Foods and beverages: apparatus – Mechanical – fluid or heat treatment of dairy food – With temperature or atmosphere modification
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-23
2001-09-18
Simone, Timothy F. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Mechanical, fluid or heat treatment of dairy food
With temperature or atmosphere modification
C099S275000, C099S293000, C099S323100, C099S452000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06289796
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to hot milk dispensers.
2. Description of Prior Art
The invention relates more particularly to dispensing hot milk in a kitchen or cafe outlet. It is usual to have such a dispenser for use with and often incorporated in a coffee maker, or similar. Typically, this enable cappuccino coffee or similar beverages to be mixed up or dispensed at a common location.
It is well-known to prepare frothed milk by flowing steam from a nozzle in to a surface of cold milk in a vessel and skilfully moving the vessel up and down relative to the end of the nozzle. It is also known to heat up milk by immersing and keeping the nozzle below the surface of cold milk to prepare hot milk that is not frothed. Non-frothed milk should have no foaming at the surface of the milk and be generally hot enough not to affect any coffee that it is added to, for example. In any event, although the same equipment may be used for producing hot frothed milk or hot non-frothed milk, nozzle adjustments, often manually controlled, must be made during or for producing one or the other.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to overcome or at least reduce this problem.
According to the invention there is provided a single unit milk dispenser for producing hot frothed milk and hot non-frothed milk using milk and steam, the dispenser comprising a reservoir for containing a supply of milk, means for supplying steam under pressure, a first chamber, an adjustable valve to allow a flow milk into the first chamber, a first aperture in the base of the first chamber, a first steam outlet nozzle directed towards the first aperture to blow the milk from the first chamber into an expansion chamber where the milk is frothed by the steam, a second aperture in the base of the expansion chamber leading to a collection chamber for collecting frothed milk that exits from the expansion chamber, and a dispensing outlet at the base of the collection chamber, a flow passage between the adjustable valve and the expansion chamber to allow milk to be supplied from the reservoir into the expansion chamber, a second steam outlet nozzle for supplying steam under pressure directed across the collection chamber above the dispensing outlet to swirl and heat milk passing through the second valve towards the dispensing outlet, means for selectively supplying steam either to the first steam outlet nozzle for providing hot frothed milk at the dispensing outlet or to the second steam outlet nozzle for providing hot-non-frothed milk at the dispensing outlet.
The flow passage preferably comprises the first aperture, the first chamber, and the second aperture.
The second aperture is preferably formed in a raised central part of a closure base plate that tends to cause the frothed milk to swirl around inside the base of the expansion chamber.
The second steam outlet nozzle may be mounted next to the first steam outlet nozzle and a flow passage provided between the second nozzle and an aperture in a side of collection chamber.
The aperture in the side of the collection chamber is preferably provided in a side of a hollow cylinder surrounded by a compartment to allow steam and milk to swirl both around in the collection chamber and in the compartment.
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patent: 5154112 (1992-10-01), Wettern
patent: 5295431 (1994-03-01), Schiettecatte et al.
patent: 5335588 (1994-08-01), Mahlich
patent: 5423245 (1995-06-01), Midden
patent: 5464574 (1995-11-01), Mahlich
Jackson Walker L.L.P.
Simatelex Manufactory Company Limited
Simone Timothy F.
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