Abstract: An automated frothing assembly. The automated frothing assembly has a wand module that includes an elongate member having an inlet, one or more outlets, and a fluid passageway extending between and in fluid communication with the inlet and the plurality of outlets. At least one of the one or more outlets extends parallel to a vertical plane that includes the centerline of the elongate member and at an acute angle relative to a horizontal plane that is perpendicular to both the vertical plane and the centerline of the elongate member. The assembly further includes an actuator configured to be operatively coupled to the wand module and to drive the movement of at least a portion of the wand module along an axis, and an electronic controller configured to be electrically coupled to the actuator and to control the operation of the actuator to control the movement of the wand module.

Abstract: A system that generates brewed beverages may receive requests to produce specified brewed beverages. The system may include a scheduler that initiates and controls the performance of one or more chemical or mechanical processes to produce the beverages. While one chemical or mechanical process for producing a beverage is being performed, other processes may be performed for production of the beverage or another beverage. The scheduler may determine the time at which to perform each process, the time at which a beverage should be presented, the resources to be used to perform the processes, or the time at which to perform a cleaning process, dependent on an actual or expected demand for beverages, or dependent on a target time for beverage retrieval. Shared resources may be applied to the production of beverages for high priority orders, while partially completed beverages for lower priority orders are staged for subsequent advancement.

Abstract: A system that generates brewed beverages may receive requests to produce specified brewed beverages. The system may include a scheduler that initiates and controls the performance of one or more chemical or mechanical processes to produce the beverages. While one chemical or mechanical process for producing a beverage is being performed, other processes may be performed for production of the beverage or another beverage. The scheduler may determine the time at which to perform each process, the time at which a beverage should be presented, the resources to be used to perform the processes, or the time at which to perform a cleaning process, dependent on an actual or expected demand for beverages, or dependent on a target time for beverage retrieval. Shared resources may be applied to the production of beverages for high priority orders, while partially completed beverages for lower priority orders are staged for subsequent advancement.

Abstract: An automated frothing assembly. The automated frothing assembly has a wand module that includes an elongate member having an inlet, one or more outlets, and a fluid passageway extending between and in fluid communication with the inlet and the plurality of outlets. At least one of the one or more outlets extends parallel to a vertical plane that includes the centerline of the elongate member and at an acute angle relative to a horizontal plane that is perpendicular to both the vertical plane and the centerline of the elongate member. The assembly further includes an actuator configured to be operatively coupled to the wand module and to drive the movement of at least a portion of the wand module along an axis, and an electronic controller configured to be electrically coupled to the actuator and to control the operation of the actuator to control the movement of the wand module.

Abstract: A system for translating a first description of a good into one or more other descriptions that correspond to one or more vendors is provided. The system comprises a processing device and a memory device accessible by the processing device. The memory device contains one or more data structures configured for use in mapping the first description of the good to one or more other descriptions that correspond to one or more vendors. The processing device is configured to: receive a user input representative of the first description of the good; and map, using the received input and the data structure(s) contained in the memory device, the first description to one or more other descriptions of the good. A method for translating a first description of a good into one or more other descriptions that correspond to one or more vendors is also provided.

Abstract: An automated frothing assembly. The automated frothing assembly has a wand module that includes an elongate member having an inlet, one or more outlets, and a fluid passageway extending between and in fluid communication with the inlet and the plurality of outlets. At least one of the one or more outlets extends parallel to a vertical plane that includes the centerline of the elongate member and at an acute angle relative to a horizontal plane that is perpendicular to both the vertical plane and the centerline of the elongate member. The assembly further includes an actuator configured to be operatively coupled to the wand module and to drive the movement of at least a portion of the wand module along an axis, and an electronic controller configured to be electrically coupled to the actuator and to control the operation of the actuator to control the movement of the wand module.

