TW201347709A - Dispenser with holding system for receptacles of different sizes - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a beverage dispenser (1) comprising a base (2) and a holding system that comprises a holding part (3) positionable beneath a beverage outlet (4) in order to accept a first, relatively small receptacle, and being configured and dimensioned to be moveable between a deployed holding position suitable for accepting the small receptacle and a second position in which the holding part is moved at least partly out of the way of the beverage outlet to create an unoccupied space in which a second, larger receptacle can be positioned, in place of the first receptacle, beneath the beverage outlet, wherein the holding system comprises a sensor (8) configured for detecting the position of the holding part between the first position and the second position.

Description

Dispenser with holding system for containers of different sizes

The present invention relates to a beverage dispenser configured to produce beverages in containers of different sizes.

There is a consumer need for a beverage dispenser that can deliver multiple beverages to containers of different sizes. For example, some machines can prepare a small or medium cup of espresso or a light American coffee and a large cup of latte macchiato.

During the dispensing of a beverage, a short distance is maintained between the beverage outlet and the container to create a good quality foam in addition to avoiding the risk of spillage (especially for obtaining an espresso "crema"). It is important. Therefore, there is a need for a system that can facilitate the user to pick the correct holder and set a correct distance between the beverage outlet and the container.

EP 1 867 260 describes a holder and a drip collection system that can be positioned in a first deployed position for supporting a small container or positioned in a second retracted position to enable positioning of a larger container.

One of the inconveniences of the above system is that the dispenser can deliver a small size beverage, such as an espresso coffee, to a container positioned at a high distance from the beverage outlet. If the consumer does not pay attention to the size of the container and the position of the holder and the drip collection system, one of the best quality espresso can not be prepared.

The object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and to enable consumers to always be positive Make sure the cup is placed in one of the beverage dispensers at the correct dispensing location.

According to a first aspect, the present invention is directed to a beverage dispenser comprising a retaining system, the retaining system including a retaining portion positionable beneath a beverage outlet for receiving a first relatively small container and Configuring and sizing to move between an unfolded holding position adapted to receive the small container and a second position, wherein the retaining portion moves at least partially out of the passage of the beverage outlet to form One of the second larger containers can be positioned in place of the first container in an unoccupied space below the beverage outlet, wherein the retention system includes a configuration configured to detect between the first location and the second location One of the positions of the holding portion, and wherein the beverage dispenser includes one of a warning device for causing the consumer to move the holding portion of the holding system from one position to another.

Typically, the beverage dispenser includes one input device for selecting a different beverage that differs in at least the size of the dispensed beverage. In particular, the beverage dispenser can be configured to prepare a beverage that exhibits a volume varying between 25 ml and 1000 ml. Preferably, the list of beverages readily prepared by the dispenser comprises at least one espresso and/or ristretto coffee.

The sensor can be any existing sensor, such as a switch, a capacitive type sensor, or an optical sensor.

When the holder is in the deployed position, the container retaining portion is preferably associated with the base as a cantilevered projection. Additionally, the retaining portion can be configured and positioned for rotation between the deployed position and the second position. To this end, the retaining portion can be hinged about a rotational axis to allow the portion to be moved up and out of the passage of the beverage outlet.

If desired, the retaining portion can be moved or moved into the housing along one of the housings. When desired, the device may further include the holding portion by a sliding action Insert into one of the housings.

According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a program for operating a beverage dispenser such as that set forth above and the program comprises the steps of: - receiving input from a consumer for selecting a beverage, - identifying the size of the cup corresponding to the selected beverage, - checking whether the position of the holding portion corresponds to the identified size of the cup, and if not, requesting the consumer to move the holding portion to another position, - The selected beverage is dispensed when the position of the holding portion corresponds to the identified size of the cup.

