Title of Invention	DISPENSING MACHINE FOR PREPARING BEVERAGES.
Abstract	A machine for preparing beverages is disclosed of the type provided with a hollow frame (1) comprising a waterfeed unit and an assembly for preparing beverages formed of a plurality of components. The components of the assembly are disposed in a compartment closed at the front by a supporting element (5) for at least one mixing chamber (6) and at least one dispensing nozzle (7) and are supported entirely or in part by the supporting element (5). The supporting element is removably mounted with respect to the compartment.

Title of Invention

DISPENSING MACHINE FOR PREPARING BEVERAGES.

Abstract

A machine for preparing beverages is disclosed of the type provided with a hollow frame (1) comprising a waterfeed unit and an assembly for preparing beverages formed of a plurality of components. The components of the assembly are disposed in a compartment closed at the front by a supporting element (5) for at least one mixing chamber (6) and at least one dispensing nozzle (7) and are supported entirely or in part by the supporting element (5). The supporting element is removably mounted with respect to the compartment.

Full Text	DISPENSING MACHINE FOR PREPARING BEVERAGES Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the preparation of beverages such as coffee, tea, cappuccino and hot chocolate and in particular to a machine for preparing these beverages. Background of the Invention Prior art machines connected to the water mains generally comprise tanks containing soluble products, mixing chambers to mix water with a soluble product or with a mixture of soluble products, dispensing ducts that connect the tanks to the mixing chambers and the latter to the dispensing nozzle, a special unit for espresso coffee, at least one solenoid valve to control delivery of water to the mixing chamber, metering means to meter the exact quantity of soluble product required to obtain a specific beverage and a suction cleaner to clean, after each beverage is dispensed, the dispensing ducts and the mixing chambers from any residue that may deposit. In prior art machines, the components or parts listed above and others not mentioned, are mounted with the exception of the tanks for soluble products in a specific compartment and, in order to restrict the overall dimensions of the machine, they are placed in close contact with one another or superimposed, making it practically impossible to gain access to a part from the front to perform regular or special maintenance operations without having to remove the superimposed parts / or some adjacent parts. Although making it possible to produce a compact dispensing machine, the particular arrangement of the parts inside the machine makes it difficult to access the various parts to perform maintenance operations or to inspect them. In fact, when the dispensing machine \s installed in a public place even the smallest adjustment requires disassembly and subsequent reassembly of one or more components or parts, resulting in an increase in working times and hence in directly related costs or requires access from the rear of the machine, which is somewhat impractical. To solve this problem machines have been supplied equipped with the coffee unit, that is the unit that by grinding the coffee beans and subsequent known operations makes it possible to dispense espresso coffee, provided with runners sliding in specific guides produced on the frame of the machine to allow extraction, as if it were a drawer, of the entire unit with respect to the machine. However, a machine of this type only allows simple extraction of the coffee unit, without however providing easy access to the remaining parts constituting the machine. The object of the present invention is to solve the drawbacks of prior art, by providing a machine for distributing beverages obtained from soluble products the structure of which allows, internally, ergonomic distribution of the component parts so that the different parts may be accessed without necessarily having to disassemble the entire machine. Summary of the Invention These objects are attained by the present invention, which relates to a machine for preparing beverages of the type provided with a hollow frame comprising a water feed unit and an assembly for preparing beverages formed of a plurality of components, said components being disposed in a compartment closed at the front by a supporting element for at least one mixing chamber and at least one dispensing nozzle, characterized in that the components of said assembly for preparing beverages are supported entirely or in part by said supporting element and in that said supporting element is removably mounted with respect to said compartment. An arrangement of this kind allows some components of the assembly for preparing beverages to be supported on the supporting element increasing the free space on the internal walls of the frame. This increases accessibility to those components of the machine directly attached to the fixed walls of the frame. Moreover, the fact that the supporting element can be removed further facilitates access to those components directly attached to it. According to an advantageous aspect of the present invention, the supporting element comprises a supporting plate hinged on one of its sides to the hollow frame and designed to rotate between a position in which, together with the fixed elements of the frame, it defines a closed compartment and an