Steam milk frother

Abstract

A steam milk frother, relating to the technical field of household appliances. The steam milk frother comprises a frothing device (1). The frothing device (1) comprises a mounting plate (11) and a sealing plate (12); a channel groove (111) and a mixing recess (112) which are communicated with each other are formed in the mounting plate (11); and the sealing plate (12) is detachably arranged on the mounting plate (11) and is in sealing fit with the channel groove (111) and the mixing recess (112) to form a feeding channel and a mixing chamber. A steam inlet (13), a milk inlet (14), and an air inlet (15) are formed in the feeding channel; and a milk froth outlet (16) is formed in the mixing chamber. When cleaning is required, the sealing plate (12) can be removed from the mounting plate (11) to facilitate thorough cleaning of the mounting plate (11) and the sealing plate (12), effectively reducing the difficulty of cleaning the frothing device, and improving the cleaning effect of the frothing device.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] The present utility model relates to the technical field of household appliances, and more particularly to a steam milk frother. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ARTS

[0002] A steam milk frother is an appliance used for making milk froth, which is typically used during the processing of milk and coffee. Its working principle is to simultaneously draw high-pressure steam, milk liquid, and air into a mixing chamber, thereby achieving the purpose of heating the milk, while also making the milk more dense and creamy.

[0003] A Chinese patent with Publication No. CN215077601U discloses a milk froth generating mechanism, which includes a housing and an internal component detachably connected to each other. The internal component has a hollow structure and includes a steam channel, a negative pressure space, and a frothing space that are sequentially communicated with one another, the production of milk froth is completed within the internal component. However, the internal component in this solution has a non-detachable, integrated structure. Consequently, cleaning the internal space of the internal component is relatively troublesome, and incomplete cleaning can easily occur. SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0004] The main object of the present utility model is to provide a steam milk frother, so as to solve the problems of troublesome and incomplete cleaning existing in conventional steam milk frothers.

[0005] The present utility model adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] A steam milk frother includes a frother, the frother includes an installation plate and a sealing plate, the installation plate is provided with a channel groove and a mixing groove that are communicated with each other, the sealing plate is detachably disposed on the installation plate and sealingly cooperates with the channel groove and the mixing groove to form an inlet channel and a mixing chamber; and a steam inlet, a milk inlet, and an air inlet are disposed in the inlet channel, and a milk froth outlet is disposed in the mixing chamber.

[0007] Furthermore, the channel groove is a first recess disposed on the installation plate, and the mixing groove is a second recess disposed on the installation plate; and outer peripheral edges of each of the first recess and the second recess are provided with a convex rim abutting against the sealing plate, or the sealing plate is provided with a convex rim abutting against the outer peripheral edges of the first recess and the second recess.

[0008] Furthermore, a cross section of the convex rim is in a trapezoidal shape.

[0009] Furthermore, the inlet channel includes a head section and a tail section connected to each other, the steam inlet is disposed at the head section, and the milk inlet and the air inlet are disposed at the tail section; and a front end of the head section has a U-shaped structure, a rear end of the head section has a gradually contracting trumpet-shaped structure, and the tail section has a gradually expanding trumpet-shaped structure.

[0010] Furthermore, the installation plate is provided with the steam inlet and the milk inlet within the channel groove, and is provided with a steam pipe and a liquid suction pipe respectively communicated with the steam inlet and the milk inlet.

[0011] Furthermore, the installation plate is provided with a notch at a rear end of the channel groove to form the air inlet.

[0012] Furthermore, the installation plate or the sealing plate is provided with the milk froth outlet and a liquid outlet pipe communicated with the milk froth outlet, wherein the liquid outlet pipe is designed to incline downward.

[0013] Furthermore, a depth of the mixing groove is greater than a depth of the channel groove.

[0014] Furthermore, a connection assembly and a container for containing milk are further included, wherein the frother is detachably disposed at an opening of the container through the connection assembly, and the liquid suction pipe communicates into the container.

[0015] Furthermore, the frother is vertically or horizontally installed at the opening of the container through the connection assembly.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects produced by the present utility model are as follows:

[0017] The frother of the present utility model includes the installation plate and the sealing plate that are detachably connected. When cleaning is required, the sealing plate can be detached from the installation plate, thereby opening the inlet channel and the mixing chamber. This facilitates a thorough cleaning of the installation plate and the sealing plate, effectively reduces the cleaning difficulty of the frother, and improves the cleaning effect of the frother. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of a steam milk frother according to Embodiment 1 of the present utility model.

