Beverage machines with a removable module

The invention relates to a beverage machine (1) having an external housing (10) and a movable beverage preparation module (20, 30) that is configured to process a beverage and/or a beverage ingredient to be dispensed. The housing (10) has a front opening (10′) and forms a cavity (10″) for housing the module (20, 30). The module (20, 30) is insertable as a unit into an operative position into the cavity (10″) and removable as a unit out of the cavity (10″) via the front opening (10′). The housing (10) has a cavity connector (11) in the cavity (10″) and the module (20, 30) has a module connector that is connected to the cavity connector (11) when the module (20, 30) is located there against while reaching its operative position and that is disconnected from the cavity connector (11) when the module (20,30) is removed from the cavity (10″). At least one (11) of the connectors has a connection interface device (11a) that is resiliently mounted to a connection base device (11b) to enable a positioning adjustment of the interface device (11a) when the module connector and the cavity connector (11) are connected together.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of the invention pertains to beverage preparation machines provided with one or more exchangeable beverage preparation modules, e.g. machines using capsules of an ingredient of the beverage to be prepared.

For the purpose of the present description, a “beverage” is meant to include any human-consumable liquid substance, such as tea, coffee, hot or cold chocolate, milk, soup, baby food, etc. . . . A “capsule” is meant to include any pre-portioned beverage ingredient, such as a flavouring ingredient, within an enclosing packaging of any material, in particular an airtight packaging, e.g. plastic, aluminium, recyclable and/or biodegradable packagings, and of any shape and structure, including soft pods or rigid cartridges containing the ingredient. The capsule may contain an amount of ingredient for preparing a single beverage portion or a plurality of beverage portions.

BACKGROUND ART

The development and manufacturing of a range of beverage producing machines, in particular those using portioned ingredients such as capsules, offering different functions and/or different beverage delivery capacities, is complex and costly.

There is a need for rationalizing the development and the manufacturing and maintenance of the beverage machines while still providing a range of machines with different functions and options for the consumer.

FR 2 554 185 teaches a series of modular elements which can be combined together so as to constitute an espresso coffee beverage system. The modular elements are associated side by side. One element is a coffee producing module while another element is a steam producing module. WO 2007/141334 discloses a modular beverage production system with a docking station and a beverage production module having inter-connected control circuitries. The control circuitry of the module can be disconnected from the circuitry of the docking station for an autonomous control of the module when the module is disconnected from the station. US 2005/0015263 discloses a network of various food services equipment items that can be controlled from a central computer. WO 2009/074550 discloses a method of manufacturing different beverage machine ranges using one type of core units.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a preferred object of the invention to rationalize the production and/or maintenance of beverage production machines by offering a range of differing beverage production machines and/or beverage machines that enable easy maintenance.

The invention relates to a machine for preparing a beverage. The beverage preparation machine can be an in-home or out of home machine. The machine may be for the preparation of coffee, tea, chocolate, cacao, milk, soup, baby food, etc. . . .

The beverage preparation typically includes the mixing of a plurality of beverage ingredients, e.g. water and milk powder, and/or the infusion of a beverage ingredient, such as an infusion of ground coffee or tea with water. One or more of such ingredients may be supplied in loose and/or agglomerate powder form and/or in liquid form, in particular in a concentrate form. A carrier liquid, e.g. water, may be mixed with such ingredient to form the beverage. Typically, a predetermined amount of beverage is formed and dispensed on user-request, which corresponds to a portion (e.g. a serving). The volume of such portion may be in the range of 25 to 200 ml and even up to 300 or 400 ml, e.g. the volume for filling a cup, depending on the type of beverage. Formed and dispensed beverages may be selected from ristrettos, espressos, lungos, cappuccinos, latte macchiato, cafe latte, americano coffees, teas, etc. . . . For instance, a coffee machine may be configured for dispensing espressos, e.g. an adjustable volume of 20 to 60 ml per portion, and/or for dispensing lungos, e.g. a volume in the range of 70 to 150 ml per portion.

