Coffee dripper and coffee dripper set

Abstract

To provide a coffee dripper and a coffee dripper set that can be stably spun when hot water is poured and enables tasty coffee to be easily prepared.SOLUTION: A coffee dripper includes: a dripper 2; and a stand 3 placed on a coffee vessel and supporting the dripper 2. The dripper 2 includes a cylindrical conical part 4 having an inner diameter that becomes small from the upper part to the lower part, includes a projection part 7 extending to the radially outside the outer peripheral surface of the conical part 4, and includes a stopper part 5 extending to the radially outside in the outer peripheral surface of a lower end portion of the conical part 4. The stand 3 includes a circular opening 10 having a diameter smaller than a radial length of the stopper part 5 of the dripper 2 and penetrating in the vertical direction. A portion between the projection part 7 and the stopper part 5 in the conical part 4 of the dripper 2 is arranged in the circular opening 10 of the stand 3. When the projection part 7 of the dripper 2 contacts the stand 3, the dripper 2 becomes horizontal to the stand 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a coffee dripper. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, many people have enjoyed coffee, and many people brew their own coffee at home or in the office using coffee makers or coffee drippers (hereinafter simply referred to as "drippers"). Currently, drippers of various shapes are available on the market, and more and more people are casually enjoying coffee (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3193260 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When using a conventional dripper, it is not easy to make delicious coffee because there is a trick to pouring the hot water in the right way.

[0005] Specifically, when pouring hot water over coffee grounds to extract the coffee ingredients, the hot water does not pass through the coffee grounds evenly, but passes through a large portion of the grounds, a phenomenon known as channeling (uneven extraction).Channeling occurs when dry coffee grounds repel water and the particle size distribution of the coffee grounds is not uniform, preventing the hot water from penetrating the grounds evenly, and when fine coffee powder clogs the coffee filter.

[0006] To prevent channeling, when steaming the coffee powder, it is advisable to agitate the coffee powder by stirring it with a spoon while it is in the hot water, by spinning the dripper (rotating it horizontally in a circular motion), or by tapping (lightly hitting) it.

[0007] However, when spinning a conventional dripper, it is necessary to remove the dripper from the coffee cup (or coffee server, etc.) or spin the dripper together with the coffee cup, which makes it difficult to perform such operations stably.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a coffee dripper and coffee dripper set that can stably spin when hot water is poured, making it possible to easily brew delicious coffee. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides: a coffee dripper stand that is placed on a coffee container and supports the coffee dripper; The coffee dripper has a cylindrical cone portion whose inner diameter decreases from top to bottom, a protrusion extending radially outward on an outer circumferential surface of the conical portion; a stopper portion extending radially outward on an outer peripheral surface of a lower end of the conical portion, the coffee dripper stand has a circular opening that has a diameter smaller than the radial length of the stopper portion of the coffee dripper and penetrates in a vertical direction, a portion of the conical portion of the coffee dripper between the protrusion and the stopper is disposed in the circular opening of the coffee dripper stand; The coffee dripper set is characterized in that the protrusion on the conical portion of the coffee dripper abuts against the coffee dripper stand, thereby making the coffee dripper horizontal to the coffee dripper stand.

[0010] The present invention also provides A coffee dripper made of elastically deformable resin is used by being supported in a circular opening of a coffee dripper stand placed on a coffee container, It has a cylindrical conical portion whose inner diameter decreases from top to bottom, a protrusion extending radially outward on an outer circumferential surface of the conical portion; a stopper portion extending radially outward on an outer peripheral surface of a lower end of the conical portion, a radial length of the stopper portion is greater than a diameter of the circular opening of the coffee dripper stand; a portion of the cone portion between the protrusion and the stopper portion is disposed in the circular opening of the coffee dripper stand; The coffee dripper is characterized in that the cone portion is horizontal to the coffee dripper stand when the protrusion of the cone portion abuts against the coffee dripper stand. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a coffee dripper and a coffee dripper set that can stably spin when hot water is poured and can easily brew delicious coffee. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a coffee dripper set according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing both the AA cross section of FIG. 2(a) and the BB cross section of FIG. 3(a), and FIG. 1(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the coffee dripper being tilted relative to the coffee dripper stand and spun. [Figure 2] FIG. 2(a) is a plan view of the coffee dripper, and FIG. 2(b) is a bottom view of the coffee dripper. [Figure 3] FIG. 3(a) is a plan view of the coffee dripper stand, and FIG. 3(b) is a bottom view of the coffee dripper stand. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] A dripper set according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dripper set 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1(a) comprises a conical dripper 2 and a dripper stand 3 that is placed on a coffee cup, coffee server, or the like (hereinafter referred to as a "coffee container") to support dripper 2. Dripper 2 is made of resin and comprises cone portion 4, stopper portion 5, and handle portion 6.

