BEVERAGE PARAMETER SETTING ON A BEVERAGE MAKER

Abstract

A method for controlling a beverage maker (1) involves the steps of preparing (101) a first beverage having a first value of a beverage-preparation parameter, preparing (102) a second beverage having a second value of the beverage-preparation parameter different than the first value, receiving a user input that selects the first or the second beverage, and storing (105, 106) the beverage-preparation parameter of the selected beverage as a specification for the preparation of the beverage. A beverage maker (1) includes a beverage-preparation device (3) with at least one variable beverage-preparation parameter, which can assume at least two different values, and a control device (2) configured to carry out the method.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a beverage maker (1), comprising the following steps: preparing (101) of a first beverage having a first value of a beverage-preparation parameter; preparing (102) of a second beverage having a second value of the beverage-preparation parameter, which value differs from the first value; receiving of a user input that specifies the first or the second beverage as a specified beverage; and storing (105, 106) a selected value of the beverage-preparation parameter of the specified beverage as a specification for the preparation of the beverage, the selected value being the first value of the beverage-preparation parameter upon the user input specifying the first beverage, and being the second value of the beverage-preparation parameter upon the user input specifying the second beverage.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of: displaying (103) the first and of the second beverage for a selection via the user input; wherein the step of displaying is carried out on a device display (4) of the beverage maker or on a mobile terminal (10) coupled to the beverage maker is affected; and wherein the step of receiving the user input is carried out via an operating element (5) of the beverage maker (1) or from the coupled mobile terminal (10).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the beverage-preparation parameter can assume more than two different values, further comprising the following steps: receiving (107) a user input indicating a user request for further adapting the selected value of the beverage-preparation parameter; preparing a third beverage having a third value of the beverage-preparation parameter; preparing a fourth beverage having a fourth value of the beverage-preparation parameter; wherein the third value and the fourth value differ from the stored selected value, receiving of a user input that specifies the third or the fourth beverage; and storing an updated selected value of the beverage-preparation parameter of the specified beverage as a specification for the preparation of the beverage, the updated selected value being the third value of the beverage-preparation parameter upon the user input specifying the third beverage, and being the fourth value of the beverage-preparation parameter upon the user input specifying the fourth beverage.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein further a difference between the stored selected value and at least one of the third value and the fourth value of the beverage-preparation parameter is smaller than the difference between the first value and the second value.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the beverage-preparation parameter includes one or more members of the group consisting of: pre-brewing or no pre-brewing; brewing temperature; amount of grounds degree of grinding; brewing pressure; amount of water; amount of milk; amount of milk foam; milk foam consistency; flow speed of water.

6. A beverage maker (1), comprising: a beverage-preparation device (3) including at least one variable beverage-preparation parameter that can assume at least two different values; and an electronic control device (2) that is programmed to cause the beverage maker to carry out a method comprising the following steps: preparing (101) of a first beverage having a first value of a beverage-preparation parameter; preparing (102) of a second beverage having a second value of the beverage-preparation parameter, which value differs from the first value; receiving of a user input that specifies the first or the second beverage as a specified beverage; and storing (105, 106) a selected value of the beverage-preparation parameter of the specified beverage as a specification for the preparation of the beverage, the selected value being the first value of the beverage-preparation parameter upon the user input specifying the first beverage, and being the second value of the beverage-preparation parameter upon the user input specifying the second beverage.

7. The beverage maker (1) according to claim 6, further comprising: a display element (4) configured to display the first and the second beverage for a selection via the user input; and an operating element (5) configured to receive the user input specifying the first or the second beverage.

8. The beverage maker (1) according to claim 6, further comprising a wireless interface (6) configured for coupling to a mobile terminal (10); wherein the control device (2) is configured to send a representation of the first and of the second beverage for the user input via the interface (6) to the mobile terminal (10), and to receive the user input, which indicates the first or the second beverage, from the mobile terminal (10) via the interface (6).

9. The beverage maker (1) according to claim 6, wherein the beverage maker (1) is a fully automatic coffee machine and at least one of the at least one variable beverage-preparation parameter is a member the following group: pre-brewing or no pre-brewing; brewing temperature; amount of grounds degree of grinding; brewing pressure; amount of water; amount of milk; amount of milk foam; milk foam consistency; flow speed of the water.

