Foods and beverages: apparatus – Beverage – Infusors
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-31
2001-10-09
Alexander, Reginald L. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Beverage
Infusors
C099S287000, C099S293000, C099S28900D
Reexamination Certificate
active
06298768
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a beverage serving apparatus, and more particularly to a beverage serving apparatus in which a hot beverage such as coffee, black tea, woolong tea, green tea, etc. is extracted from a raw material thereof.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A typical conventional beverage serving apparatus in which a beverage such as coffee is extracted from a raw material such as coffee beans so as to be served in a cup is shown in FIG.
1
. The beverage serving apparatus shown in
FIG. 1
consists of water supply unit
100
A and beverage preparation unit
100
B.
Water supply unit
100
A is provided with reservoir
101
for storing tap water, water supply pump
102
for transporting the water stored in reservoir
101
under pressure through water supply tubes
102
A and
102
B, cold water tank
103
storing cold water for cooling the water flowing in water supply tube
102
A, cold water supply valve
104
for discharging the cold water cooled in cold water tank
103
in accordance with a serving command for cold syrup juice, hot water tank
105
for heating the water supplied thereto through water supply tube
102
B and storing the hot water thus obtained, hot water supply valve
106
A for supplying the water stored in hot water tank
105
to hot water supply tube
107
A in accordance with a serving command for regular coffee, hot water supply valve
106
B for supplying the water stored in hot water tank
105
to hot water supply tube
107
B in accordance with a serving command for instant coffee, and re-heating heater block
108
for heating again the hot water flowing in hot water supply tubes
107
A and
107
B.
Tap water is supplied to reservoir
101
from water supply tube
101
b
through water supply valve
101
a
. The water stored in reservoir
101
passes, on the one hand, through water supply tube
102
A having cold water supply valve
104
thereon so as to be discharged out of cold water-supplying nozzle
104
A and, on the other hand, through water supply tube
102
B having water supply valve
102
C thereon to hot water tank
105
. The cold water cooled in cold water tank
103
is discharged out of cold water-supplying nozzle
104
A at an end of water supply tube
102
A. Hot water tank
105
is provided with heater
105
A for heating the water in the tank to a temperature not lower than a predetermined temperature (for example, 95).
Beverage preparation unit
100
B is provided with regular coffee canister
109
for storing the powdered raw material (raw material, hereinbelow) for regular coffee to be supplied to beverage extraction unit
100
C (explained below) ; raw material chute
110
for receiving the raw material for regular coffee; beverage extraction unit
100
C for mixing the raw material and hot water supplied from hot water supply tube
107
B and extracting regular coffee to be supplied to beverage supply tube
22
C; sugar canister
111
for storing sugar to be supplied to raw material chute
114
; instant coffee canister
112
for storing powdered instant coffee to be supplied to raw material chute
114
; milk canister
113
for storing milk to be supplied to raw material chute
114
; raw material chute
114
for receiving sugar, instant coffee and milk to be supplied to mixing bowl
115
(explained below); mixing bowl
115
for mixing sugar, milk, raw material and hot water to prepare coffee to be served; cup supply apparatus
116
for storing and supplying cups C; cup receiver
117
for receiving cup C supplied from cup supply apparatus
116
; waste bucket
118
for receiving and storing wastes, being placed under cup receiver
117
; and steam exhaust tubes
119
A and
119
B having blower fan
120
at distal ends thereof, for exhaling steam produced in beverage extraction unit
100
C and mixing bowl
115
.
Regular coffee canister
109
has outlet
109
A. The raw material stored in regular coffee canister
109
is discharged from outlet
109
A and supplied to beverage extraction unit
100
C by way of raw material chute
110
in accordance with a serving command for regular coffee. Sugar canister
111
has outlet
111
A, from which sugar stored in sugar canister
111
is discharged from and supplied to raw material chute
114
in accordance with a serving command for regular coffee or instant coffee, either with sugar. Instant coffee canister
112
has outlet
112
A, from which the raw material for instant coffee stored in instant coffee canister
112
is discharged to raw material chute
114
in accordance with a serving command for instant coffee. Milk canister
113
has outlet
113
A, from which milk stored in milk canister
113
is discharged to raw material chute
114
in accordance with a serving command for regular coffee or instant coffee, either with milk.
Mixing bowl
115
has nozzle
115
A. Regular coffee supplied from beverage supply tube
22
C, sugar, milk and the raw material for instant coffee supplied by way of raw material chute
114
, and hot water supplied from hot water supply tube
107
B are selectively received by mixing bowl
115
, in accordance with a serving command for a coffee beverage, and supplied to cup C through nozzle
115
A. Cups C stored in cup supply apparatus
116
are supplied to cup receiver
117
and placed at the position to receive cold water discharged from nozzle
104
A (in water supply unit
100
A), the coffee beverage discharged from nozzle
115
A and, in addition, syrup supplied from a syrup canister, not shown. Cold water, the coffee beverage or syrup is thus received by cup C. Steam produced in beverage extraction unit
100
C and mixing bowl
115
is exhaled through steam exhaust tubes
119
A and
119
B, respectively, by the help of blower fan
120
provided at their distal ends, in order to prevent outlets
109
A,
111
A,
112
A and
113
A of canisters
109
,
111
,
112
and
113
, respectively, from being choked by steam.
Beverage extraction unit
100
C is provided with cylinder
20
for agitating the mixture of the raw material supplied from regular coffee canister
109
with hot water supplied from hot water supply tube
107
A and discharging the mixture downward, paper filter
21
for filtering the mixture discharged from cylinder
20
, beverage receiver
22
for receiving regular coffee extracted by filtration with paper filter
21
and supplying it to beverage supply tube
22
C, air pump
5
for supplying compressed air to cylinder
20
and beverage receiver
22
through upper air valve
50
and lower air valve
51
, respectively, and heater block
121
for heating cylinder
20
to prevent lowering of the temperature of hot mixture in cylinder
20
.
Cylinder
20
is supported by a guide rail, not shown, to be movable up and down. Paper filter
21
is located under cylinder
20
to receive the mixture prepared therein. Cylinder
20
consists of receiving chamber
20
a
for receiving the raw material and hot water, and extraction chamber
20
b
for extracting the beverage from the mixture of the raw material and hot water received in receiving chamber
20
a
. Receiving chamber
20
a
and extraction chamber
20
b
are communicated with each other through a conduit (not shown) which is opened and closed by a valve (not shown).
Upper air valve
50
and lower air valve
51
are each opened and closed according to the state of extraction in beverage extraction unit
100
C. In the agitation process, upper air valve
50
is closed and lower air valve
51
is opened so as to supply compressed air from air pump
5
to beverage receiver
22
. In the extraction process, upper air valve
50
is opened and lower air valve
51
is closed so as to supply compressed air to the upper part of extraction chamber
20
b
from air pump
5
.
Heater block
121
is provided with heater
121
A inside. Heater block
121
mounted on the outer surface of extraction chamber
20
b
serves to heat cylinder
20
, thereby the temperature of hot water within cylinder
20
is prevented from lowering due to transfer of the heat to cylinder
20
from the hot water.
The operation of preparing regular coffee in the b
Alexander Reginald L.
McDermott & Will & Emery
Sanyo Electric Co,. Ltd.
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