The beverage machine has an external housing and at least one movable beverage preparation module that is configured to process a beverage and/or a beverage ingredient to be dispensed via at least one beverage dispensing outlet to a user-cup or user-mug, such as via 2, 3 or 4beverage dispensing outlets. The housing has a front opening and forms a cavity for housing the module. The module is insertable as a unit into an operative position into the cavity and removable as a unit out of the cavity via the front opening, such as movable along a substantially horizontal direction into and out of its operative position. The module may be slidable like a drawer in and out of the cavity.

The housing has a cavity connector in the cavity and the module has a module connector that is connected to the cavity connector when the module is located thereagainst while reaching its operative position and that is disconnected from the cavity connector when the module is removed from the cavity.

At least one connector of the cooperating module connector and cavity connector has a connection interface device that is resiliently mounted to a connection base device, e.g. by at least one spring elements such as a helicoidal spring and/or a blade spring, to enable a positioning adjustement of the interface device when the module connector and the cavity connector are connected together. The connection base device can be directly or indirectly fixed to the housing or integral therewith.

Such a resilient assembly may compensate a play between a movable beverage preparation module and the cavity connector, especially when the module is positioned in the housing cavity relative to a positioning element that is different to the cavity connector.

The housing may have an external rear face, such as a rear face that supports or is adjacent to the cavity connector, opposite the front opening. For instance, the movable beverage preparation module in its operative position in the cavity contacts or is adjacent to the rear face, e.g. distant to the rear face by no more than 5 or 10 cm.

The housing can have an external top face, e.g. a top face with a centrally confined area for storing cups or mugs, facing an external bottom face. For instance, the movable beverage preparation module extends over substantially an entire height of the cavity spacing the top face from the bottom face.

The housing can have such external rear face, top face, bottom face and facing external side faces in a generally parallelepipedic arrangement.

The machine can have an external machine front face, the movable module in its operative position having an external module front face that forms a section of the external machine front face and that extends across or over the front opening.

The module external front face may extend over at least 75% of the overall width or height of the housing, such as at least 80%, 85% or 90% of the overall width or height of the housing.

It is thus possible to provide a housing containing one or more movable beverage preparation modules that does not require a front door to shield the module(s), the movable module(s) forming themselves the external face of the machine.

The module front face may extends flush with an adjacent external face to form together part or all of the external machine front face when the module is in its operative position. For instance, the adjacent external face forms a front face of an adjacent movable beverage preparation module in an operative position or of another movable module or forms a face non-removably mounted to the housing. For instance, the adjacent external face is formed by a door that is non-removably mounted to the housing.

In this context, “non-removable” designates an attachment that is not intended to be dismantled by normal servicing or during ordinary handling, especially by an ordinary user, as opposed to the “movability” characteristic of the movable beverage preparation module. To detach a “non-removable” attachement either a special tool or knowledge not possessed by ordinary users (non-communicated special handling instruction) is required or breaking a part of the machine is required.

In a particular embodiment, the machine has a plurality of such movable beverage preparation modules, each module front face extending flush with an adjacent external face to form together part or all of the external machine front face when the modules are in their operative position.

The movable beverage preparation module in its operative position can be releasably secured against an element that positions the module in its operative position, such as an internal positioning element, fixed to or integral with the housing, by a securing device. The securing device may be: selected from a latch, lock, clip and screw; and/or accessible from outside the housing, e.g. from adjacent the front opening.

Hence, the movable module (or a plurality of movable modules) can be reliably positioned in the housing. This can be especially advantageous when the module is expected to provide a flush external machine front face.

The movable beverage preparation module may have an arrangement for facilitating a movement into and/or out of the housing cavity, the facilitating arrangement comprising at least one of: a grip or handle seizable from outside the housing when the movable beverage preparation module is in its operative position, such as a grip or handle recessed in a module's external front face; and a guide arrangement cooperating with a counter-arrangement fixed to or integral with the housing, e.g. an internal guide arrangement, such as a guiding rail or a guiding groove.

The module connector and/or the cavity connector may have at least one of an electric power connection, a data connection and a fluid connection.

A cavity connector and a corresponding module connector may have a plurality of electric power connections to power a plurality of power components of the movable beverage preparation module associated with the module connector, such as a thermal conditioner and a liquid driver, e.g. a pump. Alternatively several power components may be powered by the same power connection.

The cavity connector can have at least one of a fluid connection connected to a fluid source via a rigid or flexible fluid line and a power connection connected to a power source, e.g. to an electric cord for connection to the mains.

