Beverage making apparatus

Claim 2

Apparatus for making a beverage in a single operation comprising a solid food feeding means, a liquid feeding means, a grinding means arranged in sequence with a separating means and a heating means, an electric motor connected to drive said grinding means and said separating means, means for supplying a mixture of solid and liquid food from said feeding means into said grinding means, means for conveying the resultant slurry from the grinding means to the separating means where the beverage is extracted, means for conveying the extracted beverage into said heating means, an electrical circuit containing said motor and an actuator for said mixture supply, and control means in said circuit responsive to the presence of a predetermined amount of liquid in said liquid feeding means for energizing said motor and operating said actuator to supply the mixture to the grinding means, said control means being further responsive in the absence of a predetermined amount of liquid in the liquid feeding means to deenergize said motor and operate said actuator to arrest supply of said mixture.

Claim 3

Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said heating means comprises a chamber receiving the beverage and having an electrical heater connected to said circuit so as to be energized by action of said control means when said motor is deenergized.

Claim 4

Apparatus as defined in claim 2, including means connected to said electrical heater for maintaining the temperature of the beverage in said chamber within a predetermined range.

Claim 5

Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said solid and liquid foods are combined in passage means leading from the respective feeding means to said grinding means, and said actuator is an electrically operated valve for said passage means connected in said circuit to be actuated by said control means.

Claim 6

Apparatus as defined in claIm 1, wherein liquid from the liquid feeding means is conveyed by a pump directly into the solid food feeding means for admixture, and said pump is driven by the motor and serves as the actuator for said mixture supply means.

Claim 7

Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said control means includes switch means in said circuit operatively connected to a float in said liquid feeding means.

Claim 8

In the apparatus defined in claim 1, said electrical circuit containing a relay having switching contacts connected to said electric motor and said heating means, and the presence or absence of a certain amount of liquid in said liquid feeding means being a float controlled switch for said relay to thereby selectively energize either the said motor or the heating means.

Claim 9

Apparatus for making beverages in a continuous operation comprising means providing separate bins wherein predetermined amounts of relatively solid food and liquid components of the beverage are charged, grinding and separating devices arranged in sequence, means for feeding and mixing proportioned amounts of the relatively solid food components and liquid component from said bins and for feeding the mixture into the grinding device, an electrical circuit containing means responsive to the presence of a predetermined amount of liquid in the liquid component bin for energizing electric motor means connected to drive said grinding and separating devices, means conveying the resulting slurry into the separating device wherein a relatively liquid beverage is extracted, a heater having a chamber into which said beverage is conveyed from the separator, electrical heating means for said heater connected into said circuit to be energized in timed relation to the grinding and separating operations for raising the temperature of said beverage in said chamber to and maintaining it within a predetermined range, and means in said circuit automatically effective after completion of the grinding and separating operations for de-energizing said motor means and energizing said electrical heating means.

Claim 10

Apparatus for making beverages in a continuous operation comprising means providing separate bins wherein predetermined amounts of relatively solid food and liquid components of the beverage are charged, grinding and separating devices arranged in sequence, means for feeding and mixing proportioned amounts of the relatively solid food components and liquid component from said bins and for feeding the mixture into the grinding device, an electrical circuit containing means responsive to the presence of a predetermined amount of liquid in the liquid component bin for energizing electric motor means connected to drive said grinding and separating devices, means conveying the resulting slurry into the separating device wherein a relatively liquid beverage is extracted, a heater having a chamber into which said beverage is conveyed from the separator, electrical heating means for said heater connected into said circuit to be energized in timed relation to the grinding and separating operations for raising the temperature of said beverage in said chamber to and maintaining it within a predetermined range, and means in said circuit automatically effective after completion of the grinding and separating operations for de-energizing said motor means and energizing said electrical heating means.

Claim 11

In the apparatus defined in claim 8, said circuit containing a relay having switching contacts connected to said motor means and said electrical heating devices, and said means responsive to the presence of liquid in the liquid component bin being a float controlled switch for said relay.

Claim 12

In the apparatus defined in claim 8, thermostatic means in said circuit for controlling energization of said electrical heating means to maintain the temperature of the beverage in said heater chamber within said range.