US Patent 7197377 Method of limiting brewer operation to authorized substances

A method, apparatus and system for preventing unauthorized equipment usage that involves providing equipment, such as beverage making equipment, to a customer. Authorized product is provided to the customer in packaging that has a technological measure attached. The equipment includes a technological measure reader to read information from the technological measure to set the equipment to perform an authorized number of food or beverage making cycles. An authorization deactivator may also be provided in association with the equipment to erase, decrement, or otherwise prevent the technological measure from being reused.