CN214760632U

CN214760632U - Device for preparing and/or dispensing liquid food

Info

Publication number: CN214760632U
Application number: CN202022332384.0U
Authority: CN
Inventors: S·R·韦尼格
Original assignee: Franke Kaffeemaschinen AG
Current assignee: Franke Kaffeemaschinen AG
Priority date: 2019-10-17
Filing date: 2020-10-19
Publication date: 2021-11-19
Anticipated expiration: 2030-10-19
Also published as: CH716748B1; CH716748A2; DE202020105834U1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for preparing and/or delivering liquid food, having a cleaning system comprising a cleaning container for containing a detergent solution, the cleaning container being connected to a supply conduit of the device for performing a cleaning process; the cleaning system has a connection for a cleaning agent container, in which a cleaning agent is held, via which the cleaning agent can be fed to the cleaning container for mixing to form a cleaning agent solution; the cleaning system has an access device for accessing a digital storage device arranged on the cleaning agent container. In order to increase the operational reliability, information about the quantity of cleaning agent extracted or remaining in the cleaning agent container or about the number of cleaning processes which have been carried out using the cleaning agent container is stored back on the memory device during the cleaning process. To check during cleaning whether the filling level in the detergent container still contains or may contain sufficient detergent, and independently of whether the container is refilled or not.

Description

Device for preparing and/or dispensing liquid food

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a device of output liquid food, the device has cleaning system, cleaning system includes the cleaning container that is used for the sanitizer solution, cleaning container can be connected with the supply line of device in order to carry out the cleaning process, cleaning system has the joint that is used for the sanitizer container in the sanitizer container keeps the sanitizer, can with via the joint the sanitizer is carried to cleaning container for mix and form the sanitizer solution, and cleaning system has the access arrangement that is used for visiting the digital storage device that sets up on the sanitizer container.

The invention further relates to a method for operating the above-described device, in which method an automated cleaning process is carried out at least from time to time by conducting a detergent solution through one or more lines of the device, wherein the detergent solution is at least partially mixed from a detergent stored in a detergent container.

Background

In the preparation and delivery of liquid foods, for example in the form of hot or cold drinks, the liquid foods are usually processed in a delivery device, for example by heating, cooling, mixing, foaming or the like of the different food components. Here, the components and the pipe system inside the beverage dispensing device which come into contact with the liquid food must be cleaned at regular intervals for hygienic reasons. This is typically done by a cleaning system that flushes the relevant components and piping with a detergent solution. Depending on the type of food, special cleaning agents must be used here which can be used to remove food residues.

The detergent is for practical reasons present as a concentrate from which a detergent solution is formed in the flushing system mixed together with water. The cleaning system can comprise, in particular, a cleaning agent pump, which is designed to convey cleaning agent from a cleaning agent container into a mixing chamber or a cleaning container, in which the cleaning agent solution is formed by mixing. DE 102008903733 describes a cleaning module for a device for producing liquid food, in particular a coffee machine. The cleaning module comprises at least one cleaning agent container, a metering pump for delivering the cleaning agent and a mixing container for forming a cleaning agent solution from the supplied water and the cleaning agent. In order to perform the cleaning process, the cleaning module is connected to the coffee machine instead of the food container.

DE 102014215689 discloses a beverage dispensing machine with a cleaning system, in which a cleaning agent container and a suitable cleaning agent pump are integrated into the beverage dispensing machine. If the food container is replaced by a detergent mixing container, the beverage dispensing device automatically recognizes this and can start the cleaning process.

In WO 2017/025238 a 1a detergent container for a cleaning system of a device for delivering liquid food is described. The cleaning agent container has a laterally arranged connection end with a pierceable closure and an extraction line leading from the connection end to a bottom region of the container. Furthermore, the detergent container can be provided with an identification or RFID tag in the form of a bar code, with which it is possible to identify whether the contained detergent is suitable.

In the preparation of hot beverages, such as coffee beverages, the water heater used in the preparation process must be descaled from time to time for cleaning purposes. In WO 2018/108437 a 1a fully automatic beverage machine for preparing freshly brewed hot beverages, in particular coffee beverages, is described, which is equipped with a descaling system for the automatic descaling of a flow-through heater installed therein. The descaling system comprises a mixing container for mixing a descaling agent solution, a receiving chamber for a storage container for a liquid descaling concentrate, and a metering pump for metering the descaling concentrate from the storage container into the mixing container, in which the descaling agent solution is formed by mixing the liquid descaling concentrate and water.

It has now been found in practice that such a cleaning agent container, which contains a cleaning agent or a descaling agent as a disposable item, which is tested and allowed by the manufacturer of the device, can often be filled with unsuitable cleaning agents for reasons of cost or availability. This not only leads to hygiene problems but is also often the cause of disturbances and malfunctions of the device.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The utility model aims to improve the operation and the product reliability when preparing and/or outputting liquid food.

The object is achieved by the features of the first aspect in the method for operating a device for dispensing liquid food, and by the features of the second aspect in the device for dispensing liquid food. Advantageous embodiments result from further embodiments.

In an operating method of the type mentioned above, it is provided according to the invention that information about the quantity of cleaning agent extracted or remaining in the cleaning agent container or about the number of cleaning processes which have been carried out using the cleaning agent container is stored back on the storage device during a cleaning process.

In this way, it can be checked during each cleaning process whether sufficient cleaning agent is still contained or can be contained in the cleaning agent container, starting from the filling level in the factory, and independently of whether the container may have been refilled. In the latter case, information is contained in the memory that the cleaning agent has been exhausted and the container must be replaced with a new one, and therefore, it is not appropriate to refill the container manually. It is likewise possible to remove the initially used cleaning agent container from the cleaning system and insert it into another device, since in this device information about how much cleaning agent is still available for the cleaning process can also be retrieved from the memory device.

In a device of the aforementioned type, according to the invention, a control device is provided which is in signal connection with the access device and is designed to store information on the quantity of cleaning agent extracted or remaining in the cleaning agent container or on the number of cleaning processes which have been carried out using the cleaning agent container during a cleaning process on the storage device by means of the access device. This ensures that the storage device connected to the cleaning agent container always contains the aforementioned information, which is only recognizable and which also stores sufficient information for cleaning agent for another cleaning process, which otherwise could be interrupted.

It is therefore expedient if the controller is configured, before the cleaning process is carried out, to read information stored on the storage device about the quantity of cleaning agent extracted or remaining in the cleaning agent container or about the number of cleaning processes which have been carried out using the cleaning agent container and to output an error report and to interrupt the cleaning process if the quantity of cleaning agent is greater than the highest value extracted or if it is less than the lowest value of the remaining quantity in the cleaning agent container or if the number of cleaning processes which have been carried out is greater than the highest value of the number of cleaning processes.

In a preferred embodiment, information about the quantity of extracted or remaining cleaning agent or about the number of cleaning processes is stored using an encryption method in order to achieve tamper protection. The storage device or the information stored on the storage device is thereby protected against forgery, so that the information cannot simply be reset in the event of an undesired refilling with detergent. Such methods of encryption are known to those skilled in the art. Examples of this are encryption methods, encrypted signature methods or blockchain methods which work with private and public keys. The key required for encryption can be stored in the control device inaccessible to the user.

Alternatively or additionally, the storage device may also be equipped with a non-rewritable memory, which allows only one write operation. At this time, the controller may be configured to store the information in an unoccupied storage area of the storage device without overwriting the previous data item. In this way, a history of the information stored in the memory is maintained without gaps, and thus tampering with the contained information can be recognized.

The cleaning agent container is preferably designed as a disposable container and is filled with cleaning agent, hermetically sealed and supplied with an original closure film. This ensures that only suitable or manufacturer-specific cleaning agents can be used, so that proper cleaning of the device can be carried out.

In a preferred embodiment, the integrated cleaning system has a metering pump for metering the cleaning agent from the cleaning agent container into the cleaning container, in which the cleaning agent solution is mixed from the cleaning agent and water, preferably hot water. The cleaning agent is therefore present as a concentrate, so that the amount present in the cleaning agent container is sufficient to carry out a plurality of cleaning processes. The cleaning agent container is thus held in its separate receiving chamber and only needs to be replaced after the cleaning agent has been completely consumed.

In the context of the present invention, the cleaning system preferably has a receiving space for the cleaning agent container, in particular in the form of an insertion box, on the side of which facing away from the insertion opening a hollow pin is provided for piercing a closure part provided with a piercing area on the cleaning agent container, which hollow pin is connected to a cleaning agent supply line of the cleaning system.

The cleaning agent container is closed, in particular on all sides, so that no cleaning agent can flow out or spill when the beverage dispensing device is inserted. When the detergent container is inserted, the pin pierces the closure of the detergent container. The cleaning agent can be removed from the cleaning agent container by a cleaning agent pump of the cleaning system via the piercing channel or the pin, in order to form a cleaning agent solution from the mixing of the cleaning agent and thus to carry out the cleaning process. The pin remains in the piercing channel of the pierced closure and establishes a fluid-tight connection between the cleaning container and the cleaning system.

