High speed, high volume coffee making apparatus and method
First Claim
1. High speed, high volume coffee making apparatus for restaurants, institutions, and the like, comprising a water tank adapted to continually superheat water, said tank having an inlet communicating said tank with a relatively colder water supply, and an outlet communicating the superheated water in said tank with a coffee urn, means including a liquid coffee concentrate supply for mixing superheated water from said tank with coffee concentrate and passing to said coffee urn in a predetermined ratio productive of potable coffee, means continually refilling said tank from said colder water supply in timed relation with tank water passing to said coffee urn, and means blocking development of a partial vacuum within said tank before refilling is achieved, said vacuum development blocking means comprising means passing steam into said tank in timed relation with tank refilling in a manner offsetting liquid volume changes within said tank.
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Abstract
Apparatus and method for the high speed, high volume making of coffee by preheating then superheating water, mixing with a liquid coffee concentrate and balancing heat demands throughout the apparatus to enable preheating of the receiving urn, storing of heat as steam beyond the boiler, and return of that steam to the boiler responsive to pressure drop caused by differential flow rates into and from the boiler, to enable rapid recovery of the boiler and rapid making of large quantities of coffee.
125 Citations
20 Claims
- 1. High speed, high volume coffee making apparatus for restaurants, institutions, and the like, comprising a water tank adapted to continually superheat water, said tank having an inlet communicating said tank with a relatively colder water supply, and an outlet communicating the superheated water in said tank with a coffee urn, means including a liquid coffee concentrate supply for mixing superheated water from said tank with coffee concentrate and passing to said coffee urn in a predetermined ratio productive of potable coffee, means continually refilling said tank from said colder water supply in timed relation with tank water passing to said coffee urn, and means blocking development of a partial vacuum within said tank before refilling is achieved, said vacuum development blocking means comprising means passing steam into said tank in timed relation with tank refilling in a manner offsetting liquid volume changes within said tank.
- 11. High speed, high volume coffee making apparatus for restaurants, institutions and the like, comprising a tank defining an enclosed supply of superheated water, means periodically delivering a portion of said supply at a relatively rapid rate to a coffee urn in liquid coffee concentrate mixing relation, means regenerating said enclosed superheated water supply by delivery of colder water thereto at a relatively slower rate, and means adding steam to said enclosed supply responsive to flow rate differential development of vacuum in said enclosed supply.
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20. Method for the high speed, high volume making of coffee for restaurants, institutions and the like, including maintaining an enclosed supply of superheated water, periodically delivering a supply portion at a relatively rapid rate to a coffee urn in liquid coffee concentrate mixing relation, regenerating said enclosed superheated water supply by colder water delivery thereto at a relatively slower rate, and adding steam to said enclosed supply responsive to incipient vacuum development therewithin in response to the differential between said flow rates.
Specification