[0019] FIG. 2 is an exploded schematic view of the steam milk frother according to Embodiment 1 of the present utility model.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an installation plate and a sealing plate according to Embodiment 1 of the present utility model.

[0021] FIG. 4 is a front view of the installation plate according to Embodiment 1 of the present utility model.

[0022] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 4.

[0023] FIG. 6 is a front view of the sealing plate according to Embodiment 1 of the present utility model.

[0024] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 6.

[0025] FIG. 8 is a schematic structural view showing a sealing cooperation between the installation plate and the sealing plate according to Embodiment 1 of the present utility model.

[0026] FIG. 9 is a schematic structural view of a steam milk frother according to Embodiment 2 of the present utility model.

[0027] FIG. 10 is an exploded schematic view of the steam milk frother according to Embodiment 2 of the present utility model.

[0028] In the figure: 1-frother; 11-installation plate; 111-channel groove; 112-mixing groove; 113-convex rim; 114-positioning hole; 12-sealing plate; 121-annular boss; 122-positioning post; 13-steam inlet; 14-milk inlet; 15-air inlet; 16-milk froth outlet; 17-steam pipe; 18-liquid suction pipe; 19-liquid outlet pipe; 2-container; 3-connection assembly; 31-cover body; 32-fixing plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0029] Specific embodiments of the present utility model are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. For a comprehensive understanding of the present utility model, numerous details are described below, but the present utility model can be implemented for those skilled in the art without these details.

[0030] Embodiment 1:

[0031] Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, a steam milk frother includes a frother 1. The frother 1 includes an installation plate 11 and a sealing plate 12. The installation plate 11 is provided with a channel groove 111 and a mixing groove 112 that are communicated with each other. The sealing plate 12 is detachably disposed on the installation plate 11 and sealingly cooperates with the channel groove 111 and the mixing groove 112 to form an inlet channel and a mixing chamber. A steam inlet 13, a milk inlet 14, and an air inlet 15 are disposed in the inlet channel, and a milk froth outlet 16 is disposed in the mixing chamber. During operation, high-pressure steam, milk, and air enter the inlet channel and mix in the mixing chamber, thereby heating and frothing the milk to form a set milk froth. When cleaning of the frother 1 is required, the sealing plate 12 can be detached from the installation plate 11, thereby opening the inlet channel and the mixing chamber. This facilitates a thorough cleaning of the installation plate 11 and the sealing plate 12, effectively reduces the cleaning difficulty of the frother 1, and improves the cleaning effect of the frother 1.

[0032] Referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 8, preferably, the channel groove 111 is a first recess disposed on the installation plate 11, and the mixing groove 112 is a second recess disposed on the installation plate 11. The outer peripheral edges of each of the first recess and the second recess are provided with a convex rim 113 abutting against the sealing plate 12. During installation, a surface of the sealing plate 12 abuts against the convex rim 113 to ensure complete sealing. The sealing plate 12 is preferably a soft rubber having a certain hardness. During design, a sealing interference amount can be adjusted according to the hardness of the sealing plate 12, so as to reasonably design the structure of the convex rim 113. In order to facilitate installation and detachment, the sealing plate 12 selected in this embodiment has a Shore hardness of 50°, the sealing interference amount of the sealing plate 12 is 0.3 mm, and a cross section of the convex rim 113 is designed in a trapezoidal shape. Certainly, in other embodiments, the convex rim 113 may also be disposed on the sealing plate; that is, the sealing plate 23 is provided with the convex rim 113 abutting against the outer peripheral edges of the first recess and the second recess.

