Stand

Abstract

To provide a stand capable of solving a problem that work of inputting coffee powder while holding a standing state of a filter unit is troublesome.SOLUTION: A stand 20 is detachably provided in a coffee maker 1 and holds a standing state of a filter unit 10 in which coffee liquid is extracted. The stand 20 includes a support part 30 that supports the filter unit 10 by contacting a plurality of portions in an outer surface of the filter unit 10, thereby, holding the standing state of the filter unit 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for a stand that holds a filter unit that is detachably attached to a coffee maker in an upright position. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, various coffee makers that automatically extract coffee liquid using coffee powder and hot water are known. A known coffee maker includes a main body, a lid, a filter unit, and a server, the lid being configured to be able to open and close an opening at the top of the main body, and the filter unit and the server being configured to be detachable from the main body (see Patent Document 1). In the coffee maker, the filter unit is placed inside the main body through the opening at the top of the main body, and the server is placed on a platform at the bottom of the main body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-171202 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the coffee maker, the filter body of the filter unit is configured in a funnel shape, so that it is difficult to make the filter unit stand on its own. Therefore, when extracting coffee liquid using the coffee maker, first, with the lid open, the filter unit is placed in the main body through the opening at the top of the main body, and then, with a paper filter placed on the filter body of the filter unit, coffee powder is poured onto the paper filter. However, when the filter unit is placed in the main body of the coffee maker, a hot water outlet and the like are located near the filter unit. Therefore, when pouring coffee powder into the filter unit, it is necessary to pay attention to the work so that the coffee powder does not get into the outlet and the like.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its object is to provide a stand that can hold the filter unit in an upright position and eliminate the hassle of adding coffee powder. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The stand of the present invention is a stand that maintains an upright position of a filter unit that is removably attached to a coffee maker and through which coffee liquid is extracted, and is equipped with a support part that supports the filter unit by contacting multiple points on the outer surface of the filter unit to maintain the filter unit in an upright position.

[0007] The stand according to the present invention allows the operation of adding ground coffee to the filter unit without disposing the filter unit inside the body of the coffee maker. Therefore, when adding ground coffee to the filter unit, it is not necessary to pay attention to prevent the ground coffee from entering the spout, etc. Therefore, the stand makes it possible to eliminate the cumbersome operation of adding ground coffee while holding the filter unit upright.

[0008] In the present invention, the filter unit comprises a filter body, which is configured in a funnel shape and is configured so that coffee powder is placed onto a paper filter with the paper filter placed inside, and has an opening at an upper part, an extraction port at a lower part for taking out coffee extract, and a pair of lower shoulders, the sides of the lower part of the filter body are longitudinal, and both longitudinal ends of the lower part of the filter body are configured as the pair of lower shoulders, the stand has a bottom, side parts extending upward from the peripheral part of the bottom, and an opening at an upper end part of the side parts, and is configured so that the filter unit is inserted from above the opening so that the lower part of the filter unit is positioned inside the side parts to hold the filter unit in an upright state, and the support part of the stand preferably comprises a pair of plate-shaped first supports protruding upward from an upper surface of the bottom, and both ends of each of the pair of first supports support the filter unit by contacting respectively with the lateral outer surfaces of the pair of lower shoulders of the filter unit.

[0009] According to this configuration, the work of putting coffee powder into the filter unit can be performed without disposing the filter unit inside the main body of the coffee maker. Therefore, when putting coffee powder into the filter unit, it is not necessary to pay attention not to let the coffee powder get into the spout, etc. Therefore, the stand can eliminate the cumbersome work of putting in coffee powder while holding the filter unit upright.

[0010] In the present invention, the filter unit preferably comprises a cylindrical body protruding downward from the lower end of the filter body, and an opening / closing valve that opens and closes the extraction port and is disposed in the lower part of the filter body and within the cylindrical body and is configured to be movable in the vertical direction, and the support portion of the stand preferably comprises a second support protruding upward from the upper surface of the bottom, the second support being disposed circumferentially offset in a plan view from the first support, and the second support supports the filter unit by contacting the cylindrical body of the filter unit.

[0011] According to this configuration, the work of putting coffee powder into the filter unit can be performed without disposing the filter unit inside the main body of the coffee maker. Therefore, when putting coffee powder into the filter unit, it is not necessary to pay attention not to let the coffee powder get into the spout, etc. Therefore, the stand can eliminate the cumbersome work of putting in coffee powder while holding the filter unit upright.

[0012] In the present invention, the support portion of the stand is provided with a third support protruding upward from the upper surface of the bottom portion, and the third support is positioned radially inward of the bottom portion relative to the second support in the vicinity of the second support so that a predetermined gap is formed between the third support and the second support, and it is preferable that the filter unit is supported by sandwiching the cylindrical body of the filter unit between the third support and the second support.

