WO2011092644A1

WO2011092644A1 - Coffee machine with cup-heating tray

Info

Publication number: WO2011092644A1
Application number: PCT/IB2011/050361
Authority: WO
Inventors: Cesare Lenzi; Stefano Tonelli
Original assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
Priority date: 2010-02-01
Filing date: 2011-01-27
Publication date: 2011-08-04

Abstract

The coffee machine comprises at least a coffee deliverying unit and a removable tray, for supporting small cups or other containers, associated at least to an electric heating member, connectable to an electric connector associated to the coffee machine.

Description

Coffee machine with cup-heating tray

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates the field of the coffee machines and, in particular, but not exclusively, the field of the coffee machines for domestic use, in particular automatic or semi automatic machines.

STATE OF ART

Coffee machines for domestic use of automatic and semi-automatic type have been more and more spreading, comprising a brewing unit for the coffee preparation, fed by hot water supplied by an electric heating boiler. The machines of this type can have a smaller or higher level or automation and they can be planned to be fed with coffee powder, bean coffee extemporary ground by a coffee grinder contained in the machine, or they can be configured to receive coffe single-dose packings under the form of capsules, cartridges, pods or the like.

One of the problems arising in coffee machines of this type is represented by the need of serving the beverage at an adequately high temperature. The coffee delivering temperature first of all is limited by the fact that the brewing unit, that is the water which is fed into the brewing chamber of the delivering unit to extracts the flavours from the coffee powder, cannot exceed a certain temperature, tipically around 80°C, as at higher temperatures it would produce a deterioration of the organolectic features of the coffee powder. Therefore, the coffee-based beverage delivered by the brewing unit will necessarily be limited.

Furthermore, the brewing units of these machines have relatively long ducts extending from the brewing unit as far as the coffee delivering nozzle. Along this duct there is a heat transfer from the beverage to the pipes with consequent reduction in the coffee outgoing temperature.

In the coffee bars' professional machines these problems are felt less, as usually the coffee delivering nozzle is much nearer to the brewing chamber. Moreover, even in these professional machines, in order to serve a coffee at adequate temperature, a cup- heating plane is usually provided arranged on the upper part of the machine and heated directly or indirectly by the electric energy used to heat the water in the boiler. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to implement a coffee machine, in particular for domestic use, solving completely or partially the problems of the known machines and, in particular, allowing to serve a hot coffee.

Substantially, in some embodiments the invention relates to a coffee machine comprising: a housing structure with a front wall bearing at least a coffee delivering unit; an upper wall; a back wall and side walls; a removable tray for supporting small cups or other containers, associated to at least an elecric heating member, for example a resistance or a lighting system, connectable to an electric connector associated to said coffee machine.

The tray with the electric heating member constitutes a cup-heating system, hereinafter designated as "cup-heating tray", allowing to heat and keep at a higher temperature than the room temperature the small cups arranged onto the tray, to serve a hotter coffee.

In some embodiments, the cup-heating tray can be equipped with a separate feeder cable, to connect it to a wall electric socket. However, preferably, according to particularly advantageous embodiments of the invention, the cup-heating tray is equipped with a connector or electric coupling complementary to a connector or electric socket fastened onto the coffee machine. The connection can take place by means of a cable.

However, preferably the connection takes place in a direct way. To this purpose, in some preferred embodiments of the invention it is provided that the upper wall of the coffee machine forms a resting surface of the cup-heating tray and advantageously it has an electric socket or connector thereupon the corresponding electric connector engages, fastened onto the tray and arranged onto the lower face of the tray bottom.

