Patent Application
20130153587
This application claims the benefit of German Application No. 20 2011 052 328.4 filed Dec. 16, 2011, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
Coffee machines, particularly fully automatic ones, are sometimes used as drink preparation machines above a milk container. These milk containers are accessories for the coffee machine which stores milk for the preparation of mixed coffee-milk drinks such as cappuccino or the like. Typically, these milk containers are disposed beneath the coffee machine proper and have a milk-extraction tube that is connected to a suction pump of the coffee machine. Such milk containers are accessed through a thermally insulated housing and often have active refrigeration, either by means of a Peltier element or by way of another sufficiently well-known compression cooling. The milk remains in its packaging in this type of milk container. The milk-extraction tube is placed in the packaging and exits the housing through an opening. This type of milk container requires an electrical current supply. One advantage of this type of milk container is that a package of milk placed inside can be cooled down to a desired temperature.
To an increasing degree, fully automatic coffee machines are also used in homes. The purchase of an additional active milk refrigerator is frequently considered to be an unnecessary purchase in addition to problems of location and current consumption. However, the preparation of mixed coffee-milk drinks is desired by consumers. In such a case, a milk container can be used where the milk is poured into the container or the milk package sits underneath the coffee machine. However, in such an application the user occasionally finds out that the milk positioned underneath the coffee machine has gone sour, unbeknownst to him/her, and accordingly the mixed coffee-milk drink is bad. The passive milk storage-container known from patent DE 20 2008 016 202.5 is introduced to remedy this problem. Passive refrigeration is provided therewith by means of at least one cooling element previously refrigerated in an ice or freezer compartment. With this previously known milk storage-container, the milk itself is in its sales packaging, which is used as such in the thermally insulated, milk storage-container.
Such a milk container can be used, as is known from DE 20 2008 016 202.5, although not if the sales package cannot be used in the cooling chamber of the thermally insulated, milk storage-container. This is the case, for example, with packaging such that it does not fit in the cooling chamber due to its geometry or if its packaging is simply too large.
However, such a milk container cannot be used if the sales package cannot fit in the cooling chamber of the thermally insulated, milk storage-container for one reason or another. Either the packaging does not fit in the cooling chamber due to its geometry or the packaging can simply be too large.
The foregoing example of the related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.
One aspect of the present disclosure is a storage container which is particularly suited for use as a thermally insulated, passively refrigerated, milk storage-container that is simple to operate.
Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a storage container with a storage insert functioning as the liquid container which has a top serving-opening for the removal of the liquid from the container. The serving opening is opened and closed by means of a pivotable carrying handle, the handle having a closure body for closing the serving opening. The handle and the closure body are positioned such that the closure body closes the serving opening when the handle is in a folded-down position relative to its carrying function.
The following embodiments and aspects thereof are described and illustrated in conjunction with systems, tool and methods which are meant to be exemplary and illustrative, not limiting in scope. In various embodiments, one or more of the above described problems have been reduced or eliminated, while other embodiments are directed to other improvements.
The storage insert is a closed container, either inherently closed or using a removable lid closing the container on top, but which can be opened or removed. The container has a serving opening on top, to allow removing or extracting the liquid for the preparation from the container. In most uses, the container would be used to store milk. A suction tube for supplying the milk to the machine is inserted into the serving opening. The storage insert has a pivotable handle to allow of simple and secure handling of the insert. The handle allows the storage insert to be carried securely, for example from the refrigerator to a thermally insulated, milk storage-container disposed underneath a coffee machine, or back again. In addition, the handle of the container also bearers a closure body for closing the serving opening when the container is not in use. The serving opening is typically closed with the closure body when milk is stored in the container, for instance when the container is in the refrigerator. On the other hand, when the storage insert is in a thermally insulated milk storage-container, the closure body is outside the serving opening, allowing a suction tube to be inserted into it. The pivotability of the handle is used for the purpose of opening and closing the serving opening. Hence, the handle is articulated at the container and is pivotable in such a direction that it can, with its closure body, be swung in the direction of the serving opening in front or in back of it. The closure body itself is in such a position on the handle that upon swinging the same accordingly in the direction toward the serving opening, the closure body is brought up to the serving opening and it closes in the position with the handle lowered. The closure body is therefore disposed so it cannot fall off the container.
When the storage insert is in use in a thermally insulated, milk storage-container, the closure opening has to be open. Then the handle with its closure plug is in its other position, which does not close the serving opening. The period of time for carrying the container is brief and negligible. Hence, no problem is anticipated if the serving opening is not closed while the storage insert is carried. It is essential that the handle with its closure body be its closing position when the storage insert is placed with the contents in a refrigerator. The closing position is different than the carrying position of the handle. When the storage insert is in the refrigerator, the handle is not needed for its carrying function and is so is typically folded down to fit the storage insert into a refrigerator and, to be precise, in the position in which the closure body closes the serving opening. As a result, the contents of the storage insert are kept separated from the interior of the refrigerator. Therefore no odors or the like are absorbed by the liquid stored in the storage insert when the container is in the refrigerator.
