Claims
- 1. An appliance for the preparation of hot drinks, the appliance comprising;
a drink preparation chamber in which hot water is combined with another substance to prepare a hot beverage; and a water supply conduit having an outlet exposed to atmospheric pressure and arranged to dispense hot water into the drink preparation chamber, the water supply conduit including;
a riser through which water flows toward the outlet; a heater extending along at least a portion of the riser and heating water in the riser; and a conduit pressure control chamber open to atmospheric pressure and in hydraulic communication with a lower end of the riser such that water in the riser that is maintained during heating at a water level between the heater and an upper end of the riser and substantially equal to a static water level in the pressure control chamber.
- 2. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the pressure control chamber further comprises an overflow chamber at a level corresponding to the level of water in the riser that is between the heater and the outlet.
- 3. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the pressure control chamber further comprises a pressure sensor gauge responsive to static water pressure in the water supply conduit.
- 4. The appliance of claim 1 further comprising an optical sensor responsive to water level in the pressure control chamber.
- 5. The appliance of claim 1 further comprising a check valve preventing backflow from the riser into the pressure control chamber.
- 6. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the water supply conduit further comprises a water supply chamber in fluid communication with the pressure control chamber and containing a quantity of water for replenishing the water supply conduit to replace dispensed hot water.
- 7 The appliance of claim 6 further comprising a pump hydraulically disposed between the water supply chamber and the pressure control chamber.
- 8. The appliance of claim 6 wherein the water supply chamber has a water outlet extending downward into the pressure control chamber.
- 9. The appliance of claim 8 wherein the water outlet includes a valve that is controlled by a sensor responsive to water level in the pressure control chamber.
- 10. The appliance of claim 9 wherein the sensor is an optical sensor.
- 11. The appliance of claim 9 wherein the sensor is a pressure gauge.
- 12. The appliance of claim 9 wherein the water outlet includes a float valve outlet and the sensor is a float sensor.
- 13. The appliance of claim 6 further comprising a filter positioned between the water supply chamber and the pressure control chamber.
- 14. The appliance of claim 1 further comprising a spring positioned below the pressure control chamber, wherein the spring expands to provide a substantially constant static water level in the pressure control chamber as the amount of water in the pressure control chamber diminishes.
- 15. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the riser extends in a substantially vertical direction.
- 16. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the riser extends at an angle inclined to vertical.
- 17. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the heater extends substantially over the length of the riser.
- 18. The appliance of claim 18 wherein the heater is a heating rod.
- 19. The appliance of claim 18 wherein the heating rod is coiled about the riser.
- 20. The appliance of claim 23 wherein the heating rod extends along an outer wall of the riser.
- 21. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the heater surrounds the riser.
- 22. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the riser has its greatest cross-sectional area in the portion along which the heater extends.
- 23. The appliance of claim 1 further comprising a sensor responsive to water level in the riser.
- 24. The appliance of claim 23 wherein the sensor responsive to water level further comprises a controller that disables the heater when the water level in the riser falls below a predetermined level.
- 25. An appliance for the preparation of hot drinks, the appliance comprising;
a drink preparation chamber in which hot water is combined with another substance to prepare a hot beverage; and a water supply conduit having an outlet exposed to atmospheric pressure and arranged to dispense hot water into the drink preparation chamber, the water supply conduit including;
a riser through which water flows toward the outlet; a heater extending along at least a portion of the riser and heating water in the riser; and means for maintaining a substantially constant water level in the riser between the heater and the outlet.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
10260039.2 |
Dec 2002 |
DE |
|
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) from German Patent Application No. DE 102 60 039.2, filed on Dec. 19, 2002.