WO2020015976A1

WO2020015976A1 - A beverage maker with turkish coffee module for aircraft

Info

Publication number: WO2020015976A1
Application number: PCT/EP2019/067283
Authority: WO
Inventors: Emre Ozturk; Bilgen Gulsen Deliormanli; Omer SUBASI; Sena Davasligil
Original assignee: Arcelik Anonim Sirketi
Priority date: 2018-07-19
Filing date: 2019-06-28
Publication date: 2020-01-23

Abstract

The present invention relates to a multipurpose beverage maker which can be given the capability of brewing Turkish coffee by easily being mounted and dismantled depending on flight destinations of an aircraft. The aim of the present invention is to enable airline companies to organize beverage maker configurations for different flight routes and to make it possible for them to serve Turkish coffee.

Description

[Title established by the ISA under Rule 37.2] A BEVERAGE MAKER WITH TURKISH COFFEE MODULE FOR AIRCRAFT

The present invention relates to a multipurpose beverage maker which can be given the capability of brewing Turkish coffee by easily being mounted and dismantled depending on flight destinations of an aircraft.

In aircrafts used for civilian passenger transportation, the quality of the offered food and beverages significantly contribute to airline preferences of consumers. The compartments in which such caterings are prepared are called galleys and the appliances such as ovens, coffee machines, refrigerators, ice makers, espresso machines and the like, which are custom made for galleys are referred to as inserts. Rapid operation, lightness and minimal energy consumption are some of the principal design objectives of these inserts which are obliged to comply with challenging aviation standards.

When considered, almost all beverage makers used in aircrafts can be assembled and disassembled easily and rapidly to the electrical and water systems of galleys. Inserts for beverage makers in aircrafts have three-phase 110 VAC electrical connections with a variable frequency of 380-800Hz, a water line with a pressure of 2,5 bars, a data line and a waste water outlet connection, all with galley access.

The variety of beverage maker machines used in aircrafts can be listed as:

machines making solely filter coffee;
machines making filter coffee and tea;
water heating machines also making filter coffee and tea;
espresso machines; and
machines making espresso and cappuccino.

Airline companies may prefer different beverage preparation insert configurations depending on the flight routes on which they operate their planes, such as flying with inserts making solely filter coffee on flights to United States but preferring inserts at least capable of making tea and coffee on flights to China. In addition, airline companies do not prefer keeping an insert which would be used rarely on a flight destination, due to reasons such as the limited number of insert compartments in galleys, and weight and total power restrictions. This poses a major obstacle against offering certain delicacies such as Turkish coffee on aircrafts.

There is no appliance capable of automatically making Turkish coffee among currently available aircraft inserts. Only Turkish Airlines serves Turkish coffee on its flights for Business Class category, which are prepared by manually mixing coffee with hot water.

One of the state of the art applications is the beverage maker made by the Zodiac company for their new Concert Line series. However, this application does not present any novelty other than weight reducing solutions.

Another state of the art application is the espresso machine of the Aerolux company. These machines prepare espresso which is a type of coffee made by utilizing high pressure, and are usually presented separately from other beverage makers.

In the new Essence series coffee machines of the BE Aerospace company which is another state of the art application, it is observed that the arm detail required to fasten in place the container in which coffee is cooked, covers most of the frontal region of the machine.

State of the art patent application no. WO2014/071101 A1 of MAG Aerospace company, mentions a modular structure for adapting capsules of various capsule coffee systems to an available coffee machine. Said machine comprises a standard size module for each capsule type but this module does not contain any electrical connections. In said patent application, essentially, it is intended to create a scope of protection for mounting standard sized modular units capable of bearing different capsules, on a drawer provided on a coffee machine.

The aim of the invention is to make it possible to present multiple servings of Turkish coffee in passenger planes.

Another aim of the present invention is to enable airline companies to organize beverage maker configurations for different flight routes and to continue preparing tea and filter coffee in a same insert for destinations in which it is not required to serve Turkish coffee.

The beverage maker of the invention is used for preparing hot beverages in civilian passenger transportation aircrafts, and comprises

at least one body suitable to be positioned in kitchen sections of airplanes used for food and beverage presentations and referred to as galleys, and having on its external surface at least one main electricity inlet and at least one main water inlet connectable to a galley's electricity and water system, respectively,
at least one module section having a volume whose surface facing the user on the body is open, and having at least one electricity connection and at least one water connection which can be associated with the main electricity inlet and the main water inlet of the body via said open surface,
at least one beverage module of dimensions suitable to be inserted into the inner volume of the module section , having at least one rail guide engageable to at least one rail disposed on said inner volume so as to be fastened on the body , and comprising at least one electricity inlet adapted to be connected to the electricity connection on the body and at least one water inlet adapted to be connected to the water connection on the body , capable of preparing a beverage by providing preparation conditions such as water temperature and amount appropriate for the beverage by means of water and electricity thus received, and
at least one beverage compartment having a volume whose surface facing the user on the beverage module is open, having at least one beverage delivery opening enabling the user to receive a prepared beverage through said open surface, and having the dimensions enabling placing a container therein for this purpose.

