Patent ID: 8490541

Claim:
A beverage maker for making a beverage by conducting fluid through at least one member containing at least one beverage ingredient, and for receiving and processing various types of beverage ingredient containing members, said beverage maker comprising: a supply of pressurized fluid; a cartridge chamber for receiving one of the various types of beverage ingredient containing members, said cartridge chamber having an inlet coupled to said source of pressurized fluid, an outlet for providing a beverage, and means for enabling a flow of the pressurized fluid through a received one of the various types of beverage ingredient containing members; a controller for controlling the beverage maker to effect a flow of fluid through the received one of the various types of beverage ingredient containing members in said cartridge chamber; a detector for measuring at least one flow characteristic of the fluid when the flow of fluid is effected; and a memory having stored therein a set of predetermined flow characteristics associated with various types of beverage ingredient containing members, wherein said controller: compares the measured flow characteristic from the detector to the set of predetermined flow characteristics associated with various types of beverage ingredient containing members stored in said memory; determines the type of the received beverage ingredient containing member by selecting one of the set of predetermined flow characteristics to which the measured flow characteristic is closest; and determines at least one parameter for a further process of making a beverage by selecting a parameter related to the selected predetermined flow characteristic.