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1. US 2013 0061761 A1 ERROR m NAME MY ESPRESSO lt OK OPTIONS TIMER lt OK gt TIMER x N AROMA i 8 00 i US 2013 0061761 Al BEVERAGE PRODUCTION DEVICE WITH ENHANCED CONTROL MEANS FIELD OF THE INVENTION 0001 The present invention relates to the field of control means for a beverage production device suitable for preparing single component and or multi component beverages More particularly the present invention relates to an enhanced user interface for instructing respectively guiding a user during the operation of the beverage production device BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 0002 In the field of beverage production devices a mul titude of various systems and devices exist which enable a user of the device to prepare a desired beverage such as e g a coffee or coffee type beverage 0003 A very known example is the preparation by means of a capsule respectively cartridge based system that enables the interaction of liquid such as e g water with ingredients provided within the capsule respectively cartridge in order to form a liquid comestible Thereby many different types of beverages can be prepared by means ofthe device such as for example espresso regular coffee milk and coffee milk alone such as e g plain or frothed hot milk cappuccino tea or other kinds of infusion However it may as well be possible to produce other types of liquid comestibles such as e g soup with such a device
2. 0004 US 2007 0243294 for example relates to a method for the preparation of a foamed drink comprising the steps of providing a capsule containing a foamable ingredient pro viding a receptacle positioned to collect fluid escaping from the capsule injecting liquid into the capsule to mix with the foamable ingredient allowing the foamable ingredient mixed with the liquid to escape from the capsule into the receptacle followed by injecting further liquid into the receptacle in a jet having a diameter of from about 0 5 to about 2 mm to produce foamed liquid in the receptacle The invention also provides capsules apparatus and systems specifically adapted for use in the method Preferably the food ingredient is a milk pow der and the method produces a hot foamed beverage such as a cappuccino coffee 0005 For the operation ofthe beverage production device in general operation buttons are provided which enable the user to input a desired operating command to the device 0006 Thereby it is known to provide operating instruc tions such as e g a user manual that is designed to provide information about how to use the operation buttons of the device in order to activate respectively to trigger a desired operation of the device 0007 Thereby the user manual is not only necessary for the first operation of the device until the user is familiar with the operation but also for rarely occurring operations to be carried out by the device su
3. 23 Beverage production device according to claim 21 wherein the functional areas are located along at least one side of the display 24 Beverage production device according to claim 19 wherein the graphical representations of the respective iden tification items of the buttons or keys are adjacent to the functional areas of the display 25 Beverage production device according to claim 24 wherein the graphical representations are an integral part of the display 26 Beverage production device according to claim 19 wherein the user interface is distantly located from the dis play 27 Beverage production device according to claim 21 wherein the user interface is a pressure key element providing at least one series of buttons or keys in at least one direction the direction corresponding to a corresponding direction of the functional areas on the display 28 Beverage production device according to claim 27 wherein the pressure key element comprises respectively left central and right pressure keys 29 Beverage production device according to claim 27 wherein the pressure key element comprises respectively a left central right top and bottom pressure keys 30 Beverage production device according to claim 19 wherein the user interface is located on the top of the device and the display is located on the front of the device 31 Beverage production device according to claim 19 wherein the device comprises a program to display
4. a distinct difference between the respective buttons or keys For example the graphical iden tification item may be a geometric circle a square a triangle etc Moreover the graphical identification may as well be an alphabetic letter like A B C X Y Z or the like However the Mar 14 2013 graphical identification item may be any kind of symbol enabling to distinguish between the respective buttons or keys 0046 The buttons or keys may each be of different geo metric design in order to further enhance the distinguishabil ity between the buttons or keys 0047 The graphical identification item is preferably located on a top surface of the respective button or key of the user interface Thereby the item is preferably printed on the button or key 0048 In another preferred embodiment the buttons or keys are designed to be illuminated by a light source incor porated within the respective button or key of the user inter face Thereby the button or key respectively the identification item associated to the respective button or key is preferably designed to be independently illuminated Accordingly it is possible to indicated to a user of the device which one of the buttons or keys of the user interface is currently activated respectively deactivated 0049 The graphical representation of the identification items of the button or key is preferably an exact copy regard ing size and design of the respective identification item
