Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2011086087A1/en
Timestamp: 2020-01-28 17:39:20
Document Index: 690952343

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 132', 'art 131', 'art 132', 'art 131', 'art 131', 'art 131']

WO2011086087A1 - Ergonomic service unit for beverage preparation machines - Google Patents
WO2011086087A1
WO2011086087A1 PCT/EP2011/050316 EP2011050316W WO2011086087A1 WO 2011086087 A1 WO2011086087 A1 WO 2011086087A1 EP 2011050316 W EP2011050316 W EP 2011050316W WO 2011086087 A1 WO2011086087 A1 WO 2011086087A1
PCT/EP2011/050316
2011-01-12 Application filed by Nestec S.A. filed Critical Nestec S.A.
2011-07-21 Publication of WO2011086087A1 publication Critical patent/WO2011086087A1/en
238000003786 synthesis Methods 0 abstract claims description title 81
239000002699 waste material Substances 0 abstract claims description 45
ERGONOMIC SERVICE UNIT FOR BEVERAGE PREPARATION MACHINES
The field of the invention pertains to service units for beverage preparation machines, in particular beverage preparation machines for preparing beverages from a pre- portioned ingredient of the beverage supplied within a capsule to the machine. The service unit may include an arrangement for collecting waste material generated during operation of the beverage preparation machine.
For the purpose of the present description, a "beverage" is meant to include any liquid food, such as tea, coffee, hot or cold chocolate, milk, soup, baby food, etc... A "capsule" is meant to include any pre- portioned beverage ingredient within an enclosing packaging of any material, in particular an airtight packaging, e.g. plastic, aluminium, recyclable and/or biodegradable packagings, and of any shape and structure, including soft pods or rigid cartridges containing the ingredient.
Capsules are usually inserted individually into the machine' s extraction chamber, manually or automatically from a capsule stack. Hot or cold water is then passed through the capsule for brewing or otherwise extracting the ingredient ( s ) contained within the capsule and form the desired beverage. The prepared beverage is supplied via an outlet of the machine into a cup, mug or other receptacle to the user.
Suitable brewing units for such capsules are for example disclosed in EP 1 095 605, EP 1 646 305, EP 1 757 212, EP 1 859 713, EP 1 859 714, EP 2 103 236, EP 2 119 385, WO 2009/043630 and WO 2009/130099.
Upon extraction, the used capsules may either be removed individually from the beverage preparation machine after each preparation cycle. Alternatively, the used capsules may be evacuated to a machine's used- capsule receptacle.
The beverage preparation machines are advantageously provided with a service unit for handling waste materials generated during the beverage preparation process. The waste materials include waste ingredients, such as ground coffee after extraction, and/or liquid such as liquid evacuated from the liquid circuit between the liquid source and the beverage outlet or excess beverage dispensed at the beverage outlet, e.g. in the form of drips at the end of a beverage preparation process. For example, the service unit includes a waste liquid collect arrangement with at least one of a: user-recipient support provided with a liquid evacuation arrangement such as a grid; and a waste ingredient holding arrangement. Typically, the user-recipient support and/or the waste ingredient holding arrangement are situated above the waste liquid collect arrangement so that waste liquid may be evacuated by gravity from the user- recipient support and/or the waste ingredient holding arrangement to the waste liquid collect arrangement.
Service units of beverage preparation machines are for example disclosed in EP 1 095 605, EP 1 731 065, EP 1 867 260 , WO 2009/013778, WO 2009/074559 and WO 2009/135869.
A known solution to this problem involves the implementation of a sensor for detecting the proper insertion of the service unit into the beverage preparation machine and for electronically blocking the beverage preparation process when the service unit is not properly inserted into the machine. Such electronic sensor and control systems are relatively expensive. Hence, these systems are usually not provided in beverage preparation machines of the entry or the middle commercial range. There is still a need to provide an inexpensive simple solution for improving the proper, ergonomic and/or fool-proof handling of a service unit of a beverage preparation machine.
