Device for producing hot water or steam on demand using a single

Details Device for producing hot water or steam on demand using a single Device for producing hot water or steam on demand using a single

1996-12-20

1999-08-24

Walberg, Teresa

Electric resistance heating devices

Heating devices

Vaporizer

392480, 219401, 99280, F22B 2906, A23F 122

Patent

active

059434724

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of appliances intended to furnish hot water and/or steam for different operations such as the preparation of hot beverages, cleaning, pressing or cooking. The invention concerns more particularly the structure and operation of a water heater or heating unit, arranged for example, in a coffee maker of the filter of espresso type. Other appliances such as steam generators, pressing irons or steam cookers are equally concerned and do not fall outside of the framework of the present invention.
It is already known, and particularly from the document EP-A-0432460 to make water heaters, for hot beverage machines, in a particular form, in order to transfer and heat the water with an improved efficiency. The water heater described in this prior art document comprises a heating element in thermal communication with a water circulation pipe. The heating element and the pipe have a form substantially in a U with vertical inlet and outlet portions and an intermediate portion which is slightly inclined and rises relative to the horizontal in the direction of water circulation. In addition, the heating element comprises four heating zones which are differentiated and distributed along the water circulation pipe. Such a conception permits in particular evacuation toward the outlet portion of vapor bubbles while preventing their return toward the inlet portion of the pipe.
The drawbacks of a water heater such as described in the document EP-A-0432460 is on the one hand the impossibility of utilizing said water heater to produce hot water or vapor as desired by the user and on the other hand a complexity of fabrication or production which increases its cost.


BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to produce a water heater free of the drawbacks of the prior art and permitting an increase in performance as much with respect to the temperature obtained for the hot water as with respect the speed of preparation of beverages or of production of steam. Such a heating unit equally has for its object to increase the duration of the presence of a large part of the water in a water heater, in a manner to optimize the temperature of all of the hot water distributed.
Another object of the present invention is to furnish a heating unit permitting the distribution of hot water or steam as desired by the user.
A supplemental object of the present invention is to produce a heating unit permitting the distribution of either hot water or steam with a limited number of parts and thus to reduce the cost of such a device.
The objects assigned to the invention are achieved with the aid of a heating unit for a household appliance constituted by a water circulation pipe in thermal communication with a heating element, permitting transfer of water contained in a reservoir toward a distribution member, and through respectively a connection column disposed below the reservoir and the circulation pipe presenting a configuration in two parts associated with a portion of a heating element, the second part extending upwardly to bring the water toward the distribution member, characterized in that the first part, oriented at an angle with respect to the second part, extends between the connection column furnished with a non-return valve and said second part, in an inclined manner and descending in the direction of flow of the water.


BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

The characteristics and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from a reading of the description given below with reference to the attached drawings given by way of non-limiting example in which:
FIG. 1 represents an overall view in cross-section of a heating unit according to the invention,
FIG. 2 represents a cross-section of a part of the heating unit according to the invention,
FIG. 3 represents a construction variation of the heating unit according to the invention.


DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 represents an overall view

REFERENCES:
patent: 3795788 (1974-03-01), Perucca
patent: 3902408 (1975-09-01), Fuhner
patent: 4121508 (1978-10-01), Hartkorn
patent: 4242568 (1980-12-01), Wunderlin et al.
patent: 4262585 (1981-04-01), Leuschner et al.
patent: 4426920 (1984-01-01), Phillips et al.
patent: 4516011 (1985-05-01), Jeffress
patent: 4715998 (1987-12-01), Clow
patent: 4827837 (1989-05-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 5150448 (1992-09-01), Salomon
patent: 5271087 (1993-12-01), Schmid
patent: 5379682 (1995-01-01), Andrew et al.

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