5. at least one menu for assisting the user to prepare the beverages 32 Beverage production device according to claim 21 wherein at least one functional area is a scrolling function of the menu 33 Beverage production device according to claim 24 wherein the graphical representations are provided as an additional part to the display
6. current process step of the beverage prepa ration process the operational state of the device the current device settings the functions which can be carried out at each of the different process steps of the beverage preparation process etc Accordingly a convenient guidance of the user is enabled and a user manual for operating the device can be omitted 0029 Ina preferred embodiment the mapping of the dis played functions of the device selectable by a user by means ofthe keys and or buttons of the user interface is specifically adapted to the information respectively functions shown on the display 0030 Moreover the display is preferably designed to illustrate a currently set mapping for a predefined number of the respective buttons or keys dependent on an operational state of the device 0031 Accordingly for each different type of information illustrated by the display a particular adapted mapping ofthe selectable functions to the keys and or buttons of the user interface can be provided 0032 Moreover for different kind of information respec tively selectable functions shown by the display different functions are independently assigned to the provided buttons and or keys of the user interface It is therefore possible to activated respectively deactivate the keys and or buttons of the user interface dependent on the operational state of the device for example 0033 Accordingly the number of buttons and or keys of t
7. volume of the beverage to be prepared Thereby the menu program ofthe device is preferably designed to memo rize such a manual input of the user and output a correspond ing information 11 to the user as for example indicated in FIG 13 thereby asking if the input is to be saved on the memory US 2013 0061761 Al 0096 The menu program of the device is preferably fur ther designed to memorize the most selected functions chosen by a user Thereby the program may be designed to adjust the mapping of the selectable functions 5a 55 5c dependent on the occurrence respectively on how often the selective func tion has been chosen by a user This may for example be memorized and or adjusted for each menu item and the cor responding selectable functions individually Thereby spe cific patterns of selections of the user may be saved for dif ferent beverage preparation processes Moreover the menu items 11 and or the selectable functions 5a 55 5c may be displayed in the display 2 in a way that the most selected menu items 11 and or the most selected functions are listed first 0097 Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof many modifications and alternations may be made by a person having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of this invention which is defined by the appended claims 1 18 canceled 19 Beverage production device for preparing single com pone
8. 1 is preferably arranged at a top portion of the device 20 Accord ingly both the display 2 and the user interface 1 since being separated form each other can be designed to be larger in size and thus enable a convenient operation of the device 20 even if the device is of relatively compact dimensions 0083 Ina preferred embodiment the graphical represen tations 4a 45 4c of the identification items 3a 35 3c are pref erably arranged below the display 2 as indicate in FIG 2 0084 In the preferred embodiment according to FIG 2 the graphical representations 4a 45 4c and thus the identifi cation items 3a 35 3c are chosen to be different simple geo metric figures such as a square a circle and a triangle Thus a user is enabled to easily distinguish between the respective identification items 3a 35 3c which facilitates the mapping of the functions 5a 55 5c to the respective keys 1a 1blc 0085 The graphical representations 4a 45 4c may be for example engraved in an upper surface 12 of the beverage production device 20 Moreover the graphical representa tions 4a 45 4c may be equipped with illumination means not Mar 14 2013 shown which are preferably designed to be activated respec tively deactivated if a corresponding function illustrated by the display 2 respectively by the functional areas 6a 65 6c is selectable or not 0086 The centric information area 10 preferably shows a current set operational state of the device o
