CN201019562Y - Beverage Serving Units and Drip Trays - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to a coffee boiling machine which has a dripping pallet (9), when the path cup between the outlet component and the dripping pallet (9) such as the coffee cup interrupts, the dripping pallet is used to receive the coffee droplet dropping from the outlet component of the coffee boiling machine. The dripping pallet (9) comprises a pallet part (9 1) and a cover (9 2). A convexity droplet landing surface (9 3) is arranged in the cover, and is used to receive the droplet dropping from the outlet component of the coffee boiling machine. The coffee droplet which drops on the surface (9 3) splits and flows through the surface (9 3) gently, and is discharged to the pallet part (9 1) through a hole (9 5) which is arranged in the cover (9 2). The coffee can splash out from the pallet part (9 1) for the direct impacting of the coffee droplet, and by using the mode the situation is avoided, and also the clean degree of the coffee boiling machine is increased.

Description

Beverage Serving Units and Drip Trays

technical field

The utility model relates to a beverage supply device comprising a drip tray. The invention also relates to a drip tray for such a beverage serving device.

Background technique

An example of a well known beverage serving device is a coffee maker for making coffee from water and extractable material including ground coffee beans. The coffee maker includes an outlet member for pouring out freshly brewed coffee. When the coffee maker is in operation, a user of the coffee maker should place a coffee container such as a cup, mug, coffee pot or the like on the underside of the outlet member so that coffee can be received by the container. In some coffee makers, the outlet member has two outlet holes so that the coffee maker can be used to pour two cups of coffee at a time.

Situations can occur where the user inadvertently places the coffee container incorrectly relative to the outlet member, or uses a container that is too small, or even completely forgets to place the container on the underside of the outlet member. A drip tray capable of receiving and containing spilled coffee is thus placed on the underside of the outlet member. A drip tray is also necessary in view of the fact that coffee may drip from the outlet member after the coffee maker has been operated and the coffee container has been removed. Thanks to the drip tray, the coffee maker and the area around the coffee maker are largely protected from soiling by spilled coffee.

In many cases, the drip tray includes a tray portion and a lid for covering the tray portion, the lid including a plurality of holes for allowing coffee to pass through. The lid can also act as a support for the coffee container, but it is also possible to provide a separate support above the drip tray.

In a practical embodiment of a coffee maker with an outlet member, two outlet holes are arranged, the cover of the drip tray comprises two holes for allowing spilled coffee to pass through the tray part of the drip tray, said holes being in the outlet hole The lower side is arranged in a straight line. However, it has been found that in such an embodiment the top surface of the lid of the drip tray can become soiled with coffee droplets. Also, coffee maker components located in the vicinity of the lid of the drip tray can become soiled. This is especially off-putting if the coffee maker is light-coloured.

The unpleasant phenomenon described in the preceding paragraphs is due to the fact that, with some coffee already present in the drip tray, the collision of the coffee droplets dripping from the outlet member with this quantity of coffee causes the coffee to drip from the drip tray. The splashes in the drop tray pass through the holes in the cover so that the ejected coffee will land on any area of the top surface of the cover or on any part of the coffee maker located in the vicinity of the cover.

Utility model content

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a solution to the problem outlined above of soiling the top surface of the lid of the drip tray and components of the coffee maker located near the lid due to coffee splashing from the drip tray. This object is achieved by a beverage serving device comprising a beverage outlet member and a drip tray comprising a droplet landing surface for receiving beverage droplets flowing from the outlet member, The droplet landing surface is at a higher level than the bottom of the drip tray.

According to the invention, a droplet landing surface is provided which is located at a higher level compared to the bottom of the drip tray. In order to make the droplet landing surface more effective, the position of the droplet landing surface is adapted to the position of the outlet aperture of the outlet member of the beverage service device, so that beverage droplets dripping from the outlet member will indeed land on the droplet landing surface.

