Coffee machine for hot and iced coffee

Abstract

The coffee machine includes a hot water source for supplying hot water for brewing coffee, a warming plate for heating a container for receiving coffee, and a heating element for heating both the water in the hot water source and the warming plate. The coffee machine also includes a removable insulating member for insulating the warming plate from the container, which insulating the warming plate from the container in an iced coffee setting and which is removed from the warming plate in a hot coffee setting.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 297,488, filed January 7, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0002] The present invention relates to a coffee machine that can be used to make both hot and iced coffee. [Background technology]

[0003] Many coffee machines are designed not only to brew coffee, but also to keep the brewed coffee hot. As such, many coffee machines incorporate a heating pad or plate into the base of the machine. Hot water is then supplied to the brewing chamber where the coffee is brewed and dispensed. A carafe or other container to receive the coffee within the machine is placed on top of the heating plate and below the dispenser that dispenses the coffee from the brewing chamber.

[0004] Many of these coffee machines are provided with a single heating element to heat both the water and the warming plate for brewing the coffee, which is preferred when brewing hot coffee. However, if a user wants to use such a coffee machine to make iced coffee, he or she may want to fill the container with ice so that the freshly brewed coffee cools quickly. The coffee is still brewed as hot coffee and then cooled after it is delivered to the container. If the warming plate is activated, the ice in the container melts. Therefore, even if the warming plate is deactivated after the brewing process is completed, the ice will melt before receiving the brewed coffee.

[0005] Furthermore, since one heating element is used both to heat the water and to heat the warming plate, the coffee machine cannot heat the water without activating the warming plate.

[0006] There is a need for a coffee machine that can provide the benefits of a warming plate for hot coffee, the ability to brew iced coffee, and the efficiency of using a single heating element for both the warming plate and the brewing chamber. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In some embodiments, the coffee machine comprises a hot water source for providing hot water for brewing coffee, a warming plate for heating a container for receiving coffee, and a heating element for heating both the water in the hot water source and the warming plate, and a removable insulating member for insulating the warming plate from the container, the removable insulating member insulating the warming plate from the container in an iced coffee setting, and the removable insulating member being removed from the warming plate in a hot coffee setting.

[0008] In some embodiments, the removable insulating member is a silicone pad, hi some embodiments, the removable insulating member is textured to form an air pocket between the warming plate and the container.

[0009] In some embodiments, the thermal plate has a raised edge. The insulating member is sized to fit within the raised edge. In some such embodiments, the container is also provided, the container having a base sized to fit within the raised edge. The container has a body portion having a cross-sectional area larger than the area within the raised edge, and a shoulder connecting the body portion and the base.

[0010] In some embodiments, the coffee machine further comprises a hot water source, the hot water source comprising a hose extending from the hot water source to the brewing chamber, a portion of the hose being integrated with or located adjacent to the heating element, such that water in the hose is heated before it reaches the brewing chamber.

[0011] In some such embodiments, the heating element is disposed between the portion of the hose and the thermal plate, hi some such embodiments, the heating element is an elongated element secured to a lower surface of the thermal plate. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a coffee machine according to the present disclosure with a container placed in a position to receive coffee;

[0013] [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 shows the coffee machine of FIG. 1 in a hot coffee setting with the container removed.

[0014] [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 shows the coffee machine of FIG. 1 in an iced coffee setting.

[0015] [Figure 4] FIG. 2 shows a heat insulating member used in the coffee machine of FIG. 1.

[0016] [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the heat insulating member of FIG.

[0017] [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the coffee machine of FIG. 1;

[0018] [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a portion including a heating element in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] The description of exemplary embodiments according to the principles of the present disclosure is intended to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered as part of the entire written description. Any reference to direction or orientation in the description of the embodiments disclosed herein is merely for convenience of description and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. Relative terms such as "lower", "upper", "horizontal", "vertical", "upper", "lower", "upper", "down", "top", and "bottom", as well as derivatives thereof (e.g., "horizontally", "downwards", "upwards", etc.) should be construed as referring to the orientation as indicated in the description or drawings at the time. These relative terms are merely for convenience of description and do not require that the device be configured or operated in a particular orientation unless expressly indicated. Similarly, "mounted", "fixed", "connected", "coupled", "interconnected", and similar terms refer to a relationship in which structures are fixed or attached to one another, either directly, or indirectly, through an intervening structure or movable or fixed attachment member or connection, unless otherwise specified. Moreover, the features and advantages of the present invention are illustrated by reference to the illustrated embodiments. Thus, the present invention should not be expressly limited to the embodiments illustrating some possible and non-limiting combinations of features that may exist alone or in combination with other features, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims appended hereto.

[0020] This disclosure describes the best mode of carrying out the present invention currently contemplated. This description is not intended to be understood in a limiting sense, but provides examples of the disclosure presented for illustrative purposes only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, to advise those skilled in the art of the advantages and configurations of the disclosure. In the various figures of the drawings, like reference numerals indicate like or similar parts.

[0021] Figure 1 shows a coffee machine 100 according to the present disclosure with a container 110, for example a carafe, positioned to receive coffee from the brewing chamber 610. Figure 2 shows the coffee machine 100 in a hot coffee setting with the container 110 removed. Figure 3 shows the coffee machine 100 in an iced coffee setting.

[0022] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a heat insulating member 400 used in the coffee machine 100 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the heat insulating member 400.

[0023] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the coffee machine 100 of Figure 1. Figure 7 is an enlarged view of a portion of the cross-sectional view of Figure 6, including the heating element 600.

