GB2448891A

GB2448891A - Coffee quality monitoring system

Info

Publication number: GB2448891A
Application number: GB0708408A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Giles Grantly Dick-Read
Original assignee: CAFE DATA SYSTEMS Ltd
Current assignee: CAFE DATA SYSTEMS Ltd
Priority date: 2007-05-01
Filing date: 2007-05-01
Publication date: 2008-11-05
Anticipated expiration: 2027-05-01
Also published as: GB2448891B; GB0708408D0

Abstract

A coffee quality monitoring system 10 comprises a coffee flow monitor 14 adapted to record the flow of coffee through a flow meter 22 of the coffee machine 12, and a water filter usage monitor 16 which records the flow of water through a flow meter 28 following the machine's water filter 30. Each monitor 14, 16 comprises an active RFID tag incorporating an electrical pulse sensor. The data recorded by the coffee and water flow monitors 14, 16 is processed by local data storage and processing means 18 to determine the flow time of each flow of coffee and the flow volume of each flow of water. Flow times and flow volumes are transmitted periodically to a remote data storage and processing means 20 where they are compared to stored acceptable values of flow time and flow volume, and which transmits an alert message if a flow time and flow volume falls outside the acceptable range of values, indicating a reduction of coffee quality. The system may also monitor temperatures and coffee grinder blade usage.

Description

Coffee quality monitoring system The invention relates to a coffee

machine coffee quality monitoring system.

It is generally accepted that the recipe for a perfect single shot of espresso coffee comprises percolating 35ml of water through 7g of ground coffee beans, and that the percolation should take 25s to complete Ideally the water should be at a temperature of 88-92 C and a pressure of 1.1 bar. Of the elements of the recipe, the key determining factors which dictate the quality of espresso coffee produced by coffee machines are the flow time and the flow volume of the coffee; that is the volume of the water used to brew the coffee and the length of time it takes the water to percolate through the ground coffee. Generally, if the flow time is too short the coffee will be too weak, and if the flow time is too long the coffee will be over brewed and too strong.

According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a coffee quality monitoring system comprising: coffee flow monitoring means adapted to detect output electrical pulses of a flow meter of a coffee machine, and operable to record the occurrence of the or each electrical pulse output by the flow meter during a flow of coffee and to generate and transmit an output data signal at the end of a flow of coffee carrying data regarding the pulses detected during the flow of coffee; local data storage and processing means operable to receive an output data signal from the coffee flow monitoring means and to calculate the flow time of the respective flow of coffee therefrom, and being further operable to store said flow time and to periodically generate and transmit an output data signal carrying data regarding the flow time of a plurality of flows of coffee; and remote data storage and processing means operable to receive an output data signal from the local data storage and processing means, to store the received data, to compare the received data with a stored acceptable range of values of flow time, and to generate and transmit an electronic alert message if received data falls outside the acceptable range of values.

The coffee quality monitoring system records the flow time for each shot of espresso coffee produced by a coffee machine and compares this to an acceptable range of flow times which will produce coffee of the desired quality, for example 21s to 28s If a flow time falls outside the acceptable range of flow times this indicates that one or more components of the coffee machine or the coffee recipe are not operating correctly, an electronic alert message is therefore transmitted in order to alert the owner/operator of the machine that the coffee being produced is no longer of an acceptable quality and that the coffee machine requires attention in order to bring the coffee quality back within acceptable parameters.

The coffee flow monitoring means may be operable to count and store the number of electrical pulses detected. The coffee flow monitoring means may alternatively or additionally be operable to record the occurrence of each electrical pulse together with pulse identification information, such as time of occurrence. The data carried by the output signal may comprise the number of pulses and/or the stored information about each pulse.

The local data storage and processing means may be further operable to calculate an average flow time for a predetermine number of flows of coffee and to store the average flow time, the output data signal carrying the average flow time for the said plurality of flows of coffee.

Preferably, the local data storage and processing means is further operable to calculate the flow volume of the respective flow of coffee and to store the flow volume, the output data signal further carrying data regarding the flow volume of the plurality of flows of coffee.

The coffee flow monitoring means is preferably adapted to detect output electrical pulses of a flow meter located in the hot water line, after the boiler, to thereby measure the flow of water delivered to the portafilter.

The coffee flow monitoring means may alternatively be adapted to detect output electrical pulses of a flow meter located in the cold water line, before the boiler, to thereby measure the flow of water delivered through the boiler.

