EP3801141A2

EP3801141A2 - A coffee machine

Info

Publication number: EP3801141A2
Application number: EP19855730.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Emre KARAAGAC; Emre AYAROGLU; Ahmet Alptekin; Arda KUYUMCU; Nazli Ecem COKER
Original assignee: Arcelik AS
Current assignee: Arcelik AS
Priority date: 2018-06-05
Filing date: 2019-05-08
Publication date: 2021-04-14
Also published as: EP3801141A4; WO2020046234A3; WO2020046234A2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a coffee machine (1) comprising a cooking container (2) in which the cooking process is performed and having lateral surfaces, a highest level (hmax) predetermined by the producer for the liquid in the cooking container (2), a heater (3) enabling heating the cooking container (2), and a pouring lip (4) provided on the lateral surface of the cooking container (2), enabling pouring the liquid in the cooking container (2).

Description

A COFFEE MACHINE

The present invention relates to a coffee machine comprising cooking containers used in cooking Turkish coffee.

In coffee machines, particularly in Turkish coffee machines, the coffee droplets remaining on the pouring lip of the cooking container (traditionally referred to as cooking pot) in which coffee-water mixture is prepared, which fail to be poured into a cup, flow on the cooking container surface. This is because the coffee droplets remaining on the pouring lip continuously cling on the cooking container side surface due to surface tension. The angle between the pouring lip and the side surface of the cooking container contributes to this problem. In addition to creating an unsightly appearance, the coffee flowing on the cooking container side surface also makes it necessary for the users to clean the cooking container after each operation. Known as the teapot effect in literature, this problem creates a challenge for the users when they serve coffee.

State of the art international patent application no. W02008052946 discloses a coffee machine in which coffee droplets are prevented from adhering/clinging on cooking container surface.

In the state of the art United States patent application no. US2005178805, adhering/clinging of liquid on a container side surface is attempted to be prevented by means of an elastic apparatus attached on the edge of the container.

State of the art Austrian patent application no. AU2013204687 describes prevention of liquid adhering/clinging on a container's side surface by folding the edges of the container.

The aim of the present invention is to realize a coffee machine enabling serving coffee without adhering/clinging thereof on cooking container side surfaces during pouring of the coffee to cups.

The coffee machine realized to achieve the aims of the present invention and disclosed in the first claim and the following claims, comprises a pouring lip provided on the cooking container in which the coffee cooking process is performed, disposed so as to be parallel to the ground at the initial pouring/flowing moment of the coffee in the cooking container when being served. The pouring lip being parallel to the ground at the initial pouring moment is enabled by determining the angle between the pouring lip and the cooking container side surface, according to the leaning/tilting angle of the cooking container required to pour coffee at the highest liquid level presumed for the cooking container. The pouring lip being parallel to the ground at the initial pouring moment enables creating an interruption in coffee flow by defeating the surface tension of coffee by means of gravity, and thereby prevents adhering/clinging of coffee on the cooking container side surface. The cooking container should be further leaned/tilted as pouring coffee continues and said problem is not observed since surface tension is already defeated.

In an embodiment of the invention, a projection is provided on the outer surface of the pouring lip, preventing coffee from flowing from the pouring lip towards the cooking container side surface in case surface tension of coffee is not defeated. Coffee droplets are enabled to advance on the projection and to drip via the projection which preferably has a pointy tip, into the cup to which coffee is poured or onto the ground. In a version of this embodiment, the projection is provided on the end tip portion of the pouring lip, and transmitting the coffee droplets which have failed to flow due to surface tension, to the cup/container is thus facilitated, thereby preventing coffee droplets from dripping on the counter when the cooking container is placed thereon. In another version of the embodiment with projection, the projection is almost parallel to the side surface of the cooking container. Coffee droplets remaining on the projection are thus enabled to drip on the ground, preventing them from staining the side surface by flowing on the side surface of the cooking container.

The pouring lip of the invention resolves the problem known as the teapot effect, by determining the angle between the pouring lip and the cooking container side surface according to the highest coffee level presumed for the cooking container. This enables eliminating challenges for the users in serving coffee to cups, prevents stains on the cooking container side surface and resolves the problem of dirty appearance.

