process, such as time or intensity. Furthermore, such identification means can be used by a user to select the beverage they require, for example by selecting on a user interface and a device scanning and selecting the correct capsule.

An alternative method of identifying the capsule is shown in Figure 10(h) where a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag 1010 is embedded or attached to the capsule. This can be read by a corresponding reader which may be within the system or a separate -21 -device. Figure 100) shows a capsule with an RFID tag 1010 and also a mechanical interface 1012 which ensures that the RFID tag 1010 aligns with a corresponding reader within the system.

A person skilled in the art would readily realise that these, and various other capsule features (for example inlet design, outlet design, vanes, baffles, segmentation, capsule/recipe identifiers etc.) could be applied individually or as a combination on a single a capsule depending on the specific application at hand.

Alternatives and modifications Although in the above examples the capsule is driven about its axis of symmetry, it may be driven eccentrically. This may provide a more turbulent fluid flow and thus more effective infusion. However it may be more energy intensive, loud and/or damaging to the apparatus than a concentrically driven system.

Embodiments shown in Figures 5-8 include a water reservoir 506, 806 and a pump 504, 804. In an alternative arrangement, the water reservoir 506, 806 is positioned above the brew chamber 502 or cup 818. This means that the pump 504, 804 is not required, a valve (not shown) can be used to control the flow of liquid into the brewing chamber. This arrangement may be less costly and energy intensive than one which includes a pump.

Various heating mechanisms such as inductive heating, halogen heating and coils of heated water are described in different embodiments above. The person skilled in the art would readily understand that these are merely examples and different heating mechanisms could be used, either individually or in a combination in different embodiments. For example, a cartridge heater (or other resistive heating element) could be inserted into the brewing chamber of any of the embodiments described above to provide or augment the heating.

As described above, the capsules may be substantially formed of impermeable material with a relatively small surface area devoted to the inlet(s) and/or outlet(s). This has the advantage that the brewing process substantially ceases when motion of the consumable stops with no (or only a relatively insignificant contribution from) continued diffusion associated with the temperature of the liquid and the infusion substance diffusion gradient. Accordingly, brewing only occurs in any meaningful sense while the capsule is being driven. When the capsule is not in motion (e.g. while the liquid is being heated up to temperature or once the brewing process is complete) there is no significant -22 -contribution to the brewing process thereby helping to prevent over-brewing (or stewing') if the brewed liquid is left for any length of time before consumption.

It will be appreciated that any of the above described embodiments may comprise a mechanism for providing one or more flavour enhancers (e.g. sugar, syrup, milk or the like) into the liquid before, after or during brewing.

It will be appreciated that the brew reservoir in the examples described with reference to Figures 5 and 6 may be omitted and the apparatus configured such that, when spinning, the capsule draws liquid directly from and discharges liquid directly into a user vessel, such as a cup or mug, placed in the apparatus.

The identifiers that may be provided on or in the capsules may identify the capsule itself, or an infusion substance contained in said capsule, and the system may look up a recipe associated with the capsule and/or substance from a database in order to control the brewing process (e.g. the required temperature of the liquid, speed of rotation or rate of movement of the capsule, the length of the brewing process, the addition of flavour enhancers and/or air etc.) in accordance with the recipe. The identifiers may encode the recipe directly or an identifier of the recipe.

The system may be provided with a mechanism by which a user can select recipes and/or modify predefined recipes associated with identifiers (or pre-programmed into the system) to suit taste for example be selecting from a limited number of predefined recipe options (e.g. white/black, strong/weak, sweetlnot sweet etc.) and/or by specifying specific process parameters such as temperature, duration, rotation speed/movement rate, and/or the like.

The system may be provided with a communications connection (e.g. an internet connection) and be programmed to update recipes and/or process parameters using the communications connection. The system may be provided with a communications connection and be programmed to receive or provide maintenance information from/to a maintenance server for the system.

Various other modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art and will not be described in further detail here.

It will be understood that the present invention has been described above purely by way of example, and modifications of detail can be made within the scope of the invention.

-23 -Reference numerals appearing in the claims are by way of illustration only and shall have no limiting effect on the scope of the claims.

Claims (61)

1. -24 -Claims 1. Infusion apparatus for infusing a liquid with an infusion substance, the apparatus comprising: means for coupling said apparatus to a capsule holding said infusion substance, which capsule has at least one inlet portion for receiving said liquid into said capsule and at least one outlet portion for discharging said liquid from said capsule; means for driving motion of said capsule in a chamber containing said liquid, wherein said motion causes liquid to be: (a) drawn through said at least one inlet portion of said capsule to infuse said liquid drawn through said capsule with said infusion substance; and (b) discharged from said at least one outlet portion of said capsule.
2. 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the driving means is adapted to drive motion comprising rotation of the capsule.
3. 3. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2 wherein the driving means is adapted to drive motion comprising reciprocal motion of the capsule.
4. 4. The apparatus of any preceding claim wherein the driving means is operable to provide a direct mechanical drive to said capsule for driving said motion.
5. 5. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 3 wherein the driving means is operable togenerate a magnetic field for driving said motion.
6. 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the driving means is operable to selectively energise a plurality of coils to generate a time varying magnetic field for driving said motion.
7. 7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the driving means is operable to induce rotation of a permanent magnetic to generate a time varying magnetic field for driving said motion.
8. 8. The apparatus of any preceding claim wherein said driving means is adapted to drive motion of said capsule which causes said liquid to be recirculated through said capsule.

   -25 -
9. 9. The apparatus of any preceding claim further comprising means for supplying said chamber with liquid from a reservoir of said liquid.
10. 10. The apparatus of any preceding claim further comprising means for heating said liquid to a required temperature.
11. 11. The apparatus of claim 10 comprising means for measuring the temperature of said liquid
12. 12. The apparatus of claim 11 comprising means for controlling said heating means based on measurements from said temperature measuring means.
13. 13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the heating means is operable to induce heating using magnetic induction.
14. 14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the heating means is operable to induce heating using thermal radiation.
15. 15. The apparatus of any of claims 10 to 14 wherein said heating means is operable to heat liquid in a vessel placed in or on said apparatus.
16. 16. The apparatus of any preceding claim wherein said apparatus is configured for said motion to occur in a chamber forming part of said apparatus.
17. 17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said chamber is configured for manual insertion of said capsule into said chamber and removal of said capsule from said chamber or vessel.
18. 18. The apparatus of claim 16 or 17 wherein said chamber comprises a chamber outlet for discharging infused or partially infused liquid from said chamber into a processing reservoir (or a user vessel) and a chamber inlet for receiving infused or partially infused liquid from said processing reservoir (or a user vessel).
19. 19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said motion causes said infused or partially infused liquid to be recirculated through said chamber inlet and said chamber outlet via said processing reservoir (or a user vessel).
20. 20. The apparatus of claim 18 or 19 wherein at least one of said chamber inlet and chamber outlet is provided with means for heating liquid passing through said chamber inlet and/or chamber outlet.-26 -
21. 21. The apparatus of any of claims 17 to 20 wherein said apparatus comprises a processing reservoir into which said infused or partially infused liquid is discharged and from which said infused or partially infused liquid is drawn into said chamber.
22. 22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the processing reservoir comprises means for discharging said liquid (e.g. a valve) when infusion of said infusion substance has been completed.
23. 23. The apparatus of any of claims ito 15 wherein said apparatus is configured for said motion to occur in a vessel comprising said chamber (e.g. a cup, mug, beaker or the like) placed in or on said apparatus.
24. 24. The apparatus of any preceding claim further comprising means for inserting said capsule into said chamber and removing said capsule from said chamber.
25. 25. The apparatus of any preceding claim comprising means for measuring an infusion state of said liquid during the infusion process.
26. 26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the means for measuring an infusion state comprises a light sensor.
27. 27. The apparatus of claim 26 comprising means for processing a measurement from the light sensor to determine the colour (transparency or opaqueness) and hence said infusion state of the liquid.
28. 28. The apparatus of any preceding claim wherein the chamber is adapted to form a centrifugal infusion pump when said capsule is in said chamber, said capsule forming a rotor of said centrifugal pump.
29. 29. The apparatus of any preceding claim further comprising means for introducing a fluid (e.g. air, nitrogen, oxygen or the like) into said liquid during infusion.
30. 30. The apparatus of any preceding claim further comprising means for introducing a flavour enhancer into said liquid before, during or after infusion.
31. 31. The apparatus of any preceding claim further comprising means for controlling motion and/or heating of said liquid based on a recipe associated with said capsule and/or infusion substance contained in said capsule.
32. 32. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein the capsule comprises means for identifying said capsule, an infusion substance contained in said capsule, and/or a recipe associated with said capsule and wherein said means for controlling motion and/or heating of -27 -said liquid is operable to read said identifier to identify said recipe associated with said capsule and/or infusion substance contained in said capsule.
33. 33. The apparatus of any preceding claim wherein the capsule forms part of said apparatus and is adapted for repeated filling (partially or fully), emptying and refilling (partially or fully) of said capsule with said infusion substance.
34. 34. The apparatus of any preceding claim wherein said coupling means is configured for releasable coupling of said apparatus to said capsule.
35. 35. The apparatus of any preceding claim wherein the apparatus is configured for use in brewing a beverage by infusing said liquid with said infusion substance.
36. 36. The apparatus of claim 35 wherein the infusion substance comprises at least one of tea (e.g. leaf tea, black tea, green tea, herbal tea, fruit tea etc.), and coffee.
37. 37. A capsule for use in infusion apparatus for infusing a liquid with an infusion substance, the capsule comprising: a housing comprising a cavity for holding said infusion substance, at least one inlet portion for receiving said liquid into said cavity and at least one outlet portion for discharging said liquid from said cavity; and means for coupling said capsule to means for driving motion of said capsule in said apparatus; wherein said capsule is adapted to, as a result of said motion: (a) draw liquid through said at least one inlet portion to infuse said liquid with said infusion substance in said cavity; and (b) discharge said infused liquid from said at least one outlet portion of said capsule.
38. 38. The capsule of claim 37 wherein the coupling means is adapted to magnetically couple to said driving means.
39. 39. The capsule of claim 38 comprising a permanent magnet.
40. 40. The capsule of any of claims 37 to 39 further comprising means for heating liquid in and/or surrounding said capsule.-28 -
41. 41. The capsule of claim 40 wherein the heating means comprises a conductive element for inductive heating of said liquid in and/or surrounding said capsule.
42. 42. The capsule of claim 41 wherein the magnetically conductive element comprises a ferrous metallic element.
43. 43. The capsule of any of claims 37 to 42 further comprising a temperature sensor.
44. 44. The capsule of claim 43 wherein the temperature sensor is adapted to provide a measurement for use in a heating feed-back system.
45. 45. The capsule of claim 43 of 44 wherein the temperature sensor is coupled to means for communicating measurements of said temperature to said apparatus (for example via passive radio frequency communication or the like).
46. 46. The capsule of any of claims 37 to 45 further comprising means for identifying said capsule, an infusion substance contained in said capsule, and/or a recipe associated with said capsule.
47. 47. The capsule of claim 46 wherein the identifying means comprises at least one of a barcode, a Quick Recognition (QR) code, a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, and a mechanical identifier (e.g. raised and/or sunken portions of a surface adapted to encode an identity of the capsule, infusion substance and/or recipe).
48. 48. The capsule of any of claims 37 to 46 comprising a plurality of internal formations for controlling the flow of liquid through the capsule and/or for controlling the distribution of said infusion substance within said capsule.
49. 49. The capsule of claim 48 wherein the internal formations comprise at least one of baffles, vanes, and partitions.
50. 50. The capsule of any of claims 37 to 49 wherein the capsule is of a frustoconical shape.
51. 51. The capsule of any of claims 37 to 50 having an impermeable cover layer (for example a foil layer or the like).
52. 52. The capsule of claim 51 wherein the impermeable cover layer is provided over said inlet portion and/or said outlet portion and wherein said impermeable cover layer is pierceable an/or peelable to provide for liquid communication with said inlet portion and/or said outlet portion.-29 -
53. 53. The capsule of any of claims 37 to 52 being adapted to form a rotor of a centrifugal pump when, in operation, the capsule is being driven by said driving means of said apparatus.
54. 54. The capsule of any of claims 37 to 53 wherein said capsule is adapted to be re-usable through repeated filling (partially or fully), emptying and refilling (partially or fully) of said capsule with said infusion substance.
55. 55. The capsule of any of claims 37 to 53 wherein said capsule is prefilled with said infusion substance and is adapted to be disposable after a single use or limited number of uses.
56. 56. The capsule of any of claims 37 to 55 wherein said capsule has a major surface region that is substantially impermeable to said liquid during use and a minor surface region, smaller than said major surface region, in which said at least one inlet portion and at least one outlet portion are provided.
57. 57. The capsule of claim 56 wherein the configuration of said major and minor surface regions is adapted such that when motion of said capsule ceases said infusion process is substantially inhibited.
58. 58. The capsule of any of claims 37 to 57 wherein said capsule is generally disc or cylinder shaped.
59. 59. The capsule of any of claims 37 to 58 wherein said capsule is substantially annular and/or torroidal in shape.
60. 60. A method of infusing a liquid with an infusion substance performed using infusion apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 36, the method comprising: providing a capsule holding said infusion substance, which capsule has at least one inlet portion for receiving said liquid into said capsule and at least one outlet portion for discharging said liquid from said capsule; driving motion of said capsule in said liquid, wherein said motion causes liquid to be: (a) drawn through said at least one inlet portion of said capsule to infuse said liquid drawn through said capsule with said infusion substance; and (b) discharged from said at least one outlet portion of said capsule.
61. 61. A method of infusing a liquid with an infusion substance performed using a capsule according to any of claims 37 to 59, the method comprising driving motion of said capsule in said liquid to: (a) draw liquid through said at least one inlet portion of said -30 -capsule to infuse said liquid drawn through said capsule with said infusion substance; and (b) discharge liquid from said at least one outlet portion of said capsule.