On-Demand Brew Water Heating for Variable Beverage Temperatures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial hot beverage brewers are limited to a single brewing temperature, requiring separate units for different beverages and lacking user-accessible controls to change temperatures quickly, due to large thermal inertia and design constraints.
Innovation Solution
A temperature-selectable dispense system with an on-demand hot water heating chamber and microprocessor controller, allowing users to manually select and maintain different brewing temperatures for various beverages through a brew basket assembly and dispense spray head, using an elongate electrical heating element and thermal sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a large hot water chamber is used to maintain a single brewing temperature, then temperature stability is improved, but adaptability to brew different beverage types deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamically adjustable heating system where the setpoint temperature can be changed via user interface. The controller dynamically adjusts the heating element operation to achieve different brewing temperatures (e.g., 195°F for coffee, 175°F for tea) while maintaining stability at each selected temperature. This resolves the contradiction by making the previously static temperature system adaptable to different beverage requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows changing the temperature parameter of the hot water chamber by adjusting the setpoint through user interface. The controller modifies heating element operation to achieve different target temperatures, enabling the same chamber to serve multiple beverage types. This directly addresses the adaptability issue while maintaining temperature stability through controlled parameter transitions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the set temperature is changed to brew different beverages, then beverage versatility is improved, but thermal recovery time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary heating or cooling actions when a temperature change is requested. The controller anticipates the need for temperature adjustment and begins the thermal transition process immediately, minimizing idle time. The large chamber's thermal mass is leveraged to reduce the magnitude of temperature changes needed, thereby reducing recovery time while maintaining versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses temperature sensors to continuously monitor the hot water chamber temperature and provides feedback to the controller. When a setpoint change is requested, the feedback mechanism allows the controller to precisely control the heating element operation, optimizing the rate of temperature change and reducing the time required to reach the new setpoint while ensuring accurate temperature achievement.
3Speed
If heating elements are increased in size to rapidly change temperature, then thermal response speed is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial heating action by controlling the heating element to provide just enough energy to achieve the desired temperature change rate. Rather than using maximum power continuously, the controller modulates heating element operation to match the actual thermal needs of the chamber, reducing unnecessary energy consumption while maintaining adequate response speed for temperature transitions.
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
Enables prompt and selective brewing of different beverages at optimal temperatures using routine user controls, reducing the need for multiple brewers and improving operational efficiency by minimizing thermal recovery time.
Implementation Method 1
means for heating water within the chamber
Implementation Method 2
means for sensing the temperature of the water within the chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A beverage brewer (10) with a temperature selectable dispense system having an on-demand hot water heating chamber assembly (30) with a hot water chamber body (86) having a volume substantially less than the volume of beverage brewed during a single brew cycle, a heating element (98) to quickly and substantially alter the water temperature in the chamber body during a single brew cycle and a microprocessor controller (38) for controlling the heating element in response to temperature sensors (40, 42). The controller (38) controls the brewer (10) to brew different types of beverages, with dispense water at different preselected temperatures in response to a manually actuatable switch (72, 74, 76 and 78). The temperature of the dispense water may also be changed from a hotter temperature at the beginning of a brew cycle to a lower temperature during an end portion of the same brew cycle.