Hot beverage preparation apparatus comprising a continuous flow heater
AssigneeFranke Kaffeemaschinen AG
InventorsSimon Mueller, Serge Waechter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In order to reduce limescale formation on the continuous flow heater during operation of an apparatus for preparing freshly brewed hot beverages which has a hot water generator, which is embodied as a continuous flow heater, and a brewing apparatus, to which hot water from the hot water generator can be supplied, a controller for actuating the continuous flow heater is provided, which controller switches on the continuous flow heater for the purpose of drawing a pre-specified quantity of hot water and switches off said continuous flow heater shortly before the quantity of hot water is completely output, so that the temperature of the hot water at the output of the continuous flow heater is declining at the end of the drawing operation.
Claims10
An apparatus for preparing freshly brewed hot beverages, comprising
- at least one hot water generator (10);
- a brewing apparatus (50) to which hot water from the hot water generator (10) is suppliable, the hot water generator (10) is a continuous flow heater;
- a controller (60) configured to actuate the continuous flow heater (10) in such a way that the continuous flow heater (10) is switched on in order to draw a pre-specified quantity of hot water and is switched off shortly before the quantity of hot water is completely output, so that a temperature (122) of the hot water at an output of the continuous flow heater (10) declines at an end of a drawing operation;
- a drainage valve (16) which is arranged downstream of the continuous flow heater (10) in the throughflow direction and designed as a controllable directional valve by which water flowing through the continuous flow heater (10) is conductable directly into a wastewater line or a wastewater collection container instead of in a direction of the brewing apparatus (50);
- the controller being further configured to close a directional valve (15b) between the continuous flow heater (10) and the brewing apparatus (50) after the end of a hot water drawing operation, to open the drainage valve (16) and, when the continuous flow heater (10) is switched off, to once again activate a flow of water through the continuous flow heater (10) in order to cool the continuous flow heater (10).
A method for preparing freshly brewed hot beverages, the method comprising:
- generating hot water by a continuous flow heater (10);
- supplying the hot water to a brewing apparatus (50);
- switching on the continuous flow heater (10) for drawing a pre-specified quantity of the hot water and switching off the continuous flow heater (10) shortly before the quantity of hot water is completely output, so that a temperature (122) of the hot water at an output of the continuous flow heater (10) is declining at an end of the drawing operation;
- after the end of a hot water drawing operation, when the continuous flow heater (10) is switched off, once again activating a flow of water through the continuous flow heater in order to cool the continuous flow heater and, in the process, the water is conducted directly into a wastewater line or a wastewater collection container instead of in a direction of the brewing apparatus (50) by a drainage valve (16).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.