JP5671458B2 - Device for filling liquid foods or beverages into containers - Google Patents

Description

  The field of the invention relates to liquid food or beverage preparation devices having user-friendly and ergonomic user interface screens, in particular large screens.

  Certain beverage or food preparation devices use capsules that contain ingredients to be extracted or dissolved. Also, in other devices, ingredients are stored in the device and are automatically charged or added during beverage production.

  Most coffee makers have a filling means including a pump for liquid, usually water, which is a supply of cold water, actually water heated by heating means such as a heating register, thermoblock, etc. Pump liquid from source.

  To allow a user to interact with such a device, to give operational instructions to the device or to obtain feedback from it, for example, the following documents: Austrian patent 410 377, Swiss patent no. 682 798, German Patent No. 44 29 353, German Patent No. 202 00 419, German Patent No. 20 2006 019 039, German Patent No. 2007 008 590, European Patent No. 1 448 084, Europe Patent No. 1 676 509, European Patent No. 088155851.2, French Patent No. 2 624 844, British Patent No. 2 397 510, US Pat. No. 4,377,049, US Pat. No. 4,458,735 US Pat. No. 4,554,419, US Pat. No. 4,767,632, US Pat. 54,697, US Pat. No. 5,312,020, US Pat. No. 5,335,705, US Pat. No. 5,372,061, US Pat. No. 5,375,508, US Pat. 731,981, U.S. Patent No. 5,645,230, U.S. Patent No. 5,836,236, U.S. Patent No. 5,959,869, U.S. Patent No. 6,182,555, U.S. Patent No. 6, 354,341, US Pat. No. 6,759,072, US 2007/0157820, WO 97/25634, WO 99/50172, WO 2004/030435, WO 2004/030438, International Publication No. 2006/063645, International Publication No. 2006/090183, International Publication No. 2007/003062, International Publication No. 2007 / Various systems have been disclosed in the art, as referred to 003990, WO 2008/104751, WO 2008/138710, and WO 2008/138820.

  More specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 5,959,869 discloses a vending machine having a multitasking controller, particularly for marketing purposes, with a VGB quality display and audio playback circuit for multimedia presentations. Mentions the possibility of implementation.

  German Patent 202 00 419 discloses a beverage preparation device having a user interface that can be separated from the device for remote control.

  German Patent No. 20 2006 019 039, Austrian Patent No. 410 377, US Pat. No. 4,377,049, US Pat. No. 4,554,419, US Pat. No. 4,954,697, US Pat. No. 5,685,435, US Pat. No. 6,759,072, US Pat. No. 6,182,555, WO 2004/030438, WO 2006/090183, WO 2007/003990. WO 2008/138710 is a generally vertical front surface having a lower open cavity for receiving a container filled via a beverage outlet, the outlet being the upper part of the front surface in the cavity A substantially vertical front surface above the opening of the cavity, a substantially vertical upper screen, a touch screen, Preliminary / or discloses a beverage supply device and a touch pad arranged as a user interface. French Patent No. 2624 844 discloses a beverage dispenser having a front face with an open cavity for filling a container, a microcomputer with a keyboard, and a monitor housed on the front face of the device adjacent to the cavity opening. doing.

  Accordingly, a preferred object of the present invention is to provide an ergonomics, human equipment interactivity, intuition, ease of use, versatility and environmental atmosphere of a liquid food or beverage preparation device, particularly a coffee or tea preparation device. Is to improve.

  This objective can generally be set up for multi-faceted communication between the user and the device, governing the visual interaction between the user and the device to naturally attract the user's focus when using the device. Dominant, enhancing user comfort during use and / or moving visual user interaction to the user's attention background along with the rest of the device features such as the actual physical filling process of the cup or mug This is accomplished by a liquid food or beverage preparation device having a simple user interface screen.

  Accordingly, the present invention is an apparatus for filling a container with liquid food or beverage, the housing, an apparatus for supplying liquid food or beverage to the container based on user requirements, and a user interface screen on the housing. And an apparatus comprising: The housing has a user orientation for a user to request a supply of liquid food or beverage. The user interface screen is positioned in the user direction to face the user in a user visible housing portion defined by the outermost boundary of the housing visible to the user. That is, in the normal user direction, the user is expected to see the user interface in the most convenient or comfortable manner for the user, in which case the user's eyes face the user interface screen. Thus, the normal viewing direction of the user is generally perpendicular to the user direction with respect to the user interface screen, typically a flat screen, or possibly a slightly bowed cathode screen (CRT), and the center of the user interface screen. Or it intersects the central part, whereby the user interface screen is arranged in this direction to face the user in the user visible housing part.

  For example, the device is a coffee, tea or soup device, and in particular hot water or cold water or other liquid is passed through a capsule containing ingredients of a supplied beverage or liquid food such as ground coffee. Device for supplying a beverage or liquid food.

  In accordance with the present invention, in this user direction, the user interface screen can be viewed separately by a user who forms substantially the entire user visible housing portion or a major area of the surface thereof, or the user visible housing portion together. A main region on the surface of the plurality of regions is formed.

  Therefore, in order to achieve the above object, the liquid food or beverage preparation apparatus of the present invention has a user interface screen, which occupies most of the user's field of view in the process of using the apparatus, and is not sensitive to the user. Naturally urges the user to naturally attract and keep the user's attention directed at the user interface screen. More specifically, this object is achieved by extending the user interface screen over substantially the entire user visible portion of the device or over the device user visible region that forms the major area of the surface of the device visible portion. The That is, the user visible housing portion may be formed from a plurality of separate user visible portions, one of the user visible portions having a dominant surface area and formed from a user interface screen.

  This device configuration is for a prior art liquid food or beverage that is located somewhere on the surface of the device that is not dominant with respect to user attention and has an interface screen that is smaller than the size of the device or the user visible portion of the device. Contrast with preparation equipment. Such prior art screens only give the user the possibility to enter and read data, and naturally occupy the majority of the user's field of view when handling the device. Do not come to rule. In contrast, the screen layout in the device provides a relatively large user interface screen as the dominant user-visible part of the device, thereby allowing the device's ergonomic and interactive capabilities, device intuition and ease of use. , Resulting in improved versatility and atmosphere generation potential.

  The user interface screen may be a touch sensitive screen and / or may include a touch sensitive input. The apparatus may have a user input device such as a touchpad, one or more buttons, and / or a switch or similar device known in the art. The user interface screen can be stylus sensitive.

  The stylus may be used, for example, to select certain options displayed on the interface screen, or to write notes and messages on the user interface screen that can be stored by the device and accessed again later. Good. Thus, the screen may be used as a substitute for post-it.

  In one embodiment, the device for liquid food or beverage is a network for accessing remote data that can be displayed on a user interface screen and / or for transferring acquired local data via a user interface screen, in particular, To provide visual and / or audio information related to liquid food or beverage that may be requested by a user and / or by using a user interface screen, such as services related to this device or liquid food or beverage ingredients, etc. It has an interface for connecting the product to a remote network, such as a network for ordering from a remote supplier in particular.

  Thus, the user has the technical possibility to order a liquid food or beverage ingredient that is deficient or low in liquid level directly through the beverage preparation device, or the user has requested or generated in the device There may be a technical possibility to request directly through this device for up-to-date information about a particular item, particularly a liquid food or beverage that one wishes to seek or order from a supplier.

  The user interface screen also has a function for displaying to the user information regarding parameters of the device that requires user intervention, a function for displaying locally stored and / or remotely emitted graphic or text content, and a note pad. The function and at least one function selected from, for example, a visual atmosphere generation function, for example, by displaying an appropriate image or by moving a screensaver type color shape, for example, may be provided.

  The user screen must occupy most of the user visible portion of the device in order to have a significant impact on the atmosphere surrounding the device through visual effects. Small size interface screens and / or interface screens that are not anywhere in the user visible portion of the device do not provide optimal atmospheric effects.

  Further, the liquid food or beverage preparation apparatus may include an audio input and / or output device. The audio device may be adapted to cooperate with a user interface screen, in particular in response to a user input on an audio device adapted to functionally cooperate with the screen, for example a user interface screen. There may be an audio device for providing melodic acoustic feedback and / or for cooperating with the screen such that harmonious visual feedback is generated at the user interface screen in response to the audio signal. The voice device may include a voice recognizer so that it can receive vocal user commands and / or can be associated with a particular user profile from voice analysis.