[0014] 1(a), the conical portion 4 is a cylindrical member having a constant thickness and an inner diameter that decreases from top to bottom, specifically a cylindrical member shaped like the side of a right circular cone with its apex pointing downward. The inside of the lower end of the conical portion 4 is closed, and a through hole 4a extending in the vertical direction is formed.

[0015] On the outer circumferential surface of conical portion 4, slightly below the vertical midpoint, protrusion 7 is integrally formed around the entire circumference, and is made of a circular, annular, protruding member with a roughly semicircular cross section that extends radially outward. More specifically, protrusion 7 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of conical portion 4 at a position where it will abut against the top surface of dripper stand 3 when dripper 2 is tightly fitted into circular opening 10 of dripper stand 3 (described below).

[0016] As shown in Figures 1(a) and 2(a), multiple convex portions 8 of the same shape extending in the vertical direction are integrally formed on the inner peripheral surface of the conical portion 4. The convex portions 8 are plate-shaped with their width and thickness decreasing from top to bottom. The multiple convex portions 8 are provided at equal intervals on the inner peripheral surface of the conical portion 4 so that elongated gaps, or grooves, extending in the vertical direction are formed between adjacent convex portions 8 in the circumferential direction.

[0017] The upper part of the convex portion 8 is semicircular. The upper end 8a of the upper part of the convex portion 8 does not reach the upper end 4b of the conical portion 4. More specifically, the height of the upper end 8a of the upper part of the convex portion 8 is lower than the height of the upper end 4b of the conical portion 4 by a predetermined amount, and as a result, a step portion 9 is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the upper part of the conical portion 4. The lower portion of the convex portion 8 has a substantially rectangular shape. The thickness of the lower end of the lower portion of the convex portion 8 is 0, and the convex portion 8 blends into the inner peripheral surface of the conical portion 4.

[0018] 1(a) and 2(b), stopper portion 5 is an annular member with a narrow, elongated, generally rectangular cross section that extends radially outward and is integrally formed around the entire outer periphery of the lower end of conical portion 4. The radial length (outer diameter) of stopper portion 5 is designed to be larger than the inner diameter of circular opening 10 of dripper stand 3. 1(a) and 2(a), the handle 6 is made of a roughly semicircular plate-like member that extends radially outward and is integrally formed on part of the outer circumferential surface of the upper end of the conical portion 4. However, the shape of the handle 6 is not limited to this, and it may be, for example, an annular shape similar to the handle of a typical coffee cup.

[0019] Dripper stand 3 is made of a square plate-like member made of resin. Dripper stand 3 is not limited to a square plate-like member, and may be made of a plate-like member of other shapes, such as a circle or a rectangle. As shown in Figures 1(a) and 3(a), a circular opening 10 that passes through dripper stand 3 in the vertical direction is formed at the center of dripper stand 3. A rectangular slit 12 is formed at the center of one side of dripper stand 3 so as to reach circular opening 10.

[0020] The inner peripheral surface 11 that forms the circular opening 10 of the dripper stand 3 is an inclined surface whose diameter decreases from top to bottom. Specifically, the inclination angle of the inner peripheral surface 11 is designed to match the inclination angle of the outer peripheral surface of the conical portion 4 of the dripper 2. This allows the dripper 2 to fit onto the inner peripheral surface 11 of the dripper stand 3, allowing the dripper stand 3 to stably support the dripper 2.