A second hollow pin is preferably provided on the side of the receiving chamber facing away from the insertion opening at a height corresponding to the second puncturing area of the cleaning agent container, through which second hollow pin air can be additionally flowed into the cleaning agent container. In this way, in such a beverage dispensing device, the cleaning agent container can be pushed in a simple manner into the receiving space via the insertion opening, wherein, during insertion, the piercing area or the piercing areas are pierced by the piercing pin or the piercing pins and the cleaning agent container is thereby automatically connected to the cleaning agent system for the purpose of extracting the cleaning agent.

In another embodiment, the device has a food pump for conveying liquid food from a food storage container connected to a food supply line that can be disconnected from the food storage container and connected to the cleaning container for carrying out a cleaning process, to a beverage outlet, and the controller is configured to control the food pump to convey a detergent solution from the cleaning container through the one or more food lines. The detergent solution can thus be delivered by the same pump and guided through a food conduit for delivering and delivering liquid food. During the cleaning process, the food pump is thereby cleaned together at the same time.

By performing the cleaning process, it is only necessary to remove the suction hose from the food storage container and connect it to the connection to the detergent container. It is likewise possible to remove the food storage container from the device and replace it by a detergent container.

In the context of the present invention, the term "cleaning process" also refers to a descaling process. That is, the cleaning process may also include descaling a water heater used for preparing beverages, in particular. For this purpose, the device preferably also comprises, in addition to the water heater, a pump for conveying drinking water from the drinking water inlet to the water heater. In this case, a detergent is used as the detergent, and the detergent is held in the detergent container. A detergent solution is mixed from a detergent and water in the cleaning vessel as a detergent solution. In order to carry out the cleaning process, the pump is connected on the inlet side, if necessary, to the cleaning container via a corresponding switching valve.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the cleaning system has a water inlet which can be connected to the cleaning container via a shut-off valve, and preferably a plurality of water outlet connections which are connected to the cleaning container and can be activated individually by means of separate outlet valves, to which further devices for discharging liquid food can be connected. In this way, individual devices can be provided at a beverage station, for example for different liquid foods, which devices have a common cleaning system.

Within the scope of the invention, the cleaning system can be integrated into a beverage dispensing device designed as a compact unit or can be realized as a separate unit, for example, as a cleaning device designed in the form of an add-on device. Accordingly, the device can also be designed as a compact device or a distributed system for delivering liquid food. In the latter case, the apparatus can be designed as a beverage station consisting of a plurality of devices. For example, for reasons of space, one or more devices on the table for the actual discharge of liquid food, a cooling device designed as an under-table device or as an add-on device for storing and optionally transporting liquid food, and the individual devices described above can be provided, which are connected to one another hydraulically and in a controlled manner. The on-board device can in particular be a fully automatic coffee machine which is used for preparing freshly brewed hot beverages and on which additionally a cooled beverage or beverage additive, such as, for example, milk foam and/or cold-extracted cooled coffee, so-called cold-extracted coffee, can be dispensed.

The memory device is preferably a transponder, in particular an RFID tag, which can respond using radio technology. The transponder or RFID tag is constructed in principle as an antenna, analog circuits for receiving and transmitting (transceiver) and digital circuits and permanent memory. The digital circuit can be designed here as a small microcontroller. In addition, however, it is also possible within the scope of the invention to use memory devices which are accessed via electrical contacts in the form of chip cards.

Drawings

Other advantages and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings. Wherein:

fig. 1 shows a water channel diagram of a cooling device with four pump modules for delivering liquid food; and

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of one pump module of the cooling apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the cleaning system for the four pump modules of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a detergent container loaded into an insert cartridge of the cleaning system;

FIG. 5 shows a flow chart of a cleaning process; and

fig. 6 shows a hot beverage preparation device of another embodiment with a pass-through heater and a cleaning system for automatic descaling of the pass-through heater.

Detailed Description

The device shown in fig. 1 is a cooling device 10 having four

pump modules

30, 30', 30 "', to each of which a

storage container

13, 13', 13"' for liquid food is connected, each of which is mounted in a cooling chamber of the cooling device 10. The

storage containers

13, 13', 13 "' may be disposable containers in the form of bag-in-box packages, i.e. flexible tube containers held in a carton, for example.

The

pump modules

30, 30', 30 ", 30'" serve for discharging liquid food from the associated storage containers and are connected for this purpose to the beverage machine. The output itself takes place on a beverage automat, which in this embodiment may be, for example, an automatic coffee machine of a construction known per se, on which milk, milk foam and, for example, cold-extracted, cooled coffee can be output from the cooling device 10 in addition to the freshly brewed coffee beverage.

