GB2229259A

GB2229259A - Heating water in a device for preparing hot drinks

Info

Publication number: GB2229259A
Application number: GB9002349A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hans-Peter Albrecht
Original assignee: ABC Elektrogeraete Volz GmbH and Co
Current assignee: ABC Elektrogeraete Volz GmbH and Co
Priority date: 1989-02-03
Filing date: 1990-02-02
Publication date: 1990-09-19
Anticipated expiration: 2010-02-02
Also published as: GB2229259B; FR2642634A1; GB9002349D0; DE3903193C3; DE3903193C2; DE3903193A1

Description

1 Title - Device for lpreiparing instant drinks The present invention

relates to a device for preparing instant drinks and more particularly to an electrical device for preparing hot instant drinks.

A known device for preparing hot instant drinks, consists of a water container received by a housing, a brewing container and a hot plate,, past the heating means of which a tube portion extends in heating contact, the inlet of the tube portion being in communication with the base of the water container and the feedback part feeding the heated water into the water container from the top end thereof.

A device of the above mentioned kind is known from the DE-GM 87 05 964.9. In this device, water heated up by the heating means of the hot plate is fed back into the fresh-water container only until a desired temperature is reached. Thus, the water is in a sense preheated in the water container prior to the actual beginning of the brewing operation, which is via an ascending tube and, if the water is heated up further, via the heating means. The brewing operation commences as soon as a so-called wdistribution device" located at the upper end of the feedback tube has switched over such that the water stops heated up by the heating means of the hot plate stops flowing into the freshwater container, but flows directly into a brewing container e.g. through a filter, from which it will then be delivered into a drink collection container e.g. a cup or pot.

1 2 The drawback of this device is that although the water is preheated in the fresh-water container in a kind of circuit which is, once the desired operation temperature is reached, broken by switching over the distribution device, the heated water is delivered into the brewing container only dropwise as before, i.e. accompanied by the bubbling known form usual coffee machines. However, there is an increasing demand for cof fee machines that allow a preparation which is very close to the preparation of filter coffee "by hand", i.e. which enables the hot water to flow in gushes, i.e. in larger quantities at a time, onto the substance to be brewed up e.g. coffee powder, so as to completely dissolve the substance to be brewed up and to achieve in this way a complete utilisation of the aroma and the desired extracts. In the case of the bubbling delivery of hot water it cannot be excluded that the water will form a kind of "path" through the substance to be brewed up and that any substance to be brewed up which is further away from this path is not exposed to the brewing action with the same intensity. 1 There are known devices for preparing tea, wherein the f resh water is f irst of all completely heated up to the desired brewing temperature. and then the whole amount of water is poured into a brewing or dissolving container (DE-OS 33 12 345) in one batch. The.disadvantage, however, is that not only the heating device for the hot plate must be provided, but also a heating means in the water container to heat up the fresh water.

3 It is therefore an object of the invention to further develop a device of the above mentioned kind such that it allows a smooth flow of heated water, i.e. delivery of the entire amount of the heated water in one batch or in several larger portions, and which at the same time allows to dispense with a second heating device so that the device can be produced in an easy and costeffective way.

According to the invention. this is achieved by arranging the water container in the housing at such a height that a hot water outlet arranged at the base thereof is provided above the brewing container or a space receiving same, and that the heated water from the water container is delivered via a valve located at said hot water outlet, said valve being opened by a controller as soon as a temperature sensor determines that the water in the water container has reached the desired temperature.

Thus,, a simple device requiring only one heating device is produced, wherein the heated water can be delivered into the brewing container in one gush or - if desired - in several larger portions. One possible way of doing this is, if the device is of the kind of a known coffee machine, into a filter insert. The hot plate, on which the brewing container or a drink collection container stands, will, however, always remain in full operation, i.e. heated up. It is, however,, also possible to deliver it into the brewing or dissolving container of a tea making machine, from which it will then,, after a certain brewing period, be delivered into a drink collection container. Since only one heating device 1 4 is used, the device can be produced in a cost-effective way.

The invention will now be described further by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of an electrical device in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, and Figure 2 shows a modification to the device of Figure 1.

The device shown in the drawings includes an L-shaped housing 1 having a water container 2 arranged at the upper end thereof. In the lower horizontal area of the housing, the hot plate 3 is located which is provided with a heating device 4, i.e. it is in intensive thermal contact with the hot plate. In the illustrated embodiment, a cup 5 stands on the hot plate 3, which, in this context, is considered to be the "brewing container" of the introductory discussion. The cup is located in the space 100 below the water container 2, which is designed to receive the brewing container, which may also have a different form.

At the base of the water container 2, a water outlet 6 is located which is controlled by a valve 7. At its lower end the valve 7 is connected to a tube 81, through which, as indicated by the arrows, fresh water present in the water container 2 will, with the valve 7 open flow downwards. The tube 81 then extends past the hot plate 3. It is essential that the lower. horizontally extending part 81 of the tube 8 gets into intensive heat exchange contact with the heating device 4. This means that the water. when flowing from the water outlet 6 through the open valve 7 via the tube 8 into contact with the heating device 4 of the hot plate 3. is heated up and will then, following known physical laws. ascend via the subsequent horizontal part 811 of the tube 8 and the feedback tube 9. The feedback tube 9 leads through the water container 2 up into the upper area thereof and terminates there in a bend 10, the outlet 101 of which is located above the water level 21 with the water container filled up.

