US 12,171,363 B2
Beverage brewing apparatus with nozzle exterior cleaning
Jacobus Petrus Maria Dessing, Nieuw-Vennep (NL); Koen Standaar, Soest (NL); and Hendrik Johan Dees, Utrecht (NL)
Assigned to Koninklijke Douwe Egberts B.V., Utrecht (NL)
Appl. No. 16/612,348
Filed by KONINKLIJKE DOUWE EGBERTS B.V., Utrecht (NL)
PCT Filed May 9, 2018, PCT No. PCT/NL2018/050307
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 8, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/208156, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 15, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. 2018884 (NL), filed on May 10, 2017; and application No. 2018886 (NL), filed on May 10, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0170446 A1, Jun. 4, 2020
Int. Cl. A47J 31/60 (2006.01); A47J 31/46 (2006.01); B08B 3/08 (2006.01); B08B 3/10 (2006.01); B08B 9/023 (2006.01); B08B 9/032 (2006.01); B67D 1/07 (2006.01)
CPC A47J 31/60 (2013.01) [A47J 31/46 (2013.01); B08B 3/08 (2013.01); B08B 3/102 (2013.01); B08B 9/023 (2013.01); B08B 9/0321 (2013.01); B67D 1/07 (2013.01); B67D 2210/00102 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for the preparation of a beverage having at least one beverage outlet nozzle for discharging the beverage into a beverage container, wherein the apparatus comprises:
a cleaning structure for cleaning an exterior surface of the beverage outlet nozzle, the cleaning structure being movably arranged relative to the beverage outlet nozzle, the cleaning structure moveable between an idle position allowing the beverage outlet nozzle to discharge the beverage into the beverage container and an operating position allowing cleaning of the beverage outlet nozzle, and the apparatus including a housing having at least one side wall, wherein the cleaning structure is moveable from the idle position which is substantially within the housing, via an opening in the side wall to the operating position, and the cleaning structure including a fluid guidance structure, the fluid guidance structure configured to guide a discharged cleaning fluid along the exterior surface of the beverage outlet nozzle when positioned at the beverage outlet nozzle, the fluid guidance structure including a nozzle receptacle for accommodating the beverage outlet nozzle and at least one cleaning fluid collecting inlet located above an outlet of the beverage outlet nozzle and arranged to receive the cleaning fluid after passage of the cleaning fluid along the exterior surface of the beverage outlet nozzle; and
a sealing module arranged to provide a substantially fluid-tight seal between at least one of the housing of the apparatus and a part of the exterior surface of the beverage outlet nozzle spaced away from the outlet on one hand and the fluid guidance structure on the other hand, wherein the sealing module forms at least a part of the fluid guidance structure, and wherein the sealing module includes a resilient spacer positioned around the nozzle receptacle and the at least one cleaning fluid collecting inlet.