[0013] According to this configuration, the work of putting coffee powder into the filter unit can be performed without disposing the filter unit inside the main body of the coffee maker. Therefore, when putting coffee powder into the filter unit, it is not necessary to pay attention not to let the coffee powder get into the spout, etc. Therefore, the stand can eliminate the cumbersome work of putting in coffee powder while holding the filter unit upright.

[0014] In the present invention, it is preferable that the support portion of the stand includes a pair of fourth supports protruding upward from the upper surface of the bottom portion, and that the upper ends of each of the pair of fourth supports support the filter unit by contacting the lower ends of a pair of lower shoulder portions of the filter unit, respectively.

[0015] According to this configuration, the arrangement posture of the filter unit arranged on the stand can be stabilized.

[0016] In the present invention, the on-off valve of the filter unit has a liquid collection section that is approximately bowl-shaped, and when no external force is applied to the liquid collection section, the lower part of the liquid collection section protrudes downward from the lower end of the cylinder to close the extraction port, and it is preferable that the heights of the first support and the fourth support of the support section of the stand are configured so that when the filter unit is placed on the stand, a predetermined gap is formed between the upper surface of the bottom of the stand and the lower part of the liquid collection section protruding from the lower end of the cylinder of the filter unit.

[0017] With this configuration, even when the filter unit is placed on the stand, no external force is applied by the bottom of the stand to push upward the collection part of the opening and closing valve of the filter unit, preventing coffee extract remaining in the filter body from flowing out of the extraction port.

[0018] In the present invention, it is preferable that the stand be configured so that it can be used as a cup stand, which is a platform on which a coffee cup is placed, by being turned upside down.

[0019] According to this configuration, it is possible to realize a device that holds the filter unit in an upright position and a device that holds the coffee cup, using only a single member, the stand. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a coffee maker equipped with a filter unit that is held upright by a stand according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a side view of a coffee maker having a filter unit that is held upright by a stand. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the filter unit held in an upright position by the stand. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] Cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] Cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 5 . [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the stand and the filter unit. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the stand and the filter unit. [Figure 10] Cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. [Figure 11] Cross-sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the stand and the filter unit tilted forward. [Figure 13] 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. 12. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the stand and the filter unit tilted backward. [Figure 15] 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line FF in FIG. 14. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the stand and the filter unit tilted to the right. [Figure 17] Cross-sectional view of line GG in Figure 16. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a side view showing the stand used as a cup stand, a coffee maker, and a coffee cup. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Next, a stand 20, which is an embodiment of a stand according to the present invention, will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 18. For ease of explanation, the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction of the stand 20, coffee maker 1, and filter unit 10 are defined as shown by arrows in the figures. However, the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction shown in the figures do not limit the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction of the stand according to the present invention.

[0022] [Coffee maker] A coffee maker 1 equipped with a filter unit 10 that is held upright by a stand 20 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1 or 2, the coffee maker 1 automatically brews coffee liquid using coffee powder and hot water. The coffee maker 1 comprises a main body 2, a lid 3, a filter unit 10, and a server 4. The lid 3 is configured so that an opening at the top of the main body 2 can be opened and closed. The filter unit 10 and the server 4 are configured so that they can be detached from the main body 2. The filter unit 10 is placed inside the main body 2 through the opening at the top of the main body 2. The server 4 is placed on a mounting base 5 at the bottom of the main body 2.

[0023] [Filter unit] The following describes the filter unit 10 that is held upright by the stand 20. Coffee liquid is extracted in the filter unit 10. As shown in Figs. 3 and 8 to 17, the filter unit 10 includes a filter body 11, a cylindrical body 12, and an on-off valve 13.

[0024] The filter body 11 is configured in a funnel shape, and configured so that coffee powder is put onto a paper filter placed inside the filter body 11. The filter body 11 has an opening 11a at the top, an extraction port 11b at the bottom for taking out coffee extract, and a pair of lower shoulders 11c·11c. The filter body 11 is formed so that a paper filter can be placed inside. The filter body 11 is configured so that the width in the left-right direction is longer than the width in the front-rear direction as a whole. The opening 11a at the top of the filter body 11 is formed in a substantially oval shape with the left-right direction (side) as the longitudinal direction in a plan view. The bottom part of the filter body 11 is formed in a substantially oval shape with the left-right direction (side) as the longitudinal direction in a plan view. The lower part of the filter body 11 is formed in a substantially oval shape with the left-right direction (side) as the longitudinal direction in a bottom view. Both ends of the lower part of the filter body 11 in the longitudinal direction are configured as a "pair of lower shoulders 11c" of the filter body 11, and are each formed into a curved surface. The tubular body 12 is configured in a cylindrical shape and protrudes downward from the lower end of the filter body 11. The peripheral wall of the tubular body 12 is located more inward than the lower part (lower shoulder part 11c) of the filter body 11 in a front view, and protrudes laterally beyond the lower part of the filter body 11 in a side view. The on-off valve 13 is a valve that opens and closes the extraction port 11b, and is disposed in the lower part of the filter body 11 and within the cylindrical body 12. The on-off valve 13 is configured to be movable along the axial direction (up-down direction) of the cylindrical body 12. The on-off valve 13 includes a valve body, a shaft body, a liquid collecting portion 16, a drip hole 17, and a coil spring.

