Adjustable dosing device, grinder and hot drink preparation device

Abstract

The invention relates to a dosing device (1) for dosing material to be used, in particular coffee beans, wherein the amount of material to be removed can be varied. The dosing device (1) of the invention comprises at least one outer body (2), an inner body (3) rotatable inside the outer body (2), and at least one limiter (4) for limiting the amount of material that can be placed inside the inner body (3).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a dosing device for dosing material to be used, in particular coffee beans. Background Art

[0002] Equipment for preparing food can remove the materials required for preparing the product from a container and transfer them to another container. Similarly, some coffee machines can remove coffee beans from a coffee bean container and transfer them to another container.

[0003] The dosing device enables a predetermined amount of material to be removed from a material container. The removed material can then be automatically distributed to another container.

[0004] When preparing a coffee beverage, users may use more or less coffee according to their taste.

[0005] US Patent No. 10383479B2, filed under Background of the Invention, discloses a coffee bean dispenser. The dispenser includes an upper bean container and a metering device adapted to receive a predefined amount of beans from the container and transfer the beans to another container. The metering device comprises a main body with two apertures (one upper and one lower) and a container rotatable within the main body. However, the volume of the container in the metering device is constant, and therefore the amount of material dispensed cannot be adjusted.

[0006] Background of the Invention US Pat. No. 2,339,908 discloses a device for delivering measured amounts of free-flowing powder or granular material such as sugar, salt, etc. at predetermined regular intervals.

[0007] Background of the Invention US Pat. No. 5,123,572 discloses an adjustable measuring device that can be used with a hopper and a grinding device to measure the required hopper volume and put the material into the grinding device quickly and efficiently.

[0008] Background of the Invention US Pat. No. 4,013,199 discloses an improved measuring dispenser having a construction such that the size of the measuring chamber can be easily changed and the dispenser can operate reliably and repeatedly.

[0009] In the prior art, there is no metering device that can adjust the amount of material to be removed. However, such a metering device is needed. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The object of the present invention is to provide a dosing device for dosing material to be used, in particular coffee beans, in which the amount of material to be removed can be varied.

[0011] An adjustable dosing device for metering a material to be used, comprising:

[0012] at least one outer body comprising at least one shell having a hollow circular cross-section and open at least at one end, at least one inlet opening for receiving a material, at least one outlet opening for discharging said material;

[0013] at least one inner body having at least one gap adapted to receive the material therein and at least one opening for allowing access to the gap and adapted to enter and rotate within the housing,

[0014] The outer body has at least one shaft hole on the closed portion of the housing suitable for the shaft to pass through;

[0015] The inner body has a hollow circular cross-section with one end being open;

[0016] at least one restrictor having at least one head adapted to enter the gap and move therein toward the closed end of the inner body and at least one shaft adapted to pass through the shaft hole;

[0017] The outer body includes at least one switch hole on a surface thereof having the shaft hole. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] A dosing device for achieving the object of the present invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0019] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the placement of the outer body and the restrictor in the dosing device of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the positioning of the outer body and the inner body in the dosing device of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the placement of the outer body, inner body and restrictor in the dosing device of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4 is an exploded view of an embodiment of the dosing device of the present invention.

[0023] The components shown in the figure are individually numbered and the corresponding relationships between these numbers are as follows:

[0024] 1. Dosing device; 2. Outer body; 21. Housing; 22. Inlet opening; 23. Outlet opening; 24. Shaft hole; 25. Switch hole; 3. Inner body; 31. Gap; 32. Opening; 4. Limiter; 41. Head; 42. Shaft; 5. Switch. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] A dosing device 1 for dosing material to be used, in particular coffee beans, wherein the amount of material to be removed can be varied, comprising:

[0026] at least one outer body 2, comprising at least one shell 21 with a hollow circular cross-section and open at least at one end, at least one inlet opening 22 for receiving material, at least one outlet opening 23 for discharging material; and at least one shaft hole 24 located at the closed end of the outer body 2 and suitable for a shaft to pass through;

[0027] at least one inner body 3 having at least one gap 31 adapted to receive a material therein and at least one opening 32, the at least one opening 32 being adapted to allow access to the gap 31 and having a hollow circular cross-section with one end open and adapted to enter the housing 21 and rotate therein;

[0028] At least one restrictor 4 has at least one head 41 adapted to enter the gap 31 and move therein toward the closed end of the inner body 3 and at least one shaft 42 adapted to pass through the shaft hole 24 .

