| abstract |
A beverage preparation system comprising: (i) a capsule ( 1 1 ) with side ( 16 ), bottom ( 18 ) and top ( 14 ) walls, said capsule having a shape that is substantially symmetrical around a vertical axis, and said capsule is suitable for containing a beverage preparation ingredient to be dissolved, and/or infused, and/or extracted under pressure, by action of a fluid circulating into said capsule through said ingredient, (ii) a beverage preparation machine ( 1 ) suitable for receiving said capsule ( 11 ), and circulating said fluid into said capsule, (iii) optionally a capsule holder ( 9 ) for holding said capsule ( 1 1 ), at least at the time said capsule is disposed into said machine, characterized in that: the machine ( 1 ) comprises a linear barcode reader ( 21 ) suitable for reading a linear barcode sequence ( 25 ) contained in a segment S having a segment length LR, said linear barcode reader ( 21 ) being disposed in the machine such that it can read a barcode printed on the capsule while said capsule is being inserted inside said machine, and the capsule ( 1 1 ) comprises a barcode sequence ( 25 ) that is repeatedly printed along a peripheral path of the capsule, each sequence being disposed in an arc having a linear projected length L S that is inferior to L R and said sequence ( 25 ) is composed of dots ( 26 ) spaced apart from one another along said arc, such that their projected point images along a linear segment are also spaced apart. |