Apparatus and method for controlling the taste of coffee, and a coffee maker comprising the apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10512356-B2
Application number	US-201415103332-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 31, 2014
Priority date	Dec 31, 2013
Publication date	Dec 24, 2019
Grant date	Dec 24, 2019

Abstract

An apparatus for controlling the taste of coffee, a method of controlling the taste of coffee and a coffee maker including the apparatus. The apparatus includes a control unit, configured to determine a target pH value of water corresponding to a desired coffee taste, and a corresponding adjustment control signal; and a pH adjustment unit, configured to adjust, in response to the adjustment control signal applied to the pH adjustment unit, the pH value of water to be fed into a brewing unit of a coffee maker to the target pH value. In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, the pH value of water to be fed to a brewing unit of a coffee maker may be adjusted for a desired coffee taste.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for controlling a taste of coffee, the apparatus comprising:
a coffee maker brewing unit for brewing coffee, a pH adjustment unit and a control unit, the control unit, configured to:
receive a desired taste of coffee from a user interface;
map the desired coffee taste to a corresponding one of a plurality of target pH values of water, wherein the mapped target pH value of water is determined based on a mapped relationship between the plurality of target pH values and corresponding coffee tastes, and wherein each one of the plurality of target pH values of water correspond to a different predefined coffee taste; and
determine a corresponding adjustment control signal based on the mapped target pH value; and

the pH adjustment unit, configured to adjust, in response to the adjustment control signal applied to the pH adjustment unit, a pH value of water to be fed into the coffee maker brewing unit to the mapped target pH value by adjusting one or more of a voltage or a current of the pH adjustment unit or a flow velocity of the water in the pH adjustment unit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is further configured to determine the mapped target pH value of water based on a customer personal preference setting regarding coffee taste properties or water properties.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a sensor configured to sense properties of coffee beans or grinds and configured to produce a corresponding sensor signal, wherein the control unit is further configured to determine the mapped target pH value of water based on the corresponding sensor signal.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is further configured to determine a descaling target pH value of the water, based on a hardness setting of the water and a time it takes the pH adjustment unit to adjust the pH value of the water, to descale the coffee maker.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an ion exchanger including a container and ion exchange resins present in the container, wherein the ion exchange resins are configured to exchange anions contained in water to be fed to the brewing unit of the coffee maker for bicarbonate ions, and wherein the ion exchange resins are prepared by immersing anion exchange resins in saturated bicarbonate solution.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the ion exchange resins are further configured to exchange cations that cause scaling and that are contained in the water for cations that do not cause scaling.

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Hua Qiao
• Kelly Declan Patrick
• Wang Guangwei
• Tan Jingwei

Classifications

• A47J31/002 Primary

  following a specific operational sequence, e.g. for improving the taste of the extraction product · CPC title

• C02F5/08

  Treatment of water with complexing chemicals or other solubilising agents for softening, scale prevention or scale removal, e.g. adding sequestering agents · CPC title

• A23F5/26

  Extraction of water soluble constituents {(A23F5/246 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• C02F1/42

  by ion-exchange (ion-exchange in general B01J) · CPC title

• A23L2/56

  Flavouring or bittering agents (sweeteners A23L2/60) · CPC title