DEVICE FOR BREWING A BEVERAGE

Abstract

A brewing device, the device comprising; a reservoir for containing a supply of liquid, and a channel providing a flow channel from the reservoir to a rinse head situated in an infusion chamber, wherein the rinse head is mounted to be rotatable, defining an axis of rotation, the rinse head comprising at least one arcuate rinse channel, arranged to project rinse water with momentum in a direction that provides a moment about the axis of rotation; and a brewing device, the device comprising; a reservoir for containing a supply of liquid, and a channel providing a flow channel from the reservoir to a rinse head situated in an infusion chamber and comprising a plurality of rinse channels, wherein the rinse head is mounted to be rotatable by the action of a bushing bearing.

Claims

1. A brewing device comprising: a reservoir for containing a supply of liquid; and a channel providing a flow channel from the reservoir to a rinse head situated in an infusion chamber; wherein the rinse head is mounted to be rotatable and defining an axis of rotation, the rinse head comprising at least one arcuate rinse channel arranged to project rinse water with momentum in a direction that provides a moment about the axis of rotation; and whereby, in use, the moment induces rotation of the rinse head about the axis of rotation and the at least one arcuate rinse channel prescribes a rotation circle.

2. The brewing device of claim 1, wherein the rinse head is mounted to be rotatable by the action of a bushing bearing.

3. (canceled)

4. The brewing device of claim 1, wherein the rinse head is adapted so that the rinse water is delivered to a dispensed beverage to be consumed by a consumer.

5. The brewing device of claim 1, wherein a quantity of the rinse water available to the rinse head for being projected therefrom is less than 100 ml.

6. The brewing device of claim 1, wherein a quantity of rinse water available to the rinse head for being projected therefrom is greater than 30 ml.

7. The brewing device of claim 1, wherein the axis of rotation is substantially vertical in use.

8. The brewing device of claim 1, wherein the rinse head rotates in use at a rotational speed of between 150 to 600 rpm, inclusive.

9. The brewing device of claim 1, wherein the rinse head comprises two to eight rinse channels, inclusive.

10. The brewing device of claim 1, wherein the at least one rinse channel has a substantially constant radius of curvature.

11. The brewing device of claim 1, wherein the at least one rinse channel provides a redirection angle of greater than 90° and less than 230° around the axis of rotation, inclusive.

12. The brewing device of claim 1, wherein the at least one rinse channel curves in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation.

13. The brewing device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the at least one rinse channel ends in at least one nozzle.

14. The brewing device of to claim 13, wherein the at least one nozzle has a cross-sectional area of from 0.4 to 2.5 mm.sup.2, inclusive.

15. The brewing device of claim 13, wherein at least one of the at least one rinse channel ends in at least two nozzles.

16. The brewing device of claim 15, wherein at least one of the at least one rinse channel has a propulsion nozzle directed to within 20°, of tangential to the rotation circle and a rinse nozzle directed to within 20°, of a direction normal to the rotation circle.

17. The brewing device of claim 16, wherein the rinse nozzle is directed from 10 to 60°, inclusive, downwards from horizontal.

18. The brewing device of claim 16, wherein the propulsion nozzle is directed from 0 to 30°, inclusive, downwards from horizontal.

19. A brewing device comprising: a reservoir for containing a supply of liquid; and a channel providing a flow channel from the reservoir to a rinse head situated in an infusion chamber and comprising a plurality of rinse channels; wherein the rinse head is mounted to be rotatable by the action of a bushing bearing.

20. The brewing device of claim 19, wherein at least one of the plurality of rinse channels ends in at least one nozzle.

21. The brewing device of claim 19, wherein at least one of the plurality of rinse channels curves in a plane perpendicular to an axis of rotation about which the rinse head is rotatable.

Description

[0061] The present invention will now be described with reference to the figures, wherein:

[0062] FIG. 1 shows a brewing device according to the invention.

[0063] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the main functional components of the device.

[0064] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a rinse head according to the present invention.

[0065] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the rinse head shown in FIG. 3.

