Coffee maker

• US 4,406,217 A
• Filed: 12/28/1981
• Issued: 09/27/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Oota, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): JENKINS, ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US06/335,288
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 99/286, 99/280, 99/281, 99/282, 99/284, 99/285, 99/288, 99/198, 99/300, 99/304, 99/307, 99/287, 307/141.4, 307/141.8, 318/484, 219/297, 219/302
• US Class Current: 99/280
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/42 Beverage-making apparatus with incorporated grinding or roasting means for coffee coffee mills A47J42/00; coffee roasters in general A23N12/08
• 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

Abstract

A coffee maker is provided with a mill mechanism, a drip mechanism and a control device. The control device contains a mill time setting counter for setting a milling time of coffee beans in the form of digital data, a drive circuit for driving the mill mechanism and a drive circuit for driving the drip mechanism. When a start signal is supplied to the control device, the mill mechanism is driven only for the milling time set. After the lapse of the milling time, the drip mechanism is automatically actuated to brew coffee.

Claims

1. A coffee maker comprising:

a mill mechanism for milling coffee beans contained in a case into coffee powder;

a drip mechanism for pouring hot water to the case and extracting coffee from the coffee powder, said drip mechanism including a heater for heating water;

means for setting an operation period of time of said mill mechanism in the form of digital data;

means for driving said mill mechanism in accordance with the operation period of time set in said setting means;

means for storing drip sequence data of said drip mechanism; and

means for controlling the activation of said heater in response to the drip sequence data stored in said storing means.

2. A coffee maker according to claim 1, further including means for setting timer data, wherein said driving means starts driving said mill mechanism in response to the timer data set in said timer data setting means.

3. A coffee maker according to claim 1, wherein said operation period setting means includes a counter for counting the operation period of time, a start switch for providing said counter with a start signal for the counting operation, and a set switch for setting the operation period of time in said counter.

4. A coffee maker according to claim 3, wherein said operation period setting means further includes a standard operation switch for providing said counter with a standard operation signal, said counter counting a standard operation period of time upon receipt of the standard operation signal from said standard operation switch.

5. A coffee maker according to claim 1, wherein said storing means includes a regular coffee set switch, a strong coffee set switch, and a memory for storing the drip sequence data of regular coffee and strong coffee and providing said controlling means with the drip sequence data of regular and strong coffee in accordance with the operation of said regular coffee and strong coffee set switches, respectively.

6. A coffee maker according to claim 1, wherein said controlling means includes a coffee volume set switch for setting coffee volume to be served, and a heater power control means for controlling electrical power supplied to said heater in accordance with the operation of said coffee volume set switch.

7. A coffee maker according to claim 6, wherein said controlling means further includes a heater ON/OFF control means for controlling to turn on and off said heater in response to the drip sequence data.

8. A coffee maker comprising:

a mill mechanism for milling coffee beans contained in a case into coffee powder;

a drip mechanism for pouring hot water to the case and extracting coffee from the coffee powder, said drip mechanism including a heater for heating water;

a counter for counting an operation period of time of said mill mechanism;

a start switch for enabling said counter to start the counting operation;

an operation period set switch for setting the operation period of time in said counter;

means for driving said mill mechanism in response to the output signal of said counter during the operation period of time;

a regular coffee set switch for producing a regular coffee set signal;

a strong coffee set switch for producing a strong coffee set signal;

a memory for storing drip sequence data of regular coffee and strong coffee, and reading out the drip sequence data of regular coffee and strong coffee at the timing of the counting operation of said counter in accordance with the operation of said regular coffee and strong coffee set switches, respectively; and

means for controlling the activation of said heater in response to the drip sequence data read out from said memory.

9. A coffee maker according to claim 8, further including timer means for setting timer data, wherein said counter automatically starts the counting operation in response to the timer data set in said timer means.

10. A coffee maker according to claim 9, wherein said timer means includes a clock counter for counting current clock data, a timer counter for counting timer data, an hour data set switch for setting hour data in said clock counter and said timer counter, and a minute data set switch for setting minute data in said clock counter and said timer counter.

11. A coffee maker according to claim 8, wherein said controlling means includes a coffee volume set switch for setting coffee volume to be served, a heater power control means for controlling electrical power supplied to said heater in accordance with the operation of said coffee volume set switch, and a heater ON/OFF control means for controlling to turn on and off said heater in response to the drip sequence data read out from said memory.

12. A coffee maker according to claim 11, further including a standard operation switch for producing a standard operation signal, wherein said counter counts a standard operation period of time upon receipt of the standard operation signal, said memory reads out the drip sequence data of regular coffee in response to the standard operation signal, and said heater power control means provides said heater with the electrical power necessary for heating a standard operation volume of the water in accordance with the standard operation signal.