TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an electric tea maker having an acoustic warning function.

PRIOR ART

There are solutions in prior art aimed at ensuring the control of the water temperature, the water level and similar circumstances in tea makers. Usually an acoustic or visual alarm system is used. Such devices present a problem wherein the acoustic or visual alarms placed on the device do not generate different information according to the mode in which they operate. This problem gives rise to difficulties on the part of the user in understanding which mode is active, or become activated.

On the other hand, there are also products that indicate which operation the alarm systems that are used have completed. Publication CN207455922U mentions an invention describing an acoustic alarm system. The utility model contains a control panel module, a speaker control module, a power source board, a screen module, a heat sensor, a heating tube, a fan, a water pump, and a speaker. In order to use the electric liquid heater, a sound receiving function is provided, the control panel module receives the electric connection, and the source board is connected to the speaker control module and the speaker control module is connected to the speaker, respectively and the screen module, heat sensor, heating tube, fan and water pump are all connected to the power source board; the utility model issues a homo-energic smart sound broadcast while using the process in a manner that explains the function of each button, and ease of use and the product’s comfort have been improved in all real-time situations that emerge, with quick performance of all utterances and reminders such as boiling, keep-hot, chlorine removal, and all fast cooling during use; the dry burn protection method provided by a function that is easy to preset and use for elderly people, and the coupling and separation of the water heater body, have been improved and performed under the timely protection condition, for which the smart acoustic alarm further guarantees the safety of use of the device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION The objective of the invention is to prepare a control method that is suitable for a tea maker having an acoustic warning function.

In order to achieve the stated purpose, the invention relates to a control method for a tea maker comprising a container suitable for holding hot liquids, a brewing pot sitting tightly on an open mouth of the container, a heating plate on which the container’s base part rests, a switch that is placed on the heating plate and allows a shift between a closed mode in which the mains power is allowed to be transmitted to the heating plate and an open mode which cuts the connection to the mains power, and a heat sensor that triggers the switch to shift to an open mode when a preset temperature value is reached. It is characterised in that it comprises a control card consisting of a controller, a memory unit and a speaker that are interconnected to transmit an electrical signal, and the process steps wherein the heat sensor controls the temperature of the liquid in the container, and when the temperature of the liquid reaches a preset threshold value, the controller transmits a corresponding sound data stored in the memory unit to the speaker, and the speaker emits the sound data in an audible sound frequency.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is characterised in that, in a boiling mode, the controller sets the threshold value of the heat sensor to 90 to 110°C, and specifically to 100°C. This way, it is ensured to remain fixed at the temperature that is necessary to reach the boiling point.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is characterised in that, in a heating mode, the controller sets the threshold value of the heat sensor to 30 to 50°C, and specifically to 40°C. This way, water is heated at the required temperature.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is characterised in that it comprises a time relay connected to the controller to transmit electrical signal, and comprises the process steps of the time relay setting the duration of operation to 10 to 20 minutes, and specifically to 15 minutes, in a brewing mode, and transmitting the sound data corresponding to the brewing mode from the memory unit to the speaker. This helps prevent the brewing duration that is set from being exceeded.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is characterised in that, it comprises the process steps whereby, in a refresh mode, the time relay sets the time to 30 minutes to one hour, and specifically to 40 minutes, and transmits the sound data corresponding to the refresh mode from the memory unit to the speaker. This way, the user is made aware of the duration during which the tea remains fresh, and the user knows when the tea becomes stale.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is characterised in that, it comprises a LED unit connected to the controller placed on the heating plate to transmit electrical signal, and that the controller emits light of different colours when the switch is turned on. This way, the information on whether or not the operating mode has been completed will be learned by the user.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is characterised in that, it comprises the process step whereby the controller is set to emit light in a predetermined colour to the LED unit when the heat sensor reaches the threshold value. This way, information on the operation to be performed by the user will be transmitted to the user.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is characterised in that, it comprises the process step whereby the sound data stored in the memory unit is set as a human voice indicating the corresponding mode. This way, the user will be orally informed about whether or not the operating mode has been completed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a tea maker that is the subject of the invention.

Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of the control card contained in a tea maker that is the subject of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

In this detailed description, the development that is the subject of the invention has been illustrated by way of non-exhaustive examples that only serve to better explain the subject.