[0029] A dosing device 1 for dosing a material to be used, particularly coffee beans, wherein the amount of receivable material can be varied, comprises at least one outer body 2 having at least one housing 21 of a hollow circular cross-section. One end of the housing 21 is open, and the housing has a circular cross-section. In other words, one end of the housing 21 is open, while the other end is closed. The circular cross-section of the housing 21 can have a constant radius throughout the housing 21, or it can vary throughout the housing 21. In other words, the housing 21 can have a cylindrical or conical form.

[0030] The material to be used is brought into the interior of the housing 21 through at least one inlet opening 22. The material inside the housing 21 is discharged through at least one outlet opening 23. The inlet opening 22 and the outlet opening 23 extend from the side surface of the housing 21 to the end of the outer body 2. In other words, the inlet opening 22 and the outlet opening 23 extend from the outside of the outer body 2 to the housing 21. The inlet opening 22 and the outlet opening 23 are preferably located in opposite parts of the outer body 2. For example, if the inlet opening 22 is in the upper part of the outer body 2, the outlet opening 23 is in the lower part of the outer body 2.

[0031] The outer body 2 includes at least one shaft hole 24 on a closed portion of the housing 21, the shaft hole 24 being adapted for a shaft to pass through. In one embodiment of the present invention, the shaft hole 24 includes teeth on an inner portion thereof.

[0032] The dosing device 1 of the present invention includes at least one inner body 3 having a hollow circular cross-section, one end of which is open and adapted to enter and rotate within the housing 21. The inner body 3 includes at least one gap 31 adapted to receive material therein and at least one opening 32 providing access to the gap 31. The opening 32 of the inner body 3 reciprocates the inlet opening 22 at one position of the inner body 3 within the housing 21. This allows the desired material to be brought from the outside of the outer body 2 into the gap 31 within the inner body 3. The opening 32 of the inner body 3 reciprocates the outlet opening 23 at another position of the inner body 3 within the housing 21. This allows the material within the gap 31 within the inner body 3 to be discharged to the outside of the outer body 2. The circular cross-section of the inner body 3 may have a constant radius throughout the inner body 3, or it may vary throughout the inner body 3. In other words, the housing 21 may have a cylindrical or conical form.

[0033] The dosing device 1 of the present invention includes at least one limiter 4 having at least one head 41 adapted to enter the gap 31 and move therein toward the closed end of the inner body 3. On one side of the limiter 4, there is at least one shaft 42 adapted to pass through the shaft hole 24. The diameter of the head 41 may be smaller than, larger than, or equal to the diameter of the shaft 42.

[0034] In an embodiment of the present invention, the shaft 42 at least partially includes teeth on its exterior, thereby reciprocating the teeth of the shaft hole 24. In this way, when the limiter 4 rotates, it can move inward or outward within the outer body 2 and the inner body 3 depending on the direction of its rotation.

[0035] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the dosing device 1 of the present invention is used as follows:

[0036] The limiter 4 is placed in the outer body 2 so that the shaft 42 enters the shaft hole 24. After that, the limiter 4 is rotated as much as possible so that the head 41 of the limiter 4 is closer to the shaft hole 24 ( Figure 1 ). In this way, the limiter 4 is mounted on the outer body 2. Thereafter, the inner body 3 is positioned so that its opening 32 faces the open end of the outer body 2 ( Figure 2 ), and then the inner body 3 enters the outer body 2 ( Figure 3 ). In this position, the head 41 of the limiter 4 can move inside the internal body 3 , thereby varying the volume of the gap 31 capable of receiving the material and thus varying the amount of material that can enter said gap 31 .

[0037] In one embodiment of the present invention, the number and pitch of the threads (teeth) on shaft 42 and shaft hole 24 are determined based on the desired distance that limiter 4 should move per one rotation of shaft 42. When the thread pitch is larger, limiter 4 moves a greater distance per rotation of shaft 42 compared to a smaller thread pitch. This allows for varying the sensitivity of the adjustment for the amount of material to be removed.

