Coffee maker

Abstract

To provide a coffee maker that can discharge hot water from all nozzles evenly.SOLUTION: A coffee maker includes a hot water supply part including a plurality of nozzles 37, 37A for pouring hot water to coffee powder. The hot water supply part includes: an annular continuous flow passage 36 including an inner cylinder part 84, an outer cylinder part 94, and a base part 92; and a connection part 35 installed in the outer cylinder part 94 and connected to the liquid sending means, where the connection part 35 is installed so that hot water abuts on the inner cylinder part 84 in plan view and an outer engagement groove part 85 and a projection part 107 facing the nozzles 37, 37A, which are installed in the position nearest to the connection part 35 on both circumferential sides of the connection part 35, are installed so as to extend toward the outer cylinder part 94 from the inner cylinder part 84, thereby allowing the nozzles 37, 37A, which are installed in the position nearest to the connection part 35, to reliably discharge hot water by leading the hot water, which is supplied from the connection part 35 and abuts on the inner cylinder part 84, to the side of the outer cylinder part 94 with the outer engagement groove part 85 and the projection part 107, and also lowering the flow rate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a coffee maker, and more particularly to a coffee maker that pours hot water from multiple nozzles onto coffee grounds in a dripper. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as shown in the cross-sectional plan view of FIG. 14, there has been a coffee maker of this type in which hot water is sent to a hot water supply section by a liquid delivery means and poured onto coffee grounds in a dripper, and the hot water supply section includes a connection part 122 connected to a liquid delivery path 121 connected to the liquid delivery means, an annular continuous flow path 123 communicating with the connection part 122, an inner cylinder part 124 provided on the inner periphery of the continuous flow path 123, and a plurality of nozzles 125, 125A connected to the continuous flow path 123, and the hot water is sent to the hot water supply section by the liquid delivery means via the liquid delivery path 121, and is sprayed obliquely downward from the plurality of nozzles 125, 125A connected to the continuous flow path 123 (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this coffee maker, hot water is supplied to continuous flow path 123 from a single connection part 122 connected to the continuous flow path 123, and the hot water can be sprayed from the plurality of nozzles 125, 125A. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6791685 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, this type of coffee maker has the problem that the amount of water dispensed from each nozzle 125, 125A can vary. This is because when hot water supplied from connection portion 122 collides with inner cylinder portion 124, the hot water flows at high speed along inner cylinder portion 124, causing a small amount of hot water to be dispensed from nozzle 125A closest to connection portion 122, or no hot water to be dispensed at all. Note that, of the nozzles 125, 125A, the hot water from nozzles 125, 125A other than the nozzle 125A closest to connection portion 122 is dispensed more easily due to the reduced flow rate of the hot water, resulting in approximately equal amounts of hot water being dispensed.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and to provide a coffee maker that can evenly dispense hot water from all nozzles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The coffee maker described in claim 1 of the present invention is a coffee maker that pours hot water delivered by a liquid delivery means onto coffee powder in a dripper, and is equipped with a hot water supply unit having multiple nozzles that pour hot water onto the coffee powder.The hot water supply unit has an annular continuous flow path having an inner wall, an outer wall, and a bottom wall, and a connection part that is provided on the outer wall and connected to the liquid delivery means.The hot water supply unit has multiple nozzles on the outer wall side of the bottom wall and on both circumferential sides of the connection part, and the connection part is provided so that hot water hits the inner wall in a planar view.Of the multiple nozzles, a protrusion that faces the nozzle provided at a position closest to the connection part on both circumferential sides of the connection part is provided so as to extend from the inner wall toward the outer wall.

[0007] In addition, the coffee maker described in claim 2 of the present invention is the same as claim 1, in that the connection portion is arranged so that hot water hits the inner wall at a right angle when viewed in a plane, and a pair of protrusions are formed at positions spaced the same distance from the connection portion on both sides of the circumference of the connection portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] By configuring the coffee maker described in claim 1 of the present invention as described above, the hot water supplied from the connection part and hitting the inner wall is guided toward the outer wall by the protrusion part and the flow rate is reduced, so that the hot water can be reliably ejected from the nozzle located closest to both sides of the connection part in the circumferential direction, thereby allowing the hot water to be ejected evenly from all the nozzles.

[0009] Furthermore, the connection portion is arranged so that hot water hits the inner wall at a right angle when viewed in a plane, and the pair of protrusions provided on both sides of the connection portion in the circumferential direction are formed at positions spaced the same distance from the connection portion, so that hot water can be sent evenly to the nozzles at positions spaced the same distance from the connection portion on both sides of the circumferential direction of the connection portion, thereby more reliably ejecting hot water evenly from all nozzles. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a main part of a coffee maker showing a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of the dripper and server, showing the dripper's stop valve disassembled. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a plan cross-sectional view of the main part of the same, showing the hot water supply section as viewed from below. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a plan cross-sectional view of the main part of the hot water supply unit. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an enlarged plan cross-sectional view of the main part of the hot water supply unit of the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the same as viewed from diagonally below. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the state of coffee powder before coffee liquid is extracted. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the state of the coffee powder after the coffee liquid has been extracted. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional plan view of a main part of a conventional example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the embodiments described below do not limit the content of the present invention as defined in the claims. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described below are necessarily essential requirements of the present invention. [Example]

[0012] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 13. Reference numeral 1 denotes a coffee maker, and a case body 2 of this coffee maker 1 includes a rear standing portion 3, a front mounting portion 4 formed integrally with the lower portion of this standing portion 3, and a visor portion 5 formed integrally with the upper portion of the standing portion 3. The standing portion 3 is provided with a water storage portion 6 to which external water can be supplied, and in this example, the tank of the water storage portion 6 is detachably provided on the case body 2.

[0013] Inside the case main body 2, there are provided a heating means 7 for heating the water in the water storage section 6, and a liquid delivery means 8 for delivering the hot water obtained by heating using this heating means 7 to the hot water supply section 22 described later. Examples of this liquid delivery means 8 include a pump.

[0014] The mounting section 4 is open at the top, and is provided with a substantially flat heating plate 11 to close the opening. A heater 12 is provided on the underside of the heating plate 11 in thermal contact with it.

[0015] A server 13 is detachably placed on the heating plate 11. The server 13 includes a heat-resistant glass container body 14 that is open at the top, a synthetic resin handle 15 attached to the side of the container body 14, and a synthetic resin lid 16 that covers the top opening of the container body 14.

[0016] On the side of the standing portion 3, above the server 13 of the placing portion 4, there are arranged, from top to bottom, a mill 21, a hot water supply portion 22, and a dripper 23. In the drawing, S indicates the center of the dripper 23.

[0017] The mill 21 includes a hopper 25 having an inlet 24 at its top, and a lid 26 for opening and closing the inlet 24. The mill 21 grinds coffee beans placed in the hopper 25, and the coffee beans in the hopper 25 are sent to a chute section 27. The coffee beans sent to the chute section 27 are sent toward a gap between a rotary blade 30 and a fixed blade 31 by a mill screw 29 rotated by a mill motor (not shown), and are ground between the rotary blade 30 and the fixed blade 31 to become coffee powder (ground beans) 111. A drop port 32 is provided at the bottom of the mill 21, and the coffee powder 111 is dropped and supplied from this drop port 32 to the center of the dripper 23. The drop port 32 is cylindrical.

[0018] The hot water supply unit 22 is attached to drop opening 32 of the mill 21. This hot water supply unit 22 includes a connection unit 35 connected to a liquid delivery path 8A connected to the liquid delivery means 8, an annular continuous flow path 36 communicating with this connection unit 35, and a plurality of nozzles 37, 37A connected to this continuous flow path 36. Note that the continuous flow path 36 is formed continuously so as to surround the periphery of the drop opening 32.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 6, the plurality of nozzles 37, 37A are arranged on concentric circles centered on center S of dripper 23, with the plurality of nozzles 37, 37, 37 on one side and the plurality of nozzles 37A, 37A, 37A on the other side being provided at equal circumferential intervals across shutter 41 (described later). The nozzles 37, 37, 37 on one side and the nozzles 37A, 37A, 37A on the other side are provided symmetrically with respect to center S. Nozzles 37 and 37A have the same configuration. Furthermore, center S is located on an extension of nozzle passages 88 of nozzles 37, 37A.

[0020] A horizontal shutter 41 is provided between the nozzles 37, 37, 37 on one side and the nozzles 37A, 37A, 37A on the other side, and moves back and forth along the underside of the hot water supply unit 22. The shutter 41 is plate-shaped and has a substantially uniform width, and the tip 42 of the shutter 41 is narrow. A communication opening 43 that can communicate with the drop inlet 32 ​​is provided in the center of the shutter 41. A recess / inlet hole 44 through which the shutter 41 emerges and retracts is provided in the lower part of the hot water supply unit 22 or the eaves portion 5, as well as an insertion receiving portion 45 into which the tip 42 of the shutter 41 is inserted. The upper surface of the shutter 41 abuts against the lower end surface of a cylindrical gasket 76 into which the lower end of the drop inlet 32 ​​is inserted. The shutter 41 moves back and forth at an angle relative to the front-to-rear direction of the case body 2.

[0021] 6 shows a state in which the drop inlet 32 ​​is closed by the shutter 41. From this state, the shutter 41 is moved backward by a shutter advancing / retracting means (not shown), the base end side of the shutter 41 is stored in the case main body 2, and the communication opening 43 is stopped at a position that aligns with the drop inlet 32, whereby the drop inlet 32 ​​can be opened.

[0022] Dripper 23 has a circular upper opening 51 at its top, an arc-shaped side plate 52 whose diameter tapers downward from upper opening 51, and front and rear oblique side plate portions 53, 53 that are inclined from the front to the rear of arc-shaped side plate portion 52. These front and rear oblique side plate portions 53, 53 are flat and connected to a substantially linear bottom portion 54 of dripper 23. Bottom portion 54 is formed long in the left-right direction.

[0023] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, dripper 23 is stored in storage case 55. Storage case 55, together with dripper 23, is provided so as to be able to freely protrude and retract from case main body 2. (In Figures 10 and 11, to make the structure easier to understand, storage case 55 is shown removed from case main body 2, but in reality, rotation protrusion 55A is journaled in bearing recess 2A, causing storage case 55 to rotate horizontally.) A paper filter 56 is also disposed within dripper 23.

[0024] A vertical valve hole 57 is provided in the center of the bottom 54, and a stop valve 58 is provided in this valve hole 57. This stop valve 58 includes a valve stem 59 inserted into the valve hole 57, a plurality of vertical recesses 60 vertically disposed on the outer periphery of the valve stem 59 to form a gap between the valve stem 59 and the valve hole 57, a valve element 61 disposed on the upper part of the valve stem 59 to close the valve hole 57, and a valve head 62 disposed below the valve element 61 and having a curved lower surface. A coil spring 63 serving as a biasing means disposed between the bottom 54 and the valve head 62 biases the valve stem 59 downward, and the valve hole 57 is normally closed by the valve element 61. In addition, a through hole 62A is formed in the valve head 62 corresponding to the vertical recesses 60.

[0025] Furthermore, a curved convex portion 66 that abuts against the valve head portion 62 is provided in the center of the lid 16 of the server 13, and a plurality of through holes 67 are formed below the convex portion 66. Therefore, when the server 13 is placed on the mounting portion 4, as shown in FIG. 1, the convex portion 66 pushes up the valve head portion 62, opening the stop valve 58 and allowing the coffee liquid in the dripper 23 to fall into the container body 14 through the through holes 67.

[0026] The hot water supply unit 22 includes a flat holder 71, a first nozzle constituent 81, a second nozzle constituent 82, an annular outer packing 74, and a cylindrical packing 76 fitted around the drop port 32. The holder 71 has an insertion hole 72 through which the drop port 32 passes, an annular packing groove 73 provided on the underside of the holder 71 and into which the outer packing 74 fits, and an annular fitting recess 75 provided on the underside of the holder 71 around the insertion hole 72. The upper outer side of the cylindrical packing 76 fits into this fitting recess 75. The holder 71 also has a protruding lower cylindrical portion 77 formed around the packing groove 73. The lower cylindrical portion 77 is formed coaxially with the center S and has a portion cut out. The packing groove 73 is provided in the upper part of the lower cylindrical portion 77. A plurality of mounting bosses 78 are protruded from the underside of the holder 71 on the outer periphery of the fitting recess 75. In this example, a plurality of (four) mounting bosses 78, 78, 78, 78 are provided on a concentric circle centered on the insertion hole 72. Note that in Fig. 2, only one mounting boss 78 is shown by a chain line.

[0027] The cylindrical packing 76 is provided with a large-diameter fitting portion 79 on the outer side of the upper portion of its main body 76A, which fits into the fitting recess 75. Then, on the outer periphery of this fitting portion 79, a semicircular inner fitting groove 80 is provided which fits externally inside the outer periphery of the mounting boss 78. Four inner fitting grooves 80 are provided, one for each mounting boss 78.

[0028] The first nozzle constituent 81 has an upward-facing inner cylinder portion 84 provided on the inner peripheral portion of an annular flat plate portion 83, and this inner cylinder portion 84 has a semicircular outer engagement groove portion 85 that fits externally onto the outside of the outer periphery of the mounting boss portion 78. Also, the first nozzle constituent 81 has a nozzle inner portion 86 that constitutes a part of the nozzles 37, 37A and protrudes downward from the outer periphery of the flat plate portion 83. A curved inclined surface 86A is formed on the outer side of the nozzle inner portion 86, and a vertical groove portion 87 is provided vertically in the center of this inclined surface 86A.

[0029] The second nozzle component 82 integrally includes an outer fitting cylindrical portion 91 that fits onto the main body 76A of the cylindrical packing 76, and a base portion 92 that is provided around the outer fitting cylindrical portion 91. The base portion 92 has four through-holes 93 that correspond to the four mounting bosses 78. An outer cylindrical portion 94 protrudes from the periphery of the base portion 92. An outer nozzle portion 95 is obliquely provided inside the outer cylindrical portion 94 and at the lower portion of the outer periphery of the base portion 92. The outer nozzle portion 95 is a recess that is substantially the same shape as the inner nozzle portion 86 except for the vertical groove portion 87, and is open at the top and bottom. The inner nozzle portion 86 is housed in an inner surface 95A of the outer nozzle portion 95. Furthermore, an engagement step 97 is provided at the upper part around the through hole 93, and this engagement step 97 engages with an engagement recess 105 on the lower surface of the flat plate portion 83 of the first nozzle constituent 81. This engagement recess 105 is provided at the lower part of the outer engagement groove portion 85, and by forming the engagement recess 105 by recessing the lower surface of the flat plate portion 83 toward the upper surface, the upper surface of the flat plate portion 83 below the outer engagement groove portion 85 bulges upward, and a step 106 that is approximately semicircular ring-shaped in a plan view is provided around the lower part of the outer engagement groove portion 85.

[0030] As shown in Figure 5, the holder 71, first nozzle constituent 81, tubular packing 76, outer packing 74, and second nozzle constituent 82 are assembled together by threading a screw 98 inserted through the through hole 93 from below into the mounting boss portion 78. In this assembled state, the inclined surface 86A abuts against the inner surface 95A of the nozzle outer portion 95, and the nozzle 37, 37A having a nozzle passage 88 is formed by the inner surface 95A and the vertical groove portion 87. The tip of the nozzle passage 88 becomes an ejection port 89. In addition, the outer packing 74 is compressed by being sandwiched between the packing groove 73 and the tip of the outer cylindrical portion 94, thereby forming the watertight continuous flow passage 36 surrounded by the holder 71, first nozzle constituent 81, and second nozzle constituent 82, and the nozzle passage 88 of the nozzle 37, 37A communicates with this continuous flow passage 36. The length of the nozzle passage 88 is longer than the maximum width of the cross section of the nozzle passage 88. The cross section of the nozzle passage 88 of each of the nozzles 37, 37A is all equal.

[0031] As shown in Figures 2 and 5, the second nozzle constituent 82 is provided with the connection part 35 that communicates with the continuous flow path 36, and this connection part 35 is connected to a hose 100 that constitutes a part of the liquid delivery path 8A.

[0032] The holder 71 and the mill 21 are fixed to the case body 2 .

[0033] 7 to 9, the annular continuous flow path 36 is formed by the inner cylindrical portion 84 as an inner wall, the outer cylindrical portion 94 as an outer wall, and the flat plate portion 83 (FIG. 3) as a bottom wall that closes the bottom surface between the inner cylindrical portion 84 and the outer cylindrical portion 94, and the inner cylindrical portion 84 and the outer cylindrical portion 94, which has a larger diameter, are arranged concentrically. The upper surface of the flat plate portion 83 is arranged horizontally, and the cylindrical connecting portion 35 protrudes horizontally outward from the outer cylindrical portion 94. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the connecting portion 35 is arranged so that hot water hits the inner cylindrical portion 84 in a plan view. In this example, the connecting portion 35 is arranged so that hot water hits the outer peripheral surface 84G of the inner cylindrical portion 84 at a right angle in a plan view. For this reason, the connection portion 35 is provided with an internal flow path 35N, which is oriented perpendicular to the outer peripheral surface 84G so that the hot water discharged from the internal flow path 35N hits the outer peripheral surface 84G at a right angle.

[0034] 5, a discharge port 35H located at the tip of the internal flow path 35N of the connecting portion 35 is located at a height position of the outer circumferential surface 85G of the outer engagement groove portion 85 that is higher than the upper surface position of the step portion 106. The outer circumferential surface 85G forms a semicircular arc surface.

[0035] Furthermore, among the other first to third nozzles 37A, 37A, 37A provided in multiple locations (three locations), the connecting portion 35 is provided at a central position between the second nozzle 37A at the circumferential central position and the first nozzle 37A adjacent to it on one circumferential side. In this way, the first nozzle 37A and the second nozzle 37A are provided at positions spaced the same distance from the connecting portion 35.

