RESETTABLE COUNT-UP TIMER FOR BEVERAGE DISPENSE

• US 20110042408A1
• Filed: 08/20/2010
• Published: 02/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bunn-O-Matic Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bunn-O-Matic Corporation
• Inventors: Hart, Burton L., Giordano, Samuel A., Knepler, John T.
• Granted Patent: US 9,554,667 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 222/23
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/44 Parts or details or accessories of beverage-making apparatus filters or strainers A47J31/06

Abstract

A beverage dispensing system which includes a server, a sensing system coupled to the server for detecting a quantity of beverage retained in the server, a display coupled to the sensing system, and a count-up timer coupled to the system. The display may provide indicia as to the time and/or freshness of the beverage in the server. A method for sensing and displaying a quantity of beverage in a beverage server which can also include a freshness indicator. A resettable timer is incorporated which cannot be reset until at least the sensing system has been physically or operatively uncoupled from the server. The resetting may also require the sensing system to detect an empty server upon recoupling the sensing system with the server. Further, the resetting may also require monitoring a refill function for refill occurring within a predetermined rate parameter or time.

Claims

1. A beverage dispensing system which includes a server, a sensing system coupled to the server for detecting a quantity of beverage retained in the server, a display coupled to the sensing system, and a count-up timer coupled to the system.

2. A method for sensing and displaying a quantity of beverage in a beverage server.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2 further comprising providing a freshness indicator.

4. The method as set forth in claim 2 further comprising a resettable timer which cannot be reset until at least the sensing system has been uncoupled from the server and the sensing system detects an empty server upon recoupling the sensing system with the server.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising preventing resetting of the freshness timer unless the system detects removal of the sensing system from the server and after recoupling of the sensing system with the server the sensing system indicates a predetermined quantity of beverage being dispensed into the server.