GB2149293A

GB2149293A - Filter coffee machine

Info

Publication number: GB2149293A
Application number: GB08330050A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Terence Kenneth Salisbury
Original assignee: DELTA BEVERAGE SYSTEMS Ltd
Current assignee: DELTA BEVERAGE SYSTEMS Ltd
Priority date: 1983-11-10
Filing date: 1983-11-10
Publication date: 1985-06-12
Also published as: GB2149293B; GB8330050D0

Abstract

An electric filter coffee machine has an electrically-heated boiler (22) provided with a hot water outlet (34) in the form of a delivery nozzle which is screwed into the boiler (screw-thread 40) so that the nozzle can be easily removed for cleaning purposes and/or to permit the boiler being emptied of water without difficulty. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Filter coffee machine This invention relates to electric filter coffee machines, especially those designed for use in hotels, offices, factories, restaurants, aircraft, ships and other branches of the catering industry where the machine may be required to deliver more than 100 cups of coffee per hour.

Electric filter coffee machines generally comprise a hot water boiler with an electric heating element, and some kind of smalldiameter hot water outlet from the boiler to permit hot water therefrom to drip through coffee in a filter cone. If the machine is in constant daily use, the boiler, and especially the hot water outlet, will need to be cleared regularly of scale deposits and particles which result from the continual boiling of water in the boiler. This kind of maintenance is frequently very troublesome, as the hot water outlet is often difficult to get at for cleaning purposes. Further, it is not unknown for the boiler to be emptied of water prior to cleaning by tipping the whole machine upside down.

This is most undesirable, for several reasons which need not be discussed here.

It is therefore an aim of the present invention to devise a hot water outlet for an electric filter coffee machine which can be readily removed from the machine to permit it to be cleaned and which, at the same time, allows the boiler to be emptied of water for cleaning purposes.

With this aim in view, the invention is directed to an electric filter coffee machine having a hot water outlet from the boiler in the form of a delivery nozzle which is simply screwed into the boiler so that the nozzle can be removed for cleaning by a simple unscrewing operation. The removal of the nozzle also allows the boiler to be emptied of water without difficulty.

An example of a filter coffee machine in accordance with the invention is shown in the accompanyng drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the machine from above; Figures 2-4 are, respectively, a front view, a side view and a top plan view of the machine; Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the hot water outlet of the machine; Figure 6 is another perspective view of the machine with a filter cone attached to it and a coffee pot positioned on its lower hot plate; Figure 7 is a perspective view from above of an auxiliary heat-tray or hot plate which can be attached to the machine; and Figure 8 is yet another perspective view showing the machine with two auxiliary hot plates attached to it.

The electric filter coffee machine shown in the drawings comprises a hollow base portion 10 on the upper surface of which there is a lower hot plate 1 2 for supporting a coffee pot, an upright hollow pillar 14 joined to the rear part of the base portion 10, and a cantilevermounted upper portion 1 6 which extends outwards from the pillar 1 4 so as to overlie the hot plate 1 2 on the base portion. There is an upper hot plate 1 8 on the top surface of the upper portion 1 6 of the machine. Both hot plates 1 2 and 18 preferably take the form of thin metal surfaces to the undersides of which are attached respective sheets of siiicone rubber material having electrically-heated wires concealed therein.

Housed within the upper portion 1 6 of the machine is an upper water container 20 which sits on and communicates with a lower water container 22 provided with an electrical heating element 24. The container 22 therefore serves as the hot water boiler of the machine. A water filling aperture 26 with a wire screen 28 is provided in the top surface of the upper portion 1 6 of the machine so that cold water can be poured from a measuring flask into the upper water container 20.

On the undersurface of the upper portion 1 6 of the machine there are retainers 30 serving to support, in a removable fashion, a filter cone adapted to contain coffee as well as a filter bag or other filtering means. Figs. 6 and 8 show such a filter cone 32 supported on the retainers 30. This permits coffee beverage to be filtered into a coffee pot 66 supported on the lower hot plate 1 2 of the machine.

Hot water from the boiler 22 is delivered to the filter cone 32 through a mushroom-like delivery nozzle 34 comprising a head 36 and a stem 38 which are either attached to each other or are integral with each other (see Fig.

5). The stem 38 projects upwards into the boiler 22 and has an external screw-thread 40 at its lower end, adjacent the nozzle head 36, which screws into a screw-threaded flanged sleeve or equivalent member 42 located in a circular opening in the base 44 of the boiler 22. As will be seen from Fig. 5, the nozzle head 36 has a chamber 46 from which spray orifices 48 lead to its lower conical surface 50 so that hot water issues from the nozzle head in the form of a spray.

