HK1171635B - Tea-maker having a closable pouring spout - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a beverage maker which has an open top container (100), a filter insert (300) and a lid (200). The lid (200) comprises a lid lower part (210) having a lower lid wall (211) in which an insertion opening (215) is configured for inserting the filter insert (300). In order to prevent liquid from pouring or squirting out of the container and in order to reduce heat losses, the lid lower part is sealingly held on the container, a pouring spout (214) is configured in the lower lid wall and the lid comprises a closure for the pouring spout. The closure has a lever (230) which is mounted above the lower lid wall to be swivelable about a horizontal axis. The lever has an actuation region (232) in order to swivel the lever from a first position in which the closure closes the pouring spout to a second position in which the closure releases the pouring spout.

Description

The Commission has also adopted a proposal for a directive on the protection of workers from risks related to exposure to ionising radiation.

The present invention relates to a beverage brewer with an open vessel and a filter insert which can be used in it. Such beverage brewers are often used for the preparation of tea. They are therefore hereinafter referred to simply as tea brewers, although they can also be used for the preparation of beverages other than tea.

The Technical Standards

The tea maker is available in a variety of versions, e.g. BISTRO NOUVEAU 1870 by the BODUM® Group (BODUM® catalogue 2009, page 47). The tea maker consists of a cylindrical teak, in the upper opening of which a multi-part lid is loosely inserted. The lid includes a lid part, which is formed as a holder for a filter insert, and a lid part. In the lid part, a filter insert is inserted. This has a variety of openings to allow fluid to pass through and to retain the tea leaves or the tea leaves. The filter leaves are put in the tea board for the preparation of the tea. The filter part is then placed on the roof with a hot filter ring to remove the water and the filter part is then placed on the back of the tea.

Err1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 141 (char 140)The tea is made by placing tea leaves in the filter and brewing them with hot water. After the tea leaves have been pulled for a long time, the plunger is pushed into the filter and pressed down into the liquid-permeable bottom of the filter. It takes the tea leaves with it and separates them from the surrounding liquid, so that further pulling of the tea is avoided. The plunger is connected to a plunger rod, which is again passed through a lid, with which the vessel can be covered upwards.

The filter insert is presented in some versions, such as in the printed document WO 2007/082391, which shows a filter insert with a base body, to which a circular cuff of a flexible, elastic plastic is attached in the upper part. The cuff has an elastic wavy outer contour, which runs rosette-like with alternating rises and recesses along the circumference. This effectively keeps the filter insert in the upper opening of the vessel and protects against slipping or falling, even if the inner diameter of the upper opening of the vessel can have significant tolerances, especially in the case of glass or ceramic vessels.

In other versions, the filter is also inserted into a cap, which is formed as a holtering and forms an opening for the filter, rather than directly into the teak, for example in the case of the BISTRO NOUVEAU 1880 (BODUM® catalogue 2009, page 47).

In the above tea preparation, the finished tea is poured either through a beak-like outlet of the teapot or through a bulge that is integral to the teapot itself. The outlet or bulge is usually not closed. This has the disadvantage that the tea in the teapot cools relatively quickly.

Err1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 153 (char 152)

The BODUM® group is particularly known for its coffee makers with product names BEAN 10945 or 10977 (BODUM® catalogue 2009, pages 12-15) which have casings separated from the vessel by a lid and are closed by a lever mechanism, thus minimising heat loss and reducing the risk of burns due to improper handling. One such coffee maker is WO 2009/149568 A2 or WO 2010/003258 A1. These are part of the state of the art documents referred to in Article 54 (3) EPC. However, the corresponding lever mechanism is not suitable for tea makers of the above type.

US 7464637 B1 shows another state of the art beverage maker.

The following shall be considered as a single product:

It is therefore a function of the present invention to specify a filtered beverage dispenser which reduces heat losses and reduces the risk of spilling or spillage of a beverage contained in it.

This task is performed by a beverage maker with the characteristics of claim 1, and further embodiments are given in the dependent claims.

A beverage maker shall therefore be indicated if it has the following characteristics: an open-top container;an upper-open filter insert with a variety of filter openings which can be inserted into the container;and a lid covering the container at least partly, comprising a lid part with a lower lid wall which partially covers the container, with an opening in the lower lid wall into which the filter insert is inserted so that the filter insert extends into the container through the insert opening.