overturned position in which it defines an open compartment. The supporting plate mounted to overturn considerably increases the constructional simplicity of the machine and significantly decreases the adjustment times, during inspection, of the machine. In fact, instead of partial disassembly of the machine, a simple manual operation by the operator is all that is required to gain access to any of its components. According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the assembly for preparing beverages comprises at least one pump, at least one water volume measuring device, at least one boiler and at least one solenoid valve to control delivery of water to said at least one mixing chamber. According to another preferred aspect of the present invention, the assembly for preparing beverages also comprises a unit for preparing espresso coffee supported on the supporting plate. Brief Description of the Drawings Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention shall become more apparent from the description hereunder, provided purely as a non-limiting example with reference to the schematic accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an internal perspective view of an embodiment of the beverage dispensing machine according to the present invention with the supporting element in the closed position; Figure 2 is an internal perspective view of an embodiment of the beverage dispensing machine according to the present invention with the supporting element in the open or overturned position; Figure 3 is an internal perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the beverage dispensing machine according to the present invention with the supporting element in the closed position; and Figure 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment in figure 2 with the supporting element in the open position. Modes for carrying out the Invention Figure 1 represents a possible embodiment of a machine for preparing beverages according to the present invention. In particular, figure 1 shows the hollow frame 1 open, that is without the front covering element, of a machine for preparing beverages according to the present invention. The hollow frame 1 comprises, in a known way, a water feed unit and an assembly for preparing beverages formed of a plurality of components contained in a specific compartment 4, closed at the front, as shown in figure 1, by a supporting element 5 for the mixing chambers 6 and the dispensing nozzle 7. The water feed unit connected to the water mains is constituted by a solenoid valve to control the delivery of water to the system and by a water level control unit 8 that guarantees a minimum level of water in the system. While the elements constituting the water feed unit are attached to the internal walls of the hollow frame 1, the elements constituting the assembly for preparing beverages are fixed to the supporting element 5. The supporting element 5 is constituted by a supporting plate removably mounted with respect to the compartment 4 of the frame. In other words, the supporting plate 5 may be detached from the compartment 4 of the frame to be removed. The supporting plate 5 is connected to the frame 1 by means constituting a hinge to allow it to rotate with respect to one side of the same as if it were a flap. The means constituting the hinges around which the plate 5 rotates may be represented, for example, by pins disposed on one side of the plate 5 and engaged, in a removable way, in specific circular seats (not shown) made on the frame 1 or by other known means. In the embodiment shown in figure 2, the supporting plate 5 hinged on the bottom side rotates downward with respect to it, although, without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention, it is also possible to provide hinging means that allow upward rotation, that is hinging means that allow the supporting plate to rotate with respect to its top side. In detail, the supporting plate 5 can rotate between a position in which in combination with other fixed elements of the frame 1 it constitutes a closed compartment 4, as shown in figure 1, to contain components of the assembly for preparing beverages and a position in which it defines an open compartment 4 as shown in figure 2. The fixed elements of the frame designed to define the containing compartment 4 are represented by two fixed plates 10, 11 disposed crosswise with respect to the frame 1, one top and one bottom, and by the rear 12 and side 13 walls of the same frame. In the embodiment shown in figures 1 and 2 the assembly for preparing beverages is constituted by a pump controlled by a water volume measuring device (not directly visible) designed to meter the quantity of water required to prepare a particular beverage, from a boiler (not directly visible) responsible for heating the water and by a solenoid valve 14 for each mixing chamber 6. All the components of the assembly, that is the boiler, the solenoid valves 14 and the pump, are supported on the supporting plate 5 and therefore simply by rotating this plate they become accessible to an operator entrusted with their maintenance or adjustment. Alternatively, without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention, it is possible to only partly fix the components of the assembly for preparing beverages to the supporting plate 5. In other words, it is possible to fix only some of the components of the assembly, such as the solenoid valves and the boiler, to the plate 5 and the