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A low DC and/or AC voltage machine for preparing espresso coffee or other beverages, having a support structure provided with a heat exchanger, one or more heating elements with low energy consumption for heating water in a container, a water circulation pump, thermostats for adjusting the water tem

A low DC and/or AC voltage machine for preparing espresso coffee or other beverages, having a support structure provided with a heat exchanger, one or more heating elements with low energy consumption for heating water in a container, a water circulation pump, thermostats for adjusting the water temperature, a solenoid valve and a filtering and delivering unit, provided with a fixed portion communicating with the heat exchanger and a movable portion formed by a filter supporting body shaped for housing a cup, supporting the capsule containing the metered powder of the beverage, or a filter for receiving the loose powder, or a filter for receiving a paper waffle. The filter supporting body may be displaced from a lowered position for loading the element for preparing the beverage, to a raised position for the infusion of the beverage, and again in the lower position for discharging the exhausted element.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A machine (5) for preparing an infused beverage electrically powered by DC battery power of 12 or 24 volts and/or AC electrical mains, said machine being housed within a cabinet (6) having a support structure therein for supporting said machine, said machine comprising a heat exchanger (55) havin

1. A machine (5) for preparing an infused beverage electrically powered by DC battery power of 12 or 24 volts and/or AC electrical mains, said machine being housed within a cabinet (6) having a support structure therein for supporting said machine, said machine comprising a heat exchanger (55) having electric heating elements (56) for heating water for the infused beverage, a pump (59) for pumping the water for the infused beverage from a cold water container (26) housed in said cabinet and conveying the water to said heat exchanger (55), a thermostatic control (61, 62) for controlling the temperature of said heating elements (56) connected to the DC and/or AC electrical supply circuit; a filtering and delivering unit (52, 53; 44; 48, 49, 50) for the infused beverage in fluid communication with said heat exchanger (55) for delivering the prepared infused beverage into an underlying receptacle (4), an electronic control (58) operated by selector switches (13, 14, 15) for controlling the electrical elements and operative cycles of said machine (5) and adapted to stop machine operations in the event the voltage of the battery supply is below a predetermined value;a three-way solenoid valve (60) in fluid communication via a first conduit series (63, 64, 65) with said container (26) and with said heat exchanger (55) for transferring water from said container (26) to said heat exchanger (55), and via a second conduit series (66, 64) for discharging water into said container (26) from said heat exchanger (55) when delivery of the infused beverage is ended;said filtering and delivering unit comprising an upper stationary or delivery portion (52, 53) in fluid communication with said heat exchanger (55) and a lower movable portion comprising a filter portion (48, 49, 50) housed in an upper part of a filter supporting body (44) configured so as to accept therein powdered beverage of the beverage to be prepared in a form selected from the group consisting of loose powder, a capsule containing metered and pressed powder, and a paper waffle containing metered and pressed powder, said filter supporting body (44) being joined at a lower part to a vertically sliding saddle (32) actuated by a transmission element (35, 11) so as to slide vertically from a lowered position spaced from said upper stationary portion (52, 53) whereby the loose or packaged powder of the infused beverage to be prepared is introduced into said filter supporting body (44), to a raised position adjoining said upper stationary portion (52, 53), wherein the heated water is passed through the loose or packaged powder of the infused beverage to be prepared, and wherein from the raised position said vertically sliding saddle (32) is lowered via said transmission element (35, 11) so as to permit discharge of the exhausted loose or packaged powder of the infused beverage from said filter supporting body (44). 2. The machine according to claim 1, wherein said support structure comprises two horizontal upper brackets (20) and a horizontal lower plate (21), spaced vertically from said brackets (20) and having a rectangular shape, which is secured to a first back vertical plate (19), and by a second vertical plate (22) shorter than the first back vertical plate (19) and of rectangular shape, which is bent at its upper part at 90° so as to join said first vertical plate (19), to which it is fixed, and is secured at its upper part to said upper brackets (20) and at its lower part to said lower plate (21), whereby between said second vertical plate (22) and front terminal edges of said upper brackets (20) and front terminal edges (23) of the horizontal lower plate (21) a space is defined, for mounting said filtering and delivering unit, said support structure further comprises an additional third vertical plate (24), which is secured on a central position between the first and second vertical plates (19 and 22), in an orthogonal direction thereto thereby defining two separated inner cavities of which a first cavity (25) houses said water container (26), and a second inner cavity (27) houses pump (59) and said electronic control (58). 