1‧‧‧Beverage Dispenser/Reference/Illustrated Dispenser

2‧‧‧Base

3‧‧‧ holding part/holding support

4‧‧‧Beverage exports

5‧‧‧ drip tray

6‧‧‧button/input device

7‧‧‧ screen

8‧‧‧Sensor/capacitive sensor

9‧‧‧ magnet

D0‧‧‧Predefined distance

D1‧‧‧Predefined distance

I‧‧‧Rotary axis

The features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the following description.

- Figure 1 is a general view of one of the beverage dispensers in which the present invention may be practiced.

- Figures 2 and 3 are two perspective views of a dispensing zone of a beverage dispenser in accordance with the present invention, wherein the retaining portion of the retaining system is in the first deployed position.

- Figure 4 is a view of a dispensing zone of a beverage dispenser in accordance with the present invention wherein the retaining portion of the retaining system is moved to a second retracted position.

- Figures 5 and 6 are diagrams that alert the consumer to the beverage dispenser screen.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, the beverage dispenser is shown as reference 1. A beverage dispenser according to the present invention includes a base 2. The machine includes a beverage outlet 4 that can take one of various forms. The machine may internally include a beverage preparation module for brewing, dissolving, and/or foaming a beverage ingredient and delivering the beverage through the beverage outlet 4. The dispenser according to the invention comprises a system for holding a drinking container. The system is formed by a holding portion 3 that is below the beverage outlet 4 and protrudes from the base 2 in a cantilever manner. "Protruding in a cantilever manner" means that the holding portion 3 extends from the device in at least one direction and is not supported from below, thus forming a balcony. The holding portion is placed at a predefined distance D ₀ from the beverage outlet 4. This distance is defined to deliver an espresso under optimal conditions (i.e., without affecting the quality of the crema prepared in the beverage preparation module). If the cup is too far from the beverage outlet, the quality of the espresso is not optimal: in particular, Crema does not present the correct appearance of large bubbles at the top of the coffee, the coffee can overflow the container or be soiled in the beverage The inner wall of the container above the top. Moreover, the distance is defined for accepting small or medium sized containers (for example, meaning to be able to hold cups of about 25 ml to 250 ml, respectively). A drop of disc 5 is present at the bottom of the machine. 5 is placed from the drip tray to a beverage outlet 4 a predefined distance D ₁ (greater than D ₀₎ so that the drip tray can be imposed on the support holding a larger container when the beverage outlet of the passage portion 3 is moved. Therefore, the holding portion 3 is free to rotate about the rotation axis I with respect to the base 2. The retaining portion 3 can be lifted out of the passage of the beverage outlet, in which case a large container can be placed in position. The holding portion 3 is preferably a grid so that the drip can fall into the drip pan 5. Figure 4 illustrates moving the holding portion 3 up to the retracted position.

The retention system also includes a sensor for detecting the position of the holding portion 3 between the first position and the second position. Preferably, the sensor is activated by a capacitive sensor 8 (Fig. 3) when the holding portion 3 is raised. When the holding portion 3 is in the retracted position, the surface of the holding portion 3 establishes contact with the sensor. . When the holding portion 3 is in the deployed position, the capacitive sensor is deactivated. Therefore, the sensor can sense the deployed position or the retracted position. The program control of the dispenser is configured to infer whether the holding portion 3 is in the deployed position or in the retracted position based on the sensor signal or signal loss from the sensor. The sensor can also be placed near the axis of rotation I of the holding portion 3 such that when the holding portion 3 is unfolded, the edge of the holding portion facing the base 2 touches or activates a sensor. In the case where an optical sensor is used, the sensor can be placed in a region that is larger than the area in direct contact with the holding portion 3 in the retracted or deployed position.

The holding portion 3 can present a magnet 9 for enabling it to be locked in the retracted position. The magnet 9 can help to contact the sensor 8.

The beverage dispenser 1 also includes a choice to select at least the size of the dispensed beverage. One of the different beverage input devices. In the illustrated dispenser, the input device includes a number of buttons 6. According to a preferred embodiment, the input device enables the preparation of an espresso. The illustrated dispenser 1 also includes an interface for displaying information to the consumer (eg, a screen 7) and, in particular, for alerting the consumer and, if desired, causing it to move the holding portion of the holding system from a position One interface to another location, as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6. In a simpler dispenser, the consumer can also be alerted by a simple light button associated with writing an annotation to one of the faces of the dispenser to cause the consumer to properly position the holding support in accordance with the selected beverage.