[0025] The valve element of the on-off valve 13 is disposed inside the filter body 11, and closes the extraction port 11b from inside the filter body 11 (upper side). The upper end of the shaft is provided on the lower surface of the valve body, and the lower end of the shaft is provided on the upper surface of the return portion 16. The liquid collecting portion 16 is configured in a roughly bowl shape and is disposed within the cylindrical body 12 . A plurality of drip holes 17 (three holes) are formed at the lower end of the liquid collecting portion 16, approximately at the center of the liquid collecting portion 16. The three drip holes 17, 17, 17 are radially arranged with a phase difference of 120° with respect to the center of the liquid collecting portion 16. The coil spring is provided so as to surround the shaft body. The coil spring is disposed in a compressed state with its upper end abutting the lower surface of the filter body 11 around the extraction port 11b and its lower end abutting the upper surface of the liquid collecting portion 16.

[0026] When no external force is applied to the liquid collecting part 16 of the on-off valve 13, the on-off valve 13 is pushed downward by the coil spring, and the valve body is pressed against the extraction port 11b, and the on-off valve 13 closes the extraction port 11b. When no external force is applied to the on-off valve 13, the lower part of the liquid collecting part 16 protrudes slightly downward from the lower end of the cylindrical body 12. Furthermore, when the filter unit 10 is installed in the main body 2 of the coffee maker 1, the lower surface of the liquid collecting portion 16 of the filter unit 10 comes into contact with an interference portion at the top of the server 4. In this state where an external force is applied to the on-off valve 13, the liquid collecting portion 16 of the filter unit 10 is pushed upward and the coil spring is slightly contracted, so that the valve body is raised above the extraction port 11b of the filter body 11. In this state, the gap between the valve body of the filter unit 10 and the extraction port 11b of the filter body 11 is opened, and the on-off valve 13 opens the extraction port 11b. And, when the on-off valve 13 opens the extraction port 11b, the coffee extract stored in the filter body 11 flows downward from the extraction port 11b and drops from the drip hole 17. Furthermore, even when the filter unit 10 is not installed in the main body 2 of the coffee maker 1 and an external force is applied that pushes the liquid collecting portion 16 of the on-off valve 13 upward, causing the valve body to float up from the extraction port 11b of the filter body 11, the coffee extract stored in the filter body 11 flows downward from the extraction port 11b and drops through the drip hole 17.

[0027] [stand] As shown in Figs. 8 to 11, the stand 20 holds the filter unit 10 in an upright position. The filter unit 10 in an upright position means that the opening 11a at the top of the filter body 11 faces upward (vertically), and the filter unit 10 in such a position is most suitable for inserting coffee powder into the filter body 11 in which the paper filter is placed. As shown in Figs. 4 to 8, 10, and 11, the stand 20 is configured in a substantially bottomed cylindrical shape, and includes a bottom 21, a side 22, an opening 23, and a support 30. The bottom 21 of the stand 20 is configured in a substantially circular shape in a plan view, the side 22 extends upward from the periphery of the bottom 21, and the opening 23 is formed by the upper end of the side 22. The stand 20 is configured to hold the filter unit 10 in an upright position, with the filter unit 10 being inserted from above the opening 23 so that the lower part of the filter unit 10 is located inside the side 22. When filter unit 10 is placed on stand 20, support portion 30 of stand 20 supports filter unit 10 by contacting multiple points on the outer surface of filter unit 10, thereby maintaining filter unit 10 in an upright position.

[0028] As described above, support portion 30 of stand 20 supports filter unit 10 by contacting multiple points on the outer surface of filter unit 10, thereby holding filter unit 10 in an upright position, and therefore coffee powder can be added to filter unit 10 without placing filter unit 10 inside main body 2 of coffee maker 1. Therefore, when adding coffee powder to filter unit 10, it is not necessary to pay attention to prevent the coffee powder from entering the spout, etc. Therefore, stand 20 can eliminate the cumbersome task of adding coffee powder while holding filter unit 10 in an upright position.

[0029] [Stand support part] As shown in Figures 4 to 8, 10 and 11, the support portion 30 of the stand 20 includes a pair of first supports 31 / 31, a pair of second supports 32 / 32, a pair of third supports 33 / 33, and a pair of fourth supports 34 / 34.

