Self-cleaning frothing appliance

1 . An automated self-cleaning frothing appliance, comprising:

a housing having a base, a tower extending upwardly from the base, and a canopy extending generally horizontally from an upper portion of the tower and above the base;

a frothing vessel mounted beneath the canopy, the frothing vessel having an open upper end and an outlet at its lower end;

a frothing tool extending from the canopy into the frothing vessel, the frothing tool being operatively connected with a drive unit mounted in the housing;

a cupholder positioned directly beneath the frothing vessel configured to hold a cup, the cup positioned to receive frothed liquid from the frothing vessel;

a first fluid pathway in the housing configured to receive water from a water source and routed to deliver water into the frothing vessel;

a valve positioned to selectively open and close the outlet to the frothing vessel;

a valve-opening mechanism attached to the housing configured to selectively open and close the valve;

a drain positioned beneath the outlet to receive water draining from the outlet;

a second fluid pathway routed from the drain and configured to deliver water to an external waste water receptacle; and

a controller that is operatively connected with the drive unit, the first fluid pathway and the valve-opening mechanism.

2 . The automated self-cleaning frothing appliance defined in claim 1 , wherein the drive unit comprises a motor mounted in the housing.

3 . The automated self-cleaning frothing appliance defined in claim 1 , wherein the frothing vessel is removably attached to the housing.

4 . The automated self-cleaning frothing appliance defined in claim 3 , wherein the valve is attached to the frothing vessel and is removable with the frothing vessel from the housing.

5 . The automated self-cleaning frothing appliance defined in claim 4 , wherein the frothing vessel has an oblong cross-section.

6 . The automated self-cleaning frothing appliance defined in claim 5 wherein the outlet is laterally offset from the frothing tool.

7 . The automated self-cleaning frothing appliance defined in claim 3 , wherein the valve comprises a stopper that is positioned in the outlet when the valve is closed and that is raised above the outlet when the valve is opened.

8 . The automated self-cleaning frothing appliance defined in claim 7 , wherein the valve includes an upper end that comprises a magnet, and wherein the valve-opening mechanism is configured to attract the magnet to raise the valve from the outlet.

9 . The automated self-cleaning frothing appliance defined in claim 8 , wherein the valve-opening mechanism comprises an activatable solenoid.

10 . The automated self-cleaning frothing appliance defined in claim 8 , wherein the valve-opening mechanism comprises a member that is lowered to attract the magnet of the valve.

11 . The automated self-cleaning frothing appliance defined in claim 1 , wherein the drain is located in the base.

12 . The automated self-cleaning frothing appliance defined in claim 1 , wherein the base includes the cupholder.

13 . The automated self-cleaning frothing appliance defined in claim 12 , wherein the drain is located in the cupholder.

14 . The automated self-cleaning frothing appliance defined in claim 12 , further comprising at least one sensor mounted to the housing to detect the presence of a cup on the cupholder, the at least one sensor being operatively connected with the controller.

15 . The automated self-cleaning frothing appliance defined in claim 14 , wherein the at least one sensor is a plurality of sensors mounted to the housing, wherein the location of the sensors enables the controller to determine a size of a cup.

16 . The automated self-cleaning frothing appliance defined in claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of sensors mounted to the housing to detect the presence of a cup on the cupholder, the sensors being operatively connected with the controller.

17 . The automated self-cleaning frothing appliance defined in claim 1 , further comprising a cupholder lifting mechanism, and wherein the cupholder lifting mechanism, the cupholder and the valve are configured such that the cupholder engages the valve to open the outlet when water is drained from the outlet into the drain.

18 . The automated self-cleaning frothing appliance defined in claim 1 , wherein the frothing vessel is mounted beneath the canopy via one or more magnets.

19 . An automated self-cleaning frothing appliance, comprising:

a housing having a base, a tower extending upwardly from the base, and a canopy extending generally horizontally from an upper portion of the tower and above the base;

a frothing vessel mounted beneath the canopy, the frothing vessel having an open upper end and an outlet at its lower end;

a frothing tool extending from the canopy into the frothing vessel, the frothing tool being operatively connected with a drive unit mounted in the housing;

a first fluid pathway in the housing configured to receive water from a water source and routed to deliver water into the frothing vessel;

a valve positioned to selectively open and close the outlet to the frothing vessel;

a valve-opening mechanism attached to the housing configured to selectively open and close the valve;

a drain positioned beneath the outlet to receive water draining from the outlet;

a second fluid pathway routed from the drain and configured to deliver water to an external waste water receptacle; and

a controller that is operatively connected with the drive unit, the first fluid pathway and the valve-opening mechanism;

wherein the base includes a cupholder for a cup to receive frothed liquid from the frothing vessel;

wherein the drain is located in the cupholder; and

further comprising a cupholder lifting mechanism mounted to the housing and attached to the cupholder that is configured to raise and lower the cupholder relative to the base.