The cooking container realized to achieve the aims of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a coffee machine.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a cooking container of the prior art.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the cooking container and the pouring lip of the invention.

Figure 4 is a schematic view of the cooking container in an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 5 is a sectional view of the cooking container of the invention at the initial pouring moment.

The elements in the figures are numbered individually and the correspondence of these numbers are given hereinafter.

1. Coffee machine

2. Cooking container

3. Fleater 4. Pouring lip

5. Projection

hmax. The highest level predetermined by the producer

a. The angle between the pouring lip and the lateral surface of the cooking container b. The leaning/tilting angle of the cooking container at the initial pouring moment

The coffee machine (1 ) comprises a cooking container (2) in which the cooking process is performed and having lateral surfaces, a highest level (hmax) predetermined by the producer for the liquid in the cooking container (2), a heater (3) enabling heating the cooking container (2), and a pouring lip (4) provided on the lateral surface of the cooking container (2), enabling pouring the liquid in the cooking container (2). Supplementary materials such as coffee and sugar placed in the cooking container (2), and the water added according to the amount of coffee desired to be cooked, are cooked by the heater (3). The highest number of cups of coffee which can be cooked in the cooking container (2) is predetermined by the producer and displayed on the cooking container (2) as the highest level (hmax), or the coffee machine (1 ) is enabled to send water at most up to the highest level (hmax) into the cooking container (2). The highest level (hmax) is a level value suggested by the producer and does not designate the maximum liquid level which the cooking container (2) can contain, and the liquid level in the cooking container (2) may exceed the highest level (hmax) by a user introducing liquid in excess to the cooking container (2). In the disclosure herein, instead of coffee in the cooking container (2), liquid and coffee liquid terms are variably used as synonyms of each other.

In the embodiment of the invention, the coffee machine (1 ) comprises the cooking container (2) comprising a pouring lip (4) whose angle (a) with the lateral surface of the cooking container (2) is equal to the leaning/tilting angle (b) of the cooking container (2) (a = b) at the initial pouring moment while transferring the liquid at the highest level (hmax) to another container, or in other terms a pouring lip (4) which is almost parallel to horizontal direction at the initial pouring moment of the liquid in the cooking container (2) during leaning/tilting of the cooking container (2) to transfer the liquid at the highest level (hmax) in the cooking container (2) to another container. The direction of gravity is referred to as the vertical direction, and the direction perpendicular to vertical direction is referred to as the horizontal direction.

While transferring the cooked coffee at the highest level (hmax) to a cup or another container, the pouring lip (4) is parallel to the horizontal direction at the initial pouring moment of coffee from the pouring lip (4). Since the cooking container (2) should be further leaned/tilted as transferring of coffee continues, i.e. as the amount of coffee in the cooking container (2) is reduced, the pouring lip (4) begins making a negative angle with the horizontal direction after the initial moment.

The cohesive force of the liquid should be defeated to transfer coffee, i.e. liquid, to another cup/container, and when the cooking container (2) is leaned/tilted, gravity acting on the liquid enables defeating the cohesive force, allowing the liquid to flow. However, the adhesive force between the cooking container (2) and the coffee liquid cannot be defeated only by means of the gravitational force acting on the liquid, causing the adhering/clinging problem described in the introduction. After conducting numerous experiments, the producer enables detaching coffee liquid from the pouring lip (4) by producing the pouring lip (4) so as to be parallel to the horizontal direction at the initial moment when pouring begins. In this case, coffee liquid does not adhere/cling to the outer lateral surfaces of the cooking container (2) and drips from the pouring lip (4). Since the pouring lip (4) makes a negative angle with horizontal direction after pouring begins, the adhesive force between the liquid and the cooking container is defeated by the gravitational force acting on the liquid, resolving the adhesion/clinging problem.

