Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The present application claims the benefit of priority of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2006/007205, filed on Jul. 21, 2006, which application claims priority of EP Patent Application No. 050116579.4, filed Jul. 29, 2005. The entire text of the priority application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF DISCLOSURE 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to a beverage system comprising a coffee machine. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    The customers&#39; liking tends, at present, more and more towards light, nonalcoholic beverages and in particular towards water. A great variety of water dispensers is known, which are able to process tap water such that it is suitable for being served as table water, i.e. which are especially able to cool tap water or to add a gas, preferably carbon dioxide or oxygen, thereto. Such water dispensers are known e.g. from DE-U-298 16 612, DE-B-1 99 60 149, WO-A-02/02455 or WO-A-93/10035. However, also in restaurants, coffeehouses, cafeterias or e.g. in the field of office supply and so-called convenience stores there is an increasing demand for tap water which has been processed in this way. The installation of a water dispenser in addition to a coffee machine, which is necessary in any way, will, however, cause costs and require additional space. Although it is already known from the above-mentioned WO93/10035 or from EP-A-1 352 599 to combine various beverage dispensers, the beverages combined have hitherto been only beverages of one type, e.g. cold beverages on a water basis in WO93/10035 or hot beverages in EP 1 352 599. 
       SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0004]    It is therefore the object of the present disclosure to provide a beverage system which is able to dispense hot beverages, such as coffee or tea, and water in a structurally simple and inexpensive manner and which requires little space. 
         [0005]    The solution according to the present disclosure allows functional components, which are necessary or expedient for the water dispenser as well as for the coffee machine, to be used for both said units so that they have to be provided only once. This saves costs as well as space. 
         [0006]    The present disclosure is, however, particularly advantageous insofar as a common cleaning system can be provided for both the coffee machine and the water dispenser. 
         [0007]    As can be seen from the prior art (cf. e.g. DE 298 16 612 or DE 199 60 149), it has hitherto been problematic to prevent microbial contamination of the water dispenser. This problem is particularly serious in the case of water dispensers used in public areas. Coffee machines have been equipped with all integrated cleaning system up to now; according to the present disclosure, this cleaning system is used for the water dispenser and solves the hygienic problems of the latter in the best possible way, so that the beverage system according to the present disclosure satisfies all hygienic demands. 
         [0008]    Cleaning of the water dispenser will become particularly simple, when the cleaning system works in cooperation with the hot water maker of the coffee machine so that the water dispenser can be rinsed with hot water so as to kill all microorganisms. 
         [0009]    It is specially preferred that the water dispenser and the coffee machine have a common housing; this will reduce the space requirement and the costs still further. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    Embodiments of the present disclosure will be explained in detail hereinbelow on the basis of the drawings, in which: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  shows a schematic global view of a beverage system according to the present invention, 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  shows a schematic fragmentary view of specific areas of a beverage system according to the present disclosure, 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  shows a schematic fragmentary view of specific areas of a beverage system according to the present disclosure, and 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  shows a schematic fragmentary view of specific areas of a beverage system according to the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0015]      FIG. 1  shows a strongly schematic representation of essential components of a beverage system  1  according to the present disclosure. The beverage system  1  comprises a coffee machine  2  and a water dispenser  3 , which, in the embodiment shown, are accommodated in a common housing  4 . It is, however, also possible to accommodate the coffee machine  2  and the water dispenser  3  in separate housings and to interconnect these housings through conduits in a manner which will be described hereinbelow. 
         [0016]    The coffee machine  2  comprises the normal components which are necessary or desirable for automatic coffee makers and which guarantee that the coffee machine  2  prepares and dispenses hot beverages (brewed beverages), e.g. especially coffee, in an automatic or predominantly automatic manner. 