In an embodiment of the invention, a control system is provided, adapted when the beverage module is placed by the electricity connection of the body , to detect establishment of electrical connection being associated with the electricity inlet of the beverage module , enabling module information and control menu to be displayed on a screen provided on the body .

In an embodiment of the invention, the utilized beverage module is a Turkish coffee module.

The aim of the beverage maker of the invention is giving the appliance the capability of making Turkish coffee by mounting and dismantling its modules in different flight routes. Airline companies are thus enabled to offer a special delicacy such as Turkish coffee to their passengers. In addition, airline companies are enabled to organize beverage maker configurations according to flight routes and to continue preparing tea and filter coffee in a same insert for destinations in which serving Turkish coffee is not required. Likewise, espresso coffee module can be applied as the beverage module mounted on the body. The beverage module can be mounted and dismantled by the rail guide provided thereon to be engaged to and slid on the rails provided on the body.

The beverage maker of the invention makes it possible to switch between different beverage applications, by means of its replaceable beverage module. When the beverage module is placed in the module section, it is connected in a “quick coupling” manner to the electricity and hydraulic (water) lines (coupling of the electricity connection with the electricity inlet and the water connection with the water inlet), supplying electricity and water to the beverage module. The beverage module is firmly attached to its place in the module section by clamping details. The drain of the beverage maker of the invention connected to the galley is used as the drain of the beverage modul. To that end, the water line of the beverage maker of the invention can be used both as a water inlet and as a water outlet.

After placing the beverage module in place in the module section, coffee for 1 to 4 servings can be prepared (coffee may be poured directly into a coffee cup or into a -Turkish coffee container-) by placing a beverage capsule (Turkish coffee capsule in case Turkish coffee module is used as the beverage module). The water required for coffee is supplied in piping pressure (max 2.5 bar) of the aircraft's water system. Coffee is cooked by means of an infrared sensor system and a used capsule is disposed by manually removing thereof after preparation of coffee.

After mounting the beverage module in place, the screen of the beverage maker of the invention is used as the user interface. The screen enables selecting coffee amount, adjusting the cooking alarm and monitoring remaining coking duration. The control system of the beverage maker of the invention detects when electrical connection is established and thus senses and displays on the screen the type of connected beverage module. “Turkish coffee menu” is displayed on the screen and the user can adjust desired settings thereon when Turkish coffee module is connected. Likewise, when an espresso preparation module is connected to the module section as the beverage module, espresso module connection information and menu are displayed on the screen, enabling the user to adjust desired settings.

The beverage module is fitted on the module section by using an under-locking system instead of a locking arm to the body of the beverage maker of the invention.

Claims

A beverage maker used for preparing hot beverages in civilian passenger transportation aircrafts, comprising

- at least one body suitable to be positioned in kitchen sections of airplanes used for food and beverage presentations and referred to as galleys, and having on its external surface at least one main electricity inlet and at least one main water inlet connectable to a galley's electricity and water system, respectively, and

- at least one module section having a volume whose surface facing the user on the body is open, and having at least one electricity connection and at least one water connection which can be associated with the main electricity inlet and the main water inlet of the body via said open surface, characterized by

- at least one beverage module of dimensions suitable to be inserted into the inner volume of the module section , having at least one rail guide engageable to at least one rail disposed on said inner volume so as to be fastened on the body , and comprising at least one electricity inlet adapted to be connected to the electricity connection on the body and at least one water inlet adapted to be connected to the water connection on the body , capable of preparing a beverage by providing preparation conditions such as water temperature and amount appropriate for the beverage by means of water and electricity thus received, and by

- at least one beverage compartment having a volume whose surface facing the user on the beverage module is open, having at least one beverage delivery opening enabling the user to receive a prepared beverage through said open surface, and having the dimensions enabling placing a container therein for this purpose.
A beverage maker comprising a control system adapted, when the beverage module is placed by the electricity connection of the body, to detect establishment of electrical connection being associated with the electricity inlet of the beverage module, enabling module information and control menu to be displayed on a screen provided on the body.
A beverage maker wherein the beverage module is a Turkish coffee module.