[0033] Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the inlet channel (i.e., the channel groove 111) includes a head section and a tail section connected to each other. The steam inlet 13 is disposed at the head section, and the milk inlet 14 and the air inlet 15 are disposed at the tail section. Preferably, a front end of the head section has a U-shaped structure, a rear end of the head section has a gradually contracting trumpet-shaped structure, and the tail section has a gradually expanding trumpet-shaped structure. Such a design allows a pipe diameter of the inlet channel to change regularly along an indexing direction, thereby satisfying conditional requirements of the Venturi effect. In addition, in order to ensure that the high-pressure steam, milk, and air are fully mixed and react inside the mixing chamber, a depth of the mixing groove 112 should be greater than a depth of the channel groove 111. During operation, high-pressure steam enters from the steam inlet 13 into the inlet channel with varying pipe diameters, creating a Venturi effect to suck the milk and air into the channel from the milk inlet 14 and the air inlet 15 respectively, and rushes toward the mixing chamber to froth the milk, which finally flows out from the milk froth outlet 16. It can be seen that a reasonable design of the structures of the channel groove 111 and the mixing groove 112 helps to improve the frothing effect of the frother 1, making the produced milk froth more dense and creamy.

[0034] Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 6, the installation plate 11 is provided with the steam inlet 13 and the milk inlet 14 within the channel groove 111, and is provided with a steam pipe 17 and a liquid suction pipe 18 respectively communicated with the steam inlet 13 and the milk inlet 14. The installation plate 11 is provided with a notch at the rear end of the channel groove 111 to form the air inlet 15. As a preferred solution, the steam pipe 17 and the installation plate 11 are of an integrally formed structure, while the liquid suction pipe 18 and the installation plate 11 are of a split structure, i.e., the liquid suction pipe 18 is detachably connected to the milk inlet 14. In order to simplify the production process of the sealing plate 12 and improve cleaning efficiency, in this embodiment, the steam inlet 13, the milk inlet 14, and the air inlet 15 are centrally disposed on the installation plate 11, and a region C where the sealing plate 12 abuts against the channel groove 111 is designed as a planar structure. Certainly, in other embodiments, the steam inlet 13, the milk inlet 14, and / or the air inlet 15 can also be flexibly designed on the sealing plate 12.

[0035] Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 and FIG. 6 to FIG. 8, the sealing plate 12 is provided with the milk froth outlet 16, and is provided with a liquid outlet pipe 19 communicated with the milk froth outlet 16. In order to facilitate the smooth outflow of the frothed milk and prevent the milk froth from backflowing or remaining inside the frother 1, the liquid outlet pipe 19 is designed to incline downward. In this embodiment, an inclination angle of the liquid outlet pipe 19 is preferably 10°. In other embodiments, as long as smooth discharge of the milk froth can be ensured, the liquid outlet pipe 19 can also adopt other setting manners such as being vertically downward. In order to improve sealing performance of the mixing chamber, an annular boss 121 abutting against a sidewall of the mixing groove 112 can be disposed on the sealing plate 12. In addition, in order to improve assembly accuracy of the installation plate 11 and the sealing plate 12, a positioning hole 114 and a positioning post 122 cooperating with each other can also be provided.

[0036] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the steam frothing machine further includes a connection assembly 3 and a container 2 for containing milk. The frother 1 is detachably disposed at an opening of the container 2 through the connection assembly 3, and the liquid suction pipe 18 communicates into the container 2. Specifically, in this embodiment, the frother 1 is horizontally installed at the opening of the container 2 through the connection assembly 3. The connection assembly 3 includes a cover body 31 and a fixing plate 32. The cover body 31 covers the opening of the container 2, and the fixing plate 32 is detachably connected to the cover body 31 through a snap structure. A clearance space for installing the frother 1 is provided between the cover body 31 and the fixing plate 32, and clearance holes for the steam pipe 17 and the liquid outlet pipe 19 to extend out are provided. Based on the mutual clamping cooperation between the cover body 31 and the fixing plate 32, there is no need to design other connection assemblies 3 between the installation plate 11 and the sealing plate 12, resulting in a more simplified and optimized structure. When the frother 1 needs to be detached, it is only required to detach the fixing plate 32 from the cover body 31, which is simple and convenient to operate. In other embodiments, the sealing plate 12 and the fixing plate 32 can also be designed as an integrated structure, thereby further optimizing the structure of the frother 1.

[0037] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the steam milk frother provided in this embodiment is an auxiliary mechanism of a coffee machine. The steam pipe 17 of the steam milk frother is connected to a steam outlet of the coffee machine, and the liquid outlet pipe 19 is aligned with a coffee cup, thereby enabling the coffee machine to have a function of making milk coffee, which enriches use scenarios and can satisfy diverse needs of people.

[0038] Embodiment 2:

[0039] Referring to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, different from Embodiment 1, in this embodiment, the frother 1 is horizontally installed at the opening of the container 2 through the connection assembly 3. Specifically, the connection assembly 3 in this embodiment only includes a cover body 31. During assembly, the installation plate 11 is first placed at the opening of the container 2 such that an edge of the installation plate 11 abuts against an opening edge of the container 2. Then, the sealing plate 12 is placed on the installation plate 11, thereby closing the channel groove 111 and the mixing groove 112. Finally, the cover body 31 is sleeved on the opening of the container 2, so that the fixation and sealing of the frother 1 can be realized. Compared with Embodiment 1, the connection assembly 3 of the present utility model does not need to be provided with an additional fixing plate, resulting in a more simplified and optimized structure, and the disassembly and assembly of the frother 1 are also simpler and more convenient. Similarly, in other embodiments, the sealing plate 12 and the cover body 31 can also be designed as an integrated structure, thereby further optimizing the structure of the frother 1.

[0040] Referring to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, except for the different fixation manner of the frother 1, a setting manner of the liquid outlet pipe 19 in this embodiment is also different from that in Embodiment 1. Specifically, in this embodiment, a milk froth outlet is disposed within the mixing groove 112 on the installation plate 11, and a liquid outlet pipe 19 5 communicated with the milk froth outlet is provided; that is, the installation plate 11, the liquid outlet pipe 19, and the steam pipe 17 are of an integrally formed structure. Based on this, the sealing plate 12 as a whole can be designed as a planar plate structure, which is more convenient for cleaning.

[0041] The above descriptions are only specific embodiments of the present utility model, 10 but the design concept of the present utility model is not limited thereto. Any non- substantial modifications made to the present utility model by utilizing this concept shall fall within the scope of protection of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A steam milk frother, characterized in that: comprising a frother, the frother comprising an installation plate and a sealing plate, the installation plate provided with a channel groove and a mixing groove communicating with each other, the sealing plate detachably disposed on the installation plate and sealingly cooperates with the channel groove and the mixing groove to form an inlet channel and a mixing chamber; and a steam inlet, a milk inlet, and an air inlet disposed in the inlet channel, and a milk froth outlet disposed in the mixing chamber.2.The steam milk frother according to claim 1, characterized in that: the channel groove is a first recess disposed on the installation plate, and the mixing groove is a second recess disposed on the installation plate; and outer peripheral edges of each of the first recess and the second recess are provided with a convex rim abutting against the sealing plate, or the sealing plate is provided with a convex rim abutting against the outer peripheral edges of the first recess and the second recess.3.The steam milk frother according to claim 2, characterized in that: a cross section of the convex rim is in a trapezoidal shape.4.The steam milk frother according to claim 1, characterized in that: the inlet channel comprises a head section and a tail section connected to each other, wherein the steam inlet is disposed at the head section, and the milk inlet and the air inlet are disposed at the tail section; and a front end of the head section has a U-shaped structure, a rear end of the head section has a gradually contracting trumpet-shaped structure, and the tail section has a gradually expanding trumpet-shaped structure.5.The steam milk frother according to claim 1, characterized in that: the installation plate is provided with the steam inlet and the milk inlet within the channel groove, and is provided with a steam pipe and a liquid suction pipe respectively communicated with the steam inlet and the milk inlet.6.The steam milk frother according to claim 1, characterized in that: theinstallation plate is provided with a notch at a rear end of the channel groove to form theair inlet.7.The steam milk frother according to claim 1, characterized in that: the5 installation plate or the sealing plate is provided with the milk froth outlet and a liquid outlet pipe communicated with the milk froth outlet, wherein the liquid outlet pipe is designed to incline downward.8.The steam milk frother according to claim 1, characterized in that: a depth of the mixing groove is greater than a depth of the channel groove.10             9.The steam milk frother according to claim 6, characterized in that: furthercomprising a connection assembly and a container for containing milk, wherein the frother is detachably disposed at an opening of the container through the connection assembly, and the liquid suction pipe communicates into the container.10.The steam milk frother according to claim 9, characterized in that: the frother 15 is vertically or horizontally installed at the opening of the container through the connection assembly.

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