EP3297501A1

EP3297501A1 - A coffee machine wherein transfer of coffee to an exterior receptacle is improved

Info

Publication number: EP3297501A1
Application number: EP16722609.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Cagatay Buyuktopcu; Musa OZDEMIR; Ahmet SOZEN; Ozkan AKGUL
Original assignee: Arcelik AS
Current assignee: Arcelik AS
Priority date: 2015-05-18
Filing date: 2016-05-05
Publication date: 2018-03-28
Also published as: WO2016184694A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a coffee machine (1 ) comprising a body (2), a brewing chamber (3) disposed inside the body (2), a heater (4) providing the heating of the brewing chamber (3), a valve (5) providing the transfer of the liquid inside the brewing chamber (3) to an exterior receptacle (H), and a control unit (6) that controls the brewing process and the brewing chamber (3) cleaning operation comprising the steps of taking the water into the brewing chamber (I), keeping the water received in the brewing chamber (3) for a certain period (II) and discharging the water in the brewing chamber (3) by means of the valve (5) (III).

Description

A COFFEE MACHINE WHEREIN TRANSFER OF COFFEE TO AN EXTERIOR RECEPTACLE IS IMPROVED

The present invention relates to a coffee machine comprising a valve that enables the coffee in the brewing chamber wherein the coffee is brewed is transferred to an exterior receptacle.
In coffee machines wherein the coffee is prepared in the brewing chamber and poured into the cup or the pot, coffee and foam residues may accumulate in the brewing chamber after the brewing process. The settled down coffee grounds that are formed by finely ground, small sized granules especially like Turkish coffee can accumulate on the valve providing the transfer of coffee to the exterior receptacle and adversely affect the transfer of coffee to the exterior receptacle. In this case, due to clogging the coffee in the brewing chamber cannot be emptied and can cause overflowing or the valve may lose its leak-proofing properties and leaks may occur in the brewing chamber. In such a situation, the valve should be effective cleaned.
In the state of the art German Patent Application No. DE2919110, a coffee machine is disclosed, wherein the formation of scale is prevented by means of the movements of the vale and ultrasonic vibrations.
In the state of the art Canadian Patent Application No. CA2181228, a coffee machine that comprises a valve separating the brewing line and the cleaning line and the control of the valve are disclosed.
In the state of the art American Patent Application No. US2013019903, a coffee machine comprising a Venturi channel and a valve used for cleaning the milk residues in the Venturi channel are disclosed.
The aim of the present invention is the realization of a coffee machine wherein the valve providing the transfer of the coffee in the brewing chamber into an exterior receptacle is effectively cleaned.
The coffee machine realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention and explicated in the claims comprises a valve that provides the transfer of the coffee brewed in the brewing chamber to an exterior receptacle and a control unit that provides the transfer of water into the brewing chamber and starts the brewing chamber cleaning operation algorithm recorded in the memory thereof and moreover that provides the cleaning of the valve by enabling the valve to be opened/closed for more than once at least during a portion of the cleaning operation. With the valve opening/closing while water flows therethrough, the components forming the valve rub against each other and the coffee residues on the valve get softer with the effect of water and are cleaned. With the valve opening/closing while water flows therethrough, the movable components of the valve are not damaged.
In an embodiment of the present invention, by enabling the water in the brewing chamber to hit the valve, the valve is enabled to be cleaned mechanically. By rapidly opening/closing the valve, the control unit enables the water in the brewing chamber to wave and the water harshly hits the edges of the valve and enables the coffee residues accumulating on the valve to be mechanically cleaned.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit enables the valve to be opened/closed during the discharge of the water used in the cleaning operation. By means of this embodiment, first the brewing chamber, then the valve is enabled to be cleaned.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit enables the water to be taken into the brewing chamber while the valve is successively opened and closed at least during a portion of the step of discharging the water in the cleaning operation.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit enables the valve to be continuously opened/closed during the cleaning operation. By means of this embodiment, by enabling the water in the brewing chamber to be continuously agitated, mechanical cleaning operation is performed.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit enables the water to be taken into the brewing chamber while the valve is opened/closed in the step of keeping of the water in the brewing chamber taken of during the cleaning operation. By means of this embodiment, by keeping the valve under a continuous liquid flow, the mechanical cleaning feature of the water is benefited from and the valve is cleaned.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit enables the heater to be operated while the valve is opened/closed. By means of this embodiment, the temperature of the water in the brewing chamber is enabled to be high and by using the effect of the hot water in the softening of the dirt, the valve is enabled to be cleaned.
In the coffee machine of the present invention, the coffee and foam residues accumulating on the valve are cleaned by moving the valve and benefiting from the mechanical cleaning feature of the water in a cost-effective manner and without causing any burden on the user.
The coffee machine realized to attain the aim of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where:
Figure 1 – is the sideways schematic view of a coffee machine.
Figure 2 - is the graphic showing the openness status of the valve during the cleaning operation. In the graphic, the durations wherein the valve is on are shown with “1” and the durations wherein the valve is off are shown with “0”.
Figure 3 - is the graphic showing the openness status of the valve during the cleaning operation in an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 - is the graphic showing the openness status of the valve during the cleaning operation in another embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 - is the graphic showing the openness status of the valve during the cleaning operation in another embodiment of the present invention.
The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

Coffee machine
Body
Brewing chamber
Heater
Valve
Control unit

I. Receiving water into the brewing chamber (3) during the cleaning operation
II. Keeping in the brewing chamber (3) the water received during the cleaning operation for a certain period
III. Discharging the water in the brewing chamber (3) by means of the valve (5) during the cleaning operation
The coffee machine (1) comprises a body (2), a brewing chamber (3) disposed inside the body (2), a heater (4) providing the heating of the brewing chamber (3), a valve (5) providing the transfer of the liquid inside the brewing chamber (3) to an exterior receptacle (H), and a control unit (6) that controls the brewing process and the brewing chamber (3) cleaning operation and that takes the water into the brewing chamber (I), keeps the water received in the brewing chamber (3) for a certain period (II) and discharges the water in the brewing chamber (3) by means of the valve (5) (III).
In the coffee machine (1), coffee is delivered to the brewing chamber (3) automatically or by the user filling manually. As the user gives the start brewing command, water is delivered to the brewing chamber (3) from the water tank ( not shown in the figures) by a pump (not shown in the figures) and the water conduit (not shown in the figures) and the heater (4) provides the brewing of the coffee by heating the brewing chamber (3). The valve (5) is preferably disposed in the vicinity of the base of the brewing chamber (3) and the prepared coffee in the brewing chamber (3) is transferred into an exterior receptacle (H) by means of the valve (5). The valve (5) can be a poppet valve or gate valve among the state of the art valve types, or any other type of valve that is suitable for transferring the liquid in the brewing chamber (3).
The control unit (6) enables the brewing chamber (3) to be cleaned by carrying out a cleaning operation comprising the steps of transferring water into the brewing chamber (3) with the triggering by the user or at predetermined intervals (I), keeping the transferred water in the brewing chamber (3) for a certain period (II) and vibrating the brewing chamber (3) or by enabling the water in the brewing chamber (3) to be agitated by means of any other method and afterwards enabling the valve (5) to be opened thus discharging the water together with the coffee and foam residues (III). The discharged water is transferred to and collected in a collection receptacle (not shown in the figures) disposed on the coffee machine (1). The cleaning operation provides the cleaning of coffee and foam residues accumulating in the brewing chamber (3).
The coffee machine (1) of the present invention comprises the control unit (6) that enables the valve (5) to be cleaned by successively opening/closing the valve (5) more than once in at least one step (I, II, III) of the brewing chamber (3) cleaning operation (Figure 2, Figure 3, Figure 4, Figure 5).
The control unit (6) enables the valve (5) to be opened/closed more than once during the cleaning operation, in other words while water is transferred to the brewing chamber (3) for cleaning purposes (I) and/or while the water is kept in the brewing chamber (3) (II) and/or while the waste water in the brewing chamber (3) is being discharged (III). With the movable components on the valve (5) contacting each other by moving in the water while the valve (5) is opened and closed, the movable components are enabled to rub against each other and the dried coffee residues accumulating on the valve (5) are enabled to be mixed with the waste water and discharged by using the softening feature of the water.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit (6) enables the valve (5) to be cleaned by rapidly opening/closing the valve (5) so as to enable the water in the brewing chamber (3) to hit the edges of the valve (5). By rapidly opening/closing the valve (5), the water in the brewing chamber (3) is agitated and is enabled to hit the edges of the valve (5), the walls of the valve (5) and the sides of the valve (5) and to assure that the coffee residues adhering to the valve (5) are mechanically broken off.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit (6) enables the valve (5) to be continuously opened/closed in the step of discharging the water in the brewing chamber (3) by means of the valve (5) (III) of the cleaning operation. By keeping the valve (5) closed while the water is being transferred to the brewing chamber (3) for cleaning purposes, the water is enabled to rise in the brewing chamber (3) and the upper sides of the brewing chamber (3) walls are enabled to be cleaned. By opening/closing the valve (5) during the discharge of the waste water, the discharged water applies force in variable directions and magnitude onto the valve (5) and thus, the dried coffee residues on the valve (5) are enabled to be cleaned (Figure 4).
In another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit (6) enables water to be taken into the brewing chamber (3) in a portion of the step of discharging the water in the brewing chamber (3) by means of the valve (3) (III) of the cleaning operation. In this embodiment, by taking an additional amount of water into the brewing chamber (3) while the valve (5) is opened/closed, the amount of water flowing over the valve (5) is increased, thus the mechanical cleaning effect is improved. By taking water only in a portion of the discharging step, the brewing chamber (3) is enabled to be completely emptied.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit (6) enables the valve (5) to be continuously opened/closed in all the steps (I, II, III) of the cleaning operation. By means of this embodiment, the water in the brewing chamber (3) is enabled to be continuously agitated and thus, both the valve (5) sides and the brewing chamber (3) walls are enabled to be mechanically cleaned with the impact of the water (Figure 5).
In another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit (6) enables the water to be taken into the brewing chamber (3) while the valve (5) is opened/closed in the step of keeping the water taken in the brewing chamber (3) (II) of the cleaning operation. By transferring water to the brewing chamber (3), the continuity of the water being discharged over the valve (5) and by enabling the water to interact with the valve for a longer time, the valve (5) is enabled to be effectively cleaned. Moreover, with the water transfer, formation of vortices is provided at the port of the valve (5), thus the water is enabled to hit the sides of the valve (5) and the mechanical cleaning effect is improved.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit (6) enables the heater (4) to be operated while the valve (5) is opened/closed in the cleaning operation. By heating the water, the coffee residues on the valve (5) are enabled to be more easily cleaned.
In the coffee machine (1) of the present invention, the coffee and foam residues accumulating on the valve (5) are cleaned by enabling the valve (5) to be opened/closed during the cleaning of the brewing chamber (3) and only by using the mechanical cleaning effect of the water without using any additional components or making any structural modifications.