In the coffee maker according to the invention, coffee droplets advancing towards the drip tray land on a convex droplet landing surface, then break up and flow smoothly through the droplet landing in a direction towards the bottom of the drip tray surface. This prevents the coffee droplets from directly hitting the bottom of the drip tray, or if the drip tray already contains a certain amount of coffee, the surface of a certain amount of coffee. Situations where coffee is splashed from the drip tray are thus avoided and the coffee maker is thus kept clean.

Preferably, the shape of the droplet landing surface deviates from the shape of the surface extending along a substantially horizontal plane, so that it does not happen that a coffee droplet landing on the droplet landing surface bounces off the surface again. In a preferred embodiment, the droplet landing surface has a convex shape. It is also possible that the droplet landing surface has a concave shape, or at least comprises a concave portion. Typically, the coffee droplets will not bounce off the surface, which is inclined relative to the horizontal surface, but remain on the surface and will begin to flow along the inclined surface under the influence of gravity.

In a preferred embodiment, the droplet landing surface is shaped as the top surface of the raised portion of the bottom of the drip tray. In another preferred embodiment, the drip tray includes a cover with the convex droplet landing surface integrally formed with the cover. In such a preferred embodiment, the droplet landing surface is formed as at least part of the top surface of the cover part, which is preferably surrounded by an annular hole interrupted only by at least one connecting member with for connecting the cover part and the rest of the cover

Description of drawings

The utility model will be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like symbols represent like parts, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a coffee maker according to a first preferred embodiment of the utility model.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view in cross section of the bottom of the coffee maker shown in Fig. 1 .

Figure 3 is a perspective top view of a portion of the cover forming part of the bottom of the coffee maker shown in Figure 1 .

Figure 4 is a side view in cross section taken along line A-A of Figure 3, in which two coffee droplets are schematically shown.

Fig. 5 is a perspective top view of a tray portion of a drip tray of a coffee maker according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

Fig. 1 shows a coffee maker 1 according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. The coffee maker 1 comprises a main body 2 intended to accommodate various components (not shown) that function during the brewing of coffee, such as a boiler for heating water, a brewing chamber with space, the The brew chamber is used to house the coffee pad, ie the envelope filled with a quantity of ground coffee beans, the tubes for carrying the water, and the pump for pressurizing the water to flow through the coffee maker 1 .

On the rear side of the main body 2, a water tank 3 is arranged, which clamps the main body 2 by means of two clips 4, one of which is shown in side view in FIG. 1 . The water tank 3 is detachably connected to the main body 2 by means of a clip 4, so that the user can remove the water tank 3 from the coffee maker 1 and bring the water tank 3 to a tap or the like in order to fill it with water. In this way, it is not necessary to move the entire coffee maker 1 when water needs to be added.

A cover member 5 is arranged on top ends of the main body 2 and the water tank 3 . The cover member 5 is movable between a closed position and an open position. FIG. 1 shows the closed position of the cover member 5 . When moving from one position to another, the cover member 5 pivots relative to a pivot (not shown) on the rear side of the coffee maker 1, so that access from the front of the coffee maker 1 is obtained in the open position of the cover member 5. Space. When the cover member 5 is in the open position, a user of the coffee maker 1 can put at least one coffee pad in place, or remove a used coffee pad from the coffee maker 1 . The closed position of the cover member 5 is related to the operating state of the coffee maker 1 in which the coffee maker 1 can carry out the coffee making process. A locking mechanism (not shown) is provided, operated by a lever 6 arranged on the top side of the cover member 5, for locking the cover member 5 in the closed position. The lever 6 also constitutes a handle, which assists in manipulating the cover member 5 .

The coffee maker 1 comprises an outlet member 7 for delivering coffee, said member protruding from the main body 2 . In the coffee maker 1 shown, the outlet member 7 comprises two outlet holes (not shown) for pouring out the coffee.

On the bottom side, the coffee maker 1 comprises a bottom 8 which has a circular circumference. The positions of the bottom 8 and the outlet member 7 are adapted to each other such that the outlet opening of the outlet member 7 is located approximately vertically above the central part of the bottom 8 .

