Coffee machine for measured cup filling

Abstract

A professional coffee machine for bars, adapted to provide for the measured filling of cups according to the specific preference of the customer for a normal, a short or a long coffee.

Claims

1. A coffee machine comprising: a front wall; an inlet adapted to deliver water from a water supply; a boiler; a first water conduit communicating with said boiler; a pump cooperative with a first water conduit so as to convey the water towards said boiler; a coffee dispenser unit; a second water conduit having a heating element, said second water conduit connected to said coffee dispenser unit, said second water conduit adapted to pass hot water toward said coffee dispenser unit; and electrovalve disposed at an end of said second water conduit; at least one filter holder with dispenser nozzle positioned in said coffee dispenser unit; a control panel having a display, said control panel having a button that is adapted to stop a distribution of coffee; a horizontal supporting surface having at least one suspended portion used to detect a weight of a cup disposed under the filter holder, said at least one suspended portion having load cells, each of said load cells being housed behind said front wall, each of said load cells having at least one load shelf joined to said at least one suspended portion, said at least one load shelf passing through a hole in said front wall, said at least one load shelf having a hooked end externally positioned on said front wall, said hooked end adapted to removably support an upper longitudinal section of a grilled edge of said at least one suspended portion; and and electric control unit cooperative with said pump, said boiler, said electrovalve, said control panel and said load cells.

2. The coffee machine of claim 1, wherein said electronic control unit is adapted to save one or more predefined weight data and compare the predefined weight data with weight data measured by and coming from each of said load cells as well as to stop an operation of said pump and to close said electrovalve when said control unit has verified a correspondence between each of said one or more predefined weight data and weight datum coming from the load cells.

3. The coffee machine of claim 1, wherein said electronic control unit is adapted to save one or more predefined weight data and compare the predefined weight data with weight data measured by and coming from each of said load cells, as well as to show on the display a manual stop command of the machine as soon as said control unit has verified a correspondence between each of said one or more predefined weight data and weight datum coming from the load cells.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) For explanatory reasons the description of the invention continues with reference to the attached drawing, which only has an illustrative, not limiting value, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the configuration of the new coffee machine of the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is a partial axonometric view of the same machine with an enlarged view of a detail.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(4) Referring to said figure, the machine of the invention is traditionally provided with: an inlet for water from the water system (1) a pump (2) used to convey the water towards a boiler (3) by means of a first water conduit (4) a second water conduit (5) along which a heating element (6) operates, used to take the hot water towards a coffee dispenser unit (7) an electrovalve (8) disposed at the end of said second water conduit (5) basically at the entrance of said coffee dispenser unit (7) one or more filter-holders (9) with dispenser nozzles (9a) operating in said coffee dispenser unit (7) a control panel (10) with a display (11) a horizontal supporting surface (12), preferably with grilled configuration, disposed under said dispenser nozzles (9a) in order to support the cups (T) to be filled.

(5) Within such a traditional structure, an electronic control unit (13) is provided and suitably interfaced with: said pump (2) said boiler (3) said electrovalve (8) said control panel (10).

(6) According to the commands entered by the operator on the control panel (10), the electronic control unit (13) can start or stop the pump (2), set the heating level of the boiler (3), as well as open or close the electrovalve (8).

(7) For a better understanding of the enclosed figure, a broken line is used to represent the electrical connections between the traditional and innovative parts of the coffee machine of the invention.

(8) Moreover, according to the new machine of the invention, the grilled tray (12) is provided with independent suspended portions (12a), each of them directly disposed under one of said filter-holders (9) in order to support the cups to be filled.

(9) Each suspended portion (12a) is associated with an electronic load cell (14) used to detect the weight of the cup disposed on the suspended portion (12a) also to instantaneously check the filling level; it being also provided that the load cell (14) is interfaced with said electronic control unit (13).

(10) Moreover, it must be noted that the electronic control unit (13) is programmed with the net weight of the amount of coffee that is necessary to respectively obtain a normal, a short and a long coffee in the cup.

