U.S. patent application number 10/581505 was filed with the patent office on 2009-01-15 for beverage making device.
This patent application is currently assigned to Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.. Invention is credited to Ben Arlett, Stephen Blatcher, David Stuart Harris, Hans Kodden, Richard Andrew Snell, Gemma Louise Wood.
Application Number | 20090013874 10/581505 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34833733 |
Filed Date | 2009-01-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090013874 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wood; Gemma Louise ; et
al. |
January 15, 2009 |
Beverage Making Device
Abstract
A beverage making device comprising a brewing chamber for
enclosing a pad (6) containing a substance from which the beverage
is to be brewed. The brewing chamber is formed by an upper part
with one or more openings (5) for supplying water to the brewing
chamber and by a lower part (8) with an outflow opening (16)
through which the brewed beverage can leave the brewing chamber.
Beverage receiving means (10,11) are present below said lower part
(8). One or more further openings (22) are present between the
brewing chamber and the beverage receiving means (10,11), and means
for closing said one or more further openings (22) during the
brewing process are present.
Inventors: |
Wood; Gemma Louise;
(Cambridge, GB) ; Snell; Richard Andrew;
(Cambridge, GB) ; Blatcher; Stephen; (Cambridge,
GB) ; Harris; David Stuart; (Cambridge, GB) ;
Arlett; Ben; (Cambridge, GB) ; Kodden; Hans;
(Hoogeveen, NL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PHILIPS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & STANDARDS
PO BOX 3001
BRIARCLIFF MANOR
NY
10510-8001
US
|
Assignee: |
Koninklijke Philips Electronics
N.V.
|
Family ID: |
34833733 |
Appl. No.: |
10/581505 |
Filed: |
November 26, 2004 |
PCT Filed: |
November 26, 2004 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/IB04/52571 |
371 Date: |
August 15, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
99/279 ;
134/42 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H03K 3/356043
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
99/279 ;
134/42 |
International
Class: |
A47J 31/44 20060101
A47J031/44; B08B 7/00 20060101 B08B007/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 5, 2004 |
EP |
04100427.6 |
Claims
1. A beverage making device comprising a brewing chamber for
enclosing a pad (6) containing a substance from which the beverage
is to be brewed, which brewing chamber is formed by an upper part
with one or more openings (5) for supplying water to the brewing
chamber and by a lower part (8) with an outflow opening (16)
through which the brewed beverage can leave the brewing chamber,
while beverage receiving means (10,11) are present below said lower
part (8), characterized by one or more further openings (22)
between the brewing chamber and the beverage receiving means
(10,11), and by means for closing said one or more further openings
(22) during the brewing process.
2. A beverage making device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in
that said one or more further openings (22) can be closed in that a
portion (15) of said lower part (8) is pushed downward, said
portion comprising at least a part of the lower wall of the brewing
chamber, preferably the central part of the lower wall of the
brewing chamber.
3. A beverage making device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in
that said portion (15) of the lower part (8) is pushed downward by
the pad (6) present in the brewing chamber.
4. A beverage making device as claimed in any one of the preceding
claims, characterized in that the device comprises means for
increasing the supply of heated water to the brewing chamber to a
higher level than is required during brewing of a beverage by means
of a pad (6) in the brewing chamber.
5. A beverage making device as claimed in any one of the preceding
claims, characterized in that said further openings (22) are formed
as nozzles for creating liquid jets in a direction inclined with
respect to the vertical direction.
6. A beverage making device as claimed in any one of the preceding
claims, characterized in that said lower part (8) comprises an
additional chamber (19) located underneath the brewing chamber such
that said further openings (22) connect said additional chamber
(19) with said beverage receiving means (10,11), and the connection
between the brewing chamber and said additional chamber (19) can be
closed during the brewing process.
7. A beverage making device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in
that the central part (1S) of the lower wall of the brewing chamber
can move in vertical direction, such that an annular opening
between the brewing chamber and said additional chamber (19) is
present around said central part (15) in the upper position
thereof, and in the lower position said annular opening is
closed.
