US 12,070,153 B2
Beverage maker and method for determining hot water amounts output by a beverage maker and/or used in same for beverage preparation
Johannes Bais, Ulm (DE); Philipp Schirrmacher, Ulm (DE); and Armin Startz, Weidenstetten (DE)
Assigned to WMF GmbH, (DE)
Appl. No. 16/754,308
Filed by WMF GmbH, Geislingen an der Steige (DE)
PCT Filed Sep. 21, 2018, PCT No. PCT/EP2018/075573
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 7, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/072519, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 18, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2017 217 953.8 (DE), filed on Oct. 9, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0305636 A1, Oct. 1, 2020
Int. Cl. A47J 31/46 (2006.01); A47J 31/00 (2006.01); A47J 31/30 (2006.01); A47J 31/36 (2006.01); A47J 31/40 (2006.01); A47J 31/41 (2006.01); A47J 31/44 (2006.01); A47J 31/52 (2006.01); A47J 31/54 (2006.01); A47J 31/56 (2006.01); B67D 1/12 (2006.01)
CPC A47J 31/469 (2018.08) [A47J 31/002 (2013.01); A47J 31/007 (2013.01); A47J 31/30 (2013.01); A47J 31/3671 (2013.01); A47J 31/402 (2013.01); A47J 31/41 (2013.01); A47J 31/44 (2013.01); A47J 31/467 (2013.01); A47J 31/5255 (2018.08); A47J 31/56 (2013.01); B67D 1/12 (2013.01); A47J 31/545 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A beverage maker for simultaneous dispensing of two or more hot beverages, comprising
a heating device for heating water,
a cold water inflow,
a first hot water outlet,
at least one second hot water outlet,
a cold water path connecting the cold water inflow to the heating device,
a first hot water path connecting the heating device to the first hot water outlet,
at least one second hot water path connecting the heating device to the at least one second hot water outlet, with each of the at least one second hot water outlet connected to the heating device by a respective one of the at least one second hot water path,
a conveying device for conveying water,
a first flow meter arranged in the cold water path upstream of the conveying device for conveying water or downstream of the conveying device for conveying water, and
at least one second flow meter arranged in the at least one second hot water path, wherein each of the at least one second flow meter is arranged in a respective one of the at least one second hot water path,
wherein the at least one second flow meter arranged in the at least one second hot water path is a contactless flow meters,
wherein the beverage maker is configured to determine an amount of water flowing through the cold water path, which corresponds to a sum of amounts of water flowing through all of the first hot water path and the at least one second hot water path,
wherein the beverage maker has a brewing unit for brewing coffee at the at least one second hot water outlet,
wherein the beverage maker is configured to
determine at least one hot water amount used at the first hot water outlet for beverage preparation via measuring the amount of water flowing through the cold water path by the first flow meter, and
i) determine the amount of water flowing through the at least one second hot water path by the at least one second flow meter, and
determine the amount of water flowing through the first hot water path by calculating a difference between the amount of water flowing through the cold water path measured by the first flow meter and the amount of water flowing through the at least one second hot water path measured by the at least one second flow meter; or
ii) determine the amounts of water flowing through the at least one second hot water path and flowing through further second hot water paths by the at least one second flow meter and by further second flow meters, and
determine the amount of water flowing through the first hot water path by calculating a difference between the amount of water flowing through the cold water path measured by the first flow meter and the sum of the amounts of water flowing through the at least one second hot water path and flowing through the further second hot water paths measured by the at least one second flow meter and by the further second flow meters.