Food or beverage preparation machine with antiscaling pipe system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016174759-A1
Application number	US-201414905536-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 15, 2014
Priority date	Jul 17, 2013
Publication date	Jun 23, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention concerns a food or beverage preparation machine (M) comprising a casing, a mineralized fluid source ( 1 ), a receptacle ( 10 ) adapted for functionally enclosing at least one food or beverage ingredient container (C), means ( 3 ) for conducting said mineralized fluid ( 13 ) from said source ( 1 ) to the interior of said capsule (C), optionally a heating and/or chilling device ( 4 ), and a fluid pipe system ( 2, 20, 21, 22 ) that fluidly connects said source ( 1 ), said conducting means ( 3 ), said receptacle ( 10 ), and said heating and/or chilling device ( 4 ), characterized in that at least one portion of the fluid pipe system ( 2, 20, 21, 22 ) and/or conducting means ( 3 ), and/or heating/chilling device ( 4 ) is made of a smart memory alloy (SMA), or smart memory polymer (SMP) designed to reversibly expand or contract above a defined temperature threshold in order to negate the buildup of scale or other deposits on the surfaces in contact with the mineralized fluid ( 13 ) by mechanical action, during operation of said machine.

First claim

1 . A food or beverage preparation machine comprising a casing, a mineralized fluid source, a receptacle adapted for functionally enclosing at least one food or beverage ingredient container, means a member for conducting the mineralized fluid from the source to the interior of the capsule, and a fluid pipe system that fluidly connects the source, the member for conducting means, the receptacle, and the heating and/or chilling, at least one portion of the fluid pipe system, and/or member for conducting, and/or heating/chilling device is made of a smart memory alloy, or smart memory polymer designed to reversibly expand or contract above a defined temperature threshold in order to negate the buildup of scale or other deposits on the surfaces in contact with the mineralized fluid by mechanical action, during operation of the machine.

2 . A machine according to claim 1 , wherein the mineralized fluid source is a fluid reservoir.

3 . A machine according to claim 1 , wherein the member for conducting is a pump.

4 . A machine according to claim 1 , wherein the member for conducting is a pump actuator adapted to actuate a pump built-in the container.

5 . A machine according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature is in a range of 50° C. to 120° C.

6 . A machine according to claim 1 , wherein the smart memory alloy is selected from the group consisting of: Titanium-Nickel alloy (NiTi), copper-aluminium-nickel, and SMAs created by alloying zinc, copper, gold and iron.

7 . A machine according to claim 1 , wherein the mineralized fluid is water.

8 . A machine according to claim 1 , wherein the member for conducting the fluid inside the capsule comprise a fluid injection needle.

9 . A machine according to claim 8 , wherein the needle is made entirely of smart memory alloy and/or smart memory polymer material.

10 . A machine according to claim 1 , wherein the internal fluid conduits of the heating and/or chilling device are made entirely out of smart memory alloy and/or smart memory polymer material.

Assignees

• Nestec Sa

Inventors

• Cavanagh John Patrick
• Spiegel Akos

Classifications

• A47J31/60 Primary

  Cleaning devices · CPC title

• A47J31/407

  with ingredient-containing cartridges; Cartridge-perforating means · CPC title

• A47J31/462

  with an intermediate liquid storage tank · CPC title