  For example, the user interface screen may be adapted to display movies, news, weather forecasts, stock market information, or any similar while the device is producing liquid food or beverages, Thereby, the user does not have to wait for a liquid food or beverage to be generated to proceed to such an action using a comfortable interface screen whose functionality greatly surpasses the simple input and / or output of data. , You can do them from the beginning.

  In one embodiment, the apparatus has a generally panel-shaped body that houses a supply device or a portion thereof, such as a pump, heating and / or cooling elements, a raw material injection chamber, and the like. The user interface screen may extend over substantially the entire main surface of the main body, or may extend over the entire area of the main surface of the main body that is visible to the main user.

  The device can be substantially formed by this body. The apparatus may have a foot for supporting the main body, for example, a foot having a horizontally extending base and a substantially vertically extending stand for supporting the main body, particularly a substantially L-shaped or inverted T-shaped foot. Good. The foot may include at least one of a drip tray having a support member for a container filled with liquid food or beverage, a capsule collector, and a liquid supply reservoir such as a water reservoir.

  The apparatus may also have a liquid food or beverage outlet disposed above the area for receiving the container to be filled, the outlet being hidden by the user interface screen. For example, the outlet is positioned vertically behind the user interface screen. In practice, the entire area or a substantial part thereof can be placed vertically behind the user interface screen.

  Thus, in addition to providing the device with a user interface screen structure that naturally and permanently captures the user's attention, the outlet of the device and optionally the container located below the outlet has a user interface It may be hidden from the user's field of view to avoid diverting the user's attention by parts and / or actions of the device other than those associated with the screen and / or actions.

  If the device is a tabletop device, for example a dedicated device for use on a table such as a kitchen table, dining table, office desk, etc., the user interface screen extends horizontally or is adjusted to face the user field of view. For example, the user may look down on the device. The user interface screen may be angled with respect to the horizontal in the range of 0-60 degrees, for example 15-45 degrees, and this angle is optionally user adjustable.

  If the device is, for example, a shelf device on a bookshelf, such as a device used at a higher height from the ground than a tabletop device, the user interface screen extends vertically or faces the user field of view almost horizontally. The user interface screen makes an angle with respect to the vertical, particularly in the range of 0 to 30 degrees, for example 0 to 15 degrees, and this angle is optionally user adjustable.

  Another aspect of the invention relates to a tabletop device for filling a container with liquid food or beverage. The device includes a housing, a device for supplying liquid food or beverage to the container based on user requirements, and a user interface screen on the housing. According to the invention, the user interface screen is horizontal or tilted, in particular at an angle to the horizontal in the range of 0 to 60 degrees and / or at a user adjustable angle.

  A further aspect of the invention relates to an apparatus for filling a container with liquid food or beverage. The apparatus comprises a housing, a device having an outlet for supplying liquid food or beverage to the container based on user requirements, and a user interface screen on the housing. In accordance with the present invention, a liquid food or beverage outlet is positioned vertically behind the user interface screen. The outlet may be located above the area for receiving the container, the whole area or a substantial part thereof being located behind the user interface screen.

  Such a liquid food or beverage device is particularly convenient for producing liquid food or beverage during ongoing radio broadcasts or TV programs. Accordingly, the user can obtain liquid food or beverage while he / she is watching such a program on a normal TV or radio and can continue to watch the program on the beverage preparation device side. Therefore, the user does not have to wait for the end of the program or the discontinuation of the advertisement. The beverage preparation device may include a receiver capable of reacting to a remote control device, for example an IR or wireless remote control device, in particular a remote control device adapted to radio or television, so that the user can be especially in front of the TV. Or while sitting in the vicinity of the radio, the food or beverage device can be triggered from a distance. Of course, the liquid food or beverage device may be connected to a DVD or other media source so that the user can continue to watch their favorite programs while producing the liquid food or beverage.

  The present invention will be described below with reference to the schematic drawings.