9. Accordingly the association of the button or key to a select able function displayed in close vicinity of the respective graphical representation of the identification item is facili tated 0050 Ina preferred embodiment the device comprises a program to display at least one menu for assisting the user to prepare the beverages Thereby the device preferably further comprises a memory on which said program is stored 0051 Moreover the device preferably includes a micro processor to run the program stored on the memory of the device 0052 In another preferred embodiment transmission means are provided which are connected to the memory ofthe device and which are designed to connect the device to e g an external storage drive or an external network such as for example the Internet or a wireless local area network WLAN Accordingly the information regarding for example the program and or the information shown by the display and relating to the functions and or operational parameters and or to the selectable beverages to be prepared by the device may be changed respectively updated by said transmission means 0053 The brewing unit of the device is preferably config ured for receiving a single use beverage capsule Thereby the term single use beverage capsule comprises any capsule or cartridge which may individually provided to the device in order to enable an interaction with ingredients provided within the capsule respectively c
10. US 20130061761A1 a2 Patent Application Publication 0 Pub No US 2013 0061761 Al as United States Spiegel 43 Pub Date Mar 14 2013 54 BEVERAGE PRODUCTION DEVICE WITH ENHANCED CONTROL MEANS 75 Inventor Akos Spiegel Chavannes pres Renens CH 73 Assignee NESTEC S A Vevey CH 21 Appl No 13 700 053 22 PCT Filed May 24 2011 86 PCT No PCT EP2011 058458 371 c 1 2 4 Date Nov 26 2012 30 Foreign Application Priority Data May 27 2010 EP see 10164137 1 Publication Classification 51 Int CI A47J 31 44 2006 01 52 U S CL USD ea ieee 99 285 57 ABSTRACT The invention proposes a beverage production device for preparing single component and or multi component bever ages comprising a brewing unit for preparing the component a user interface 1 providing a plurality of buttons or keys 1a 15 1c designed for being mechanically operated by a user and having a graphical identification item 3a 35 3c associated to the respective button or key 1a 15 1c a display 2 for displaying information as to the beverages and a plurality of selectable and dynamically allocated functions 5a 5b 5c by selective pressure on said button or keys 1a 15 1c of said user interface 1 the display 2 being sepa rated from the user interface 1 and being designed to illus trate a currently set mapping of the respective buttons or keys 1a 15 1c of the user
11. achines that comprises a touch screen that visually represents icons saved in a memory unit as the displayed basic setting as a first selector mecha nism used for choosing a desired beverage and by means of which a predetermined preparation process is triggered The steps of the selected beverage preparation process may be visually represented on the touch screen Alternatively the touch screen is used as a second selector mechanism for choosing a desired preparation setting after a beverage is chosen by actuating the first selector mechanism When a preparation setting is selected the touch screen displays the icon for the selected beverage in addition to setting key icons that allow an operator to select and save a desired setting 0013 It is thus known to provide a dedicated control panel to a beverage production device such that an operator can select a beverage which in turn is prepared by the device Thereby the control panel is preferably coupled with a dis play device showing the selection as text symbol or icon resulting in the possibility for the operator to check his input for selecting a beverage or for an individual setting of prepar ing a beverage 0014 Itis to be noted that devices for preparing beverages are nowadays adapted to prepare a wide range of different beverages whereby the user may select out of a plurality of different types of hot beverages and or may directly adjust beverage parameters or set other operation
12. al parameters of the beverage production device 0015 At the same time the beverage production devices in particular for the domestic use are desired to be of a more and more compacted design in order to save valuable space when being placed on a given support Accordingly it is desired to provide control means for such a device that are of particular compact design 0016 Moreover enhanced control means are sought after that enable the selection and setting of a relatively large number of operational parameters of the device and at the same time a simple and user friendly operation ofthe device Thereby it is particularly desirable to reduce the number of provided input elements such as buttons and or keys in order to reduce the complexity of the control means to a minimum 0017 These objects are solved by means ofthe features of the independent claim The dependent claims develop further the central idea ofthe invention OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 0018 The present invention proposes a beverage produc tion device for preparing single component and or multi US 2013 0061761 Al component beverages comprising a brewing unit for prepar ing the component a user interface providing a plurality of buttons or keys designed for being mechanically operated by a user and having a graphical identification item associated to the respective button or key a display for displaying infor mation as to the beverages and a plura