[0021] The underside of drip stand 3 is the surface on which the coffee container is placed, and as shown in Figure 1(a), it has recess 13 formed therein, the depth of which gradually increases toward the center of circular opening 10. As shown in Figure 3(b), recess 13 is circular when viewed from below drip stand 3, and protrusion 14 is integrally formed on the underside of drip stand 3 so as to surround recess 13. Protrusion 14 is an annular ridge member with a rectangular cross section that protrudes downward from drip stand 3, and the center of protrusion 14 coincides with the center of circular opening 10.

[0022] The procedure for using the dripper set 1 according to this embodiment and its effects will be described. Step 1: The user inserts the lower portion of conical portion 4 of dripper 2, specifically the portion between protrusion 7 and stopper portion 5, into slit 12 of dripper stand 3, and advances it all the way to circular opening 10. This completes the attachment of dripper 2 to drip stand 3.

[0023] Step 2: The user places the dripper stand 3 on the coffee container. At this time, the protrusions 7 of the dripper 2 abut the top surface of the dripper stand 3, ensuring that the dripper 2 is level (the dripper 2 is level with respect to the dripper stand 3), i.e., aligning the central axis of the dripper 2 with the central axis of the dripper stand 3. The user then places a coffee filter (paper filter) in the dripper 2 and adds coffee grounds, and is ready to brew coffee.

[0024] In step 2, specifically, the annular protrusion 14 of the dripper stand 3 is inserted into the coffee container. This prevents the recess 13 on the underside of the dripper stand 3 from being placed on the coffee container, preventing the dripper stand 3 from being tilted relative to the coffee container. Furthermore, the engagement of the protrusion 14 of the dripper stand 3 with the coffee container prevents the dripper stand 3 from shifting horizontally relative to the coffee container.

[0025] Step 3: The user pours hot water into the dripper 2 to steam the coffee grounds. With the dripper 2 still filled with hot water, the user grasps the handle 6 to lift the dripper 2 and spin it while tilting it, i.e., tilting the central axis of the dripper 2 relative to the central axis of the dripper stand 3 (see Figure 1(b)). The user also taps the dripper 2, specifically, taps the upper end of the dripper 2 downward. Instead of tapping the dripper 2, the user may move the dripper 2 up and down so that the protrusion 7 of the dripper 2 lightly hits the upper surface of the dripper stand 3.

[0026] Step 3 uses centrifugal force to agitate the coffee grounds, allowing the hot water to penetrate evenly throughout the grounds, preventing channeling in Step 4, which will be described later. In particular, tilting the dripper 2 while spinning it allows the coffee grounds accumulated in the deepest part of the coffee filter to be agitated in a way that digs them up, allowing the hot water to penetrate the entire grounds more effectively. Furthermore, fine coffee powder can be dispersed, effectively preventing the coffee filter from being clogged with fine coffee powder.

[0027] In Step 3, the horizontal movement of the dripper 2 is restricted by the inner circumferential surface 11 of the dripper stand 3, so the user does not spin the dripper 2 excessively, and the hot water in the dripper 2 does not spread excessively and splash out of the dripper 2. In this way, the user can easily and stably spin the dripper 2. In particular, the user can spin the dripper 2 more easily and stably by spinning the dripper 2 along the circular opening 10 of the dripper stand 3, i.e., while the dripper 2 is in contact with the inner circumferential surface 11 of the dripper stand 3.

[0028] Furthermore, in step 3, when the user lifts dripper 2, stopper portion 5 of dripper 2 abuts against recess 13 on the underside of dripper stand 3, and when the user lowers dripper 2, protrusion 7 of dripper 2 abuts against the upper surface of dripper stand 3, thereby restricting the movement of dripper 2 in the vertical direction.

[0029] This configuration effectively prevents the user from excessively tapping the dripper 2, excessively moving it up and down, or excessively tilting it, preventing hot water from spilling out of the dripper 2. In addition, the dripper 2 will not come off the circular opening 10 of the dripper stand 3.

[0030] Furthermore, since recess 13 is provided on the underside of dripper stand 3, even if dripper stand 3 is thick in the vertical direction, the user can easily tilt dripper 2 equipped with stopper portion 5 when spinning dripper 2. After completing step 3, when the user places dripper 2 on dripper stand 3, protrusion 7 of dripper 2 will engage with dripper stand 3, thereby ensuring that dripper 2 is level again.

[0031] Step 4: After the desired steeping time has elapsed, the user pours hot water into the dripper 2 to brew (extract) the coffee. At this time, step 3 above prevents fine coffee powder from clogging the coffee filter and effectively prevents channeling, thereby increasing the coffee extraction efficiency, i.e., effectively extracting the coffee components from all the coffee grounds, resulting in delicious coffee.

[0032] In step 4, for example, if a coffee filter larger than the dripper 2 is used and hot water or coffee leaks out of the coffee filter above the top end of the conical portion 4, the hot water or coffee can be trapped in the stepped portion 9 of the conical portion 4 and prevented from overflowing outside the conical portion 4. More specifically, the hot water or coffee that leaks out of the coffee filter is guided downward by the upper semicircular portions of the convex portions 8 on the inner circumferential surface of the conical portion 4, and then guided downward through the gaps between the convex portions 8 and back into the coffee filter, preventing it from overflowing outside the conical portion 4. Therefore, the dripper set 1 according to this embodiment can also use a coffee filter larger than the dripper 2.

[0033] The upper portions of the convex portions 8 of the conical portion 4 are not limited to a semicircular shape. Considering that the coffee filter will stretch due to hot water, the upper portions of the convex portions 8 may have a shape suitable for guiding the hot water or coffee seeping out of the coffee filter into the gaps between the convex portions 8 while ensuring a sufficient contact area with the coffee filter, such as a triangular shape, an elliptical shape, or a rectangular shape with curved corners. Furthermore, as mentioned above, the circumferential spacing between the convex portions 8 of the conical portion 4 is not limited to equal spacing. Furthermore, although the conical portion 4 has 12 convex portions 8, the number of convex portions 8 is not limited to this.

[0034] As described above, with the dripper set 1 according to this embodiment, you can stably spin or tap the dripper 2 when pouring hot water, making it easy to brew delicious coffee. Furthermore, the taste of the coffee does not change significantly each time you use the dripper 1, allowing you to brew consistently delicious coffee.

[0035] The drippers 2 and dripper stand 3 in the dripper set 1 according to this embodiment are not limited to being made of resin, but may be made of other materials such as metal, ceramic, wood, elastically deformable resin, etc. Furthermore, the dripper stand 3 may be made of metal wire.

[0036] For example, if at least one of dripper 2 and dripper stand 3 is made of an elastically deformable resin (e.g., silicone rubber), dripper 2 can be attached to circular opening 10 of dripper stand 3 by elastically deforming at least one of them. In this case, slit 12 in dripper stand 3 can be omitted.

[0037] Furthermore, if dripper 2 is made of an elastically deformable resin, dripper 2 can be attached to a commercially available dripper stand (a dripper stand with a general configuration that has dripper attachment holes) instead of dripper stand 3, and used in the same manner as steps 1 to 4 described above, achieving the same effects. In this case, it is preferable to provide multiple vertically extending slits at intervals along the circumferential direction on protrusion 7 of dripper 2, as this makes it easier to attach and detach dripper 2 to and from dripper stand 3.

[0038] The cross-sectional shapes of protrusions 7 of dripper 2, stopper 5, and protrusions 14 of dripper stand 3 are not limited to the shapes described above and may be other shapes, such as triangular, rectangular, semi-elliptical, semicircular, etc. Protrusions 7 of dripper 2, stopper 5, and protrusions 14 of dripper stand 3 are not limited to the annular shapes described above and may be arc-shaped, hemispherical, or cubic extending in the circumferential direction of dripper 2, and may be provided at multiple locations spaced apart in the circumferential direction.

[0039] Although the dripper set 1 according to this embodiment shows a conical dripper 2, the present invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to a trapezoidal dripper. In this case, the outer shape of the lower part of the trapezoidal dripper should be conical.

[0040] The dripper set 1 according to this embodiment can also be used by attaching the dripper 2 to the dripper stand 3, placing a commercially available conical dripper inside the dripper 2, placing a coffee filter in the commercially available dripper, and adding ground coffee, following the same steps as steps 3 and 4 described above. The dripper stand 3 of the dripper set 1 according to this embodiment is not limited to the dripper 2, and can also be used with a commercially available conical dripper placed on it, following the same procedures as steps 3 and 4 described above.