[0030] The first support 31 of the support part 30 of the stand 20 is provided on the bottom 21. The first support 31 is configured in a flat plate shape protruding upward from the upper surface of the bottom 21. The first support 31 is configured in a roughly C-shape in plan view. The pair of first supports 31·31 are arranged so as to face each other in the left-right direction with respect to the center of the bottom 21. The pair of first supports 31·31 are arranged so that both ends configured in the roughly C-shape in plan view face each other. The pair of first supports 31·31 are arranged so that the arc-shaped portion is curved radially outward. The distance between the facing ends of the pair of first supports 31·31 is configured to be slightly longer than the radial length of the cylindrical body 12 of the filter unit 10. When the filter unit 10 is placed on the stand 20, both ends of the pair of first supports 31-31 support the filter unit 10 by contacting the front and rear outer lateral surfaces of a pair of lower shoulder portions 11c-11c of the filter unit 10, respectively, so that the first supports 31 maintain the filter unit 10 in an upright position (see Figures 10, 15, or 17).

[0031] As described above, both ends of the pair of first supports 31 of the support portion 30 of the stand 20 support the filter unit 10 by contacting the outer lateral surfaces of the pair of lower shoulder portions 11c of the filter unit 10, respectively, so that the work of adding coffee powder to the filter unit 10 can be performed without placing the filter unit 10 inside the main body 2 of the coffee maker 1. This makes it unnecessary to pay attention when adding coffee powder to the filter unit 10 so that the coffee powder does not get into the spout or the like. Therefore, the stand 20 makes it possible to eliminate the cumbersome work of adding coffee powder while holding the filter unit 10 in an upright position. Furthermore, when the filter unit 10 is placed in the stand 20, both end portions of the pair of first supports 31 of the support portion 30 of the stand 20 slide against the outer surface near the pair of lower shoulder portions 11c of the filter body 11 of the filter unit 10, thereby guiding the movement of the filter unit 10 to an appropriate placement position in the stand 20. Even if, for example, the filter unit 10 is placed in a position that is slightly offset in the circumferential direction in a plan view when the filter unit 10 is placed in the stand 20, the filter unit 10 is guided to a more appropriate placement position in the stand 20 by both end portions of the pair of first supports 31 of the support portion 30 of the stand 20. This makes it easy to maintain the filter unit 10 in an upright position using the stand 20.

[0032] As described above, the bottom portion in the filter body 11 of the filter unit 10 is formed in a generally oval shape with the left-right direction as the longitudinal direction in a plan view, and the pair of first supports 31-31 of the support portion 30 of the stand 20 are disposed so as to face each other in the left-right direction with respect to the center of the bottom portion 21, and are disposed so as to curve radially outward. In this manner, the longitudinal end portion of the bottom portion in the filter body 11 of the filter unit 10 and the pair of first supports 31-31 of the support portion 30 of the stand 20 are configured to have a similar shape. Therefore, when the filter unit 10 is disposed in the stand 20, the bottom portion in the filter body 11 and the pair of first supports 31-31 of the support portion 30 of the stand 20 can be visually recognized, thereby allowing the circumferential orientation of the filter unit 10 relative to the stand 20 to be intuitively recognized. Therefore, the task of holding the filter unit 10 in an upright state by the stand 20 can be easily performed. As described above, the lower part of the filter body 11 of the filter unit 10 is formed in a generally oval shape with the left-right direction as the longitudinal direction in a bottom view, the pair of lower shoulders 11c of the filter body 11 are each formed in a curved shape, and the pair of first supports 31 of the support portion 30 of the stand 20 are each arranged so as to face each other in the left-right direction with respect to the center of the bottom portion 21, and are each arranged so that the arc-shaped portion curves radially outward. In this manner, the pair of lower shoulders 11c of the filter body 11 of the filter unit 10 and the pair of first supports 31 of the support portion 30 of the stand 20 are configured to have a similar shape. For this reason, when the filter unit 10 is placed in the stand 20, the pair of lower shoulders 11c of the filter body 11 of the filter unit 10 and the pair of first supports 31 of the support portion 30 of the stand 20 are visually recognized, thereby allowing the circumferential orientation of the filter unit 10 with respect to the stand 20 to be intuitively recognized. Therefore, the task of maintaining the filter unit 10 in an upright position by the stand 20 can be easily performed.

[0033] The first support 31 of the support portion 30 of the stand 20 is configured so that, when the filter unit 10 is arranged on the stand 20, the first support 31 does not come into contact with the outer surface of the filter unit 10 other than its both ends. When the filter unit 10 is arranged on the stand 20, a predetermined gap is formed between the arc-shaped portions of the pair of first supports 31-31 of the support portion 30 and the outer surface of the pair of lower shoulder portions 11c-11c of the filter body 11 of the filter unit 10. Because of this configuration, when the filter unit 10 is arranged on the stand 20, the filter unit 10 can be moved relatively smoothly to an appropriate arrangement position for the filter 10, which is the upright state of the filter unit 10 when arranged on the stand 20. Therefore, the operation of maintaining the upright state of the filter unit 10 by the stand 20 can be easily performed.

