WO2007132318A2

WO2007132318A2 - Coffee machine

Info

Publication number: WO2007132318A2
Application number: PCT/IB2007/001200
Authority: WO
Inventors: Virginio Cortese
Original assignee: Sgl Italia S.R.L. Con Unico Socio
Priority date: 2006-05-09
Filing date: 2007-05-09
Publication date: 2007-11-22
Also published as: WO2007132318A3; ITTO20060331A1

Abstract

A coffee machine (1) having a rotor (5), to which are rigidly connected a number of peripheral percolating cups (6), each for receiving a respective container (2) containing a measure of ground coffee; the rotor (5) rotates in steps about a fixed horizontal axis (7) to selectively move each cup (6) into a percolating position; and each cup (6) is associated with a respective cam-operated ejector (21), which, following percolation, expels the used container (2) from the cup (6) in response to the relative cup (6) being moved out of the percolating position by a rotation step of the rotor (5) about the fixed axis (7).

Description

COFFEE MACHINE

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a coffee machine.

More specifically, the present invention relates to a coffee machine of the type comprising a frame; a shaft fitted to the frame to rotate in steps, with respect to the frame, about a fixed, substantially horizontal axis; and a rotor fitted with at least one peripheral percolating cup for housing a container for a measure of ground coffee; the rotor being fitted to the shaft to rotate in steps with the shaft about the fixed axis, and to move the, or each, cup along a path extending about the fixed axis and through a percolating position.

BACKGROUND ART

One example of a coffee machine of the above type is described and illustrated in the Applicant's Patent Application WO2006005755, to which full reference is made herein in the interest of full disclosure.

In this type of machine, the rotor is normally fitted with a number of peripheral cups equally spaced about the rotation axis of the rotor with a spacing equal to each rotation step of the rotor about the axis .

In actual use, at each rotation step of the rotor about the axis, an empty cup is moved into the percolating position to receive a fresh container, and the cup previously in the percolating position and housing the used container rotates about the axis and is tilted downwards by a sufficient angle for the used container to drop by gravity out of the cup.

In actual use, however, this automatic ejection system is not always successful, on account of the container at times sticking to the inner surface of the cup, so that simply tilting or overturning the cup is not enough to expel the container.

This applies, in particular, when the container, as opposed to being made of rigid material, is defined, for example, by a wafer of filter paper of the type normally used for making coffee.

In which case, if the machine is left idle after making a coffee, the used container may remain in the percolating position inside the cup long enough to dry and stick to the inner surface of the cup, so that, at the next rotation step of the rotor, the weight alone of the dry container is not enough to expel the container from the cup . DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to improve a machine of the type described above, so that the used container is unloaded automatically from the cup, regardless of the type of container employed and the operating condition of the machine.

According to the present invention, there is provided a machine as claimed in Claim 1 and, preferably, in any one of the following Claims depending directly or indirectly on Claim 1.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A number of non-limiting embodiments of the invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a front view, with parts removed for clarity, of a first preferred embodiment of the machine according to the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a larger-scale, partly sectioned detail of the Figure 1 machine;

Figures 3-5 are similar to Figure 2, and show the Figure 2 detail in respective different operating configurations ;

Figure 6 shows a section along line VI-VI in Figure 2.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE^' INVENTION

Number 1 in Figure 1 indicates as a whole a machine for making coffee from a measure of ground coffee inside a container, which, in the example shown, comprises a standard wafer 2 defined by a closed wrapping of permeable material such as filter paper.

Machine 1 is defined externally by a body comprising a casing 3 closed at the front by a door (removed for the sake of clarity in Figure 1) ; and a tilting lid 4 movable between a raised rest position (shown in Figure 1) and a lowered work position (shown partly in Figure 2).

Casing 3 houses a percolating assembly comprising a rotor 5 fitted along its outer periphery with four percolating cups 6 arranged in two opposite pairs and each for housing a wafer 2.

Each cup 6 has an axis 6a, and comprises a substantially cylindrical lateral wall coaxial with axis βa; a bottom wall; and a drain conduit formed through the bottom wall to connect the inside of cup 6 to the outside and permit outflow of the coffee.

In the example shown, cups 6 are of two different alternating types. More specifically, two cups 6 are relatively shallow, for housing wafers 2 normally used for making so-called "espresso" coffee; and two cups 6 are deeper, for housing wafers 2 normally containing ground coffee and other anhydrous substances, such as powdered milk for making a "cappuccino" type beverage. In other embodiments, not shown, cups 6 are all the same.

As shown in Figures 1 and 6, rotor 5 is mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis 7 to feed cups 6 in steps along a circular path coaxial with axis 7, and to selectively move each cup 6 into a percolating position, in which cup 6 is positioned with its concavity facing upwards and with its axis 6a coincident with a substantially vertical axis 8, and cooperates, when lid 4 is in the lowered position (Figure 2), with a pressurized-hot-water sprinkler 9 on lid 4 to define, with sprinkler 9, a fluidtight percolating chamber.

In addition to cups 6, rotor 5 also comprises a flat central plate 10 supporting and connecting cups 6 to one another, and which is fitted removably to a shaft 11 coaxial with axis 7.

More specifically, as shown in Figure 6, plate 10 is fitted to a cylindrical appendix 12 projecting axially from one end of shaft 11 and defining, on the end of shaft 11, an annular shoulder 13 coaxial with axis 7.

Rotor 5 is locked axially onto cylindrical appendix 12 by a screw connection comprising a cap 14, which is fitted partly onto appendix 12 and has a threaded pin engaging a corresponding threaded dead hole, formed in the free end of appendix 12, to lock plate 10 axially against shoulder 13.

Shoulder 13 is fitted with a cylindrical pin 15, which is eccentric with respect to appendix 12, is parallel to axis 7, and engages a slot 16 formed in plate 10 to lock rotor 5 angularly about axis 7.

Rotor 5 is associated with an ejecting device 17, which, as explained in detail below, provides for expelling a used wafer 2 from respective cup 6 at the end of the percolation stage, and is operated in response to cup 6 being moved out of the percolating position by a rotation step of rotor 5 about axis 7.

As shown in Figures 2 and 6, ejecting device 17 is a cam device, and comprises a fixed cam 18 defined by a contoured annular body fitted partly about the end of shaft 11 and bounded by an outer surface comprising a semicylindrical portion 19, which is coaxial with axis 7 and extends about shaft 11 on the opposite side of axis 7 to the percolating position; and two curved portions 20 symmetrical with respect to axis 8, and each extending along a roughly 45-degree arc from semicylindrical portion 19 towards axis 8, to connect semicylindrical portion 19 to the outer surface of shaft 11.

Ejecting device 17 also comprises two ejectors 21, which are radial and opposite with respect to axis 7 and associated with respective cups 6.

In this connection, it should be pointed out that, in the example shown, ejectors 21 are associated with cups 6 housing thin wafers 2, i.e. with a high diameter/thickness ratio. The reason being that, normally, the higher this ratio is, the less likely it is that the weight alone of the used wafer 2 is sufficient to detach the surface of wafer 2 from the inner surface of cup β and so expel wafer 2 when cup 6 is tilted.

In other embodiments, not shown, cups 6 are all provided with respective ejectors 21, regardless of the depth of cup 6. Each ejector 21 is integral with rotor 5, and comprises a cam follower 22 connected to cam 18; and a plate 23, which is housed inside relative cup 6, is connected rigidly to relative cam follower 22, and is moved back and forth, along axis 6a by cam follower 22, between a withdrawn position, in which plate 23 is located at the bottom of cup 6, and an extracted position, in which plate 23 is detached from the bottom of cup 6 and projects outwards of cup 6.