The perspective view of the drink device concerning the present invention is shown. The right view of the drink apparatus which concerns on this invention is shown. The left view of the drink apparatus which concerns on this invention is shown. The rear view of the drink apparatus which concerns on this invention is shown. The perspective view of the other drink apparatus concerning the present invention is shown. It is a right view of the other drink apparatus which concerns on this invention.

  1, 1 a, 1 b and 1 c show a coffee maker that uses a beverage preparation device 1, for example, a capsule of a beverage ingredient to be prepared, typically a ground coffee capsule.

  The device 1 has a housing 3 with a substantially vertical panel or plate-like shape, which housing 4 is used to supply a beverage to a container 2, such as a cup, glass or mug, according to user requirements. A configuration having

  The housing 3 has a user interface screen 10 and a user touch key panel 11, which have two areas 10, 11 or separate areas 10, 11 that can be seen by the user in the housing 3. It is formed in the user direction.

  The housing 3 with the user interface screen 10 and the touch key panel 11 has a direction (user direction) relative to the user, schematically shown in FIG. 1 by the eye 5, for inputting a request for the supply of liquid food or beverage. . The user interface screen 10 is arranged in the user direction so as to face the user 5 in the user visible housing part indicated by the field of view ABCD defined by the outermost boundary of the housing 3 visible to the user. That is, in this user direction, the user has a normal viewing direction (indicated by a broken line V in FIG. 1) that is substantially orthogonal to the user interface screen 10 and intersects the center of the screen 10. This direction of the housing 3 corresponds to the normal direction of the device 1 relative to the user when operated by the user to supply a beverage.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in this direction relative to the user, the user-visible interface screen 10 is located within the user's field of view indicated by the user visual focus AB′CD and the user visible housing portion indicated by the field of view ABCD. Form almost the whole of. As shown in this embodiment, the field of view AB'CD corresponding to the screen 10 covers 90% or 95% of the total field of view ABCD of the user visible housing portion. The remaining user visible portion of the housing is formed by the touch key panel 11. Thus, the screen 10 has a user visible area defined by the field of view AB′CD in this orientation of the housing 3 relative to the user with a surface area that dominates the entire user visible portion defined by the field of view ABCD of the housing 3. . The screen 10 also forms the main user visible region of the surface defined by the field of view AB'CD of the pair of distinctly visible regions defined by the fields of view AB'CD and ABB '. The two areas that can be seen by the user in distinction, namely the area formed by the screen 10 and the panel 11, are the user visible housing parts defined by their outermost boundary and the corresponding field of view ABCD together in the user direction. Form.

  As described above, the device 1 includes the touch key panel 11 as a user input interface. The screen 10 may serve only to display visual information or may be provided as an input device, for example a touch screen having a touch-sensitive surface that extends over the entire screen 10 or only a part thereof. The screen 10 may be adapted to display various information and / or visual effects, such as those described above, including network information when the device 1 is connectable to a user network. The device 1 may also include a sound generating device having a loudspeaker and / or a microphone, and may be a genuine multimedia interactive device as described above.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 1 a and 1 b, the device 1 has a substantially vertical orientation of the user interface screen 10. Such a device is suitably placed where the screen 10 is at the normal height of the user's eye 5, such as on a shelf, such as a living room or library shelf.

  The device 1 may be used to contribute to the atmosphere of the place. In addition to the screen 10, the housing 3 in particular on the side, back and / or top of the device, in particular under the panel 11, in order to emit various colors of light to form such an atmosphere. In addition, a series of holes 31 may be provided.

  In order not to emphasize much the visual aspect of the liquid food or beverage of the device 1, the container 2 and the outlet 4 are arranged behind the screen 10 in the user direction and are thus arranged in a supply cavity 2 ′ which is hidden. . For example, US Pat. No. 4,458,735, WO 97/25634, and WO 99/50172 of the type disclosed in US Pat. An automatic filling system may be provided in the apparatus.