Preferably, where a coffee machine comprises a plurality of brewing groups, the coffee machine coffee quality monitoring system comprises a set of a corresponding plurality of coffee flow monitoring means adapted to detect output electrical pulses of a flow meter associated with each respective brewing group.

The or each coffee flow monitoring means preferably comprises an active radio frequency identification transponder tag having an electrical pulse sensor.

The coffee quality monitoring system may further comprise coffee grinder blade usage monitoring means adapted to detect usage of a coffee grinder and operable to record the duration of each operation of a coffee grinder and to generate an output data signal following a use of the coffee grinder carrying data regarding the period of usage detected, the local data storage and processing means being operable to receive an output data signal from the coffee grinder blade usage monitoring means and to store said data and to periodically generate and transmit an output data signal carrying data regarding the period of usage of a plurality of operations of the coffee grinder, and the remote data storage and processing means being further operable to store received coffee grinder usage data, to calculate the total period of usage of a coffee grinder since the grinder blades were installed and to compare the total period of usage with a stored acceptable grinder blade lifetime, and to generate and transmit an electronic alert message if the total period of usage exceeds the acceptable grinder blade lifetime.

The condition of the coffee grinder blades is also important in ensuring that the coffee produced by a coffee machine is of an acceptable quality. If the grinder blades have become sufficiently blunted as a result of use that the coffee is not finely enough ground then the resulting coffee will be too weak, as the coffee grounds are not fine enough for the water to fully extract the coffee. In addition, after extended periods of use, wear on the grinder blades can result in the blades burning the coffee as it is ground, resulting in a low quality flavour of coffee. Monitoring the usage of the coffee grinder enables the owner/operator of a coffee machine to receive an alert message when the grinder blades require replacement, thereby avoiding deterioration in the quality of the coffee produced.

The coffee grinder blade usage monitoring means is preferably adapted to monitor the electrical current across an electrical power switch of the coffee grinder The coffee quality monitoring system may further comprise water filter usage monitoring means adapted to detect output electrical pulses of a flow meter located in the water line into or from a water filter supplying a coffee machine, and operable to record the occurrence of the or each electrical pulse output by the flow meter during a flow of water through the water filter and to generate and transmit an output data signal at the end of a flow of water carrying data regarding the pulses detected during the flow of water, the local data storage and processing means being operable to receive an output data signal from the water filter usage monitoring means and to calculate the flow volume of the respective flow of water therefrom, and being further operable to store said flow volume and to periodically generate and transmit an output data signal carrying data regarding the flow volume of a plurality of flows of water, and the remote data storage and processing means being operable to store received water filter flow volume data, to calculate the total volume of water filtered by a water filter since the water filter was installed and to compare the total volume of water with a stored acceptable maximum volume of water that can be filtered, and to generate and transmit an electronic alert message if the total volume of water exceeds the acceptable maximum volume of water.

The quality and softness of the water used to brew coffee is also an important factor in determining the quality of the coffee that is produced. If the water is too hard, limescale deposits can form within the coffee machine, especially in the water boiler, affecting the heating efficiency of the water and the flow of water through the coffee machine.

Monitoring the volume of water that has been filtered by a water filter ensures that the water filter is changed before it becomes ineffective, thereby ensuring that the water delivered into the coffee machine is of the correct quality and softness.

The water filter usage monitoring means preferably comprises an active radio frequency identification transponder tag having an electrical pulse sensor.

The water filter usage monitoring means may be operable to count and store the number of electrical pulses detected. The water filter usage monitoring means may alternatively or additionally be operable to record the occurrence of each electrical pulse together with pulse identification information, such as time of occurrence. The data carried by the output signal may comprise the number of pulses and/or the stored information about each pulse.

The coffee quality monitoring system may further comprise one or more temperature sensors adapted to sense and record periodically the temperature of a respective component, such as a fridge, freezer, boiler or water pipe, to be monitored, and to generate and transmit an output data signal following at least one measurement carrying data regarding sensed and recorded temperature, the local data storage and processing means being operable to receive an output data signal from the or each temperature sensor and to store the received temperature data and to periodically generate and transmit an output data signal carrying the temperature data, and the remote data storage and processing means being operable to store received temperature data and to compare the temperature with a stored acceptable range of temperature values, and to generate and transmit an electronic alert message if a temperature falls outside the acceptable range of values The coffee quality monitoring system may further comprise one or more staff identification means operable to generate and transmit periodically an output signal identifying a member of staff wearing the identification means, the local data storage and processing means being operable to receive an output data signal from the or each staff identification means and to store the received data and to periodically generate and transmit an output data signal carrying the staff data, and the remote data storage and processing means being operable to store received staff data.