The coffee maker 1 shown is designed so as to be able to deliver a single serving of coffee associated with one cup, or a double serving of coffee associated with two cups. When the user of the coffee maker 1 operates the coffee maker 1 in order to obtain a single serving amount of coffee, he needs to place a cup (not shown) on top of the bottom 8, taking care to put the cup Two outlet holes of 7 receive coffee. When the user operates the coffee maker 1 in order to obtain a double quantity of coffee, he can choose to use a single cup, which is large enough to receive a double quantity of coffee, or to use two cups. If he chooses to use two cups, he needs to take care that each of the two cups is placed correctly under the outlet hole of the outlet member 7, so as to ensure that each cup receives coffee from a corresponding outlet hole.

A drip tray 9 is arranged at the bottom 8 as shown in FIG. 2 . The main function of the drip tray 9 is to receive the coffee delivered by the outlet member 7 in any case without obstacles (cups) between the outlet member 7 and the bottom 8 . If the user operates the coffee maker 1 in order to obtain coffee and for example forgets to place a cup or two on the bottom 8 , a certain amount of coffee delivered by the coffee maker 1 will be picked up by the drip tray 9 . Also, the drip tray 9 is necessary to receive the coffee droplets released by the outlet aperture after the desired amount of coffee has been delivered.

The drip tray 9 comprises a tray part 91 for receiving coffee received, and a cover 92 for covering the top side of the tray part 91 . Lid 92 also serves to support the cup. Both the tray part 91 and the cover 92 are detachably arranged in the bottom 8 so that the user can easily empty the tray part 91 and clean the tray part 91 and the cover 92 .

According to the prior art in the field, two holes are arranged on the cover 92, said two holes being arranged in line on the underside of the outlet hole, so that coffee droplets falling from the outlet member 7 are not hindered by the cover 92 from reaching the drip Tray part 91 of pallet 9 . However, according to the invention, a droplet landing surface 93 is provided for receiving coffee droplets falling from the outlet member 7 . A droplet landing surface 93 is integral with the cover 92 and is arranged vertically on the underside of the outlet aperture. In particular, droplet landing surface 93 is formed as part of the top surface of central cover portion 94 . In the example shown, droplet landing surface 93 is recessed relative to the top surface of the remainder of cover 92 .

A narrow annular hole 95 is arranged around the central cover part 94 , said hole 95 being interrupted only by connecting members 96 for connecting the central cover part 94 to the rest of the 92 . The coffee droplets thus do not drip directly onto the tray part 91 of the drip tray 9 of the coffee maker 1 according to the invention, but first onto the droplet landing surface 93, after having hit the droplet landing surface 93 Tray portion 91 is reached only through hole 95 . FIG. 3 shows droplet landing surface 93 , central cover portion 94 , surrounding aperture 95 and connecting member 96 more clearly.

The droplet landing surface 93 is particularly characterized in that it has a convex shape. This shape prevents coffee droplets landing on the droplet landing surface 93 from being broken up into smaller droplets which would splash off the droplet landing surface 93 . Thus, there is no risk of the coffee maker 1 being soiled, especially from the top surface of the cover 92 of the drip tray 9 and the components of the coffee maker 1 located in the area near the cover 92 . Instead, coffee droplets that land on the droplet landing surface 93 are broken up and left gently on the droplet landing surface 93 through the holes 95 to the tray portion 91 of the drip tray 9 . FIG. 4 schematically shows a coffee droplet advancing towards the droplet landing surface 93 and flowing along the droplet landing surface 93 in the direction of the hole 95 , wherein the coffee droplet is indicated by reference numeral 10 .

The coffee droplets collect in the tray portion 91 . If there is already a quantity of spilled coffee in the tray portion 91, coffee droplets that enter the tray portion 91 through the hole 95 and break the surface of the quantity of coffee will hardly cause any commotion in the quantity of coffee because the coffee is small The drops leave the droplet landing surface 93 at a relatively low velocity and the distance covered by coffee droplets falling from the droplet landing surface 93 to the tray portion 91 of the drip tray 9 is relatively small.

From the cross-sectional appearance of the central cover portion 94 shown in Figures 2 and 4 taken along the vertical direction it is clear that the droplet landing surface 93 is raised in more than one direction. This feature plays a role in preventing the formation of droplets that fly off the droplet landing surface 93 .