With reference to Figure 6, each cam follower 22 is defined by a cylindrical body 24, which is located just below respective cup 6, is coaxial with axis 6a of cup 6, and is fitted with an appendix 25 projecting from body 24 towards cam 18 and bounded at the bottom by a curved surface 26 contacting cam 18.

On the side facing cup 6, body 24 is fitted with a pin 27, which is coaxial with axis 6a, is mounted to slide, with the interposition of a seal, along a hole formed through the bottom wall of cup 6, and is fitted with relative plate 23 on the free end projecting inside cup 6.

The bottom wall of each cup 6 has a cylindrical cavity 28 facing relative body 24, and which is coaxial with axis 6a, is of the same diameter as body 24, and defines a seat for the end of a spring 29 coiled about relative pin 27 and compressed between the bottom wall of cup 6 and body 24 to maintain contact, in use, between surface 26 of relative cam follower 22 and cam 18. It should be pointed out that plate 23 acts as a movable bottom of relative cup 6, and is defined by a perforated disk to allow the percolated coffee, during percolation, to flow from wafer 2 into the drain conduit of cup 6.

In other embodiments not shown, plate 23 may be smaller in diameter than the bottom wall of cup 6, and move through a fixed perforated disk at the bottom of cup 6.

Each ejector 21 is guided along axis βa by a respective rod 30, which is connected to the bottom of respective body 24, is coaxial with axis βa, and slides along a passage defined by a relative clamp 31 connected rigidly to plate 10.

Operation of machine 1 will now be described as of the Figure 2 and 6 position, in which a cup 6 (hereinafter referred to as cup 6b for the sake of clarity) is in the percolating position, with its axis 6a coincident with axis 8, and cooperates with sprinkler 9 to define a fluidtight percolating chamber containing a wafer 2.

In this position, relative ejector 21 (hereinafter referred to as ejector 21a for the sake of clarity) is in the withdrawn position, in which surface 26 of respective cam follower 22 contacts a cylindrical surface portion of shaft 11, and respective plate 23 is located at the bottom of cup 6b.

When percolation is completed, and rotor 5 is rotated (clockwise in the drawings) 90 degrees about axis

7 (normally automatically by lifting lid 4) to move an empty cup 6 into the percolating position, cup 6b containing the used wafer 2 moves from the percolating position into the Figure 3 position, in which respective axis βa is perpendicular to axis 8.

During the first part of this movement, surface 26 of cam follower 22 - which is angularly integral with cup βb and rotates with it about axis 7 - travels along the cylindrical surface of shaft 11 until it comes to one of curved portions 20 of cam 18.

As it travels along curved portion 20, cam follower

22 moves radially outwards of axis 7, thus lifting ejector 21a along axis 6a, so that plate 23 is detached from the bottom of cup βb and pushes the used wafer 2 outwards of cup 6b until it drops out .

In the Figure 3 position, ejector 21a is in the fully-extracted position, in which spring 29 is compressed between cavity 28 and body 24, body 24 is partly inserted inside cavity 28, and plate 23 is raised beyond the free edge of cup 6b.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, during the next two rotation steps of rotor 5 about axis 7, cam follower 22 of ejector 21a travels along semicylindrical portion 19 of cam 18, and respective plate 23 remains in the fully extracted position.

During the first of these two rotation steps (Figure

4), the cup 6 diametrically opposite cup βb moves into the percolating position to receive a wafer 2, which, following percolation and the next rotation step of rotor

5 (Figure 5), is expelled from cup 6 by respective ejector 21. During the next rotation step of rotor 5, from the Figure 5 position, to restore cup βb and respective ejector 21a to the percolating position, cam follower 22 of ejector 21a travels along the curved portion 20 upstream from the percolating position, thus simultaneously withdrawing ejector 21a along axis 6a towards axis 7, and returning plate 23 to the bottom of cup 6b, which is now ready to receive another wafer 2

(Figure 2) . The advantage of the present invention will be clear from the foregoing description. By virtue of radial ejectors 21, the present invention provides for safely and effectively expelling the used wafer 2 from respective cup 6, even when using wafers 2 with a particularly high diameter/thickness ratio, which are more likely to stick to the inner surface of cup 6 following percolation, and so fail to drop out by simply tilting or overturning cup 6.

