WO2017025865A1

WO2017025865A1 - Apparatus for preparing and dispensing hot beverages

Info

Publication number: WO2017025865A1
Application number: PCT/IB2016/054690
Authority: WO
Inventors: Enrico Grampassi
Original assignee: S.P.M. Drink Systems S.P.A.
Priority date: 2015-08-12
Filing date: 2016-08-03
Publication date: 2017-02-16
Also published as: ITUB20153089A1; EP3334316A1

Abstract

The apparatus for preparing and dispensing hot beverages comprises at least one containment tank (2) predisposed to contain the product to be prepared. Inside the tank (2) a mixing device (3) predisposed to determine the continuous circulation of the product and a heating device (4) of said product are placed. The heating device (4) comprises a cylindrical body (1 1 ) coaxial to said mixing device (3) and having in its inside a heating member (12).

Description

APPARATUS FOR PREPARING AND DISPENSING HOT BEVERAGES

Technical Field

[01 ] The present invention concerns an apparatus for preparing and dispensing hot beverages, such as for example hot chocolate, roasted barley tea and the like.

Background Art

[02] Apparatuses are currently known which allow preparing and instantly dispensing hot beverages, in particular beverages obtained by mixing water with soluble products in pre- established doses. These known apparatuses are generally provided with a water-heating boiler, one or more containers for the soluble products and a mixing device for mixing dosed quantities of water and soluble product. A dispensing device, placed at a front zone of the apparatus, allows to dispense the so-prepared hot beverage.

[03] An apparatus for preparing and dispensing hot beverages of this kind is disclosed in WO 2012/150297.

[04] Apparatuses of this kind are relatively complex and therefore impractical for users who require more simple and inexpensive solutions.

[05] Moreover, a particular exigency underlined by the users is the need of alternating the preparation ad dispensing of hot beverages with frozen products and creamy cool products, such as sorbets and the like, according to clients' demand. Currently, this is possible only by using distinct apparatuses, with an obvious greater investment in economic terms.

Disclosure

[06] The task of the present invention is to solve the aforementioned problems, devising an apparatus which allows to carry out the preparation and the dispensing of hot beverages.

[07] Within such task, it is a further scope of the present invention to provide an apparatus which allows to carry out the preparation of both hot beverages and cool products.

[08] Another scope of the invention is to provide an apparatus for preparing and dispensing hot beverages of simple constructive and functional conception, provided with surely reliable functioning, of versatile use, as well as of relatively inexpensive cost.

[09] The cited scopes are reached, according to the present invention, by the apparatus for preparing and dispensing hot beverages according to claim 1 .

[10] According to the present invention, the apparatus for preparing and dispensing hot beverages comprises at least one containment tank predisposed to contain the product for the preparation of a hot beverage; a mixing device comprising a screw member arranged inside said tank and predisposed to determine the continuous circulation of the product inside the same tank; a dispensing device of the hot drink, placed at said front zone of the containment tank; a heating device arranged inside said tank to heat said product and comprising a cylindrical body coaxial to said screw member of the mixing device, provided in its inside with a heating member; temperature sensor means predisposed to control the switching on and off of said heating member.

Advantageously, said heating member comprises an electric resistor embedded within a matrix of a heat conducting material.

Preferably, said matrix of heat conducting material has a tubular shape and is arranged coaxially inside said cylindrical body.

Preferably, said heat conducting material is made of aluminium alloy or similar metals. Preferably, said screw member of the mixing device extends on the outer surface of said cylindrical body and is brought in rotation by a shaft which axially crosses the same cylindrical body.

Preferably, said shaft of the screw member is predisposed to be operated by an electric motor member.

Preferably, said temperature sensor means comprise a thermostat disposed inside said cylindrical body.

Preferably, said containment tank is made of transparent plastic material and is provided with an upper opening predisposed to be closed by a lid.

Preferably, said tank comprises a tank body made in one piece by molding of plastic material and having a lower portion having the shape of a cylindrical portion extending along a substantially horizontal axis and an upper portion which extends from said lower cylindrical portion.

According to an advantageous aspect of the invention, the apparatus comprises at least one pair of containment tanks respectively carrying the one a said heating device comprising a cylindrical body having in its inside a heating member, and the other a cooling device comprising a cylindrical body having in its inside cooling means connected to a refrigeration system housed inside a base body of said tanks.

Description of Drawings

Details of the invention shall be more apparent from a detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the apparatus for preparing and dispensing hot beverages, illustrated for indicative purposes in the attached drawings, wherein:

figure 1 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the apparatus according to the invention.

figure 2 shows a perspective view from the rear side, with sectioned parts to show internal elements of the apparatus.

Best Mode

With particular reference to such figures, the apparatus for preparing and dispensing hot beverages, such as for example hot chocolate, roasted barley tea and the like, is indicated in its entirety with 1 . The apparatus 1 comprises at least one tank 2 for containing the product to be dispensed, preferably made of plastic transparent material. More precisely, the tank 2 is made up of a tank body preferably made in a single piece by molding plastic transparent material. The tank body has a lower portion having the shape of a cylindrical portion extending along a substantially horizontal axis and an upper portion which extends from the above mentioned cylindrical portion. The upper portion of the tank body is provided with an upper opening predisposed to be closed by a lid 20.

Inside the containment tank 2 a mixing device 3 is placed being made up of a screw member driven in rotation according to an axis longitudinal to the tank 2 to determine the continuous circulation of the product inside the same tank 2. Inside the tank 2 there is also a heating device 4 for heating the product to a suitable temperature, described in more detail in the following.