The local data storage and processing means preferably comprises a radio frequency identification tag reader, a microprocessor, computer memory means and a GPRS transmitter. The local data storage and processing means preferably further comprises a wired serial data input port coupled to the coffee grinder blade usage monitoring means.

The coffee quality monitoring system may comprise a plurality of coffee flow monitoring means or sets of coffee flow monitoring means, a plurality of coffee grinder blade usage monitoring means, a plurality of water filter usage monitoring means, a plurality of temperature sensors, a plurality of staff identification means and a plurality of local data storage and processing means, associated with a plurality of coffee machines, which may be provided across a plurality of sites.

The remote data storage and processing means is preferably further operable to generate periodically reports summarizing one or more of coffee flow times, coffee flow volumes, coffee grinder blade usage, water filter usage, recorded temperatures and staff data, and to generate and transmit an electronic message carrying a report.

Preferably, the output data signals generated by the local data storage and processing means are transmitted to the remote data storage and processing means over a GPRS network, most preferably using the TCP/IP protocol The electronic alert messages and the electronic report messages preferably comprise email messages or SMS messages.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a coffee quality monitoring system according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a schematic representation of a coffee quality monitoring system according to a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic representation of coffee quality information provided via an internet web site; and Figure 4 is a schematic representation of a coffee quality monitoring system according to a third embodiment of the invention.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a coffee quality monitoring system 10 according to a first embodiment of the invention is installed on a single coffee machine 12 and comprises coffee flow monitoring means 14, water filter usage monitoring means 16, a local data storage and processing means 18 and a remote data storage and processing means 20.

The coffee flow monitoring means 14 and the water filter usage monitoring means 16 each comprise an active radio frequency identification (RFID) transponder tag incorporating an electrical pulse sensor.

The coffee flow RFID tag 14 is connected to the electrical output of an in-line flow meter 22 provided on the hot water output line from the boiler 24 of the coffee machine 12 to the portafilter 26. As the flow meter operates an electrical output pulse is generated for each rotation of the valve of the flow meter, indicating the flow of a preset volume of water The coffee flow RFID tag 14 detects each electrical pulse output by the flow meter and records the occurrence of each pulse. The number of pulses are counted by the RFID tag 14 and at the end of a flow of coffee the RFID tag 14 generates and transmits an output signal carrying data regarding the number of electrical pulses The RFID tag 14 may also or alternatively transmit data identifying each detected output pulse, together with a pulse identified, such as the time of occurrence.

The water filter usage RFID tag 16 is similarly connected to the output of an in-line flow meter 28 provided on the water output line from the water filter 30 delivering water to the coffee machine 12. The water filter RFID tag 16 operates in the same manner as the coffee flow RFID tag 14, and generates and transmits an output signal after each flow of water.

In this example, the local data storage and processing means 18, which will be referred to as a data collection unit (DCU) comprises an RFJD tag reader operable to receive data signals transmitted from the RFID tags 14, 16, a microprocessor including computer readable memory and a GPRS transmitter 32, the RFID tag reader and the GPRS transmitter 32 being communicatively connected to the microprocessor. The DCU 18 stores the received information regarding the number of pulses detected for each flow of coffee or water in its memory, and counts the number of coffee flows and water flows for which data has been received. Following receipt of pulse data regarding a predetermined number of coffee flows, in this example 15, the microprocessor of the DCU 18 calculates the flow time of each flow of coffee using stored data giving the flow time represented by a single flow meter output pulse, and then calculates the average flow time for the 15 coffee flows. The DCU 18 also calculates the flow volume for each flow of water from stored data giving the flow volume represented by a single output pulse, and an average water flow volume, and may similarly calculate the flow volume for each coffee flow.

It will be appreciated that the flow time and flow volume represented by an output pulse (i e. one operation of the valve of the flow meter) will vary from flow meter to flow meter, and thus from machine to machine The DCU 18 must therefore be pre-calibrated for each type of flow meter, i e. for each type of coffee machine 12.

The DCU 18 then generates an output data signal carrying the calculated average coffee flow time, and possibly also the average coffee flow volume, which is transmitted by the GPRS transmitter 32. In this example the GPRS signal is of the TCP/IP format and is transmitted across the GPRS telecommunications network 34 to the remote data storage and processing means 20. The DCU 18 similarly operates to transmit the water flow volumes, but it will be appreciated that the water flow data may be sent separately to the coffee flow data.