8. A beverage making device as claimed in any one of the preceding
claims, characterized in that the beverage receiving means (10,11)
comprise a foam chamber for creating foam in the beverage, said
further openings (22) being formed as nozzles for directing liquid
jets to different parts of the wall of said foam chamber.
9. A method of cleaning a beverage making device comprising a
brewing chamber for enclosing a pad (6) containing a substance from
which the beverage is to be brewed, which brewing chamber is formed
by an upper part with one or more openings (5) for supplying water
to the brewing chamber and by a lower part (8) with an outflow
opening (16) through which the brewed beverage can leave the
brewing chamber, beverage receiving means (10,11) being present
below said lower part (8), characterized by one or more further
openings (22) between the brewing chamber and the beverage
receiving means (10,11), which one or more further openings (22)
are closed during the brewing process and are opened during a
cleaning process.
10. A method of brewing a beverage by means of a beverage making
device comprising a brewing chamber for enclosing a pad (6)
containing a substance from which a beverage can be brewed, which
brewing chamber is formed by an upper part with one or more
openings (5) for supplying water into the brewing chamber and by a
lower part (8) with an outflow opening (16) through which liquid
can leave the brewing chamber, beverage receiving means (10,11)
being present below said lower part (8), characterized by one or
more further openings (22) between the brewing chamber and the
beverage receiving means (10,11), wherein no pad (6) is present in
the brewing chamber, said one or more further openings (22) are
open, and a substance soluble in water is present in said beverage
receiving means (10,11) in order to brew the beverage.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a beverage making device comprising
a brewing chamber for enclosing a pad containing a substance from
which the beverage is to be brewed, which brewing chamber is formed
by an upper part with one or more openings for supplying water to
the brewing chamber, and by a lower part with an outflow opening
through which the brewed beverage can leave the brewing chamber,
while beverage receiving means are present below said lower part.
The expression `pad` denotes any container holding a substance for
brewing a beverage. It may be a disc-like container made of
filtering paper enclosing the substance from which the beverage is
to be brewed, but it may alternatively be any other container
enclosing the required substance.
[0002] WO-A-01/15582 discloses such a device comprising a water
reservoir, means for heating the water to the required temperature,
and means for pumping it to said holes in the upper part of the
brewing chamber, so that the heated water can enter the brewing
chamber under pressure. The brewing chamber contains a pad, also
called a pouch, made of filter material and containing a substance
to be extracted, for example ground coffee. The heated water will
pass through the pad, so that the coffee is extracted. During the
extraction process, the brewed beverage (coffee) leaves the brewing
chamber through an outflow opening located in the center of the
lower wall of the brewing chamber and arrives in beverage receiving
means. The beverage receiving means comprise an outflow tube
extending outside the device, so that the brewed beverage (coffee)
can be caught by one or by two cups.
[0003] In the device, as disclosed in WO-A-01/15582, the portion of
the device comprising the upper part of the brewing chamber can
hinge upwards with respect to the stationary part of the device
including the lower part of the brewing chamber, in order to give
access to the brewing chamber. The pad can thus be removed and/or a
new pad can be provided for a next brewing process. In the upward
position of the hinging portion of the device, the lower part of
the brewing chamber can be removed from the device, and said
beverage receiving means can also be removed from the device. The
lower part of the brewing chamber can be replaced by another
similar part, which makes the brewing chamber larger, so that two
pads can be placed in it, in order to brew enough beverage for two
cups instead of one. The beverage receiving means can be removed in
order to be cleaned, for example when a beverage other than the
present one has to be brewed.
[0004] A beverage can be made in an extraction process by means of
the device, for example to produce coffee, or in a dissolving
process, for example to produce a chocolate drink. In the case of
an extraction process, the extracted substance will remain in the
pad, and the pad with the extracted substance must be removed from
the brewing chamber after the brewing process. In the case of a
dissolving process, the substance in the pad will disappear during
the brewing process, and the empty pad must be removed. The pad may
contain a rigid or an elastic internal framework to maintain the
outside dimensions of the pad during the dissolving process.
