US 6,655,260 · Granted 2003-12-02

The Keurig Pod Cartridge Lock That Revolutionized Single-Serve Coffee

Imagine a coffee machine that holds a small disposable pod of ground coffee perfectly still while hot water shoots through it. This patent protects the mechanical grip—basically little bumps and grooves—that keeps the pod from spinning around while it brews, so the water flows through the grounds evenly and you get a great cup every time.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a cup-shaped housing that holds a single-use beverage cartridge, with specially designed surfaces on the inside walls that grab onto bumps or irregularities on the cartridge's outside to prevent rotation during brewing. It also protects the two piercing probes—one that pushes hot liquid in and one that dispenses the finished beverage out. What's protected is the exact mechanical arrangement of these locking surfaces and how they work together to keep the cartridge still while liquid flows through it.

Why it matters

This patent became foundational to Keurig's single-serve pod brewing system, which transformed how millions of people brew coffee and tea at home. By solving the problem of keeping a disposable cartridge perfectly positioned during brewing, the patent enabled a reliable, repeatable brewing process that didn't require users to measure or grind beans. It's one of the core patents that helped Keurig build a dominant position in the coffee machine market.

Real-world use

Every time someone drops a K-Cup into a Keurig machine and closes the lid, that mechanical lock—designed in this patent—grips the pod and holds it steady while hot water sprays through it.

Original USPTO abstract

A brewer operates during a brew cycle to brew a beverage by infusing heated liquid with a dry beverage medium contained in a single serve disposable cartridge. During the brew cycle, the cartridge is contained in a cup-shaped housing closed by a lid. Rotation of the cartridge within the housing is resisted by locating surfaces arranged to interengage with at least one surface irregularity in the cartridge sidewall. Inlet and outlet probes pierce the cartridge and serve, respectively, to admit the heated liquid and to remove the served beverage.

Patent details

Publication number: US 6,655,260
Filing date: 2002-04-03
Grant date: 2003-12-02
Assignee: Keurig, Incorporated
Inventor(s): LAZARIS NICHOLAS G., BEAULIEU RODERICK H.
CPC class: A47J31/3638

View original record on Google Patents →

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