10. A system, comprising a beverage maker according to claim 8 and a mobile terminal (10) including a display element (14) and an operating element (15) for providing an operating- and display-device.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the operating- and display-device comprises a touchscreen

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] In the drawings,

[0026] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an inventive beverage maker; and

[0027] FIG. 2 shows a flow diagram of an embodiment of the inventive method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] In FIG. 1 an inventive beverage maker 1, here a fully automatic coffee machine, is shown. The beverage maker 1 includes a beverage-preparation device 3 that has variable beverage-preparation parameters. These beverage-preparation parameters can comprise one or any combination of pre-brewing yes/no, brewing temperature, brewing pressure, amount of grounds, amount of water, amount of milk.

[0029] The beverage maker 1 further includes a control device 2, which is configured to prepare a first beverage and a second beverage of the same type. Possible beverage types are, for example, espresso, coffee, long coffee, or cappuccino. However, the two beverages differ in at least one beverage-preparation parameter, optionally also in multiple beverage-preparation parameters, so that differently tasting beverages of the same type can be prepared. For example, the first beverage is prepared at a low brewing temperature, and the second beverage at a high brewing temperature. Therefore beverages having different amounts of bitter substances arise. The user can now select the beverage tasting better and thus intuitively set the respective beverage type to this preference.

[0030] For this purpose, in a first embodiment, the beverage maker 1 includes a display element 4 in order to display the first and the second beverage to the user for a selection. Furthermore, it includes an operating element 5 in order to receive a user input that indicates the first or the second beverage. The display- and operating-elements 4, 5 shown here as separate units can also be combined in other embodiments, for example in the form of a touchscreen.

[0031] In FIG. 1 a second preferred embodiment is also shown, which can alternatively be provided on the beverage maker 1 instead of or also in addition to a display- and operating-element. For this purpose, the beverage maker 1 includes a wireless interface 6 in order to be coupled to a mobile terminal 10 of the user. For example, the wireless interface 6 can be a WLAN module.

[0032] The beverage maker 1 sends a representation of the first and of the second beverage to the mobile terminal 10 via the wireless WLAN connection (which generally runs over a WLAN router not shown here). On the mobile terminal 10, the user can now make his selection that is then sent back to the beverage maker 1 via the WLAN connection. The mobile terminal 10 comprises a touchscreen for providing the input element 15 and the display element 14. Contact surfaces are provided as input elements 15, which in the event of contact detect the corresponding beverage selection of the user, here, for example, beverage #1.

[0033] Regardless of the way in which the beverage maker 1 has received the selection, it can now store the parameter setting corresponding to the selected beverage type as a specification for the respective beverage type. In the future the user receives the beverage set according to his preference in the event of selection of the beverage type.

[0034] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of the inventive method that is embodied in a beverage maker. In step 101 a first beverage is prepared having a first value of a beverage-preparation parameter. In step 102 a second beverage is prepared having a second value of a beverage-preparation parameter. Both beverages are an identical beverage type such as, for example, espresso, coffee, coffee, long coffee, or cappuccino. Both beverages differ in at least one parameter relevant to the preparation, such as pre-brewing or no pre-brewing, brewing temperature, amount of grinding, brewing pressure, amount of water, or amount of milk. However, it is also possible that multiple or even all parameters differ in the two beverages.

[0035] In step 103 the first and of the second beverage are displayed in order to make possible a selection by a user. This can be affected either on a display of the beverage maker itself and/or on a mobile terminal coupled wirelessly to the beverage maker. In step 104 a user input is received, either directly using an operating element of the beverage maker or via the wireless coupling from the mobile terminal, which user input indicates the first or the second beverage.

[0036] Depending on the selection, in step 105 for the respective beverage type the parameter setting corresponding to the first selected beverage is stored as a setting for this beverage type, or in step 106 the parameter setting corresponding to the second selected beverage is stored.

[0037] In step 107 a query to the user can optionally occur whether he would like to end the optimization of the parameter setting or continue with it. If the user thus accepts the setting and does not want further optimization, the method ends in step 108. Otherwise if the user is not completely satisfied with the setting with respect to the beverage type, the method is repeated starting with step 101. Here for the further changing of the beverage-preparation parameter the previously achieved state, i.e., the beverage-preparation parameter corresponding to the selected beverage, is taken into account in the further optimization.

[0038] While the above description constitutes the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope and fair meaning of the accompanying claims.