Figure 1 presents a schematic illustration of the envisaged tea maker. It comprises a container (10) suitable for holding hot liquid, a mouth (14) provided to enable the transfer of liquid to the container (10), an upper part that fits tightly on a lower part (24) of a brewing pot (20), and a base part (12) that can fit on a heating plate (30) in an overlapping manner. In order to increase the heat of the liquid in the container (10), no gap is left between it and the heating plate (30), as a result of which all of the heat transmitted from the heating plate (30) is used for increasing the heat of the liquid. No gap is left between the upper part of the container (10) and the brewing pot (20) that is placed in contact therewith, since it is necessary that the internal temperature is not equalised to the external temperature during the evaporation of the liquid boiling in the container (10). Otherwise, it would take longer for the liquid contained in the container (10) to reach boiling point, thereby causing an extra consumption of power. The brewing pot (20) placed tightly on the upper part (16) of the container (10) is provided with an outlet opening (22) to allow the transfer of the incoming tea and liquid that are necessary for brewing. The outlet opening (22) is also used to allow the brewed tea to be served. To provide the tea maker with the necessary energy, a heating plate (30) is used that is integrated with the base part (12) of the container (10). On the heating plate (30), a switch (32) that can be turned on and off in order to control the transmission of the necessary electricity power over the mains contains a LED unit (34) capable of emitting different lights according to the operating mode. When the switch (32) is turned on, the system is characterised as off since the electricity power necessary for the system is not supplied, and when the switch (32) is turned off, the system is characterised as on since the electricity power necessary for the system is supplied. In the preset operating modes, the LED unit (34) is used to emit a preset light.

Figure 2 presents a schematic illustration of a control card (40) belonging to the tea maker. The control card (40) comprises a controller (42), a memory unit (44), a time relay (46), and a speaker (48) that are interconnected to transmit electrical signals. The controller (42) prepares a temperature threshold value according to the preset operating modes. In a preset boiling mode, the controller (42) sets the threshold value to 90 to 110°C, and specifically to 100°C, and transmits this information to the heat sensor (16). Until the heat sensor (16) reaches the threshold value, the controller (42) transmits a signal to the LED unit (34) to emit a red light, meaning that the preset operation continues. When the temperature of the liquid in the container (10) reaches the desired value, the controller (42) transmits to the LED unit (34) a signal to emit a blue light, meaning that the operation has been completed. When the water temperature reaches the required value in boiling mode, the controller (42) transmits the human voice saved in the memory unit (44) to the speaker (48) to indicate that the operation has been completed, and the speaker (48), in turn, transmits it to the user in a frequency audible to the user. After the boiling process is completed, the temperature of the water in the container is continuously measured, and a certain amount (20%) of power is transmitted to the resistance in the keep-warm mode. The water is prevented from cooling down, and it is kept at a temperature close to the boiling value. In a preset heating mode, the controller (42) sets the threshold value to 30 to 50°C, and specifically to 40°C, and transmits this information to the heat sensor (16). Until the heat sensor (16) reaches the threshold value, the controller (42) transmits a signal to the LED unit (34) to emit a red light, meaning that the preset operation continues. When the temperature of the liquid in the container (10) reaches the desired value, the controller (42) transmits to the LED unit (34) a signal to emit a blue light, meaning that the operation has been completed. When the water temperature reaches the required value in heating mode, the controller (42) transmits the human voice saved in the memory unit (44) to the speaker (48) to indicate that the operation has been completed, and the speaker (48), in turn, transmits it to the user in a frequency audible to the user. The water temperature is continuously measured for the set duration of operation and the resistance is operated to keep the water temperature at 40 degrees. In a preset brewing mode, the controller (42) sets the threshold duration to 10 to 20 minutes, and specifically to 15 minutes, and transmits this information to the time relay (46). Until the time relay (46) reaches the threshold duration, the controller (42) transmits a signal to the LED unit (34) to emit a red light, meaning that the preset operation continues. After the liquid in the container (10) is heated for the set duration, the controller (42) transmits to the LED unit (34) a signal to emit a blue light, meaning that the operation has been completed. When the liquid is heated for the desired duration in brewing mode, the controller (42) transmits the human voice saved in the memory unit (44) to the speaker (48) to indicate that the operation has been completed, and the speaker (48), in turn, transmits it to the user in a frequency audible to the user. The container (10) being lifted up from, and placed back on to, the system is detected by the control card (40), which starts the brewing process. When the preset brewing duration stored in the memory unit (44) is completed, the controller (42) sends to the LED unit (34) a signal to emit a green light, meaning that the operation has been completed, and transmits the human voice stored in the memory unit (44) to the speaker (48), which voice is then transmitted by the speaker (48) to the user in a frequency that is audible to the user. After the brewing mode is completed, the control card (40) starts a new countdown and shifts to a new refresh mode. The refresh mode has been set to preserve freshness for 30 to 60 minutes, and specifically for 40 minutes. The controller (42) sends time information to the time relay (46) and, at the same time, the duration for emitting a green light, to the LED unit (34). After the preset duration is completed, the controller (42) sends to the LED unit (34) a signal to emit a red light, and transmits to the speaker (48) the human voice saved in the memory unit (44) to indicate to the user that the tea has become stale. This is transmitted by the speaker (48) to the user in a frequency audible to the user. After the operation is completed for any mode, if the temperature drops due to cold water being added to the container (10), the system resets the process and once again switches on the operating mode.

REFERENCE NUMBERS Container 30 Heating Plate Base Part 32 Switch Mouth 34 LED Unit Heat Sensor 40 Control Card Brewing Pot 42 Controller Outlet Opening 44 Memory Unit Lower Part 46 Time Relay 48 Speaker