Container with a code encoding a sequence of foodstuff or beverage preparation operations

1. A method of encoding preparation information, the method comprising forming a code on:

a container for a beverage preparation machine or foodstuff preparation machine, the container for containing beverage or foodstuff material; or

an attachment for attachment to the container or to a beverage preparation machine or foodstuff preparation machine;

the method comprising:

forming at least one reference configuration defining a virtual reference line of the code;

defining a virtual encoding line intersecting the virtual reference line at an intersection point;

forming a sequence of data units comprising at least two data units aligned at a distance from each other along the virtual encoding line for encoding a sequence of operations of the preparation information, each data unit of the sequence of data units encoding an operation of the sequence of operations; and

a relative position of each data unit in the sequence of data units encodes a nature of the operation and wherein a distance between each data unit and the intersection point and/or a distance between each data unit and another data unit encodes a value of a condition for a performance of the operation.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the virtual encoding line is a closed line, and the distance between each data unit and the intersection point and/or the distance between each data unit and another data unit of the sequence of data units or of another sequence of data units is an angular distance measured from a center point.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the operation is one of a group of operations comprising:

starting injecting a liquid in the container; stopping injecting the liquid in the container; opening a spout in fluid connection with the container; closing a spout in fluid connection with the container; starting mixing the beverage or foodstuff material contained in the container; and stopping mixing the beverage or foodstuff material contained in the container.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the condition for the performance of the operation is selected from the group consisting of:

a duration, a volume, a temperature, a current intensity, and a voltage.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the code has a peripheral length of 600-1600 μm.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the container comprises a plurality of the codes arranged in a tessellating configuration.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the reference configuration comprises three reference units arranged at a vertices of a virtual triangle.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the operation comprises extracting the beverage or foodstuff material from the container.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the code is configured to be processed by a code processing subsystem, wherein the code processing subsystem comprises an image capturing device and an image processing device, and wherein the method further comprises:

capturing, by the image capturing device, a digital image of the code; and

decoding, by the image processing device, the code of the digital image.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the digital image comprises a black and white image, and wherein the image capturing device comprises an infrared image capturing device.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the code processing subsystem further comprises an output device, and wherein the method further comprises:

outputting, by the output device, the preparation information decoded from the code to a processing subsystem of the beverage preparation machine or the foodstuff preparation machine.