Appliance for preparing hot beverages

• US 6,857,352 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2004
• Issued: 02/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Eugster/Frismag AG
• Original Assignee: Eugster/Frismag AG
• Inventors: Fischer, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): SIMONE, TIMOTHY F
• Application Number:
  US10/814,298
• Publication Number:
  US 20040182248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 327 Days
• Field of Search: 994/95, 995/16, 99279-283, 992/85, 992/89.R, 992/89.D, 992/89.P, 99291-315, 993/233, 392/465, 392/471, 392/480, 392/484, 392/467, 392/502, 392/479, 219/506, 426/433, 426/435, 426/77, 426/144, 426/595, 426/112
• US Class Current: 99/280
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/3623 Cartridges being employed with tape of cartridges A47J31/3652
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/3638 Means to eject the cartridge after brewing
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/58 Safety devices

Abstract

An appliance for preparing hot beverages includes a brewing chamber having an essentially cylindrical outside and at least two chamber parts. One of the chamber parts is movable relative to the other chamber part between a closed position and an opened position. The chamber parts holding a portion container in the closed position. A sleeve having an inside wall is adapted to the essentially cylindrical outside of the brewing chamber. At least two sealing rings for sealing the brewing chamber, encircle a respective one of the chamber parts. The sleeve is pushable over the outside of the brewing chamber in the closed position. Each sealing ring provides a seal between the inside wall of the sleeve and the outside of the brewing chamber.

Claims

1. An appliance for preparing hot beverages, comprising:

a brewing chamber having an essentially cylindrical outside and at least two chamber parts, one of the chamber parts being movable relative to the other chamber part between a closed position and an opened position, the chamber parts holding a portion container in the closed position;

a sleeve having an inside wall that is adapted to the essentially cylindrical outside of the brewing chamber; and

at least two sealing rings for sealing the brewing chamber, each of the sealing rings encircling a respective one of the chamber parts;

wherein the sleeve is pushable over the outside of the brewing chamber in the closed position, and each sealing ring provides a seal between the inside wall of the sleeve and the outside of the brewing chamber.

2. The appliance according to claim 1, wherein the movable chamber part is guided to be fitted together with the other chamber part in the closed position of the brewing chamber and to be separated from the other chamber part in the opened position of the brewing chamber and wherein the movable chamber part and the sleeve are linked, whereby in the closed position of the chamber parts the sleeve is pushed over at least the movable chamber part to create the seal.

3. The appliance according to claim 1, wherein each of the chamber parts has a circular cylindrical wall section on the outside into which a respective one of the sealing rings is inserted, and the inside wall of the sleeve is essentially cylindrical and smooth throughout.

4. The appliance according to claim 1, wherein the sealing rings are installed on the inside wall of the sleeve to form a composite sleeve to act jointly with the cylindrical wall sections of the chamber parts to form the seal.

5. The appliance according to claim 1, wherein the brewing chamber is divided, essentially in middle, into the movable chamber part and an immovable chamber part that is attached to the appliance,

the movable chamber part forms a first half of the brewing chamber that comprises an essentially planar lower inside surface of the brewing chamber, and

the immovable chamber part forms a second half of the brewing chamber that comprises an essentially planar upper inside surface of the brewing chamber.

6. The appliance according to claim 1, wherein the other of the chamber parts is immovable, and the sleeve is arranged to be pushed back along the immovable chamber part so that the movable chamber part is exposed and can be moved between the opened and closed positions.

7. The appliance according to claim 1, further comprising a scraper blade arranged in a movement region of the movable chamber part and being activatable to remove a used portion container from the movable chamber part when the movable chamber part is moved from the closed position to the opened position.

8. The appliance according to claim 7, and further comprising an appliance housing having a support and an end stop, wherein the scraper blade is attached to the support and is pivotable against the end stop.

9. The appliance according to claim 7, wherein the scraper blade is positioned on the sleeve and pivotable against an end stop.

10. The appliance according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one nub-shaped elevation with a brewing water feed bore,

wherein the nub-shaped elevation with the brewing water feed bore projects from an inside surface of one of the chamber parts.

11. The appliance according to claim 10, further including at least one brew discharge line, wherein annular grooves are concentrically arranged on an inside surface the other of the chamber parts and at a distance to an outer edge of the other chamber part, the annular grooves being connected to the at least one brew discharge line.

12. The appliance according to claim 1, further comprising a spring against which one of the chamber parts is pushed within the sleeve when the chamber parts are in the closed position, and a spring-loaded frothing valve coupled to the brewing chamber, wherein the one of the chamber parts is displaced relative to the other of the chamber part under pressure from brewing water in the brewing chamber and counter to the spring while the chamber parts are in the closed position until the frothing valve opens.

13. The appliance according to claim 1, further comprising:

a safety device connected to at least one of the movable chamber part and the sleeve, wherein the safety device blocks feeding of brewing water into the brewing chamber when the brewing chamber is not completely closed and sealed.

14. The appliance according to claim 1, further comprising a programmable flow-through control for programming an amount of brewing water that flows through the brewing chamber.