[0066] FIG. 5 is a sectional plan view of the rinse head shown in FIG. 3.

[0067] FIG. 6 is a front sectional view through the rinse head shown in FIG. 3.

[0068] FIG. 7 is a side sectional view through the rinse head shown in FIG. 3.

[0069] FIG. 8 is an exploded diagram showing how the rinse head fits with an infusion chamber.

[0070] FIG. 1 shows one non-limiting embodiment of a brewing device according to the invention. The device 1 has a casing 2 with a front side 3 and a rear side 4. An infusion chamber 10 and a capsule holder 20 are located at the front side of the device. The infusion chamber 10 has a bottom rim 12 which defines an opening in its lower side. The infusion chamber may have an opening in its top side which is covered with a removable lid 15, or it may be constructed as a vessel without an opening in its top side. The capsule holder 20 is designed to receive a capsule. It is located in a support 6 and preferably has a handle 22. The capsule holder is preferably substantially circular when viewed from above, which provides for easy cleaning since there are no corners in which tea leaves could become trapped.

[0071] In FIG. 1, the capsule holder 20 is shown in position for brewing, i.e. so that the upper rim 23 of the capsule holder is in water-tight contact with the bottom rim 12 of the infusion chamber 10. The infusion chamber 10 is supported and held in place by a manifold (not shown). A water reservoir, heater, and pump (not shown) are located inside the rear 4 of the casing. At the bottom of the front side 3 of the casing there is a tray 8 on which a cup 9 is placed when the beverage is dispensed. A dispensing spout 7 is positioned beneath the capsule holder.

[0072] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the main functional components of the device. Water from the reservoir 50 is fed to the infusion chamber 10 via a water filter 52, a water pump 54, a heater 56 and a valve 57. The heater is preferably a flow-through heater. The valve 57 controls the route the water takes between the heater 56 and the infusion chamber 10. For example, the water may firstly be pumped to the infusion chamber 10 via the capsule 30 in order to brew a beverage 60. Subsequently, the valve 57 can re-direct the water such that it enters the infusion chamber 10 via a rinse head 18 in order to rinse and/or clean the infusion chamber 10. There may also be an air pump 58 which can pump air to the infusion chamber, for example via the capsule 30 which is located in the capsule holder 20, or via the capsule holder itself. The spout 7, cup 9 and tray 8 are located beneath the capsule holder 20.

[0073] Preferably the infusion chamber 10 is made of transparent material such as glass, or transparent plastic, so that the user can see the motion of the tea material (such as tea leaves) whilst the beverage is brewing. Most preferably, the infusion chamber is made of Tritan™ copolyester because this material is transparent and has been found to have good resistance to staining. Air may be pumped into the capsule holder 20 (e.g. via the capsule) or directly into the infusion chamber 10 to create bubbles in the water and thereby agitate the tea material. This not only enhances the visual appearance, but also aids infusion and helps to prevent the tea material from sticking to the sides of the infusion chamber. Moreover, the introduction of air releases aroma which can optionally be vented via a tube, which for example, has an outlet near to the dispensing spout or near the top of the infusion chamber, thereby providing the user with the aroma of tea during brewing. The brewing time, which typically ranges from 10 to 120 seconds, is preferably set by user input and/or information read from the capsule.

[0074] Once brewing has taken place for the required time, a drain valve located in the base of the capsule holder 20 is opened, allowing the beverage to drain from the infusion chamber. Preferably the opening of the drain valve is controlled automatically by the machine. The beverage flows from the infusion chamber 10 through a filter located in the capsule holder below the capsule, through a passage, and finally into a cup 9 which the user has already placed onto the tray 8. Tea material is prevented from entering the cup 9 by the filter.

[0075] Optionally, there may be a dispensing spout 7 positioned beneath the capsule holder as shown in FIG. 1, so that the beverage is dispensed through the drain valve and out through the spout. Thus, instead of being dispensed vertically downwards into the receptacle, the beverage follows an arc, similar to that of tea poured from the spout of a tea pot. This enhances the “theatre” provided by the machine for the user, and also emphasizes the “tea-ness” of the beverage, as distinct from coffee making machines.