- removable, in particular manually, from the seat for emptying the waste material upon collection thereof in the service unit;
For instance, the machine is a coffee, tea, chocolate or soup preparation machine, such as a self- contained table-top machine that can be electrically connected to the mains, e.g. at home or in an office. In particular, the machine is arranged for preparing within the ingredient processing arrangement a beverage by passing hot or cold water or another liquid through a capsule containing an ingredient of the beverage to be prepared, such as ground coffee or tea or chocolate or cacao or milk powder.
For example, the preparation machine comprises: an ingredient processing arrangement including one or more of a liquid reservoir, a liquid circulation circuit, a heater, a pump and a beverage preparation unit arranged to receive ingredient capsules for extraction and evacuate capsules upon extraction; a housing having an opening leading into a seat to which capsules are evacuated from the preparation unit; and a receptacle having a cavity forming a storage space for collecting capsules evacuated to the seat into the receptacle up to a level of fill. The receptacle is insertable into the seat for collecting capsules and is removable from the seat for emptying the collected capsules. Examples of such ingredient processing arrangements are disclosed in WO 2009/074550, WO 2009/130099 and PCT/EP09/053139.
e) an electric control unit, in particular comprising a printed circuit board (PCB) , for receiving instructions from a user via an interface and for controlling the in-line heater and the pump; and f) one or more electric sensors for sensing at least one operational characteristic selected from characteristics of the brewing unit, the in-line heater, the pump, a liquid reservoir, an ingredient collector, a flow of this liquid, a pressure of this liquid and a temperature of this liquid, and for communicati ng s u c h characteristic ( s ) to the control unit.
In accordance with the invention, the above mentioned control means comprises a touch-sensory feed¬ back mechanism arranged to indicate to a user an improper insertion of the service unit in the seat. A touch-sensory feed-back mechanism is a user-feed back interface mechanism for communicating to a user an information from the machine. As opposed to the usual interfaces, e.g. visual and/or sound interfaces such as LED's, screens, loudspeakers, etc., that require the user's visual or auditory attention and focus, the touch- sensory feed-back mechanism of the invention involves a touch mechanism such that the user is communicated an information from the machine by a feed-back directly on the manual movement he/she exerts or endeavours to exert on the machine by relying on his/her sense of touch and force associated therewith.
Hence, the user is informed by a user-perceptible touch-sensory feed-back mechanism if and when the service unit is improperly inserted in the seat, for example when the service unit is not inserted to the full expected extent into the seat. This may be the case when some un- desired obstacle, e.g. object such as waste material or another object, is present in the seat and interferes with the insertion of the service unit preventing it to reach the end of the seat during insertion, and/or when the user simply fails to properly push the service unit fully into the collection position.
It follows that, unlike prior art basic service units that can be pushed, e.g. slide, into a machine's seat to hit the rear wall of the seat, the machine of the invention has a touch-sensory mechanism for indicating to the user that the service unit has been improperly inserted into the machine even when the service unit hits an unwanted obstacle in the course of insertion prior to reaching the proper fully inserted position, i.e. the collection position. Such an unwanted obstacle is thus not mistaken by a user for a rear wall of the seat.
Hence, during the insertion movement of the service unit into the machine's seat, the user is informed sensitively of the end-of-insert ion of the service unit into the seat prior to reaching the fully inserted position of the service unit into the seat. This comforts the user handling the beverage preparation machine during the insertion procedure of the service unit and thus increases its ergonomics. Moreover, this contributes to inhibit improper insertion of the service unit into the seat .
The force feed-back means can comprise an arrangement for generating a mechanical hard-point with a sudden release when the service unit reaches the collecting position. The mechanical hard-point arrangement may include a spring-based mechanism. For instance, the arrangement is a reversible clip-based or snap-based arrangement. The mechanical hard-point arrangement can comprise a friction-based mechanism, for example a mechanism generating an increasing friction resistance against towards the end of the insertion movement of the service unit with a generally friction- free short very end-portion of this insertion movement, thereby forming a "hard point".
Examples of service units providing such collecting features are disclosed in EP 1 095 605, EP 1 731 065, EP 1 867 260, WO 2009/135869 and WO 2009/074559, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by way of reference .
Hence, before the service unit is withdrawn from the seat, the user may be invited to make sure that the ingredient chamber is emptied before emptying the service unit, in particular that no capsule remains in the ingredient chamber and that the last used capsule has been properly evacuated to the service unit. To avoid clogging of the service unit, in particular with used ingredient capsules, the service unit may incorporate an anti-cl ogging system, for example as disclosed in WO 2009/074559 and in WO 2009/135869, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by way of reference. The locking arrangement may be of the type known in the field of cabinets with several drawers so configured that the ability to move one drawer depends on the position of other drawers. This kind of technology is well known in the field of office and home furniture for storing documents, clothes and other items, for example as disclosed in US 4, 960, 309, US 5, 056, 876, etc.... This type of locking arrangement can be adapted and transferred to the field of beverage preparation machines. In the context of the present invention, the prior art openable and closable drawers are notionally substituted by the openable and closable processing unit and by the insertable and removable service unit. Of course, other configurations of the same type can provide this locking functionality.
The locking arrangement may of course be combined with the previously mentioned embodiments of the touch- sensory feed-back mechanism.
- Figure 2 is an overall view of a similar beverage preparation machine according to the invention;
- Figures 5a to 5c schematically illustrate side views of different positions of a service unit and an ingredient chamber of a beverage preparation machine according to the invention; and
Figures 6a to 6c schematically illustrate front views of a locking element of the beverage preparation machine shown in Figs 5a to 5c in the corresponding configurations .
Figure 1 shows a beverage preparation machine according to the invention. The machine has a beverage preparation unit 2 in a housing 9. Unit 2 is arranged for receiving an ingredient capsule in an extraction chamber and for feeding a liquid such as water to the capsule. Unit 2 is mounted on a platform 1 and extends along a lateral side 1' thereof. A beverage outlet 95 for dispensing beverage from unit 2 extends through a front face 94 of housing 9. Unit 2 includes a brewing module that comprises an opening and closure handle 11 and a holding means (not shown) for holding the substance-containing capsule, e.g., a coffee capsule, and a beverage delivery means such as a beverage duct 95. The holding means typically comprises a capsule holder and a brewing cage delimiting the extraction chamber, a fluid injection system for injecting water in the capsule and a closure device such as a lever and a knee joint mechanism. Suitable extraction modules are for example described in EP 1 859 713. Further possible features of unit 2 are discussed in greater details in co-pending application EP 2 070 454, the content of which is hereby incorporated by way of reference .
Furthermore, housing 9 houses within a seat 5 a service unit 20,30 for collecting waste materials such as waste liquid and/or a waste beverage ingredient. Service unit 20,30 is manually insertable into seat 5 to reach a collection position for collecting waste materials (as shown in Fig. 1); and removable from seat 5 for emptying the waste materials upon collection thereof (as shown in Fig. 2) . Service unit 20,30 may slide into and out from seat 5.
Platform 1 bears beverage unit 2, a water tank 7 attached to the base platform externally to housing 9 and adjacent to the rear wall of housing 9, a fluid connection therebetween, and an electric power connection to the mains .
Upper face 34 of platform 1 has means in the form of a STRIX™ connector (not shown) for connecting a milk frothing device 8. Such disconnectable connectors for such a platform 1 and frothing device 8 are for example disclosed in greater detail in WO 03/075629, WO 2008/046837 and in WO 2008/142154, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by way of reference.
Upper face 34 is adjacent neighbouring front face 35 that can be associated with a heating system, in particular integrated in platform 1, and that may be arranged to support one or more cups or mugs for pre¬ heating thereof prior to use.
