Patent ID: 7543527

Claim:
A single serving cartridge for a beverage brewing machine comprising: a housing configured for mounting with the beverage brewing machine and having closed opposite ends; a particulate beverage substance from which the beverage is extracted in the brewing machine, said particulate substance contained within said housing and having a statistical mean diameter of the particles of said substance; and a fluid director member disposed within said housing between said particulate substance and one of said opposite ends, said fluid director member dimensioned to correspond to an interior cross-sectional area of said housing, said fluid director member defining a plurality of openings for passage of a fluid therethrough, said openings having a diameter that is less than said statistical mean diameter of said particles, and said fluid director member further including a plurality of raised portions defining a plurality of fluid channels therebetween arranged to direct fluid flow to or from said plurality of openings, a first number of said fluid channels extend radially outward from a central axis defined by said fluid director member, and a second number of said fluid channels extend concentrically around said central axis.