[0036] Adjacent first to third nozzles 37A, 37A, 37A are arranged at equal 45-degree intervals around center S in the circumferential direction, and similarly, adjacent first to third nozzles 37, 37, 37 are arranged at equal 45-degree intervals around center S. Note that the first to third nozzles 37, 37, 37 and the first to third nozzles 37A, 37A, 37A are aligned counterclockwise in numerical order in FIG. 7 . Adjacent nozzles 37, 37, 37 and adjacent nozzles 37A, 37A, 37A are aligned at 45-degree intervals around center S. Center S of dripper 23 is the center of inner cylinder 84 and outer cylinder 94.

[0037] The inner tube portion 84 has four semicircular wall-shaped outer engagement groove portions 85 that bulge outward at equal intervals in the circumferential direction and fit onto the outside of the outer periphery of the mounting boss portion 78, and the outer engagement groove portions 85, 85 are located at the circumferential center position of the second nozzles 37, 37A.

[0038] The first and second nozzles 37A, 37A on both sides of the connecting portion 35 are located closest to the connecting portion 35 on both circumferential sides of the connecting portion 35, and the first and second nozzles 37A, 37A are provided at positions spaced the same distance from the connecting portion 35. Furthermore, the outer engagement groove 85 serving as a protrusion is provided on the inner cylindrical portion 84 opposite the second nozzle 37A in the center so as to extend toward the outer cylindrical portion 94.

[0039] Furthermore, of the first and second nozzles 37A, 37A on both sides of the connection portion 35, a semi-cylindrical protrusion 107 having an outer periphery substantially identical in shape to the outer engagement groove portion 85 is protruded from the inner tube portion 84 corresponding to the position of the first nozzle 37A, and this protrusion 107 is arranged to extend from the inner tube portion 84 toward the outer engagement groove portion 85, and has an outer circumferential surface 108 that is substantially arc-shaped.

[0040] Furthermore, a protrusion 107A of the same shape is provided at a position circumferentially opposing the protrusion 107 that is closest to the connecting portion 35, and by providing this protrusion 107A on the inner cylindrical portion 84, the first nozzle constituent 81 has an axisymmetric shape in a plan view, and can be assembled with the second nozzle constituent 82 even in a state where it is misaligned by 180 degrees. In other words, if the protrusion 107A does not exist and the protrusion 107 is assembled in a state where it is not at the position of the first nozzle 37A, it will be necessary to rotate the first nozzle constituent 81 by 180 degrees and then assemble it to the second nozzle constituent 82.

[0041] The first and second nozzles 37A, 37A on either side of the connection portion 35 and the connection portion 35 form an angle θ of 22.5 degrees with respect to the center S. Similarly, the angle θ between the connection portion 35 and the external engagement groove portion 85, which is the closest protrusion on one circumferential side of the connection portion 35, is 22.5 degrees with respect to the center S, and the angle θ between the connection portion 35 and the closest protrusion 107 on the other circumferential side of the connection portion 35 is 22.5 degrees with respect to the center S.

[0042] By providing the outer engagement groove portion 85 and the protrusion portion 107 as protrusions facing the first and second nozzles 37A, 37A on both sides of the connection portion 35 in this manner, the hot water supplied from the connection portion 35 and colliding with the inner tube portion 84 is guided toward the outer tube portion 94 by the protrusion portion 107 and the flow rate is reduced.At the same time, the hot water supplied from the connection portion 35 and colliding with the inner tube portion 84 is guided toward the outer tube portion 94 by the outer surface 85G of the outer engagement groove portion 85 and the flow rate is reduced, so that hot water can be reliably ejected from the nozzles 37A, 37A located at the closest position on both circumferential sides of the connection portion 35, and thereby hot water can be ejected evenly from all of the nozzles 37, 37, 37, 37A, 37A, 37A.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 6, the nozzles 37, 37A have their outlets 89 positioned outside the center S. The nozzles 37, 37A are positioned to face the center S. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1 and other figures, the angle of the nozzle passages 88 relative to the vertical is set so that the center lines of the hot water ejected from the nozzle passages 88 of the nozzles 37, 37A intersect below the upper surface Cmin of the dripper 23 for the coffee grounds 111 corresponding to one cup of coffee liquid, which is the minimum number of cups of coffee to be extracted (i.e., the distance between the center lines of the hot water ejected from the nozzle passages 88 is minimized). This angle is approximately 20 degrees, and is preferably approximately equal to or slightly larger than the angle of the arc-shaped side plate portion 52. This is because the hot water ejected obliquely from the outlets 89 toward the center of the dripper 23 falls parabolically due to gravity.