When the heating device is switched on, water will be continuously heated up in circuit of the - at first - unheated water on its way from the water outlet 6, through the tube 8 past the heating device 4, through the feedback tube 9, to the outlet 101. The advantage of this way of heating up the water in the water container 2 is that only one heating device is required; This is because the heating device basically provided for the hot plate 3 is at the same time used to heat the water in the water container 2. It is now determined by known means, e.g. by means of a temperature sensor 15, whether the water has reached the desired temperature. If this is the case, the controller 18 will open the next valve 14, which is located at the hot water outlet 11. Thus, the drink is brewed up in the cup 5, the substance to be dissolved being e.g. in a tea bag 12.

It should be pointed out here that this is only the simplest form of using the invention, the characterising feature of which is that by means of just one heating device, namely the heating device 4, both the hot plate 3 and, due to the continuous 6 circulation of the water from the water container 2 past the device 4 f or heating the hot plate 3, the water in the water container 2 is heated up. This makes it then possible to pour the water, as in the illustrated embodiment with the cup 5, in one batch, i.e. in one gush.

This principle of the invention can also be applied to a conventional coffee machine, for instance in such a way that a filter insert for a filter bag, which is then filled with coffee powder, is provided below the valve 14 in the space 100, while the valve 14 - after the desired temperature has been reached in the water container 2 - is controlled by the controller 18 such that individual portions, which just f ill the f ilter insert, are delivered in each case in a smooth fashion, with a period lapsing between the moments of delivery of these portions, which is certainly sufficient to allow any water from a previous gush of water to run through. Thus, the automatic operation of such a device comes very close to the brewing operation of filter coffee "by hand", since in this case there is an intermittent supply of portions of water rather than a continuous dropwise supply, which does not lead to the desired complete dissolution of the whole amount of coffee powder, as would be desirable.

Therefore the invention can also be applied to a tea making machine by providing another dissolving container to be located below the water container, into which the heated water,, once the predetermined temperature in the water container 2 has been reached and the valve 14 has subsequently opened, will f low from 1 7 the water container 2 and then, af ter a preset standing time, into a drink collection container standing on the hot plate 2.

The essential point is at all times that the fresh water is heated up in a continuous circuit through the heating device of the hot plate, and that in this way this device, in any desired modification, can operate with just one heating device. At the same time, this type of heating allows heating at first the whole amount of water present in the water container 2 to the desired end temperature and then delivering it either in one delivery or in several deliveries or gushes into a brewing container, i.e. for instance in the case of a coffee machine, into a filter insert, and in the case of a tea making machine into a dissolving container, from which the water will run after a predetermined time, if necessary controlled by another valve, into a drink collection container standing on the hot plate 2.

Once the valve 7 is closed, which will also occur after the water in the hot water container 2 has reached the desired temperature, the circuit through the tubes 8 and 9 will be broken, as a result of which the process of heating the water in the water container 2 is f inished. The heating device will then run in a "dry state". as this is the case with normal coffee machines once the fresh water supplied has been consumed.

Reference number 13 identifies a regulating means which is used for adjusting the temperature of the heating device 4 and thus of the hot plate 3 and which controls the speed of heating up the 8 water in the water container 2.

In the modification schematically illustrated in Figure 2, the valves 71, 14 1, which are formed as simple closures of the openings 6, 11, are controlled be a spring 20 of memory metal. The spring is designed such that once the desired temperature, e.g. 950C, is reached, it will expand and at the same time tilt the lever 22 resting on the support 21 in such a way that the hot water outlet 11 is opened and the water outlet 6 f or the heating circuit is closed. The spring 20 of memory metal may also be a bimetal spring.

9

Claims

Claims,

An electrical device f or preparing hot instant drinks, comprising a water tank received by a housing, a brewing container and a hot plate, past the heating means of which a tube portion extends in heating contact. . the inlet of the tube portion being in communication with the base of the water container and the feedback part feeding the heated water into the water container from the top end thereof, the water container in the housing being arranged at such a height that a hot water outlet arranged at the base thereof is provided above the brewing container or a space receiving same, heated water from the water container being delivered via a valve located at the hot water outlet, the valve being opened by a controller as soon as a temperature sensor determines that the water in the water container has reached the desired temperature.
2 A device as claimed in claim 1 in which the valve is opened by means of a spring of memory metal or bimetal, the spring being located in the water container and selected in relation to the desired heating temperature of the water.
3 A device as claimed in claim 2 in which the spring simultaneously operates another valve via a mechanical coupling, said other valve blocking off the supply tube from the water container to the heating device.
4 An electrical device for preparing hot instant drinks substantially as herein described with reference to and as described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Published 1990 atThe Patent 0Mce. State House.6671 "h Holborn. London WC 1R4TP. Purther copies Maybe obtLinedfrom The Patentwice EWes Branch. St Mary Cray. OrpingtOn. Kent BM 3RD. Printed by Multiplex techniques lt& St Mary Cray. Kent, Con. V87