Abstract:
In order to improve a beverage preparation device in terms of operability and ergonomics and in particular to simplify filling of a supply container with solid beverage starting products, a supply container arrangement is provided which has at least one two-part supply container having a lower part-container and a removable upper part-container which can be arranged on the lower part-container. The upper part-container has a bottom with a connection opening on which a closure device is arranged which is designed, when joining together the upper and lower part-containers, to open automatically and to free a connection between the upper and lower part-containers.

Description:
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE 
       [0001]    The following documents are incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth: German Patent Application No. 102016213642.9, filed Jul. 26, 2016. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a supply container arrangement for a beverage preparation device, for storing and feeding one or more solid starting products for the preparation of hot or cold beverages. 
         [0003]    Beverage preparation devices which serve for the automatic preparation of hot or cold beverages are equipped with supply containers in which the starting products for the preparation are stored and fed to the preparation device as required. Here, the products are as a rule fed from such a supply container under the effect of gravitational force, that is to say the supply containers are arranged above or in an upper region of the respective preparation device. Particularly in the field of fully automatic coffee machines, bean containers are known which are arranged above the fully automatic coffee machine and, upon corresponding activation, the beans are guided automatically into a grinding unit situated below and from there into a brewing system. In addition, further supply containers for other added products, such as chocolate powder, for example, can be provided. 
         [0004]    Since such beverage preparation devices are frequently comparatively large and are set up in their working height on a countertop or the like, it can be particularly difficult for operators of relatively small size to fill the supply containers arranged above the device. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a beverage preparation device which is improved in terms of operability and ergonomics and in particular to provide a supply container arrangement in which the operation of filling with solid starting products for the beverage preparation is simplified. 
         [0006]    This and further objects are achieved by one or more features of the invention. Advantageous refinements can be found below and in the claims. 
         [0007]    According to the invention, a supply container arrangement for a beverage preparation device has at least one two-part supply container having a lower part-container and a removable upper part-container which can be arranged on the lower part-container. The upper part-container has a bottom with a connection opening on which a closure device is arranged which is designed, when joining together the upper and lower part-containers, to open automatically and to free a connection between the upper and lower part-containers. 
         [0008]    In this way, for filling purposes, the upper part-container can be removed, filled by the operator and arranged again on the lower part-container. Here, when joining together said part-containers, the connection opening is automatically opened, with the result that the starting products introduced can trickle from the upper part-container into the lower part-container. Since the supply container need not be removed as a whole from the beverage preparation device, but the lower part-container, together with the starting product contained therein, remains on the device, an operation of the device, or a beverage purchase, continues to be possible during the filling operation, that is to say with the upper part-container removed. The device thus also remains fully functional during this filling operation. 
         [0009]    In a preferred embodiment, a rail guide is mounted above the lower part-container, into which rail guide the upper part-container is inserted to join together said part-containers. In this way, in the manner of a drawer, the upper part-container can be extracted in the horizontal direction, preferably forwards or rearwards with respect to the beverage preparation device, and inserted again after the filling operation. This results in simple and secure operability. 
         [0010]    It is particularly advantageous here if the rail guide has an end stop for the upper part-container and can be mounted on the lower part-container in two mounting positions in such a way that the upper part-container can be inserted into the rail guide either from a first direction or from a second direction opposite to the first. The upper part-container can thus be inserted up to the end stop of the rail guide, with the result that its operating position on the lower part-container is clearly defined. Here, the different mounting positions of the rail guide make it possible for the operation of the beverage preparation device to be tailored to the location where it is set up. For example, to operate the beverage preparation device as a countertop device in the service area of a gastronomy business, the rail guide can be arranged such that the upper part-container can be extracted forwards. If, by contrast, the beverage preparation device is set up in a self-service area in front of a service area situated behind, the rail guide can be mounted such that the upper part-container can be extracted (only) rearwards, that is to say can be filled from the service area. 
         [0011]    In a preferred embodiment, provision is made for the closure device to have a slide which closes the connection opening in a closing position and, when joining together the upper and lower part-containers, is pushed into its open position by a projection arranged on the lower part-container. Particularly in combination with a rail guide for the upper part-container, it is thus possible to achieve a simple and reliable automatic opening of the connection opening when joining together the upper and lower part-containers. 
         [0012]    It is particularly advantageous here if a spring-loaded bar is provided which secures the slide in a closed state, and the bar has an oblique ramp against which the slide can be displaced while overcoming a spring force. It is possible to ensure with such a spring-loaded bar that, with the upper part-container removed, the slide does not inadvertently open and the starting products introduced are spilled. 
         [0013]    In this embodiment, there is also provision that, when removing the upper part-container from the lower part-container, the slide is guided back into its closed position by a latching nose arranged on the lower part-container. Such a latching nose makes it possible that, when joining together the upper and lower part-containers, the slide can press the latching nose aside and slide past it; however, in the joined-together state, the latching nose comes to latch in behind the slide and guides it back into the closed position during the removal of the upper part-container. A situation is thus prevented in which any starting products still present in the upper part-container can fall out through the opened connection opening during the removal of the upper part-container. 
         [0014]    In a supply container arrangement of the aforementioned type, it is additionally advantageous to design the bottom of the upper part-container as an oblique bottom which is inclined towards the connection opening, preferably to design the bottom such that it tapers in a funnel shape downwardly towards the connection opening. It is thereby ensured that starting products introduced into the upper part-container can be emptied completely into the lower part-container under the effect of gravitational force. 
         [0015]    The present invention further relates to a beverage preparation device, in particular a fully automatic coffee machine, having a supply container arrangement of the aforementioned type. 
         [0016]    In a preferred application of the present invention, the at least one two-part supply container of the supply container arrangement serves for receiving and feeding coffee beans for a fully automatic coffee machine. For this purpose, the two-part supply container for receiving the coffee beans is arranged above a grinding unit of the fully automatic coffee machine, with the result that the coffee beans fall from the supply container directly into the grinding unit. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0017]    Further advantages and refinements of the present invention will emerge from the following description of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the figures, in which: 
           [0018]      FIG. 1  shows an isometric illustration of a supply container arrangement for a fully automatic coffee machine, 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  shows a side view of the supply container arrangement from  FIG. 1 , 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  shows a rear view of the supply container arrangement from  FIG. 1 , 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  shows a side view of the upper part-container in an exploded drawing, 
           [0022]      FIG. 5  shows an isometric illustration of the exploded drawing from  FIG. 4 , and 
           [0023]      FIG. 6  shows an isometric illustration of a two-part supply container cut open in the longitudinal direction. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0024]      FIG. 1  illustrates a supply container arrangement  1  for a fully automatic coffee machine. The supply container arrangement  1  comprises a total of four supply containers  2 ,  3 ,  4  and  5  which are arranged on a common plate  6  which serves as a cover plate of a fully automatic coffee machine. The two rear supply containers  2 ,  3  are each designed as two-part supply containers and serve to receive coffee beans. The two front supply containers  4 ,  5  are designed in one piece in a conventional manner and serve in the exemplary embodiment, without the invention being limited thereto, to receive chocolate powder. 
         [0025]    Of particular interest in connection with the present invention are the two rear supply containers  2 ,  3 , which are each of two-part design. The rear left-hand supply container  2  comprises a lower part-container  7  and an upper part-container  8  connected thereto via a rail guide  9 . Here, the upper part-container  8  is inserted into the rail guide  9  from the front in the manner of a drawer or can be extracted forwards from the rail guide  9 . For this purpose, it has a handle  10  by which the part-container  8  can be taken hold of and extracted forwards. In addition, the part-container  8  has a cover  11  which can be locked on the part-container  8  by a lock  11 ′. The cover  11  is additionally provided with an elastomer seal  11 ″ (see  FIGS. 4 and 5 ). 
         [0026]    Of the rear right-hand supply container  3 , all that is illustrated is its lower part-container  12  with the rail guide  13  arranged thereon. By contrast, the associated upper part-container has been removed. Unlike the left-hand supply container  2 , the rail guide  13  of the right-hand supply container is here mounted, by way of example and merely for illustration, in the opposite mounting position, with the result that the associated upper part-container (not shown) can be inserted into the rail guide  13  from the rear or extracted rearwards therefrom. 
         [0027]      FIGS. 2 and 3  show a side view and a rear view of the supply container arrangement. It can be seen in  FIG. 2  that the upper part-container  8  can be extracted to the right by its handle  10  from the rail guide  9 . 
         [0028]    It becomes clear in  FIG. 3  that the rail guide  9  for the supply container  2  is mounted in the opposite direction to the corresponding rail guide  13  of the second supply container  3 . 
         [0029]    Whereas the rail guide  9  on the right in  FIG. 3  is mounted in such a way that the associated upper part-container  8  is extracted forwards, that is to say into the drawing plane, with respect to the fully automatic coffee machine, the corresponding rail guide  13  of the left-hand supply container  3  is mounted such that the associated upper supply container (not shown) is extracted rearwards, that is to say out of the drawing plane, with respect to the fully automatic coffee machine. The two lower part-containers  7 ,  12  are here configured as an integrated unit and separated internally from one another by a partition wall  14 , which is illustrated by a dashed line. 
         [0030]    The upper part-container  8  is illustrated in more detail in the exploded drawing in  FIG. 4 . It has an oblique bottom  16  which tapers downwards in a funnel shape towards a connection opening  15  and which forms a chute for coffee beans situated therein. A closure device is provided on the connection opening  15 , said closure device automatically opening when inserting the upper part-container  8  into its associated rail guide  9 , which is screwed to the lower part-container  7 , or closing when extracting the upper part-container  8 . The closure device comprises a slide  17  and a frame-shaped guide part  18  in which the slide  17  is displaceably guided in the longitudinal direction of the upper part-container  8 . Two projections protruding laterally upwards in the interior of the rail guide  9  (cf. reference  19 ′ in  FIG. 1 ) ensure that the slide  17  is displaced into an opened position when inserting the upper part-container  8  into its rail guide  9 , with the result that the connection opening  15  is freed. Additionally provided within the rail guide  9  are resilient latching noses  20  (cf. reference sign  20 ′ in  FIG. 1 ) which latch in behind the opened slide  17  and, when extracting the upper part-container  8 , ensure that the slide  17  is moved back into its closing position in which it conceals the connection opening  15 . In the exemplary embodiment, the latching noses  20  are arranged on a separate component  20 ′ which is fastened resiliently or elastically below or on the rail guide  9 . 
         [0031]    Additionally provided is a locking mechanism which ensures that the slide  17  is secured in its closed position, with the result that, with the part-container  8  extracted, it cannot be inadvertently pushed open. For this purpose, a locking part  21  is provided which, in the manner of a rocker, is articulated on the frame-shaped guide part  18  by way of a hinge  22 . A helical compression spring  23  ensures a downwardly directed prestressing force and, with the slide  17  closed, holds the locking part  21  in its locking position. The locking part  21  has a downwardly pointing latch  24  with oblique guide surfaces or ramps  25 ,  26 . To open the slide  17 , the locking part must be pressed upwards via the ramp  25  counter to the spring force of the helical spring  23 , with the result that the slide  17  can be guided past the latch  24 . In its open position, the latch  24  ensures, via the ramp  26 , that the slide  17  can be guided back into its closed position only by overcoming the spring force of the spring  23 . 
         [0032]    In the isometric illustration of  FIG. 5 , it is clear that the locking part  21  has in each case two latches  24  which are arranged laterally with respect to the connection opening and are intended for securing the slide  17 . In the partially sectioned illustration in  FIG. 6 , the two-part supply container  2  is illustrated in the joined-together state. The slide  17  is in its right-hand, open position and frees the connection opening  15 , with the result that coffee beans can trickle from the upper part-container  8  into the lower part-container  7  via the chute formed by the oblique bottom  16 . The rear connecting wall  14  separates the lower part-container  7  of the left-hand supply container  2  from the lower part-container  12  of the right-hand supply container  3  situated alongside. A funnel-shaped oblique bottom  25  is also arranged in the lower part-container  7  and opens in an outlet opening  26  through which the coffee beans can fall into a grinding unit of the fully automatic coffee machine that is situated below. 
         [0033]    To fill the supply containers  2 ,  3 , the associated upper part-container  8  can thus be extracted from its rail guide  9 ,  13 , filled and inserted again without the operation of the associated fully automatic coffee machine being adversely affected or interrupted. The rail guides  9 ,  13  can each be mounted such that the associated upper part-container  8  can be extracted either forwards, that is to say for use in a fully automatic coffee machine in the service area, or rearwards, for example for use in a fully automatic coffee machine in the self-service area. Interruption-free and convenient filling of the fully automatic coffee machine with coffee beans is thus ensured.