[0044] As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a plurality of switches 101 for operating the coffee maker 1 are arranged on the front surface of the canopy portion 5.

[0045] Next, an example of how to use the coffee maker 1 will be described. First, the user horizontally pulls out the storage case 55 from under the eaves 5, places the paper filter 56 in the dripper 23, and then pushes the storage case 55 horizontally below the eaves 5. Then, the user places the server 13 on the heating plate 11 of the mounting unit 4. When the server 13 is placed on the heating plate 11, the curved protrusion 66 on the lid 16 of the server 13 abuts against the curved valve head 62 of the stop valve 58, pushing the stop valve 58 upward and opening the valve hole 57 at the bottom of the dripper 23. Then, the user pours water into the water storage unit 6 in an amount corresponding to the number of cups of coffee to be brewed. The user then removes the lid 26 and pours a predetermined amount of coffee beans into the hopper 25 through the inlet 24. At this stage, the shutter 41 is closing the drop port 32, and the mill 21 and the inside of the dripper 23 are not in communication with each other.

[0046] When the user operates the switch 101, four actions occur simultaneously. First, the shutter advancing / retracting mechanism (not shown) moves the shutter 41 toward the outlet hole 44. This causes the communication opening 43 to overlap with the drop opening 32, connecting the mill 21 to the dripper 23. Second, the mill 21 is operated. This causes the mill 21 to grind the coffee beans, producing coffee powder 111, which then drops through the drop opening 32 into the paper filter 56 of the dripper 23. An example of this is shown in FIG. 12. Note that the predetermined amount corresponds to, for example, one, two, or three cups of coffee liquid. Third, the heating mechanism 7 is energized. This heats the water in the water storage section 6 to produce hot water. Fourth, the heater 12 is energized. As a result, the server 13 placed on the heating plate 11 is heated.

[0047] The mill 21 stops when a sufficient amount of time has passed to grind all of the predetermined amount of coffee beans. When the operation of the mill 21 stops, the shutter advancing / retracting means (not shown) moves the shutter 41 toward the insertion receiving portion 45, causing the shutter 41 to close the drop opening 32. After the shutter 41 closes the drop opening 32, the water in the water storage portion 6 becomes hot water at a predetermined temperature (85-90°C). When it is detected that the hot water in the water storage portion 6 has reached the predetermined temperature, the power supply to the heating means 7 is stopped, and the hot water in the water storage portion 6 is sent by the liquid delivery means 8 through the liquid delivery path 8A to the hot water supply portion 22, and the hot water is sprayed obliquely downward from the multiple nozzles 37, 37A connected to the continuous flow path 36. This spraying of hot water continues for a predetermined time, for example, 8 seconds, and then the hot water supply is stopped for a predetermined steaming time of 20 seconds, during which the coffee powder 111 is steamed.

[0048] After the steaming time has elapsed, all of the hot water in the water storage section 6 is continuously supplied. As described above, the amount of water in the water storage section 6 corresponds to the number of cups of coffee liquid to be extracted. Therefore, if all of the hot water in the water storage section 6 is supplied to the dripper 23, the desired number of cups of coffee liquid will be obtained and the water storage section 6 will be emptied. In this case, because the hot water is sprayed obliquely from the multiple nozzles 37, 37A toward the center of the dripper 23, even if the amount of coffee grounds 111 varies, the hot water will not fall through the paper filter 56 from areas where there are no coffee grounds 111. Furthermore, the hot water sprayed around the outer periphery of the coffee grounds 111 will not be strongly stirred. As a result, the coffee grounds 111 are maintained in an ideal state with a concave center as shown in FIG. 13 during extraction, and high-quality coffee liquid can be extracted. As described above, the distance between the center lines of hot water ejected from nozzle passages 88 of nozzles 37 and 37A is set to be minimum below upper surface Cmin of coffee grounds 111 in dripper 23 corresponding to one cup of coffee (the minimum number of cups to be extracted). This prevents hot water from directly contacting the portion of paper filter 56 opposite nozzle 37 and 37A across center S, and prevents the hot water from strongly stirring the outer periphery of coffee grounds 111 opposite nozzle 37 and 37A. This ensures that a depression 112 is formed in the center of coffee grounds 111 and a wall-like portion 113 is formed on the periphery, resulting in the extraction of high-quality coffee. Note that FIG. 13 is a photograph of coffee grounds 111 in dripper 23 after coffee extraction, revealing the formation of depression 112 in the center and raised wall-like portion 113 on the periphery.

