Bean box arrangement for a beverage apparatus

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of bean box devices of beverage equipment, including mounting seat and bean box subassembly, the slippage cavity with one end having opening is formed on mounting seat, bean box subassembly is slidably installed in slippage cavity, bean box subassembly includes box body support, bean box box body, box body base and bean box handle, the bottom of box body support is fixed with locking spring and locking part, locking part can be combined with the locking portion on mounting seat, bean box box body is fixed on box body support, and the bottom of bean box box body is provided with discharge port, box body base is connected with box body support and can slide relatively, the baffle for opening or closing discharge port is formed on box body base, when box body base and box body support relatively slide so that baffle closes discharge port, box body base can be relatively fixed with box body support by locking spring, top block for pushing locking part to separate from locking portion is also formed on box body base.The utility model can realize the closure of discharge port during the process of dismounting and installing bean box subassembly can be automatically controlled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of beverage equipment technology, and in particular to a bean box device for beverage equipment. Background Technology

[0002] A fully automatic coffee machine is a beverage device that integrates coffee bean grinding. It includes a bean hopper and a grinding mechanism. For example, coffee beans typically enter the grinding mechanism through the bean inlet at the bottom of the hopper. The ground coffee then enters the brewer for extraction to make coffee. To prevent coffee beans from spilling when removing the hopper, it usually has a closable bean inlet flap. This flap must be closed before the hopper can be removed. To achieve this, existing coffee machine hoppers typically have a hopper closing knob or handle, or a hidden lever inside the machine (visible when the door is opened). This knob, handle, or lever not only closes the hopper but also unlocks it from the machine before removal. However, these methods require two steps, which is inconvenient for the operator. Furthermore, unfamiliar users may damage the hopper's fit with the machine by directly pulling it off, rendering it unusable. Utility Model Content

[0003] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this utility model provides a bean box device for beverage equipment, which can automatically control the closure of the dispensing port when the bean box component is pulled out of the mounting base.

[0004] This utility model is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0005] A bean container device for a beverage equipment includes a mounting base and a bean container assembly. The mounting base has a sliding cavity with an opening at one end. The bean container assembly is slidably mounted in the sliding cavity and can be switched between a working state and a bean-adding state by a pull-out mechanism. The bean container assembly includes:

[0006] A box support, the bottom of which is fixed with a locking spring and a locking element, the locking element being able to engage with a locking part on the mounting base;

[0007] The bean box body is fixed on the box body support, and the bottom of the bean box body has a discharge port;

[0008] A box base is fitted with and can slide relative to the box support. A baffle is formed on the box base for opening or closing the discharge port. When the box base and the box support slide relative to each other and the baffle closes the discharge port, the box base can be fixed relative to the box support by the locking spring.

[0009] The base of the box also has a top block for pushing the locking member away from the locking part.

[0010] Furthermore, one of the locking spring and the housing base has a locking hole, and the other has a protrusion that can engage with the locking hole.

[0011] Furthermore, the locking spring includes a fixing part fixedly connected to the box support, a bending part formed by the fixing part extending away from the box support, and an elastic part formed by the bending part extending in a horizontal direction.

[0012] The end of the elastic part away from the bending part is folded upward in the direction away from the base of the box to form a folded part, and the locking opening is formed on the elastic part and is located close to the folded part.

[0013] Furthermore, the protrusion has a first inclined surface that slides and engages with the outer arc surface of the folded portion.

[0014] Furthermore, the locking member includes a locking block and an elastic member, the locking part includes a locking groove or locking hole formed on the mounting base, the elastic member abuts between the locking block and the bean box body, and the locking block has a locking pin protruding from one end away from the elastic member that engages with the locking groove or locking hole.

[0015] Furthermore, a second inclined surface is formed on the top block to slidably engage with the locking block.

[0016] Furthermore, the base of the box body is provided with a through groove for the locking pin to pass through. The axial direction of the through groove is consistent with the pulling direction of the bean box assembly, and the length of the through groove in its axial direction is equal to the maximum relative movement distance between the base of the box body and the support of the box body along the pulling direction of the bean box assembly, and is also equal to the opening length of the discharge port.

[0017] Furthermore, the mounting base also has a groove for engaging the locking pin, and in the pulling direction of the bean box assembly, the groove is located between the locking part and the opening; preferably, the groove is an oblique groove, and the depth of the oblique groove gradually increases in the pulling direction of the bean box assembly.

[0018] Furthermore, a boss is formed on the mounting base, which can be slidably connected with the locking spring to disengage the protrusion from the locking opening.

[0019] Furthermore, one of the box base and the box support has lugs on both sides, and the other has a slot. The lugs engage with the slot and can slide relative to each other.