[0005] It may be desired for various reasons to operate the device
without a pad in the brewing chamber, in which case the heated
water, supplied through said openings, is guided to the beverage
receiving means without passing through a pad. The purpose of this
operation may be, for example, cleaning of the device. It is also
possible to make use of such an operation in order to brew a
beverage by dissolving a substance which is present in the beverage
receiving means. In general, more turbulence can be created in the
beverage receiving means than in the brewing chamber, so that a
better dissolving process can be achieved in the beverage receiving
means. If, for example, a chocolate drink has to be brewed, the
chocolate powder for the brewing process can be put in the beverage
receiving means.
[0006] From time to time it is necessary to clean the different
parts of the beverage making machine. Especially the brewing
chamber and the beverage receiving means must be cleaned. Such
means may comprise means for generating foam (froth) in that the
beverage is injected into a frothing chamber, i.e. a beverage
receiving chamber having a wall to which the jet of beverage is
directed. The beverage is splashed in all directions in such a
chamber, so that all walls will be contaminated.
[0007] To perform a cleaning operation, the lower part of the
brewing chamber as well as the beverage receiving means can be
removed from the device, for example, to rinse them under a water
tap, or to wash them in a dishwasher. That is an effective way of
cleaning in which all surfaces of the parts can be rinsed or
washed. It is also possible to clean the device by simply
initiating a brewing operation while the pad is not present in the
brewing chamber. However, there is only a limited rinsing effect
when such a cleaning operation is performed.
[0008] An object of the invention is to improve the effect of the
cleaning operation of the beverage making device, during which the
parts to be cleaned remain in the device.
[0009] An alternative object of the invention is to improve the
dissolving process during brewing of a beverage by means of the
beverage making device.
[0010] To accomplish this objective, one or more further openings
are present between the brewing chamber and the beverage receiving
means, and means are present for closing said one or more further
openings during the brewing process. After the brewing process, a
next process can be initiated in which no pad is present in the
brewing chamber and said one or more further openings are open. As
a result, the heated water will be pumped through the brewing
chamber to the beverage receiving means, not only through the
outflow opening, but also through the further openings. The heated
water can thus be guided to all locations where contamination has
taken place during the brewing process, resulting in an effective
rinsing action. The waste water leaves the device in the same way
as the brewed beverage, so that it can be caught in a cup or the
like. If a dissolvable substance is present in the beverage
receiving means, the turbulence caused by the simultaneous supply
of water through more openings will improve the dissolving
process.
[0011] The cleaning operation can be performed very easily at any
moment between two brewing processes. If desired, the cleaning
operation can be shorter or longer than the brewing process,
because of the efficiency of it. Means may be present for
performing the cleaning operation automatically after the brewing
chamber has been closed without a pad inside.
[0012] In one preferred embodiment, said one or more further
openings can be closed in that a portion of said lower part is
pushed downward, said portion comprising at least a part of the
lower wall of the brewing chamber, preferably the central part of
the lower wall of the brewing chamber. Spring means may be present
for counteracting said downward movement, i.e. for pushing said
portion back in upward direction.
[0013] In one preferred embodiment, said portion of the lower part
is pushed downward by the pad that is present in the brewing
chamber. To achieve such a pushing action of the pad, the pad may
be pressed down by the fluid pressure in the brewing chamber. The
pad creates a resistance for the liquid flow through the brewing
chamber, resulting in an increase in the fluid pressure above the
pad. This pressure will push the pad downward, and therefore the
pad will push said portion of said lower part downward.
[0014] Preferably, the pad is pushed in downward direction by the
upper part of the brewing chamber when the chamber is closed. As a
result, the pad can push against said portion of the lower part
with the same force, thereby closing said one or more further
openings between the brewing chamber and the beverage receiving
means. After the brewing chamber has been opened to remove the pad,
the pad will be lifted by said spring means, so that its removal is
facilitated.
