APPARATUS TO SERVE HOT BEVERAGES AND A METHOD TO PREPARE A HOT BEVERAGE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:
Field of the invention
The invention relates to an apparatus to serve hot beverages, such as soup or gravy, which comprises: a storage boiler provided with a bottom and a outlet opening, heating devices to heat the contents of the storage boiler, a beverage transport pipe, whose end is connected to the outlet opening in the storage boiler, and dispensing devices that are connected to the beverage transport pipe to dispense the beverage.
Prior art
Such an apparatus is well-known. The disadvantage of the well-known apparatus is that the beverage in the storage boiler is heated unequally and that it takes a long time before the beverage is sufficiently hot to be served. Moreover, heavier constituents that may be present in the beverage settle to the bottom of the storage boiler, so that the composition of the beverage is no longer homogeneous.
Summary of the invention
An objective of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the type described in the preamble which can be used to serve hot and homogeneous beverages with a homogeneous temperature quickly. For this purpose, the apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that it comprises circulation devices in the storage boiler to cause the beverage to circulate in the storage boiler. The circulation devices comprise for example a stirring rod or propeller. The circulation of the beverage in the storage boiler means that a homogeneous temperature is obtained more quickly in the beverage and that the composition of the beverage remains homogeneous.
An embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention is characterized
in that the circulation devices comprise a gas supply pipe whose open end is on or near the bottom of the storage boiler, and a gas supply device that is connected outside the storage boiler to the gas supply pipe to blow gas into the beverage in the storage boiler in order to circulate the beverage. The rising gas bubbles effect a movement in the beverage in the storage boiler. The apparatus is easy to clean because, apart from the storage boiler, only the gas supply pipe is in contact with the beverage.
Preferably, the gas supply pipe runs from the top of the storage boiler to the bottom of the storage boiler.
In order to obtain a measured quantity of the beverage from the storage boiler in a favourable manner, a further embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that the dispensing devices comprise a reservoir, which is built into the beverage transport pipe to measure out the beverage, and two valves, which are also built into the beverage transport pipe, up-flow and down-flow of the reservoir respectively, to close and open the beverage transport pipe. Closing the down-flow valve and opening the up-flow valve causes the reservoir to fill up with beverage. Closing the up-fiow valve and opening the down-flow valve then causes a measured quantity of beverage to flow out of the reservoir.
A further embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that the apparatus has further heating devices to heat the contents of the reservoir in order to serve the beverage before all the beverage in the storage boiler is sufficiently hot. For this purpose, when starting the apparatus, in the first instance only the small quantity of beverage in the reservoir, as large as a portion to be served, needs to be heated.
Another embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention in which beverage can be quickly and easily obtained from the storage boiler in another way is characterized in that the storage boiler is closed off at the top by a lid and the apparatus comprises pressure devices to exert pressure on the beverage in the storage boiler. This means that the beverage can be pressurized out of the storage boiler.
Preferably, the pressure devices in this embodiment are a pressure cylinder or compressor, which exerts pressure on the air above the beverage.
The invention also relates to a method to prepare a hot beverage, which involves adding cold beverage to a storage boiler, the subsequent heating of the beverage
and the subsequent removal of a quantity of the beverage from the storage boiler. Concerning the method, the invention is characterized in that the beverage is kept in circulation in the storage boiler.
Preferably, the beverage is kept in circulation by blowing gas from or near the bottom of the storage boiler into the beverage.
Moreover, the removal of a quantity of the beverage from the storage boiler is done preferably by allowing the beverage to flow from the storage boiler into a reservoir until the reservoir is full and then removing the beverage from the reservoir.
Brief description of the drawings
The invention will be elucidated more fully below on the basis of drawings in which embodiments of the apparatus according to the invention are shown. In these drawings: Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention in perspective in exploded view;
Figure 2 shows a top view of the apparatus;
Figure 3 shows a rear view of the apparatus;
Figure 4 shows a side view of the apparatus; Figure 5 shows a front view of a second embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention; and
Figure 6 shows the side view of the apparatus shown in Figure 5.
Detailed description of the drawings
Figures 1 to 4 show a first embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention in an exploded view in perspective, the top, rear and side views respectively. The apparatus 1 has two storage boilers 3 (of which only one is shown), which are present in a housing 5. The storage boiler 3 has a bottom 7 with an outlet opening 9. The top of the storage boiler 3 is open. The storage boiler is provided with two handles 11 for ease of removal from the apparatus. Heating devices are placed under the storage boiler 3 to heat its contents. The heating devices are formed by an electrical heating spiral 13.
The apparatus 1 has a beverage transport pipe 15, whose end is connected to the outlet opening in the storage boiler, and dispensing devices that are connected to the beverage transport pipe to dispense the beverage. The dispensing devices in this embodiment are formed by a reservoir 17, which is built into the beverage transport pipe 15 to measure out the beverage, and two valves 19 and 21 , which are also built into the beverage transport pipe 15 up-flow and down-flow respectively of the reservoir to close and open the beverage transport pipe. Closing the down-flow valve 21 and opening the up-flow valve 19 causes the reservoir 17 to fill up with beverage from the storage boiler 3. Closing the up-flow valve 19 and opening the down-flow valve 21 then causes a measured quantity of beverage to flow out of the reservoir 17.
The apparatus 1 has further heating devices to heat the contents of the reservoir 17 in order to serve a first portion of the beverage quickly when starting up the apparatus. These further heating devices are also formed by a heating spiral (not visible in the figures), but this is built into the wall 23 of the reservoir 17. The apparatus 1 also has circulation devices in the storage boiler 3 to effect circulation in the beverage in order to heat the beverage in the storage boiler uniformly and to keep the composition of the beverage homogeneous. These circulation devices are formed by a gas supply pipe 25, whose open end 27 is near the bottom 7 of the storage boiler, see Figures 3 and 4, and a gas supply device 29, which is connected outside the storage boiler to the gas supply pipe 25 to blow gas into the beverage in the storage boiler 3 in order to keep the beverage in movement. The gas supply pipe 25 runs from the top of the storage boiler 3 to the bottom 7 of the storage boiler. The gas supply device 29 has for example a compressor and an air filter to purify the air sucked in from outside.
Figures 5 and 6 show a front and side view respectively of a second embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention. The apparatus 101, to store and dispense hot beverages such as coffee, soup or gravies, also has two storage boilers 103, which are hermetically sealed by lids 105. The storage boilers 103 have heating devices 107 as in an existing boiler system. There are thermometers 109, which are switched independently, in each of the storage boilers that register the heating of the beverages and control the thermostats of the heating devices 107 in order to keep the beverages at the desired temperature.
The storage boilers 103 have outlet openings 111 to which beverage
transport pipes 113 are connected. There are dispensing devices 115 in the form of ball cocks at the ends of the beverage transport pipes 113 to dispense the beverage.
The apparatus also has pressure devices to pressurize the beverage in the storage boilers. These pressure devices comprise a pressure cylinder 117, for example filled with carbon dioxide, which is connected via pipelines (not shown) to the top of the storage boilers 103. There are control cocks in the pipelines (not shown) to regulate the pressure above the hot beverages. The storage boilers 103 each have a safety valve (not shown), which will depressurize if the pressure is greater than 3.5 bar. There are also air relief cocks on the sides of the storage boilers 103 for extra safety, which can be opened before the lids 105 are opened. The pressure can also be applied via a compressor instead of a pressure cylinder 117.
A water hose can be fastened to a quick-fit connection (not shown) on the storage boilers 103 to fill up the storage boilers with water, to heat this water and to apply a large pressure to the whole in order to achieve a thorough cleaning. There is a gas supply pipe 121 with an open end near the bottom of the storage boiler to homogenize the beverage in the storage boiler and to keep its temperature uniform. This gas supply pipe 123 is connected on the outside of the storage boiler 103 to a gas supply device (not shown) to blow gas into the beverage in the storage boiler 103 in order to circulate the beverage. There is a pressure reducing valve 125 in the gas supply pipe 123 on the outside of the storage boiler 103, which regulates the quantity of the gas supplied. The gas supply pipe 121 runs from a nipple on the lid 105 of the storage boiler 103 to the bottom of the storage boiler 103. The gas supply pipe 123 is connected to the nipple on the outside of the storage boiler. Purified air is preferred as the gas. Although in the above the invention is explained on the basis of the drawings, it should be noted that the invention is in no way limited to the embodiments shown in the drawings. The invention also extends to all embodiments deviating from the embodiments shown in the drawings within the context defined by the claims.