[0020] Furthermore, the bean box assembly also includes a bean box handle, which is fixedly connected to the box base.

[0021] Compared with existing technologies, the advantages of this utility model are:

[0022] 1. In this application, the bean container assembly can be installed and removed simultaneously during installation or removal, whether it is in its working state, removed for adding beans or cleaning, or installed back to its working state after adding beans or cleaning. This is achieved by simply pulling or pushing the bean container. The opening and closing of the dispensing port and the locking and unlocking of the bean container assembly and the mounting base are completed at the same time. The operation is simple and efficient, which not only avoids the cumbersome multi-step operation of traditional structures, but also effectively prevents damage to the bean hopper or spillage of coffee beans caused by improper operation, greatly improving the user experience.

[0023] 2. Preferably, in this application, by providing a groove for engaging the protrusion on the mounting base, and in the pulling direction of the bean box assembly, the groove is located between the locking hole and the opening, to prevent the protrusion from sliding into the deepest part of the groove and being locked by the groove when the bean box assembly is pushed in halfway, at which point the bean box base and the box body support have moved relative to each other and the discharge port has opened, and the user pulls out the bean box assembly again. At this time, when the bean box assembly is pulled out again, the bean box base will move relative to the box body support, so that the baffle of the bean box base will close the discharge port again, avoiding the risk of bean spillage caused by the open discharge port of the bean box body when the bean box assembly is pulled out in the half-push-in state. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the bean box device;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the mounting base.

[0026] Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the bean box component;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the bean box component;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the box base;

[0029] Figure 6 A cross-sectional view of the bean box assembly with the discharge port open. Figure 1 ;

[0030] Figure 7 A cross-sectional view of the bean box assembly with the discharge port open. Figure 2 ;

[0031] Figure 8A cross-sectional view of the bean box assembly with the discharge port closed. Figure 1 ;

[0032] Figure 9 A cross-sectional view of the bean box assembly with the discharge port closed. Figure 2 ;

[0033] Figure 10 This is a structural diagram of the bean box component. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The following detailed, non-limiting description of the utility model's technical solution, in conjunction with preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings, is provided. In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this utility model, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain this utility model, and should not be construed as limiting this utility model.

[0035] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a bean container device for a beverage apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a mounting base 100 and a bean container assembly. The mounting base 100 has a sliding cavity 110 with an opening 111 at one end. The bean container assembly is slidably installed within the sliding cavity 110 and can be switched between a working state and a bean-adding state by a pull-out mechanism. This drawer-like pull-out structure facilitates the removal and insertion of the bean container assembly, making cleaning and bean-adding easier.

[0036] like Figures 3-5As shown, the bean container assembly includes a container support 200, a bean container body 300, a container base 400, and a bean container handle 500. A locking spring 600 and a locking element 700 are fixed to the bottom of the container support 200. The locking element 700 can engage with the locking part 120 on the mounting base 100. The bean container body 300 is fixed to the container support 200, and the bean container body 500... The bottom of the container 400 has a discharge port 310. The container base 400 and the container support 200 are connected and can slide relative to each other. A baffle 410 is formed on the container base 400 for opening or closing the discharge port 310. When the container base 400 and the container support 200 slide relative to each other, causing the baffle 410 to close the discharge port 310, the container base 400 can be fixed relative to the container support 200 by a locking spring 600. The container base 400 also has a top block 430 for pushing the locking member 700 out of the locking part 120. Preferably, the bean container assembly also includes a bean container handle 500 fixedly connected to the container base 400. During operation, when it is necessary to switch from the working state to the bean adding state, the operator pulls the bean container handle 500. Because the bean container handle 500 is fixedly connected to the container base 400, it will first drive the container base 400 to slide relative to the container support 200. During this process, the baffle 410 on the base 400 gradually moves to the outlet 310 at the bottom of the bean container 300 until it completely blocks the outlet 310, preventing coffee beans from spilling out of the bean container 300; at the same time, refer to Figure 8 The box base 400 can be fixed to the box support 200 by locking spring 600 to prevent the two from sliding relative to each other and causing the discharge port 310 to open accidentally. Meanwhile, continue to refer to... Figure 9 Simultaneously, the top block 430 on the base 400 pushes the locking member 700 upward, causing the locking member 700 to disengage from the locking part 120 on the mounting base 100, thus releasing the lock between the bean hopper assembly and the mounting base 100. Continuing to pull the bean hopper handle 500 allows the entire bean hopper assembly to be pulled out of the sliding cavity 110, completing the bean addition or cleaning operation. The entire process involves only one action—pulling the bean hopper handle 500—to close the outlet 310 and release the bean hopper assembly lock. This simple and efficient operation avoids the cumbersome multi-step operation required by traditional structures and prevents damage to the bean hopper or spillage of coffee beans due to improper operation, thus improving the user experience.

[0037] One of the locking spring 600 and the box base 400 has a locking hole 631, and the other has a protrusion 420 that can engage with the locking hole 631. In this embodiment, the locking hole 631 is formed on the locking spring 600, and the protrusion 420 is formed on the box base 400.

[0038] like Figure 6 and Figure 8 As shown, a boss 140 is also formed on the mounting base 100. The boss 140 can slide with the locking spring 600, causing the protrusion 420 to disengage from the locking opening 631. After adding beans or cleaning, the bean box assembly is pushed into the sliding cavity 110 from the opening 111. During the pushing process, refer to... Figure 6 The boss 140 on the mounting base 100 presses against the locking spring 600, causing it to disengage from the protrusion 420. At this point, when the bean cassette handle 500 continues to be pushed into the bean cassette assembly, the cassette base 400 slides against the cassette support 200. (Refer to...) Figure 4 The baffle 410 gradually moves away from the discharge port 310, causing the discharge port 310 to return to its open state. After the bean box assembly is pushed into place, refer to... Figure 7 The locking component 700 resets under its own elasticity and engages with the locking part 120, thereby re-locking the bean hopper assembly and the mounting base 100 and ensuring stable operation. The entire process involves only one action: pushing the bean hopper handle 500. This simple and efficient operation avoids the cumbersome multi-step operation required by traditional structures and prevents damage to the bean hopper or spillage of coffee beans due to improper operation, thus improving the user experience.

[0039] like Figure 6 and Figure 8 As shown, the locking spring 600 has a locking hole 631, and the protrusion 420 can engage with the locking hole 631. In this embodiment, further reference is made to... Figure 6 The locking spring 600 includes a fixing part 610 fixedly connected to the box support 200, a bending part 620 formed by the fixing part 610 extending away from the box support 200, and an elastic part 630 formed by the bending part 620 extending horizontally. One end of the elastic part 630 away from the bending part 620 is folded upward in the direction away from the box base 400 to form a folded part 640. A locking opening 631 is formed on the elastic part 630 and is located close to the folded part 640. A first inclined surface 421 is formed on the protrusion 420 and slides with the outer arc surface 641 of the folded part 640.

[0040] During operation, when the operator pulls the bean container handle 500 to switch to the bean-adding state, the container base 400, which is fixedly connected to the handle, will slide relative to the container support 200. During this process, the protrusion 420 on the container base 400 gradually approaches the locking spring 600. The first inclined surface 421 of the protrusion 420 first contacts the outer arc surface 641 of the folded portion 640 at the end of the elastic part 630 of the locking spring 600 and produces a sliding engagement. As the container base 400 continues to slide, the first inclined surface 421 gradually pushes the folded portion 640 along the outer arc surface 641, causing the elastic part 630 to deform slightly away from the container base 400. When the box base 400 slides to the preset position (i.e., when the baffle 410 completely closes the discharge port 310), the protrusion 420 is just aligned with the locking hole 631 on the elastic part 630. At this time, the elastic part 630 resets under its own elastic restoring force, causing the locking hole 631 to engage with the protrusion 420, thereby fixing the box base 400 and the box support 200 relative to each other and preventing the discharge port 310 from accidentally opening due to relative sliding. When the bean box assembly is pushed in to switch back to the working state, the boss 140 on the mounting base 100 first contacts the outer arc surface 641 of the folded part 640 at the end of the elastic part 630 and slides relative to it. As the bean box assembly continues to be pushed in, it continues to compress the elastic part 630 of the locking spring 600, causing the elastic part 630 to deform again in the direction away from the box base 400, and the locking opening 631 disengages from the protrusion 420. At this time, as the bean box assembly continues to be pushed in, the box base 400 and the box support 200 move relative to each other, and the baffle 410 moves away from the discharge port 310 to open it. By engaging the locking spring 600 with the protrusion 420 and the boss 140 respectively, and utilizing the structural support provided by the bending part 620 and the elastic deformation capability of the elastic part 630, the box base 400 and the box support 200 can be switched between locking and unlocking. This ensures the stability of the closed state of the outlet 310 when the bean box assembly is pulled out, and avoids jamming or structural wear during the switching process. This simplifies user operation while ensuring reliability.

[0041] like Figure 7 and Figure 9 As shown, the locking member 700 includes a locking block 710 and an elastic member 720. The locking portion 120 includes a locking groove or locking hole formed on the mounting base 100. The elastic member 720 abuts against the locking block 710 and the bean tin box body 300, and a locking pin 711 protrudes from the end of the locking block 710 away from the elastic member 720, which engages with the locking groove or locking hole. A second inclined surface 431 is formed on the top block 430, which slidably engages with the locking block 710.

[0042] During operation, when switching the bean container assembly from the working state to the bean-adding state, the operator pulls the bean container handle 500, causing the fixed container base 400 to slide relative to the container support 200. During this process, the top block 430 on the container base 400 moves synchronously, and its second inclined surface 431 gradually contacts and slides against the locking block 710 of the locking member 700. As the container base 400 continues to slide, the second inclined surface 431 applies an upward pushing force to the locking block 710, forcing the locking block 710 to overcome the elastic force of the elastic member 720 and move upward until the locking pin 711 at the bottom of the locking block 710 completely disengages from the locking part 120 on the mounting base 100, releasing the bean container assembly from the mounting base 100. At this point, continuing to pull the handle will allow the entire bean container assembly to be pulled out of the sliding cavity 110, and because the locking pin 711 is disengaged from the locking part 120, the pulling process is smooth and unobstructed. After adding beans, the bean container assembly is pushed in, and the base 400 slides in the opposite direction. The second inclined surface 431 of the top block 430 gradually moves away from the locking block 710, and the upward pushing force on the locking block 710 disappears. At this time, the locking block 710 returns to its original position under the elastic restoring force of the elastic element 720. As the bean container assembly continues to be pushed into the working position, the locking pin 711 at the bottom of the locking block 710 precisely engages with the locking part 120 of the mounting base 100, achieving a stable lock between the bean container assembly and the mounting base 100, preventing the bean container assembly from accidentally sliding during operation. The entire process of the locking element 700 and the top block 430, with the help of the elastic restoring function of the elastic element 720 and the smooth guiding effect of the second inclined surface 431, achieves automatic switching between locking and unlocking without additional operation steps, improving the user experience.

[0043] like Figure 10 As shown, the box base 400 has a through groove 440 through which the locking pin 711 passes. The axis of the through groove 440 is consistent with the pulling direction of the bean box assembly, and the length c of the through groove 440 in its axis direction is equal to the maximum relative movement distance a between the box base 400 and the box support 200 along the pulling direction of the bean box assembly, and is also equal to the opening length b of the discharge port 310. This allows the baffle 410 on the box base 400 to fully open or fully close the discharge port 310 at the bottom of the bean box 300 after the box base 400 and the box support 200 have moved into position relative to each other.

[0044] like Figure 2 and Figure 7As shown, the mounting base 100 also has a groove 130 for engaging the locking pin 711. In the pulling direction of the bean box assembly, the groove 130 is located between the locking part 120 and the opening 111. Its function is to prevent the locking pin 711 from sliding into the deepest part of the groove 130 when the bean box assembly is pushed in halfway, at which point the bean box base 400 and the box body support 200 have moved relative to each other and the discharge port 310 has opened. This way, when the user pulls out the bean box assembly, the locking pin 711 can slide into the deepest part of the bottom of the groove 130 and the groove 130 will be locked. When the bean box assembly is pulled out again, the bean box base 400 will move relative to the box body support 200, causing the baffle 410 of the bean box base 400 to close the discharge port 310 again. This avoids the risk of bean spillage when the bean box assembly is pulled out in the half-push-in state because the discharge port 310 of the bean box body 300 is open. Preferably, the groove 130 is an oblique groove, and the depth of the oblique groove gradually increases in the pulling direction of the bean box assembly, so that the locking pin 711 can smoothly enter the groove 130.

[0045] like Figure 3 As shown, in one embodiment of this utility model, the box base 400 has lugs 450 on both sides, and the box support 200 has a slot 210. The lugs 450 and the slot 210 are engaged and can slide relative to each other. The lugs 450 and the slot 210 cooperate to provide guidance for the relative sliding of the box base 400 and the box support 200, effectively preventing offset during sliding and ensuring smooth and stable sliding.

[0046] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, a slide rail 150 is fixed on the mounting base 100, and a slider 220 protrudes from the box support 200 and is slidably connected to the slide rail 150. Through the sliding cooperation between the slide rail 150 and the slider 220, not only is the smoothness of the bean box assembly's pull-out operation improved, avoiding problems such as jamming and offset, but the movement trajectory of the bean box assembly can also be limited.