3. The machine according to claim 2, wherein in the front space for mounting said filtering and delivering unit there are situated an horizontal upper fixing plate (28) and a horizontal lower fixing plate (29), spaced vertically to each other for allowing the arrangement between them of said filtering and delivering unit, and the vertical displacement with a given stroke of the lower movable portion of the said unit, said upper and lower fixing plates (28, 29) being secured respectively below and above said upper brackets (20) and said lower plate (21), and joined to each other and to said upper brackets (20) and said lower plate (21) by two vertical support rods (30 and 31), identical and spaced from each other, and wherein between said support rods (30 and 31) said vertically sliding saddle (32) is also arranged, and supports said filter supporting body (44) and is provided with two side vertical through holes (33 and 34) into which said support rods (30 and 31) are inserted whereby the saddle (32) is adapted to slide vertically and alternately along said support rods from said lowered and raised positions thereof. 4. The machine according to claim 3, wherein said transmission element comprises a short vertical cylindrical sleeve (35) having a lower cylindrical stud (36) of smaller diameter insertable into a corresponding hole (37) in said lower fixing plate (29), so that said cylindrical sleeve may rotate with respect to said lower plate (29), said cylindrical sleeve (35) having a radial bore (38) in which a first end portion of a clamping lever (39) is inserted, in a second end portion of said clamping lever a handle element (40) of a regulating handle (11) is inserted, wherein an upper end portion of said cylindrical sleeve (35) is shaped with a vertically arranged helical slot (41), which is detachably coupled with a corresponding T-shaped joint (42) arranged on a stud (43) extending from a lower part of said saddle (32) so that the horizontal rotation of the handle (11) in either direction rotates the sleeve (35) and as a result of the coupling of the cross shaped joint (42) with the helical slot (41) of the cylindrical sleeve (35) raises or lowers said saddle (32) sliding along the guide members formed by said vertical support rods (30 and 31). 5. The machine according to claim 4, wherein said heat exchanger (55) includes a conduit through which the cold water to be heated passes made of a thermally conductive material, said heat exchanger being secured to said upper plate (28). 6. The machine according to claim 5, wherein said electric heating elements comprise a DC voltage powered heating element (56) with a DC supply voltage and an AC voltage powered heating element (57) which is added or substituted to the heating element powered with DC voltage, and which is supplied directly by the AC electrical mains independently from the DC voltage powered heating element. 7. The machine according to claim 6, wherein said pump (59) is a circulation pump operatively controlled by said electronic control (58) and connected at its intake via first flexible conduit (63) and a second flexible conduit (64) with the cold water container (26) for sucking the cold water from the container when the beverage delivery operation is commenced switching on the pump, and said pump (59) is connected, at its outlet to the inlet of said three-way solenoid valve (60) via a rigid conduit (65) interrupted by an inner valve member of said solenoid valve, and a first outlet of said solenoid valve is joined to an inlet of the cold water inner conduit of said heat exchanger (55) via a cylindrical element (54), wherein the outlet of said cold water conduit is in fluid communication with the delivery portion (52, 53) of said filtering and delivery unit. 8. The machine according to claim 7, wherein a second outlet (67) of said three-way solenoid valve (60) communicates with said cold water container (26) via a third flexible conduit (66) joined to said first flexible conduit (63) and said second flexible conduit (64) via a T pipe fitting (55′), whereby when said pump (59) is operated water in said container (26) is transferred by the pump through said first (63) and second (64) flexible conduits to the rigid conduit (65) and thence into the heat exchanger (55), simultaneously the second outlet (67) of said solenoid valve (60) is closed as said solenoid valve (60) is operated contemporaneously with the operation of said pump (59), the water in said heat exchanger is heated and then delivered through the delivery portion (52, 53) to the filter portion (48, 49, 50) of the filtering and delivery unit where the infused beverage is produced and then collected in the receptacle (4), and at the end of the delivery cycle delivery of the infused beverage terminates and said pump (59) is switched off and the solenoid valve (60) is actuated at the same time to open said second pump outlet (67) so that the water remaining in the heat exchanger (55) is allowed to discharge back to the container (26) via third flexible conduit (66) and second flexible conduit (64).