To accomplish this task, the lid is held close to the vessel. In the lower lid wall, an outlet is formed to let liquid out of the vessel through the lid. The lid includes a closure for the outlet, with the closure having a lever mounted above the lower lid wall on a horizontal axis rotatable on the lid and having an operating range to shift the lever from a first position in which the closure closes the outlet to a second position in which the seal freely shifts the outlet.

This creates a valve in the lid that can be opened and closed in a specific way, reduces the risk of accidental spilling or spillage of a drink from the beverage dispenser and ensures that no unnecessary heat is lost through the outlet.

Err1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 120 (char 119)

The piston is preferably a piston rod with a first and a second piston rod.

At the first end of the piston rod, the piston is placed, while at the second end there is an actuator for the piston. The lid preferably also includes a lid top part, which is permeated by the piston rod and has an upper lid surface that covers at least part of the lid part, especially in the area of the inlet opening for the filter application.

The cover part can preferably be placed directly on the cover part, but can also be placed on the filter insert.

In a preferred design, the top of the lid has an apron extending downwards into the filter insert from the top of the lid, which centers the top of the lid and stabilizes it against tilting, and which also fixes the filter insert in the insert opening and prevents liquid from flowing directly out of the filter insert bypassing the closure.

The seal between the lid part and the container shall preferably be made along the entire circumference of the container, but this is not mandatory.

Preferably, the lid is inserted into an upper opening of the vessel and sealed on the inside of the vessel; in an advantageous design, the lid includes a circular apron extending vertically downwards into the vessel, with at least one circular seal on the outside of the cover, which is tightly attached to one side of the vessel.

The lid may be soluble attached to the vessel, e.g. by a bayonet connection or a restraint connection.

To allow the beverage to be poured in a specific way, a cask is preferably formed either on the lid or on the vessel above the lower deck wall.

The outlet is then placed, preferably in relation to the horizontal (lateral) plane, between the inlet and the outlet, so that when the beverage dispenser is tilted to be poured, the outlet is below the inlet, thus preventing liquid from escaping between the inlet and the filter insertion if no or insufficient sealing is formed at this point.

The lever action area is then preferably located on one side of the intake opening facing the outlet and the outlet, i.e. it is located at the rear of the beverage dispenser so that it can be operated, for example, with the user's thumb.

In particular, the lever may have a ring-shaped area forming a passage through which the filter insert extends, i.e. the lateral dimensions (in the case of a circular opening of the diameters) of the passage are at least exactly as large as the lateral dimensions of the entry, preferably larger than these and in particular larger than the lateral dimensions of the filter insert.

The storage of the lever is particularly easy and safe if there are bearings on the side of the cover which can be moved in the ring shape, on two opposite sides, to hold the lever. These bearings can be formed individually with the lever and, in the simplest case, by a bearing pin on each side. Accordingly, complementary bearings are formed on the side of the cover, preferably in the area of its outer edge.

The vessel will often have a handle. In this case it is preferable if the area of operation of the lever is adjacent to the handle and, in particular, above the handle, extends beyond the outer wall of the vessel. This allows a one-hand operation by the user using the lever with the thumb of the same hand with which he also holds the vessel. In particular, the lid may have a side-extension from the lower deck wall to the top, in which an exit opening is formed in a region opposite the caster, and where the area of operation of the lever extends through the exit opening.

Preferably, the lever is spring-loaded towards its first position to ensure that the outlet is closed as long as the lever is not deliberately operated, but instead the lever may be designed to close the outlet solely by the force of gravity of the lever and the locking body as long as no pressure is applied to the operating area.

Preferably, a spring is used to generate the spring force, preferably in a rear area of the cover facing the caster between the lever and the lower wall of the cover below, to apply spring force to the lever in the direction of its first position, but it may also be placed in a region of the lever adjacent to the caster between the lever and a cover area above the lever.

If the spring is located in the rear cover area, preferably a top-shaped depression (recovery) extending to the inside of the vessel is formed in the cover wall into which the spring extends, thus protecting the spring against lateral displacement or even falling out and allowing a sufficient spring length for the required spring path.

The lever itself can close the outlet. For this purpose, a locking body is formed on the lever individually or separately to close the outlet in the first position. The locking body can be made of a softer material than the rest of the lever to achieve an improved sealing effect. The lever can also act indirectly, for example, on a second lever held separately on the lid with a locking body attached to it.

