US 11,857,106 B2
Inline fluid foaming device
Gregory Savioz, Saxonne (CH)
Assigned to Societe des Produits Nestle S.A., Vevey (CH)
Appl. No. 16/641,309
Filed by SOCIETE DES PRODUITS NESTLE S.A., Vevey (CH)
PCT Filed Aug. 14, 2018, PCT No. PCT/EP2018/072051
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Feb. 24, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/038143, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 28, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 17187887 (EP), filed on Aug. 25, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2021/0076870 A1, Mar. 18, 2021
Int. Cl. A47J 31/44 (2006.01); A47J 31/46 (2006.01); A47J 31/52 (2006.01)
CPC A47J 31/4485 (2013.01) [A47J 31/461 (2018.08); A47J 31/468 (2018.08); A47J 31/52 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An inline fluid foaming device for providing a foamed fluid directly into a container, the inline fluid foaming device comprising:
an air path for introducing a certain quantity of air into the inline fluid foaming device;
a fluid path for introducing an amount of fluid into the inline fluid foaming device coming from a fluid container;
a mixture of air and fluid passing to a centrifugal pumping and foaming element such that the amount of fluid into the inline fluid foaming device is pumped by centrifugal movement of the centrifugal pumping and foaming element, and foaming of the mixture of air and fluid is provided by driving the mixture of air and fluid under a certain level of shear stress in the centrifugal pumping and foaming element; and
a heating unit where the foamed mixture of air and fluid is conveyed,
the inline fluid foaming device is configured to be connectable to a beverage dispensing machine to manage foamed fluid deliveries or different beverage recipes, through a commanded human-machine interface (HMI) in the inline fluid foaming device,
the HMI controls the operation of the inline fluid foaming device according to an operating parameter selected from the group consisting of rotational speed of the centrifugal pumping and foaming element, duration in time of the rotation of the centrifugal pumping and foaming element, temperature of the fluid, ratio of air with respect to the quantity of fluid, type of beverage dispensed from the beverage dispensing machine, and combinations thereof, and
a sequence of operation of the inline fluid foaming device is set by the operating parameter, such that a certain beverage recipe is made of the sequence.