Nestle, Nespresso Axe Two K-Fee Coffee Pod Patents at Tribunal

Nespresso USA Inc. persuaded an administrative tribunal to invalidate two K-fee System GmbH patents related to single-serve coffee capsules and a beverage system.

K-fee’s US Patent Nos. 11,230,430 and 10,994,923 are obvious in light of four previous inventions because an individual experienced in mechanical beverage systems likely would’ve combined them to create the challenged patents, according to two Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions issued Tuesday.

K-fee, a subsidiary of Kruger GmbH & Co. KG that makes coffee and espresso pods, sued the Nestlé SA subsidiary in January 2022, alleging infringement of three patents. The US District Court for the ...