Furthermore, service unit 20,30 has a cup support device 20 that includes, above support device 6, a second support plate 21 for supporting recipients, such as cups, of smaller size underneath outlet 95. Like main support device 6, second support plate 21 comprises a perforated plate for the evacuation of liquid, in particular to collector 6a, optionally via support device 6. Second support plate 21 is movable into a generally horizontal operative position between the outlet 95 and support device 6, as illustrated, and is movable into a generally upright or vertical rest position away therefrom so that a larger recipient is placeable on support device 6 under outlet 95. Second support plate 21 is in particular rotatable and/or slidable from its operative position into its rest position. Further details of possible features of such second support device are for example disclosed in EP 1 867 260.
Figure 2, in which the same numeric references generally designate the same elements, generally shows another beverage preparation machine according to the invention .
Receptacle 30 may be assembled to cup support device 20 which includes cup support member 21 that is pivotally mounted onto a reservoir 22 supporting receptacle 30. Support member 21 is assembled to or integral with a stop member 24 that is rotatable with support member against a front face of reservoir 22 to stop the downward rotation of support member 21 and secure member 21 in a horizontal position .
Receptacle 30 may have a bottom part with a drain- hole so that reservoir 22 can collect liquid drained from this bottom part into reservoir 22 via the drain-hole. Cup support device 20 and receptacle 30 resting thereon may be inserted and removed en bloc from seat 5.
Furthermore, receptacle 30 has an opening 33 in the rear upright wall that is used to prevent clogging by an accumulation of used capsules, as described in greater details WO 2009/074559, which is hereby incorporated by way of reference.
The beverage preparation machines shown in Figs 1 and 2 have a control means for controlling proper insertion of the service unit 20,30 in seat 5. In accordance with the invention, the control means comprises a touch-sensory force feed-back mechanism 40 arranged to vary a manual force required for inserting service unit 20,30 into seat 5 when service unit 20,30 is about to reach the collection position during manual insertion .
Further details and variations of service unit 20,30 and seat 5 are now discussed in relation with Figures 3 to 6c .
Service unit 20,30 comprises an arrangement for collecting: waste beverage precursor-liquid, such as water, in reservoir 22; waste beverage precursor-solid, such as a used beverage flavouring ingredient in particular ground coffee, optionally contained in a pre- portioned capsule, in used ingredient receptacle 30; and waste beverage, such as drips from a beverage dispensing outlet in reservoir 22 via a liquid evacuation groove arrangement in cup support 21.
The force feed-back means will now be described in greater details. The illustrated beverage preparation has an arrangement for generating a force insertion assistance when service unit 20,30 is about to reach the collection position in seat 5, in particular an arrangement for automatically positioning service unit 20,30 into the collection position underneath the brewing unit .
The force feed-back means comprises a magnet-based mechanism. More specifically, service unit 20,30 bears on its rear face a magnet 40. Magnet 40 protrudes generally vertically from service unit 20,30 and extends rearwards. To cooperate with magnet 40, beverage preparation machine has in or adjacent to seat 5 a ferromagnetic member (not shown) . This ferromagnetic member may be formed as or part of a slot or groove in a rear wall of seat 5, such as to be able to receive magnet 40. Alternatively, ferromagnetic member may form the seat's rear wall or part thereof that faces the service unit's rear face bearing magnet 40.
In a variation, it is possible to invert the magnet and the ferromagnetic element or to provide a pair of mutually attracting magnets. In a further variation, it is possible to provide a spring-based mechanism with a spring element that relaxes to bring the service unit into its operative position. Conversely, instead of merely assisting insertion of the service unit into its operative position in the beverage preparation machine, it is possible to provide a mechanical "hard point" system, e.g. a spring based mechanism and/or a friction- based mechanism, which the user will have to overcome when the service unit is manually inserted into the seat.