[0038] In one embodiment of the present invention, the outer body 2 includes at least one switch hole 25 on its surface having the shaft hole 24. The switch hole 25 is suitable for placing a switch therein. In this embodiment, the dosing device 1 of the present invention may include at least one switch 5, which is suitable for placement within the switch hole 25. The switch 5 is positioned such that when the limiter 4 moves within the inner body 3 until it reaches the surface including the switch hole 25, the head 41 of the limiter 4 changes the state of the switch 5. This position of the limiter 4 can be detected, thereby calibrating the amount of material that can be brought into the inner body 3. This position is the position that allows the maximum amount of material to be stored within the inner body 3. Since the amount of movement of the limiter 4 per rotation of the shaft 42 is known, the change in the amount of material that can be brought into the inner body 3 is also known.

[0039] In one embodiment of the present invention, which may be used with other embodiments, the limiter 4 includes at least one magnet. The magnet is preferably located on the head 41. In this embodiment, a magnetic sensor is located outside the outer body 2, and its state can be changed by the action of the magnet. The magnetic sensor can be, but is not limited to, a reed switch or a magnetic field sensor. This allows the number of revolutions completed by the head 41 to be calculated. In a related embodiment, at least two, and preferably three, magnetic sensors are located outside the outer body 2. This also allows the direction of rotation of the head 41 to be determined.

[0040] In an embodiment of the present invention, which may be used with other embodiments, the shaft 42 can be driven by a knob. In this embodiment, the user can manually control the limiter 4. In this embodiment, the position where the head 41 presses against the switch 5 is considered the starting position. In this embodiment, the knob may include markings indicating the relative position of the knob relative to the second marking (for example, position markings labeled 6g, 7g, and 8g). This allows the user to understand which position they should turn the knob to achieve the desired adjustment. Alternatively, the control unit considers the position where the head 41 presses against the switch as the starting position and determines the degree and direction of rotation of the limiter 4 based on data received from the magnetic sensor. As the user rotates the knob, the control unit also uses the pitch data to calculate the amount of movement of the limiter 4 and, therefore, the amount of material that can be accommodated by the inner body 3. In this embodiment, feedback regarding the amount of material that can be accommodated can also be provided to the user. This feedback can be through a notification on the phone, as well as visual and / or audible feedback.

[0041] In one embodiment of the present invention, which may be used with other embodiments, shaft 42 is driven by a motor. In this embodiment, the motor can be driven directly by the control unit or through a drive circuit. In this embodiment, the position where head 41 presses against switch 5 is considered the starting position. Starting from this starting position, the control unit uses the motor's drive time and pitch data to calculate the amount of limiter movement. Alternatively, the control unit uses the position where head 41 presses against the switch as the starting position and, based on data received from the magnetic sensor, determines the extent and direction of limiter 4 rotation. The control unit then uses the pitch data to calculate the amount of limiter movement and, therefore, the amount of material that can be accommodated by inner body 3. Compared to embodiments without magnetic sensors, embodiments using magnetic sensors provide a more sensitive adjustment mechanism. In this embodiment, the user moves the motor through commands given via an input device such as a button or potentiometer. Furthermore, the user can indicate the amount of material they wish to use through an interface. In this case, the control unit moves limiter 4 so that the desired amount of material can be stored within inner body 3. For example, assume that the inner body can store 8g of material at the position where head 41 contacts switch 5. When the user indicates via the interface that he wishes to use 6 g of material, the control unit calculates how many turns and in which direction the limiter 4 should be rotated to limit the volume of the inner body 3 to 6 g.

[0042] The inner body 3 can be rotated by being driven, preferably at its closed end. When the opening 32 of the inner body 3 is rotated so as to reciprocate the inlet opening 22, material can enter the inner body 3. When the opening 32 of the inner body 3 is rotated so as to reciprocate the outlet opening 23, material inside the inner body 3 can be discharged. The drive can be applied manually or by a drive device such as a motor.

[0043] In an embodiment of the present invention, movement of the head 41 toward the interior of the inner body 3 can be achieved by applying a force to the shaft 42 that has at least a component on the shaft 42. In a related embodiment, at least one protrusion (not shown) is present on the inner body 3 to indicate to the user that the head 41 has reached one or more predetermined positions. The protrusion is positioned so as to narrow the diameter of the inner body 3. When the head 41 reaches the protrusion, it stops. The force required to disengage the head 41 from the protrusion is greater than the minimum force required to move the head 41. The protrusions can be positioned to limit the volume of the inner body 3 to a predefined value. For example, they can be positioned to limit the volume of the inner body 3 to accommodate 6g, 7g, and 8g of material. In a related embodiment, the dosing device 1 of the present invention includes at least one spring (not shown) to pull the head 41 toward or push it away from the protrusion. The spring is preferably located between the head 41 and the surface of the outer body 2 containing the shaft hole 24.