13. artridge such that a liquid comestible is formed 0054 In another preferred embodiment the menu pro gram of the device is designed for preparing beverages from at least two capsules Thereby the at least two capsules pref erably comprise different ingredients It is thus possible to prepare a mixed drink such as for example a cappuccino or latte macchiato drink that can be prepared by means of two different capsules one containing coffee ingredients and the other containing milk powder 0055 Thereby the menu program of the device is prefer ably designedto illustrate the different steps during the prepa ration of the drink in a sequential manner Preferably the menu program is designed to inform the user when to load and US 2013 0061761 Al eject the different capsules and to enable the user to input a desired amount of volume of liquid to be injected into each of these capsules BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 0056 Further features advantages and objects of the present invention will become apparent for the skilled person when reading the following detailed description of embodi ments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the figures of the enclosed drawings 0057 FIG 1a shows a schematic drawing of a preferred embodiment of a user interface of the beverage production device according to the invention 0058 FIG 15 shows a schematic drawing of a preferred embodiment of a display unit of the bev
14. ch as e g 0008 maintenance and in particular cleaning and or des caling functions 0009 In any case handling of these printed manuals respectively operating instructions becomes very inconve nient in particular ifthe device to be operated has an increased number of functions to be selected and or programs to be run by the device Moreover the printed operating instructions are easily mislaid and thus can often not be found by the user when required Mar 14 2013 0010 Hence instruction devices have been developed which provide visual and or audio information to the user of the device and thus enable an enhanced guiding of the user through the beverage preparation process respectively through different operational steps to be carried out in order to trigger a desired operation ofthe device Thereby the instruc tion device is preferably an integral part of the beverage production device 0011 For example US 2007 0135948 proposes a device and a method for instructing a user how to operate a domestic appliance such as a coffee machine The method issues infor mation via at least one output device for instructing the user with regard to the operation ofthe appliance The method also identifies a control element of the device which is to be taken into account by the user during the instruction of the latter by use of at least one marker element 0012 Moreover US 2008 183330 proposes a control panel for automatic beverage m
15. d menu program of the device 0075 Moreover another functional area 65 may illustrate a starting operation respectively a selection of the chosen menu item 11 such as by displaying a text or a corresponding graphical illustration e g start GO or the like as indi cated by shown function 55 US 2013 0061761 Al 0076 Another functional area 6a may illustrate a stopping operation respectively a deselection of the respective chosen menu item 11 such as by displaying a text or a corresponding graphical illustration e g stop go back cancel or the like as indicated by shown function 5a 0077 Itis to be noted that the selectable functions 5a 55 5c are preferably linked to a particular shown menu item 11 which is preferably displayed in the centric information area 10 Accordingly the information shown by the functional areas 6a 6b 6c are preferably pre adjusted for each of a given set of menu items 11 However a user may as well adjust the shown functional areas 6a 6b 6c for any ofthe menu items 11 independently e g by means of an external input means connectable to the device by means of a dedicate interface 0078 As shown in FIG 12 the functional areas 6a 65 6c are preferably arranged in a predefined pattern in vicinity of graphical representations 4a 45 4c of the identification items 3a 35 3c of keys 1a 1b 1c Thereby the functional areas 6a 65 6c are preferably arranged at an outer side of the