[0034] The second support 32 of the support part 30 of the stand 20 is provided on the bottom 21. The second support 32 is configured in a flat plate shape protruding upward from the upper surface of the bottom 21. The second support 32 is configured in a substantially linear shape in a plan view. The second support 32 is arranged to be shifted in the circumferential direction in a plan view with respect to the first support 31. The second support 32 is arranged to be shifted in the phase by 90° with respect to the first support 31 in a plan view. The pair of second supports 32·32 are arranged to face each other in the front-rear direction with respect to the center of the bottom 21. The pair of second supports 32·32 are arranged to face each other with their surface portions (the largest area portions of the faces constituting the second support 32) facing each other. The upper end of the second support 32 is configured to have the same height as the upper end of the first support 31 (the length in the vertical direction is the same). The length of the second support 32 in the front-rear direction in a plan view is configured to be shorter than the length of the second support 32 in the left-right direction in a plan view.

[0035] As described above, the second support 32 of the support portion 30 of the stand 20 is disposed circumferentially offset from the first support 31 in a plan view, and the second support 32 supports the filter unit 10 by contacting the cylindrical body 12 of the filter unit 10, so that the work of adding coffee powder to the filter unit 10 can be performed without placing the filter unit 10 inside the main body 2 of the coffee maker 1. Therefore, when adding coffee powder to the filter unit 10, it is not necessary to pay attention so that the coffee powder does not get into the spout or the like. Therefore, the stand 20 can eliminate the cumbersome work of adding coffee powder while holding the filter unit 10 in an upright position.

[0036] Here, the cylindrical body 12 of the filter unit 10 is provided at a position eccentric to the front or rear from the front-rear center. Therefore, when the filter unit 10 is arranged on the stand 20, the distance between the inner surface of either one of the pair of second supports 32 and the outer surface of the cylindrical body 12 of the filter unit 10 is shorter than the distance between the inner surface of the other of the second supports 32 and the outer surface of the cylindrical body 12 of the filter unit 10 (see FIG. 11). When the filter unit 10 is arranged on the stand 20, the inner surface (the surface facing the center of the bottom 21) of either one of the pair of second supports 32 or the upper end of either one of the second supports 32 contacts the cylindrical body 12 of the filter unit 10 to support the filter unit 10, and the second support 32 maintains the filter unit 10 in an upright state. With filter unit 10 disposed on stand 20, when the upper portion of filter unit 10 is tilted toward the side where either one of the pair of second supports 32 is disposed (front or rear), the upper end of either one of second supports 32 contacts the outer surface of cylindrical body 12 of filter unit 10, thereby supporting filter unit 10 (see FIG. 13). Also, when the upper portion of filter unit 10 is tilted toward the side where the other of the pair of second supports 32 is disposed, the inner surface of either one of second supports 32 contacts the lower end of cylindrical body 12 of filter unit 10, thereby supporting filter unit 10 (see FIG. 15).

[0037] As described above, when filter unit 10 is tilted towards the side where either one of the pair of second supports 32 is arranged, the surface of either one of the pair of second supports 32 of stand 20 facing the center of bottom 21 or the upper end of second support 32 supports filter unit 10 by contacting cylindrical body 12 of filter unit 10, and therefore filter unit 10 can be placed in an appropriate position on stand 20 by tilting from this state so that upper opening 11a of filter body 11 faces upward (upright state of filter unit 10). Therefore, the task of maintaining filter unit 10 in an upright state by stand 20 can be easily performed.

[0038] Furthermore, when the filter unit 10 is tilted toward the side where any one of the second supports 32 is arranged, one of the ends of the first support 31 of the stand 20 comes into contact with the lower shoulder 11c of the filter unit 10. In this way, when the filter unit 10 is tilted toward the side where any one of the second supports 32 is arranged, in addition to the surface of either one of the pair of second supports 32 of the support part 30 of the stand 20 facing the center side of the bottom 21 of the second support 32 or the upper end of the second support 32 coming into contact with the cylindrical body 12 of the filter unit 10, the first support 31 of the stand 20 comes into contact with the lower shoulder 11c of the filter unit 10 to support the filter unit 10 (see FIG. 15). Therefore, in a state where the filter unit 10 is tilted toward the side where any one of the second supports 32 is arranged, it is possible to prevent the filter unit 10 from further tilting toward the side where any one of the second supports 32 is arranged. Furthermore, by tilting the filter unit 10 from a state inclined toward the side where one of the second supports 32 is arranged to a state in which the upper opening 11a of the filter body 11 faces upward (the filter unit 10 is in an upright position), the filter 10 can be placed in an appropriate position when placed on the stand 20. Furthermore, when filter unit 10 is inclined toward the side where one of second supports 32 is arranged, a force is applied by the weight of filter unit 10 such that opening 11a at the top of filter body 11 faces upward. By appropriately specifying the position of the center of gravity of filter unit 10 and the frictional resistance of the contact portions, filter unit 10 can be configured so that filter 10 gradually assumes an appropriate arrangement posture when arranged on stand 20 from a state inclined toward the side where one of second supports 32 is arranged.

[0039] The third support 33 of the support part 30 of the stand 20 is provided on the bottom 21. The third support 33 is configured in a flat plate shape protruding upward from the upper surface of the bottom 21. The third support 33 is configured in a substantially linear shape in a plan view. The third support 33 is disposed with a circumferential shift with respect to the first support 31 in a plan view. The third support 33 is disposed with a phase shift of 90° with respect to the first support 31 in a plan view. The third support 33 is disposed in the vicinity of the second support 32. The third support 33 is disposed slightly closer to the center of the bottom 21 than the second support 32 (diametrically inward of the bottom 21 with respect to the second support 32) so that a predetermined gap is formed between the third support 33 and the second support 32 (see FIG. 11). The pair of third supports 33·33 are disposed so as to face each other in the front-rear direction with respect to the center of the bottom 21. The pair of third supports 33·33 are disposed so as to face each other in the front-rear direction with respect to the center of the bottom 21. An upper end of the third support 33 is configured to be lower (shorter in the up-down direction) than the height of the upper end of the first support 31 and the upper end of the second support 32. The length of the third support 33 in the front-rear direction in a plan view is configured to be the same as the length of the second support 32 in the front-rear direction in a plan view.

[0040] As described above, the third support 33 is disposed radially inward of the bottom 21 with respect to the second support 32 in the vicinity of the second support 32 so that a predetermined gap is formed between the third support 33 and the second support 32, and the filter unit 10 is supported by sandwiching the cylindrical body 12 of the filter unit 10 between the third support 33 and the second support 32, so that the work of putting coffee powder into the filter unit 10 can be performed without placing the filter unit 10 inside the main body 2 of the coffee maker 1. Therefore, when putting coffee powder into the filter unit 10, it is not necessary to pay attention not to let the coffee powder get into the spout or the like. Therefore, the stand 20 can eliminate the cumbersome work of putting in coffee powder while holding the filter unit 10 in an upright position.

[0041] With the filter unit 10 placed on the stand 20, an outer surface (the surface facing the opposite side to the center of the bottom 21) of one of the pair of third supports 33 contacts the cylindrical body 12 of the filter unit 10 to support the filter unit 10 and keep the filter unit 10 upright. The second support 32 and the third support 33 support the filter unit 10 by sandwiching the cylindrical body 12 of the filter unit 10 (see FIG. 11). When the upper part of the filter unit 10 is inclined toward the side where one of the pair of third supports 33 is placed (front or rear), the outer surface of one of the third supports 33 contacts the lower end of the cylindrical body 12 of the filter unit 10 to support the filter unit 10 (see FIG. 13). The angle at which the upper part of filter unit 10 inclines toward either one of the third supports 33 when the outer surface of either one of the third supports 33 contacts the lower end of the cylindrical body 12 of filter unit 10 is configured to be shallower than the angle at which the upper part of filter unit 10 inclines toward either one of the second supports 32 when the upper end of either one of the second supports 32 contacts the outer surface of the cylindrical body 12 of filter unit 10.

[0042] As described above, when filter unit 10 is tilted towards the side where either one of the pair of third supports 33 is arranged, the surface of either one of the pair of support parts 30 of stand 20 facing the center side of bottom 21 supports filter unit 10 by contacting the lower end of cylinder 12 of filter unit 10, and therefore, by tilting from this state so that upper opening 11a of filter body 11 faces upward (upright state of filter unit 10), filter 10 can be placed in an appropriate position when placed on stand 20. Therefore, the task of maintaining filter unit 10 in an upright state by stand 20 can be easily performed.

[0043] Since the cylindrical body 12 of the filter unit 10 is provided at a position eccentric to the front or rear from the front-rear center, when the cylindrical body 12 of the filter unit 10 is disposed between the second support 32 and the third support 33 of either one of the pair, the cylindrical body 12 of the filter unit 10 is disposed toward the center of the bottom 21 of the other of the pair. In such a state, the cylindrical body 12 of the filter unit 10 is not in contact with the second support 32 and the third support 33 of either one of the pair, and the second support 32 and the third support 33 of either one of the pair do not support the filter unit 10 (see FIG. 11). In addition, since the pair of second supports 32 and the third support 33 of the support part 30 of the stand 20 are disposed so as to face each other with respect to the center of the bottom 21, the cylindrical body 12 of the filter unit 10 can be disposed between the second support 32 and the third support 33 of either one of the pair by rotating 0180° in a plan view from such a posture. In a state where the cylindrical body 12 of the filter unit 10 is disposed between the second support 32 and the third support 33 of the other of the pair, the cylindrical body 12 of the filter unit 10 is disposed toward the center side of the bottom 21 of the second support 32 and the third support 33 of the pair. In this state, the cylindrical body 12 of the filter unit 10 is not in contact with the second support 32 and the third support 33 of the pair of the filter unit 10, and the second support 32 and the third support 33 of the pair of the filter unit 10 do not support the filter unit 10. In this way, the stand 20 can hold the filter unit 10 in two different orientations in the circumferential direction with respect to the center of the bottom 21, and the degree of freedom of the orientation of the filter unit 10 held by the stand 20 can be improved. Therefore, the work of holding the filter unit 10 in an upright state by the stand 20 can be easily performed.

