ITAN20130241A1 - MULTIFUNCTION APPLIANCE - Google Patents

Description

TITLE of the INVENTION:

MULTIFUNCTIONAL APPLIANCE

DESCRIPTION of the INVENTION

A) Reasons, aims and prior state of the technique

The present invention proposes to realize an innovative multifunction household appliance (1), powered by electricity, ideal to be used above all and placed on the countertops of the kitchens (or even in another environment) as it has small dimensions, it does not need to be connected to the water mains, it is equipped with a water container with triple function and is able to supply, at the user's choice, separately or jointly, purified still water, purified sparkling water, purified hot water, espresso coffee (hot) prepared with purified water , cappuccino (hot) prepared with purified water and without steam, other hot drinks (such as tea, chamomile, herbal teas, chocolate, rum punch and more) prepared with purified hot water and steam, cold coffee shaken automatically and prepared with purified water, other drinks shaken automatically and prepared with purified water.

In this way, with a single device, end consumers will obtain multiple advantages, among which a multiplicity and high quality of the drinks dispensed are highlighted (as they are prepared with purified water, free from - or almost - chlorine and limestone, elements that negatively affect the taste of coffee and other beverages), cost savings (due to the multiple innovative features of the appliance (1)) and a reduction in overall dimensions (due to the multiple innovative features of the appliance (1)) . Furthermore, it will no longer be necessary to periodically descale the various internal parts of the espresso coffee module, nor to equip it with its own tank.

In the state of the art, there are various prior documents, WO2011029747, US5889684, WO2012129543, WO9903776, US2008054017, US2008256972, FR2793233, EP1625812, US4649809, WO2009110794, US5285718, EP1747736, EP2215675941, US200164217775, US2001257941, US200164217647, US2001257941, US2001642177 US5975365, US6182555, US5724883, EP2478803, GB2163727, US5724883, WO2010035302, DE102008021777, which however are considerably different from the present invention and do not possess the innovative and advantageous characteristics, well specified in the following description and in the claims.

B) Description and operation

The present invention (see figure n.1) mainly proposes to realize an innovative multifunctional beverage dispenser appliance (1), not connected to the water mains, equipped with a water container (10) with triple function and able to supply , said household appliance (1), upon choice of the user, separately or jointly, purified still water, purified sparkling water, purified hot water, ideal espresso coffee as it is prepared with purified water, ideal cappuccino as it is prepared with purified water and without steam , and / or other hot drinks prepared with purified hot water and / or steam, and cold coffee shaken automatically.

The multifunctional appliance (1) includes at least the following features and components (see figure 1):

a) a special container of purified water (10), equipped with a handle / side handle (101) to allow an easy and comfortable grip with the hands by the user, a spout (102) to convey and drain the water , of a check valve (103) positioned in the bottom wall of the container (10), of support / support feet (104) or perimeter support edge (104), used to rest the container (10), without the latter being able to fall, onto a table or a surface, and having, said feet (104) or edge (104), a height such as to protect the check valve (103) from accidental openings that would cause the water to escape from the container (10), water purification filter (105) inserted and housed at the bottom (i.e. in the lower area, at the lowest point) of a sort, a kind of basin / tank (106) for the initial collection of the water to be purified (initially inserted by the user in the container (10)) positioned inside the container (10), coming or used said water container (10) for a triple function, namely:

- as a tank (mandatory function for the operation of the appliance (1)), when the user wants to use the container (10) to supply the appliance (1) with purified water (which will then be used to prepare the various drinks) by inserting said container (10) into a suitable housing of the household appliance (1), an insertion which will cause the opening of the check valve (103), thus allowing the water, purified by means of a filter (105) inside the container ( 10), to be then taken from the tank (10) and used by the household appliance (1) to prepare and dispense various drinks;

- as a carafe / pitcher (optional function, chosen by the user), when the user wants to use the container (10) not to serve the appliance (1) but to serve on the table (during lunch or dinner or in another occasion) the water contained inside said container (10) and purified by means of an internal filter (105), this being able to be used outside the appliance (1), thanks to the presence of said handle / side handle (101), of said spout (102) and of said support feet (104) or perimeter support edge (104) able to avoid (during the use of the container (10) as carafe / pitcher) that there are accidental opening of said valve retaining device (103) when the container (10) is placed on a surface, a table or other, which would cause an unwanted leakage of water from the carafe (10); - as a means of water purification, thanks to the presence of said filter (105) inserted and housed inside said container (10) in such a way and position that the water, before being able to be used by the household appliance (1) and / or by the user, must necessarily pass through said filter (105), thus being purified, thus obtaining the possibility of preparing an espresso coffee and other beverages with better quality and the possibility that the user can drink a better and lighter water;