16. dis play 0079 Hence although the display 2 and the user interface 1 are preferably arranged at the beverage production device separate from each other the user is enabled to easily link any ofthe functional areas 6a 65 6c respectively the information shown by the respective functional area to a key of the user interface 1 which is equipped with the corresponding identi fication items 3a 35 3c 0080 Accordingly an individual mapping of selectable functions 5a 55 5c of the device shown by the functional areas 6a 6b 6c to the keys 1a 15 1c of the user interface 1 is enabled and thus the amount of the provided keys necessary for the operation of the device can be reduced to a minimum 0081 The functional areas 6a 6b 6c may be activated and or deactivated depending on the respective menu item of the device Thereby the functional areas 6a 65 6c may be linked to the illumination means of the keys 1a 1b 1c respectively of the identification items 3a 35 3c of the user interface 1 such that if a functional area 6a 65 6c is deactivated the corre sponding illumination means ofthe respective key 1a 15 1cis also deactivated to indicate to a user that this key is not active for the present menu item selected 0082 As shown in FIG 2 the user interface 1 and the display 2 are preferably arranged distantly from each other Thereby the display 2 is preferably arranged at a front portion of the beverage production device 20 The user interface
17. erage production device according to the invention 0059 FIG 2 shows a perspective top view of a preferred embodiment of a beverage production device having a user interface and separated therefrom the display unit according to the invention 0060 FIGS 3 38 show preferred embodiments of the dis play layout of the display which is designed to illustrate variable selectable functions DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 0061 FIG la is a schematic diagram of the user interface 1 of the beverage production device which enables a user to manually select a desired function of the device Therefore the user interface 1 is preferably a pressure key element that comprises at least two preferably three keys 1a 1b 1c 0062 The keys 1a 15 1c may be any mechanical buttons or keys suitable for transmitting a signal to the beverage preparation device in order to trigger a desired operation of the device 0063 The keys 1a 15 1c are preferably large enough to enable a convenient operation by means of a finger in par ticular by a fingertip or a thumb of a user Thereby the keys 1a 16 1c are preferably of equal size 0064 However in another preferred embodiment the sizes of the keys 1a 1b 1c may vary in order to increase the distinguishability of the respective keys It may for example be advantageous to have a bigger central key 15 in particular in an embodiment wherein the respective outer keys la lc i e the keys at the left and r
18. evice can be controlled by means of the user interface whereby information relating to the control of the device is output on the display As the display and the user interface are separated from each other both the display and the user interface can be independently arranged at the beverage production device 0021 Accordingly the size of both the display and the user interface can be reduced and thus a high adaptability of the display and the user interface to different types of bever age production devices is enabled Moreover a convenient provision of the display and the user interface is enabled particular to beverage production devices of very compact design 0022 Itis to be noted that the user interface is preferably located distantly from the display of the device Thereby the user interface and the display of the device are preferably located at different positions and or parts of the beverage production device The user interface may for example be located on the top of the device whereby the display is located on the front of the device 0023 As the display is adapted to show a currently set mapping of the buttons and or keys of the user interface the user ofthe device is enabled to navigate through the functions illustrated by the display by means of the user interface 0024 Hereby since the mapping is obtained by represent ing the currently set function in close vicinity to a graphical representation of the respecti
19. he identification items 3a 3b 3c 0072 FIG 15 shows a preferred embodiment of the dis play 2 of the beverage production device according to the present invention The display 2 is preferably an LCD display designed to illustrate information for instructing the user of the device how to operate the device The information shown by the display 2 comprises for example different menu struc tures respectively items for calling up various functions that can be executed by the device upon selection of the user by means of the user interface 1 Thereby the shown graphical content ofthe menu structures or selectable functions is pref erably retrieve from a storage respectively memory device not shown connected to the display 2 0073 In a preferred embodiment the display comprises functional areas 64 65 6c that are each designed to show different graphical contents Thereby the display preferably further comprises a centric information area 10 of bigger size than the functional areas 6a 65 6c 0074 The functional areas 6a 65 6c are preferably designed to illustrate different items or icons resembling to selectable functions of the device For example the func tional areas 6a 66 6c may show arrows for scrolling through the operational menu of the device as indicate by shown function 5c It is to be noted that preferably at least one ofthe functional areas 6a 6b 6c is designed to illustrate a scrolling function through the menu items ofa store
20. he user interface can be reduced to a minimum 0034 Ina preferred embodiment the display of the device comprises geographically distinctive functional areas each being designed to display one of a plurality of functions Thereby the functions may be any function relating to an operation of the device and or an operation of the display itself such as a scroll function through a menu for example 0035 Preferably the geographically distinctive functional areas of the display are designed to be independently acti vated or deactivated Accordingly the selectable functions can be individually adapted to the respective information currently illustrated by the display 0036 Ina preferred embodiment the functional areas are located along at least one side ofthe display More preferably the functional areas are located along the same side of the display However the functional areas may as well be located on different sides of the display US 2013 0061761 Al 0037 Ina preferred embodiment the display comprises at least two more preferably at least three functional areas Thereby preferably at least one functional area is designed to enable a scrolling through the selectable functions of the device Thereby the display is preferably designed to illus trate indication means that indicate the current scroll position through a provided function menu of the device 0038 The graphical representations of the respective identification item
21. ight side of the central key 15 are predominantly used for scrolling through the functions of the menu that are e g shown in a dedicated display 2 c f FIG 15 0065 The keys 1a 15 1c may also be of different geo metrical shape as indicated in FIG 1 In a preferred embodi ment the central key 15 is preferably of circular shape thus indicating the user that this key is predominantly used for the selection of a function wherein the outer keys la lc are preferably of triangular or rectangular shape 0066 The geometrical shape of the central key 15 prefer ably varies from the geometrical shape of the outer keys 1a 1c In particular the outer keys la lc are preferably of equal geometrical shape However the keys 1a 1b 1c of the user interface 1 may as well be of any desired geometrical shape 0067 As shown in FIG 1a the keys 1a 16 1c are prefer ably equipped with respective identification items 3a 35 3c The identification items 1a 15 1c are preferably different for Mar 14 2013 every key 1a 1b1c Thereby the identification items are pref erably a simple geometric figure and or an alphabetic letter 0068 As shown in the FIG 1a at least the central key 15 which may be designed for selecting a desired function ofthe device from the corresponding menu of the display has an identification item 35 associated to it which differs from the two outer keys 1a 1c Thereby the identification item 35 is preferably a circle The o
22. interface 1 to a selective one of a plurality of functions 5a 55 5c by representing the currently set function in close vicinity to a graphical representation 4a 4b 4c of the respective identification item 3a 35 3c of the button or key la 15 1c Patent Application Publication Mar 14 2013 Sheet 1 of 3 US 2013 0061761 A1 Patent Application Publication Mar 14 2013 Sheet 2 of 3 US 2013 0061761 Al Patent Application Publication Eg 3A HEATING UP r gt Q 6 Q Q Q HEATING UP n DOD Q 4A oo AMERICANO wn je A LATTE MACCHIATO c E AIF gt di i s Ss Yy g LATTE MACCHIATO ID GE o y 2 2 ON ITS WAY ON ITS WAY ens EK o gt 100 ON ITS WAY O 11 sooo A 8 a x EJ 3L MEMORIZED 5 13L ves gt CODE a gt v MANUAL CODE 1 16 u MANUAL CODE C2 17L O i RINSING 18 pee 19 li DESCALING 23 lt OK DESCALING OD I 1 I 24 6 25 OK Mar 14 2013 Sheet 3 of 3 DESCALING duy 4 59 26 RINSING NM Rho co 4 Qi SP V nn en un CLE CL V RINSING RINSING 2 ho co Q ES INSERT CAPSULE TL 30 gs ok INSERT CUP n w us COLOURS SKY STONE H STORM gt w Bo A HELP LINE 41 01234 567890 EO 33 Fig 3 38 34 36
23. lity of selectable and dynamically allocated functions by selective pressure on said button or keys of said user interface the display being sepa rated from the user interface and being designed to illustrate acurrently set mapping ofthe respective buttons or keys ofthe user interface to a selective one of a plurality of functions by representing the currently set function in close vicinity to a graphical representation of the respective identification item of the button or key 0019 The device according to the present invention is preferably designed to enable the preparation of a plurality of different types of hot and or cold liquid comestibles such as e g coffee tea milk soup of the like Thereby the device comprises at least a liquid respectively a water reservoir heating means such as e g a thermoblock a pump and injec tion means for providing heated pressurized liquid to a car tridge or capsule selectively insertable in a dedicated extrac tion chamber of the device The device thus enables the injection of liquid through a first face of the capsule after which the liquid is made to interact with ingredients provided within the capsule By means of the injection of liquid through the capsule pressure within the capsule is raised thus leading to the opening of a second face of the capsule from which the liquid comestible can the be poured and collected by a provided receiving vessel such as a cup 0020 The operations of the d