Abstract: A method of operating an automated beverage generating system. The method comprises receiving one or more electrical signals representative of an order for a specified beverage. The method further comprises translating the order into one or more steps required to generate the specified beverage. The method still further comprises and entering each required step into a dynamic sequence corresponding to a module of the system configured to perform that particular step, the dynamic sequence representing an order in which one or more steps in the dynamic sequence will be performed by the module for one or more beverages to be generated by the system.

Abstract: An apparatus that generates brewed beverages by performing one or more chemical and/or mechanical processes may receive requests to produce specified brewed beverages. The apparatus may include a master controller that initiates and controls performance of the chemical and/or mechanical processes to produce the specified beverages. The master controller may adaptively apply one or more process accelerators during the performance of one of the chemical or mechanical processes to accelerate the process or to achieve a desired qualitative or quantitative characteristic for a beverage or a component thereof. The adaptive application of one or more process accelerators may be dependent on a multiple-variable process profile developed for the process and/or a specified beverage. For example, the pressure in a steam wand and/or the depth of the wand may be varied during a process to froth milk in order to produce frothed milk having a desired temperature.

Abstract: A system that generates brewed beverages may receive requests to produce specified brewed beverages. The system may include a scheduler that initiates and controls the performance of one or more chemical or mechanical processes to produce the beverages. While one chemical or mechanical process for producing a beverage is being performed, other processes may be performed for production of the beverage or another beverage. The scheduler may determine the time at which to perform each process, the time at which a beverage should be presented, the resources to be used to perform the processes, or the time at which to perform a cleaning process, dependent on an actual or expected demand for beverages, or dependent on a target time for beverage retrieval. Shared resources may be applied to the production of beverages for high priority orders, while partially completed beverages for lower priority orders are staged for subsequent advancement.

Abstract: An apparatus that generates brewed beverages by performing one or more chemical and/or mechanical processes may receive requests to produce specified brewed beverages. The apparatus may include a master controller that initiates and controls performance of the chemical and/or mechanical processes to produce the specified beverages. The master controller may adaptively apply one or more process accelerators during the performance of one of the chemical or mechanical processes to accelerate the process or to achieve a desired qualitative or quantitative characteristic for a beverage or a component thereof. The adaptive application of one or more process accelerators may be dependent on a multiple-variable process profile developed for the process and/or a specified beverage. For example, the pressure in a steam wand and/or the depth of the wand may be varied during a process to froth milk in order to produce frothed milk having a desired temperature.

Abstract: An apparatus that generates brewed beverages by performing one or more chemical and/or mechanical processes may receive requests to produce specified brewed beverages. The apparatus may include a master controller that initiates and controls performance of the chemical and/or mechanical processes to produce the specified beverages. The master controller may adaptively apply one or more process accelerators during the performance of one of the chemical or mechanical processes to accelerate the process or to achieve a desired qualitative or quantitative characteristic for a beverage or a component thereof. The adaptive application of one or more process accelerators may be dependent on a multiple-variable process profile developed for the process and/or a specified beverage. For example, the pressure in a steam wand and/or the depth of the wand may be varied during a process to froth milk in order to produce frothed milk having a desired temperature.

Abstract: A system that generates brewed beverages may receive requests to produce specified brewed beverages. The system may include a scheduler that initiates and controls the performance of one or more chemical or mechanical processes to produce the beverages. While one chemical or mechanical process for producing a beverage is being performed, other processes may be performed for production of the beverage or another beverage. The scheduler may determine the time at which to perform each process, the time at which a beverage should be presented, the resources to be used to perform the processes, or the time at which to perform a cleaning process, dependent on an actual or expected demand for beverages, or dependent on a target time for beverage retrieval. Shared resources may be applied to the production of beverages for high priority orders, while partially completed beverages for lower priority orders are staged for subsequent advancement.

Abstract: A system that generates brewed beverages may receive requests to produce specified brewed beverages. The system may include a scheduler that initiates and controls the performance of one or more chemical or mechanical processes to produce the beverages. While one chemical or mechanical process for producing a beverage is being performed, other processes may be performed for production of the beverage or another beverage. The scheduler may determine the time at which to perform each process, the time at which a beverage should be presented, the resources to be used to perform the processes, or the time at which to perform a cleaning process, dependent on an actual or expected demand for beverages, or dependent on a target time for beverage retrieval. Shared resources may be applied to the production of beverages for high priority orders, while partially completed beverages for lower priority orders are staged for subsequent advancement.

Abstract: A data processor such as an integrated circuit microcontroller (10) includes a central processing unit (12), a system integration module (14), and on-chip peripherals (16, 24, 28, 30) commonly connected by an information bus (32). The microcontroller (10) supports transparent background mode operation by not only preserving the state of the central processing unit (12), but also the states of on-chip peripherals (16, 24, 28, 30). For example, a serial peripheral interface (16) has a status register (86) with some status bits which are cleared in normal mode by reading the status register (86). In background mode, reading the status register (86) does not cause the status bits to be cleared. The system integration module (14) has a control bit, known as the break clear flag enable (BCFE) bit, which selectively allows the states of the on-chip peripherals (16, 24, 28, 30) to be altered when the microcontroller is in background mode.

Abstract: An extensible central processing unit (CPU) (12 or 12'). By modifying the architecture of a new or prior art CPU, a new or prior art CPU can be made extensible so that new instructions can be added in a simple and cost effective manner to meet differing customer needs. The term "extensible" in regard to a CPU is used to mean that new instructions can be added to the CPU simply by adding certain designated circuitry, without the need to significantly change the existing CPU circuitry. In some embodiments, the additional designated circuitry may include control circuitry in the form of CPU control extension circuitry (52 or 152). In some embodiments, the additional circuitry may include non-control circuitry in the form of execution unit extension circuitry (153).

Abstract: A data processing system providing an extensible register and method thereof. A new CPU has an extensible index register. The new CPU is object code compatible with the old CPU having an 8-bit index register, yet the index register of the new CPU can be effectively extended to 16 bits when new instructions are used. As a consequence, the user is able to make the choice between using assembly code software written for the old CPU and having the functionality of an 8-bit index register, or writing new assembly code software for the new CPU and having the functionality of a 16-bit index register.

Abstract: A data processor (10) increments a sixteen bit program counter value using an arithmetic logic unit, ALU, (224) and an eight bit incrementer(250). The ALU increments a low byte of the program counter value. A carry generated by incrementing the low byte is propagated to the incrementer. The incrementer then increments the high byte of the program counter value. Subsequently, the high and low bytes of the program counter value are respectively stored in a high and low program counter register (200, 206). Therefore, eight bits of an incrementer which would have typically been required to implement an incrementer for the low byte of the program counter value have been eliminated without a reduction in functionality of the data processor.

Abstract: A data processing system (10) executes a branch instruction in a straight line microcode sequence. During execution of the instruction, a control unit (56) is provided to decode the instruction to provide a plurality of control signals and to determine a data value with which to test a condition of the instruction. A constants generation circuit (222) generates a mask value in response to the plurality of control signals. An arithmetic logic unit (224) logically combines the mask value with the data value to produce a masked value. A zero detect circuit (246) subsequently tests the masked value to determine if it is equal to zero and provides a condition signal to indicate if the condition of the instruction was satisfied. If the condition of the instruction is satisfied, an offset value plus one is added to a program counter value. Otherwise, the program counter value is incremented by one.

Abstract: A variable length shifter for performing multiple shift and select functions. The shifter has a number of cells equal to an operand length, ordered from a most significant to a least significant, or leftmost to rightmost. Each cell stores a bit of the operand, and is coupled to each adjacent cell and to a cell four bits adjacent in either direction, if any. In addition, each cell is coupled to a return bus for implementation of boundary conditions associated with the operation. Besides being expandable to an arbitrary size operand, the shifter implements a register select function using primarily existing circuitry.