Apparatus and method for heating water for infusion and the like
First Claim
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1. Apparatus for heating water for infusing coffee or the like, said apparatus comprising:
- heating means supplied by an A.C. power source;
power control means for connecting said A.C. power source to said heating means;
high power means for causing said power control means to apply full A.C. power to said heating means when a high power is required for the operation of said apparatus;
low power means for causing said power control means to apply a portion of subsequent AC cycles to said heating means when a lower power is required, said low power means comprising phase delay means for limiting the application of A.C. power to the portion of subsequent A.C. cycles; and
said power control means including triac means for receiving a control signal from either the high power means or the low power means for applying A.C. power from an A.C. power source to said heater means; and
trigger means having inputs operatively connected to said high power means and to said low power means and whose output is operatively connected to the gate of said triac means, said trigger means generating a current spike for enabling said triac means during each half of an A.C. voltage cycle.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An automatic electric maker for coffee or the like, having user selectable AUTO, BREW, WARM or OFF modes. The temperature of the WARM mode is selectable by applying partial power to the heating element. Full power can be triggered using a phase controlled triggerable semiconductor. Monitoring devices measure temperature and time to control the operator of the apparatus and to detect malfunction. A temperature comparator is provided to determine if the water conduit should be cleaned and to determine if the BREW state of the machine should be converted to the WARM state, and to place the system in the OFF state if necessary.
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Citations
55 Claims
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1. Apparatus for heating water for infusing coffee or the like, said apparatus comprising:
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heating means supplied by an A.C. power source; power control means for connecting said A.C. power source to said heating means; high power means for causing said power control means to apply full A.C. power to said heating means when a high power is required for the operation of said apparatus; low power means for causing said power control means to apply a portion of subsequent AC cycles to said heating means when a lower power is required, said low power means comprising phase delay means for limiting the application of A.C. power to the portion of subsequent A.C. cycles; and said power control means including triac means for receiving a control signal from either the high power means or the low power means for applying A.C. power from an A.C. power source to said heater means; and trigger means having inputs operatively connected to said high power means and to said low power means and whose output is operatively connected to the gate of said triac means, said trigger means generating a current spike for enabling said triac means during each half of an A.C. voltage cycle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 47, 48)
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7. Apparatus for monitoring the temperature of heating means in an electric coffee maker or the like, said apparatus comprising
temperature sensor means operatively connected to said heating means; -
temperature comparator means connected to the output of said temperature sensor means, said temperature comparator means providing at least one output when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor means passes a first higher pre-established temperature threshold and a second output when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor means passes a second, relatively lower pre-established temperature threshold; and state control means for controlling the operational sequence of said coffee maker, said state control means having at least two operative inputs and generating output signals for controlling the logical operational sequence of said coffee maker, the output of said temperature comparator means controlling the operation of said state control means. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. Apparatus for heating a liquid for infusing coffee or the like, said apparatus having a BREW state during which hot water is infused over coffee or the like to brew a hot beverage and a WARM state to maintain the hot beverage at a desired drinking temperature, said apparatus comprising:
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heating means for being power by an A.C. power source; power control means for connecting said A.C. power source to said heating means; high power means for causing said power control means to apply relatively full A.C. power to said heating means during the BREW state; low power means for causing said power control means to apply a portion of subsequent A.C. cycles to said heating means during the WARM state; temperature sensor means operatively connected to said heating means for continuously monitoring the temperature of said heating means; temperature comparator means connected to the output of said temperature sensor means, said temperature comparator means providing at least one output when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor means passes a first higher pre-established temperature and a second output when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor means passes a second relatively lower pre-established temperature threshold, and state control means responsive to the outputs of said temperature comparator means for controlling the status of the apparatus between a BREW state and a WARM state, said state control means activating the high power means during the BREW state and the low power means during the WARM state. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. Apparatus for heating water for infusing coffee or the like, said apparatus being connected to an electrical power source and having at least two electrically operated components, said apparatus having:
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state control means having at least two inputs and at least one output for controlling the sequential operation of said apparatus, said state control means having at least two control states for controlling the respective components; user means for a user to actuate at least one input to select the state of said state control means; indicator means for indicating the state of said apparatus; indicator drive means operatively connected to said state control means for activating said indicator means; heating means supplied by an electrical power source for heating water at a high power level in the BREW state or at a relatively lower power level in the WARM state; power control means operatively connected to said heating means for connecting the electrical power source to said heating means; high power means for causing said power control means to apply relatively full electrical power to said heating means when the BREW state is active; low power means for causing said power control means to apply a portion of the electrical power to said heating means when the WARM state is active; temperature sensor means operatively connected to said heating means for monitoring the temperature of said heating means; temperature comparator means operatively connected to said temperature sensor means for providing a first output to said state control means when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor means exceeds a first pre-established temperature threshold, a second output when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor means exceeds a second pre-established temperature threshold, and a third output when the temperature sensed by said temperature sensor means goes below a third pre-established temperature threshold intermediate to the first and second temperature thresholds; said state control means changing from its BREW state to its WARM state in response to the first time a second output is received from the temperature comparator means and deactivating said power control means; said state control means activating said power control means when said temperature comparator means detects a temperature sensed by said temperature sensor means going below the third pre-established temperature threshold; temperature sensor timer means operatively connected to said state control means and to the first output of said temperature comparator means, said temperature sensor timer means being activated by the initiation of the BREW state of the state control means for causing the state control means to change to the OFF state after a first predetermined period of time in the absence of an output by said first output of said temperature comparator means within said first predetermined period of time; clean timer means activated during the BREW state for a clean time period, by and during the third output of said temperature comparator means when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor means exceeds the third pre-established temperature threshold, said clean timer means activating said state control means for activating said indicator drive means and clean indicator means, in the absence of a second output from said temperature comparator means during said clean time period; system clock means for controlling the sequential operation of the components of said apparatus; and power-up reset means for checking the operability of selected components of said apparatus when an A.C. power source is initially supplied to said apparatus, and for disabling said apparatus when one of said selected components is not operating properly. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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49. Apparatus for heating a liquid for infusing coffee or the like, said apparatus having a BREW state during which hot water is infused over coffee or the like to brew a hot beverage and a WARM state to maintain the hot beverage at a desired drinking temperature, said apparatus comprising:
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heating means being powered by an A.C. power source; power control means for connecting said A.C. power source to said heating means; high power means for causing said power control means to apply full A.C. power to said heating means during the BREW state and low power means for causing said power control means to apply partial power to said heating means during the WARM state; temperature sensor means operatively connected to said heating means for continuously monitoring the temperature of said heating means; temperature comparator means connected to the output of said temperature sensor means, said temperature comparator means providing at least one output when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor means exceeds a temperature THI and a second output when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor means goes below a temperature TLO ; and state control means responsive to the outputs of said temperature comparator means for controlling the status of the apparatus between a BREW state and a WARM state; wherein said temperature comparator means comprises differential, parallel resistor ladder networks, said networks comprising; a first network including resistor means connected in series and supplied by a D.C. voltage to establish at the junction of said resistor means reference voltages corresponding respectively to said pre-established temperatures TLO and THI ; a second network including resistor means and thermistor means connected in series and supplied by the same D.C. voltage as the first network, the voltage at the junction of said resistor means and said thermistor means corresponding to the temperature sensed by the thermistor means at the heating means; and and wherein at least two voltage comparator means, each having two inputs and one output, with one of the inputs of each voltage comparator connected to a corresponding junction of said first network, and with the other input of each comparator means connected to the junction of said second network, wherein a change in sign of the output of a voltage comparator is reflective of the crossing of the temperature sensed by the thermistor means of the corresponding temperature TLO or THI to control the operational sequence of the state control means.
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50. Apparatus for heating a liquid for infusing coffee or the like, said apparatus having a BREW state during which hot water is infused over coffee or the like to brew a hot beverage and a WARM state to maintain the hot beverage at a desired drinking temperature, said apparatus comprising:
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heating means being powered by an A.C. power source; power control means for connecting said A.C. power source to said heating means; power means for causing said power control means to apply full A.C. power to said heating means during the BREW state and for causing said power control means to apply partial power to said heating means during the WARM state; temperature sensor means operatively connected to said heating means for continuously monitoring the temperature of said heating means; THI temperature comparator means connected to the output of said temperature sensor means for generating an output when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor means exceeds a temperature THI, and TLO temperature comparator means connected to the output of said temperature sensor means for generating an output when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor means goes below a temperature TLO, and state control means responsive to the outputs of said temperature comparator means for controlling the status of the apparatus between a BREW state and a WARM state.