remaining components to a side wall of the frame 1. The assembly for preparing beverages is connected in a known way, via ducts not shown, to the storage tanks 17 of the soluble products which, as shown in figure 2, are disposed at the top end of the frame 1 and are fastened to it. The mixing chambers 6 may also be equipped with specific blenders, not directly shown, to facilitate mixing the soluble product with the water. As mentioned previously, the supporting plate 5 may be detached from the compartment 4 of the frame. For this purpose, for example according to an alternative embodiment, the supporting plate 5 may be provided with two side guides designed to slide in specific tracks disposed on the internal frame 1 of the machine to make its extraction possible, as if it were a drawer, with respect to the compartment 4. Figures 3 and 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the machine according to the present invention and in particular a machine in which the assembly for preparing beverages, in addition to the components listed above, also comprises another unit 18 for preparing espresso coffee. As well as preparing beverages from soluble products, an embodiment of this kind also allows espresso coffee to be made. The unit 18 for preparing espresso coffee, as shown in figure 4, is equipped with a grinder 19 operated by an electric motor 20 to grind the coffee beans and is supported, as shown in figure 4, on the supporting plate 5. Therefore, also in this embodiment all the components for preparing beverages are supported on the supporting plate 5 designed to rotate around one of its sides. As previously illustrated, rotation of the supporting plate, indicated in figure 4 by the arrow F, allows an operator entrusted with their maintenance to access all the components. It is also possible to detach the plate 5 from the hollow frame 1, after disconnecting some ducts, not shown, to gain access to the components of the assembly for preparing beverages or to the components of the water feed unit mounted fixed on the walls of the hollow frame 1. The machines for preparing beverages illustrated above also have all the parts, such as connection pipes and safety valves, not specifically mentioned in this description, that are normally found in similar machines. Various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the supporting element or plate 5 may be made of two adjacent plates hinged separately to the hollow frame 5. In this case, one plate will support, for example, the coffee unit 18 and one plate will support all or part of the remaining components of the assembly for preparing beverages. WE CLAIM : 1. A dispensing machine for preparing beverages, of the type provided with a hollow frame comprising a water feed unit and an assembly for preparing beverages formed of a plurality of components, said components being disposed in a compartment closed at the front by a supporting element for at least one mixing chamber, characterized in that the components of said assembly for preparing beverages are supported entirely or in part by said supporting element and in that said supporting element is removably mounted with respect to said compartment. 2. A dispensing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said supporting element comprises a supporting plate hinged at one of its sides to the hollow frame and designed to rotate between a position in which, in combination with fixed elements of said frame, it defines a closed compartment and an overturned position in which it defines an open compartment. 3. A dispensing machine as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said assembly for preparing beverages comprises at least one pump, at least one water volume measuring device, at least one boiler and at least one solenoid valve to control delivery of water to said at least one mixing chamber. 4. A dispensing machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein said assembly for preparing beverages also comprises a unit for preparing espresso coffee supported on the supporting plate. 5. A dispensing machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein said unit for preparing espresso coffee comprises at least a grinder. 6. A dispensing machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein said mixing chamber comprises a blender. 7. A dispensing machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein said water feed unit is connected to the water mains and comprises a solenoid valve to control the delivery of water to the system and a water level control unit. 8. A dispensing machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein said water feed unit is mounted fixed on the side walls of said hollow frame. 9. A dispensing machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein said unit for preparing beverages is connected to at least one tank for the soluble product and to metering means mounted fixed on the side walls of said hollow frame. A machine for preparing beverages is disclosed of the type provided with a hollow frame (1) comprising a waterfeed unit and an assembly for preparing beverages formed of a plurality of components. The components of the assembly are disposed in a compartment closed at the front by a supporting element (5) for at least one mixing chamber (6) and at least one dispensing nozzle (7) and are supported entirely or in part by the supporting element (5). The supporting element is removably mounted with respect to the compartment.