Claims

1) A coffee machine comprising a frame (3) ; a shaft (11) fitted to the frame (3) to rotate in steps, with respect to the frame (3) , about a fixed, substantially horizontal axis (7); and a rotor (5) having at least one peripheral percolating cup (6) for housing a container

(2) for a measure of ground coffee; the rotor (5) being fitted to the shaft (11) to rotate in steps with the shaft (11) about the fixed axis (7), and to move the, or each, cup (6) along a path extending about the fixed axis (7). and through a percolating position; the machine being characterized by comprising ejecting means (17) for ejecting a used container (2) from the respective cup (6) following percolation; the ejecting means (17) operating in response to the cup (6) being moved out of the percolating position by a rotation step of the rotor (5) about the fixed axis (7) .

2) A machine as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said ejecting means (17) are cam means (18) .

3) A machine as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein said ejecting means (17) comprise a fixed cam (18) ; and an ejecting device (21) associated with the, or each, cup (6) and angularly integral with the rotor (5) . 4) A machine as claimed in Claim 3, wherein each ejecting device (21) comprises a cam follower (22) connected to the cam (18) ; and a push member (23) fitted to the cup (6) and integral with the cam follower (22); the cam (18) being shaped to impart to the ejecting device (21) , by means of the cam follower (22) and in response to rotation of the rotor (5) about the fixed axis (7), a back and forth movement between a withdrawn rest position, in which the push member (23) is located at the bottom of the cup (6), and an extracted ejection position, in which the push member (23) is detached from the bottom of the cup (6) and moved outwards of the cup

(6). 5) A machine as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the, or each, cup (6) has an axis (βa) substantially perpendicular to the fixed axis (7) ; the relative ejecting device (21) being movable along said axis (βa) .

6) A machine as claimed in Claim 5, wherein guide means (27, 30, 31) are provided to guide each ejecting device (21) along said axis (βa) .

7) A machine as claimed in one of Claims 4 to 6, wherein each- ejecting device (21) moves from said withdrawn position to said extracted position in response to the relative cup (6) moving out of the percolating position, and moves from said extracted position to said withdrawn position in response to the relative cup (6) moving into the percolating position.

8) A machine as claimed in Claim 1, wherein elastic means (29) are provided to restore each ejecting device

(21) from the extracted position to the withdrawn position.

9) A machine as claimed in one of Claims 4 to 8, wherein said elastic means (29) are interposed between the, or each, cup (6) and the relative cam follower (22) to maintain constant contact between the cam follower (22) and the cam (18) . 10) A machine as claimed in one of Claims 4 to 9, wherein the push member (23) comprises a plate (23) defining a movable bottom wall of the relative cup (6) .

11) A machine as claimed in one of Claims 4 to 10, wherein the cam (18) is defined by a contoured annular body, which is fitted partly about a free end of the shaft (11) facing the rotor (5) , and is bounded by an outer surface comprising a semicylindrical portion (19) coaxial with the fixed axis (7) and extending about the shaft (11) on the opposite side of the fixed axis (7) to the percolating position, and two curved portions (20) extending towards each other from said semicylindrical portion (19) to connect the semicylindrical portion (19) to an outer surface portion of the shaft (11) facing the percolating position. 12) A machine as claimed in any one of Claims 3 to 11, wherein the rotor (5) comprises four cups (6) of two different types alternating about the fixed axis (7) ; the ejecting means (17) only being associated with one type of cup (6), and comprising two ejecting devices (21) located on opposite sides of the fixed axis (7) .

13) A machine as claimed in Claim 12, wherein the ejecting devices (21) are associated with a type of cup (6) shallower than the other type.