As mentioned above, the outlet member 7 of the coffee maker 1 comprises two outlet holes. Thus, the coffee droplets land on two areas of the droplet landing surface 93, between which the central portion 97 of the top surface of the central cover portion 94 has no function of receiving coffee droplets. Thus, the central portion 97 may have additional functions. In the example shown, a central portion 97 of the top surface of the central lid portion 94 is flat and generally at the same level as the top surface of the remainder of the lid 92 so that it can serve as a support for a cup or the like. In particular, a central portion 97 of the top surface of the central cover portion 94 is the top surface of a raised portion 98 of the central cover portion 94 , hereinafter referred to as a cup holder 98 .

The droplet landing surface 93 may be integral with the cover 92 of the drip tray 9, as shown in the embodiment shown in Figures 1-4. This is not the only possible way of arranging the droplet landing surface 93 in the drip tray 9 within the scope of the invention. Another possibility is shown in FIG. 5 . The figure only shows the tray part 91 of the drip tray 9 . A portion of the bottom 21 of the tray portion 91 is raised such that the dome 22 is formed. In this configuration, the top surface of dome 22 serves as droplet landing surface 93 . Figure 5 shows that the droplet landing surface 93 also has a convex shape in this example, wherein the droplet landing surface 93 is raised in more than one direction.

The level of the droplet landing surface 93 relative to the bottom of the tray part 91 is chosen so as to ensure that the droplet landing surface 93 is not covered by the coffee contained in the tray part 91 . If the level of the droplet landing surface 93 is low, the droplet landing surface 93 loses its function as soon as the level of coffee inside the tray portion 91 becomes higher.

The droplet landing surface 93 shown in Figure 5 is integral with the tray portion 91 of the drip tray 9 and functions in the same manner as the droplet landing surface shown in Figures 2-4 which is integrally formed in the drip tray 9 cover 92. The coffee droplets that land on the droplet landing surface 93 are split and flow gently over the droplet landing surface 93 . The coffee droplets keep flowing along the surface of the dome 22 until they reach the bottom 21 of the tray portion 91, or until they reach the surface of a certain amount of coffee if the tray portion 91 already contains a certain amount of coffee. This prevents coffee droplets from dripping directly on the bottom 21 of the tray part 91 or on the surface of a quantity of coffee, so that there is no risk of coffee droplets splashing out of the tray part 91 .

The tray part 91 with the dome 22 may be part of a coffee maker similar to the coffee maker 1 shown in FIG. 1 , deviating from the design of the drip tray 9 . Figure 5 shows that the dome 22 has an elongated shape. Thus, the droplet landing surface 93 is adapted to receive coffee droplets falling from the two outlet apertures of the outlet member 7 of a coffee maker, of which the tray portion 91 is a part, of brewed coffee. The droplet landing surface 93 may be smaller if the outlet member 7 of the coffee maker comprises only one outlet aperture.

If the drip tray 9 comprising the tray part 91 as shown in FIG. 5 also comprises a cover 92 , this cover 92 may be provided with holes for allowing coffee droplets to move directly to the droplet landing surface 93 .

The use of a droplet landing surface 93 in the drip tray 9 for receiving coffee droplets falling from the outlet member 7 of the coffee maker 1 has important advantages. One of these advantages was mentioned above. The presence of the droplet landing surface 93 prevents coffee droplets from falling directly on the bottom 21 of the tray portion 91 of the drip tray 9, or if the bottom 21 of the tray portion 91 of the drip tray 9 has been covered by a certain amount of coffee Coffee droplets fall directly on the surface of the quantity of coffee. Therefore, it cannot happen that coffee splashes out of the drip tray 9 and soils the cover 92 of the drip tray 9 and/or nearby parts of the coffee maker 1 . In this way, the droplet landing surface 93 helps to keep the coffee maker 1 clean.