[0015] Preferably, said further openings are formed as nozzles for
creating liquid jets in a direction inclined with respect to the
vertical direction. Such nozzles can direct the heated water to any
location that has to be rinsed or can direct the heated water to
special areas to increase the turbulence of the liquid.
[0016] In one preferred embodiment, the device comprises means for
increasing the supply of heated water to the brewing chamber to a
higher level than required during brewing of a beverage by means of
a pad in the brewing chamber. The pressure as well as the flow is
temporarily increased in this case, in particular through an
increase in the power of the water pump. The increased water supply
results in an improved rinsing effect and more turbulence in the
beverage receiving means.
[0017] In one preferred embodiment, said lower part comprises an
additional chamber located underneath the brewing chamber such that
said further openings connect said additional chamber with said
beverage receiving means, and the connection between the brewing
chamber and said additional chamber can be closed during the
brewing process. The central part of the lower wall of the brewing
chamber can thus move in vertical direction, so that an annular
opening between the brewing chamber and said additional chamber is
present around said central part in the upper position thereof, and
said annular opening is closed in the lower position. This
preferred design will be further elucidated when an example of an
embodiment is described.
[0018] In one preferred embodiment, the beverage receiving means
comprise a foam chamber, also called a frothing chamber, for
creating foam (or froth) in the beverage, said further openings
being formed as nozzles for directing liquid jets to different
parts of the wall of said foam chamber.
[0019] The invention also relates to a method of cleaning a
beverage making device comprising a brewing chamber for enclosing a
pad containing a substance from which the beverage is to be brewed,
which brewing chamber is formed by an upper part with one or more
openings for supplying water to the brewing chamber and by a lower
part with an outflow opening through which the brewed beverage can
leave the brewing chamber, while beverage receiving means are
present below said lower part, one or more further openings are
present between the brewing chamber and the beverage receiving
means, and said one or more further openings are closed during the
brewing process and are opened during a cleaning process.
[0020] The invention also relates to a method of brewing a beverage
by means of a beverage making device comprising a brewing chamber
for enclosing a pad containing a substance from which a beverage
can be brewed, which brewing chamber is formed by an upper part
with one or more openings for supplying water to the brewing
chamber and by a lower part with an outflow opening through which
liquid can leave the brewing chamber, beverage receiving means
being present below said lower part, while one or more further
openings between the brewing chamber and the beverage receiving
means are present, no pad is present in the brewing chamber, said
one or more further openings are open, and a substance soluble in
water is present in said beverage receiving means in order to brew
the beverage.
[0021] The invention will now be explained by means of a
description of an embodiment of a device for making coffee with
reference to the drawing comprising five Figures, in which:
[0022] FIG. 1 is a front view of the coffee making device;
[0023] FIG. 2 is a sectional view along the line II-II in FIG. 1
with the hinging part in closed position;
[0024] FIG. 3 is a similar view as shown in FIG. 2;
[0025] FIG. 4 shows the lower part of the brewing chamber; and
[0026] FIG. 5 shows the same lower part without a pad.
[0027] The Figures are very schematic representations, showing only
relevant portions of the device. The coffee making device according
to the described embodiment comprises a stationary part 1 and a
hinging part or lid 2. The stationary part 1 comprises the lower
part 8 of the brewing chamber, i.e. the removable part that
comprises the lower wall of the brewing chamber. The hinging part 2
includes the upper part of the brewing chamber comprising the upper
wall 4 of the brewing chamber. The stationary part 1 furthermore
comprises a water container and means for heating the water and
pumping a predetermined quantity of the heated water through the
hinging part 2 to the five holes 5 in the upper wall 4 of the
brewing chamber. Said water container and said means are not shown
in the Figures.
[0028] FIG. 1 is a front view of the device for making coffee,
showing the stationary part 1 and the hinging part, or lid 2. The
lid 2 is represented in the open position, i.e. the position in
which the brewing chamber is accessible, for example for replacing
the pad 6. The upper wall 4 of the brewing chamber is in a
substantial vertical position then.