With this storage insert, the closure body or a part of the handle covers the serving opening when it is closed. As a result, the position of the handle can act as an indicator to a user that the storage insert is securely closed when it is placed in a refrigerator.
According to one embodiment, the closure body is executed as a closure plug engaging the serving opening. Such a closure is preferably executed as a sealed closure. For this purpose the closure body can have an appropriate coating on the outside, for example a silicone coating, or the serving opening is edged with an insert made out of an elastic material in the serving opening Likewise, it is possible that the closure plug molded on the handle is made available in the passage area of the closure plug and the handle by a seal ring, which then lies on the upper edge of the serving opening to bring about the sealing. In the embodiment of a closure body as a closure plug, this preferably tapers conically in the direction away from the handle.
In this design at least one of the outer walls of the storage insert has at least one connecting member connected. As this part of storage insert is generally a plastic part, it is possible that the at least one connecting member is molded onto the container. This connecting member connects a passive cooling element and therefore contains a cooling element that is cooled in the ice compartment of a refrigerator or in a freezer compartment. By connecting such a cooling element to the storage insert, it is not only ensured that the cooling element is in the immediate vicinity of a wall of the storage container, but that it can also be moved together with the storage insert. If the storage insert with the connected cooling element is inside a thermally insulated, passive milk storage-container and is removed using the handle to set the container in the refrigerator when the drink-preparation machine is not in use, the cooling element is removed at the same time. In the refrigerator, the cooling element can be removed from the storage insert and placed in an ice compartment or in a freezer compartment. This means that when the storage insert and the cooling element are not in use, both parts can be set or placed in the appropriate refrigeration areas. Conversely, the same also applies when the storage insert with the milk is removed from the refrigerator and is placed into a thermally insulated, milk storage-container to be used with a coffee machine.
In an additional embodiment, the outer side of the storage insert has two connecting members with the connecting members spaced apart a given vertical distance from each other. In this embodiment, the upper connecting element is formed such that the cooling element can be hung on the upper connecting element. The lower connecting member is formed to allow the cooling element to rest on it. In an embodiment, the cooling element can be fitted tightly between the two connecting members such that it is connected to the container with no free play. This means that the cooling element does not wobble during transport of the storage insert, and is also always in its correct position adjacent to the container wall.
In addition to the exemplary aspects and embodiments described above, further aspects and embodiments will become apparent by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.
Before explaining the disclosed embodiment of the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the particular arrangement shown, since the invention is capable of other embodiments. Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in referenced figures of the drawings. It is intended that the embodiments and figures disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative rather than limiting. Also, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.
A milk storage-container 1, in a type and manner not depicted in detail, is attached to a fully automatic coffee machine. The milk storage-container 1 is formed as a plastic housing 2. The housing 2 has a pivotably attached a top cover 3. The pivoting movement to open the cover 3 is made in the direction of the arrow marked on
Storage insert 7 is illustrated by itself in
In an alternative embodiment, frame 12 of the serving opening itself has a molded piece of tube or piping, which reaches up to and into the area of the base of container 9. A suction tube for milk removal is then introduced, not necessarily to be inserted into the inside of the container, but it is connected to frame 12.
The handle 8 is pivotably connected to extensions of two opposing side walls of container 9. One pivot pin each side of the handle engages a bearing opening on the extension of container 9 for this purpose. Handle 8 is bow-shaped and includes a grip 13, which connects two legs 14, 14.1 to one another, on which in turn the pivot pins are formed. Formed on the grip 13 of handle 8 is a closure body executed as a plug 15. The plug 15 is tapered toward its free end and is disposed in such a position of grip 13 or of handle 8 that upon swinging handle 8 out of its position as shown in
The cross-section of
While a number of exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those of skill in the art will recognize certain modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations therefore. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims hereinafter introduced are interpreted to include all such modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations are within their true spirit and scope. Each apparatus embodiment described herein has numerous equivalents.
The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed. Thus, it should be understood that although the present invention has been specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments and optional features, modification and variation of the concepts herein disclosed may be resorted to by those skilled in the art, and that such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.
In general the terms and phrases used herein have their art-recognized meaning, which can be found by reference to standard texts, journal references and contexts known to those skilled in the art. The above definitions are provided to clarify their specific use in the context of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 2011 052 328.4 | Dec 2011 | DE | national |