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51. Apparatus for heating a liquid for infusing coffee or the like, said apparatus having a BREW state during which hot water is infused over coffee or the like to brew a hot beverage and a WARM state to maintain the hot beverage at a desired drinking temperature, said apparatus comprising:
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heating means being powered by an A.C. power source; power control means for connecting said A.C. power source to said heating means; power means for causing said power control means to apply full A.C. power to said heating means during the BREW state and for causing said power control means to apply partial power to said heating means during the WARM state; temperature sensor means operatively connected to said heating means for continuously monitoring the temperature of said heating means; temperature comparator means connected to the output of said temperature sensor means, said temperature comparator means providing at least one output when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor means exceeds a temperature THI and a second output when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor means goes below a temperature TLO ; state control means responsive to the outputs of said temperature comparator means for controlling the status of the apparatus between a BREW state and a WARM state, and between an OFF state and an ON state; clean indicator means for indicating the formation of mineral deposits in the heating means; indicator drive means for activating said clean indicator means, said indicator drive means being operatively connected to said state control means; and clean timer means activated, during the BREW state, by said temperature comparator means output when the temperature sensed by temperature sensor means exceeds the temperature TLO, said clean timer means activating said state control means for activating said indicator drive means and said clean indicator means after a predetermined time period in the absence of an output by said temperature comparator means when the temperature sensed by said temperature sensor means exceeds the temperature THI during said predetermined time period. - View Dependent Claims (52)
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53. Apparatus for heating a liquid for infusing coffee or the like, said apparatus having a BREW state during which hot water is infused over coffee or the like to brew a hot beverage and a WARM state to maintain the hot beverage at a desired drinking temperature, said apparatus comprising:
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heating means being powered by an A.C. power source; power control means for connecting said A.C. power source to said heating means; power means for causing said power control means to apply full A.C. power to said heating means during the BREW state and for causing said power control means to apply partial A.C. power to said heating means during the WARM state; temperature sensor means operatively connected to said heating means for continuously monitoring the temperature of said heating means; temperature comparator means connected to the output of said temperature sensor means and providing at least one output when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor means exceeds a temperature THI, and a second output when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor means goes below a temperature TLO ; and state control means for setting said power control means to an ON state and to an OFF state, said state control means being responsive to a first-in-time output of said temperature comparator means that the temperature sensed by said temperature sensor means exceeds temperature THI for changing the status of the apparatus from its BREW state to its WARM state and to set said power control means to the OFF state; and
being responsive to a second-in-time output, during the WARM state, of said temperature comparator means when the temperature sensor means goes below the temperature TLO to set said power control means to the ON state, for supplying partial A.C. power to said heating means; andthermal shut-off means operatively connected to said state control means, for changing the state of said state control means from the WARM state to the OFF state in response to a third-in-time output of said temperature comparator means when the temperature sensed by said temperature sensor means exceeds temperature THI. - View Dependent Claims (54)
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55. Apparatus for heating a liquid for infusing coffee or the like, said apparatus having a BREW state during which hot water is infused over coffee or the like to brew a hot beverage and a WARM state to maintain the hot beverage at a desired drinking temperature, said apparatus comprising:
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heating means for being powered by an A.C. power source; power control means for connecting said A.C. power source to said heating means; high power means for causing said power control means to apply full A.C. power to said heating means during the BREW state; low power means for causing said power control means to apply partial A.C. power to said heating means during the WARM state; temperature sensor means operatively connected to said heating means for continuously monitoring the temperature of said heating means; THI temperature comparator means connected to the output of said temperature sensor means, said temperature comparator means providing at least one output when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor means exceeds a temperature THI, and TLO temperature comparator means connected to the output of said temperature sensor means for generating an output when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor means goes below a pre-established temperature TLO ; state control means having a BREW state, a WARM state and an OFF state, said state control means being responsive to a first-in-time output of said temperature comparator means that the temperature sensed by said temperature sensor means exceeds temperature THI for changing the status of the apparatus from its BREW state to its WARM state, and being responsive to a second-in-time output, during the WARM state, of said temperature comparator means when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor means goes below temperature TLO to activate said low power means for applying partial A.C. power to said heating means; thermal shut-off means which are operatively connected to said state control means, for changing the state of said state control means from the WARM state to the OFF state in response to a third-in-time output of said comparator means when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor means goes below temperature TLO ; auto shut-off timer means for changing the state of the state control means from the WARM state or the BREW state to the OFF state after a preselected auto shut-off time period; auto shut-off timer selector means for varying the length of the preselected auto shut-off time period; and said auto shut-off timer means being activated by an output of the state control means at the initiation of the BREW state.
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Specification