The output data signal from the DCU 18 may also carry data relating to each coffee flow time and each coffee flow volume.

The remote data storage and processing means 20 in this example comprises a GPRS transceiver and a computer comprising a processor and computer readable memory in which SQL database programme instructions are stored for running an SQL database on the computer, the computer being communicatively connected to the GPRS transceiver.

The computer is operable to store the data received from the DCU 18 in the SQL database The computer is also operable to compare the received data with a pre-determined acceptable range of coffee flow times, in this example 21-28s, stored within the SQL database The computer is also operable to generate an alert message if the received average coffee flow time falls outside the predetermined stored range of acceptable values, and to communicate the alert message together with identifying information regarding an alert message recipient to the GPRS transceiver for transmission as an SMS message over a mobile telecommunications network 36 to a mobile phone 40 or to an email client for transmission as an email message 42 across the internet 38.

The computer is also operable to calculate the sum of the water flow volumes received since a water filter was installed, and to compare this to a predetermined maximum acceptable volume of water that can be filtered by a water filter before the filter must be replaced. The computer is similarly operable to generate an alert message if the total water flow volume exceeds the predetermined maximum, and to cause an electronic alert message to be transmitted.

The computer is also operable to allow access to the data stored within the SQL database via an internet web site portal through which a user can access the data via a remote computer 44, as will be discussed in more detail below.

The computei is also operable to generate periodically a report summarizing and analyzing the data stored within the SQL database, and to generate a report message and communicate the report message together with identifying information regarding a report message recipient to the GPRS transceiver for transmission as an SMS message over a mobile telecommunications network 36 to a mobile phone 40 or to an email client for transmission as an email message 42 across the internet 38.

The coffee quality monitoring system 10 thereby senses, records and monitors coffee flow times and the volume of water that has been filtered by the water filter of a coffee machine, compares the measured data to predetermined acceptable values for those parameters, and generates an electronic alert message should the measured data fall outside the acceptable values to thereby alert the owner or operator of a coffee machine that the quality of the coffee no longer meets a predetermined quality standard due to the coffee flow time being too short or too long, or that the water filter lifetime has expired and should be replaced in order to avoid a deterioration in coffee quality.

A coffee quality monitoring system 40 according to a second embodiment is shown in Figures 2 and 3. The system 40 of this embodiment is substantially the same as the system 10 of the first embodiment, with the following modifications. The same reference numbers are retained for corresponding features.

In this embodiment the coffee quality monitoring system 50 is installed on a more complex coffee machine 52 which has two brewing groups 54, 56 each comprising a boiler 24, a flow meter 22 provided in the hot water line between the boiler 24 and the portafilter 26, and a coffee flow RFID tag 14. The coffee machine 52 is also provided with a coffee grinder 58 and has a fridge 60 and a freezer 62 associated with it.

The coffee quality monitoring system 50 further comprises a coffee grinder blade usage monitor 64 provided on the coffee grinder 58. The grinder blade monitor 64 comprises an electrical current sensor device coupled across the electrical power switch of the coffee grinder 58 and operable to detect usage of the coffee grinder 58, and thus of the grinder blades, by detecting and recording the presence and duration of electrical current flow when the electrical power switch is turned on The grinder blade monitor 64 has a wired connection to the DCU 18 and is operable to generate and transmit to the OCU 18 an output signal carrying data regarding the length of operation of the grinder 58 following each use of the grinder 58.

The DCU 18 of this embodiment is operable to receive and store the length of operation of each use the grinder 58, and periodically to generate an output data signal carrying coffee grinder usage data for a plurality of operations of the coffee grinder 58, which is transmitted by the GPRS transmitter 32 to the remote data storage and processing means 20.

The remote data storage and processing means 20 of this embodiment is operable to store received coffee grinder usage data in the SQL database, to calculate the total period of usage of a coffee grinder since the grinder blades were installed and to compare the total period of usage with a stored acceptable grinder blade lifetime held within the SQL database. If the total period of use of the grinder exceeds the maximum acceptable lifetime for the grinder blades, the computer will generate and transmit an electronic alert message to a predetermined alert message recipient, as described above.

Monitoring the usage of the coffee grinder enables the owner/operator of a coffee machine to receive an alert message when the grinder blades require replacement, thereby avoiding deterioration in the quality of the coffee produced due to the grinder blades no longer being sharp enough to grind the coffee beans into fine enough coffee grounds, or due to the coffee being burnt by use of out of specification grinder blades.

