Flavia Coffee Machine Patents Flavia

Flavia Coffee Machine Patents

Flavia is a brand of coffee-related products owned by Mars Inc., the candy bar maker. Relating to Flavia are three important patents. The first is 5,272,960. This is for a machine that dispenses beverages made by injecting a liquid (hot water) into a packet containing other beverage-producing materials. The device was invented by Robert N. Kinna of Bramley Green, England. It is presently owned by Mars, Inc. The patent was filed on November 1, 1990 and was issued December 28, 1993. This invention has several other unique features. One is that the devise uses liquid pressure to open a seam in the sachet. The seam is weakened with a heat source prior to opening to prevent explosion. The heat source is either hot liquid or a radiant source. The machine is typically used to make hot chocolate. There are several independent claims associated with this patent. The broadest of these includes any number of different sources of heat to break the sachet seal, including a hot wire or steam from a hot water tank. This process can also be conducted with the aid of an activator, and that activator may come with an automatic deactivation function or not.

Another patent is 6,358,545. This is for a sachet that is comprised of two laminates which are heat-sealed together. There will be an openable portion to the sachet sealed with a pressure-sensitive adhesive, allowing it to be opened, thereby allowing the contents of the sachet to be mixed with liquid. The sachet was invented by Kevin Paul Chandler of Great Britain and Umberto Richichi of Italy. The patent is owned by Mars UK Limited. It was filed on May 15, 2000 and issued on March 19, 2002. The sachet is designed to allow all of the material contained within the sachet to mix with the water completely and drop cleanly into the cup. This was previously difficult to achieve, in particular in drinks that do not require a filter, such as hot chocolate. By adding a reinforcing flexible strip to the base seam of the sachet, the predictability of the opening of that base seam is improved. The broadest claims include sachets that have three layers - outer plastics, intermediate foil and inner plastics and are bonded by heat-sealing the inner plastics layers together.

A third related patent is for a process to treat roasted coffee, patent number 4,748,030. The inventor is Ernesto Illy of Trieste, Italy. No owner of the patent is listed. The patent was filed on November 26, 1986 and was issued on May 31, 1988. The process begins with roasted beans being placed in an airtight container. The container is purged of CO2 and the beans are aged under a specific set of atmospheric conditions. The specific aging conditions set out include the number of days, the temperature, and the concentration of a couple of particular gases. The broadest claim includes a wide range for each of these variables. It could also include the addition of a gas to the container that is relatively inert with respect to the aromatic substances in coffee, and allows for the introduction of key gases at different intervals. Another broad claim allows for aging at room temperature over a broad period.

There are various trademarks associated with Flavia and with Mars, Inc. The first of these is 78543428. This is registered as IC 030. U.S. 046. G & S, under Goods & Services. The mark is the word "Flavia" and the logo that shows this name in oval form. The first use of this mark was in 1998. The application was filed January 6, 2005 and it was registered on July 11, 2006. The owner of the trademark is Mars, Inc.

The next trademark is 76365123, "The Cafe of Choice." This is registered as IC 029. U.S. 046. G & S, under Goods & Services. The mark is the specific words, rendered in stylized form. The first use of this mark was in 2002. The application was filed on February 1, 2002. The mark was registered on March 23, 2004. The owner of the mark is Mars, Inc.

The next trademark is 78977583, "Flavia Fusion." This is registered as IC 011. U.S. 013-021 023-031-034. G & S, under Goods & Services. The mark is the name, in standard characters. The first use of this trademark was in 2005. The application was filed on March 17, 2005 and was registered on November 28, 2006. The owner of the mark is Mars, Inc.

The next trademark is 77246316, "Flavia Creation." This is registered as IC 011. U.S. 013-021 023-031-034., under Goods & Services. The mark is the name, in standard characters. The first use of this trademark is not listed. The application was filed August 3, 2007 and the mark has not yet been registered. The applicant is Mars, Inc.

The next trademark is 77036640, "Flavia Peppermint Cool." This is registered as IC 030. U.S. 046. G & S, under Goods & Services. The mark is the name, in standard characters. The first use of this trademark is not listed. The application was filed on November 6, 2006, and the mark has not yet been registered. The applicant is Mars, Inc. The mark makes no claim to the use of the word "peppermint" outside of the context of this mark.

The next trademark is 73390421, "MilkyWay." This is registered as IC 030. U.S. 046. G & S, under Goods & Services. The mark is the name and the three-part rectangular design. The name rendered in green and brown is included in the mark as is the fact that the rectangle is divided into bars, some of which are shaded. The first use of this trademark was in 1968. The application was filed on September 27, 1982 and it was registered on March 27, 1984. The owner is Mars, Inc.