24. nt and or multi component beverages comprising a brewing unit for preparing the component a user interface comprising a plurality of buttons or keys designed for being mechanically operated by a user and having a graphical identification item associated with the respective button or key a display for displaying information as to the beverages and a plurality of selectable and dynamically allocated func tions by selective pressure on the button or keys of the user interface and the display being separated from the user interface and being designed to illustrate a currently set mapping of the respective buttons or keys of the user interface to a selective one of a plurality of functions by representing the currently set function in close vicinity to a graphical representation ofthe respective identification item ofthe button or key 20 Beverage production device according to claim 19 wherein the display is designed to illustrate a currently set mapping for a predefined number of the respective but tons or keys dependent on an operational state of the device Mar 14 2013 21 Beverage production device according to claim 19 wherein the display comprises geographically distinctive functional areas each being designed to display one ofa plurality of functions 22 Beverage production device according to claim 21 wherein the geographically distinctive functional areas are designed to be independently activated or deactivated
25. r a currently selected menu item of a predefined menu of the device Thereby the information displayed on the centric informa tion area 10 may be shown by means of text and or graphical illustration 11 as further indicated by FIGS 3 38 Thereby FIGS 3 38 show exemplary embodiments of the graphical information and or text illustrated by display 2 0087 The text and or graphical illustration 11 may be any information suitable for guiding a user through the beverage preparation steps and or informing a user about the process or progress of a selected function of the device Thereby the information area 10 may for example show a current set time e g when the device is in a stand by mode as indicated in FIG 3 3a 0088 Moreover a progress in heating up may be illus trated as indicated e g in FIGS 4 4a 0089 As indicated in FIGS 5 to 8 the display may as well illustrate different beverages to be prepared from only one respectively from two different capsules to be provided to the user 0090 Moreover a user may be instructed to descale the device as shown by FIGS 20 to 23 Thereby the information area 10 may show the subsequential steps which have to be carried out by the user for a successful descaling ofthe device 0091 In addition a rinsing process of the device may be shown and explained to the user step by step by means ofthe information area 10 as indicated in FIGS 27 to 29 0092 For all of the shown different men
26. red operation of the user to the device 0042 The keys or buttons of the user interface are prefer ably arranged in at least one privileged direction wherein the said direction corresponds to a corresponding privileged direction of the functional areas on the display Accordingly the association of the user interface and the functional areas on the display respectively the selectable functions illustrated on the display by said functional areas is enhanced 0043 In a preferred embodiment the pressure key ele ment ofthe user interface comprises respectively left central and right pressure keys or buttons In a preferred embodi ment the left and right pressure keys may be keys for scroll ing through at least one function menu illustrated by the display of the device whereby the central key may be for selecting a particular function from the current menu 0044 However in another preferred embodiment the pressure key element comprises respectively a left central right top and bottom pressure keys Accordingly guiding of the user through a more complex menu structure illustrate by the display is facilitated 0045 The graphical identification item associated to the respective button or key of the user interface are preferably different for every button or key of the user interface Thereby the graphical identification item is preferably a simple geometric figure and or an alphabetic letter in order to enable the user to recognize