The filter insert is preferably held elastically in the inlet opening, and in particular preferably tightly in the inlet opening. The filter insert is designed in a preferred way, as in the aforementioned WO 2007/082391, i.e. it has a hollow filter body and a circular cuff made of a flexible, elastic material connected to it, the cuff having an elastic, rosette-like outlet contour with alternating increases and decreases along the perimeter to keep the filter insert in the inlet opening.

The vessel may be single-walled or double-walled.

The following is a brief description of the drawings:

The following illustrations, which are intended for illustrative purposes only and are not to be interpreted restrictively, describe preferred embodiments of the invention. Fig. 1a perspective view of the explosion of a beverage maker according to the invention;Fig. 2a perspective view of the explosion in side view;Fig. 3a perspective view of a lid part with a closure on it;Fig. 4a central longitudinal section through the beverage maker of Fig. 1;Fig. 5a perspective view of the beverage maker of Fig. 1.

The following shall be considered as a single unit of account:

Err1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 180 (char 179)

The container 100 may also be referred to as a teacup. This container comprises an upwardly open cylindrical glass container 120 held in a plastic holder 110. The holder 110 has a lower circular ring 111 surrounding a lower side wall area of the cylindrical glass container 120 and a circular upper ring 113 surrounding an upper edge area of the glass container 120. These two rings are connected by vertical bars 114. In the rear area of the holder 110 a handle 115 is formed which also connects the upper ring 113 to the connecting ring 111 below. From the inner ring 111 a circular ring 113 extends to the floor 112 below,where the bottom of the glass vessel 120 is located. The upper ring 113 is some distance above the upper edge 118 of the glass vessel. In the upper edge area of the upper ring 113 a rear outlet 117 is formed above the handle 115, and diametrically opposite to this rear outlet 117 a front outlet 116 is formed, which is deeper and wider than the rear outlet 117. On the inside of the outer area of the upper ring 113 two additional leads 119 are formed on opposite sides for a later connection to the cap 200 described in more detail.

The cover 200 shall comprise a cover part 210, a closing lever 230, a top cover part 240 and a stamp 250.

The cover section 210 comprises a substantially flat lower deck wall 211 which partially covers the vessel 100 upwards. The lower deck wall 211 has two openings, namely an outlet 214 and a relatively larger inlet 215 for the filter application 300.

From the lower deck wall 211 a cylindrical apron 220 extends down into the vessel, from the cylindrical apron 220 a circular flexible seal 221 protrudes outwards, which together with the cylindrical side wall of the glass vessel 120 forms a seal between the vessel 100 and the lid part 210.

The sidewall extends upwards slightly over a step. It is interrupted above the step on the side by two opposite exceptions 216 to accommodate handles 243 of the upper cover part 240. This will be described in more detail below. Above the handles 115, a through hole 219 is formed on pages 212 to accurately guide an operating area 232 of the shutter blade 230 to the exit. This too will be described in more detail below. On the diametrically opposite side of this opening 219 is the outlet 213, which is roughly through-formed, which here appears in the form of a roughly cut outer blade.

Below the exception 216, but above the deck face 211 and adjacent to the side face 212 and within it, two support elements 217 for the clasp lever 230 are formed on two opposite sides of the lower part of the cover 210 in a moulded manner so that the support elements 234 of the cover 230 can be clicked on by an elastic spring force. Also below the exception 216 two bayonet pins 218 are formed on the outer side of the side face 212 which are soluble in the guide knots 119 113 on the upper ring of the safety-belt 110 to connect the cover element 210 to the bottom of the cover 110 via a bayonet connection. In this way, the cover 100 is securely protected against falling from the cover 100.

The locking lever 230 has a ring-shaped area 231 on it. It has a central opening which is larger in diameter than the opening 215 of the lid part. This allows the filter insert 300 to be pushed through the opening into the opening. At the rear end of this ring-shaped area 231 an operating area 232 is formed in the form of an elongated flange. At the front opposite end of the ring-shaped area 231 a locking body 233 is formed, which is covered with a softer material than the ring-shaped area 231.

A spring 235 is inserted into a 222 joint (Fig. 4) and, in the composite state, loads the latch lever 230 with its rear end upwards so that the latch 233 is pressed against the outlet 214 and closes it. By pressing on the action area 232, the latch 233 can be removed from the outlet 214 to release the outlet 214. For this purpose, the action area 232 is passed through the passageway 219 mentioned above on pages 212 of the cover handle 210 and, in the composite state, it comes to lie above the hand of the vessel 115 and below the cover cover cover, with the action area 232 above the cover.