The cavity connector may be formed as a single unit or plurality of units.

The cavity connector and the module connector can be connected together, such as connected together to transmit at least one of data, fluid and power, between removable and/or non-removable beverage preparation modules.

A cavity connector may be connected to a connector of a non-removable module.

Hence, the same cavity connector may be used for connecting a removable module and a non-removable module, as required for a specific configuration in the external housing of removable and optionally non-removable modules.

The module connector and the cavity connector can have a guide arrangement to promote a proper relative positioning of the module connector and the cavity connector when approaching each other when the corresponding movable module approaches its operative position, such as a positioning pin and corresponding guiding hole arrangement.

The module connector and the cavity connector may have a sensing arrangement to sense a proper relative positioning of the module connector and the cavity connector, such as at least one switch operated when the corresponding movable module reaches or leaves its operative position, e.g. a plurality of spaced apart contact switches. Using a plurality of switches may be appropriate to prevent any misplacement of the connectors due to relative twisting thereof.

The machine may include a cup support.

The cup support can form a device mounted to the housing in front of the front opening such as removably mounted to a connector of the housing.

The cup support may secure the movable beverage preparation module (or a plurality of modules) in its operative position in the cavity.

The cup support can be removably mounted to the housing and associated with a presence sensor, such as a contact switch, for sensing a proper positioning of the cup support on the housing.

The cup support may include a cup support grid optionally located on a drip collection reservoir.

The beverage preparation module may have a cup holder for holding a cup under the beverage outlet(s). The cup holder is for example movably mounted against a main body of the module so as to be movable in an operative position for holding the cup under the beverage outlet(s) and into an inoperative position for enabling the placement of a mug, taller than the cup, under the beverage outlet(s), such as on a placement surface formed by a lower cup support or by an external placement surface on which the machine is itself placed. For example, the cup holder can be pivotally attached to the main body so as to pivot in a horizontal or vertical plane between its inoperative and operative positions.

Examples of cup holders are disclosed in EP 1 867 260, WO 2011/154492 and WO 2012/007313.

The machine may include a plurality of such movable beverage preparation modules that can be contained simultaneously in the housing, each movable module being: insertable as a unit into the cavity into its operative position in which its module connector is connected to a corresponding cavity connector; and removable as a unit out of the cavity via the front opening, independently of the presence inside the cavity of any other movable beverage preparation module in its operative position.

In other words, in order to remove one movable beverage preparation module from the external housing (e.g. for replacement or servicing), it is not necessary to remove first another beverage preparation module. One may select any movable beverage preparation module and remove it without interfering with the position of any other movable beverage preparation modules in its operative position. To remove as a unit a movable beverage preparation module from the external housing, one does not have to first dismantle successive parts of the movable beverage preparation module before moving the entire module out. To move the movable beverage preparation module as a unit into the external housing, one does not have to assemble successive parts of the movable beverage module within the external housing or first move another movable beverage preparation module.

The plurality of such movable beverage preparation modules may include: at least two different types of modules; and/or a master movable beverage preparation module with a master control unit and a slave movable beverage preparation module with a slave control unit connected to the master control unit. The master control unit and the slave control unit may be connected via a data transmission channel, e.g. via the cavity and module connectors. For instance, the slave module is inoperative to produce a beverage when the master module is removed from the housing and/or the master module is inoperative to produce a beverage when the slave module is removed from the housing. Providing a master and slave arrangement may be useful to coordinate the modules in terms of power supply (e.g. to limit the power consumption by the machine to the capacity of the mains) and/or ingredient supply, e.g. liquid supply such as water supply.

The movable beverage preparation module can be a flavoured beverage dispenser, such as a dispenser of tea, coffee, chocolate, cacao and soup, configured to combine a flavouring ingredient and a liquid carrier, such as water, for dispensing a resulting beverage via the beverage outlet or via at least one of the beverage outlets. For instance, such machine has at least one of the following features:the cavity containing at least two such movable beverage preparation modules;the cavity further containing a dispenser of a milk-based beverage as a movable beverage preparation module;such movable beverage preparation module comprising an inlet for a flavouring ingredient, such as a pre-portioned favouring ingredient supplied in a capsule;such movable beverage preparation module comprising at least one of: an ingredient mixing unit, e.g. a brewing unit; a fluid line, e.g. including at least one of a pump, sensor, valve, and thermal conditioner such as a heater and/or a cooler; and a control unit optionally connected to a user-interface; andsuch movable beverage preparation module comprising a waste material collector, such as a waste ingredient and/or fluid collector.