Based on the above-mentioned experiment results, the producer has determined a recommended highest level (hmax) for the cooking container (2), the angle (a) between the pouring lip (4) and the lateral surface of the cooking container (2), and the leaning/tilting angle (b) between the cooking container (2) and the horizontal direction at the initial pouring moment of the liquid at the highest level (hmax). Thus, when the coffee liquid initially begins pouring, the adhesive force between the cooking container (2) and the coffee liquid is enabled to be defeated by the gravitational force, preventing coffee from adhering/clinging on the outer lateral surface of the cooking container (2). For example, in a coffee machine (1 ) enabled to cook coffee for a maximum of three servings, the pouring lip (4) should make an angle (a) of 45 degrees with the lateral surface of the cooking container (2) according to the highest level of liquid corresponding to approximately 240 ml for three servings of coffee. While transferring the coffee cooked for three servings to the cups, the pouring lip (4) is almost parallel to horizontal direction at the initial pouring moment of coffee from the cooking container (2).

When there is liquid at a lower level than the highest level (hmax) in the cooking container (2), the cooking container (2) makes an angle smaller than the above-given angle (b) with horizontal direction, in other terms, the pouring lip (4) makes a negative angle with horizontal direction and said adhering/clinging problem is not encountered.

In another embodiment of the invention, the coffee machine (1 ) comprises a projection (5) provided on the surface of the pouring lip (4) disposed beyond the cooking container (2). The projection (5) prevents likely adhering/clinging of coffee on the lateral surface of the cooking container (2), enabling coffee to drip via the projection (5). The projection (5) preferably has a structure narrowing, i.e. tapering towards its end, enabling minimizing the adhesive force between liquid and the tip of the projection (5).

In another embodiment of the invention, the projection (5) is disposed on the end tip of the pouring lip (4). This enables ensuring a liquid likely to drip via the projection (5) to drip into the container/cup to which the liquid is transferred. Any liquid which does not drip via the projection (5) is enabled to drip on the ground without adhering/clinging on the lateral surfaces of the cooking container (2) when the cooking container (2) is placed on the ground.

In another embodiment of the invention, the projection (5) is almost parallel to the side surface of the cooking container (2). In other terms, the projection (5) is positioned almost parallel to the vertical direction, i.e. almost perpendicularly to the ground plane. By this, the frictional force arising from the adhesive force between the cooking container (2) and the liquid advancing/flowing on the projection (5) is oriented to be on gravitational force direction, preventing adhering/clinging by facilitating dripping of the liquid located on the projection (5).

The present invention enables resolving the adhering/clinging problem forming on cooking container (2) lateral surfaces, by means of the above-disclosed pouring lip (4). Liquid is enabled to be transferred to another container/cup without experiencing liquid adhering/clinging problem by the pouring lip (4) being almost parallel with horizontal direction at the initial pouring moment of the liquid at the highest level (hmax) recommended to fill the cooking container (2), in other terms, by the angle (a) the pouring lip (4) makes with the lateral surface of the cooking container (2) being determined so as to be equal to the leaning/tilting angle (b) of the cooking container (2) (a = b) at the initial pouring moment of the liquid at the highest level (hmax).

Claims

1. A coffee machine (1 ) comprising a cooking container (2) in which the cooking process is performed and having lateral surfaces, a highest level (hmax) predetermined by the producer for the liquid in the cooking container (2), a heater (3) enabling heating the cooking container (2), and a pouring lip (4) provided on the lateral surface of the cooking container (2), enabling pouring the liquid in the cooking container (2), characterized by the cooking container (2) comprising a pouring lip (4), wherein the angle (a) between the pouring lip (4) and the cooking container (2) is equal to the leaning/tilting angle (b) of the coking container (2) (a = b) at the initial pouring moment of the liquid therein at the highest level (hmax) when being poured to another container.

2. A coffee machine (1 ) according to claim 1 , characterized by a projection (5) provided on the surface of the pouring lip (4) disposed beyond the cooking container (2).

3. A coffee machine (1 ) according to claim 2, characterized by the projection (5) provided on the end tip of the pouring lip (4).

4. A coffee machine (1 ) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized by the projection (5) being almost parallel to the lateral surface of the cooking container (2).