Machine and method for preparing coffee beverages
AssigneeDe'Longhi Appliances S.R.L. Con Unico Socio
InventorsGiovanni Rossetto, Claudio Cristofoli
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Some embodiments described here concern a machine for preparing coffee beverages by infusing a coffee powder in an infusion unit. Other embodiments concern a method to prepare a coffee beverage, including a step of pre-infusing and a step of infusing the coffee powder.
Claims14
An automatic or semi-automatic machine for preparing coffee beverages by infusing a dose of coffee powder, wherein the machine comprises a control and command unit configured to adapt at least a pause duration at the end of a pre-infusion step, at least as a function of a granulometry of said coffee powder determined by a granulometry control means, wherein the machine comprises a selection means for selecting at least one type of coffee beverage, wherein said control and command unit comprises a memory unit in which a plurality of pre-infusion profiles are stored, each associated with a combination of input operating variables comprising the granulometry, the type of beverage, a type of filter holder, or a quantity of coffee powder in the dose of coffee powder, and said control and command unit is configured to receive at input the data supplied by said granulometry control means and the selection means as operating variables, and to supply at output a pre-infusion profile, including the pause duration at the end of the pre-infusion step, water flow rate, pre-infusion water quantity and pause duration at the end of the pre-infusion step, associated with the combination of data supplied by said control and selection means.
An automatic or semi-automatic machine for preparing coffee beverages by infusing a dose of coffee powder, wherein the machine comprises a control and command unit configured to adapt at least a pause duration at the end of a pre-infusion step, at least as a function of the granulometry of said coffee powder determined by a granulometry control means, wherein said control and command unit is configured to compare said determined granulometry with a previous granulometry value, and as the determined granulometry level increases from a finer level to a coarser one, the control and command unit is configured to command the functioning of said machine at least to increase the pause duration at the end of the pre-infusion step, wherein said control and command unit is configured at least to compare said determined granulometry with the previous granulometry value and to decrease a pre-infusion water flow rate as a function of the increase in granulometry level from a finer level to a coarser one.
A method to prepare a coffee beverage with an automatic or semi-automatic machine (10), by infusing a coffee powder, comprising a pre-infusion step to make the coffee powder moist, and an infusion step to extract the aromatic substances from the coffee powder, wherein said method provides to determine the granulometry of said coffee powder by means of granulometry control means and consequently adapt at least a pause duration at the end of the pre-infusion step as a function of the granulometry determined, wherein said control and command unit is configured to compare said determined granulometry with a previous granulometry value, and as the determined granulometry level increases from a finer level to a coarser one, the control and command unit is configured to command the functioning of said machine at least to increase the pause duration at the end of the pre-infusion step, wherein said control and command unit is configured at least to compare said determined granulometry with the previous granulometry value and to decrease a pre-infusion water flow rate as a function of the increase in granulometry level from a finer level to a coarser one.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.