[0029] FIGS. 2 and 3 are sectional views of the uppermost portion
of the device with the lid 2 in closed position. Lid 2 can hinge
about horizontal axis 7 to move between the open position and the
closed position. FIG. 2 shows the device having a pad 6 in the
brewing chamber, and FIG. 3 shows the device without a pad 6.
[0030] The device furthermore comprises the lower part 8 of the
brewing chamber, which lower part 8 is removable from the device.
It carries a handle 9 to facilitate the removal. A second removable
part 10 is located below said lower part 8, which part 10 comprises
a beverage receiving chamber 11 and an outflow tube 3 extending
outside the device.
[0031] FIGS. 4 and 5 are schematic sectional views of said lower
part 8. In FIG. 4, a pad 6 is present on said lower part 8 and FIG.
5 shows the lower part 8 without the pad 6. The disc-like pad 6 is
a container made of filtering paper enclosing the substance, in
this example coffee, from which the beverage is to be brewed.
[0032] Lower part 8, shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, comprises a metal part
12 having a circular edge 13, which edge 13 can rest on a
corresponding circular edge of the stationary part 1 of the device.
A circular sealing ring 14 is attached to part 12. The sealing ring
14 abuts against the upper wall 4 when the brewing chamber is
closed (see FIGS. 2 and 3), so that the brewing chamber is closed
at its circumferential edge.
[0033] As is shown in FIG. 4, metal part 12 forms an annular part
of the lower wall of the brewing chamber. The central part of the
lower wall of the brewing chamber is formed by a synthetic resin
element 15, comprising the outflow opening 16 for the brewed
beverage. The upper side of the element 15 is provided with
protrusions to support the pad 6, so that the brewed beverage can
flow between the protrusions to the outflow opening 16. Element 15
can move in vertical direction with respect to the part 12.
[0034] FIG. 4 shows the element 15 in the lower position, in which
the circular edge 17 of element 15 rests on part 12 through a
sealing ring 18. An annular additional chamber 19 underneath the
brewing chamber is separated from the brewing chamber thereby. In
that situation the brewed beverage can only leave the brewing
chamber through outflow opening 16. Element 15 is pushed down into
its lower position by the pad 6, which pad 6 is pushed down by the
upper wall 4 of the brewing chamber, in the case in which the
brewing chamber is closed, as is shown in FIG. 2.
[0035] When the brewing chamber is opened, screw spring 20 will
push element 15 in upward direction, so that it reaches its upper
position, as is shown in FIG. 5. In that upper position the pad 6
can be easily removed because it is lifted somewhat. If a new pad
is inserted in order to perform the next brewing process, the
element 15 will be pushed down again when the brewing chamber is
closed. However, if the brewing chamber is closed without a pad in
it, then the element 15 will not be pushed down, so that the edge
17 remains at a distance from the part 12, as is shown in FIG.
5.
[0036] So, when a normal brewing process is initiated without a pad
6 in the brewing chamber, then the heated water will not only leave
the brewing chamber through outflow opening 16, as is indicated by
arrow 21, but also through annular chamber 19 and through openings
22 in the metal part 12, as is indicated by arrows 23. Each opening
22 can be formed as a nozzle for spouting a jet of water against a
surface to rinse that surface intensively. Said surface may be a
part of a frothing chamber (foam chamber) located underneath the
lower part 8 of the brewing chamber.
[0037] Outflow opening 16 may be provided with a flow restricting
element 24. Such an element 24 may function as a nozzle to create a
jet of the brewed beverage and spout it against a surface to
generate foam, for example to make coffee with a foam layer on it.
Furthermore, if there is no pad 6 in the brewing chamber and water
is flowing through openings 22, such a restricting element 24 can
limit the flow through opening 16, so that more water will leave
the brewing chamber through openings 22.
[0038] The embodiment as described above is merely an example of
the beverage making device; a great many other embodiments are
possible.
* * * * *