Fig. 1 shows the structure of the

pump modules

30, 30', 30 ", 30'" and the hydraulic circuits inside the cooling device 10 in the form of a so-called water channel diagram. In this case, a total of four identically constructed

pump modules

30, 30', 30 ", 30'" are installed in the cooling device 10. Each pump module is connected on the suction side to a

storage container

13, 13', 13 ", 13'", which is in each case designed as a disposable container in the form of a bag-in-box package. The associated suction duct 34' is connected to the front fitting 34 of the

respective pump module

30, 30', 30 "'. The suction line 34' can be removed from the

respective storage container

13, 13', 13 ", 13 '" when required, i.e. instead of being connected to the front second connection 35 when a cleaning operation is to be carried out. The cleaning device 60 is connected to the cooling device 10 for cleaning by means of a corresponding supply conduit 61, the structure and function of which is explained in detail below with reference to fig. 3.

In the upper region of the flow diagram, different hydraulic connections 16 are provided on the cooling device 10, by means of which connections up to two external automatic coffee machines can be connected to the cooling device 10. The connection 16 comprises, on the one hand, a hydraulic connection for the food line 16a from the

pump module

30, 30', 30 ", 30'", and, in addition, a cold water connection 16b for flushing the

pump module

30, 30', 30 ", 30'" with cold water in the manner described below, and a hot water connection 16c which forms a circuit with the cleaning device 60 and via which hot water for the cleaning process is supplied from the water heater of the connected fully automatic coffee machine.

The enlarged pump module 30, which is shown in a detail in fig. 2, comprises an electric pump 51, which is connected to the connection 34 at the intake level via an intake line 511. In the intake line 511, between the connection 34 and the pump 51, a flow meter 512 is provided, with which the amount of fluid drawn in can be determined, and a shut-off valve 513, which is opened at the beginning of a product withdrawal and is closed after the end of the product withdrawal, in order to prevent a backflow of fluid at the connection 34.

A spiral mixer 53 serving as a counterpressure element is connected via an outlet line 514 on the pressure side of the pump 51. From the spiral mixer, an outlet pipe 514' leads to the rear plug-in connection 36.

Further, a gas supply pipe 516 is connected between the flow meter 512 and the pump 51 to the suction pipe 511. A gas metering pump 517, a throttling portion 518, and a check valve 519 are provided in the gas supply pipe 516. The gas metering pump 517 is designed in this embodiment as a clocked air valve, that is to say as a switching valve which is operated intermittently in rapid succession, opening and closing. The frequency at which air valve 517 operates may here be in the range of 10 to 30 Hz. The check valve 519 is only used to prevent liquid from entering the air supply conduit 516. To adjust the amount of air supplied, the frequency and/or duty cycle of the control signal used to manipulate air valve 517 may be varied.

An air supply line 516' leads from the air valve 517 to the pneumatic plug connection of the pump module 30. A gas, such as for example nitrogen, can be supplied through the plug connection. As shown in fig. 1, a high-pressure connection 311 is provided for this purpose on the cooling device. A gas pressure container filled with nitrogen, such as a conventional gas cylinder having a gas pressure of about 200bar, can be connected to the high-pressure connection. For this purpose, outside the cooling chamber, a pressure reducer 312 and a shut-off valve 313 are provided on the high-pressure connection 311. This pressure reducer 312 is designed or arranged in this embodiment such that the pressure of the gas at the inlet of said pressure reducer is reduced to an outlet pressure of only 50mbar, which gas is conducted into the suction conduit 511 at the suction side of the pump via the gas supply conduit 516.

In the pressure reducer (or pressure reducing valve), the outlet pressure is fed back to the control input and it is ensured by a pressure sensor that the shut-off valve closes when a defined preset outlet pressure is exceeded and opens when the preset outlet pressure is undershot. Thus, the outlet pressure does not rise above this preset value. The piston or the membrane can be used here as a pressure sensor.

Furthermore, two

hydraulic connections

521 and 522 are provided on the pump module 30. The air supply line 516 and the check valve 519 can be flushed by connecting the cold water connection 16b of the cooling device 10 with the connection 521 via the valve block 17.

The rearward connection 522 is connected only through the front connection 35 in the interior of the pump module 30. Outside the pump module 30, a line leads to a multi-connection 320, via which the cleaning agent supply line 61 from the cleaning device 10 is connected.

