HK1031811B - A coffee machine assembly - Google Patents

Description

Coffee machine device

Technical Field

The invention relates to a coffee machine device which can be integrated into kitchen furniture and comprises a coffee machine part with an operating device and a coffee dispensing device at the end region.

Background

At present, most of the coffee machines used at home are made in the form of table. One drawback of such a table coffee maker is that it always takes up a considerable amount of space.

Some prior art attempts have been made to solve this problem. In particular, coffee machines designed to be built-in are known, but such machines must be adapted to the standard openings of kitchen cabinets. In this way, the front end region of the coffee machines extends over the entire front of the kitchen furniture, with the result that the entire opening of the cabinet is occupied by the coffee machine. Another drawback of this coffee machine is that it has to be specially designed to allow the coffee machine to be built into a kitchen cabinet. Therefore, the manufacturing costs of such coffee machines are high.

Summary of the invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a coffee maker assembly that can be incorporated into kitchen furniture at a relatively low cost. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a coffee maker assembly that provides the space available in kitchen furniture to be optimally utilized.

To achieve these and other objects, the present invention provides a coffee maker assembly integral with kitchen furniture, comprising a coffee maker assembly having an operating means and a coffee dispensing means in a front region thereof, and at least one holding region adjacent the front region.

The front area is designed as an integral part of the front surface of the kitchen furniture and extends over only a portion of the front surface of the kitchen furniture.

In a preferred embodiment of the coffee maker assembly, the holding area may also be provided with at least one beverage preparation device, as an example a soda preparation device being considered, in particular if the coffee maker assembly is directly connected to a fresh water source. In this case, the fresh water source may be utilized by both the coffee maker assembly and the soda preparation device.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the receiving area can be designed at least partially as a receptacle for receiving a beverage (e.g. a coffee machine or the like); and may be provided with a means for heating and/or cooling the containment area.

If the tapping zone is designed as a cup for tapping or steam-pressure brewing coffee, it is particularly advantageous to heat the tapping zone, since such a cup for tapping or steam-pressure brewing coffee contains a higher proportion of ceramic material than a cup for other beverages, so that the steam-pressure brewing coffee beverage cools down sharply, which is disadvantageous for the cup.

Cooling the receiving area is particularly advantageous if the receiving area is designed for receiving beverages which normally have to be cooled before drinking.

Drawings

In the following, an embodiment of the assembly according to the invention will be further explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a coffee maker assembly housed in a cabinet;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the coffee maker assembly from the right; and

fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the coffee maker assembly from the left side.

First, the general design of the coffee maker assembly according to the invention is further explained with reference to fig. 1.

Description of The Preferred Embodiment

Figure 1 shows a partial view of a piece of kitchen furniture 2. Only one cabinet 1 forming part of the kitchen furniture 2 is shown. The cabinet has a front end portion in the shape of a front end plate 3. The front plate 3 has a recessed portion 4. The coffee maker assembly 6 is placed in the cabinet 1 of the kitchen furniture 2 such that the front end region 10 of the coffee maker assembly is flush with the front panel 3 of the cabinet. Thus, the coffee maker assembly 6 becomes an integral part of the kitchen appliance 2.

The coffee maker assembly 6 comprises a coffee maker 7 and a holding area 8. The holding area 8 is not shown in detail in fig. 1, which will be described in detail later. The front area 10 of the coffee maker 7 comprises a plurality of working means which need not be further described. In addition, the front end region 10 is provided with a recessed portion 11 in which a coffee dispensing assembly 12 is arranged.

A basic idea of this embodiment is to design the front end area 10 of a household coffee maker 7, which is basically well known, as an integral part of the front end of the kitchen furniture 2. Thus, the front area 10 extends along only a portion of the cabinet, while the remainder of the cabinet can serve as a holding area 8.

As can be seen in fig. 2, the holding area 8 comprises a cabinet part 14 with a door 15. The door 15 may also be an integral part of the front end of the kitchen furniture 2 when the door is closed. The storage area 8 is divided in the vertical direction by a plurality of shelves 16 for storing various utensils. In the illustrated embodiment, the holding area may be used for holding coffee cups and/or cups containing steam-brewed coffee. According to a preferred embodiment (not shown in detail here), the holding area 8 is provided with an electrical resistance heating device for heating the interior of the cabinet section 14. Such resistance heating means are particularly suitable in the case of coffee cups, or cups containing coffee brewed under pressure by steam, to be placed inside the cabinet portion 14.

The interior of the holding area 8 can be designed to hold other items; in other words, the interior is not designed to hold only coffee cups (or, alternatively, glasses). For example, another partition may be provided inside the holding section to hold coffee beans, coffee spoons, sugar, tea leaves, etc. in addition to coffee cups.