[0076] After the beverage has been dispensed, the spent tea material may be rinsed from the wall of the brew chamber with further hot water. Preferably the rinsing water is introduced through rotating rinse jets 18 located near the top of the infusion chamber. Better rinsing is achieved by rotating rinse jets than static ones. In a preferred embodiment, rinsing takes place immediately after the beverage has been dispensed, and the rinse water is also dispensed into the receptacle and becomes part of the beverage. This removes the need for separate disposal of the rinse water. In this case, the rinse water provides around 15-30% of the total volume of the beverage. The machine is capable of providing beverage volumes of 200 or 250 ml, and this includes the rinse water at volumes of 60 and 90 ml respectively.

[0077] FIGS. 3 and 4 show a rinse head 100 according to the present invention. The rinse head comprises a cylindrical main body 110, to which is attached two arcuate rinse channels 120. The main body 110 also comprises a bushing 130 which acts as a bearing to allow rotation of the main body 110.

[0078] The rinse head 100 has a vertical axis of rotation 112 and the rinse channels rotate in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation, prescribing a rotation circle with a radius of approximately 2 cm.

[0079] As can be seen the rinse channels 120 have a substantially constant radius of curvature.

[0080] The rinse channels 120 terminate in a narrowing propulsion nozzle 132. The narrowing of the nozzle with respect to the diameter of the rinse channel results in an acceleration of the rinse water as it passes through the propulsion nozzle.

[0081] As can be seen in FIG. 5, the initial direction 122 of the rinse channel is normal to the axis of rotation 112. The arcuate nature of the rinse channel 120 results in a redirection angle of approximately 150°, to result in the propulsion nozzle 132 being directed to be essentially tangential to the rotation circle.

[0082] FIG. 6 shows a section through the rinse head 100 showing a rinse nozzle 134 not shown in the previous figures. It can be seen that the rinse nozzle 134 directs rinse water in a direction normal to the axis of rotation 112 but also angled downwards by 50°. Thus, this rinse nozzle does not provide any propulsion because the momentum of the water exiting has a vector which passes through the axis of rotation 112. However its position is instead optimised for rinsing. The angle downwards provides additional vertically downwards momentum which assists in the rinse water's ability to remove tea leaves form the wall of the infusion chamber.

[0083] FIG. 7 also reveals a further detail regarding the orientation of propulsion nozzle 132. As mentioned above, propulsion nozzle 132 is oriented to be tangential to the rotation circle. However it can also be seen that propulsion nozzle 132 is also directed downwards by 10°. This downwards direction reduces the propulsion momentum by a negligible amount. However the downwards angle helps significantly with providing downwards vertical momentum to assist the propulsion jet to also provide a useful rinsing function.

[0084] Acting together, the propulsion nozzle 132 and the rinsing nozzle 134 provide a combination of propulsion and rinsing which would not be possible from a single nozzle given the limited quantity of water available, as discussed above.

[0085] FIG. 8 shows an infusion chamber 200 and an outer cap 210 and an inner cap 220. The outer cap 200 contains a portion of a flow channel 215 which terminates in a rinse head connector 225 which connects to a rinse head mount 235 which carries the flow of rinse water and connects to the rinse head 100 through inner cap 220.

[0086] As can be seen, the rinse head 100 is mounted at the top of the infusion chamber with a vertical axis of rotation. In use water is ejected from orifices 132, which causes the rinse head to spin on bushing bearing 130. Water hits the sides of the inner wall of the infusion chamber 200 and coats the wall in a stream of rinse water as it spins. This causes a curtain of water to fall down the inner wall of the infusion chamber which removes any tea material present and also rinses away any beverage material from the walls.

[0087] The various features of the embodiments of the present invention referred to in individual sections above apply, as appropriate, to other sections mutatis mutandis. Consequently features specified in one section may be combined with features specified in other sections as appropriate. Various modifications of the described modes for carrying out the invention which are apparent to those skilled in the relevant fields are intended to be within the scope of the following claims.