To carry out the cleaning process, the suction hose 34' from the front connection 34 is connected to the second connection 35 and thus forms a circuit (dashed line in fig. 1), the cleaning means 60 supplying the cleaning agent solution. The valve 513 on the inlet side is opened and the pump 51 is switched on. The detergent solution from the cleaning device 60 is thus sucked in through the suction pipe 34' connected in a circuit and is conveyed in the direction of the external fully automatic coffee machine through the outlet pipe 514 or the beverage pipe 16a connected thereto. Here, the detergent solution is received at a receiving container positioned below the beverage outlet here, or the discharge valve is opened and the detergent solution is conducted out in the direction of the discharge opening before the beverage outlet. If the cleaning is finished, the cleaning device 60 is switched to a re-flush and fresh water is provided for a certain period of time for re-flushing the pipe.

In operation, as shown in FIG. 1, the intake line of each

pump module

30, 30', 30 ", 30'" is connected to a

corresponding storage container

13, 13', 13 ", 13'". By means of the control interface of the cooling device 10, the

pump module

30, 30', 30 ", 30'" can be actuated by a connected beverage output device, for example a fully automatic coffee machine, in order to output a cooled beverage. To this end, the corresponding shut-off valve 513 is opened and the pump 51 is put into operation. If the air valve 517 is simultaneously operated and the shut-off valve 313 on the gas joint 520 is opened, gas is simultaneously sucked in by the pump 51. The amount of gas supplied can be metered by means of an air valve 517. The pump 51 thus sucks in the liquid/gas mixture. The back pressure member 53 on the pump outlet effects a pressure rise inside the pump 51. This results in a thorough mixing of the liquid/gas mixture in the pump 51 and in this way a fine-paste-like or foam-like, gas-enriched fluid is produced which is conveyed through the outlet line 16a in the direction of the connected beverage outlet, where it is delivered at the respective beverage outlet or can be added to a coffee beverage or a gas beverage.

As liquid food which can be stored in the cooling device 10, in particular milk or a cold-extracted coffee drink can be set. The milk from the first storage container may be output as milk or milk foam. The cold-extracted coffee, the so-called cold-extracted coffee, can be delivered enriched with gas as so-called gas-cooled cold-extracted coffee.

In principle, the

pump modules

30, 30', 30 ", 30'" can be constructed identically. It is not excluded that the pump modules differ in their structure according to the food to be served.

In fig. 3, the cleaning device 60 is shown enlarged. The cleaning device includes a cleaning vessel 62 in which a detergent solution is mixed. For this purpose, a detergent concentrate is fed from a detergent container 63 into the cleaning container 62. A metering pump 64 connected to the detergent container 63 and a flow meter 65 which can be used to measure and meter the amount of concentrate delivered are used for this purpose. Furthermore, the flow meter 65 may be used as an empty report sensor for the cleaning concentrate.

Downstream of the flow meter 65, a switching valve 66 is provided, which is engaged in a lower switching position, not shown in fig. 6, for filling the cleaning agent concentrate into the cleaning container 62. Next, the switching valve is brought into the upper switching position shown in fig. 6. In this switching position, the cleaning container 62 is filled with hot water from a hot water connection 68 via a valve 69 which is opened for this purpose, into the cleaning container 62. The amount of hot water that is filled can also be measured and metered by the flow meter 65, so that a detergent solution ("cleaning liquid") is formed in the cleaning container 62 with a predefined mixture of concentrates. A check valve 67 between the metering pump 64 and the flow meter 65 prevents water from possibly flowing in the direction of the detergent container 63 when the valve 69 is open.

After mixing to form the detergent solution in the cleaning container 62, the cleaning device 60 is ready to operate and may supply the detergent solution to the detergent supply pipe 61. The detergent solution is extracted from the cleaning vessel 62 through an extraction pipe 70 and a second flow meter 71. The detergent supply pipe 61 leading to the cooling device 10 is connected to the second flow meter 71 through valves 72a to 72d, respectively. The valves 72a to 72d are combined here to one valve block 72. In order to carry out a cleaning process for one or more of the

pump modules

30, 30', 30 "', the corresponding valves 72a to 72d are opened, so that a cleaning agent solution can be sucked in by the pump 51 of the

corresponding pump module

30, 30', 30"' via the cleaning agent supply conduit 61. Subsequently, the flushing with hot water again takes place from the hot water connection 68 by opening the valve 69 and switching the switching valve 66 into its upper switching position.

An electronic memory device 80 in the form of a transponder is arranged on the detergent container 63. The transponder may in particular be an RFID tag, which can be read and written to wirelessly. The cleaning device 60 has an access means in the form of a corresponding RFID read-write device 81. The RFID reader/writer device is positioned in such a way that the transponder 80 can be read or written when the detergent container 63 is properly inserted into its receiving chamber. The read-write device 81 is connected via a signal line to a controller 20 which controls the cleaning process and in this embodiment is incorporated in an automatic beverage machine or an automatic coffee machine connected to the cooling device 10.