  The device 1 also has a capsule inlet device 32 on the left side for the supply of capsules containing the raw material of the liquid food or beverage to be produced, such as coffee. The device 1 also has an upper surface 36 for holding the spare cup 2 on the rear side of the panel 11. The upper surface 36 may include a heating device for preheating such a spare cup 2. The cup heater may be of the resistance type, in particular a steam circulating cup heater as known in the art, or any other suitable heating system. As shown also in FIG. 1c, a spare capsule container 38 for storing unused capsules is arranged on the upper surface 36 of the device 1.

  Furthermore, the device 1 has a reservoir 33 for a liquid such as water, and a drip tray device 34 below the outlet 4. In this case, a used capsule collector 37 of the type disclosed for example in EP 1731065 is in the center of the device 1. In order to position the cup 2 below the outlet 4, the drip tray may include a positioning structure on its surface and / or a vertical wall 35 defining a supply cavity 2 ′ is a reference for cup positioning. In other words, the cup 2 may be arranged with respect to the outlet 4 so that the cup 2 is only pressed against the wall 35 and is appropriately positioned below the outlet 4.

  Unlike the prior art beverage device, the drip tray 34, together with the capsule container 37, moves backward from the screen 10 and / or moves substantially parallel to the front of the device 1 and the screen 10 side by side. Can be removed from. The same applies to the reservoir 33. Thus, during and after use, during inspection of the device, for example when the drip tray 34 is emptied, the screen 10 is a part of the device 1 that may cause liquids such as liquid food or beverages to be discharged to the screen 10. Not exposed to.

  Figures 2 and 2a, in which the same reference signs represent substantially the same elements, show another apparatus 1 according to the invention.

  The device 1 has a housing 3 with a generally L-shaped foot 3 'and a body 3 "in the form of a generally inclined panel or plate that looks like an open book. The housing 3 is based on user requirements. Including a device having an outlet 4 for supplying a beverage to a container 2 arranged on a horizontal extension of an L-shaped foot 3 ', the substantially vertical stand of the foot 3' being only an angle of a few degrees, for example It is slightly inclined with respect to the vertical line by about 5 ° to 10 °.

  The main body 3 ″ has a user interface touch screen 10 on the right side and a capsule inlet device on the left side. The capsule inlet device is pivotally attached to the upper edge of the main body 3 ″ and the wall is stationary. It includes a covering handle 32 that extends over the top wall 16 of the body 3 ″. In a variant, the wall 16 may include an interface device and / or at least partly by an extension of the touch screen 10 or the second screen. It may be formed automatically.

  The device 1 is a tabletop device and the body 3 "with the user interface screen 10 is oriented at an angle of about 45 degrees with respect to the horizontal. When the user operates the device to supply a beverage This orientation of the screen 10 relative to the user's eye 5 is ideal for naturally inviting and attracting the user and directing the user's attention to the screen 10.

  As shown in FIG. 2a, in this direction relative to the user, the interface screen 10 visible to the user is arranged in the user's field of view as indicated by the user visual focus AB and together forms the user visible part of the housing 3. The main area of the surface indicated by the field of view A′B ′ of the plurality of areas that can be viewed separately by the user is formed. Indeed, the screen 10 forms the largest of the areas that are clearly visible in this normal direction of use. Other distinguishable areas having a total surface area that is less than the surface area of the screen area include the immovable wall 16, the handle 32, and the user visible portion of the foot 3 '.

  The screen 10 is a touch sensitive screen and may be operated by finger contact and / or using the stylus 15.

  The screen 10 is also associated with a pair of buttons 12 for rapidly operating the device 1 without having to access the screen 10, for example. In addition, the screen 10 includes touch sensitive buttons 13 for searching for pages and menus that can be displayed on the screen 10. The button 13 has a shape that suggests a corner that is bent downward in the book page in order to increase the intuitiveness of the operation of the screen 10. A main switch 14 is disposed at the corner of the screen 10 next to the button 13.

  The screen 10 may be adapted to display various information and / or visual effects, such as those described above, including network information when the device is connectable to a user network. The device 1 may also include a sound generating device having a loudspeaker and / or a microphone, and may be a genuine multimedia interactive device as described above.

  The foot 3 'includes a drip tray 34 having a support plate for the cup and a single drain hole 34' for draining liquid through the plate. The foot 3 'also includes a water reservoir 33 and a collector 37 for used capsules.