If the droplet landing surface 93 is integral with the cover 92 of the drip tray 9, the aperture 95 in the cover 92 for passing coffee droplets to the tray portion 91 of the drip tray 9 can be relatively small. The cover 92 must have holes in it so as not to obstruct coffee droplets falling from the outlet member 7 of the coffee maker 1, and the holes must be large enough to ensure that the area through which the coffee droplets pass remains clean. The fact that the hole 95 in the cover 92 comprising the droplet landing surface 93 is smaller leads to a cleaner design of the coffee maker 1, the user is not faced with seeing relatively large black holes. In fact, the narrow annular hole 95 is not even perceived as a hole.

It is clear to a person skilled in the art that the scope of the invention is not limited to the examples described above, but that several improvements and modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

The above example shows a coffee maker. It should be clear that the utility model is not limited to coffee machines, and the utility model can also be used in devices for making other beverages.

The drip tray 9 according to the invention comprises a droplet landing surface 93 and may be part of a coffee maker having a different construction than the coffee maker 1 shown in FIG. 1 . The shape of the drip tray 9 can be freely selected. While focusing on the location of the drip tray 9 in the coffee maker, it is important that the location of the drip tray 9 is such that the drip tray 9 can actually receive the coffee from the cup that is prevented from being in the coffee maker, or Coffee flowing or dripping from the outlet aperture of the outlet member 7 of the coffee maker.

The number of outlet holes of the outlet member 7 of the coffee maker is not necessary. The outlet member 7 may comprise two outlet holes, as was the case in the above examples, alternatively also one outlet hole, or even more than two outlet holes. In any event, according to the invention, the droplet landing surface 93 is arranged to receive droplets from all available exit orifices. It is also possible that the droplet landing surface 93 is not a continuous whole, but is divided into several pieces at suitable locations.

If the droplet landing surface 93 is integral with the lid 92 of the drip tray 9 it is not necessary to have at least one cup holder 98 which has a flat top surface 97 .

The shape of the droplet landing surface 93 does not have to be convex. Droplet landing surface 93 may also be entirely concave, or at least include concave portions. For example, if the droplet landing surface 93 is integral with the cover 92 of the drip tray 9 and has a concave shape, wherein the lowest point of the droplet landing surface 93 is located at the center of the droplet landing surface 93 where the hole 95 is arranged, so All received coffee droplets are directed towards the hole 95 . If the cup holder 98 is provided in a central position, there may be an annular hole 95 around the cup holder 98 which is connected to the rest of the lid 92 by means of a connecting member. In another possible embodiment, a droplet landing surface 93 is integral with the cover 92 of the drip tray 9, the droplet landing surface 93 being adapted to receive coffee droplets falling from the two outlet holes of the outlet member 7 of the coffee maker 1. The droplet, droplet landing surface 93 may comprise two concave areas with a hole 95 in the center of the concave areas. In all possible embodiments of the droplet landing surface 93, it is important that the shape of the droplet landing surface 93 deviates from the shape of the surface extending along a substantially horizontal plane, so that it ensures that coffee droplets landing on the droplet landing surface 93 initially The situation of flowing along the droplet landing surface 93 while avoiding the situation of coffee droplets bouncing off the droplet landing surface 93 .

According to the invention, a droplet landing surface 93 is provided which is located in the path between the outlet aperture of the outlet member 9 and the bottom 21 of the tray part 91 . Because of the presence of this droplet landing surface 93, the coffee droplets dripping towards the bottom 21 of the tray part 91 are stopped before they reach the bottom 21, after which they are guided along the droplet landing surface 93 until they are small. The drop landing surface 93 is released, falling gently towards the bottom 21 of the tray portion 91 . In fact, the path of the coffee droplets is temporarily interrupted on their way towards the bottom 21 of the tray part 91 . An important advantage of this is that the droplets fall on the bottom 21 of the tray part 91 or, if the tray part 91 already contains a certain amount of coffee, the droplets fall at a reduced speed on the surface of the quantity of coffee. Also, if the drip tray 9 includes a cover 92, the aperture 95 on the cover 92 for allowing the droplets to pass in order to reach the tray portion 91 can be selected to be relatively small, since the droplets are received by the droplet landing surface 93, in the desired direction. be guided.