[0041] The shape of dripper 2 of dripper set 1 according to this embodiment is not limited to a cone. For example, the lower portion of dripper 2 (the portion between protrusion 7 and stopper 5) may be cylindrical with a constant outer diameter from top to bottom. In this case, the inner diameter of circular opening 10 of dripper stand 3 may be made larger than the outer diameter of the lower portion, allowing dripper 2 to spin and tilt. As mentioned above, dripper stand 3 of dripper set 1 according to this embodiment is a plate-like member, but if its thickness in the vertical direction is small, recess 13 may be omitted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1 dripper set 2 drippers 3 Dripper Stand 4 Cone section 5 Stopper part 6 Handle 7. Dripper protrusion 8 Convex part 9 Step 10 circular opening 12 Slit 13 Recess 14 Protrusion of dripper stand 15 coffee filters 16 Coffee grounds with hot water poured over them

Claims

1. a coffee dripper stand that is placed on a coffee container and supports the coffee dripper; The coffee dripper has a cylindrical cone portion whose inner diameter decreases from top to bottom, a protrusion extending radially outward on an outer circumferential surface of the conical portion; a stopper portion extending radially outward on an outer peripheral surface of a lower end of the conical portion, the coffee dripper stand has a circular opening that has a diameter smaller than the radial length of the stopper portion of the coffee dripper and penetrates in a vertical direction, a portion of the conical portion of the coffee dripper between the protrusion and the stopper is disposed in the circular opening of the coffee dripper stand; a projection on the conical portion of the coffee dripper abutting against the coffee dripper stand, thereby making the coffee dripper horizontal with respect to the coffee dripper stand;

2. 2. The coffee dripper set according to claim 1, wherein the coffee dripper stand is plate-shaped and has a recess formed on the underside thereof, the recess being concentric with the circular opening and increasing in depth toward the center.

3. A protrusion extending downward is provided on the underside of the coffee dripper stand so as to surround the recess, 3. The coffee dripper set according to claim 2, wherein the protrusion of the coffee dripper stand engages with the coffee container, thereby preventing the coffee dripper stand from shifting horizontally relative to the coffee container.

4. The coffee dripper stand has a slit formed therein so as to extend from a side end thereof to the circular opening, 2. The coffee dripper set according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the conical portion of the coffee dripper between the protrusion and the stopper portion is disposed within the circular opening through the slit of the dripper stand.

5. 2. The coffee dripper set according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the coffee dripper and the coffee dripper stand is made of an elastically deformable resin.

6. The coffee dripper has an inner circumferential surface of the conical portion having a plurality of convex portions of the same shape arranged in a circumferential direction, Each of the plurality of protrusions extends in the vertical direction and has a plate shape whose width and thickness decrease from the top to the bottom, the plurality of protrusions are provided on the inner circumferential surface of the conical portion such that gaps extending in the up-down direction are formed between the protrusions adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction, Each of the upper portions of the plurality of protrusions has a semicircular, triangular, or elliptical shape, 2. The coffee dripper set according to claim 1, wherein the upper ends of the upper portions of the plurality of protrusions do not reach the upper end of the conical portion.

7. 2. The coffee dripper set according to claim 1, wherein the coffee dripper has a handle extending radially outward from an outer peripheral surface of an upper portion of the conical portion.

8. A coffee dripper made of elastically deformable resin is used by being supported in a circular opening of a coffee dripper stand placed on a coffee container, It has a cylindrical conical portion whose inner diameter decreases from top to bottom, a protrusion extending radially outward on an outer circumferential surface of the conical portion; a stopper portion extending radially outward on an outer peripheral surface of a lower end of the conical portion, a radial length of the stopper portion is greater than a diameter of the circular opening of the coffee dripper stand; a portion of the cone portion between the protrusion and the stopper portion is disposed in the circular opening of the coffee dripper stand; The coffee dripper according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion of the conical portion abuts against the coffee dripper stand, thereby making the conical portion horizontal to the coffee dripper stand.

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