Figs 5a to 6c illustrate a further embodiment of the beverage preparation machine according to the invention which may be combined with the features of the beverage preparation machines illustrated in Figs 1 to 4. In particular, Figs 6a to 6c show a front view of cam- follower 53 in each position of follower 53 illustrated in Figs 5a to 5c, respectively, in combination with a service unit 20, 30 and a brewing unit 13 with an extraction chamber 14. The beverage preparation machine has a brewing unit 13 with a front part 132 and a rear part 131 delimiting an ingredient chamber 14 for accommodating ingredient capsules. Chamber 14 is in fluid connection with a liquid injection line 15 and a beverage outlet 95. Ingredient chamber 14 has an open configuration, as illustrated in Figs 5b and 5c and a closed configuration as shown in Fig. 5a. Chamber 14 is opened and closed by moving apart and together front part 132 and rear part 131 of brewing unit 13. Brewing unit 13 may be opened and closed manually via a handle 11, as illustrated in Figs 1 and 2.
Such a brewing unit opening and closing mechanism together with the insertion, extraction and removal of ingredient capsules is described in greater details for example in EP 1 646 305, EP 1 757 212, EP 1 859 713, EP 1 859 714, EP 2 103 236, EP 2 119 385, WO 2009/043630 and WO 2009/130099, the contents of which are incorporated by way of reference.
Furthermore, the illustrated beverage preparation machine comprises a mechanical locking arrangement 50 for mechanically preventing preparation of any beverage when service unit 20,30 is not in the collection position. In particular, mechanical locking arrangement 50 may be configured to prevent: closure of ingredient chamber 14 when service unit 20,30 is not in the collection position as illustrated in Fig. 5c; and/or removal of service unit 20, 30 when ingredient chamber 14 is not in its open configuration, as illustrated in Fig. 5a.
Mechanical locking arrangement 50 comprises a first cam 51, e.g. a groove, associated with movable rear part 131 of brewing unit 13, a second cam 52, e.g. a groove, associated with service unit 20,30 and a locking element 53 configured as a cam-follower associated with cams 51,52. Locking element 53 has a pair or connected arms 531, 532 pivotable about an axis 53' in seat 5. Each arm 531,532 has a member 531a, 532a, e.g. generally in the form of pins, engaging with cams 51,52, e.g. in the form of grooves cooperating with such pins. Pivoting axis 53' cooperates with a generally oblong holding opening (not shown) in seat 5 of the beverage preparation machine, to permit pivoting of element 53 about axis 53' and small generally horizontal translation of axis 53' .
In this configuration, locking element 53 has been brought in a blocking position to prevent closure of brewing chamber 14. Arm 531 with member 531a are driven upwards cam 51 to a locking end 51a thereof. Locking end 51a extends generally upwardly in cam 51 and exhibits a change of direction. Moreover, Arm 532 has a securing member 532b opposite member 532a. Securing member 532b is secured on and against a support surface 534 of seat 5. To drive securing member 532b onto support surface 534, service unit 20,30 has a drive member 535, e.g. protrusion, which guides locking element 53 via arm 532 at the passage of drive member 535 when service unit 20,30 is pulled out from seat 5. By driving arm 532 onto support surface 534, pivoting axis 53' is slightly displaced towards the front with drive member 535. In this configuration, locking element 53 is locked between support surface 534, locking end 51a and the oblong opening in seat 5 for receiving axis 53' . In particular, locking element 53 is prevented from pivoting counterclockwise which blocks open rear part 131 of brewing unit 13, thus preventing beverage preparation upon removal of service unit 20,30 from its normal operative position in seat 5.
In a variation, it is of course possible to provide this type of configuration with a brewing unit in which the front part is moved to and away from the rear part in order to open and close the brewing chamber, for instance as taught in WO 2009/043630. In this case, the locking element follows a cam associated with the movable front part of the brewing unit.
a) a seat (5) ;
2. The machine of claim 1, wherein the touch-sensory feed-back mechanism comprises a force feed-back means (40) arranged to vary a manual force required for inserting the service unit (20,30) into the seat (5) when the service unit is about to reach the collection position during manual insertion.
3. The machine of claim 2, wherein the force feed-back means comprises an arrangement (40) for generating an insertion force assistance when the service unit (20,30) is about to reach the collection position, in particular an arrangement for automatically positioning the service unit into the collection position.
