BEVERAGE PRODUCTION DEVICE WITH ENHANCED CONTROL MEANS

• US 20130061761A1
• Filed: 05/24/2011
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nestec SA (Nestle SA)
• Original Assignee: Nestec SA (Nestle SA)
• Inventors: Spiegel, Akos
• Application Number:
  US13/700,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20130061761A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 99/285
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/52 Alarm-clock-controlled mechanisms for coffee- or tea-making apparatus ; Timers for coffee- or tea-making apparatus; Electronic control devices for coffee- or tea-making apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/521 the electronic control being performed over a network, e.g. by means of a computer or a handheld device

Abstract

The invention proposes a beverage production device for preparing single-component and/or multi-component beverages comprising: a brewing unit for preparing the component, a user interface (1) providing a plurality of buttons or keys (1a, 1b, 1c) designed for being mechanically operated by a user and having a graphical identification item (3a,3b,3c) associated to the respective button or key (1a, 1b, 1c), a display (2) for displaying information as to the beverages and a plurality of selectable and dynamically allocated functions (5a,5b,5c) by selective pressure on said button or keys (1a, 1b, 1c) of said user interface (1), the display (2) being separated from the user interface (1) and being designed to illustrate a currently set mapping of the respective buttons or keys (1a, 1b, 1c) of the user interface (1) to a selective one of a plurality of functions (5a,5b,5c) by representing the currently set function in close vicinity to a graphical representation (4a,4b,4c) of the respective identification item (3a,3b,3c) of the button or key (1a, 1b, 1c).

Claims

1-18. -18. (canceled)

19. Beverage production device for preparing single-component and/or multi-component beverages comprising:

a brewing unit for preparing the component,

a user interface comprising a plurality of buttons or keys designed for being mechanically operated by a user and having a graphical identification item associated with the respective button or key;

a display for displaying information as to the beverages and a plurality of selectable and dynamically allocated functions by selective pressure on the button or keys of the user interface; and

the display being separated from the user interface and being designed to illustrate a currently set mapping of the respective buttons or keys of the user interface to a selective one of a plurality of functions by representing the currently set function in close vicinity to a graphical representation of the respective identification item of the button or key.

20. Beverage production device according to claim 19,

wherein the display is designed to illustrate a currently set mapping for a predefined number of the respective buttons or keys dependent on an operational state of the device.

21. Beverage production device according to claim 19,

wherein the display comprises geographically distinctive functional areas each being designed to display one of a plurality of functions.

22. Beverage production device according to claim 21,

wherein the geographically distinctive functional areas are designed to be independently activated or deactivated.

23. Beverage production device according to claim 21, wherein the functional areas are located along at least one side of the display.

24. Beverage production device according to claim 19, wherein the graphical representations of the respective identification items of the buttons or keys are adjacent to the functional areas of the display.

25. Beverage production device according to claim 24, wherein the graphical representations are an integral part of the display.

26. Beverage production device according to claim 19, wherein the user interface is distantly located from the display.

27. Beverage production device according to claim 21, wherein the user interface is a pressure key element providing at least one series of buttons or keys in at least one direction, the direction corresponding to a corresponding direction of the functional areas on the display.

28. Beverage production device according to claim 27, wherein the pressure key element comprises respectively left, central and right pressure keys.

29. Beverage production device according to claim 27, wherein the pressure key element comprises respectively a left, central, right, top and bottom pressure keys.

30. Beverage production device according to claim 19, wherein the user interface is located on the top of the device and the display is located on the front of the device.

31. Beverage production device according to claim 19, wherein the device comprises a program to display at least one menu for assisting the user to prepare the beverages.

32. Beverage production device according to claim 21, wherein at least one functional area is a scrolling function of the menu.

33. Beverage production device according to claim 24, wherein the graphical representations are provided as an additional part to the display.