The coffee quality monitoring system 50 also comprises a first temperature sensor 66 provided in the fridge 60 and a second temperature sensor 68 provided in the freezer 62. The temperature sensors 66, 68 comprise RFID tags incorporating temperature sensor elements.

The temperature sensors 66, 68 are adapted to sense and record periodically the temperature of the fridge and freezer respectively, and to generate and transmit an output data signal following each temperature measurement carrying data regarding sensed and recorded temperature, together with a measurement identification, which in this example is the time of measurement. In this example the temperature of the fridge and the freezer 62 is measured every 4 minutes, and the recorded data transmitted to the DCU 18. The DCU 18 stores the received temperature data and periodically to generate an output data signal carrying temperature data for the last received temperature measurement, and each of a predetermined number of earlier temperature measurements. The output signal is transmitted by the GPRS transmitter 32 to the remote data storage and processing means 20 where it is stored in the SQL database and compared to predetermine range of acceptable temperature values for each of the fridge and the freezer. Similarly to the coffee flow time data, if a received temperature falls outside the predetermined acceptable range of values an alert message will be generated and transmitted to a predetermined alert message recipient.

Similarly to the system 10 of the first embodiment, the data stored in the SQL database regarding the various recorded parameters can be accessed via an internet web site portal. Figure 3 shows an example of the data display provided on the web site, in this example coffee flow time is shown in the speedometer style dial 70, and grinder blade and water filter usage is shown as a bar measurement 72 of a percentage of the maximum acceptable life of each component. If the component life is approaching expiry, as is the case for the Grinder shown, then the bar will be red in colour, whereas a component having a large part of its lifetime remaining, such as the water filter shown, has the bar measurement shown in green.

Figure 4 shows a coffee quality monitoring system 80 which is installed across two sites 82, 84, the first site comprising two machines 12 of the type shown in Figure 1 and the second site comprising a single machine 52 of the type shown in Figure 2. The DCU5 18 of each machine 12, 52 communicate with the remote data storage and processing means 20 in the manner described above, and the remote data storage and processing means 20 is the same as described above.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

For example, the coffee quality monitoring system may comprise a larger number of coffee flow RFID tags installed across a larger number of brewing groups and coffee machines, similarly a larger number of water filter water flow RFID tags, coffee grinder blade usage monitors and DCUs may be provided, again depending upon the number of machines across which the system is installed The coffee quality monitoring system may also include one or more staff identification tags, in the form of active or passive REID tags, which serve to identify the staff operating a coffee machine.

The system may be installed across a larger number of sites than described, and each site may be provided with a different number of machines than described; the coffee quality monitoring system is entirely scaleable as regards the number of coffee machines on which it may be installed, but only a single remote data storage and processing means and SQL database is required to store and process the data recorded at and transmitted from each machine A different type of database may be provided to that described Different electronic communication means may be provided, which may operate across a different type of network and use a different type of protocol to that described.

Although the coffee quality monitoring systems are described as installed on espresso machines it will be appreciated that the system may also be installed on filter coffee machines.

