Beverage machine cartridge holder
View Patent ↗A method and apparatus for opening and closing a cartridge holder of a beverage forming machine. The cartridge holder may have an opening arranged to receive and hold a cartridge with the cartridge holder in an open position, e.g., the opening may face a front of the beverage forming machine and be in an upwardly inclined position in the open position. A pivot pin of the cartridge holder may be moved along a linear path, and in response, a cam and cam follower may cause the cartridge holder to pivot and move to a closed position, e.g., in which the opening of the cartridge holder is in a downwardly inclined orientation.
1. A beverage forming apparatus, comprising:
a frame arranged to support components of the beverage forming apparatus;
a cartridge holder including an opening arranged to receive and hold a cartridge with the cartridge holder in an open position, the cartridge holder including a pivot pin defining a pivot axis about which the cartridge holder is arranged to pivot between the open position and a closed position, the pivot pin being attached to the cartridge holder such that the pivot pin is prohibited from translating relative to the cartridge holder as the cartridge holder pivots between the open and closed positions, and the cartridge holder and pivot pin being movable relative to the frame along a translational path;
a cam and a cam follower engaged between the frame and the cartridge holder and arranged to cause the cartridge holder to pivot about the pivot axis with movement of the pivot pin along the translational path relative to the frame; and
an actuator arranged to move the cartridge holder and the pivot pin along the translational path to cause the cam follower to move along the cam and pivot the cartridge holder between the open and closed positions,
wherein the opening of the cartridge holder faces toward a front of the beverage forming apparatus and is oriented in an upwardly inclined position with the cartridge holder in the open position, wherein in the upwardly inclined position, an axis perpendicular to a plane of the opening is arranged at an angle above a horizontal plane.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the actuator includes a handle pivotally movable relative to the frame to move the pivot pin of the cartridge holder along the translational path.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the handle is pivotally connected to the cartridge holder at the pivot pin.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the handle includes a control arm having a first end pivotally attached to the pivot pin of the cartridge holder and that is arranged to move in a first linear slot, and a second end arranged to move in a second linear slot.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the first and second linear slots form a L-shaped slot that is fixed relative to the frame.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cam includes an L-shaped cam groove fixed to the frame.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the cam follower is fixed to the cartridge holder and is positioned rearwardly of the pivot axis so as to be further from the front of the beverage forming apparatus than the pivot axis with the cartridge holder in the closed position.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the cam follower is positioned below the pivot axis with the cartridge holder at the open position.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cam follower is fixed relative to the frame and the cam is fixed relative to the cartridge holder.
10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the cam is positioned rearwardly of the pivot axis so as to be further from the front of the beverage forming apparatus than the pivot axis with the cartridge holder in the closed position.
11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the cam is positioned below the pivot axis with the cartridge holder at the open position.
12. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a slider that is movable relative to the frame along a translational track, and wherein the slider is attached to the pivot pin to move the pivot pin along the translational path as the slider moves along the translational track.
13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the actuator includes a handle that is pivotally movable relative to the frame about a handle pivot axis, and wherein the handle includes a drive pin that engages with a groove of the slider and moves the slider along the translational track with pivoting movement of the handle about the handle pivot axis.
14. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the cam includes two linear slot portions arranged at an oblique angle to each other.
15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the actuator includes a handle pivotally movable relative to the frame to move the pivot pin of the cartridge holder along the translational path.
16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cam is fixed relative to the frame.
17. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cartridge holder further includes a spring to bias the cartridge holder to pivot about the pivot axis toward the open position.
18. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a lid fixed relative to the frame and arranged to cooperate with the cartridge holder to cover the opening of the cartridge holder with the cartridge holder in the closed position.
19. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein in the downwardly inclined position, the axis perpendicular to the plane of the opening is arranged at an angle below the horizontal plane.
20. A beverage forming apparatus, comprising:
a frame arranged to support components of the beverage forming apparatus;
a cartridge holder including an opening arranged to receive and hold a cartridge with the cartridge holder in an open position, the cartridge holder including a pivot pin defining a pivot axis about which the cartridge holder is arranged to pivot relative to the frame between the open position and a closed position, the pivot pin being attached to the cartridge holder such that the pivot pin is prohibited from translating relative to the cartridge holder as the cartridge holder pivots between the open and closed positions, and the cartridge holder and pivot pin being movable relative to the frame along a translational path;
a lid fixed relative to the frame and arranged to cooperate with the cartridge holder to cover the opening of the cartridge holder with the cartridge holder in the closed position;
a cam and a cam follower engaged between the frame and the cartridge holder and arranged to cause the cartridge holder to pivot about the pivot axis with movement of the pivot pin along the translational path relative to the frame; and
an actuator arranged to move the cartridge holder and the pivot pin along the translational path to cause the cam follower to move along the cam and pivot the cartridge holder between the open and closed positions.
21. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the actuator includes a handle pivotally movable relative to the frame to move the pivot pin of the cartridge holder along the translational path.
22. The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the handle is pivotally connected to the cartridge holder at the pivot pin.
23. The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the handle includes a control arm having a first end pivotally attached to the pivot pin of the cartridge holder and that is arranged to move in a first linear slot, and a second end arranged to move in a second linear slot.
24. The apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the first and second linear slots form a L-shaped slot that is fixed relative to the frame.
25. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the cam follower is fixed relative to the frame and the cam is fixed relative to the cartridge holder.
26. The apparatus of claim 25 , wherein the cam is positioned rearwardly of the pivot axis relative to the translational path with the cartridge holder in the closed position.
27. The apparatus of claim 26 , wherein the cam is positioned below the pivot axis with the cartridge holder at the open position.
28. The apparatus of claim 25 , wherein the cam includes two linear slot portions arranged at an oblique angle to each other.
29. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the cam includes an L-shaped cam groove fixed to the frame.
30. The apparatus of claim 29 , wherein the cam follower is fixed to the cartridge holder and is positioned rearwardly of the pivot axis so as to be further from the front of the beverage forming apparatus than the pivot axis with the cartridge holder in the closed position.
31. The apparatus of claim 30 , wherein the cam follower is positioned below the pivot axis with the cartridge holder at the open position.
32. The apparatus of claim 20 , further comprising a slider that is movable relative to the frame along a translational track, and wherein the slider is attached to the pivot pin to move the pivot pin along the translational path as the slider moves along the translational track.
33. The apparatus of claim 32 , wherein the actuator includes a handle that is pivotally movable relative to the frame about a handle pivot axis, and wherein the handle includes a drive pin that engages with a groove of the slider and moves the slider along the translational track with pivoting movement of the handle about the handle pivot axis.
34. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the pivot axis passes through the cartridge holder in a space where a cartridge is located when received by the cartridge holder.
35. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the cartridge holder rotates about only the pivot axis.
36. The apparatus of claim 20 , further comprising inlet and/or outlet piercing elements on the lid arranged to pierce a cartridge in the cartridge holder.
37. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the actuator includes a handle pivotally movable relative to the frame to move the pivot pin of the cartridge holder along the translational path.
38. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the cam is fixed relative to the frame.
39. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the cartridge holder further includes a spring to bias the cartridge holder to pivot about the pivot axis toward the open position.
40. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein an axis perpendicular to a plane of the opening of the cartridge holder is arranged at an angle above the horizontal plane with the cartridge holder in the open position and the axis perpendicular to the plane of the opening is arranged at an angle below the horizontal plane with the cartridge holder in the closed position.
41. A beverage forming apparatus, comprising:
a frame arranged to support components of the beverage forming apparatus;
a cartridge holder including an opening arranged to receive and hold a cartridge with the cartridge holder in an open position, the cartridge holder including a pivot pin defining a pivot axis about which the cartridge holder is arranged to pivot between the open position and a closed position, the cartridge holder and pivot pin being movable relative to the frame along a translational path defined by a slot that is fixed to the frame such that the slot remains stationary relative to the frame as the cartridge holder pivots between the open and closed positions;
a cam and a cam follower engaged between the frame and the cartridge holder and arranged to cause the cartridge holder to pivot about the pivot axis with movement of the pivot pin along the translational path relative to the frame; and
an actuator arranged to move the cartridge holder and the pivot pin along the translational path to cause the cam follower to move along the cam and pivot the cartridge holder between the open and closed positions,
wherein the opening of the cartridge holder faces toward a front of the beverage forming apparatus and is oriented in an upwardly inclined position with the cartridge holder in the open position, wherein in the upwardly inclined position, an axis perpendicular to a plane of the opening is arranged at an angle above a horizontal plane.