Machine for the production of coffee

• US 8,752,478 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2011
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: La San Marco SpA (SEB SA)
• Original Assignee: La San Marco SpA (SEB SA)
• Inventors: Nocera, Roberto
• Primary Examiner(s): ALEXANDER, REGINALD
• Application Number:
  US13/235,045
• Publication Number:
  US 20120328744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 992/95, 993/02.R
• US Class Current: 99/295
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/3685 Brewing heads therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/8055 Means for influencing the liquid flow inside the package
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/8061 Filters

Abstract

A machine for the preparation of drinks in capsules, particularly coffee, more particularly “Americano type coffee” or filter coffee or filtered coffee, of the type includes a boiler with a resistance for heating a liquid for the preparation of drinks, a pump for putting under pressure the liquid for the preparation of drinks, a hydraulic group for the feed of the liquid from the boiler through the capsule containing a portion of preparation for drinks with formation of the drink, and conveying means of the drink from the capsule to a collection container in which the hydraulic group includes a distribution valve blocking the distribution of the liquid for the preparation of drinks until a second operating threshold value is exceeded by the hydraulic pressure applied by the liquid for the preparation of drinks, this second operating threshold value being between 4 and 10 bar, preferably 4 and 6 bar.

Claims

1. A machine for the preparation of drinks comprising:

a boiler with a resistance for heating a liquid;

a pump to put said liquid under pressure within said boiler;

a hydraulic group to feed said liquid from said boiler through a capsule containing a portion of a preparation for a drink;

a conveyer moving said drink from said capsule to a collection container;

wherein said hydraulic group includes a distribution valve blocking the distribution of said liquid from said boiler to said capsule until a second operating threshold value is exceeded by the hydraulic pressure applied by said liquid, said second operating threshold value being between 4 and 10 bar; and

a hydraulic activation piston exiting from a body of said hydraulic group and placed within a capsule insertion duct, the exit direction of said piston essentially orthogonal with respect to a mouth and feeding the liquid in said capsule, said piston coupling with an edge of said capsule, the exit of said piston causing a compression and retaining said capsule against a counter-piece in correspondence with a conveying bottom of said duct.

2. The machine according to claim 1 wherein said piston comprises at least one first contrast spring system exerting a contrast force to the exit movement of said piston.

3. The machine according to claim 2 wherein said at least one first contrast spring system calibrated to allow the movement of said piston when the hydraulic pressure exerted by said fluid reaches a first operating threshold value, said first operating threshold value being between 2 and 4 bar.

4. The machine according to claim 1 wherein the activation of said piston occurs by the same liquid as the one used for the preparation of the drink, said liquid penetrating an expanding chamber of said hydraulic group causing said piston to advance.

5. The machine according to claim 4 further comprising said liquid enters a feeding channel which puts in communication said expanding chamber with a diffuser which is a chamber having a circular-crown shape essentially centered on said capsule, said liquid for the preparation of the drink penetrating said capsule through said diffuser.

6. The machine according to claim 5 further comprising said diffuser is a chamber having a circular-crown shape closed in correspondence of the surface coupling with the capsule and the flow of the liquid from the chamber towards the capsule occurs through diffusion holes placed uniformly along said chamber having a circular-crown shape.

7. The machine according to claim 1 is shaped for coupling with said capsule, said capsule having an essentially cylindrical shape consisting of an internally hollow casing defining a housing open on correspondence with a side and closed on the opposite side by means of a bottom equipped with a holed grid which puts in communication the inside of the housing with the outside of the capsule to allow the passage of the liquid during the preparation of the drink, said housing being able to contain a predefined preparation proportion for drink, said housing being filled with said preparation for drink according to a filling factor in the range from 35 to 90%.

8. The machine according to claim 1 further comprising an electro-valve controllable in the opening, said opening of said electro-valve discharging the pressure of said hydraulic activation with release of the compression action retaining said capsule exerted by said piston.

9. The machine according to claim 1 wherein said capsule is shaped with an essentially cylindrical form containing a predefined proportion of said preparation for drink according to a filling factor in the range from 35 to 90%.

10. The machine according to claim 9 wherein the capsule has an essentially cylindrical form consisting of an internally hollow casing defining said housing and an open side and a closed side closed by a bottom equipped with a holed grid which puts in communication the inside of said housing with the outside of said capsule to allow the passage of the liquid during the preparation of the drink, said housing being able to contain said predefined preparation proportion for drink.

11. The machine according to claim 10 wherein said open side of said capsule is circularly shaped with diameter in the range from 47 to 58 mm, the height of said capsule being in the range from 20 to 40 mm, said capsule having a thickness of the casing in a range from 0.8 to 1.2 mm.