Claims

Claims 1. A coffee quality monitoring system comprising: coffee flow

monitoring means adapted to detect output electrical pulses of a flow meter of a coffee machine, and operable to record the occurrence of the or each electrical pulse output by the flow meter during a flow of coffee and to generate and transmit an output data signal at the end of a flow of coffee carrying data regarding the pulses detected during the flow of coffee; local data storage and processing means operable to receive an output data signal from the coffee flow monitoring means and to calculate the flow time of the respective flow of coffee therefrom, and being further operable to store said flow time and to periodically generate and transmit an output data signal carrying data regarding the flow time of a plurality of flows of coffee; and remote data storage and processing means operable to receive an output data signal from the local data storage and processing means, to store the received data, to compare the received data with a stored acceptable range of values of flow time, and to generate and transmit an electronic alert message if received data falls outside the acceptable range of values.
2. A coffee quality monitoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coffee flow monitoring means is operable to count and store the number of electrical pulses detected and/or the occurrence of each electrical pulse together with pulse identification information, such as time of occurrence
3. A coffee quality monitoring system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the local data storage and processing means is further operable to calculate an average flow time for a predetermine number of flows of coffee and to store the average flow time, the output data signal carrying the average flow time for the said plurality of flows of coffee.
4. A coffee quality monitoring system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the coffee flow monitoring means is adapted to detect output electrical pulses of a flow meter located in the hot water line, after the boiler, to thereby measure the flow of water delivered to the portafilter, or a flow meter located in the cold water line, before the boiler, to thereby measure the flow of water delivered through the boiler.
5. A coffee quality monitoring system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the or each coffee flow monitoring means comprises an active radio frequency identification transponder tag having an electrical pulse sensor.
6. A coffee quality monitoring system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the coffee quality monitoring system further comprises coffee grinder blade usage monitoring means adapted to detect usage of a coffee grinder and operable to record the duration of each operation of a coffee grinder and to generate an output data signal following a use of the coffee grinder carrying data regarding the period of usage detected, the local data storage and processing means being operable to receive an output data signal from the coffee grinder blade usage monitoring means and to store said data and to periodically generate and transmit an output data signal carrying data regarding the period of usage of a plurality of operations of the coffee grinder, and the remote data storage and processing means being further operable to store received coffee grinder usage data, to calculate the total period of usage of a coffee grinder since the grinder blades were installed and to compare the total period of usage with a stored acceptable grinder blade lifetime, and to generate and transmit an electronic alert message if the total period of usage exceeds the acceptable grinder blade lifetime.
7. A coffee quality monitoring system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the coffee grinder blade usage monitoring means is adapted to monitor the electrical current across an electrical power switch of the coffee grinder.
8 A coffee quality monitoring system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the coffee quality monitoring system further comprises water filter usage monitoring means adapted to detect output electrical pulses of a flow meter located in the water line into or from a water filter supplying a coffee machine, and operable to record the occurrence of the or each electrical pulse output by the flow meter during a flow of water through the water filter and to generate and transmit an output data signal at the end of a flow of water carrying data regarding the pulses detected during the flow of water, the local data storage and processing means being operable to receive an output data signal from the water filter usage monitoring means and to calculate the flow volume of the respective flow of water therefrom, and being further operable to store said flow volume and to periodically generate and transmit an output data signal carrying data regarding the flow volume of a plurality of flows of water, and the remote data storage and processing means being operable to store received water filter flow volume data, to calculate the total volume of water filtered by a water filter since the water filter was installed and to compare the total volume of water with a stored acceptable maximum volume of water that can be filtered, and to generate and transmit an electronic alert message if the total volume of water exceeds the acceptable maximum volume of water.
9. A coffee quality monitoring system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the water filter usage monitoring means comprises an active radio frequency identification transponder tag having an electrical pulse sensor.
10. A coffee quality monitoring system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the water filter usage monitoring means is operable to count and store the number of electrical pulses detected and/or to record the occurrence of each electrical pulse together with pulse identification information, such as time of occurrence.
11. A coffee quality monitoring system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the coffee quality monitoring system further comprises one or more temperature sensors adapted to sense and record periodically the temperature of a respective component, such as a fridge, freezer, boiler or water pipe, to be monitored, and to generate and transmit an output data signal following at least one measurement carrying data regarding sensed and recorded temperature, the local data storage and processing means being operable to receive an output data signal from the or each temperature sensor and to store the received temperature data and to periodically generate and transmit an output data signal carrying the temperature data, and the remote data storage and processing means being operable to store received temperature data and to compare the temperature with a stored acceptable range of temperature values, and to generate and transmit an electronic alert message if a temperature falls outside the acceptable range of values.
12 A coffee quality monitoring system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the coffee quality monitoring system further comprises one or more staff identification means operable to generate and transmit periodically an output signal identifying a member of staff wearing the identification means, the local data storage and processing means being operable to receive an output data signal from the or each staff identification means and to store the received data and to periodically generate and transmit an output data signal carrying the staff data, and the remote data storage and processing means being operable to store received staff data.
13. A coffee quality monitoring system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the local data storage and processing means comprises a radio frequency identification tag reader, a microprocessor, computer memory means and a GPRS transmitter.
14 A coffee quality monitoring system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the remote data storage and processing means is further operable to generate periodically reports summarizing one or more of coffee flow times, coffee flow volumes, coffee grinder blade usage, water filter usage, recorded temperatures and staff data, and to generate and transmit an electronic message carrying a report.
15. A coffee quality monitoring system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the output data signals generated by the local data storage and processing means are transmitted to the remote data storage and processing means over a GPRS network, using the TCP/IP protocol.
16. A coffee quality monitoring system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the electronic alert messages and the electronic report messages comprise email messages or SMS messages.
17. A coffee quality monitoring system substantially as described above with reference to the accompanying drawings.