4. The machine of claim 3, wherein the force feed-back means comprises a magnet-based mechanism (40) and/or a spring-based mechanism.
5. The machine of any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the force feed-back means comprises an arrangement for generating a mechanical hard-point with a sudden release when the service unit reaches the collecting position.
6. The machine of claim 5, wherein the mechanical hard- point arrangement comprises a spring-based and/or friction-based mechanism.
7. The machine of any preceding claim, wherein the service unit (20,30) is arranged to be slidable into and out from the seat (5) .
8. The machine of any preceding claim, wherein the service unit (20,30) comprises an arrangement (21,22,32) for collecting at least one of:
waste beverage precursor-solid, such as a used beverage flavouring ingredient in particular ground coffee, optionally a pre-portioned precursor-solid contained in a capsule; and
waste beverage, such as drips from a beverage dispensing outlet (95) or draining from an ingredient chamber of an ingredient processing unit upon reopening after processing.
9. The machine of claim 8, wherein the service unit (20,30) comprises a liquid collection receptacle (22) and a solid ingredient collection receptacle (32), in particular a receptacle for used ingredient capsules.
10. The machine of claim 8 or 9, wherein the service unit (20,30) comprises a support (21) for user-cups and/or user-mugs, the support being in particular arranged to evacuate beverage drips to a liquid collection receptacle (22).
11. The machine of any preceding claim, which comprises an ingredient processing unit (13) that has a chamber (14) and that has: an open configuration for insertion of said ingredient into the chamber and removal of said ingredient from the chamber; and a closed configuration for preparing a beverage by processing said ingredient in the chamber, the processing unit or a part thereof being movable, in particular manually, from the open to the closed configuration and vice versa.
12. The machine of any preceding claim, which comprises a mechanical locking arrangement (50) for mechanically preventing preparation of any beverage when the service unit (20,30) is not in the collection position.
13. The machine of claim 12 when depending on claim 11, wherein the mechanical locking arrangement (50) is configured to prevent closure of the processing unit (13) when the service unit (20,30) is not in the collection position .
14. The machine of claim 13, wherein said processing unit or said part thereof is manually movable, said touch-sensory feed-back mechanism (40,50) comprising the mechanical locking arrangement (50) preventing manual closure of the processing unit (13) when the service unit (20,30) is not in the collection position.
15. The machine of any one of claims 11 to 14, which comprises a mechanical locking arrangement (50) configured to prevent removal of the service unit (20,30) when the processing unit (13) is in its closed configuration, in particular when the processing unit is not in its open configuration.
PCT/EP2011/050316 2010-01-15 2011-01-12 Ergonomic service unit for beverage preparation machines WO2011086087A1 (en)
BR112012017591A BR112012017591A2 (en) 2010-01-15 2011-01-12 ergonomic service unit for beverage preparation machines
CA2786650A CA2786650A1 (en) 2010-01-15 2011-01-12 Ergonomic service unit for beverage preparation machines
ES11701039T ES2433439T3 (en) 2010-01-15 2011-01-12 Ergonomic service unit for beverage preparation machines
RU2012134790/12A RU2553040C2 (en) 2010-01-15 2011-01-12 Ergonomic service unit for beverage preparation apparatus
US13/522,273 US20120285331A1 (en) 2010-01-15 2011-01-12 Ergonomic service unit for beverage preparation machines
AU2011206623A AU2011206623A1 (en) 2010-01-15 2011-01-12 Ergonomic service unit for beverage preparation machines
DK11701039.7T DK2523587T3 (en) 2010-01-15 2011-01-12 Ergonomic service unit for beverage machinery
JP2012548415A JP2013517025A (en) 2010-01-15 2011-01-12 Ergonomic service unit for beverage preparation machines
CN201180013896.1A CN102791172B (en) 2010-01-15 2011-01-12 Ergonomic service unit for beverage preparation machines
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