In the above, a coffee maker 1 with a drip tray 9 is disclosed. The drip tray 9 is used to receive coffee droplets falling from the outlet member 7 of the coffee maker 1 when the path between the outlet member 7 and the drip tray 9 is not interrupted by eg a coffee cup. The drip tray 9 comprises a tray part 91 and a cover 92 in which a convex droplet landing surface 93 for receiving droplets falling from the outlet member 7 of the coffee maker 1 is arranged. The coffee droplets falling on the droplet landing surface 93 are broken up, flow smoothly over the droplet landing surface 93 , and discharge to the tray part 91 through narrow holes 95 arranged in the cover 92 . In this way, the situation is avoided that coffee droplets are splashed out of the tray part 91 by a direct collision of the coffee droplets, and the cleanliness of the coffee maker 1 is also improved.

Claims (14)

1. A beverage serving device (1), characterized in that it comprises a beverage outlet member (7) and a drip tray (9), the drip tray (9) comprising a droplet landing surface (93), the droplet landing A surface for receiving beverage droplets flowing from the outlet member (7), said droplet landing surface (93) being at a higher level than the bottom (21) of the drip tray (9). 2. Beverage serving device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the shape of the droplet landing surface (93) deviates from the shape of the surface extending along a substantially horizontal plane. 3. Beverage serving device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the droplet landing surface (93) has a convex shape. 4. Beverage serving device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the drip tray (9) comprises a cover (92) for closing the top side of the drip tray (9), At least one hole (95) is arranged in said cover (92) for passage of beverage droplets, wherein a droplet landing surface (93) is integral with the cover (92). 5. Beverage serving device (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the droplet landing surface (93) is formed as at least part of the top surface of the cover part (94), wherein the cover part (94) is The annular hole (95) surrounds, and wherein the hole (95) is only interrupted by at least one connecting member (96) for connecting said cover part (94) to the rest of the cover (92). 6. Beverage serving device (1) as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the droplet landing surface (93) is recessed relative to the top surface of the surrounding portion of the lid (92), and in which at least one cup holder (98) Arranged on the lid portion (94), the droplet landing surface (93) is part of the lid portion (94), the cup holder (98) has a flat top surface (97), the top surface and the lid (92) The top surfaces of the surrounding portions are approximately at the same level. 7. Beverage serving device (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that the outlet member (7) comprises two opening holes, and in that the drip tray (9) is provided with a cup holder (98), said The cup holder is arranged approximately centrally between two regions of the droplet landing surface (93) on the cover part (94), which is a part of the cover part (94). 8. Beverage serving device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the droplet landing surface (93) acts as the top of the raised part (22) of the bottom (21) of the drip tray (9) Surface shaping. 9. A drip tray (9) for use in a beverage serving device (1), said drip tray (9) comprising a droplet landing surface (93) for receiving water from a beverage supply The droplet landing surface (93) of beverage droplets coming out of the outlet member (7) of the device (1) is at a higher level than the bottom (21) of the drip tray (9). 10. The drip tray (9) according to claim 9, characterized in that the shape of the droplet landing surface (93) deviates from the shape of the surface extending along a substantially horizontal plane. 11. The drip tray (9) according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the droplet landing surface (93) has a convex shape. 12. The drip tray (9) according to claim 9, characterized in that, the drip tray (9) further comprises a cover (92), which is used to close the top side of the drip tray (9), at At least one hole (95) is arranged in said cover (92) for passage of beverage droplets, wherein a droplet landing surface (93) is integral with the cover (92). 13. The drip tray (9) according to claim 12, characterized in that the droplet landing surface (93) is formed as at least part of the top surface of the cover part (94), wherein the cover part (94) is covered The annular hole (95) surrounds, and wherein the hole (95) is only interrupted by at least one connecting member (96) for connecting said cover part (94) to the rest of the cover (92). 14. The drip tray (9) according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the droplet landing surface (93) acts as the top of the raised part (22) of the bottom (21) of the drip tray (9) Surface shaping.

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