  The device outlet 4 is placed vertically behind the screen 10 and hidden behind it when the device is in the normal use direction with respect to the user.

Claims (28)

An apparatus for filling a container with liquid food or beverage,
A housing;
A supply device for supplying a liquid food or beverage to a container based on a user request;
A user interface screen on the housing;
A liquid food or beverage outlet disposed above an area for receiving a container filled with liquid food or beverage,
The housing has a user orientation for a user to request the supply of the liquid food or beverage, and the user interface screen is defined by the outermost boundary of the housing visible to the user in the user orientation. In a device positioned to face the user within a user visible housing portion
In the user direction, the user interface screen has the largest area of a plurality of areas visible to the user that form substantially the entire user-visible housing part or together form the user-visible housing part. Forming,
Apparatus, characterized in that at least a substantial part of the outlet is hidden behind the user interface screen in the user direction of the housing .   The user orientation is oriented so that the user has a normal viewing direction that is generally orthogonal to the user interface screen and intersects the center of the screen when the user normally requests the supply of the liquid food or beverage. The apparatus of claim 1. The user interface screen is a touch sensitive screen and / or comprises a touch sensitive input;
The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. Wherein a user interface screen gas stylus-sensitive device of claim 3.   The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising an interface for connecting to a remote network.   6. The remote network is a network for accessing remote data that can be displayed on the user interface screen and / or a network for transferring acquired local data via the user interface screen. The device described in 1.   The remote network may be a network for supplying visual and / or audio information related to liquid food or beverage that may be requested by a user, and / or goods related to the device by using the user interface screen 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the apparatus is a network for ordering service provision.   A function for the user interface screen to display to the user information regarding parameters of the device that require user intervention, a function to display locally stored and / or remotely emitted graphic or text content, notes The device according to claim 1, wherein the device is adapted to perform at least one function selected from a pad function and a visual atmosphere generation function.   The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising an audio device that is an audio input device and / or an audio output device.   The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the audio device is adapted to cooperate with the user interface screen.   The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the audio device is adapted to functionally cooperate with the user interface screen.   The audio device provides melodic acoustic feedback in response to user input on the user interface screen and / or harmonized visual feedback is generated in the user interface screen in response to audio signals. 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus cooperates with the screen. A substantially panel-shaped main body for accommodating the supply device or a part thereof;
13. The user interface screen according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the user interface screen extends over substantially the main surface of the body or the entire area of the surface of the main surface of the body that is visible to a primary user. The apparatus according to one item.   The apparatus of claim 13, substantially formed by the body.   The apparatus of claim 13, comprising a foot for supporting the body.   The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the foot has a horizontally extending base and a substantially vertically extending stand that supports the body.   The foot is at least one of a generally L-shaped or inverted T-shaped foot, a drip tray having a support member for a container filled with liquid food or beverage, a capsule collector, and a liquid supply reservoir such as a water reservoir The apparatus of claim 16, comprising one.   The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outlet is hidden by the user interface screen in the user direction.   19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the outlet is positioned vertically behind the user interface screen, the entire area of the outlet or a substantial portion thereof. The device is a tabletop device,
20. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the user interface screen extends horizontally or with an inclination that is adjusted to generally oppose a user field in the user direction.   21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the user interface screen is angled with respect to horizontal in a range of 0-60 degrees.   21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the user interface screen is angled with respect to horizontal in a range of 15 to 45 degrees.   23. Apparatus according to claim 21 or 22, wherein the angle is user adjustable. The device is a shelf device,
Wherein the user-interface screen extends at a slope which is adjusted to substantially face a user visual field in vertically extending, or the user direction, according to any one of claims 1 to 19.   25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the user interface screen is angled with respect to vertical in a range of 0 to 30 degrees.   25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the user interface screen is angled with respect to vertical in a range of 0 to 15 degrees.   27. Apparatus according to claim 25 or 26, wherein the angle is user adjustable.   28. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 27 for filling a container with liquid food or beverage so that it can be at least partially operated by a user from a remote location by means of a corresponding remote control device. An apparatus comprising a remote control receiver.

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