[0047] like Figure 3 As shown, the bean container handle 500 and the container base 400 are fixedly connected or integrally formed. In this embodiment, the bean container handle 500 and the container base 400 are fixed together by a snap-fit ​​connection. Specifically, the bean container handle 500 has a slot 510, and the container base 400 has a locking block 460 that engages with the slot 510.

[0048] In this embodiment, as Figure 2As shown, the mounting base 100 is provided with two sliding cavities 110, which are arranged side by side on the mounting base 100. The bean hopper assembly can be installed in each of the two sliding cavities 110. In addition, the mounting base 100 is also provided with an exhaust fan 800, which is located between the two sliding cavities 110, and is used to dissipate heat for the bean grinder motor and brewer located below the mounting base 100.

[0049] Mounting base 100 can be set or formed on beverage equipment, such as Figure 2 As shown, the bottom of the mounting base 100 is also provided with a feeding port 160, which corresponds to the position of the discharge port 310 at the bottom of the bean box body 300. When the material inside the bean box body 300 comes out from the discharge port 310, it then enters the grinding mechanism below the mounting base 100 through the feeding port 160 for grinding. Then the powder enters the brewer of the beverage equipment for brewing beverages.

[0050] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementations of this utility model, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of this utility model patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this utility model, and these all fall within the protection scope of this utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of this utility model patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A bean container device for a beverage equipment, comprising a mounting base (100) and a bean container assembly, wherein the mounting base (100) has a sliding cavity (110) having an opening (111) at one end, the bean container assembly is slidably mounted in the sliding cavity (110) and can be switched between a working state and a bean-adding state by a pull-out mechanism, characterized in that, The bean box component includes: Box support (200), the bottom of which is fixed with locking spring (600) and locking member (700), the locking member (700) can be engaged with locking part (120) on mounting base (100); The bean box body (300) is fixed on the box body support (200), and the bottom of the bean box body (300) is provided with a discharge port (310). A box base (400) is fitted with and can slide relative to the box support (200). A baffle (410) is formed on the box base (400) for opening or closing the discharge port (310). When the box base (400) and the box support (200) slide relative to each other, causing the baffle (410) to close the discharge port (310), the box base (400) can be fixed relative to the box support (200) by the locking spring (600). The base (400) of the box body also has a top block (430) for pushing the locking member (700) away from the locking part (120).

2. The bean-box device according to claim 1, characterized in that, One of the locking spring (600) and the box base (400) has a locking opening (631), and the other has a protrusion (420) that can engage with the locking opening (631).

3. The bean box device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The locking spring (600) includes a fixing part (610) fixedly connected to the housing support (200), a bending part (620) formed by the fixing part (610) extending away from the housing support (200), and an elastic part (630) formed by the bending part (620) extending in the horizontal direction. The elastic part (630) extends upward away from the bending part (620) in a direction away from the box base (400) to form a folded part (640), and the locking opening (631) is formed on the elastic part (630) and is located close to the folded part (640).

4. The bean-box device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The protrusion (420) has a first inclined surface (421) that slidably engages with the outer arc surface (641) of the folded portion (640).

5. The bean-box device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The locking member (700) includes a locking block (710) and an elastic member (720). The locking part (120) includes a locking groove or locking hole formed on the mounting base (100). The elastic member (720) abuts between the locking block (710) and the bean box body (300). The locking block (710) has a locking pin (711) protruding from one end away from the elastic member (720) that engages with the locking groove or locking hole.

6. The bean-box device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The top block (430) has a second inclined surface (431) that is slidably engaged with the locking block (710).

7. The bean-box device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The box base (400) has a through groove (440) through which the locking pin (711) passes. The axis of the through groove (440) is consistent with the pulling direction of the bean box assembly. The length of the through groove (440) in its axis direction is equal to the maximum relative movement distance between the box base (400) and the box support (200) along the pulling direction of the bean box assembly, and is also equal to the opening length of the discharge port (310).

8. The bean-box device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The mounting base (100) also has a groove (130) for engaging the locking pin (711), and the groove (130) is located between the locking part (120) and the opening (111) in the pulling direction of the bean box assembly.

9. The bean-box device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The groove (130) is an oblique groove, and the depth of the oblique groove gradually increases in the pulling direction of the bean box assembly.

10. The bean-box device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The mounting base (100) also has a boss (140) which can be slidably connected with the locking spring (600) so that the protrusion (420) disengages from the locking opening (631).

11. The bean box device according to claim 1, characterized in that, One of the box base (400) and the box support (200) has lugs (450) on both sides, and the other has a slot (210) on it. The lugs (450) are engaged with the slot (210) and can slide relative to each other.

12. The bean-box device according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that, The bean box assembly also includes a bean box handle (500), which is fixedly connected to the box base (400).

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