Chilled beverage dispensing systems and methods
AssigneeEmber Technologies, Inc.
InventorsClayton Alexander, Mikko Juhani Timperi, Daren John Leith, Christopher Thomas Wakeham, Jacob William Emmert
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A beverage dispensing machine (e.g., coffee maker) has a cooling unit. The cooling unit includes a thermal mass. The cooling unit is operable to reduce a temperature of at least a portion of the thermal mass. The cooling unit also includes a passageway within which a beverage flows, the passageway being in thermal communication with the thermal mass that cools the beverage as it flows within the passageway to chill the beverage before it is dispensed.
Claims20
A coffee maker, comprising:
- a cooling unit configured to hold one or more volumes of thermal mass, the cooling unit operable to reduce a temperature of at least a portion of the one or more volumes of thermal mass to provide a cold storage reservoir, the cooling unit including a passageway within which a brewed beverage flows, the passageway being in thermal communication with the one or more volumes of thermal mass that cools the brewed beverage as it flows within the passageway to chill the brewed beverage before it is dispensed.
A beverage dispensing machine, comprising:
- a cooling unit configured to hold one or more volumes of thermal mass, the cooling unit operable to reduce a temperature of at least a portion of the one or more volumes of thermal mass to provide a cold storage reservoir, the cooling unit including a flowpath in thermal communication with the one or more volumes of thermal mass and via which a brewed beverage flows, the one or more volumes of thermal mass configured to cool the brewed beverage to chill the brewed beverage before it is dispensed.
In combination with a beverage dispensing machine, a cooling unit configured to hold one or more volumes of thermal mass, the cooling unit operable to reduce a temperature of at least a portion of the one or more volumes of thermal mass, the cooling unit including a passageway along which a beverage flows, the passageway being in thermal communication with the one or more volumes of thermal mass that cool the beverage as it flows along the passageway to chill the beverage before it is dispensed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.