Beverage Brewer Water Delivery Triggered by Heater Cutoff
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of beverage forming devices, such as coffee brewers, may not be aware of the need to provide water, leading to frustration or suboptimal operation, especially in applications like hotel rooms where the brewer may remain empty between uses, requiring fresh water for each brew cycle to ensure beverage quality.
Innovation Solution
The device automatically opens the water reservoir lid when the brew chamber is closed, providing a visual and possibly auditory reminder to add water, and uses a pneumatic seal to deliver water to the brew chamber upon heating, ensuring efficient and controlled water delivery without the need for venting mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the brewer maintains water in the reservoir between uses, then convenient operation is improved, but beverage quality deteriorates due to stale water
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically provides water to the reservoir in advance by detecting when the brew chamber is closed, eliminating the need for users to manually refill water while ensuring fresh water is available for each brew cycle
2Reliability
If the brewer requires manual water refilling, then beverage quality is improved with fresh water, but ease of operation deteriorates requiring user attention
Solution Approach 1:
The brewer system automatically detects when water is needed and activates the water provision mechanism without user intervention, making the system self-servicing while maintaining beverage quality standards
3Device complexity
If the reservoir lid remains closed, then device complexity is reduced, but information feedback deteriorates regarding water level status
Solution Approach 1:
The reservoir lid incorporates visual indicators that change appearance or provide visual feedback to indicate when water needs to be added, maintaining structural simplicity while improving information communication to the user
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution ensures that users are reminded to add water, maintaining the brewer empty between uses and providing a higher quality beverage by ensuring fresh water is available for each brew cycle, while preventing damage to the heater by controlling water delivery based on temperature detection.
Implementation Method 1
A heater may heat the precursor liquid that is provided to the brew chamber
Implementation Method 2
uses a pneumatic seal to deliver water to the brew chamber upon heating
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for forming a beverage. A brewer may be operated so that when water or other beverage precursor is detected to be heated to a desired temperature, the liquid may be provided to a brew chamber to form a beverage. In one embodiment, detection of the water temperature may be performed by a temperature cut off switch (TCO) which is normally closed to provide power to a water heater, but opens when the water reaches a predetermined temperature. Opening of the TCO may cause delivery of the liquid to the brew chamber, e.g., by causing pressurization of a reservoir containing the liquid. In another embodiment, control of delivery of water from the reservoir may be made based on power interruption to the heater. For example, an air pump may be controlled to deliver air to the reservoir in response to power to the heater being cut off.