[0044] In an embodiment of the present invention, the outer body 2 and the inner body 3 each include at least one escape hole (not shown) for draining material that may accumulate over time between the outer body and the inner body 3 and / or the head 41. The escape hole of the outer body 2 is located on the side wall of the outer body 2, on the portion of the wall closer to the wall containing the axial hole 24. Similarly, when the body 3 is placed inside the outer body 2, the escape hole of the inner body 3 is preferably located on the side wall of the inner body 3, on the portion of the wall closer to the wall containing the axial hole 24. The escape holes are positioned so that, at at least one location on the inner body 3 and the outer body 2, the escape holes are at least partially aligned with each other. In this way, material that may accumulate between the head 41 and the inner body 3 can be drained to the exterior of the dosing device 1.

[0045] The dosing device 1 of the present invention is suitable for use with a grinder and / or a hot beverage preparation machine, in particular a coffee machine, more in particular a Turkish coffee machine.

Claims

1. An adjustable dosing device for metering a material to be used, comprising: at least one outer body (2) comprising at least one shell (21) with at least one end being open and having a hollow circular cross section, at least one inlet opening (22) for receiving material, and at least one outlet opening (23) for discharging the material; at least one inner body (3) having at least one gap (31) adapted to receive the material therein and at least one opening (32) for allowing access to the gap (31) and adapted to enter the housing (21) and rotate therein, The outer body (2) has at least one shaft hole (24) on the closed portion of the housing (21) for the shaft to pass through; The inner body (3) has a hollow circular cross section, one end of which is open; At least one limiter (4) having at least one head (41) adapted to enter the gap (31) and move therein toward the closed end of the inner body (3) and at least one shaft (42) adapted to pass through the shaft hole (24), characterized in that: The outer body (2) includes at least one switch hole (25) on its surface having the shaft hole (24), at least one switch (5) is placed in the switch hole (25), and when the limiter (4) is pushed into the inner body (3) to the surface including the switch hole (25), the head (41) of the limiter (4) changes its state.

2. The dosing device according to claim 1, characterized in that The outer body (2) comprises the axial hole (24), and the interior of the axial hole (24) is provided with a thread.

3. The dosing device according to claim 2, characterized in that The limiter (4) includes a shaft (42) having threads at least partially on its exterior, the threads causing the threads included in the shaft hole (24) to reciprocate.

4. The dosing device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The limiter (4) has at least one magnet.

5. The dosing device according to claim 4, characterized in that At least one magnetic sensor is included, the state of which can be changed in response to the action of the magnet.

6. The dosing device according to claim 5, characterized in that The invention comprises at least three magnetic sensors located outside the outer body (2), the states of which can be changed by the action of the magnet.

7. The dosing device according to claim 5, characterized in that The control unit is adapted to take the position where the head (41) is pressed against the switch as a starting position, receive data from the magnetic sensor, calculate the extent to which the limiter (4) is rotated and the direction in which it is rotated based on the data received from the magnetic sensor, and calculate the amount of movement of the limiter (4) by using the pitch data, thereby calculating the amount of material that can be stored in the inner body (3).

8. The dosing device according to claim 7, characterized in that At least one motor is used to drive the shaft (42).

9. The dosing device according to claim 8, characterized in that The control unit is adapted to receive data from a user via an interface regarding the amount of material that should be used, in order to move the limiter (4) to allow the user-indicated amount of material to be stored in the inner body (3).

10. The dosing device according to claim 1, characterized in that The inner body (3) includes at least one protrusion for letting a user know that the head (41) has reached one or more predetermined positions.

11. The dosing device according to claim 10, characterized in that A spring is used to pull the head (41) toward or push the head (41) away from the protrusion, and the spring is located between the head and a surface of the outer body (2) including the shaft hole (24).

12. The dosing device according to claim 1, characterized in that The outer body (2) and the inner body (3) each comprise at least one escape hole for draining away material that may accumulate over time between the outer body and the inner body (3) and / or the head (41).

13. A grinding machine, characterized in that: Comprising a dosing device according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. A hot drink preparation device, characterized in that: Comprising a dosing device according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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