The transponder or RFID tag 80 furthermore has an identification, on the basis of which it is determined whether the detergent container 63 filled in or the detergent contained in it is suitable. If not, an error message is output or selection or execution of the cleaning process is inhibited by the controller of the connected automatic coffee machine. Furthermore, information about the capacity of the detergent container 63 and the amount of detergent still contained or extracted is also stored on the RFID. From this it can be determined whether there is still sufficient detergent contained in the container 63. If it is determined that the cleaning agent container 63 is emptied, or at least is likely to be emptied, a corresponding error message is output and the cleaning process is inhibited.

Fig. 4 shows a side sectional view of an exemplary cleaning agent container 63, which is inserted into an insertion cassette 82 of the cleaning device, which is designed to receive the cleaning agent container 63. The cleaning agent container 63 is of substantially square design, wherein the cutting plane extends perpendicular to the narrow side of the cleaning agent container 63. In the region of its front face into which the insert box 82 is inserted, a bottle neck 83 is provided on the cleaning agent container 63, the end of which forms a connector end 84.

The extraction line 85 extends outside the cleaning agent container 63 in parallel on the latter along the cleaning agent container 63 from the lower region of the connection end 84 to the bottom of the latter and opens into the cleaning agent container 63. The extraction duct 85 is integrally connected to the detergent container 63 by a strip of material 86. The neck 83 of the cleaning agent container 63, which is connected to the connection end 84, opens directly into the upper region of the cleaning agent container 63. The lower region of the connection end 84 forms a first puncturing area 87a, which opens into the extraction duct 85. The upper region of the connector end 84 opening into the bottle neck 83 forms a second penetration zone 87 b. The

insertion regions

87a, 87b are provided with a common closure film covering the generally front connection end 84, which is welded or glued to the opening of the connection end 84 on the edge side. Behind the closing membrane, as an additional anti-outflow structure, a common silicon molding 88 is provided, which has plugs 88a, 88b, which project into the openings of the bottle neck 83 and the extraction duct 85, respectively, and which have two central, sharply converging closing lips at their respective ends. Further details of the detergent container 63 are known from the initially mentioned document WO 2017/025238 a1, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety in order to avoid unnecessary repetition.

In the insertion box 82, a hollow pin 89 is provided on the right end side 82' facing away from the insertion opening at the level of the lower first piercing region, said pin piercing the above-mentioned closure membrane when the detergent container 63 is pushed into the insertion box 82. A detergent supply conduit to the cleaning system 60 is provided on said hollow pin 89. Above the hollow pin 89, a second hollow pin 90 is arranged, which pierces the closing membrane at the level of the second piercing area. The hollow pin 90 is connected to an air supply line 91 and ensures that air can flow into the cleaning agent container 63 during the extraction of the cleaning agent.

The cleaning agent container 63 is designed as a disposable item and is already filled with cleaning agent in the factory. In this embodiment, the cleaning agent is a milk cleaning agent and is used to clean off adhering milk residues, in particular proteins, from the milk foam system. In addition to being used for cleaning milk systems, the cleaning device 60 described above can also be used for devices for delivering other liquid foods for which an automatic cleaning process is carried out for hygienic reasons. Here, the detergent filled in the detergent container in the factory may be appropriately selected according to the field of use and the type of food to be output.

The cleaning system 60 has, in addition to a cleaning agent container 63, in particular a metering pump 64 and a cleaning container 62, in which a cleaning agent solution is formed from the cleaning agent and the supplied water. In order to carry out the cleaning process, the

connected pump modules

30, 30', 30 ", 30'" and the milk foam system of the connected fully automatic coffee machine, in particular the milk line thereof and, if present, the flow-through heater and the foaming chamber, as well as the outlet for milk or milk foam, are rinsed with a cleaning agent solution. Followed by a re-rinse with clear water.

In order to store the cleaning device 60 with cleaning agent, it is only necessary to remove the old, emptied cleaning agent container 63 and insert a new, fresh cleaning agent container into the insertion box 82. At this point, the

hollow pins

89, 90 pierce the two

penetration regions

87a, 87b and establish a connection between the detergent supply line of the cleaning system 60 and the extraction line of the detergent container and a connection with the air supply line 91. The cleaning system 60 is thus ready for use immediately after the detergent container 63 has been loaded.

In fig. 4, the transponder 80 of the cleaning agent container 63 is arranged in the upper region on its neck 83. The corresponding read-write device 81 is located at a corresponding position above the detergent container 63 outside the insertion box 82. Of course, the transponder can also be located at any other suitable location of the cleaning agent container 63, and the associated read-write device 81 is correspondingly arranged in the cleaning apparatus 63.

