US 2,012,058,226 · Filed 2010-09-02

The Keurig Cartridge Patent That Changed How Millions Brew Coffee

Keurig patented the design of those single-serve coffee pods—the little cartridges with a filter built into the lid. When you peel the lid off, the filter and the coffee grounds come out together, keeping everything tidy and making it super fast to brew one cup.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a beverage cartridge with a removable lid where the filter is attached only to the lid (not the container itself) and extends down into the cartridge to separate two chambers. What's protected here is the specific design where pulling off the lid automatically removes the filter and used grounds as one unit, without leaving debris behind in the container.

Why it matters

This patent protects the core engineering of Keurig's single-serve brewing system, which disrupted the coffee industry by making pod-based brewing convenient and fast. The design keeps the cartridge simple for manufacturers while ensuring a clean, user-friendly experience—a key reason why Keurig became dominant in home coffee brewing.

Real-world use

Every time you drop a K-Cup pod into your Keurig machine and peel off the foil top, you're using the exact cartridge geometry this patent locks down.

Original USPTO abstract

A method, system and cartridge for forming a beverage includes a cartridge having a container defining an interior space, a lid, a filter, and a beverage medium contained in the interior space. The filter may be attached to the lid only, and extend into the interior space to separate first and second chambers of the cartridge. The filter may hold the beverage medium and be arranged so that, when the lid is removed from the container, e.g., by peeling the lid from the container, the filter and beverage medium are removed together with the lid.

Patent details

Publication number: US 2,012,058,226
Filing date: 2010-09-02
Grant date: Application — not yet granted
Assignee: Keurig, Incorporated
Inventor(s): WINKLER KARL T., LAI SHIH-HAO, PASQUINI RICHARD
CPC class: B65D85/8061

View original record on Google Patents →

Want to file your own patent?

Designing a new kitchen gadget or beverage system? Scan it through our free patent checker to see if you're bumping into existing territories like Keurig's.

Free patentability scan