Air preheating of brew chamber

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021315409-A1
Application number	US-202016844163-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 9, 2020
Priority date	Apr 9, 2020
Publication date	Oct 14, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A beverage machine having a heater arranged to receive unheated liquid and deliver heated liquid to a dispensing station to form a beverage, and to receive unheated air and deliver heated air to the dispensing station to preheat portions of the dispensing station before forming a beverage. The machine may be arranged to deliver heated air to the dispensing station only if a temperature at the dispensing station is below a threshold.

First claim

1 . A beverage machine comprising:
a liquid supply arranged to provide a liquid for forming a beverage; a dispensing station arranged to receive heated liquid for dispensing the beverage; a heater having an inlet to receive unheated liquid from the liquid supply, and an outlet arranged to provide heated liquid to the dispensing station; and an air supply arranged to provide air to the inlet of the heater; wherein the heater is arranged to heat air received from the air supply and provide only heated air to the dispensing station to preheat at least a portion of the dispensing station prior to forming the beverage, and to subsequently provide heated liquid to the dispensing station to form the beverage.

2 . The machine of claim 1 , further comprising a controller arranged to control the liquid supply, the air supply and the heater to cause the heater to provide heated air only to the dispensing station and to subsequently provide heated liquid to the dispensing station.

3 . The machine of claim 2 , wherein the liquid supply includes a pump and the liquid supply is arranged such that the pump selectively pumps liquid to inlet of the heater.

4 . The machine of claim 3 , wherein the pump is arranged to selectively pump liquid to the inlet of the heater, or to pump air to the inlet of the heater.

5 . The machine of claim 3 , wherein the air supply includes an air pump arranged to pump air into the inlet of the heater.

6 . The machine of claim 2 , further comprising a temperature sensor arranged to detect a temperature of at least a portion of the heater, and wherein the controller is arranged to control the liquid supply, the air supply and the heater based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor.

7 . The machine of claim 6 , wherein the controller is arranged to control the air supply and the heater to provide heated air to the dispensing station only if the temperature is below a threshold.

8 . The machine of claim 2 , wherein the controller is arranged to purge the heater of liquid after the heater provides heated liquid to the dispensing station.

9 . The machine of claim 8 , wherein the air supply includes an air pump arranged to pump air into the inlet of the heater, and the controller purges the heater of liquid by controlling the air pump to pump air into the inlet of the heater.

10 . The machine of claim 9 , wherein the heater is a flow through heater including a fluid conduit in thermal communication with an electrical resistance heating element.

11 . The machine of claim 1 , wherein the heater is a flow through heater including a fluid conduit in thermal communication with an electrical resistance heating element.

12 . The machine of claim 1 , wherein the dispensing station includes a brew chamber arranged to hold a beverage material for mixing with the heated liquid to form the beverage.

13 . A beverage machine comprising:
a liquid supply arranged to provide a liquid for forming a beverage; a brew chamber arranged to hold a beverage material for mixing with the liquid to form the beverage; a heater having an inlet to receive liquid from the liquid supply, and an outlet arranged to provide heated liquid to the brew chamber; an air supply arranged to provide air to the inlet of the heater; and a controller arranged to control the liquid supply, the air supply and the heater to cause the heater to provide only heated air to the brew chamber prior to forming a beverage only if a temperature at the brew chamber is below a threshold.

14 . The machine of claim 13 , wherein if the temperature at the brew chamber is above the threshold, the controller is arranged to cause the heater to provide heated liquid to the brew chamber without providing heated air to the brew chamber.

15 . The machine of claim 13 , wherein the controller is arranged to cause the heater to provide heated liquid to the brew chamber to form the beverage after providing only heated air to the brew chamber.

16 . The machine of claim 13 , wherein the liquid supply includes a pump and the liquid supply is arranged such that the pump selectively pumps liquid to inlet of the heater.

17 . The machine of claim 16 , wherein the pump is arranged to selectively pump liquid to the inlet of the heater, and to pump air to the inlet of the heater.

18 . The machine of claim 13 , wherein the air supply includes an air pump arranged to pump air into the inlet of the heater.

19 . The machine of claim 13 , wherein the controller includes a temperature sensor arranged to detect a temperature of at least a portion of the heater, and wherein the temperature of at least a portion of the heater represents the temperature at the brew chamber.

20 . The machine of claim 13 , wherein the controller is arranged to purge the heater of liquid after the heater provides heated liquid to the brew chamber.

21 . The machine of claim 20 , wherein the air supply includes an air pump arranged to pump air into the inlet of the heater, and the controller purges the heater of liquid by controlling the air pump to pump air into the inlet of the heater.

22 . The machine of claim 21 , wherein the heater is a flow through heater including a fluid conduit in thermal communication with an electrical resistance heating element.

23 . The machine of claim 13 , wherein the heater is a flow through heater including a fluid conduit in thermal communication with an electrical resistance heating element.

Assignees

• Keurig Green Mountain Inc

Inventors

• Jianming Huang
• Mikkelsen Blair
• Johnson Roger
• Kammer Carl Gottfried

Classifications

• A47J31/545

  Control or safety devices · CPC title

• A47J31/002 Primary

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

• A47J31/5253

  of temperature · CPC title

• A47J31/469 Primary

  Details of hydraulic circuits · CPC title

• A47J31/542

  Continuous-flow heaters · CPC title