Device for making a beverage adapted to accurately set a dispense temperature of the beverage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9723945-B2
Application number	US-201113880157-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2011
Priority date	Nov 26, 2010
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

In a device ( 1 ) for making a beverage on the basis of interaction between a beverage extract and an extracting fluid, which comprises an openable and closeable chamber ( 50 ) for receiving and accommodating a quantity of the beverage extract, and heating/cooling means ( 30 ) for setting the temperature of the extracting fluid, arranged upstream of the chamber ( 50 ), a beverage making process can be performed with extracting fluid that is exactly at a desired temperature. During heat-up or cool-down phases of the heating/cooling means ( 30 ), the extracting fluid is transported to another position than the chamber ( 50 ) where the beverage making process is supposed to take place. For the purpose of determining an appropriate path of the extracting fluid in every possible situation, valve means ( 60 ) are applied, which are switchable under the influence of a change of the flow rate of the extracting fluid.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for making a beverage by interaction between a beverage extract and an extracting fluid, said apparatus comprising:
an openable and closable chamber for receiving a quantity of the beverage extract;
a heat exchanger arranged upstream of the chamber for establishing a predetermined temperature of the extracting fluid;
a valve arrangement including:
an inlet operably connected to the heat exchanger for receiving the extracting fluid;
a first outlet operably connected to a first pathway for diverting received extracting fluid away from the chamber;
a second outlet operably connected to a second pathway for delivering received extracting fluid to the chamber;
a pressure-sensitive valve assembly for enabling passage of fluid from the inlet and through the first outlet only when the pressure of the received fluid is within a first predetermined range, and for enabling passage of fluid from the inlet and through the second outlet only when the pressure of the received fluid is within a second predetermined range different from the first predetermined range;

a pump operably connected to the heat exchanger for supplying the extracting fluid to the valve arrangement;
a temperature sensor disposed for measuring the temperature of the extracting fluid at a position along a flow path between the heat exchanger and the valve arrangement; and
a controller operably connected to the temperature sensor and to the pump for controlling pressure exerted by the extracting fluid on the pressure-sensitive valve assembly in dependence on the measured temperature of said extracting fluid, said controller, during the making of the beverage, being adapted to:
when the measured temperature is in a predetermined range of temperatures that is not suitable for making the beverage by said interaction, activate the pump to realize a low flow rate of the extracting fluid to effect production on the pressure-sensitive valve assembly of a first pressure within the first predetermined range, thereby diverting extracting fluid away from the chamber; and
when the measured temperature is in a predetermined range of temperatures that is suitable for making the beverage by said interaction, activate the pump to realize a high flow rate of the extracting fluid to effect production on the pressure-sensitive valve assembly of a second pressure within the second predetermined range, thereby delivering extracting fluid to the chamber, wherein the high flow rate is higher than the low flow rate.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 where the second pressure within the second predetermined range for enabling passage of fluid through the second outlet is higher than the first pressure within the first predetermined range.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 and comprising a flow rate sensor disposed in said apparatus for measuring the flow rate of the extracting fluid entering the valve arrangement said controller being operably connected to said flow rate sensor and being adapted to compare said measured flow rate with a flow rate which is required to effect production by the extracting fluid on the pressure-sensitive valve assembly in accordance with the measured temperature, and to adjust the operation of the pump to achieve said required flow rate.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 where the pressure-sensitive valve assembly is adapted to:
switch to a second state for enabling passage of the extracting fluid through the second outlet to the chamber and for blocking passage of the extracting fluid through the first outlet to the first pathway when the pressure of the received extracting fluid is increased from below a predetermined switching point of the pressure-sensitive valve assembly to above the switching point; and
switch to a first state for enabling passage of the extracting fluid through the first outlet to the first pathway and blocking passage of the extracting fluid through the second outlet to the chamber when the pressure of the received extracting fluid is decreased from above said predetermined switching point to below said predetermined switching point.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 where the controller is adapted to control the operation of the pump in order to establish:
a first predetermined flow rate of the extracting fluid entering the valve arrangement that effects said production on the pressure-sensitive valve assembly of said first pressure when the measured temperature is in the predetermined range of temperatures that is not suitable for making the beverage by said interaction; and
a second predetermined flow rate of the extracting fluid entering the valve arrangement that effects said production on the pressure-sensitive valve assembly of a second pressure when the measured temperature is in a predetermined range of temperatures that is suitable for making the beverage by said interaction.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 where the heat exchanger is adapted to increase the temperature of the extracting fluid.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 where the heat exchanger comprises a flow through heater.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 and comprising a reservoir operably connected to the first outlet of the valve arrangement for receiving at least a quantity of the diverted extracting fluid.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8 where the reservoir is operably connected to the pump for supplying diverted extracting fluid to the heat exchanger.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 where the valve arrangement is operably connected directly to an inlet of the chamber.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 where the heat exchanger, the second outlet of the valve arrangement and the chamber are serially connected by a conduit to provide a continuous pathway for the extracting fluid.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 where the first outlet of the valve arrangement is operably connected to an inlet of the heat exchanger to return diverted extracting fluid to the inlet of the valve arrangement.

13. The apparatus as in claim 1 where the pressure-sensitive valve assembly comprises:
a first pressure sensitive valve disposed in the first outlet; and
a second pressure-sensitive valve disposed in the second outlet.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to adjust operation of the pump to maintained a desired flow rate.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a flow rate sensor configured to measure an actual flow rate of the extracting fluid, wherein the controller is configured to adjust operation of the pump to maintain a desired flow rate based on a comparison of the measured actual flow rate with the desired flow rate.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first outlet is kept open at a default position of the pressure-sensitive valve assembly by a first elastic element and the second outlet kept closed at the default position by a second elastic element.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first outlet is open and the second outlet is closed at a default position of the pressure-sensitive valve assembly.

18. An apparatus for making a beverage by interaction between a beverage extract and an extracting fluid, the apparatus comprising:
a chamber configured to receive a quantity of the beverage extract;
a heater arranged upstream of the chamber and configured to establish a predetermined temperature of the extracting fluid;
a valve arrangement including:
an inlet operably connected to the heat exchanger and configured to receive the

Assignees

• Mulder Bernardo Arnoldus
• Stolk Theodoor
• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Mulder Bernardo Arnoldus
• Stolk Theodoor

Classifications

• A47J31/461

  Valves, e.g. drain valves · CPC title

• A47J31/5255

  of flow rate · CPC title

• A47J31/5253

  of temperature · CPC title

• A47J31/46 Primary

  Dispensing spouts, pumps, drain valves or like liquid transporting devices · CPC title

• A47J31/545 Primary

  Control or safety devices · CPC title