Coffee Machine Standby-to-Brew Shortcut to Reduce User Wait Time
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional coffee machines require users to wake them from standby mode and then select a beverage, necessitating a wait of up to two minutes before the machine can dispense the beverage, and involve rinsing that can contaminate the coffee.
Innovation Solution
A 'shortcut' method allowing a single press of a beverage selection button or signal to switch the coffee machine from standby to operating mode, dispensing the selected beverage immediately without prior rinsing, and optionally using a mobile app to initiate the process remotely.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the coffee machine performs rinsing of the coffee spout during startup, then the coffee spout is cleaned, but the user cannot immediately place a beverage container under the spout and the beverage may be contaminated with rinsing water
Solution Approach 1:
The rinsing function is extracted and separated from the startup sequence. The coffee machine startup process no longer includes automatic rinsing, allowing users to immediately place containers under the spout without waiting for rinsing to complete, thereby eliminating contamination risk while maintaining spout cleanliness through on-demand rinsing only when needed
2Reliability
If the coffee machine requires two separate operations (wake from standby then select beverage), then the machine ensures proper initialization, but the user must wait up to two minutes and interact with the machine multiple times
Solution Approach 1:
The beverage selection action is performed in advance and stored in memory before the user actually needs the beverage. When the user presses the beverage selection button during standby mode, the machine has already prepared the beverage parameters and can immediately begin dispensing after a shortened warm-up period, eliminating the need for a second interaction and reducing waiting time
3Loss of energy
If the coffee machine is in standby mode to save energy, then energy consumption is reduced, but the user cannot obtain a beverage immediately and must wake the machine first
Solution Approach 1:
The coffee machine implements dynamic operation modes that can transition between standby and active states. The system dynamically adjusts its operational state based on user input, allowing rapid transition from energy-saving standby mode to beverage dispensing mode when a button is pressed, thus balancing energy efficiency with quick response capability
Data Source
Figure 1~3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for operating a coffee machine (1) which switches to a stand-by mode when not in use and in which the coffee machine (1) is switched directly from stand-by mode to an operating mode by pressing a beverage selection button (3) and/or by receiving a corresponding signal (4) and directly dispenses the beverage selected by means of the beverage selection button (3) or by means of the received signal (4).