[0024] As shown, the coffee machine 100 includes a container 110 for receiving brewed coffee, a hot water source 120 for supplying hot water for brewing, a warming plate 130 for warming the container 110, and a heating element 600 for heating both the water in the hot water source 120 and the warming plate 130.

[0025] The coffee machine 100 further comprises a removable insulation member 400 for insulating the warming plate 130 against the container 110. The coffee machine 100 then has a hot coffee setting as shown in Figure 2 with the removable insulation member 400 removed to expose the warming plate 130. The coffee machine 100 has another iced coffee setting as shown in Figure 3. In this setting the removable insulation member 400 is provided on the warming plate 130 and the container 110 is placed on the removable insulation member such that the container is insulated against the warming plate by the removable insulation member.

[0026] The removable insulating member 400 may be a pad formed from an insulating material such as silicone, and may further be textured to form a number of air pockets 410 between the warming plate 130 and the container 110 when the coffee machine 100 is in the iced coffee setting of FIG.

[0027] In some embodiments, as shown, the warming plate 130 of the coffee machine 100 has a raised edge 140. The raised edge 140 defines the area of ​​the warming plate 130. The removable insulation member 400 is then sized to fit within the raised edge 140.

[0028] In some embodiments, the container 110 is provided as part of the coffee machine 100 and comprises a base 150 sized to fit within the raised edge 140 of the warming plate 130. The base area of ​​the base 150 is therefore equal to or less than the area of ​​the warming plate 130. The container 110 further comprises a body portion 160 having a cross-sectional area greater than the area of ​​the warming plate 130, and a shoulder portion 170 connecting the body portion 160 and the base 150.

[0029] The internal parts of the coffee machine 100 are shown in cross-section in Figures 6 and 7, whereby it can be seen that the heating element 600 is located below the heating pad 130.

[0030] The hot water source 120 receives unheated water from a water source 125. Such a water source may be a water pipe attached to the coffee machine 100 or, as in the embodiment shown, a water tank 125 integrated with the coffee machine. The hot water source 120 typically comprises a hose that runs from the water source 125 to the brewing chamber 610. A portion 620 of the hose 120 is integrated with or located adjacent to the heating element 600 such that as the water travels from the water source 125 to the brewing chamber, the water in the hose is heated before it reaches the brewing chamber 610.

[0031] As shown, the heating element 600 is generally disposed between a portion 620 of the hose 120 and the thermal plate 130. That is, the portion 620 of the hose 120 is spaced from the thermal plate 130 by the heating element 600.

[0032] In some embodiments, the heating element 600 may be an elongated element secured to the underside of the thermal plate 130. The heating element 600 may be a resistive element, and the elongated configuration allows a portion 620 of the hose 120 to extend a longer distance along the heating element so that heat can be transferred from the heating element to the water in the hose. Similarly, the elongated nature of the heating element 600 allows the heating element to contact or be secured to the underside of the thermal plate 130 over a larger area.

[0033] In use, water to be used as the brewing liquid is drawn from the water source 125 and enters the hose of the hot water source 120. The water passes through a portion 620 of the hose 120 adjacent the heating element 600 and is heated thereby. The water is then supplied to the brewing chamber 610 where it is used to brew coffee.

[0034] When a container 110 is placed in the coffee machine 100, such container 110 normally pushes up the supply valve 630. When coffee is being brewed in the brewing chamber 610 or has already been brewed, it is supplied to the container 110 via the supply valve 630. When the coffee machine 100 is in a hot coffee setting, the coffee is supplied to the container 110 where it is kept warm by the warming plate 130. When the coffee machine 100 is in an iced coffee setting, the coffee is poured into a container which normally contains ice and is insulated against the warming plate 130 by a removable insulation member 400.

[0035] While the present invention has been described at some length and with certain particulars with respect to several illustrated embodiments, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to those particulars, embodiments, or specific embodiments, but should be interpreted with reference to the appended claims in order to provide the broadest possible interpretation of such claims in view of the prior art, and thus to effectively encompass the intended scope of the invention. Moreover, while the present invention has been described above with respect to embodiments that were foreseen by the inventors and for which enabling descriptions were available, substantial variations of the present invention that are not presently anticipated may also represent equivalents to the present invention.

Claims

1. a hot water source for supplying hot water for brewing coffee; A heating plate for warming the container that holds the coffee; a heating element for heating both the water in the hot water source and the warming plate; a removable insulating member for insulating the heat retention plate from the container; the removable insulating member insulates the warming plate from the container in an iced coffee setting; The removable insulation member is removed from the warming plate in the hot coffee setting. A coffee machine characterized by:

2. The removable heat insulating member is a silicone pad. Coffee machine according to claim 1 .

3. The removable insulation member is textured to form a plurality of air pockets between the warming plate and the container. Coffee machine according to claim 1 .

4. the thermal plate having a raised edge; The removable insulation member is sized to fit within the raised edge. Coffee machine according to claim 1 .

5. The container is provided the container has a base sized to fit within the raised rim; the container has a body having a cross-sectional area greater than the area within the raised rim; The container has a shoulder connecting the body and the base. Coffee machine according to claim 4.

6. In addition, a water source is provided. the hot water source includes a hose extending from the hot water source to a brewing chamber; A portion of the hose is integrated with or positioned adjacent to the heating element such that water in the hose is heated before it reaches the extraction chamber. Coffee machine according to claim 1 .

7. The heating element is disposed between the portion of the hose and the thermal plate. Coffee machine according to claim 6.

8. The heating element is an elongated element secured to the underside of the heat retaining plate. Coffee machine according to claim 7.

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