Depending on the design and size of the coffee maker assembly 6, the holding area 8 may be located above or below the coffee maker assembly 6.

As can be seen from fig. 1, the operating parts, in particular the coffee dispensing assembly 12 and the steam outlet 13 of the coffee maker 7, are visible. The lower part of the above-mentioned well 11 is a collecting tray 20 for collecting the remaining water. The collecting tray 20 can be removed from the front of the coffee maker. On the right side of the coffee maker 7, there is a collecting receptacle 21 for used coffee powder. This collecting container 21 can also be removed from the front of the coffee maker apparatus.

In addition to the operating parts and dispensing devices illustrated and described above, which need not be further explained, the coffee machine is provided with additional or additional operating and/or dispensing devices. For example, a milk steamer may be provided for preparing cappuccino (espresso-drawer note that is a type of espresso that is heated with steam to add milk or cream). In this case, the deposit area is preferably designed such that a milk container containing the milk required for preparing the cappuccino can be placed therein.

Preferably, the coffee maker itself is designed as a compact assembly which can be replaced quickly and simply as a module. Therefore, the coffee maker can be fixed on the kitchen furniture 2 by only using a plurality of screws; alternatively, the coffee maker may be provided with a quick-release mechanism (not shown) for securing the coffee maker to the cooking appliance 2.

In this embodiment, the coffee maker is provided with a conventional fresh water tank. However, it is also possible to dispense with the fresh water tank 1 or, as an alternative, to provide a fluid connection means, which connects the coffee machine directly to the fresh water pipe. As an alternative to the illustrated coffee bean container, which can only hold contents after the coffee maker assembly is pulled out, an opening or container accessible from the front end may be provided in the coffee maker assembly. In addition, a water filling opening can be provided for receiving fresh water from the front end of the coffee maker.

As mentioned above, the storage area may also serve other purposes. For example, another beverage preparation device (e.g., a soda preparation device) may be positioned at the deposit location.

As can also be seen in fig. 3, the coffee machine assembly 6 can also be formed as a pull-out part or be mounted on a pull-out mechanism so that it can be pulled out in the direction of the arrow and pushed back in the opposite direction of the arrow. Since the general design of such pull-out mechanisms is well known to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it will not be further described here. However, such a pull-out mechanism 23 may be provided with a mechanical and/or hydraulic, and/or electrical interface to quickly and easily mechanically secure the coffee maker assembly, and/or to quickly and easily connect the coffee maker assembly to a power source, and/or to quickly and easily connect the coffee maker assembly to a fresh water source. These interfaces are not shown in the drawings.

Claims (16)

1. A coffee maker assembly adapted for use with a kitchen appliance as a unit with a cabinet, said coffee maker assembly comprising a coffee maker component having a front region with operating means and coffee dispensing means, characterized in that:

the kitchen utensil has a front plate provided with a recess,

the front area of the coffee machine extends along only a part of the front plate recess and is designed as an integral part of the front surface of the utensil;

the coffee maker assembly has a holding area defined by the remainder of the recess in the front plate.

2. The coffee maker assembly of claim 1, wherein said perch region is positioned adjacent a front end region of said coffee maker assembly.

3. The coffee maker assembly of claim 1, wherein said perch region is located below said front end region of said coffee maker component.

4. Coffee machine assembly according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that said holding area is adapted to hold at least one further beverage preparation device.

5. Coffee machine assembly according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that said holding area is adapted to at least partly hold a beverage container and also a coffee cup and/or a drinking glass.

6. Coffee machine assembly according to one of the claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the deposit area is located beside the front area of the coffee machine part and is vertically subdivided.

7. Coffee machine assembly according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that said holding area comprises means for at least partially heating or cooling the holding area.

8. Coffee machine assembly according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the coffee machine part is designed as a separate part.

9. Coffee machine assembly according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the coffee machine part is arranged on a pull-out device.

10. A coffee machine assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said holding area comprises a door which, once in the closed position, forms an integral part of the kitchen appliance.

11. Coffee machine assembly according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that said front end area of said coffee machine part is provided with a collecting tray adapted to collect surplus water.

12. Coffee machine assembly according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the front end area of the coffee machine part is provided with a collecting container for collecting used coffee powder.

13. Coffee machine assembly according to any one of claims 11 or 12, characterized in that said collecting tray for collecting the remaining water and said collecting receptacle for collecting the used coffee powder are accessible from the front of the coffee machine part.

14. Coffee machine assembly according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that said coffee machine part is provided with an opening for the introduction of coffee beans, said opening being accessible from the front of said coffee machine part.

15. Coffee machine assembly according to any one of the claims 9, characterized in that said pulling-out means are provided with an electrical and/or mechanical and/or hydraulic interface adapted to be connected to said coffee machine part.

16. Coffee machine assembly according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the coffee machine part is provided with a connection to a fresh water source.