[0044] The fourth support 34 of the support part 30 is provided on the bottom 21. The fourth support 34 is configured in a flat plate shape protruding upward from the upper surface of the bottom 21. The fourth support 34 is configured in a substantially linear shape in a plan view. The pair of fourth supports 34·34 are respectively arranged so as to face each other in the left-right direction with respect to the center of the bottom 21. The fourth support 34 is configured integrally with the first support 31, with both ends thereof configured in a substantially linear shape in a plan view being connected to both ends of the first support 31, respectively. The fourth support 34 and the first support 31 are configured integrally and configured in a substantially D-shape in a plan view. The upper end of the fourth support 34 is cut out in a substantially U-shape in a side view, and the upper end of the fourth support 34 is configured lower (shorter in the vertical direction) than the upper end of the first support 31. When the filter unit 10 is placed on the stand 20, the upper ends of the pair of fourth supports 34 / 34, which are cut out in an approximately U-shape when viewed from above, support the filter unit 10 by contacting the lower end of the lower shoulder portion 11c of the filter unit 10, and the fourth supports 34 maintain the filter unit 10 in an upright position (see Figures 10, 15, or 17).

[0045] As described above, the upper ends of the pair of fourth supports 34 / 34 of the support portion 30 of the stand 20 support the filter unit 10 by contacting the lower ends of the lower shoulder portions 11c / 11c of the filter unit 10, respectively, thereby stabilizing the positioning posture of the filter unit 10 placed on the stand 20. Furthermore, as described above, since the first support 31 and the fourth support 34 are integrally configured, the rigidity of the first support 31 and the fourth support 34 can be improved.

[0046] [Other configurations of the stand] The heights of the first support 31 and the fourth support 34 of the support part 30 of the stand 20 are configured so that, with the filter unit 10 placed in the stand 20, a predetermined gap is formed between the upper surface of the bottom 21 of the stand 20 and the lower part of the liquid collecting part 16 protruding from the lower end of the cylindrical body 12 of the filter unit 10, and the upper surface of the bottom 21 of the stand 20 does not come into contact with the lower part of the liquid collecting part 16 protruding from the lower end of the cylindrical body 12 of the filter unit 10. Because of this configuration, even when the filter unit 10 is placed in the stand 20, the bottom 21 of the stand 20 does not apply an external force that pushes the liquid collecting part 16 of the opening / closing valve 13 of the filter unit 10 upward, and the coffee extract remaining in the filter body 11 can be prevented from flowing out from the extraction port 11b.

[0047] 18, stand 20 is configured to be usable as a cup stand, which is a stand on which a coffee cup is placed, by being used upside down. Upside down, stand 20 is placed on stand 5 of coffee maker 1 in place of server 4, and a coffee cup can be placed on the placement surface of bottom 21 of stand 20 (the surface located above bottom 21 of stand 20 in the upside down state). Therefore, stand 20, a single member, can be used to hold filter unit 10 in an upright position and to hold a coffee cup.

[0048] As shown in Fig. 4, the bottom 21 of the stand 20 has a plurality of projections and recesses on its lower surface (support surface). The projections and recesses on the bottom 21 are linearly configured in the front-to-rear direction when viewed from the bottom. Therefore, when the stand 20 is turned upside down to be used as a cup stand, if a drop of coffee liquid or the like adheres to the support surface of the bottom 21 of the stand 20, the drop of coffee liquid can be collected in the recessed portion of the plurality of projections and recesses. Therefore, even if a drop of coffee liquid or the like adheres to the support surface of the bottom 21 of the stand 20, the coffee liquid can be prevented from adhering to the bottom of a coffee cup placed on the support surface of the bottom 21 of the stand 20.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 7, FIG. 11, FIG. 13, or FIG. 15, the stand 20 has a pair of ribs 24. The rib 24 is provided on the bottom 21. The rib 24 is configured as a flat plate protruding upward from the upper surface of the bottom 21. The rib 24 is configured to be longitudinal in the front-rear direction and to be substantially linear in a plan view. The pair of ribs 24 are respectively disposed so as to face each other in the front-rear direction with respect to the center of the bottom 21. The rib 24 is configured so that one end in the longitudinal direction is connected to the inner surface of the side portion 22 and the other end in the longitudinal direction is connected to the outer surface of the second support 32 to reinforce the second support 32. The concave portion of the unevenness of the bottom 21 of the stand 20 and the rib 24 are disposed at a position overlapping each other in a plan view. That is, the portion of the bottom 21 of the stand 20 where the rib 24 is provided is configured to be relatively thick. With this configuration, for example, when the stand 20 is a molded product made of a resin material, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of deformation around the rib 24 after molding.

