WO2020088862A1

WO2020088862A1 - A coffee machine

Info

Publication number: WO2020088862A1
Application number: PCT/EP2019/076389
Authority: WO
Inventors: Fatih KASAP; Mutlu IPEK; Varol KAYISDAG; Mehmet Kaya; Emre KARAAGAC
Original assignee: Arcelik Anonim Sirketi
Priority date: 2018-11-02
Filing date: 2019-09-30
Publication date: 2020-05-07

Abstract

The present invention relates to a coffee machine (1) comprising a body (2), a brewing pot (3) which is disposed on the body (2) and wherein the brewing process is performed, and a ceiling (4) which is connected to the body (2) and which covers the brewing pot (3).

Description

A COFFEE MACHINE

The present invention relates to a coffee machine for brewing Turkish coffee.

In beverage preparation machines, especially in the coffee machines used for brewing fine-grained Turkish coffee it is important to mix the powdered raw material and the water well. It is possible for raw materials, such as ground coffee, to agglomerate in water and remain undissolved until the end of the beverage preparation process. This results in that the agglomerated raw material disturbs the user in Turkish coffee and the desired coffee taste cannot be achieved. In addition, one of the most important desirable properties of Turkish coffee is that it must be served very foamy. The most important dynamics of foam formation requires the coffee to be thoroughly mixed with water before the heating process. Stirring after the heating process starts causes the formed foam to be removed. In state of the art coffee machines, in addition to transferring water to the brewing pot by jet, it is known to move the coffee pot, in other words the brewing pot at the beginning of the cooking process in order to make Turkish coffee foamy; however, problems such as mechanical parts malfunctioning due to the nature of the movement arise. The use of mobile nozzles in mixing mixtures is known; however, moving the nozzle requires a large area within the product while increasing the costs. On the contrary, it is desirable that coffee machines suitable for use on kitchen counters occupy little space and are cost-effective.

In the state of the art International Patent Application No. WO2018029538, a moving nozzle is disclosed for improving the efficiency of stirring.

In the state of the art International Patent Application No. WO2016162181, a coffee machine is disclosed wherein the brewing pot is moved to better mix the coffee-water mixture.

In the state of the art United States Patent Application No. US2018140128, a stirrer is disclosed, which is disposed on the base of the brewing pot for preventing agglomeration.

In the state of the art International Patent Application No. WO02056740, the use of water jet is disclosed for preventing agglomeration and for improving the effect of stirring.

The aim of the present invention is the realization of a coffee machine wherein the agglomeration of the coffee being brewed is prevented and the amount of foam is increased.

The coffee machine realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention, explicated in the first claim and the respective claims thereof, comprises at least one fluid oscillator which provides the oscillation of the water sprayed into the brewing pot where the coffee is brewed. By using a fluid oscillator as water spraying nozzle, the water is naturally oscillated without the need for moving the water head, and the agglomerated coffee is dissolved and the coffee-water mixture is aerated and thoroughly mixed to ensure that the coffee is foamy. Said advantages benefits are obtained at very low cost without the use of an extra stirrer or moving nozzle head for mixing the mixture in the brewing pot.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the fluid oscillator sprays water towards the inner side wall of the brewing pot, in other words the water sprayed first hits the inner side wall of the brewing pot. Thus, the need for using another nozzle in the cleaning of the brewing pot is eliminated, and in the cleaning process the fluid oscillator sweeps the inner side walls of the brewing pot with water, thus cleaning the coffee adhered onto the inner side wall. Moreover, in the coffee brewing process, by applying force onto the coffee-water mixture from the farthest possible point/region from the center of the brewing pot, the mixture is enabled to be stirred at the highest speed possible, and thus the coffee being brewing is provided with a lot of foam.

In another embodiment of the present invention, two fluid oscillators spray water into the brewing pot. The fluid oscillators are positioned oppositely and back-to-face or face-to-face on the ceiling covering the brewing pot. In one version of this embodiment, the fluid oscillators spray water in the same phase, in other words both fluid oscillators simultaneously spray water to the right or left side. Thus, the mixture can be rotated faster, and both the agglomerated coffee is dissolved and the coffee becomes more foamy than its counterparts. In another version of this embodiment, the fluid oscillators spray water in different phases such that there is a 180 degree difference between the phases, in other words one spraying water to the right and the other spraying water to the left. Thus, it is ensured that the coffee-water mixture is enabled to be mixed by aeration with the constructive interference the oppositely sprayed water waves without being rotated in the brewing pot. In this version, the above-described advantages are achieved as well.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the fluid oscillator is positioned such that the end thereof is closer to the wall of the brewing pot than to other parts of the wall. In other words, during the oscillation of the sprayed water, the water sprayed to one side covers a shorter path than the water sprayed to the other side and hits the inner side wall or base of the brewing pot. Thus, the inner side walls of the brewing pot are enabled to be swept thoroughly with water and the coffee-water mixture is enabled to be stirred rapidly.

By means of the coffee machine of the present invention, by distributing the water by oscillating from a single point, water is sprayed without any pressure drop. By sending the same amount of water into the brewing pot by means of a fluid oscillator instead of a plurality of nozzles for a longer time, the coffee-water mixture is enabled to be stirred for a longer time. Thus, the amount of agglomerated coffee particles in the coffee being brewed is minimized and it is ensured that the coffee is always foamy. Moreover, the size of the coffee machine can be kept small since complex nozzle structures are not used.

A coffee machine realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where:

Figure 1 - is the perspective view of the coffee machine.

Figure 2 - is the schematic view of the coffee machine in an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 – is the perspective view of the fluid oscillator and the brewing pot in an embodiment of the present invention.

The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

Coffee machine
Body
Brewing pot
Ceiling
Fluid oscillator

The coffee machine (1) comprises a body (2), a brewing pot (3) which is disposed on the body (2) and wherein the brewing process is performed, and a ceiling (4) which is connected to the body (2) and which covers the brewing pot (3). The user starts the coffee brewing process by placing the brewing pot (3) in the space between the body (2) and the ceiling (4). The water is transferred into the brewing pot (3) by the coffee machine (1) or by the user. The coffee is brewed by operating a heater (not shown in figures) positioned in the body (2) so as to be under the brewing pot (3).

The coffee machine (1) of the present invention comprises at least one fluid oscillator (5) which is disposed on the ceiling (4) and which enables the water to be delivered into the brewing pot (3) in an oscillated manner. The fluid oscillator (5) enables water to be sprayed onto the coffee-water mixture in the brewing pot (3). Water from an external or internal water tank (not shown in figures) is transferred to the fluid oscillator (5) by means of a pump (not shown in figures). Due to the structure of the fluid oscillator (5), the sprayed water naturally oscillates by itself, and the coffee-water mixture is fluctuated and aerated, thus enabling the coffee-water mixture to be better stirred.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the fluid oscillator (5) sprays water onto the inner side wall of the brewing pot (3). The fluid oscillator (5) is positioned on the ceiling (4) such that the water sprayed hits the inner side wall of the brewing pot (3) and that the water firstly washes the inner side wall of the brewing pot (3). By spraying the water away from the center of the brewing pot (3), it is possible to stir the coffee-water mixture more quickly.

In another version of this embodiment, in the coffee machines (1) with the cleaning function of the brewing pot (3) in addition to the coffee brewing process, the interior of the brewing pot (3) is enabled to be cleaned more effectively. By making the water hit the inner side walls of the brewing pot (3) by oscillating, the coffee adhered to the inner side walls is easily removed.

In another embodiment of the present invention, two fluid oscillators (5) are oppositely positioned on the ceiling (4). The fluid oscillators (5) may be positioned face to face or positioned back to back. In case the fluid oscillators (5) are facing each other, the fluid oscillators (5) spray water towards each other and in case facing back to back, the fluid oscillators (5) spray water away from each other.

In a version of this embodiment, the fluid oscillators (5) simultaneously spray water onto the same side of the brewing pot (3). In this embodiment, the water sprayed from the two fluid oscillators (5) hit each other such that the water waves make a constructive interference and the coffee-water mixture is stirred by rippling. The continuous rippling of the coffee-water mixture ensures that, if present, the agglomerated coffee is dissolved.

In another version of this embodiment, the fluid oscillators (5) simultaneously spray water on different sides of the brewing pot (3). Thus, the mixture in the brewing pot (3) can be stirred by rotating. By the fluid oscillators (5) spraying water in an oscillated manner, the direction of rotation of the mixture is continuously changed such that the agglomerated coffee is dissolved during the change of direction and the coffee-water mixture is stirred well.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the fluid oscillator (5) is positioned at an acute angle to the plane passing through the center of the brewing pot (3) base. By positioning the end of the fluid oscillator (5) closer to the side wall of the brewing pot (3) so as to spray water asymmetrically into the brewing pot (3), both the inner side wall of the brewing pot (3) is cleaned and the coffee-water mixture is stirred well.

In the coffee machine (1) of the present invention, without using a moving part, the water sprayed by the fluid oscillator (5) oscillates without the water pressure decreasing, and while the agglomerated coffee is dissolved the coffee-water mixture is effectively stirred, thus providing a foamy coffee. By positioning the fluid oscillator (5) outside the brewing pot (3), no component gets dirty in a manner to require cleaning during stirring and user satisfaction is increased.

Claims

A coffee machine (1) comprising a body (2), a brewing pot (3) which is disposed on the body (2) and wherein the brewing process is performed, and a ceiling (4) which is connected to the body (2) and which covers the brewing pot (3), characterized by at least one fluid oscillator (5) which is disposed on the ceiling (4) and which enables the water to be delivered into the brewing pot (3) in an oscillated manner.
A coffee machine (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by the fluid oscillator (5) which sprays water onto the inner side wall of the brewing pot (3).
A coffee machine (1) as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized by two fluid oscillators (5) which are positioned oppositely on the ceiling (4).
A coffee machine (1) as in Claim 3, characterized by the fluid oscillators (5) which simultaneously spray water onto the same side of the brewing pot (3).
A coffee machine (1) as in Claim 3, characterized by the fluid oscillators (5) which simultaneously spray water onto different sides of the brewing pot (3).
A coffee machine (1) as in any one of the above claims, characterized by the fluid oscillator (5) which is positioned at an acute angle to the plane passing through the center of the brewing pot (3) base.