The containment tank 2 frontally has a dispensing device 5 provided with a shutter element 6 operable by an external lever member 7. The shutter member 6 can slide inside a cylindrical seat made, with substantially vertical axis, by a sleeve 8 shaped by the tank 2. The tank 2 is mounted on a base body 10. The base body 10 has substantially prismatic shape and is predisposed to contain in its inside activation members of the apparatus, known per se and not described in more detail.

According to the present invention, the heating device 4 comprises a steel cylindrical body 1 1 having tubular shape, arranged according to an axis substantially horizontal and in practice coaxial to the above mentioned lower portion of the tank 2. Inside the tubular body 1 1 , a heating member 12 is housed, which is substantially made up of an electric resistor embedded in a matrix of aluminium alloy or similar materials predisposed to ensure good heating conductive features. More in particular, also such matrix has tubular shape and is arranged coaxially inside the cylindrical body 1 1 .

The cylindrical body 1 1 is frontally closed, at the front zone of the tank 2, while rearwardly it engages sealingly on a rear portion of the tank 2 shaped as circular crown.

The screw member of the mixing device 3 extends on the external surface of the cylindrical body 1 1 and is brought in rotation by a shaft 13 which axially crosses the same cylindrical body 1 1 . The shaft 13 has a portion protruding from the front part of the cylindrical body 1 1 and is fixed to a sleeve shaped by the screw member. The shaft 13 is predisposed to be operated by a motor member 15, preferably an electric motor member, through a suitable speed reducer member.

Temperature sensor means are predisposed to control the switching on and the switching off of the heating member 12. Preferably, said sensor means are constituted by a thermostat arranged inside the cylindrical body 1 1 . The functioning of the apparatus for preparing and dispensing hot beverages is easy to understand from the preceding description.

After having prepared the base product, by mixing dosed quantities of water and soluble product, such product is poured in the tank 2, through the upper opening, and the preparation cycle is started. In particular, the heating device 4 is automatically activated, setting the suitable working temperatures, and the screw member of the mixing device 3 is operated in rotation at a pre-established speed. The suitable thermostat, arranged inside the cylindrical body 1 1 , controls the temperature of the product. When it is required, the product can be dispensed by operating in opening the dispensing device 5 through the lever member 7.

The apparatus according to the invention reaches the scope of operating in an optimal manner the preparation and dispensing of hot beverages, through a simple and functional structure.

Such result is obtained through the inventive idea of using, for preparing and dispensing a hot beverage, a containment tank open at the top, for introducing the already mixed base product with the desired flavours, and in which is predisposed a heating device suitable to maintain the product at a predefined temperature. Therefore, it is not required to use a boiler for heating water, one or more containers for soluble products and a mixing device for dosed quantities of water and soluble product, as it is in the background technique.

A feature of the invention is to allow adapting the apparatus for preparing both cool beverages and frozen products or cold creamy products, such as sorbets and the like. To this end, the apparatus may be suitably provided with two or more containment tanks for the product being prepared, of which at least one being intended to the preparation of a hot drink and at least one intended to the preparation of a cool product, mounted side by side on a single base body. In this case, inside the at least one tank being intended for preparing a cool product it is provided the use of a cylindrical body having in its inside cooling means, for example an evaporator coil which can be connected to a refrigeration system housed inside the base body. In particular, the tank intended for preparing the cool product is of the type disclosed in EP2490551 which is cited here for reference. In this way, the user gives his clients, by a single apparatus, both a hot drink and a cool drink.

The apparatus described as an example is susceptible of numerous modifications and variants according to the different exigencies.

In practice, the used materials as well as the size and shape may vary according to the needs.

Should the technical characteristics mentioned in the claims be followed by reference signs, such reference signs were included for the sole purpose of increasing the understanding of the claims and thus they shall not be deemed limiting the scope of the element identified by such reference signs by way of example.

Claims

1 . Apparatus for preparing and dispensing hot beverages, comprising at least one containment tank (2) predisposed to contain a product for preparation of a hot beverage; a mixing device (3) comprising a screw member arranged inside said tank (2) and predisposed to determine the continuous circulation of the product inside said tank (2), to convey said product towards a front zone of said tank (2); a dispensing device (5) of hot drink, placed at said front zone of said tank (2); a heating device (4) arranged inside said tank (2) to heat said product and comprising a cylindrical body (1 1 ) coaxial to said screw member of said mixing device (3), provided in its inside with a heating member (12) comprising an electric resistor embedded within a matrix of a heat conducting material; temperature sensor means predisposed to control the switching on and off of said heating member (12).

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 , characterized in that said matrix of heat conducting material has tubular shape and is arranged coaxially inside said cylindrical body (1 1 ).

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said screw member of said mixing device (3) extends on the outer surface of said cylindrical body (1 1 ) and is brought in rotation by a shaft (13) which axially crosses said cylindrical body (1 1 ).

4. Apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that said heat conducting material is made of a cast aluminium alloy or similar metals.

5. Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that said shaft (13) is predisposed to be operated by an electric motor member (15).

6. Apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said temperature sensor means comprise a thermostat disposed inside said cylindrical body (1 1 ).

7. Apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said containment tank (2) is made of transparent plastic material and is provided with an upper opening predisposed to be closed by a lid (20).

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that said tank (2) comprises a tank body made in one piece by molding of plastic material and having a lower portion having the shape of a cylindrical portion extending along a substantially horizontal axis and an upper portion which extends from said lower cylindrical portion.