Full Text

DISPENSING MACHINE FOR PREPARING BEVERAGES
Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the preparation of beverages such as
coffee, tea, cappuccino and hot chocolate and in particular to a machine for
preparing these beverages.
Background of the Invention
Prior art machines connected to the water mains generally comprise tanks
containing soluble products, mixing chambers to mix water with a soluble
product or with a mixture of soluble products, dispensing ducts that connect the
tanks to the mixing chambers and the latter to the dispensing nozzle, a special
unit for espresso coffee, at least one solenoid valve to control delivery of water
to the mixing chamber, metering means to meter the exact quantity of soluble
product required to obtain a specific beverage and a suction cleaner to clean,
after each beverage is dispensed, the dispensing ducts and the mixing
chambers from any residue that may deposit.
In prior art machines, the components or parts listed above and others
not mentioned, are mounted with the exception of the tanks for soluble
products in a specific compartment and, in order to restrict the overall
dimensions of the machine, they are placed in close contact with one another or
superimposed, making it practically impossible to gain access to a part from the
front to perform regular or special maintenance operations without having to
remove the superimposed parts / or some adjacent parts.
Although making it possible to produce a compact dispensing machine,
the particular arrangement of the parts inside the machine makes it difficult to
access the various parts to perform maintenance
operations or to inspect them. In fact, when the dispensing machine \s
installed in a public place even the smallest adjustment requires
disassembly and subsequent reassembly of one or more components
or parts, resulting in an increase in working times and hence in directly
related costs or requires access from the rear of the machine, which is
somewhat impractical.
To solve this problem machines have been supplied equipped
with the coffee unit, that is the unit that by grinding the coffee beans
and subsequent known operations makes it possible to dispense
espresso coffee, provided with runners sliding in specific guides
produced on the frame of the machine to allow extraction, as if it
were a drawer, of the entire unit with respect to the machine.
However, a machine of this type only allows simple extraction of
the coffee unit, without however providing easy access to the
remaining parts constituting the machine.
The object of the present invention is to solve the drawbacks of
prior art, by providing a machine for distributing beverages obtained
from soluble products the structure of which allows, internally,
ergonomic distribution of the component parts so that the different
parts may be accessed without necessarily having to disassemble the
entire machine.
Summary of the Invention
These objects are attained by the present invention, which
relates to a machine for preparing beverages of the type provided
with a hollow frame comprising a water feed unit and an assembly for
preparing beverages formed of a plurality of components, said
components being disposed in a compartment closed at the front by
a supporting element for at least one mixing chamber and at least
one dispensing nozzle, characterized in that the components of said
assembly for preparing beverages are supported entirely or in part by
said supporting element and in that said supporting element is
removably mounted with respect to said compartment.
An arrangement of this kind allows some components of the
assembly for preparing beverages to be supported on the supporting
element increasing the free space on the internal walls of the frame.
This increases accessibility to those components of the machine
directly attached to the fixed walls of the frame.
Moreover, the fact that the supporting element can be
removed further facilitates access to those components directly
attached to it.
According to an advantageous aspect of the present invention,
the supporting element comprises a supporting plate hinged on one
of its sides to the hollow frame and designed to rotate between a
position in which, together with the fixed elements of the frame, it
defines a closed compartment and an overturned position in which it
defines an open compartment. The supporting plate mounted to
overturn considerably increases the constructional simplicity of the
machine and significantly decreases the adjustment times, during
inspection, of the machine. In fact, instead of partial disassembly of
the machine, a simple manual operation by the operator is all that is
required to gain access to any of its components.
According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the
assembly for preparing beverages comprises at least one pump, at
least one water volume measuring device, at least one boiler and at
least one solenoid valve to control delivery of water to said at least
one mixing chamber.
According to another preferred aspect of the present invention,
the assembly for preparing beverages also comprises a unit for
preparing espresso coffee supported on the supporting plate.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention
shall become more apparent from the description hereunder,
provided purely as a non-limiting example with reference to the
schematic accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is an internal perspective view of an embodiment of the
beverage dispensing machine according to the present invention with
the supporting element in the closed position;
Figure 2 is an internal perspective view of an embodiment of the
beverage dispensing machine according to the present invention with
the supporting element in the open or overturned position;
Figure 3 is an internal perspective view of an alternative
embodiment of the beverage dispensing machine according to the
present invention with the supporting element in the closed position;
and
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment in figure 2 with
the supporting element in the open position.
Modes for carrying out the Invention
Figure 1 represents a possible embodiment of a machine for
preparing beverages according to the present invention.
In particular, figure 1 shows the hollow frame 1 open, that is
without the front covering element, of a machine for preparing
beverages according to the present invention.
The hollow frame 1 comprises, in a known way, a water feed unit
and an assembly for preparing beverages formed of a plurality of
components contained in a specific compartment 4, closed at the
front, as shown in figure 1, by a supporting element 5 for the mixing
chambers 6 and the dispensing nozzle 7.
The water feed unit connected to the water mains is constituted
by a solenoid valve to control the delivery of water to the system and
by a water level control unit 8 that guarantees a minimum level of
water in the system. While the elements constituting the water feed
unit are attached to the internal walls of the hollow frame 1, the
elements constituting the assembly for preparing beverages are fixed
to the supporting element 5. The supporting element 5 is constituted
by a supporting plate removably mounted with respect to the
compartment 4 of the frame.
In other words, the supporting plate 5 may be detached from
the compartment 4 of the frame to be removed.
The supporting plate 5 is connected to the frame 1 by means
constituting a hinge to allow it to rotate with respect to one side of the
same as if it were a flap. The means constituting the hinges around
which the plate 5 rotates may be represented, for example, by pins
disposed on one side of the plate 5 and engaged, in a removable
way, in specific circular seats (not shown) made on the frame 1 or by
other known means. In the embodiment shown in figure 2, the
supporting plate 5 hinged on the bottom side rotates downward with
respect to it, although, without departing from the scope of protection
of the present invention, it is also possible to provide hinging means
that allow upward rotation, that is hinging means that allow the
supporting plate to rotate with respect to its top side.
In detail, the supporting plate 5 can rotate between a position in
which in combination with other fixed elements of the frame 1 it
constitutes a closed compartment 4, as shown in figure 1, to contain
components of the assembly for preparing beverages and a position
in which it defines an open compartment 4 as shown in figure 2.
The fixed elements of the frame designed to define the
containing compartment 4 are represented by two fixed plates 10, 11
disposed crosswise with respect to the frame 1, one top and one
bottom, and by the rear 12 and side 13 walls of the same frame.
In the embodiment shown in figures 1 and 2 the assembly for
preparing beverages is constituted by a pump controlled by a water
volume measuring device (not directly visible) designed to meter the
quantity of water required to prepare a particular beverage, from a
boiler (not directly visible) responsible for heating the water and by a
solenoid valve 14 for each mixing chamber 6. All the components of
the assembly, that is the boiler, the solenoid valves 14 and the pump,
are supported on the supporting plate 5 and therefore simply by
rotating this plate they become accessible to an operator entrusted
with their maintenance or adjustment. Alternatively, without departing
from the scope of protection of the present invention, it is possible to
only partly fix the components of the assembly for preparing
beverages to the supporting plate 5. In other words, it is possible to fix
only some of the components of the assembly, such as the solenoid
valves and the boiler, to the plate 5 and the remaining components to
a side wall of the frame 1.
The assembly for preparing beverages is connected in a known
way, via ducts not shown, to the storage tanks 17 of the soluble
products which, as shown in figure 2, are disposed at the top end of
the frame 1 and are fastened to it.
The mixing chambers 6 may also be equipped with specific
blenders, not directly shown, to facilitate mixing the soluble product
with the water.
As mentioned previously, the supporting plate 5 may be
detached from the compartment 4 of the frame. For this purpose, for
example according to an alternative embodiment, the supporting
plate 5 may be provided with two side guides designed to slide in
specific tracks disposed on the internal frame 1 of the machine to
make its extraction possible, as if it were a drawer, with respect to the
compartment 4.
Figures 3 and 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the
