US4852474A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Espresso machine with cappuccino making attachment
Assignee: Robert Krups GmbH and Co KG
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Filing: 1988-09-09
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Granted: 1989-08-01
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Expires: 2008-09-09
Abstract
Abstract An espresso machine wherein a steam supplying first conduit is separably coupled to a second conduit having an air admitting inlet and an air discharging outlet. When the first conduit admits steam into the second conduit between the inlet and the outlet, such steam draws atmospheric air by way of the inlet and the resulting steam-air mixture is discharged by way of the outlet to frothe milk in a vessel into which the outlet of the second conduit extends. The rate of admission of air into the inlet of the second conduit is regulated by a valving element which is mounted on the second conduit and can be rotated by a handle so as to move a hole of the valving element relative to the inlet and to thus alter the cross-sectional area of the path for the flow of air into the second conduit. If the inlet of the second conduit is completely sealed from the atmosphere, the outlet discharges only steam which can be used to heat cups prior to pouring of espresso coffee.
Inventors
- 👤 Gotthard C. Mahlich
- 👤 Michael Borgmann
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 15:12
CPC Classifications
A; A47; A47J; A47J31/00; A47J31/44; A47J31/4489; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S261/00; Y10S261/76
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
113 words
An expresso machine comprising a source of steam; steam supplying first conduit means having at least one steam discharging orifice; air supplying second conduit means having at least one air-admitting inlet and at least one air-discharging outlet adjacent said orifice so that steam which issues from said orifice draws air from said second conduit means by way of said outlet; and means for regulating the flow of air into said second conduit means by way of said inlet, said regulating means comprising a valving element movable with reference to said second conduit means between a plurality of positions in each of which said inlet communicates with the surrounding atmosphere to a different extent.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
113 words
An expresso machine comprising a source of steam; steam supplying first conduit means having at least one steam discharging orifice; air supplying second conduit means having at least one air-admitting inlet and at least one air-discharging outlet adjacent said orifice so that steam which issues from said orifice draws air from said second conduit means by way of said outlet; and means for regulating the flow of air into said second conduit means by way of said inlet, said regulating means comprising a valving element movable with reference to said second conduit means between a plurality of positions in each of which said inlet communicates with the surrounding atmosphere to a different extent.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
85 words
The machine of claim 1, wherein said inlet includes a transversely extending first hole in said second conduit means and said valving element is turnable with respect to said second conduit means and has a second hole which communicates with the surrounding atmosphere and is movable relative to said first hole in response to rotation of said valving element relative to said second conduit means to thereby establish different paths for the flow of air into said second conduit means by way of said holes.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
The machine of claim 1, further comprising means for separably coupling said regulating means to one of said conduit means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
37 words
The machine of claim 3, wherein said regulating means is coupled to and is rotatable about said second conduit means and comprises a handle which can be engaged by hand to facilitate rotation of said regulating means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
87 words
The machine of claim 4, wherein said second conduit means comprises an end portion which is spaced apart from said outlet and has a transversely extending hole constituting said inlet, said regulating means having a bind hole for said end portion and a transverse hole communicating with the surrounding atmosphere and with said blind hole and being arranged to establish different paths for the flow of air into the hole of said end portion in response to rotation of said regulating means about said second conduit means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
36 words
The machine of claim 5, wherein said coupling means comprises complementary male and female coupling elements one of which is provided in said blind hole and the other of which is provided on said end portion.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
42 words
The machine of claim 1, wherein said second conduit means includes a plurality of separably connected sections including a first section which is provided with said inlet and carries said regulating means and a second section which is provided with said outlet.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
21 words
The machine of claim 7, wherein said second conduit means further comprises an intermediate section between said first and second sections.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
The machine of claim 7, further comprising means for separably securing said sections of said second conduit means to each other.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
26 words
The machine of claim 9, wherein said securing means includes means for frictionally coupling at least one of said sections to at least one other section.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
79 words
The machine of claim 7, further comprising means for separably and movably coupling said regulating means to said first section so that the regulating means surrounds said first section, said inlet including a first hole in said first section and said regulating means having a second hole which communicates with the surrounding atmosphere and establishes different paths for the flow of air into said first hole in response to movement of said regulating means relative to said first section.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
40 words
The machine of claim 11, wherein said first section includes a first part which is provided with said first hole and is coupled to said regulating means, and a second part which is separably coupled with another of said sections.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
18 words
The machine of claim 12, wherein said first part is disposed at a level above said second part.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
20 words
The machine of claim 1, further comprising means for separably attaching said second conduit means to said first conduit means.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
38 words
The machine of claim 14, wherein said second conduit means includes a plurality of sections one of which is provided with said inlet, said attaching means including means for attaching said one section to said first conduit means.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
16 words
The machine of claim 14, wherein said attaching means is integral with said second conduit means.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
22 words
The machine of claim 16, wherein said attaching means comprises a plurality of resilient prongs aranged to straddle said first conduit means.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
56 words
The machine of claim 1, wherein said second conduit means includes a plurality of separable sections and means for separably securing said sections to each other, said sections including a first and a second section and said second conduit means further comprising means for preventing rotation of said first and second sections relative to each other.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
42 words
The machine of claim 18, wherein said rotation preventing means comprises at least one projection provided on one of said first and second sections and a socket for said at least one projection in the other of said first and second sections.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
25 words
The machine of claim 19, wherein said one section is provided with said inlet and said socket includes a blind hole in said one section.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
55 words
The machine of claim 1, wherein said second conduit means comprises a hollow extension intermediate said inlet and said outlet, said orifice being arranged to discharge steam into said extension and said second conduit means further comprising a section which is separably secured to said extension adjacent said orifice and is provided with said outlet.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
29 words
The machine of claim 21, wherein said section includes a first portion which is secured to said extension and a tubular second portion which is provided with said outlet.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
23 words
The machine of claim 22, wherein the cross-sectional area of said second portion is smaller than the cross-sectional area of said first portion.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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Cited
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1992-07-31 | 1993-01-30 | 1993-08-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1996-07-31 | 1997-01-30 | 1997-08-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2000-07-31 | 2001-01-30 | 2001-08-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |