Espresso milk frother probe
OwnerWilliam Westmore Purtoninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A milk frothing apparatus which includes a steam probe which consists of an inner steam tube surrounded by an outer tube spaced annularly from the inner tube with a nozzle mounted on the end of the outer tube adjacent the outlet end of the inner tube. The air gap between the inner and outer tubes insulates the outer tube from the heat generated in the inner tube during the steam cycle. By using stainless steel the milk does not stick to the cool outer tube surface and no cleaning of the outer surface of the probe is necessary. The steam itself keeps the inner surfaces of the probe clean.
Claims18
A milk frothing apparatus comprising a steam probe which comprises an outer steam tube, an inner steam tube surrounded by said outer steam tube and spaced annularly from the outer steam tube, and a one-piece nozzle welded directly to an outlet end of said outer steam tube adjacent an outlet end of said inner steam tube, wherein the nozzle extends substantially continuously from the outer steam tube to provide a substantially continuous parallel outer surface of the steam probe and ends in a bulbous shaped tip with steam outlets located within a radial extent equal to a radius of the outer steam tube to facilitate cleaning of a surface of the outer steam tube.
A steam probe for a milk frothing apparatus, the steam probe comprising:
- an outer steam tube;
- an inner steam tube surrounded by said outer steam tube and spaced annularly from the outer steam tube;
- and
- a one-piece nozzle welded directly to an outlet end of said outer steam tube adjacent an outlet end of said inner steam tube, wherein the nozzle extends substantially continuously from the outer steam tube to provide a substantially continuous outer surface of the steam probe and ends in a bulbous shaped tip with steam outlets;
- and
- wherein the steam probe is made from stainless steel.
A steam probe for a milk frothing apparatus, the steam probe comprising:
- an outer steam tube comprising an inlet end and an outlet end;
- an inner steam tube surrounded by said outer steam tube and spaced annularly from said outer steam tube, the inner steam tube comprising an inlet portion that protrudes from the inlet end of the outer steam tube and an outlet portion that protrudes from the outlet end of the outer steam tube;
- a nozzle coupled to the outlet end of the outer steam tube, the nozzle surrounding the outlet portion of the inner steam tube which protrudes from the outlet end of the outer steam tube;
- and
- wherein an end of the nozzle abuts directly against the outlet end of the outer steam tube such that no portion of the nozzle surrounds or is surrounded by the outer steam tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.