b) a manual water carbonation module (15), equipped with a CO2 (carbon dioxide) cylinder / cylinder, a manual attachment / coupling / screwing module for the bottle containing the purified water to be carbonated and a button / tap supply, in variable quantities chosen by the user, of CO2;

c) a dispensing module (18) for purified still water, mainly composed of a dispensing tap, preferably of the swivel / rotatable / orientable type to save space and reduce the overall dimensions, and used to let purified smooth water go down and flow in an underlying bottle or other container;

d) a thermal-electromechanical module (12), used for the preparation and delivery, by means of purified water, of espresso and / or cappuccino and / or other hot drinks and purified hot water;

e) keys (16), mechanical and / or electronic, used to select the functions to be performed;

f) an electronic controller module, used to control and manage the various functions of the appliance (1).

The use of a special container (10) of purified water with a triple function, that is, the tank of the appliance (1) (to prepare water, coffee and other drinks) and a carafe / jug for serving / dispensing (on the table or in other place) purified water, outside the appliance (1), is a very welcome feature to users, as it allows them to save money (not having to buy a carafe / pitcher with purification filter) and additional space in the kitchen ( the carafe can be placed in the appliance (1), in the tank housing - therefore only one space / footprint for two containers, tank and carafe). The container / carafe (10) will also be equipped with a movable / removable lid, resting / wedged on the upper edge of the carafe.

The multifunctional appliance (1) also includes an electromagnetic induction heating plate (50), used to heat milk and / or other beverages, mainly composed of a high-power internal coil (usually greater than 1,000 watts) and a on / off. This plate (50) is applied (to save space and bulk) inside a floor (40) preferably of the movable type, retractable sliding, placed under the base of the appliance (1); the plate (50), when it is on, is used to heat (obviously, by means of a special container in ferromagnetic material) purified water, milk and / or other drinks and / or food, and when it is off it is used as a possible support surface for bottles, cups, glasses, etc. The use of an electromagnetic induction plate / stove (50) (instead of an electric resistance) is due to the desire to ensure greater safety for users, thanks to the fact that the plate surface induction (50), during and after its use, it always remains cold, not heated (this will prevent users from burning their hands and other inconveniences).

As long as the container (10) is used, outside the appliance (1), as a carafe / pitcher, the check valve (103) can also be closed with a cap, to prevent any water drops from leaking. .

The multifunctional household appliance (1) also comprises mechanical means of fast rotation (30) consisting of a small electromechanical blender / frother (30), mainly used to froth / froth the milk (already heated by means of said plate (50)) for obtain cappuccino without using steam and to automatically prepare cold foamed / shaken coffee and / or other types of automatically shaken and cooled drinks, obtaining the shaken and cooled drink by rotating the blades of said blender at high speed (30) inside an underlying glass or cup containing the hot espresso coffee (previously obtained using the module (12) for the preparation of espresso coffee) and various ice cubes which will be quickly melted thanks to the action of said blender (30 ) which, in addition to having the task of melting said ice cubes, also has the function of whipping / frothing / mixing the drink (espresso coffee, milk and / or other), and being also used, called blender / foamer (30), also to quickly lower the temperature of any beverage (including purified water, still or sparkling) that you want to cool, thanks to the fact that said blender (30) rotates quickly and is therefore capable of dissolving in a few seconds any ice cubes that may be inserted by the user into the container inside which the drink to be quickly cooled is present.

The multifunction household appliance (1) also includes a pump, for suction and delivery of water, which is used, by activating one or more solenoid valves, both at the service of the electromechanical thermal module (12) for the preparation and supply of the espresso coffee, both at the service of the module (18) for dispensing purified still water.

The water purification filter (105), easily removable and to be replaced after a predetermined period of use, is inserted and housed inside the container (10); it can be inserted at the bottom of a sort of initial tank / basin (106) for collecting the water to be purified, so that the water, initially inserted by the user in the container (10), before being used, must be pass through said filter (105), thus being purified (see right part of figure 1 in which the components of the container (10) are highlighted).

The water purification filter (105) is mainly and preferably composed of silver activated carbon, ion exchange resins and / or other suitable filter systems.

The thermal-electromechanical module (12) for the preparation, using purified water, of espresso and / or cappuccino and / or other hot drinks and purified hot water is mainly composed of a pump, boiler (with electric resistance heating system or other ) and / or heat exchanger, valves, solenoid valves, pipes, thermostats, steam generation module with adjustment knob (121), housing (122) for inserting and removing the capsule or pod of coffee powder / granules or of other drink, and anything else necessary. The purified hot water will be obtained using the boiler and / or the heat exchanger and will then be supplied by means of a steam / hot water lance / tap.

