Process and an apparatus for preparing a beverage under controlled pressure conditions
AssigneeTUTTOESPRESSO S.r.l.
InventorLuca Doglioni Majer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process of preparing a beverage from a beverage preparation chamber includes feeding water to the preparation chamber until a first pressure is reached, interrupting the flow of water to the preparation chamber, holding the preparation chamber in a closed condition for a first time interval, opening the outlet of the preparation chamber and delivering the thus prepared beverage.
Claims17
A process of preparing a beverage, comprising:
- feeding water to a closed beverage preparation chamber until a first pressure (P1) is reached, the closed beverage preparation chamber being a brewing chamber provided with a valve means;
- interrupting at least once the flow of water to said preparation chamber (tpump);
- maintaining said preparation chamber in a closed condition at said first pressure (P1) for a pressure-holding time (tpump−t1);
- resuming at least once said flow of water to the said preparation chamber at the end of said pressure holding time (tpump−t1);
- and
- opening said valve means of the preparation chamber to dispense the thus prepared beverage from an outlet of said preparation chamber, said opening step being carried out by a control unit via a piezoelectric valve.
A beverage dispensing apparatus for carrying out a process of preparing a beverage, said apparatus comprising:
- a beverage preparation chamber;
- means for feeding water to said preparation chamber;
- means for interrupting at least once said water flow to said preparation chamber once a first pressure (P1) is reached;
- means for resuming said water flow after a preset time interval;
- and
- means for opening said preparation chamber after said time interval has lapsed to provide an outlet for the prepared beverage,
- wherein said preparation chamber is a brewing chamber including a piezoelectric valve to maintain said preparation chamber in a closed condition and at the first pressure (P1) for a preset pressure holding time (tpump−t1) before said preparation chamber is opened, and
- wherein said beverage preparation chamber is a cartridge and said opening means is selected from a piercing element and a means of biasing a portion of the capsule wall.
A beverage dispensing apparatus for carrying out a process of preparing a beverage, said apparatus comprising:
- a beverage preparation chamber;
- means for feeding water to said preparation chamber;
- means for interrupting at least once said water flow to said preparation chamber once a first pressure (P1) is reached;
- means for resuming said water flow after a preset time interval;
- and
- means for opening said preparation chamber after said time interval has lapsed to provide an outlet for the prepared beverage,
- wherein said preparation chamber is a brewing chamber including a piezoelectric valve to maintain said preparation chamber in a closed condition and at the first pressure (P1) for a preset pressure holding time (tpump−t1) before said preparation chamber is opened, and
- wherein said beverage preparation chamber is a brewing chamber and comprises at least one piston, a cylinder and a piezoelectric valve.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.