The operation of the dispenser for preparing a beverage consists in receiving a selection of a beverage by a consumer (for example, by selecting one of the eight buttons 6 on the face of the dispenser). Each beverage presented by the dispenser is generally defined by its composition and its volume. Thus, after the beverage is selected by the consumer, the program control of the dispenser further associates the size of the cup with the selected beverage volume. The program control then checks the position of the holding portion 3 by sensing whether the holding portion 3 is in the first position or in the second position and whether the position corresponds to the size of the cup associated with the selected beverage. If not, ie: - if the holding portion 3 is unfolded and a large container is required for dispensing the beverage, or - if the holding portion 3 is not deployed and a small container is needed for dispensing the beverage, the program control member alerts The consumer also asks them to move the holding portion to another location.

The program control dispenses the selected beverage when the position of the holding support 3 corresponds to the size of the cup associated with the selected beverage. In practice, the warning message completely disappears and the consumer is preferably required to initiate the dispensing of the beverage by touching a "start" button to allow the consumer to have time to place the cup before being placed in the dispenser. The holding portion 3 in the correct position. If the position of the holding support 3 does not correspond to the size of the cup associated with the selected beverage, the dispenser does not dispense the selected beverage and the alert message remains apparent.

The dispenser of the present invention presents the advantage of ensuring that a beverage for delivering the beverage to a desired distance in a container and ensuring the best quality is dispensed.

1‧‧‧Beverage Dispenser/Reference/Illustrated Dispenser

2‧‧‧Base

3‧‧‧ holding part/holding support

5‧‧‧ drip tray

D0‧‧‧Predefined distance

D1‧‧‧Predefined distance

I‧‧‧Rotary axis

Claims (9)

A beverage dispenser (1) comprising: a base (2) and a holding system including a holding portion (3), the holding portion (3) being positioned below a beverage outlet (4) for accepting a first relative a small container configured and sized to move between an unfolded holding position and a second position adapted to receive the small container, wherein the holding portion moves at least partially out of the beverage outlet The passageway to form one of the second larger containers that can be positioned in the unoccupied space below the beverage outlet in place of the first container, wherein the retention system includes a configuration for the first position and the second position Detecting one of the positions of the holding portion (8), and wherein the beverage dispenser includes one of means for causing a consumer to move the holding portion (3) of the holding system from one position to another Warning device. A beverage dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the beverage dispenser comprises an input device (6) for selecting a different beverage that differs at least in terms of the size of the dispensed beverage. The beverage dispenser of claim 1, wherein the alerting device for causing the consumer to move the holding portion (3) of the holding system from one position to another can be selected based on the input device (6) The beverage is activated in comparison to the position of the holding portion detected by the sensor (8). A beverage dispenser as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the beverage dispenser is configured for the preparation of at least one espresso and/or a espresso coffee. A beverage dispenser according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the sensor (8) is any existing sensor, such as a switch, a capacitive type sensor or an optical sensor. A beverage dispenser according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the container holding portion (3) acts as a cantilevered projection and the base (2) when the holder is in the deployed position Associated. A beverage dispenser according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the holding portion (3) is configured and positioned for rotation between the deployed position and the second position. A beverage dispenser as claimed in claim 7, wherein the holding portion (3) is hinged about a rotation axis (I) to allow the portion to be moved up and out of the passage of the beverage outlet. A program for operating a beverage dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising the steps of: receiving an input from a consumer for selecting a beverage, identifying a cup corresponding to the selected beverage a size, checking whether the position of the holding portion corresponds to the identified size of the cup, and if not, requesting the consumer to move the holding portion to another position, wherein the position of the holding portion corresponds to the cup When the size is identified, the selected beverage is dispensed.