Patent ID: 9090447
Filing Date: 2015-07-28
Classification: A23V,B67D,F25D

Abstract:
1. An appliance comprising: a housing; a user interface panel supported by the housing and including a touch screen; a dispensing mechanism at least partially coupled to the user interface panel; and a computer programmed to operate with the user interface panel and the dispensing mechanism to: (a) control operation of: (i) the dispensing mechanism, (ii) a water supply mechanism in fluid communication with the dispensing mechanism, and (iii) a drink supply mechanism in fluid communication with the dispensing mechanism, said drink supply mechanism configured to obtain drink supply from each of a plurality of replaceable drink supply containers; (b) cause the touch screen to display a plurality of different images, each image associated with a different one of a plurality of different drink supplies in the plurality of drink supply containers, wherein the drink supply in each of the drink supply containers is a concentrate, (c) receive, via the touch screen, at least one input of a selection of one of said plurality of different displayed images, (d) cause the dispensing mechanism to dispense a beverage corresponding to the selected one of said plurality of different displayed images by directing the drink supply from the drink supply container corresponding to the selected one of the plurality of different displayed images to a dispensing point at a position of a user beverage container, (e) for each drink supply container, transmit, to a remote computer, drink supply data relating to an amount of drink supply dispensed from said drink supply container for a designated time period, (f) transmit, to the remote computer, appliance data related to the appliance; and (g) receive, from the remote computer, at least one update which causes the computer to be programmed to operate with the user interface panel to cause the touch screen to display at least one updated image.