The cleaning process is explained according to fig. 5. At the start of the cleaning process, in step S1, the transponder or RFID tag of the detergent container is read. Now, it is determined from the information thus obtained whether or not there is still or may be sufficient detergent in the detergent container. A check P1 is therefore made whether the cleaning agent in the container is exhausted or is sufficient for a cleaning process. If the check shows that the cleaning agent has been exhausted, an error message is displayed on the display of the connected fully automatic coffee machine in step S1a and the cleaning process is interrupted.

If the check P1 shows that there is still enough detergent in the detergent container according to the information read from the RFID tag, the cleaning process is continued, and the detergent is pumped from the detergent container 63 into the cleaning container 62 by the metering pump 64 and filled with a prescribed amount of water in step S2, thereby forming a detergent solution. Now, in step S3, the pump 50 of the

corresponding pump module

30, 30', 30 ", 30'" is switched on and thereby delivers the detergent solution through the

pump module

30, 30', 30 ", 30'" and the connected food conduit of the fully automatic coffee machine. If there is sufficient detergent flowing through the food conduit, a re-flush is performed in step S4 with fresh water by opening or switching valve 65 and then opening or switching valve 517. At the end of the cleaning process, information is written back to the transponder 80 or to a memory contained in the transponder by means of the read-write device 81, from which information it can be checked again for the next cleaning process whether sufficient cleaning agent is still present. The storage of this information is done in encrypted form so that it cannot be changed without knowledge of the key that is stored inaccessible in the controller 20.

This information may give the amount of detergent extracted. From the known volume of the detergent container or the volume stored in the transponder, it can be derived how much detergent is still contained. Likewise, the remaining amount of detergent still contained can equally well be determined and stored on the transponder.

Alternatively or additionally, only the number of cleaning processes that have been carried out can be stored. This may be done by a counter that counts up with each cleaning process. The cleaning agent container is in this case designed for a defined number of cleaning processes, and when a corresponding count level is reached, an emptying message is output and, if the relevant cleaning agent container is used, another cleaning process is prevented. The number of cleaning processes that have been performed can also be stored by counting down by a counter. In this case, starting from the process value set in the factory, the counter gives the remaining number of cleaning processes which can still be carried out.

One embodiment is shown in fig. 6. The same and functionally equivalent elements are denoted herein by the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment. This relates to a hot beverage preparation device, such as for example a fully automatic coffee machine. The fully automatic coffee machine comprises a pass-through heater 91 in the form of a compact heating cartridge and a water pump 90 with which drinking water can be delivered from a water connection, which can also be referred to herein as a water tank, to the pass-through heater 91.

A water pump 90 and a flow meter 92 connected to the pass-through heater 91 through a pipe 95 are provided upstream of the pass-through heater 91 in the water flow direction. At the hot water outlet of the pass-through heater 91, an infusion assembly for preparing coffee or a beverage outlet for preparing tea, for example, can be connected in a conventional manner to the hot water line 96.

The water pump 90 is connected on the intake side via a drinking water supply line 93 to a drinking water connection 101 of the public water network. In addition, a shut valve 102, a check valve 104, and a pressure reducer 103 are provided in the supply pipe 93. Instead of the drinking water connection 101 of the public water network, a connection from a water tank may alternatively also be provided.

Furthermore, the pass-through heater 91 integrates the cleaning system 60 into a hot beverage preparation device due to the high temperatures required for rapid heating of water and the narrow but long flow path that is prone to fouling. The descaling system 60 comprises a mixing container 62, a detergent container 63 for liquid descaling agent concentrate and a metering pump 64. A drinking water supply line 93 on the suction side of the water pump 90 can be connected via a switching valve 94 to the suction line 70, which extends to the bottom of the mixing container 62, in order to suck the descaling agent solution from the mixing container 62 and to feed it to the through-heater 91 for descaling.

The detergent solution is mixed in the mixing vessel 62 by delivering a metered amount of detergent concentrate to the mixing vessel 62 via supply line 98 by means of metering pump 64. Via a reversing valve 69, which is connected to a supply line 95 connected to the pressure side of the pump 90, fresh water can be filled into the mixing container 62 by the water pump 90 via a supply line 97. The amount of fresh water filled can be measured here by means of a flow meter 92. After filling the mixing container 62 with a predetermined amount of water, the valve 69 is closed.

After having been mixed in the mixing vessel 62 to form a detergent solution, the supply line 93 may be connected to the suction line 70 via a valve 94. Next, the detergent solution is transported from the mixing vessel 62 through the pass-through heater 91 by the water pump 90. During the descaling process, the through heater 91 may be switched on, since a rapid dissolution of scale residues may be achieved when the temperature of the descaling agent solution is high.

