Beverage maker

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12110478-B2
Application number	US-202117332899-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 27, 2021
Priority date	Jun 15, 2020
Publication date	Oct 8, 2024
Grant date	Oct 8, 2024

Abstract

Provided is a beverage maker. The beverage maker includes a pair of fermenters, each of which has an internal space, a pair of fermenter lids configured to shield the internal spaces of the pair of fermenters, a pair of beverage containers that are selectively accommodated in the internal spaces of the pair of fermenters, a temperature regulator configured to independently regulate internal temperatures of the pair of fermenters, ingredient feeders in which ingredient containers configured to contain beverages are selectively mounted and which are disposed outside the pair of fermenters, respectively, a main channel via each of the ingredient feeders, a pair of branch channels branched from the main channel and respectively connected to the pair of beverage containers, and a beverage dispenser connected to the pair of branch channels.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A beverage maker comprising:
a pair of fermenters, each of which has an internal space;
a pair of fermenter lids configured to shield the internal spaces of the pair of fermenters;
a pair of beverage containers that are selectively accommodated in the internal spaces of the pair of fermenters;
a temperature regulator configured to independently regulate internal temperatures of the pair of fermenters;
an ingredient feeder in which ingredient containers configured to contain beverages are selectively mounted, the ingredient feeder being disposed outside the pair of fermenters;
a main channel that passes through the ingredient feeder;
a pair of branch channels branched from the main channel and respectively connected to the pair of beverage containers;
a beverage dispenser connected to the pair of branch channels;
a water tank disposed behind the pair of fermenters;
a water supply pump configured to supply water stored in the water tank to the main channel;
a water supply heater configured to heat the water supplied by the water supply pump; and
a back cover that is disposed behind the pair of fermenters, and the water tank is detachably mounted on the back cover,
wherein the back cover comprises:
an upper cover portion disposed in front of the water tank, and
a lower cover portion stepped backward with respect to the upper cover portion and configured to support the water tank at a lower side.

2. The beverage maker according to claim 1 , wherein the ingredient feeder is disposed between the pair of fermenters.

3. The beverage maker according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an air pump;
an air supply channel connected to the air pump; and
a pair of air branch channels branched from the air supply channel and respectively connected to the pair of fermenters,
wherein each of the pair of beverage containers is made of a flexible ingredient, and
wherein each of the pair of air branch channels is configured to guide air between an inner wall of one of the pair of fermenters and an outer surface of one of the pair of beverage containers.

4. The beverage maker according to claim 3 , further comprising a pair of exhaust channels branched from the pair of air branch channels, each of the pair of exhaust channels being configured to exhaust the air between the inner wall of one of the pair of fermenters and the outer surface of one of the pair of beverage containers.

5. The beverage maker according to claim 1 , further comprising a pair of gas exhausters configured to exhaust gases within the pair of beverage containers.

6. The beverage maker according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the water supply pump or the water supply heater is disposed between the pair of fermenters and disposed under the ingredient feeder.

7. The beverage maker according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature regulator comprises:
a compressor;
a condenser configured to condense a refrigerant compressed in the compressor; and
a pair of evaporation tubes that are wound around outer circumferences of the pair of fermenters, respectively and configured to divide and carry the refrigerant condensed in the condenser.

8. The beverage maker according to claim 7 , wherein the back cover defines a machine room that accommodates the compressor and the condenser.

9. The beverage maker according to claim 1 , further comprising an air pump configured to inject air into the main channel, disposed under the ingredient feeder, and disposed between the pair of fermenters.

10. The beverage maker according to claim 1 , further comprising a center cover configured to cover a space between the pair of fermenters at a front side.

11. The beverage maker according to claim 10 , wherein the beverage dispenser comprises:
a dispenser mounted on the center cover; and
a dispensing channel configured to connect the pair of branch channels to the dispenser.

12. The beverage maker according to claim 1 , further comprising a cleaning channel configured to guide water or air to the beverage dispenser by bypassing the main channel and the pair of branch channels.

13. The beverage maker according to claim 12 , further comprising a controller configured to, based on the beverage contained in one of the pair of beverage containers being dispensed to the beverage dispenser, clean the beverage dispenser through the cleaning channel before the beverage contained in the other of the pair of beverage containers is dispensed to the beverage dispenser.

14. The beverage maker according to claim 1 , wherein each of the pair of branch channels is configured to:
guide a fluid within the main channel to one of the pair of beverage containers, and
guide a beverage within the one of the pair of beverage containers to the beverage dispenser after the beverage is completely made.

15. The beverage maker according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a pair of main valves configured to open and close the pair of branch channels, respectively; and
a controller configured to control the pair of main valves so that a fluid within the main channel selectively flows to the pair of branch channels.

16. A beverage maker comprising:
a base;
a first beverage fermenter and a second beverage fermenter, that are spaced apart from each other, that are disposed above the base, and that are capable of being independently regulated in temperature;
a first beverage container selectively accommodated in the first beverage fermenter;
a second beverage container selectively accommodated in the second beverage fermenter;
an ingredient feeder in which ingredient containers configured to contain beverages are selectively mounted, the ingredient feeder being disposed outside the first beverage fermenter and the second beverage fermenter;
a main channel configured to guide water or air via the ingredient feeder;
a first branch channel branched from the main channel and connected to the first beverage container;
a second branch channel branched from the main channel and connected to the second beverage container;
a beverage dispenser connected to the first branch channel and the second branch channel;
a water tank disposed behind the first beverage fermenter and the second beverage fermenter; and
a back cover which is disposed behind the first beverage fermenter and the second beverage fermenter, and the water tank is detachably mounted on the back cover,
wherein the back cover comprises:
an upper cover portion disposed in front of the water tank, and
a lower cover portion stepped backward with respect to the upper cover portion and configured to support the water tank at a lower side.

17. The beverage maker according to claim 16 , wherein the first beverage fermenter and the second beverage fermenter are disposed symmetrically with respect to the ingredient feeder.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Cho Suchang
• Kim Youngjin
• Hong Jinpyo

Classifications

• C12C13/10 Primary

  Home brew equipment · CPC title

• C12C7/26

  Cooling beerwort; Clarifying beerwort during or after the cooling · CPC title

• B67D2001/0098

  using a gas · CPC title

• B67D2210/00099

  Temperature control · CPC title

• F25B29/003

  of the compression type system · CPC title