Examples of waste ingredient collectors are disclosed in EP 1867260, WO 2009/074559, WO 2009/135869, WO 2010/128109, WO 2011/086087 and WO 2011/086088.

The thermal conditioner may be a boiler or a thermoblock or an on demand heater (ODH), for instance an ODH type disclosed in EP 1 253 844, EP 1 380 243 and EP 1 809 151.

Examples of liquid drivers e.g. pumps and their incorporation into beverage machines are disclosed in WO 2009/150030, WO 2010/108700, WO 2011/107574 and WO 2013/098173.

Examples of suitable mixing unit with first and second ingredient enclosing modules that are relatively moved by a motor are disclosed in EP 1767129, WO 2012/025258, WO 2012/025259, WO 2013/127476 and WO 2014/056641. The first and second enclosing modules may be moved manually, e.g. as disclosed in WO 2005/004683, WO 2007/135135, WO 2007/135136, WO 2009/043630. The first module and the second module of the mixing unit can be relatively movable generally along a longitudinal straight axis. Typically, the first and second modules of the mixing unit are distant from each other in the transfer position and close to each other in the mixing position. In the mixing position, the first and second modules may define a mixing chamber, e.g. a chamber for receiving a plurality of beverage ingredients to be mixed together. In one embodiment, the mixing chamber is an infusion chamber in which infusible ingredients, e.g. coffee or tea, are exposed to a carrier liquid, such as water e.g. hot water. The mixing chamber may be configured to receive loose solid ingredient particles and/or to receive proportioned ingredients within a capsule. At least one part of the first and second modules may delimit a cavity for receiving the ingredient e.g. within a capsule, such as a tapered cavity, e.g. a conical or pyramidal cavity, or a straight cavity, e.g. a cylindrical or trapezoidal cavity. Such cavity may extend along an axis that is generally collinear with the above longitudinal straight axis. The other part of these first and second parts may include an extraction plate, such as a plate provided with piercing elements for opening a flow-through face of the capsule or a non-intrusive plate for cooperating with a pre-opened or a self-opening flow-through face of the capsule. Self-opening capsules are for instance disclosed in CH 605 293, WO 03/059778, WO 2011/000723, WO 2011/000724 and WO 2011/000725. The opening and handling of capsules by a machine's piercing elements of a plate are for example disclosed in EP 512 470, EP 2 068 684 and WO 2013/026845. Examples of suitable mixing units with mixing chambers are disclosed in WO 2008/037642, WO 2013/026843, WO 2013/026843, WO 2013/026844 and WO 2013/026856. A flavoured beverage may be prepared by circulating (by means of a liquid driver, e.g. a pump) a carrier liquid, such as water, into the capsule to flavour the liquid by exposure to a flavouring ingredient held in the capsule, e.g. along an extraction direction that may be generally parallel to the direction of relative movement of the first and second modules of the mixing units. When closed capsules are used, the first and second modules may include a capsule opener such as blades and/or a tearing tool, e.g. a plate with a tearing profile, for instance as known from Nespresso™ machines or as disclosed in EP 0 512 470, EP 2 068 684 and WO 2014/076041 and the references cited therein. The interaction between the first and second modules (and optionally a capsule transfer channel) and an ingredient capsule may be of the type disclosed in WO 2005/004683, WO 2007/135135, WO2007/135136, WO 2008/037642 and WO 2013/026856. The machine may include a capsule loader associated with the transfer channel for loading a capsule. The capsule to be loaded may be of the type described above under the title “Field of the Invention” and/or the capsule may include an ingredient described under the same title. The capsule can comprise a capsule body, e.g. a generally straight or tapered body. The capsule can have a circular peripheral annulus flange, e.g. a flexible or rigid flange, extending from a peripheral part, e.g. an edge or face, of the capsule body. The capsule may contain a flavoring ingredient for preparing tea, coffee, hot chocolate, cold chocolate, milk, soup or baby food. The capsule loader may have: a capsule holding configuration for holding an ingredient capsule away from the mixing unit; and a capsule releasing configuration for releasing the capsule in or into the transfer channel towards the mixing unit. The loader may have a capsule gate that is movable, such as pivotable and/or translatable, between a position obstructing the transfer channel for preventing a passage of the capsule along the channel and a position clearing the transfer channel for allowing a passage of the capsule along the channel. Details of suitable capsule loaders are disclosed in WO 2012/126971, WO 2014/056641, WO 2014/056642 and WO 2015/086371. Details of suitable capsule sensing are disclosed in WO 2012/123440, WO 2014/147128, PCT/EP15/060555, PCT/EP15/060561, PCT/EP15/060567, PCT/EP15/065415 and PCT/EP15/065535.