In some advantageous embodiments the electric heating member is

incorporated in the tray bottom. It can be implemented under the form of an electric resistance arranged in the tray thickness or applied onto the upper surface or implemented by the upper layer of the material constituting the bottom of the cup-heating tray. Alternatively, it can be applied onto or formed by the lower surface of the tray. In other embodiments the heating member can also be a lighting member, for example comprising one or more filament lamps. The lighting member could be housed between a bottom back wall, for example reflecting on the upper side, and a sheet made of transparent material, forming the small cup resting surface. Additional advantageous features and embodiments of the invention are shown in the enclosed claims, which form an integrating portion of the present invention and they will be described hereinafter by referring to the enclosed drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood by following the description and the enclosed drawing showing a practical not limitative embodiment of the invention. More in particular, in the drawing:

figure 1 shows an axonometric view of the coffee machine for domestic use with a removable cup-heating tray arranged above the machine;

figure 2 shows the machine of figure 1 and the cup-heating tray separated from the machine; and

figure 3 is analogous to figure 2, but with a bottom view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

By referring to the enclosed figures, the machine, designated as a whole with 1 , has a body 3 with a resting plane 5 for the small cup or small cups or other containers wherein the beverage delivered by the machine is collected. Above the resting plane a delivering unit 7 is provided with one or two nozzles for delivering the coffee-based beverage, fed by a not shown brewing unit which is contained inside the machine. Several different types of brewing units are known and the used type of brewing unit is not relevant for implementing the present invention.

Inside the machine additional organs, devices and mechanisms of known and not illustrated type are also arranged, in particular: a boiler for heating water, a reservoir of the cold water, a flowmeter onto the duct feeding the water from the reservoir to the boiler, a pump onto the boiler feeding duct, a coffee grinder when the machine is fed by coffee beans, ecc. In some embodiments the machine comprises a coffee reservoir, for example a reservoir of coffee beans. In this embodiment example the water reservoir and the coffee reservoir can be accessed on the upper part by means of doors 8 and 9 (figure 2) provided onto the substantially horizontal upper wall of the machine. In other embodiments the reservoirs can be accessed on the side.

As to features, the machine is equipped with a cup-heating tray 11 , equipped with a bottom 13 and side edges 15. Advantageosly, at least a heating electric resistance 17 is arranged at the bottom 13, and preferably incorporated inside the thickness thereof. The bottom 13 of the tray 1 lean be implemented with a material apt to accumulate heat, that is a material with high thermal coefficient which is heated by Joule effect by means of the electric energy absorbed by the heating electric resistance 17. The type of used material keeps the temperature for an adequately long period of time.

In some embodiments, the cup-heating tray 11 has an electric connector 19 which, in this embodiment example, is placed below the tray 11. The electric connector 19 can be connected to an electric connector or electric socket 21 implemented upon or carried by the machine 1. In the illustrated embodiment this electric socket 21 is placed upon the upper surface of the coffee machine 1. In this way the cup-heating tray 11 can be rested upon the upper surface of the machine 1 by connecting the heating electric resistance 17 to an electric line ending with the socket 21 provided on the machine 1. In some embodiments a swith 23 can be provided onto the cup-heating tray 11 so that the cup-heating tray 11 is heated when it is plugged onto the socket 21 of the machine 1 and the switch 23 is turned on. If the user does not wish to use the cup heating function , but he/she however wishes to keep the cup-heating tray 11 rested upon the machine 1, he/she can simply turn off the switch 23 therewith the cup-heating tray 11 is equipped, by keeping the machine 1 turned on. In other embodiments the machine can have a configurable menu, with which the user can set the functions of the machine, for example activating or deactivating the tray-heating system.

In other embodiments an auxiliary switch can be provided onto the machine 1 , by means thereof activating or deactivating the electric connection with the socket 21 thereto the cup-heating tray 11 is interfaced.

In additional exemplified embodiments of the invention it can be simply provided that the cup-heating tray 11 is fed electrically each time it is plugged onto the socket 21 of the machine 1 and the latter is turned on.

In some embodiments an automatic switch associated to a thermal sensor 29 can be provided onto the cup-heating tray 11 , to form a thermostat which interrupts the electric energy feeding to the heating resistance 17 when the temperature of the bottom 13 of the cup-heating tray 11 reaches a pre-determined value. In this way the cup-heating tray 11 can remain rested onto the machine 1 in connection with the electric line for even long periods of time without risking an excessive absorption or an excessive heating of the cup- heating tray 11.

In some embodiments the electric resistance feeding in the tray can take place with an induction system without galvanic connection. To this purpose it is possible arranging a a take-up reel at the upper wall of the housing 3 of the coffee machine 1 which couples electromagnetically with a reel inside the tray. In other embodiments in the bottom of the tray one or more members can be provided, wherein a parasite current is produced by induction, the parasite current being used for heating by Joule effect, analogously to what can be done with the current circulation in a resistance arranged onto or at the bottom of the tray.

Even in case the feeding system is with induction without galvanic contact between machine and tray, it is possible providing a system for controlling the temperature, with a temperature sensor acting as thermostat, which emits a signal for turning off the induction reel. A transmission system without contact can be provided for transmitting the turning-off signal from the thermostat aboard the tray to the circuit for controlling and feeding the reel in the machine.

The user can arrange small cups or other containers onto the cup-heating tray 11 so as to heat them before the use thereof. By using a so-heated cup the coffee-based beverage keeps hot for a longer period of time thanks to a less heat dissipation in the time interval between the time of delivering the beverage in cup and the moment of consuming the beverage.

The possibility of removing the cup-heating tray 11 from the machine 1 allows the domestic user to use the same cup-heating tray 11 to serve the coffee at table by additionally exploiting the thermal energy accumulated in the cup-heating tray 11 to reduce the heat dispersion from the beverage even when the small cups are brought from the machine to the table. Furthermore, the removable cup-heating tray allows a simpler handling of the small cups, for example by allowing the user to arrange the small cups onto the cup- heating tray 11 to put back the latter with the small cups rested thereon in a piece of furniture when the machine is not used.

To keep better the temperature conditions, the tray can comprise a covering member.

As mentioned, instead of an electric resistance the heating member can be a lighting member.

It is understood that the drawing shows only a practical embodiment of the invention, which can vary in the forms and arrangements without leaving the concept scope thereupon the invention is based. The possible presence of reference numbers in the enclosed claims only aims at facilitating reading the claims in the light of the preceding text and the enclosed drawings and it does not limit in any way the protection scope defined by the claims.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A coffee machine comprising at least a coffe delivering unit, characterized in that of comprising a removable tray, for supporting small cups or other containers, associated at least to an electric heating member, connectable to an electric connector associated to said coffee machine.

2. Coffee machine according to claim 1, characterized in that said machine comprises a housing with an upper wall forming a resting surface of the tray.

3. Coffee machine according to claim 2, characterized in that said electric connector is arranged on the upper wall of the coffee machine.

4. Coffee machine according to claim 3, characterized in that said tray comprises on the lower surface a connector which can be plugged to the electric connector onto the upper wall of the coffee machine, for the electric feeding of said at least an electric heating member.

5. Coffee machine according to one or more of the claims 2 to 4, characterized in that said upper resting wall has one or more doors for the access to one or more underlying reservoirs for containing one or more ingredients for the coffee preparation.

6. Coffee machine according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said tray has a bottom wherein said at least electric heating member is incorporated.

7. Coffee machine according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said tray comprises a thermostat to turn off said at least one electric heating member when the detected temperature reaches a maximum limit.

8. Coffee machine according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said tray comprises a manual switch for deactivating said at least one electric heating member.

9. Coffee machine according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said tray comprises a bottom implemented with a material with a high thermal coefficient for accumulating the thermal energy, wherein said at least electric heating member is incorporated.

10. Coffee machine according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that of comprising a system for the electric feeding by induction without galvanic contact between coffee machine and tray.

11. Coffee machine according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said electric heating member comprises at least one resistance.

12. Coffee machine according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said electric heating member comprises at least one lighting member.