12. The machine according to claim 10 further comprising a first circular filter fixed on said bottom of said capsule, said first filter being a paper filter, and further characterized in that said open side of said capsule is covered by a second circular filter fixed in correspondence of said open side of said capsule, said second filter being a paper filter.

13. The machine according to claim 11 wherein the diameter of the capsule is 50 mm, the height of the capsule is 20 mm and the thickness of the capsule is 1 mm.

14. The machine according to claim 7 wherein the filling factor is within the range of 60 to 85%.

15. The machine according to claim 9 wherein the filling factor is within the range of 60 to 85%.

16. The machine according to claim 14 wherein the filling factor is 70%.

17. The machine according to claim 13 wherein the filling factor is 70%.

18. A machine for the production of coffee comprising:

a boiler with a resistance for heating a liquid;

a pump to put said liquid under pressure within said boiler;

a hydraulic group to feed the liquid from said boiler through a capsule containing a portion of a preparation for a drink;

a conveyer moving the drink from said capsule to a collection container;

wherein said hydraulic group includes a distribution valve blocking the distribution of the liquid from said boiler to said capsule until a hydraulic pressure applied by said liquid is within a second operating threshold value between 4 and less than 5 bar; and

a hydraulic activation piston exiting from a body of the hydraulic group and placed within a capsule insertion duct, the exit direction of said piston essentially orthogonal with respect to a mouth and feeding the liquid in said capsule, said piston coupling with an edge of said capsule, the exit of said piston causing a compression and retaining said capsule against a counter-piece in correspondence with a conveying bottom of said duct.

19. The machine according to claim 18 wherein said piston comprises at least one first contrast spring system exerting a contrast force to the exit movement of said piston.

20. The machine according to claim 19 wherein said at least one first contrast spring system calibrated to allow the movement of said piston when the hydraulic pressure exerted by said fluid reaches a first operating threshold value, said first operating threshold value being between 2 and 4 bar.

21. The machine according to claim 20 wherein the activation of said piston occurs by the same liquid as the one used for the preparation of the drink, said liquid penetrating an expanding chamber of said hydraulic group causing said piston to advance.

22. The machine according to claim 21 further comprising said liquid enters a feeding channel which puts in communication said expanding chamber with a diffuser which is a chamber having a circular-crown shape essentially centered on said capsule, said liquid for the preparation of the drink penetrating said capsule through said diffuser.

23. The machine according to claim 22 further comprising said diffuser is a chamber having a circular-crown shape closed in correspondence of the surface coupling with the capsule and the flow of the liquid from the chamber towards the capsule occurs through diffusion holes placed uniformly along said chamber having a circular-crown shape.

24. The machine according to claim 18 is shaped for coupling with said capsule, said capsule having an essentially cylindrical shape consisting of an internally hollow casing defining a housing open on correspondence with a side and closed on the opposite side by means of a bottom equipped with a holed grid which puts in communication the inside of the housing with the outside of the capsule to allow the passage of the liquid during the preparation of the drink, said housing being able to contain a predefined preparation proportion for drink, said housing being filled with said preparation for drink according to a filling factor in the range from 35 to 90%.

25. The machine according to claim 18 further comprising an electro-valve controllable in the opening, said opening of said electro-valve discharging the pressure of said hydraulic activation with release of the compression action retaining said capsule exerted by said piston.

26. The machine according to claim 18 wherein said capsule is shaped with an essentially cylindrical form containing a predefined proportion of said preparation for drink according to a filling factor in the range from 35 to 90%.

27. The machine according to claim 18 wherein the capsule has an essentially cylindrical form consisting of an internally hollow casing defining said housing and an open side and a closed side closed by a bottom equipped with a holed grid which puts in communication the inside of said housing with the outside of said capsule to allow the passage of the liquid during the preparation of the drink, said housing being able to contain said predefined preparation proportion for drink.

28. The machine according to claim 18 wherein said open side of said capsule is circularly shaped with diameter in the range from 47 to 58 mm, the height of said capsule being in the range from 20 to 40 mm, said capsule having a thickness of the casing in a range from 0.8 to 1.2 mm.

29. The machine according to claim 18 further comprising a first circular filter fixed on said bottom of said capsule, said first filter being a paper filter, and further characterized in that said open side of said capsule is covered by a second circular filter fixed in correspondence of said open side of said capsule, said second filter being a paper filter.

30. The machine according to claim 24 wherein the filling factor is in the range of 60-85%.

31. The machine according to claim 26 wherein the filling factor is in the range of 60-85%.

32. The machine according to claim 30 wherein the filling factor is 70%.

33. The machine according to claim 31 wherein the filling factor is 70%.

34. The machine according to claim 28 wherein the diameter of the capsule is 50 mm, the height of the capsule is 20 mm and the thickness of the capsule is 1 mm.