The filter set 300 consists of a essentially hollow cylindrical filter body 310 with a closed bottom 312 (Fig. 2) and a circular cylindrical sidewall. In an upper sidewall area, several fields of filter openings 311 (Fig. 2) are formed, which are only strongly schematically indicated in the figures. In reality, such filter openings are located in all the rectangular areas that can be seen in Figures 1, 2 and 5. In a lower area of the sidewall, however, the filter body 310 is formed fluid-transparent.

In the upper end of the filter body 310 it first expands and has at the upper edge a laterally extending circular supporting flange 313 with which the filter insert in the composite state rests on the area surrounding the insert opening 215 of the lower deck wall 211.

In addition, the filter body 310 is covered at its upper end by an elastic circular cuff 320. The cuff has an elastic, wavy outer contour, which runs in a rosette pattern with alternating rises and falls along the perimeter. This effectively keeps the filter insert in the opening 215 and also ensures a certain seal between the cover part 210 and the filter insert 300. For the detailed design of a filter insert with such a cuff, reference is made to WO 2007/082391 already mentioned.

The top part of the cover 240 has an upper cover 241 which completely covers the cover 210 except the outlet 213. A short circular ring wall 242 extends down from the cover 241 and comes to lie in the composite state within the side wall 212 of the cover 210 (Fig. 4). At two opposite sides, the handles 243 extend from the cover 241 further down than the ring wall 242. These handles 243 are included in the composite state in the exceptions 216 of the page 212 of the cover 210 and there provide a soluble connection between the cover part 210 and the double cover 240.

In the upper deck wall 241 there is a relatively small central passage for the piston rod 253 of the stamp 250. In the area of this passage a guide casing 245 extends downwards to guide the piston rod 253. A circular cylindrical apron 244 extends downwards from the upper deck wall 241 to penetrate in the composite state into the upper margin of the filter insert 300 to further fix it in the deck 210 below and to prevent liquid from entering the filter insert 300 bypassing the outlet from the 214 outlet 213 (Fig. 4).

The piston 250 comprises a piston body 251 with a circular seal lip 252 (Fig. 2) at its lateral outer edge. The diameter of the piston body 251 is chosen so that the seal lip can be moved tightly in the cylindrical side wall area of the filter body 310 (Fig. 4). The piston rod 253 mentioned above penetrates the corresponding opening in the top 240 of the lid and connects the piston body 251 to an actuator 254.

Err1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 1118 (char 1117)

If the beverage is to be poured, the user takes the vessel 100 at the handle 115 and presses the thumb on the 232 operating area of the stopper lever 230. This removes the stopper 233 from the outlet 214 and the user can now pour the beverage through the outlet 214 over the dispenser 213.

For cleaning purposes, the beverage brewer can be easily disassembled by separating the top part of the lid 240 from the lid 210 and removing it together with the stamp 250. The filter insert 300 can now be removed from the lid 210. This ensures that the cuff 320 protects the user from possible burns if the filter body 310 is still hot. The bayonet connection between the container 100 and the lid 210 can also be removed and the lid 210 can be removed together with the lever 230 from the lid 100.

While the invention has been described above by a preferred embodiment, the invention is by no means limited to that embodiment and a large number of modifications are possible without leaving the scope of the invention. Thus, the beverage maker does not necessarily need to be trained as a plunger tea maker. The latch lever may also be designed differently from the one shown here and, in particular, does not need to be circularly extended on both sides around the opening 215 but may be interrupted on one side.Err1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 668 (char 667)The container holder may also be made differently from the drawing or may be completely removed, e.g. if the container has a single-piece handle. The container may also be made entirely of plastic or glass, but e.g. also entirely or partially of ceramic. Accordingly, the connection between the container and the lid part may also be dissolved differently than in the way shown here.

The Commission shall adopt implementing acts laying down the rules for the application of this Regulation.

100	Gefäss	221	Dichtlippe
110	Halter	230	Verschlusshebel
111	unterer Ring	231	ringförmiger Bereich
112	innerer Ringflansch	232	Betätigungsbereich
113	oberer Ring	233	Verschlusskörper
114	Steg	234	Lagerzapfen
115	Handgriff	235	Feder
116	vordere Ausnehmung	240	Deckeloberteil
117	hintere Ausnehmung	241	obere Deckwand
118	oberer Rand	242	Ringwand
119	Führungsnut	243	Haltebereich
120	Glasbehälter	244	Schürze
200	Deckel	250	Stempel
210	Deckelunterteil	251	Kolbenkörper
211	untere Deckwand	252	Dichtlippe
212	Seitenwand	253	Kolbenstange
213	Ausgiesser	254	Betätigungsknopf
214	Ausgiessöffnung	300	Filtereinsatz
215	Einführöffnung	310	Filterkörper
216	Ausnehmung	311	Filteröffnung
217	Lagerelement	312	Boden
218	Bajonettzapfen	313	Auflageflansch
219	Durchgangsöffnung	320	Manschette
220	Schürze

Claims (14)

1. A beverage maker comprising:

   - a vessel (100), which is open in an upward direction;

   - a filter insert (300) adapted to be introduced into the vessel (100) and has a cylindrical side-wall region;

   - a plunger (251), which is displaceable along a displacement direction in the cylindrical sidewall region of the filter insert (300); and

   - a lid (200), which at least partially covers over the vessel (100) and comprises a lower lid part (210) with a lower covering wall (211), which partially covers over the vessel (100), an introduction opening (215) being formed in the lower covering wall (211), into which the filter insert (300) is inserted, such that the filter insert (300) extends through the introduction opening (215) into the vessel (100), characterized in that

   - the lower lid part (210) is retained with sealing action on the vessel (100);

   - a pouring opening (214) is formed in the lower covering wall (211), in order for liquid to be poured out of the vessel (100) through the pouring opening (214),

   - and the lid comprises a closure for the pouring opening (214), the closure comprising a lever (230) which is fitted on the lid (200), above the lower covering wall (211), the lever being pivotable about a horizontal axis and having an actuating region (232), in order for the lever (230) to be pivoted from a first position, in which the closure closes the pouring opening (214), into a second position, in which the closure frees the pouring opening (214).
2. The beverage maker as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

   - a plunger rod (253), which is connected to the plunger (251) and has a first and a second end, wherein the plunger (251) is arranged at the first end, and wherein an actuating element (254) for the plunger is fitted at the second end; and

   - an upper lid part (240), which has the plunger rod (253) passing through it and has an upper covering surface (241), which at least partially covers over the lower lid part (210).
3. The beverage maker as claimed in claim 2, wherein the upper lid part (240) rests on the lower lid part (210).
4. The beverage maker as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the upper lid part (240) is connectable in a releasable manner to the lower lid part (210).
5. The beverage maker as claimed in one of claims 2-4, wherein the upper lid part (240) has a skirt (244), which extends downward into the filter insert (300) from the upper covering surface (241).
6. The beverage maker as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the lower lid part (210) has a vertically downwardly extending encircling skirt (220), which extends into the vessel (100) and on the outside of which is arranged at least one encircling sealing element (221), which butts with sealing action against the inside of a side wall of the vessel (100).
7. The beverage maker as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein a spout (213) is formed on the lower lid part (210) or on the vessel (100), above the covering wall (211), and wherein the pouring opening (214) is arranged between the introduction opening (215) and the spout (213), as seen in respect of a lateral plane.
8. The beverage maker as claimed in claim 7, wherein the actuating region (232) of the lever (230) is arranged on a side of the introduction opening (215) which is directed away from the pouring opening (214), and the lever (230) extends laterally, on at least one side, around the introduction opening (215).
9. The beverage maker as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the lever (230) has a ring-like region (231), which forms a through-passage opening, through which the filter insert (300) extends.
10. The beverage maker as claimed in claim 9, wherein bearing elements (234) for mounting the lever in a pivotable manner on the lower lid part (210) are present on two opposite sides of the ring-like region (231).
11. The beverage maker as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the vessel (100) has a handle (115), and wherein the actuating region (232) of the lever (230) is adjacent to the handle (115).
12. The beverage maker as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the lever (230) is spring-loaded in the direction of its first position.
13. The beverage maker as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein a closure body (233) is formed on the lever (230), in order for the pouring opening (214) to be closed in the first position.
14. The beverage maker as claimed in one of the preceding claims, wherein the filter insert (300) comprises a hollow filter body (310) and an encircling collar (320), which is connected thereto and is made of a flexible, elastic material, and wherein the collar (320) has an elastic outer contour which runs in the manner of a rosette, with alternating crests and troughs, along the circumferential direction, in order for the filter insert (300) to be retained in the introduction opening (215).