The machine may include a or the above dispenser of a milk-based beverage as the movable beverage preparation module, the module having a cavity for containing milk to be dispensed. For instance, such machine incorporates at least one of the following features:the milk-based beverage dispenser having a front door for accessing the milk cavity;the milk-based beverage dispenser having a removable reservoir in the milk cavity for storing milk;the milk-based beverage dispenser having a milk suction line for taking milk from the milk cavity and guiding the milk to the beverage outlet or to at least one of the beverage outlets;the milk-based beverage dispenser having a cooling arrangement for cooling milk in the milk cavity;the milk-based beverage dispenser having a heating arrangement for heating milk to be dispensed by the beverage outlet(s);the milk-based beverage dispenser having a frothing arrangement for frothing milk to be dispensed by the beverage outlet(s), e.g. a venturi type frother or static mixer type frother (e.g. forced conduit);the milk-based beverage dispenser having a connector arrangement having a milk outlet connectable to a milk inlet of another movable beverage preparation module;the housing cavity containing at least two such milk-based beverage dispensers; andthe housing cavity further containing a or the above flavoured beverage dispenser as a further movable beverage preparation module.

Examples of suitable milk processing architectures are for example disclosed in WO 2011/095509, WO2012/093157 and WO2012/097916.

The machine may include a removable or non-removable liquid reservoir module having a cavity for containing liquid, e.g. water, to be dispensed, the liquid reservoir module being typically housed in the machine's external housing. For instance, such module incorporates at least one of: a front door for accessing the cavity; a liquid suction line for taking fluid from the liquid cavity; a water connection connected via a fluid line to the cavity connector and/or module connector; and a single optionally removable reservoir or a plurality of optionally removable reservoirs for storing liquid in the cavity. Optionally the cavity comprises a plurality of reservoirs for supplying water to a corresponding plurality of movable beverage preparation modules of the same type or a single reservoir for supplying water to a single movable beverage preparation module or a plurality of beverage preparation modules of different types.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS.1to9illustrates a first embodiment of the invention in which machine1has an external housing10containing two flavoured beverage preparation modules20and a liquid reservoir module40.FIGS.10to14illustrate a second embodiment of the invention in which machine1has an external housing10containing a flavoured beverage preparation modules20, a module30for preparing a milk-based beverage and a liquid reservoir module50. External housings10of both embodiments can be the same or different. Likewise, flavoured beverage preparation modules20can be the same or different in both embodiments. Liquid reservoir modules40,50can be the same or different in both embodiments. For example, flavoured beverage preparation modules20and milk module30are movable modules whereas liquid, e.g. water, reservoir modules40,50are non-movable modules, fixed in housing10. Alternatively, liquid reservoir modules40,50may be movable modules.

Hence, beverage machine1has an external housing10and a movable beverage preparation module20,30that is configured to process a beverage and/or a beverage ingredient to be dispensed via at least one beverage dispensing outlet25to a user-cup or user-mug2, such as via 2, 3 or 4 beverage dispensing outlets.

Housing10has a front opening10′ and forms a cavity10″ for housing module20,30. Such module20,30is insertable as a unit into an operative position into the cavity10″ and removable as a unit out of the cavity10″ via front opening10′. Module20,30may be as movable along a substantially horizontal direction into and out of its operative position.

Housing10has a cavity connector11in cavity10″ and module20,30has a module connector that is connected to cavity connector11when module20,30is located thereagainst while reaching its operative position and that is disconnected from cavity connector11when module20,30is removed from cavity10″.