27. s of the buttons or keys are preferably present adjacent to the functional areas of the display Hence the association of the function shown by the respective func tional area of the display to a respective identification item and thus to a particular button or key of the user interface is facilitated Accordingly the handling of the user interface in conjunction with the display is very convenient and easy to use for a user of the device 0039 It is to be understood that the graphical representa tions of the identification items are preferably an additional part to the display Hence the whole size of the display is useable for the illustration of the respective selectable func tions and or the current operational state of the device Accordingly effective use ofthe display and thus a reduction of the display size is obtained 0040 In another preferred embodiment however the graphical representations of the identification items are an integral part ofthe display Accordingly the assignment ofthe respective selectable function to a particular graphical repre sentation ofthe identification item and thus to a button or key of the user interface is enhanced 0041 The user interface of the device is preferably a pres sure key element providing at least one series of buttons or keys Thereby the buttons or keys are to be understood as any mechanical element suitable to sense a motion or an accel eration and thus to transmit a desi
28. u items 11 shown by the information area 10 the mapping of the adjustable functions 5a 55 5c to the keys 1a 1b 1c is preferably adjusted Hence for each of the menu items 11 different selectable functions 5a 5b 5c may be defined Accordingly the keys la 1b 1c are given different functions depending on the cur rent set menu item 11 0093 The mapping of the selectable functions 5a 55 5c to the respective keys 1la 1b 1c is preferably saved in the memory device of the beverage production device Prefer ably only one key 1a 16 1c is assigned respectively mapped to a selectable function of a current menu item 11 However even more than one key 1a 1b 1c may be assigned to the same selectable function in order to facilitate the input by the user 0094 Besides preset functions of the beverage preparation device which can be chosen by the consumer by pressing a corresponding key 1a 16 1c of the user interface mapped to the selectable function shown by means of the functional areas 6a 6b 6c the user may as well manually input a specific operation to the device by means of the respective keys Thereby the keys 1a 1b 1c and or the menu program is pref erably designed to sense an amount of time for which the respective key has been pushed down by the user 0095 Accordingly a user may for example choose a par ticular amount of liquid to be provided to a capsule by holding the respective key for as long as he whishes in order to set a desired
29. uter identification items 3a 3c may be of similar shape or design However as shown in FIG 1a the identification items 3a 3c preferably vary such that a user is enabled to distinguish between the respective keys 1a 151c 0069 The identification items 3a 35 3c are preferably arranged on the respective keys 1a 1blc However the iden tification items 3a 35 3c may as well be arranged in close vicinity to the respective keys such that a user is enabled to associate each of the identification items 3a 35 3c to the cor responding key 1a 1b1c 0070 Theidentification items 3a 35 3c are preferably pro truding from an upper surface 9 of the respective keys 1a 1b lc see also FIG 2 Hence a user may be enabled to easily identify the respective identification item 3a 3b 3c by touch ing the upper surface 9 of the respective key la 1b1c 0071 Moreover the identification items 3a 3b 3c may have illuminating means not shown associated to them in order to illuminate the identification items Thereby the illu minating means of the identification items 3a 35 3c may be designed to illuminate only identification items of selectable keys Accordingly it may be indicated to a user which one of the respective keys 1a 1b 1c of the user interface is currently selectable and thus activated in the respective menu or opera tional state of the beverage production device Thereby the illuminating means may be for example LEDs placed in close vicinity to t
30. ve identification item of the but ton or key the user is enabled to easily associate the shown functions with the buttons and or keys of the user interface whereby at the same time effective use of the display size for displaying the selectable functions is obtained 0025 It is to be understood that the graphical representa tion of the identification items of the buttons or keys is pref erably arranged as separate element in close vicinity to the Mar 14 2013 display Accordingly the size of the display can be signifi cantly reduced However the graphical representation of the identification items may as well be illustrated by the display itself 0026 The display is preferably an LCD screen The dis play may however be any device suitable for illustrating infor mation to a user of the device For example the display may as well be an LED or OLED screen 0027 Inaddition the user interface and or the display may comprise an acoustic output means designed for providing acoustic signals to a user in advance or in response to a command of the user by means of pressing the buttons and or keys of the user interface 0028 During the use of the beverage production device the display provides information regarding the beverage preparation to the user in order to enable a convenient guiding through the beverage preparation process Thereby the dis play preferably provides information regarding the beverages to be prepared the

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