         [0017]    In order simplify the representation, the figure only shows a container  35 , which contains the raw material for brewed beverages, such as two sorts of coffee beans or coffee grounds for filter coffee and espresso, and which, in the embodiment shown, is placed on top of the housing  4  and is connected to a brewing unit  6  via a supply duct  5   a . The brewing unit  6  communicates via a conduit  7  with an outlet  8  which represents part of a discharge means  9  and which is arranged above a surface  10  that can be used for placing thereon a vessel  111  to be filled; the vessel shown here is a cup. 
         [0018]    The brewing unit  6  is supplied via a conduit  12  with hot water which is prepared in a hot water maker  13 . The hot water maker  13  can e.g. be a boiler or a continuous-flow heater or a hot water maker of some other kind, which is suitable for and used for coffee machines. In the embodiment shown, the hot water maker  13  is connected via a conduit  14  to a cold water supply, which can e.g. be the water mains of the building in question. The hot water conduit  12  has provided therein the usual brewing valve  15  which controls the supply of hot water into the brewing unit  6 . Furthermore, a pump  16  can be provided, which causes an increase in pressure, e.g. for the purpose of preparing espresso. In the embodiment shown, the pump  16  is arranged in the cold water conduit  14  upstream of the hot water maker  13 . In addition, a water filter  16   a  can be provided; it will be expedient when this water filter  16   a  is arranged upstream of the pump  16 . 
         [0019]    The coffee machine  2  is additionally configured for dispensing milk-containing beverages. These beverages can be mixed beverages containing coffee or tea or they can be dispensed in the form of pure hot or cold milk. The coffee machine  2  comprises a milk preparation unit  17  for this purpose. The unit  17  contains a milk supply  18 , which can be arranged in the interior of the housing  4  or outside thereof. The milk supply  18  can be a commercially available retail pack, or it can comprise a separate milk container into the which the retail packs are decanted. 
         [0020]    The milk supply  18  is accommodated in a cooling unit  19  including e.g. a cooling block  20  ( FIG. 4 ). The milk supply  18  additionally communicates via a milk conduit  21  with the discharge means  9  where it terminates preferably in a separate outlet  22 . One of the usual foaming units, which is here only indicated by an emulsifying chamber  21   a , can be provided between the milk supply  18  and the outlet  22 . The foaming unit can additionally comprise a possibility of automatically sucking in air (Venturi effect) or of actively blowing in air and of introducing steam. Since foaming units in general are known, a detailed explanation of these units is here dispensed with. 
         [0021]    The coffee machine  2  also comprises the usual operating elements  31 , which are arranged on the outer side of the housing  4 . The operating elements  31  are connected to a control unit  32  controlling, in the manner known, the functions of the coffee machine  2  in accordance with programmed operating sequences in response to a respective actuation of said operating elements  31 . 
         [0022]    The coffee machine  2  can comprise any known cleaning system  23 ; in the embodiment shown, the cleaning system  23  includes the hot water maker  13  and a suitably programmed control unit  32 , which guarantees that relevant components of the coffee machine  2 , e.g. the brewing unit  6  and the outlet  9  as well as, in a manner which is not shown, the milk conduit  21 , the emulsifying chamber  21   a  and the milk/milk foam outlet are rinsed with hot water and disinfected. Furthermore, one of the known units for introducing steam and/or for introducing or filling-in a cleaning agent can be provided; the latter is not shown in the drawing. 
         [0023]    The water dispenser  3  includes a cold water supply, in the form of a supply conduit  24 , and an outlet for dispensing water. It is preferably possible to add a gas, such as carbon dioxide and/or oxygen, to the water. If this is desired, a gas source  25  is additionally provided; in the embodiment shown, a commercially available gas cartridge is used. The gas source  25  is connected via a pressure reducer  26   a  to a carbonizer  27  which introduces gas from the gas source  25  into the water conducted in the conduit  24 . The carbonizer  27  in the conduit  24  is followed by a compensating valve  26   b , which prevents an excessively fast pressure relief of the water/gas mixture that would result in an escape of gas. The usual structural designs can be used for the carbonizer  27 , the pressure reducer  26   a  and/or the compensating valve  26   b ; the compensating valve  26   b , for example, can be operated electrically or manually. 
