Containers having a portioned amount of cleaning composition; methods for cleaning residue from beverage making machines

Abstract

Containers having a portioned amount of a cleaning composition located in an internal volume are provided for cleaning a portion of a beverage making machine. The external size and configuration of the container is designed to fit within a carrier in a single (or multi-) serve beverage making machine. The container is insertable in the carrier in the place of a beverage making pod, cup, cartridge or the like. Following placement of the container in the carrier, the beverage making machine may be operated to perform a regular brew cycle or a specialized cleaning cycle in which water is introduced to the internal volume of the container and cleaning solution is released from the container, optionally under pressure, to contact and clean internal surfaces of the container carrier.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A container having an external size and configuration designed to fit within a carrier for retaining a cartridge for making a beverage in a beverage making machine and having an internal volume containing a pre-determined amount of a cleaning composition. 
     
     
         2 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the container additionally comprises a cover enclosing the internal volume. 
     
     
         3 . The container of  claim 2 , wherein the cover is fabricated from a yieldably pierce-able material. 
     
     
         4 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the container has one or more perforations in a side wall or a bottom wall. 
     
     
         5 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the cleaning composition is provided in a solid, semi-solid, gel or liquid form. 
     
     
         6 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the cleaning composition comprises an oxidizing agent. 
     
     
         7 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the cleaning composition comprises sodium percarbonate. 
     
     
         8 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the cleaning composition is environmentally benign. 
     
     
         9 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the pre-determined amount of the cleaning composition is sufficient to provide a volume of cleaning solution having a desired concentration that is less than a volume of water introduced during a cleaning cycle. 
     
     
         10 . The container of  claim 1 , additionally comprising an insert for retaining the cleaning composition within the internal volume. 
     
     
         11 . The container of  claim 1 , additionally comprising an internal structure for supporting the cleaning composition within the internal volume. 
     
     
         12 . A method for cleaning a beverage making system, comprising: inserting a container having an internal volume containing a pre-determined amount of a cleaning composition in a carrier of a beverage making system; causing water to be introduced to internal volume of the container to form a cleaning solution; and releasing the cleaning solution from the internal volume of the container, thereby causing cleaning solution to contact surfaces of the beverage making system carrier. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein water is introduced to the internal volume of the container by initiation of a beverage making or cleaning cycle. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein water is introduced to the internal volume of the container under pressure. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the container additionally comprises a cover sealing the internal volume and additionally comprising causing the container cover to be pierced prior to causing water to be introduced to the internal volume of the container. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the container has perforations and cleaning composition is released from the container through the perforations. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the pre-determined amount of the cleaning composition in the container is sufficient to provide a cleaning composition corresponding to less than 100% of the volume of water used during a cleaning cycle. 
     
     
         18 . A method for cleaning a carrier of a beverage making system, comprising: inserting a container having an internal volume containing a pre-determined amount of a cleaning composition in the carrier of a beverage making system, and initiating a beverage-making or cleaning cycle that causes water to be introduced to the container.