[0049] In this way, when appropriate depressions 112 and wall-like portions 113 are formed in coffee grounds 111, hot water passes through coffee grounds 111 and paper filter 56 almost evenly and reliably, making it possible to obtain high-quality coffee liquid. On the other hand, if the formation of wall-like portions 113 is hindered around the periphery of coffee grounds 111, the coffee liquid extracted by the hot water will be uneven depending on the part of coffee grounds 111 through which it passes, which will have an adverse effect on the taste of the obtained coffee liquid.

[0050] After passing through the valve hole 57, the extracted coffee liquid passes through the through hole 62A of the valve head portion 62 and the through hole 67 of the lid 16 of the server 13, and accumulates in the server 13. When the server 13 is removed from the mounting portion 4, the stop valve 58 is pressed down by the coil spring 63, and the valve body 61 closes the valve hole 57, preventing the coffee liquid from dripping from the dripper 23.

[0051] As described above, this embodiment of the present invention is directed to coffee maker 1, which pours hot water delivered by liquid delivery means 8 onto coffee grounds in dripper 23. Hot water delivery unit 22 has multiple nozzles 37, 37A that pour hot water onto coffee grounds. Hot water delivery unit 22 has an annular continuous flow path 36 that has inner cylinder 84 as an inner wall, outer cylinder 94 as an outer wall, and base 92 as a bottom wall. Connection 35 is provided on outer cylinder 94 and connected to liquid delivery means 8. Multiple nozzles 37, 37A are provided on the outer wall side of base 92 and on both circumferential sides of connection 35. Connection 35 is provided so that hot water hits inner cylinder 84 in a plan view. , 37A, the outer engagement groove portion 85 and the protrusion portion 107, which are protrusions facing the first and second nozzles 37A, 37A located closest to the connection portion 35 on both circumferential sides of the connection portion 35, are arranged to extend from the inner tube portion 84 toward the outer tube portion 94.Therefore, by guiding the hot water supplied from the connection portion 35 and colliding with the inner tube portion 84 toward the outer tube portion by the outer engagement groove portion 85 and the protrusion portion 107 and reducing the flow rate, hot water can be reliably ejected from the nozzle 37A located closest to the connection portion 35 on both circumferential sides, and this allows hot water to be ejected evenly from all of the nozzles 37, 37A.

[0052] Furthermore, the connection portion 35 is arranged so that hot water hits the inner tube portion 84, which is the inner wall, at a right angle when viewed in a plane, and the pair of protrusions, the outer engagement groove portion 85 and the protrusion portion 107, which are arranged on both circumferential sides of the connection portion 35, are formed at positions spaced the same distance from the connection portion 35. This means that hot water can be sent evenly to the first and second nozzles 37A, 37A that are closest to the connection portion 35 on both circumferential sides of the connection portion 35, making it possible to more reliably eject hot water evenly from all nozzles 37, 37A.

[0053] Furthermore, outer peripheral surfaces 108 of protrusions 107, 107A and outer peripheral surface 85G of outer engagement groove 85, which is a protrusion, have substantially the same shape, and the outer end sides of outer peripheral surfaces 108 of protrusions 107, 107A and outer end sides of outer peripheral surface 85G of outer engagement groove 85, which is a protrusion, have the same shape, so that molten metal can flow stably from nozzle 37A by flowing along protrusions 107, and also has the effect of suppressing the flow rate by increasing resistance due to the lengthening of the path of the molten metal. Furthermore, because outer peripheral surfaces 108 of protrusions 107, 107A are arc-shaped, after the molten metal hits the other side of outer peripheral surface 108 in the circumferential direction and its flow rate decreases, it can flow smoothly on the outer end sides of protrusions 107, 107A.

[0054] Furthermore, a protrusion 107A of the same shape is provided at a position circumferentially opposing the protrusion 107 closest to the connecting portion 35, and by providing this protrusion 107A on the inner cylindrical portion 84, the first nozzle constituent 81 has an axisymmetric shape in plan view, and when assembling with the second nozzle constituent 82, assembly can be performed without having to worry about which of the protrusion 107 and the protrusion 107A should be positioned at the first nozzle 37A.

[0055] Furthermore, coffee maker 1, which pours hot water onto coffee grounds 111 in dripper 23, is provided with a plurality of nozzles 37, 37A that pour hot water onto coffee grounds 111, and the plurality of nozzles 37, 37A are positioned outward from the center position of dripper 23, and nozzle passages 88 of the plurality of nozzles 37, 37A are angled so that hot water is sprayed toward the center of dripper 23 from directly below nozzles 37, 37A. As a result, high-quality coffee liquid can be extracted with recess 112 formed in the center of coffee grounds 111 and wall-like portion 113 formed on the outer periphery.