The module (12) for the preparation of espresso and / or cappuccino and / or other hot drinks, since it uses purified water, and therefore (almost) free of chlorine and limescale, will almost never need periodic, inconvenient, long and expensive descaling procedures of its internal parts. The module (12), of course, can also be set up to use loose powdered coffee (by means of the so-called "group" with handle), instead of already packaged in pods or capsules.

It is preferable to prepare the cappuccino by heating the milk using the induction plate (50) and then whipping / frothing it using the small blender / frother (30), rather than using steam, thus obtaining a qualitatively better product. However, nothing prevents you from using the steam module (with relative adjustment knob (121)) to heat and froth / froth the milk (in this way the drink will be prepared more quickly).

The functions that the final consumer can have the appliance perform (1), individually or simultaneously, are: 1 = dispensing of purified still water, 2 = purified water to be carbonated, 3 = espresso coffee with purified water; the preparation of cappuccino (with purified water) and / or other hot drinks can then be connected to function 3.

Furthermore, starting from the (hot) espresso coffee obtained with purified water, also the shaken cold coffee (obtained using the whisk / whisk (30) to quickly melt the ice cubes previously inserted by the user in the cup or glass containing hot espresso).

The two taps or dispensing buttons, one (belonging to module (18)) used to manage the dispensing of purified smooth water which will then flow into an underlying bottle or other container, and the other (belonging to module (15) ) used to manage the carbonation procedure of the water (already purified and already contained in the bottle or other container) by also regulating the quantity of CO2 supplied, they can be controlled (i.e. opened and closed) manually or even electrically (by means of special solenoid valves). The use of purified water will allow you to prepare an ideal / optimal espresso and cappuccino, as they are obtained in the absence (or almost) of chlorine and calcium carbonate (elements that negatively affect the taste of the coffee); moreover, cappuccino can also be obtained without using steam (but using the heating plate (50) and the whisk (30)).

C) Drawings of the invention

The invention consists of 1 drawing.

Figure 1 represents in schematic and exemplary form the main components of the multipurpose appliance (1); on the right side of the drawing the components of the container (10) of purified water having a triple function are highlighted, i.e. a tank serving the appliance (1), a carafe / jug for serving / dispensing water outside the appliance (1 ) and water purification medium.

ATTENTION: it is understood, however, that the invention must not be considered limited to the particular arrangement illustrated so far, which constitutes only an exemplary embodiment thereof, but that various variants will be possible, all within the reach of a person skilled in the art, without thereby departing from the scope of protection of the invention itself, as defined by the following claims.

Claims (8)

