US 6,182,554 · Granted 2001-02-06

The Keurig Patent That Made Single-Serve Coffee Foolproof

Imagine a coffee maker where the used pod automatically pops out the moment you open the lid—no fishing around inside. This patent describes the spring-loaded ejection system and pivoting cup holder that make that satisfying *click-and-flip* motion happen, turning a messy manual step into an invisible dance between the lid and the machine.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a cup-shaped holder with an internal ejection mechanism that automatically dislodges a spent beverage cartridge (like a K-Cup) from a piercing needle when the lid opens. What's protected here is the combination of the pivoting trunnion mount that lets the holder rock between upright and inverted positions, plus the mechanical linkage between the lid and a pawl that triggers the cartridge ejection. Someone copying this exact choreography of lid-opening, spring-release, and tilt-to-eject would infringe.

Why it matters

This patent was foundational to Keurig's single-serve brewing system during its critical growth years in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The automatic ejection mechanism solved a real user-friction problem—making the machine feel intuitive and mess-free rather than finicky. By locking down the mechanical elegance of how the pod gets removed, Keurig protected a key part of what made their system more convenient than competing single-serve or manual filter methods.

Real-world use

Every time someone brews a K-Cup coffee at home or in an office, they're experiencing this patent in action—the pod automatically pops free the instant the lid flips open, landing neatly in the bin below.

Original USPTO abstract

A cup shaped holder is internally provided with an ejection mechanism which serves to automatically dislodge a spent beverage cartridge from an upwardly extending piercing member when the lid is opened at the end of a brewing cycle. In addition, the holder is mounted on externally protruding trunnions for pivotal movement between an upright brewing position and a partially inverted position to eject the dislodged cartridge from the holder into an underlying receptacle. The lid has a dependency arm that coacts with a pawl on the holder trunnions to automatically manipulate the holder to eject the cartridge.

Patent details

Publication number: US 6,182,554
Filing date: 1999-12-30
Grant date: 2001-02-06
Assignee: Keurig, Inc.
Inventor(s): BEAULIEU RODERICK H., WUERTELE JAMES W., SWEENEY RICHARD P., SYLVAN JOHN E., WORAM MICHAEL G., FOCHT KENNETH A., KWO JENNIE
CPC class: A47J31/3638

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