[0056] Furthermore, since the device is provided with a plurality of nozzles 37, 37A, and the nozzles 37, 37A are arranged in pairs on either side of the central position S, hot water is supplied evenly to the coffee powder 111, thereby enabling extraction of high-quality coffee liquid.

[0057] Furthermore, the nozzles 37, 37A are provided with a jetting outlet 89 at the tip of the obliquely formed nozzle passage 88, so that hot water jets out from the oblique nozzle passages 88, 88, making it possible to extract high-quality coffee liquid.

[0058] Furthermore, the multiple nozzles 37, 37A are angled so that the center line of the hot water flowing out from one nozzle passage 88 and the center line of the hot water flowing out from the other nozzle passage 88 intersect below the upper surface Cmin of the coffee grounds 111 corresponding to the minimum extraction amount.This prevents the hot water from directly hitting the part of the paper filter 56 on the opposite side of the nozzles 37, 37A across the center S, and the hot water sprayed onto the outer periphery of the coffee grounds 111 on the opposite side of the nozzles 37, 37A is not strongly stirred, so that a depression 112 is reliably formed in the center of the coffee grounds 111 and a wall-like portion 113 is formed on the outer periphery, allowing high-quality coffee liquid to be poured out.

[0059] As an effect of the embodiment, the nozzles 37, 37A communicate with the common continuous flow path 36, and the cross-sectional area of ​​this continuous flow path 36 is larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the nozzle passage 88. This allows hot water to be sprayed substantially uniformly from each nozzle 37, 37A. Furthermore, the nozzles 37, 37A are formed by assembling the nozzle assemblies 81, 82, and therefore can be manufactured more inexpensively than if the nozzles were attached individually. Furthermore, the nozzle assemblies 81, 82 and the holder 71 can easily form the continuous flow path 36 communicating with the nozzle passage 88. Furthermore, the multiple nozzles 37, 37, 37 on one side are arranged at equal intervals on a concentric circle centered on the center S of the dripper 23, and the multiple nozzles 37A, 37A, 37A on the other side are arranged at equal intervals on a concentric circle centered on the center S of the dripper 23, allowing hot water to be supplied substantially uniformly.

[0060] Furthermore, drop opening 32 of mill 21 is provided in the center of nozzles 37, 37A, so that coffee grounds 111 can be dropped and supplied to the center of dripper 23. Drop opening 32 can be closed by shutter 41, which serves as an opening and closing means, and cylindrical gasket 76 is provided around drop opening 32 and abuts against the upper surface of shutter 41, so that steam can be prevented from entering mill 21.

[0061] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, in the above-described embodiments, the outer peripheral surfaces of the protrusions and the outer engagement grooves serving as protrusions are arc-shaped. However, the protrusions and the outer engagement grooves serving as protrusions may be polygonal, such as triangular or rectangular, extending toward the outer wall. Also, while the center S in FIG. 6 is located on an extension of the nozzle passage in a plane, the extension of the nozzle passage in a plane may be offset from the center S. The nozzle may be configured to spray hot water from directly below the nozzle toward the center of the dripper. The angle of the hot water sprayed from the nozzle can be appropriately selected depending on the shape of the dripper's side panel. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 1 coffee maker 8 Liquid delivery means 8A Liquid delivery path 22 Hot water supply section 35 Connection 36 Continuous flow channel 37 nozzle 37A Nozzle 84 Inner cylinder (inner wall) 85 Outer engagement groove (protrusion) 92 Base (bottom wall) 94 Outer cylinder (outer wall)

Claims

1. In a coffee maker, hot water sent by a liquid sending means is poured onto coffee grounds in a dripper, A coffee maker comprising a hot water supply unit having a plurality of nozzles for pouring hot water onto the coffee powder, the hot water supply unit having an annular continuous flow path having an inner wall, an outer wall and a bottom wall, and a connection portion provided on the outer wall and connected to the liquid delivery means, the hot water supply unit having a plurality of nozzles on the outer wall side of the bottom wall and on both circumferential sides of the connection portion, the connection portion being provided so that hot water hits the inner wall in a plan view, and a protrusion portion facing the nozzle provided at a position closest to the connection portion on both circumferential sides of the connection portion being provided so as to extend from the inner wall toward the outer wall.

2. 2. The coffee maker according to claim 1, wherein the connection portion is arranged so that hot water hits the inner wall at a right angle in a plan view, and a pair of the protrusions arranged on both sides of the connection portion in the circumferential direction are formed at positions spaced the same distance from the connection portion.

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