Patent ID: 9271602
Filing Date: 2016-03-01
CPC Classification: A47J,B65D,Y10T

Claim Text:
1. A method of making a beverage, comprising: providing a beverage machine comprising a receptacle arranged to receive a cartridge, a fluid inlet arranged to introduce liquid into an opening at a top of the cartridge, and a fluid outlet including a piercing element arranged to pierce a bottom surface of the cartridge at a location away from a center of the bottom surface of the cartridge: providing a cartridge in the receptacle of the beverage machine, the cartridge including an interior space comprising a beverage medium, a filter and a filter guard below the filter; piercing the bottom surface of the cartridge at a location away from the center of the bottom surface by moving the piercing element through the bottom surface at the location away from the center of the bottom surface and into the interior space so the piercing element itself forms an opening in the bottom surface offset from the center of the bottom surface to permit a beverage to exit the cartridge via the opening in the bottom surface, and wherein the piercing element does not penetrate through the center of the bottom surface of the cartridge; contacting the filter guard with the piercing element as the piercing element moves into the interior space so as to cause the filter guard to tilt relative to the bottom surface of the cartridge to displace the filter in the interior space and to resist damage to the filter by the piercing element; introducing a liquid into a first portion of the interior space by way of the fluid inlet; flowing the liquid from the first portion through the filter and into a second portion of the interior space; and permitting a beverage to exit the cartridge from the second portion through the opening in the bottom surface formed by the piercing element, wherein the first portion is located above the second portion.