DRINKS PREPARATION MACHINE

Abstract

A drinks preparation machine for preparing a drink from a portion capsule includes a brewing chamber for inserting the portion capsule, a drinks outlet, from which the drink which is brewed in the brewing chamber gets into a drinks vessel which is placed therebelow, a housing including a front portion that is given by the position of the drinks outlet, and a receiving module for receiving a fluid or a spent portion capsule. The receiving module can be pulled horizontally out of the front portion of the drinks preparation machine and pushed into this again, wherein a component of the drinks preparation machine forms an underlay and the receiving module is carried by the underlay on pulling out and pushing in. The drinks preparation machine includes a receiving module body and at least one slider that is fastenable to a lower side of the receiving module body and which on the underlay has a smaller coefficient of kinetic friction than the lower side of the receiving module body and a lower hardness than the surface of the underlay.

Claims

1. A drinks preparation machine for preparing a drink from a portion capsule, comprising: a brewing chamber for inserting the portion capsule, a drinks outlet, from which the drink which is brewed in the brewing chamber gets into a drinks vessel which is placed therebelow, a housing comprising a front portion that is given by the position of the drinks outlet, as well as a receiving module for receiving a fluid or a spent portion capsule, wherein the receiving module can be pulled out of the front portion of the drinks preparation machine and pushed into this again, in a horizontal manner, wherein a component of the drinks preparation machine forms an underlay and the receiving module is carried by the underlay on pulling out and pushing in, wherein the receiving module comprises a receiving module body and at least one slider, which is fastenable to a lower side of the receiving module body and which on the underlay has a smaller coefficient of kinetic friction than the lower side of the receiving module body and a lower hardness than the surface of the underlay.

2. The drinks preparation machine according to claim 1, comprising at least one drip tray, in which fluid collects, said fluid exiting from the drinks outlet in the case of an absent or incorrectly positioned drinks vessel, and at least one drip grate which terminates the drip tray towards the drinks outlet in a fluid permeable manner and on which the drinks vessel can be placed, wherein the drip grate forms the underlay.

3. The drinks preparation machine according to claim 1, further comprising a a capture container which is open towards the brewing chamber and which is designed for receiving spent portion capsules which are ejected out of the brewing chamber, a water container, as well as a cup stand comprising a cup stand drip tray and a cup stand drip grate, wherein the cup stand drip grate is designed so as to form the underlay, wherein at least one of the components capture container, water container and cup stand is designed as a receiving module.

4. The drinks preparation machine according to claim 2, wherein the at least one drip grate is manufactured of an alloy, in particular of a zinc-containing alloy.

5. The drinks preparation machine according to claim 1, wherein at least the surface of the at least one slider consists of a polymer which contains fluorine.

6. The drinks preparation machine according to claim 5, wherein at least the surface of the at least one slider consists of a perfluoroalkoxy polymer (PFA) or polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE).

7. The drinks preparation machine according to claim 1, further comprising a guide rail and a counter-rail to the guide rail, wherein the guide rail is attached to the lower side of the receiving module and the at least one slider to the guide rail, and the counter-rail is fixedly connected to the housing of the drinks preparation machine and wherein the receiving module is movable in a laterally guided manner on account of the guide rail and counter-rail.

8. The drinks preparation machine according to claim 1, further comprising one or more side walls and/or one or more intermediate walls, wherein the receiving module is movable in a laterally guided manner between two side walls or between two intermediate walls or between a side wall and an intermediate wall.

9. The drinks preparation machine according to claim 1, wherein the receiving module has a grip, via which a horizontal force can be exerted onto the receiving module.

10. The drinks preparation machine according to claim 1, wherein the at least one slider on the underlay has a coefficient of kinetic friction of smaller than 0.4 and a coefficient of static friction of smaller than 0.5.

Description

[0049] Embodiment examples of the invention are hereinafter described by way of figures. In the figures, the same reference numerals indicate the same or analogous elements. There are shown in:

[0050] FIG. 1 is a view of a drinks preparation machine that includes several receiving modules;

[0051] FIG. 2 is a view of the drinks preparation machine with a pulled-out cup stand, which is designed as a receiving module;

[0052] FIG. 3 is a view of the cup stand;

[0053] FIG. 4 is a view of the underside of the cup stand including several sliders;

[0054] FIG. 5 is a detailed view of the sliders that are used with the cup stand;

[0055] FIG. 6 is a view of a water container that is designed as a receiving module;

[0056] FIG. 7 is a view of the lower side of the water container including several sliders; and