The flanged sleeve 42 is screwed to the base 44 of the boiler by a nut 52. Sealing washers 54, 56 and 58 are interposed between opposing surfaces on the sleeve flange, the base 44 of the boiler, a recessed metal part 60 below the boiler, and the nut 52. The parts 42, 52, 54, 56 and 58 will not normally be disturbed during any maintenance carried out on the machine. On the other hand, the nozzle 34 with its spray-head 36 and its stem 38 is made to be readily removable from the boiler by a simple unscrewing operation. In this way any scale deposits in and on the nozzle can be removed, while water and scale in the boiler can be drained through the comparatively large hole in the flanged sleeve 42 after the nozzle has been unscrewed.De-scaling of the boiler and its hot water outlet therefore takes very little time and can be carried out by unskilled labour without risk of harm or danger.

Fig. 7 shows an auxiliary heat tray or hot plate 60 which can be detachably connected to the base portion 10 of the machine so as to lie alongside the latter in the manner shown in Fig. 8 where two such auxiliary heat trays have been connected up to the machine.

Each auxiliary hot plate, like the coffee machine itself, has its own on/off switch 62 so that heat is not wasted if the auxiliary hot plate is not required at any particular time. As with the hot plates 1 2 and 18, each auxiliary hot plate 60 preferably has a thin metal surface 64 on which a coffee pot 66 can be supported with a sheet of silicone rubber material carrying concealed electrically-heated wires attached to the underside of the metal surface.

Claims

1. An electric filter coffee machine having an electrically-heated boiler provided with a hot water outlet in the form of a delivery nozzle which is simply screwed into the boiler so that the nozzle can be easily removed for cleaning purposes and/or to permit the boiler to be emptied of water without difficulty.

2. A coffee machine according to claim 1, in which the delivery nozzle is shaped like an inverted mushroom and comprises a head and a stem which are either attached to each other or are integral with each other.

3. A coffee machine according to claim 2, in which the stem projects upwards into the boiler through the base of the latter and has an external screw-thread at its lower end, adjacent the nozzle head, which screws into a screw-threaded flange sleeve or equivalent member located in an opening in the base of the boiler.

4. A coffee machine according to claim 2 or claim 3, in which the nozzle head has a chamber from which spray orifices lead to a conical surface on its lower end so that hot water issues from the nozzle head in the form of a spray.

5. A coffee machine according to claim 3 or claim 4 when appendant thereto, in which the flanged sleeve is screwed to the base of the boiler by a nut with sealing washers being interposed between opposing surfaces on the sleeve flange, the base of the boiler, a recessed metal below the boiler, and the nut.

6. A coffee machine according to any preceding claim comprising a hollow base portion on the upper surface of which there is a lower hot plate for supporting a coffee pot, an upright hollow pillar joined to the rear part of the base portion, and a cantilever-mounted upper portion which extends outwards from the pillar so as to overlie the hot plate on the base portion, there being an upper hot plate on the top surface of the upper portion of the machine.

7. A coffee machine according to claim 6, in which the hot plates take the form of thin metal surfaces to the undersides of which are attached respective sheets of silicone rubber material having electrically-heated wires concealed therein.

8. A coffee machine according to claim 6 or claim 7, in which the upper portion of the machine houses an upper water container which sits on and communicates with a lower water container forming the boiler of the machine.

9. A coffee machine according to claim 8, in which a water-filling aperture with a wire screen is provided in the top surface of the upper portion of the machine so that cold water can be poured from a measuring flask into the upper water container.

10. A coffee machine according to any one of claims 6-9, in which, on the undersurface of the upper portion of the machine, there are retainers serving to support, in a removable fashion, a filter cone adapted to contain coffee as well as a filter bag or other filtering means so as to permit coffee beverage to be filtered into a coffee pot supported on the lower hot plate of the machine.

11. A coffee machine according to any one of claims 6-10, in which one or more auxiliary heat trays or hot plates are detachably connected to the base portion of the machine so as to lie alongside the latter.

1 2. A coffee machine according to claim 11, in which the, or each, auxiliary hot plate or heat tray, like the coffee machine itself, has its own on/off electric switch so that heat is not wasted if the auxiliary hot plate is not required at any particular time.

1 3. A coffee machine according to claim 11 or claim 1 2, in which the, or each, auxiliary hot plate or heat tray has a thin surface on which a coffee pot can be supported with a sheet of silicone rubber material carrying concealed electrically-heated wires being attached to the underside of the metal surface.

14. An electric filter coffee machine substantially as described herein with reference to Figs. 1-6 or Figs. 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings.