Foods and beverages: apparatus – Beverage – Infusors
Patent
1994-09-27
1996-04-23
Jenkins, Robert W.
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Beverage
Infusors
126369, 99293, A47J 3154
Patent
active
055093485
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a coffee maker for the preheating and keeping warm of cups, in particular for hot beverage preparation apparatus, including a support surface for at least one cup and a heat source delivering heat also to a cup resting on the support surface.
To prevent a hot beverage from cooling down shortly after it is filled into a cup due to heat transfer to the cup, resulting in loss of aroma, it is recommended to preheat the cup. This is particularly useful in cases where the quantity of the hot beverage filled in is relatively small by comparison with the volume of the cup, as is the case with espresso, for example.
A known coffee maker for the preheating and keeping warm of cups which finds a preferred application particularly in an espresso maker is comprised of a support surface made of special steel or the like which is heatable by a heat source and adapted to receive thereon one or several cups to be heated, with the heating and keeping warm of the cups being accomplished by heat transfer. For safety reasons, the temperature of the support surface should not exceed 40.degree. C. to 50.degree. C. to obviate the hazards of burning should the user accidentally come in contact with the support surface. As a result of such a relatively low temperature of the support surface, the amount of heat transferred to the cup is relatively low in consequence, so that preheating of the cup takes comparatively long.
Further, from the June 1988 "Espresso Novo" brochure No. 46348 of the firm of Krups Stiftung & Co. KG of Solingen, a coffee maker is known which serves particularly for the preparation of espresso beverages. In this coffee maker, a steam nozzle provided with a valve extends laterally from the housing, the nozzle being normally used for heating and frothing liquids, preferably milk. As described in the brochure, the steam discharged from the steam pipe may also serve the function of heating a cup by placing the cup directly under the jet of hot steam. However, as described in the brochure, when it is desired to prepare an espresso beverage subsequently, it is absolutely necessary for the coffee maker to be cooled down to coffee temperature. During this period, the cup will also cool down so that the advantage of preheating is almost canceled. Since this arrangement does not enable several cups to be kept warm continuously for use, it is not possible to fill several cups with an espresso beverage simultaneously when it is desired to preheat the cups.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a coffee maker of the type initially referred to which affords simple means enabling one or several cups to be preheated to a suitable temperature in a minimum of time and to be maintained at that temperature.
According to the present invention, this object is accomplished in that water is heatable by means of the heat source to a temperature such that vapors and/or steam are formed, and that at least one discharge orifice is provided in the support surface for passage of the vapors and/or steam therethrough to circulate around one or several cups resting on the support surface, thereby heating them. In the device of the present invention, the vapors and/or steam flowing into the interior and/or circulating around the exterior of the cup(s) heats the cup(s) by convection and condensation. Heat transfer is accomplished in a very favorable manner, enabling the cup to be preheated to the desired temperature in a very short time, depending on the temperature to which the water in the water reservoir is heated. As a result of condensation forming as steam or vapors impinge on the cup(s) when the temperature of the cup is still significantly lower than the temperature of the steam, the additional condensation heat occurring in the process contributes to heating the temperature of the cup(s) still further.
To produce vapors or steam with particular ease, the present invention provides for the steam to be generated in an upwardly open water reservoir disposed underneath the support surface. By heating
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patent: 2152410 (1939-03-01), Illy
patent: 3495583 (1970-02-01), Katzman et al.
patent: 3949733 (1976-04-01), Miller et al.
patent: 4287817 (1981-09-01), Moskowitz
patent: 4565121 (1986-01-01), Ohya
patent: 4757753 (1988-07-01), Pandolfi
Hufnagl Walter
Klawuhn Manfred
Muller Roland
Peter Andreas
Schafer Gerhard
Braun Aktiengesellschaft
Jenkins Robert W.
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