Beverage making apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10479669-B2
Application number	US-201715598555-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2017
Priority date	May 18, 2016
Publication date	Nov 19, 2019
Grant date	Nov 19, 2019

Abstract

A beverage-making apparatus includes a container including a container body that includes heat-insulating material and has an opening that provides access to an interior of the container body. The container further includes: a container cover configured to open and close the opening of the container body, and at least three channels connected to the container and that are communicative with the interior of the container body. The at least three channels include at least one first channel and a second channel that are communicative with a beverage ingredient pack mounted in the interior of the container body, the beverage ingredient pack configured to hold first beverage-making ingredients. The container further includes a third channel that is communicative with a space formed in the interior of the container body between a wall of the container body and the beverage ingredient pack mounted in the interior the container body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A beverage-making apparatus comprising:
a container comprising:
a container body comprising heat-insulating material and having an opening that provides access to an interior of the container body; and
a container cover configured to open and close the opening of the container body;

a plurality of channels connected to the container and that are communicative with the interior of the container body, the plurality of channels comprising:
at least one first channel and a second channel that are communicative with a beverage ingredient pack mounted in the interior of the container body, the beverage ingredient pack configured to be accommodated in the interior of the container body,
wherein the beverage ingredient pack is configured to hold first beverage-making ingredients, the beverage ingredient pack configured to prevent the first beverage-making ingredients from contacting a wall of the container body,

wherein the at least one first channel communicative with the beverage ingredient pack mounted in the container body is configured to transport at least one of a liquid or a first gas,
wherein the second channel communicative with the beverage ingredient pack mounted in the container body is configured to transport a second gas,
wherein the at least one first channel is configured to transport a first liquid and a second liquid unidirectionally into and out of, respectively, the beverage ingredient pack, and to transport the first gas unidirectionally into the beverage ingredient pack, and
wherein the second channel is configured to transport the second gas unidirectionally out of the beverage ingredient pack.

2. The beverage-making apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one first channel and the second channel are connected to the container through the container cover.

3. The beverage-making apparatus of claim 2 , wherein in a state in which the container cover is closed and the container body contains the beverage ingredient pack mounted therein:
the at least one first channel connects with at least one first connection part of the beverage ingredient pack that provides access to an interior of the beverage ingredient pack, and
the second channel connects with a second connection part of the beverage ingredient pack that provides access to the interior of the beverage ingredient pack.

4. The beverage-making apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first channel is configured to transport the first liquid and the second liquid unidirectionally into and out of, respectively, the beverage ingredient pack by:
supplying the first liquid comprising second beverage-making ingredients into the beverage ingredient pack that holds the first beverage-making ingredients; and
discharging the second liquid comprising a beverage product from the beverage ingredient pack.

5. The beverage-making apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first channel comprises:
a supply channel configured to undirectionally supply the first liquid or the first gas into the beverage ingredient pack; and
a dispense channel configured to unidirectionally discharge the second liquid from the beverage ingredient pack.

6. A beverage-making apparatus comprising:
a container comprising:
a container body comprising heat-insulating material and having an opening that provides access to an interior of the container body; and
a container cover configured to open and close the opening of the container body;

a plurality of channels connected to the container and that are communicative with the interior of the container body, the plurality of channels comprising:
at least one first channel and a second channel that are communicative with a beverage ingredient pack mounted in the interior of the container body, the beverage ingredient pack configured to be accommodated in the interior of the container body,

wherein the beverage ingredient pack is configured to hold first beverage-making ingredients, the beverage ingredient pack configured to prevent the first beverage-making ingredients from contacting a wall of the container body,
wherein the at least one first channel and the second channel are connected to the container through the container cover, and
wherein the at least one first channel connected to the container through the container cover is a single channel,
the single channel comprising:
an exterior channel portion formed at least partially outside the container cover; and
an interior channel portion formed inside the container cover and that couples with the beverage ingredient pack mounted in the container body.

7. The beverage-making apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the interior channel portion of the at least one first channel that couples with the beverage ingredient pack is configured to communicate with a tube extending at least halfway depthwise into the interior of the beverage ingredient pack mounted in the container body.

8. The beverage-making apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the beverage ingredient pack comprises:
a flexible outer surface; and
a main flow path body comprising at least one first connection part and a second connection part,
wherein the at least one first connection part is connected with the at least one first channel, and
wherein the second connection part is connected with the second channel.

9. The beverage-making apparatus of claim 6 , wherein an inner space for accommodating the exterior channel portion is formed inside of the container cover.

10. The beverage-making apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the container cover comprises:
an upper body; and
a lower body connected with a lower portion of the upper body,
wherein the inner space is formed between the upper body and lower body, and
wherein the lower body is connected with the beverage ingredient pack in a state in which the container cover closes the opening of the container body.

11. The beverage-making apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the container cover has a through-hole, through which the exterior channel portion passes.

12. The beverage-making apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the second channel is configured to pass through the through-hole.

13. A beverage-making apparatus comprising:
a container comprising:
a container body comprising heat-insulating material and having an opening that provides access to an interior of the container body; and
a container cover configured to open and close the opening of the container body;

a plurality of channels connected to the container and that are communicative with the interior of the container body, the plurality of channels comprising:
at least one first channel and a second channel that are communicative with a beverage ingredient pack mounted in the interior of the container body, the beverage ingredient pack configured to be accommodated in the interior of the container body; and
a third channel that is communicative with a space formed in the interior of the container body between a wall of the container body and the beverage ingredient pack mounted in the container,

wherein the beverage ingredient pack is configured to hold first beverage-making ingredients, the beverage ingredient pack configured to prevent the first beverage-making ingredients from contacting the wall of the container body, and
wherein the third channel that is communicative with the space between the wall of the container body and the beverage ingredient pack mounted in the container body is configured to transport a gas.

14. The beverage-making apparatus of claim 13 ,
wherein the third channel is connected to the inside of the container through at least one of

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Heeyeon
• Park Sunyoung
• Chong Chungook

Classifications

• C12C13/10

  Home brew equipment · CPC title

• B67D1/0078

  Ingredient cartridges · CPC title

• B67D1/0067

  Cooling coil · CPC title

• B67D1/0016 Primary

  the beverage being stored in an intermediate container before dispensing, i.e. pre-mix dispensers · CPC title

• C12C13/00

  Brewing devices, not covered by a single group of C12C1/00 - C12C12/04 · CPC title