At least one connector11of the cooperating module connector and cavity connector11has a connection interface device11athat is resiliently mounted to a connection base device11b,e.g. by at least one spring elements11csuch as a helicoidal spring and/or a blade spring, to enable a positioning adjustement of the interface device11awhen module connector and the cavity connector11are connected together. Typically, connection base device11bis directly or indirectly fixed to housing10or integral therewith.

Housing10may have an external rear face10″′, such as a rear face10″′ that supports or is adjacent to the cavity connector11, opposite front opening10′. For instance, movable beverage preparation module20,30in its operative position in cavity10″ contacts or is adjacent to rear face10″′, e.g. distant by no more than 5 or 10 cm.

Housing10can have an external top face10c,e.g. a top face with a centrally confined area for storing cups or mugs2, facing an external bottom face10b.For instance, movable beverage preparation module20,30extends over substantially an entire height of cavity10″ spacing top face10cfrom bottom face10b.

Housing10may have external rear face10″′, top face10c,bottom face10band facing external side faces10ain a generally parallelepipedic arrangement.

Machine1can have an external machine front face1′, movable module20,30in its operative position having an external module front face21,31that forms a section of external machine front face1′ and that extends across or over the front opening10′.

Module external front face21,31may extend over at least 75% of the overall width or height of housing10, such as at least 80%, 85% or 90% of the overall width or height of housing10.

Module front face21,31can extend flush with an adjacent external face21,31,41,51to form together part or all of the external machine front face1′ when module20,30is in its operative position. For instance, adjacent external face21,31,41,51forms a front face21,31of an adjacent movable beverage preparation module20,30in an operative position or of another movable module or forms a face41,51non-removably mounted to housing10(e.g. it may be formed by a non-removable door42,52assembled to housing10).

Movable beverage preparation module20,30in its operative position may be releasably secured against an element113that positions the module20,30in its operative position, such as an internal positioning element113, fixed to or integral with the housing10, by a securing device22.

Securing device22may be: selected from a latch, lock, clip and screw22; and/or accessible from outside housing10, e.g. from adjacent front opening10′.

Movable beverage preparation module20,30can have an arrangement for facilitating a movement into and/or out of housing cavity10″. The facilitating arrangement may include at least one of: a grip or handle23seizable from outside housing10when movable beverage preparation module20,30is in its operative position, such as a grip or handle23recessed in a module's external front face21,31; and a guide arrangement cooperating with a counter-arrangement fixed to or integral with the housing10, e.g. an internal guide arrangement, such as a guiding rail12or a guiding groove.

The module connector and/or cavity connector11may include at least one of an electric power connection110, a data connection111and a fluid connection112.

A cavity connector11and a corresponding module connector may have a plurality of electric power connections110to power a plurality of power components of movable module20,30associated with the module connector, such as a thermal conditioner and a liquid driver, e.g. a pump. Alternatively several power components may be powered by the same power connection.

Cavity connector11may have at least one of a fluid connection112connected to a fluid source43via a rigid or flexible fluid line112′ and a power connection110′ connected to a power source, e.g. to an electric cord for connection to the mains.

Cavity connector11can be formed as a single unit or plurality of units110,111;112. For instance, a fluid connection112is provided as a unit separate to a unit bearing the power and data connections110,111.

Cavity connector11and the module connector may be connected together, such as connected together to transmit at least one of data, fluid and power, between removable and/or non-removable beverage preparation modules20,30,40,50.

Cavity connector11can be connected to a connector of a non-removable module40,50.

The module connector and cavity connector11can have a guide arrangement to promote a proper relative positioning of the module connector and cavity connector11when approaching each other when the corresponding movable module20,30approaches its operative position, such as a positioning pin11dand corresponding guiding hole arrangement.

The module connector and cavity connector11may have a sensing arrangement to sense a proper relative positioning of the module connector and cavity connector11, such as at least one switch11eoperated when the corresponding movable module20,30reaches or leaves its operative position, e.g. a plurality of spaced apart contact switches.

Machine1may incorporate a cup support13.

Cup support13can form a device mounted to housing10in front of front opening10′ such as removably mounted to a connector13′ of housing10.