[0050] It is also possible to configure the stand 20 so that, when the upper portion of the filter unit 10 is further tilted toward the side where one or the other of the second support 32 and third support 33 is disposed from a state in which the cylindrical body 12 of the filter unit 10 is sandwiched between the second support 32 and the third support 33 of the support portion 30 of the stand 20, the upper end of the second support 32 of the support portion 30 of the stand 20 comes into contact with the outer surface of the cylindrical body 12 of the filter unit 10, the upper surface of the bottom portion 21 of the stand 20 comes into contact with the lower end of the cylindrical body 12 of the filter unit 10, and the upper end of the side portion 22 of the stand 20 comes into contact with the outer surface of the filter body 11 of the filter unit 10. In this configuration, the filter unit 10 can be supported at three points of the stand 20 when the filter unit 10 is tilted, and the filter unit 10 arranged in the stand 20 can be prevented from falling over. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1. Coffee maker 2 Main unit 3 Lid 4 Server 5. Placement table 10 Filter unit 11 Filter body 12 Cylinder 13. On-off valve 20 Stand 21 Bottom 22 Side 23 Opening 24 Ribs 30 Support part 31 First support 32 Second support 33 Third support 34 Fourth support

Claims

1. A stand for holding a filter unit in an upright position, the filter unit being detachably attached to a coffee maker and used to extract coffee liquid, The stand includes a support portion that supports the filter unit by contacting multiple points on the outer surface of the filter unit, thereby maintaining the filter unit in an upright position.

2. The filter unit includes a filter body. The filter body is configured in a funnel shape, and is configured so that coffee powder is poured onto a paper filter placed inside the filter body, and has an opening at an upper part, an extraction port at a lower part for taking out coffee extract, and a pair of lower shoulders. The lower portion of the filter body has a lateral direction as a longitudinal direction, The filter body has a lower portion and a pair of lower shoulder portions at both ends in the longitudinal direction. the stand is configured to include a bottom, a side extending upward from a peripheral portion of the bottom, and an opening at an upper end portion of the side, and to hold the filter unit in an upright position by inserting the filter unit from above into the opening so that a lower portion of the filter unit is positioned inside the side, The support portion of the stand includes a pair of plate-shaped first supports protruding upward from an upper surface of the bottom portion, The stand according to claim 1 , wherein both ends of each of the pair of first supports support the filter unit by contacting respective outer lateral surfaces of the pair of lower shoulder portions of the filter unit.

3. The filter unit includes a cylindrical body protruding downward from a lower end of the filter body, and an opening / closing valve that opens and closes the extraction port and is disposed in a lower portion of the filter body and within the cylindrical body and is configured to be movable in a vertical direction; The support portion of the stand includes a second support protruding upward from an upper surface of the bottom portion, The second support is disposed so as to be shifted in a circumferential direction relative to the first support in a plan view, The stand according to claim 2 , wherein the second support supports the filter unit by contacting the cylinder of the filter unit.

4. The support portion of the stand includes a third support body protruding upward from an upper surface of the bottom portion, the third support is disposed radially inward of the bottom portion with respect to the second support in the vicinity of the second support such that a predetermined gap is formed between the third support and the second support, The stand according to claim 3 , wherein the filter unit is supported by sandwiching the cylindrical body of the filter unit between the third support body and the second support body.

5. The support portion of the stand includes a pair of fourth supports protruding upward from an upper surface of the bottom portion, The stand according to claim 4 , wherein upper ends of the pair of fourth supports support the filter unit by respectively contacting lower ends of the pair of lower shoulder portions of the filter unit.

6. The on-off valve of the filter unit has a liquid collecting part configured in a substantially bowl shape, and when no external force is applied to the liquid collecting part 16, a lower part of the liquid collecting part protrudes downward from the lower end of the cylindrical body to close the extraction port. The stand described in claim 5, wherein the heights of the first support body and the fourth support body of the support portion of the stand are configured so that, when the filter unit is placed on the stand, a predetermined gap is formed between the upper surface of the bottom of the stand and the lower part of the liquid collection portion protruding from the lower end of the cylinder of the filter unit.

7. The stand according to claim 6, wherein the stand is configured to be usable as a cup stand, which is a platform on which a coffee cup is placed, by being used upside down.

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