machine according to the present invention and in particular a
machine in which the assembly for preparing beverages, in addition
to the components listed above, also comprises another unit 18 for
preparing espresso coffee. As well as preparing beverages from
soluble products, an embodiment of this kind also allows espresso
coffee to be made. The unit 18 for preparing espresso coffee, as
shown in figure 4, is equipped with a grinder 19 operated by an
electric motor 20 to grind the coffee beans and is supported, as shown
in figure 4, on the supporting plate 5.
Therefore, also in this embodiment all the components for
preparing beverages are supported on the supporting plate 5
designed to rotate around one of its sides. As previously illustrated,
rotation of the supporting plate, indicated in figure 4 by the arrow F,
allows an operator entrusted with their maintenance to access all the
components. It is also possible to detach the plate 5 from the hollow
frame 1, after disconnecting some ducts, not shown, to gain access to
the components of the assembly for preparing beverages or to the
components of the water feed unit mounted fixed on the walls of the
hollow frame 1.
The machines for preparing beverages illustrated above also
have all the parts, such as connection pipes and safety valves, not
specifically mentioned in this description, that are normally found in
similar machines.
Various modifications may be made without departing from the
scope of the present invention. For example, the supporting element
or plate 5 may be made of two adjacent plates hinged separately to
the hollow frame 5. In this case, one plate will support, for example,
the coffee unit 18 and one plate will support all or part of the
remaining components of the assembly for preparing beverages.
WE CLAIM :
1. A dispensing machine for preparing beverages, of the type provided with a
hollow frame comprising a water feed unit and an assembly for preparing
beverages formed of a plurality of components, said components being disposed
in a compartment closed at the front by a supporting element for at least one
mixing chamber, characterized in that the components of said assembly for
preparing beverages are supported entirely or in part by said supporting
element and in that said supporting element is removably mounted with respect
to said compartment.
2. A dispensing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said supporting
element comprises a supporting plate hinged at one of its sides to the hollow
frame and designed to rotate between a position in which, in combination with
fixed elements of said frame, it defines a closed compartment and an
overturned position in which it defines an open compartment.
3. A dispensing machine as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said assembly
for preparing beverages comprises at least one pump, at least one water
volume measuring device, at least one boiler and at least one solenoid valve to
control delivery of water to said at least one mixing chamber.
4. A dispensing machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein said assembly for
preparing beverages also comprises a unit for preparing espresso coffee
supported on the supporting plate.
5. A dispensing machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein
said unit for preparing espresso coffee comprises at least a grinder.
6. A dispensing machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein
said mixing chamber comprises a blender.
7. A dispensing machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein
said water feed unit is connected to the water mains and comprises a solenoid
valve to control the delivery of water to the system and a water level control
unit.
8. A dispensing machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein
said water feed unit is mounted fixed on the side walls of said hollow frame.
9. A dispensing machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein
said unit for preparing beverages is connected to at least one tank for the
soluble product and to metering means mounted fixed on the side walls of said
hollow frame.
A machine for preparing beverages is disclosed of the type provided with
a hollow frame (1) comprising a waterfeed unit and an assembly for preparing
beverages formed of a plurality of components. The components of the
assembly are disposed in a compartment closed at the front by a supporting
element (5) for at least one mixing chamber (6) and at least one dispensing
nozzle (7) and are supported entirely or in part by the supporting element (5).
The supporting element is removably mounted with respect to the
compartment.

Documents:

« Previous Patent

Next Patent »

Patent Number

224454

Indian Patent Application Number

01606/KOLNP/2004

PG Journal Number

42/2008

Publication Date

17-Oct-2008

Grant Date

14-Oct-2008

Date of Filing

26-Oct-2004

Name of Patentee

RHEAVENDORS S.P.A.

Applicant Address

VIA TRIESTE, 49, I-21042 CARONNO PERTUSELLA

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	MAJER DOGLIONI LUCA	VIA DE CRISTOFORIS, 14/16, I-22010 CARATE URIO

PCT International Classification Number

A47J 31/40

PCT International Application Number

PCT/IB03/01773

PCT International Filing date

2003-05-07

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1	MI2002A000973	2002-05-09	Italy