(11) The control panel (10) is provided with a command used by the operator of the coffee machine of the invention to set the specific type of coffee asked by the customer on the electronic control unit (13) and consequently the specific amount of coffee to be dispensed in each filter holder (9).

(12) Therefore, when a cup is positioned on one of said suspended portions (12a) of the supporting surface (12), the load cell (14) sends the information on the weight of the cup (T) to the electronic control unit (13) that acquires it as tare.

(13) Now the operator can send the traditional command used to distribute coffee to the coffee machine of the invention in order to operate the pump (2) and convey pressurized hot water along the water conduit that feeds the filter-holders (9) and, at the same time, open the electrovalve (8) disposed along the water conduit.

(14) In this way the cup (T) starts getting filled with the coffee distributed by the filter-holder (9), thus progressively increasing its weight on said load cell (14).

(15) Considering that the load cell (14) is interfaced with the electronic control unit (13), it is easy to understand that the electronic control unit (13) receives in real time the information on the progressive weight increase recorded by the cup during filling.

(16) In view of the above, by using the initial tare value of the cup (T) and the calculation algorithm contained in the electronic control unit (13), the electronic control unit (13) can exactly detect the time when the net weight of the coffee poured in the cup has reached a value that corresponds to the set value according to the specific type of coffee requested by the customer (i.e. normal, short or long).

(17) In view of such a piece of information, the electronic control unit (13) instantaneously sends the stop command to the parts used to distribute coffee from the filter-holder (9).

(18) Reference is made to the command used to deactivate the pump (2) that feeds the water circuit towards the filter-holder (9), as well as to the command used to close the electrovalve (8) installed along the water circuit.

(19) It must be noted that the coffee machine of the invention (and more precisely the distribution of coffee) can be manually stopped by pushing a stop button provided on the control panel (10) when the operator reads the information about the correct filling of the each cup on the display (11) activated by the electronic control unit (13).

(20) Finally, it must be noted that the electronic control unit (13) can be also devised in such a way to operate according to a self-learning mode.

(21) In such a case, it would no longer be necessary to set the electronic control unit (13) with the exact weight of the coffee to be poured the cup (T) before stopping the distribution of coffee.

(22) Instead, it would be necessary to manually stop the coffee distribution for the first cup as soon as the operator has visually verified that the desired level has been reached according to the type of coffee in preparation (normal, long or short).

(23) In this way, the electronic control unit (13) can save the initial value and use it every time it is necessary to distribute a specific amount of coffee that corresponds to a normal, long or short coffee, respectively.

(24) Within such an operating principle, the authentic peculiarity of the present invention resides in the special modes provided for the positioning of the load cells (14) associated with said suspended portions (12a) of the supporting surface (12).

(25) As shown in FIG. 2, each load cell (14) is contained in the body of the coffee machine of the invention and in any case in internal position on the front vertical wall (15) from which both the dispenser unit (7) with the filter-holders (9) and the supporting surface (12) for the cups protrude.

(26) In order to provide the desired interaction between each load cell (14) and the corresponding suspended portion (12a) of the supporting surface (12), each of said portions (12a) is fixed to one or more load shelves (16) directly interfaced with the corresponding load cell (14) so that the latter can actually verify the weight changes recorded onto said suspended portion (12a) during the progressive filling of the cups.

(27) Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2, each of said one or more load shelves (16) is inserted through a corresponding through slot (15a) suitably obtained towards the base of the front wall (15) of the coffee machine of the invention.

(28) According to the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 2, each of said suspended portions (12a), which is provided with a rectangular surface, is surrounded by a frame (17) made of metal wire; it being provided that said frame (17) is also provided, in correspondence of the rear longitudinal edge of the suspended portion (12a), with a vertical section configured as a grilled edge (17a).

(29) The upper longitudinal profile (17a) of said grilled edge (17a) can be hung to the hooked ends (16a) of the shelves (16) associated with the load cell (14), as shown in the enlarged detail of FIG. 2.

(30) This is extremely practical because it allows for easy and quick mounting and dismounting of each suspended portion (12a) from the shelves (16) in order to clean the supporting surface (12).