After the descaling process has ended, switching valve 94 is switched back again into the operating position, in which supply line 93 is connected to water connection 101 and through water pump 90, through-heater 91 is flushed again with fresh water. The optional check valve 104 prevents that the detergent solution, which may still be in the supply conduit 93, may flow in the direction of the water inlet 101. The control of the

valves

94, 69 and of the metering pump 64 can take place in the same way as the control of the remaining directional valves by the controller 20, which thus also carries out the descaling process.

The detergent container 63 with detergent concentrate is also constructed as a disposable container and provided with an RFID tag 80 as in the previous embodiments. The RFID tag is also accessible via a read-write device 81 connected to the controller 20 and can in particular be stored here in the aforementioned manner with regard to the quantity of cleaning agent extracted or still contained in the cleaning agent container 63 or read this information before the cleaning or descaling process is carried out. For example, the disposable container can be opened and connected to the metering pump 64 by piercing it with a withdrawal rod or pin.

Claims

1. An apparatus for preparing and/or delivering a liquid food, in particular coffee or a dairy product, having a cleaning system (60), the cleaning system (60) comprising a cleaning container (62) for containing a detergent solution, the cleaning container (62) being connected with a supply conduit (34', 93) of the apparatus to perform a cleaning process; the cleaning system (60) has a hollow pin (89) for a cleaning agent container (63), in which cleaning agent container (63) cleaning agent is stored, which can be fed to the cleaning container (62) via the hollow pin (89) in order to be mixed to form a cleaning agent solution; and the cleaning system (60) has an access device (81), the access device (81) being used to access a digital storage device (80) arranged on the cleaning agent container (63),

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the cleaning system has a controller (20) which is connected to the access device (81) and is designed to store information on the amount of cleaning agent which has been extracted or remains in the cleaning agent container (63) or on the number of cleaning processes which have been carried out using the cleaning agent container (63) on the storage device (80) by means of the access device (81) during a cleaning process.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the controller (20) is configured to read out information stored on the storage device (80) about the amount of extracted or remaining in the detergent container (63) or about the number of cleaning processes already performed using the detergent container (63) before a cleaning process is performed and to output an error report and interrupt a cleaning process when the amount of detergent is greater than the highest value extracted or less than the lowest value of the remaining amount in the detergent container (63) or when the number of cleaning processes already performed is greater than the highest value of the number of cleaning processes.

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that information about the amount of extracted or remaining cleaning agent or about the number of cleaning processes is stored using an encryption method to achieve tamper protection.

4. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the controller (20) is configured to store the information in an unoccupied storage area of the storage device (80) without overwriting preceding data items, the storage device (80) having a non-rewritable memory.

5. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the integrated cleaning system comprises a metering pump (64) for metering detergent from the detergent container (63) into the cleaning container (62), a detergent solution being formed in the cleaning container (62) from the detergent and water mixed.

6. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the device has a receiving chamber (82) for the detergent container, on the side (82') of which facing away from the insertion opening a hollow pin (89) is provided, which hollow pin (89) is used to pierce a closure (88a) provided with a piercing area (87a) on the detergent container (63), which hollow pin (89) is connected to a detergent supply line of the cleaning system.

7. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the device has a food pump (51), the food pump (51) being adapted to convey liquid food from a food storage container (13, 13', 13 "') connected to a supply conduit (34') to a beverage outlet, the supply conduit (34') being detachable from the food storage container (13, 13', 13"') and connectable to the cleaning container (62) for performing a cleaning process, and the controller (20) being configured to control the food pump (51) to convey a detergent solution from the cleaning container (62) through the one or more conduits (34', 514', 16 a).

8. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the device has a water heater (91) and a pump (90) for conveying drinking water from a drinking water inlet (101) to the water heater (91), the detergent container (63) contains a descaling agent as a cleaning agent and is mixed in the cleaning container (62) to form a descaling agent solution as a cleaning agent solution, and the pump (90) is connectable on the inlet side with the cleaning container (62) to perform a cleaning process.

9. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the cleaning system (60) has a water inlet (68) which can be connected to the cleaning container (62) via shut-off valves (69, 66), and a plurality of water outlet connections (61), the water outlet connections (61) being connected to the cleaning container (62) and being individually activatable via individual outlet valves (72a, 72b, 72c, 72d), to which water outlet connections (61) further means for delivering liquid food can be connected.

10. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the digital storage device (80) is designed as a transponder which can be responded to by radio technology.