[0057] FIG. 8 is a detailed view of the sliders that are used with the water container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0058] The drinks preparation machine 1 according to FIG. 1 for example is a portion capsule coffee machine of the type known per se, with a horizontal brewing module. Apart from a housing 2, it includes a placement surface 3, which in the shown embodiment is a part-region of a drip grate 12, a drip tray 11, a drinks outlet 5 and optionally a milk frother 21. The drinks preparation machine 1 further includes a water container 7 (in the shown embodiment partly covered by the milk frother 21), a capture container 9 as well as a cup stand 13. Due to the shape of the drinks preparation machine 1, this can be coarsely subdivided into the regions front portion, side portions, rear side, base and upper part. Thereby, the front portion is that region of the drinks preparation machine 1 which faces the user on operation, i.e. as a rule it includes the drinks outlet 5.

[0059] In the shown embodiment, the water container 7, the capture container 9 and also the cup stand 13 are receiving modules in the previously described context. In particular, the water container 7, capture container 9 and cup stand 13 each include a receiving module body 10 and one or more sliders 16.

[0060] In particular, the water container 7, the capture container 9 as well as the cup stand 13 can be pushed into the housing 2 such that their surface parts, which in the pushed-in condition form parts of the surface of the front portion and of the side portions, run flush with these. The drinks preparation machine 1 obtains an essentially cuboid shape by way of this. It is only the drinks outlet 1, the drip tray 11 with its upper-side termination by the drip grate 12 as well as the optionally attached, simply removable milk frother 21 that interrupt the cuboid shape of the drinks preparation machine 1.

[0061] The surface of the regions of these receiving modules, the regions lying to the outside in the inserted condition, are finished in the same manner as the remaining regions of the front portion and of the two side portions. For example, all these regions can be painted right the way through and/or be of a high-quality, in particular metallic material.

[0062] The surface of the drinks preparation machine 1, which is continuous in the inserted condition of the mentioned receiving modules, is only interrupted in the region of the side portions, at the contact lines between the receiving modules and the housing 2, by way of recessed grips 20 being incorporated there. These permit the separate withdrawal of each receiving module by the user.

[0063] FIG. 2 shows the drinks preparation machine 1 according to FIG. 1, wherein the cup stand 13 is pulled out as far as is necessary for its use on operation. On pulling out the cup stand 13, as well as when later pushing it in, it slides over the drip grate 12. This would lead to a visible wearing on the drip grate 12 in the absence of the measures that are shown in the FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0064] FIG. 3 shows a cup stand 13 that is completely pulled out of the drinks preparation machine 1. This cup stand includes a cup stand drip grate 14, as well as a cup stand drip tray 15, which is located therebelow. On the machine side, the cup stand 13 further includes continuations 23, which lead to a fixation of the position of the pulled-out cup stand 13.

[0065] The lower side of the cup stand 13 according to FIG. 3 is shown in FIG. 4. The receiving module body 10 of the cup stand 13 at its user-side end includes three sliders 16. Each of these sliders 16 is 5 mm long and about 2 mm wide in the shown embodiment. It is to be understood that other dimensions, in particular in the mm to cm range and in particular in the range between 1 mm and 5 cm also lead to good sliding behaviour and a stable footing of the receiving module on operation.

[0066] In the shown embodiment, the sliders 6 are manufactured from perfluoroalkoxy polymer (PFA). The cup stand 13 is carried by the drip grate 12 when it is pulled out and pushed in. The drip grate 12 thus forms a carrying underlay for the cup stand 13 in the previously described context. The drip grate 12 comes into contact exclusively with the sliders 16 on pulling out and pushing in the cup stand 13.

[0067] The drip grate 12 is manufactured from a Zamak alloy. PFA and Zamak alloy lead to a particularly advantageous, i.e. low coefficient of static friction and coefficient of kinetic friction. Moreover, the hardness of the Zamak alloy is greater than that of PFA, by which means a scratching of the drip grate is prevented.

[0068] FIG. 5 is a detailed view of a slider 16 according to FIG. 4. This slider is brought into a holder 17, which, for its part, is clipped onto a carrier 24, which is fixedly connected to the cup stand 13. The holder 17 further includes a stop 17 that prevents the slider 16 from being brought out of its position, which is necessary for sliding on the drip grate 12.

[0069] The carrier 24, holder 17 and slider 16 are arranged below the cup stand 13 such that only a small, e.g. hardly visible gap arises between the cup stand 13 and the drip tray 11 or drip grate 12, particularly given a pushed-in cup stand 13.

[0070] It is of course to be naturally understood that other parts of the drinks preparation machine 1, in particular the capture container 9, can also be realised analogously. In the case of the capture container 9, this slides over the cup stand drip grate 14.

[0071] The disassembled water container 7 of the drinks preparation machine 1 according to FIG. 1, designed as a receiving module, is represented in FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6 shows the rear side, the base as well as the side that coincides with the side portion of the housing 2 of the drinks preparation machine 1. FIG. 7 shows only the base of the water container 7.

[0072] The shown water container 7 includes a water outlet 8, which, on pushing in the water container 7, engages into a counter-piece, which is at the machine side, which is to say belongs to the machine. The receiving module body 10 of the water container 7 includes four sliders 16 on its lower side, in order to achieve the positional accuracy that is required for this, but also therewith to provide a water container 7, which is completely or partly pulled out of the housing 2 with a secure footing. These sliders are attached on guide rails 18 amid the use of holders 17, wherein the guide rail 18, which is situated towards the side portion of the housing 2, is interrupted by the recessed grip 20.

[0073] Counter-rails (not shown) to the guide rails, the counter-rails being attached on the machine side, ensure the necessary lateral guidance of the water container 7. These counter-rails are preferably located only on the base of the cavity in the drinks preparation machine 1, the cavity being envisaged for receiving the water container. These counter-rails are therefore not visible when the water container 7 is pushed in.

[0074] Positioning recesses 22 in combination with corresponding counter-pieces on the counter-rails ensure that the water container 7 assumes well-defined and stable positions for operation or for refilling. The latching of the counter-pieces into the positioning recess 22 moreover leads to an audible clicking and therefore to a signal to the user, the signal signalising that the water container 7 assumes a correct position.

[0075] The recessed grip 20 is dimensioned such that the fingers of the user find space here.

[0076] Further, the water container 7 at a surface that forms the termination or closure of that region of the surface of the water container 7, which is given a quality finish just as the front surfaces and side surfaces of the drinks preparation machine 1 includes means 25, in order to further stabilise the water container, which is possible heavy due to being full. Furthermore, these means 25 serve for providing the user with an acoustic and/or visual impression as to whether the water container has been correctly inserted. In the shown embodiment, these means 25 include latch-in recesses, into which corresponding elements that are attached at the housing-side latch.

[0077] Finally FIG. 8 shows the sliders 16, which are attached to the lower side of the water container according to FIGS. 6 and 7. Each slider 16 is held in position by the holder 17. In the shown embodiment, the slider 16 is clipped into the holder 17 or is bonded into the holder 17.

[0078] The holder 17 is fixedly connected to the guide rail 18 and includes a stop 17, which runs in a flush manner with the base of the water container 7. This prevents a rotating-away of the holder and herewith prevents the water container 7 from not sliding or not exclusively sliding on the sliders 16.

[0079] In the shown embodiment, the sliders 16 have a length of 5 mm and a total width of 4 mm, wherein the effective running width is about 2 mm. Of course, it is to be understood that other dimensions, in particular lengths in the range of between 5 mm and 5 cm likewise achieve good result.

[0080] The sliders 16 in turn are manufactured from PFA.

[0081] In an arrangement of the water container 7 as is shown in FIG. 1, on pulling out and pushing in, it slides over a non-structured part-region of the previously described drip grate 12. Here, that which has been said in the description of FIG. 4 with regard to the coefficient of static friction and coefficient of kinetic friction as well as the scratching of the drip grate also applies here.

[0082] The lateral guidance of the movement of the receiving modules, which are shown in FIGS. 1-8, can be effected on the part of the machine in two manners: on the one hand via the counter-rails, which are mentioned above and which are fastened to the housing 2, and on the other hand, via a vertical intermediate wall, which is attached in the interior of the housing 2.

[0083] A vertical intermediate wall (not shown), which runs between the water container 7 and the two mentioned receiving modules, together with the side wall of the housing 2, which lies close to these two receiving modules assumes the lateral guiding of the two receiving modules in the case of a capture container 9 and the cup stand 13.

[0084] The interior of the housing 2 moreover includes a horizontal intermediate wall (not shown), which is located between the capture container 9 and the cup stand 13. This forms the carrying underlay for those regions of the capture container 9 that are located within the housing 2. In the case of a completely pushed-in capture container 9, this is consequently fully carried by the horizontal intermediate wall and does not rest on the cup stand drip grate 14.