Claims

A coffee machine (1) comprising a body (2), a brewing chamber (3) disposed inside the body (2), a heater (4) providing the heating of the brewing chamber (3), a valve (5) providing the transfer of the liquid inside the brewing chamber (3) to an exterior receptacle (H), and a control unit (6) that controls the brewing process and the brewing chamber (3) cleaning operation and that takes the water into the brewing chamber (I), keeps the water received in the brewing chamber (3) for a certain period (II) and discharges the water in the brewing chamber (3) by means of the valve (III), characterized by the control unit (6) that enables the valve (5) to be cleaned by successively opening/closing the valve (5) more than once in at least one step (I, II, III) of the brewing chamber (3) cleaning operation.
A coffee machine (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by the control unit (6) that enables the valve (5) to be cleaned by rapidly opening/closing the valve (5) so as to enable the water in the brewing chamber (3) to hit the edges of the valve (5).
A coffee machine (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by the control unit (6) that enables the valve (5) to be continuously opened/closed in the step of discharging the water in the brewing chamber (3) by means of the valve (5) (III) of the cleaning operation.
A coffee machine (1) as in Claim 3, characterized by the control unit (6) that enables water to be taken into the brewing chamber (3) in a portion of the step of discharging the water in the brewing chamber (3) by means of the valve (3) (III) of the cleaning operation.
A coffee machine (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by the control unit (6) that enables the valve (5) to be continuously opened/closed in all the steps (I, II, III) of the cleaning operation.
A coffee machine (1) as in Claim 3, characterized by the control unit (6) that enables the water to be taken into the brewing chamber (3) while the valve (5) is opened/closed in the step of keeping the water taken in the brewing chamber (3) (II) of the cleaning operation.
A coffee machine (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by the control unit (6) that enables the heater (4) to be operated while the valve (5) is opened/closed in the cleaning operation.