Cup support13may secure the movable beverage preparation module20,30(or a plurality of modules20,30) in its operative position in the cavity10″.

Cup support13can be removably mounted to housing10and associated with a presence sensor13″, such as a contact switch, for sensing a proper positioning of the cup support13on the housing.

Cup support13may include a cup support grid optionally located on a drip collection reservoir.

Beverage preparation module20may have a cup holder26for holding a cup2under beverage outlet(s)25, cup holder26being optionally movably mounted against a main body of module20so as to be movable in an operative position for holding cup2under beverage outlet(s)25and into an inoperative position for enabling the placement of a mug, taller than cup2, under beverage outlet(s)25.

Machine1may incorporate a plurality of movable beverage preparation modules20,30that can be contained simultaneously in housing10, each movable module20,30being:insertable as a unit into the cavity10″ into its operative position in which its module connector is connected to a corresponding cavity connector11; andremovable as a unit out of cavity10″ via front opening10′,
independently of the presence inside cavity10″ of any other movable beverage preparation module20,30in its operative position.

The plurality of such movable beverage preparation modules20,30may incorporate: at least two different types of modules20,30; and/or a master movable beverage preparation module20with a master control unit and a slave movable beverage preparation module20,30with a slave control unit connected to the master control unit. The master control unit and the slave control unit may be connected via a data transmission channel, such as via the cavity and module connectors11(e.g. via data connection111). For instance, such slave module20,30is inoperative to produce a beverage when master module20is removed from housing10and/or master module20is inoperative to produce a beverage when slave module20,30is removed from housing10.

Movable beverage preparation module20can be a flavoured beverage dispenser20, such as a dispenser of tea, coffee, chocolate, cacao and soup, configured to combine a flavouring ingredient and a liquid carrier, such as water, for dispensing a resulting beverage via beverage outlet25or via at least one of the beverage outlets. For instance, such machine1has at least one of the following features:cavity10″ containing at least two such movable beverage preparation modules20;cavity10″ further containing a dispenser of a milk-based beverage as a movable beverage preparation module30;such module20comprising an inlet27for a flavouring ingredient, such as a pre-portioned favouring ingredient supplied in a capsule;such module20comprising at least one of: an ingredient mixing unit, e.g. a brewing unit; a fluid line, e.g. including at least one of a pump, sensor, valve, and thermal conditioner such as a heater and/or a cooler; and a control unit optionally connected to a user-interface; andsuch module20comprising a waste material collector28, such as a waste ingredient and/or fluid collector.

Machine1may include a or the above dispenser30of a milk-based beverage as the movable beverage preparation module. Such module30may have a cavity35for containing milk to be dispensed. For instance, such machine1includes at least one of the following features:dispenser30having a front door32for accessing the milk cavity35;dispenser30having a removable reservoir in milk cavity35)for storing milk;dispenser30having a milk suction line33for taking milk from milk cavity35and guiding the milk to beverage outlet25or to at least one of the beverage outlets;dispenser30having a cooling arrangement for cooling milk in milk cavity35;dispenser30having a heating arrangement for heating milk to be dispensed by beverage outlet(s)25;dispenser30having a frothing arrangement for frothing milk to be dispensed by beverage outlet(s)25;dispenser30having a connector arrangement having a milk outlet connectable to a milk inlet of another movable beverage preparation module20;housing cavity10″ containing at least two such milk-based beverage dispensers30; andhousing cavity10″ further containing a or the above flavoured beverage dispenser20as a further movable beverage preparation module20.

Machine1may comprise a removable or non-removable liquid reservoir module40,50having a cavity45,55for containing liquid, e.g. water, to be dispensed. For instance, such module40,50including at least one of:a front door42,52for accessing cavity45,55;a liquid suction line43,53for taking fluid from liquid cavity45,55;a single optionally removable reservoir54or a plurality of optionally removable reservoirs44for storing liquid in cavity45,55, cavity45,55comprising for instance a plurality of reservoirs44for supplying water to a corresponding plurality of movable beverage preparation modules20of the same type or a single reservoir54for supplying water to a single movable beverage preparation module or a plurality of beverage preparation modules20,30of different types; anda water connection43connected via a fluid line112to cavity connector11and/or the module connector.