         [0024]    The coffee machine  2  and the water dispenser  3  use functional components in common in accordance with the present disclosure. The beverage system  1  shown is based on a coffee machine so that the water dispenser  3  uses here function components of the coffee machine  2 . 
         [0025]    In particular, the water conduit  24  branches from the cold water conduit  14  before the latter opens into the hot water maker  13 . The water conduit  24  branches off downstream of the pump  16  and the water filter  16   a , respectively, so that the supply conduit  14 , the pump  16  (for increasing the water pressure and for improving gas absorption in this way) and the water filter  16   a  can also be used for the water dispenser  3 . The water conduit branch  24  which branches from the cold water conduit  14  has incorporated therein a valve  28  which is opened and closed via the control unit  32  in accordance with a user input. The gas inlet is opened and closed in accordance with a user input as well. Also the user input preferably takes place via the operating elements  31  so that the water dispenser  3  makes also use of the control and operating means of the coffee machine  2 , in particular of the control unit  32  and of the operating elements  31 . 
         [0026]    The water conduit  24  and/or the carbonizer  27  are preferably cooled. In the embodiment shown, this is done in the cooling unit  19  which also comprises the milk supply  18  and the milk conduit  21 . The water conduit  24  can be implemented such that is extends through the cooling unit  19  upstream and/or downstream of the carbonizer  27  so as to cool the water au-d so as to improve the gas absorption property above all. For this purpose, the water conduit  24  is e.g. implemented such that, before the carbonizer  27 , it extends in the form of a loop through the cooling unit for effecting once-though cooling  24   a.    
         [0027]    The water conduit  24  opens, downstream of the carbonizer  27 , into the discharge means  9  either in a separate outlet, or, as shown in the drawing, in a common outlet  8  from which a coffee beverage as well as drinking water can be tapped consequently. 
         [0028]    The water dispenser  3  makes use of the cleaning unit  23  of the coffee machine  2  and, for this purpose, it is connected to the hot water maker  13  especially through a conduit  30  which is adapted to be shut off by a valve  29 . The conduit  30  should preferably terminate upstream of the carbonizer  27  and as close as possible to the shut-off valve  28  so as to be able to rinse all the areas of the water dispenser  3  with hot water from the hot water maker  13 . In addition, a connection to the input of cleaning agents or the like, which is not shown, can be provided. 
         [0029]    In  FIG. 1  the coffee machine  2  and the water dispenser  3  use a very large number of functional components in common. It is, however, also possible to use only a few, selected functional components in common. Preferred combinations of functional components that are used in common are shown in  FIG. 2 to 4 . 
         [0030]      FIG. 2  shows a extremely expedient and preferred common use of the cleaning unit  23  via the cleaning conduit  30  which leads away from the hot water maker  13  and opens into the water conduit  24  and which includes the shut-off valve  29 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 3  shows the common use of the pump  16 , the control unit  32  and the operating elements  31 . 
         [0032]      FIG. 4  shows the common use of the cooling unit  19  including the cooling block  20  used for cooling the milk supply  18  as well as the water in conduit  24 , which is conducted through the cooling block  20 . It follows that, in the embodiment shown, neither the gas source  25  nor the carbonizer  27  is cooled. 
         [0033]    According to modifications of the above-described embodiments shown in the drawings, other combinations of functional components used in common are imaginable as well. It is, however, also possible that the water dispenser includes e.g. a pump so as to increase the water pressure and improve gas absorption, and that this pump is then, in turn, used by the coffee machine as well. If the water dispenser and the coffee machine are accommodated in two separate housings, the necessary connections between the two housings should be releasable so that the two devices can be transported independently of one another.

Technology Category: 1