TITLE of the INVENTION: MULTIFUNCTIONAL APPLIANCE R I V E N D I C A Z I O N I 1) Multifunctional beverage dispenser appliance (1), not connected to the water mains, equipped with a water container with triple function, and able to supply, said appliance (1), on the user's choice, separately or jointly, still water purified water, purified sparkling water, purified hot water, ideal espresso coffee as it is prepared with purified water, cappuccino and / or other hot drinks prepared with purified hot water, characterized in that it comprises, said multifunction appliance (1), at least the following characteristics and components: a) a special container of purified water (10), equipped with a handle / side handle (101) to allow an easy and comfortable grip with the hands by the user, a spout (102) to convey and drain the water , of a check valve (103) positioned in the bottom wall of the container (10), of support / support feet (104) or perimeter support edge (104), used to rest the container (10), without the latter being able to fall, onto a table or a surface, and having, said feet (104) or edge (104), a height such as to protect the check valve (103) from accidental openings that would cause the water to escape from the container (10), water purification filter (105) inserted and housed at the bottom of a kind of basin (106) for the initial collection of the water to be purified, positioned inside the container (10), said water container (10) being used for a triple function, namely: - as a tank, when the user wants to use the container (10) to supply the household appliance (1) with purified water (which will then be used to prepare the various drinks) by inserting said container (10) into a suitable housing of the appliance (1), insertion which will cause the opening of the check valve (103), thus allowing the water, purified by means of the filter (105) inside the container (10), to be then taken from the tank (10) and used by the appliance (1) to prepare and dispense various drinks; - as a carafe / pitcher, when the user wants to use the container (10) not to serve the appliance (1) but to serve the water contained inside on the table (during lunch or dinner or on any other occasion) of said container (10) and purified by means of an internal filter (105), it being possible to obtain this use outside the appliance (1), thanks to the presence of said handle / side handle (101), of said spout (102) and of said feet support (104) or perimeter support edge (104) able to avoid (during the use of the container (10) as carafe / pitcher) that there are accidental opening of said check valve (103) when the container (10 ) is placed on a table or other, which would cause an unwanted leakage of water from the carafe (10); - as a means of water purification, thanks to the presence of said filter (105) inserted and housed inside said container (10) in such a way and position that the water, before being able to be used by the household appliance (1) and / or by the user, must necessarily pass through said filter (105), thus being purified, thus obtaining the possibility of preparing an espresso coffee and other beverages with better quality and the possibility that the user can drink a better water; b) a manual water carbonation module (15), equipped with a CO2 (carbon dioxide) cylinder / cylinder, a manual attachment / coupling / screwing module for the bottle containing the purified water to be gassed, and a button / dispensing tap, in variable quantities chosen by the user, of CO2; c) a module (18) for the dispensing of purified still water, mainly composed of a dispensing tap, preferably of the swivel / rotatable / swivel type to save space and reduce the overall dimensions, and used to let purified smooth water go down and flow in an underlying bottle or other container; d) a thermal-electromechanical module (12), used for the preparation and dispensing, by means of purified water, of espresso and / or cappuccino and / or other hot drinks and purified hot water; e) keys (16), mechanical and / or electronic, used to select the functions to be performed; f) an electronic controller module, used to control and manage the various functions of the appliance (1). 2) Multifunction household appliance (1), as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said water purification filter (105), removable and to be replaced after a predetermined period of use, is inserted and housed inside said container (10 ) at the bottom of a kind of initial tank / basin (106) for collecting the water to be purified, so that the water initially inserted by the user into the container (10), before being used, must necessarily pass through said filter (105), thus being purified. 3) Multifunction household appliance (1), as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the fact that it also comprises an electromagnetic induction heating plate (50), used to heat milk and / or other beverages, mainly composed of a high power internal coil and from the on / off switch, being applied, said plate (50), to save space and dimensions, inside a movable, retractable sliding surface (40) placed under the base of the appliance (1) , and being used, said plate (50), when turned on, to heat purified water, milk and / or other drinks, and used, when turned off, as a possible support surface for bottles, cups, glasses, etc., and being used an "electromagnetic induction" heating plate to ensure greater safety for users thanks to the fact that the surface of the induction plate (50), during and after its use, always remains cold or (this will avoid burns for users and other inconveniences). 4) Multifunction household appliance (1), as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that for all the time in which the container (10) is used, outside the household appliance (1), as a carafe / jug, the check valve ( 103) can also be closed with a cap, to prevent any water drops from escaping. 5) Multifunction household appliance (1), as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the fact that it further comprises mechanical means of fast rotation (30) composed of a small electromechanical blender / frother (30), mainly used to froth / froth milk (already heated by means of said plate (50)) to obtain cappuccino without using steam and to automatically prepare frothed / shaken cold coffee and / or other types of drinks automatically shaken and cooled, obtaining the shaken and cooled drink by rotating at high speed the blades of said blender (30) inside an underlying glass or cup containing the hot espresso coffee (previously obtained using the module (12) for the preparation of espresso coffee) and various ice cubes which will be quickly dissolved thanks to the action of said blender (30) which, in addition to having the task of dissolving said cubes of ghee accio, also performs the function of whipping / frothing / mixing the beverage (espresso coffee, milk and / or other), and being also used, called blender / frother (30), also to quickly lower the temperature of any beverage (including water purified, still or carbonated) that you want to cool, thanks to the fact that the blender (30) rotates quickly and is therefore able to melt any ice cubes inserted by the user in the container inside which the drink is present in a few seconds you want to cool down quickly. 6) Multifunction household appliance (1), as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the fact that it comprises a pump, for suction and delivery of water, which is used, by activating one or more solenoid valves, both at the service of the thermal module. electromechanical (12) for the preparation and dispensing of espresso coffee, and at the service of the module (18) for dispensing purified still water. 7) Multifunction household appliance (1), as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the fact that said water purification filter (105) is mainly composed of silver activated carbon, ion exchange resins and / or other suitable filter systems. 8) Multifunction household appliance (1), as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said thermal-electromechanical module (12) for the preparation, by means of purified water, of espresso and / or cappuccino and / or other hot drinks and hot water purified is mainly composed of pump, boiler (with heating system with electric resistance or other) and / or heat exchanger, valves, solenoid valves, pipes, thermostats, steam generation module with adjustment knob (121), housing (122 ) for the insertion and removal of the capsule or pod of coffee powder / granules or other beverage, and anything else necessary.