US 2008/0072767 A1Published application

Coffee maker and valve arrangements therefor

AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Kenwood

InventorRoland Cynric EDEN

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Abstract

Taught herein is a coffee maker (10) comprising a water tank (20) a heater device (40), a brewing station (50) and a jug or carafe (60) positioned to receive coffee brewed at the station (50), wherein the water tank (20) and the brewing station (50) are interconnected by a water pipe (70), part of which is heated by the heater device (40); the tank (20) is fitted with a flow control valve (30) containing a piston (32) arranged to respond to the head of water in the tank (20) and to heater-induced suction in the pipe (70) by moving within a housing (31) to block or to allow the passage of water from the tank (20) into the pipe (70), thereby to control the flow of water from the tank (20) through the heater (40) to the brewing station (50) so as to ensure that, however much water the tank (20) contains; and the heater (40) is able to transfer sufficient heat to water delivered to the brewing station (50) by way of the pipe (70) to provide brewed coffee at a palatable temperature.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A valve arrangement in or for a coffee maker (10) having a water tank (20), a heater (40) and a brewing station (50), characterised by a flow control valve (30) located in the flow path for water from the tank (20) to the heater (40);

the flow control valve (30) comprising piston means (32) movable between a first position in which said flow path is open, and a second position in which said flow path is closed, and resilient means (33) urging the piston means (32) toward said first position;
the arrangement being such that the piston means (32) responds to a head of water corresponding to a substantially full tank and to heater-induced suction to move, against the resilient urge, into said second position, thereby to temporarily close the flow path and thus restrict the flow of water from the tank (20) when the tank is substantially full, but to move back to said first position when the heater-induced suction is relieved, thereby to re-open the flow path;
the movements of the piston means (32) thereby regulating the flow of water through the heater (40), to ensure that water reaching said brewing station (50) is adequately heated irrespective of the amount of water in the tank (20).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.