Electric coffee machine
The coffee maker addresses capacity and taste issues by using an electric pump and solenoid valves to manage water distribution and brewing processes, enabling flexible and efficient coffee production from one to four cups.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2024120426
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-07-08
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-21
AI Technical Summary
Conventional electric coffee makers are limited in brewing capacity, unable to efficiently produce larger quantities of coffee beyond the equivalent of four small cups, and often result in an unpleasant taste due to uneven brewing processes.
The coffee maker incorporates an electric pump, solenoid valves, and a controlled flow path system to manage water supply, steaming, drip, and hot water addition processes, allowing for adjustable drip rates and precise water distribution to brew one to four cups of coffee efficiently.
The system enables flexible brewing of one to four cups of coffee by controlling the operation of solenoid valves and electric pump, ensuring consistent flavor and quantity, overcoming capacity limitations and taste issues of conventional makers.
Smart Images
Figure 2026009790000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical Field]
[0001] The present invention provides a flow path for the drip process and a flow path for the hot water addition process, and by controlling the amount of drip and the amount of hot water added, the present invention is a drip-type electric coffee maker that can brew delicious coffee according to the user's preferences and can brew coffee for one to four people. [Background technology]
[0002] [Figure 3] and [Figure 4] are diagrams showing how to brew a total of approximately 125 mL of coffee for one person using a commercially available paper filter dripper with approximately 10 to 12 g of ground coffee, by dripping the first 1 / 3, the next 1 / 3, and the final 1 / 3.
[0003] The first third and second third of the coffee are fragrant and delicious. However, the last third is pale in color like black tea and has a strong, unpleasant taste. This invention is an electric drip coffee maker that can brew one cup of coffee by adjusting the amount of drip and adding water to avoid dripping the unpleasant second half of the coffee. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0004] By controlling the operation time of the electric pump to brew one cup of coffee, it is possible to supply and maintain one cup's worth of water in the boiler and boil it. Coffee can be brewed using some of the water for the steaming process, some for the drip process, and the remaining water for the topping up process.
[0005] A drip flow path that supplies hot water to the dripper and a hot water addition flow path that supplies hot water directly to the coffee cup are provided, and solenoid valves are placed on each flow path, and by controlling the "opening" and "closing" times of the solenoid valves, the steaming process, drip process, and hot water addition process are carried out to complete the entire process of brewing one cup of coffee.When all processes are completed, the amount of water supplied to the boiler is used up so that no hot water remains in the boiler.
[0006] The drip rate for one cup of coffee can be set between 30% and 100% during the drip process to remove impurities, and the amount of hot water added during the hot water addition process can be adjusted to brew one cup of coffee. When the drip rate is 100%, there is no impurity removal.
[0007] The boiler has a capacity to hold one cup of water, a heater is placed inside the boiler, there is a water supply hole and two hot water supply holes, and there is also an exhaust hole to prevent pressure or negative pressure from building up inside the boiler.
[0008] This type of coffee maker was an invention that brewed one cup of coffee for one person. Coffee cups for one person ranged from small cups to large cups (mugs), and one cup contained approximately 125 mL to 250 mL of coffee, requiring approximately 10 g to 20 g of ground coffee.
[0009] Thus, conventional electric coffee makers equipped with drip and hot water channels could brew a maximum of approximately 250 mL of coffee, but could not brew larger amounts, such as the equivalent of four small cups (approximately 500 mL).
[0010] There are two types of paper filters available on the market: small and large filters (see Figure 11). The small filter can hold up to 30g of ground coffee, while the large filter can hold more than 30g of ground coffee.
[0011] However, to use a large filter, the dripper and buffer must be adjusted to the size of the large filter, and the boiler volume must also be increased, which means that the coffee maker must be large to brew four small cups of coffee (approximately 500 mL). [Means for solving the problem]
[0012] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an electric pump placed between the water tank and the boiler, and arranges the boiler, buffer, dripper, and coffee cup vertically from top to bottom to allow hot water to easily fall naturally.
[0013] The amount of water needed for one cup can be supplied to the boiler by controlling the operating time of the electric pump, and the water can be boiled by maintaining it in the boiler. Solenoid valve A is placed between the boiler and the buffer, and solenoid valve B is placed between the boiler and the coffee cup, providing a flow path for the drip process and a flow path for the hot water addition process.
[0014] To carry out the steaming process, the solenoid valve A in the drip process flow path is controlled to "open and close" to supply the amount of boiled water needed for steaming to the dripper to steam the coffee powder. When the steaming process is complete, the drip process begins, and solenoid valve A is again controlled to "open and close" to supply hot water to the dripper and extract the coffee. During the drip process, the drip rate can be set between 30 and 100%.
[0015] When the drip rate reaches 30-100% of the amount of coffee needed for one cup, solenoid valve A is controlled to "close" to complete the drip process. Next, the hot water addition process begins, and solenoid valve B in the flow path for the hot water addition process is controlled to "open / close" to supply hot water directly to the coffee cup, brewing one cup of coffee. When the hot water addition process is complete, all the water supplied to the boiler is used up so that no hot water remains in the boiler. When the drip rate is 100%, there is no hot water addition process, so all the water supplied is used up in the drip process.
[0016] To make four small cups of coffee, use a small filter and a coffee server. The small filter can hold approximately 30g of ground coffee.
[0017] First, to brew one large cup of coffee, as described above in
[0013] to
[0015] , the amount of coffee for one large cup is brewed in the coffee server through the processes of supplying water to the boiler, boiling water, steaming, dripping, and adding hot water.
[0018] Next, the boiler is again supplied with an amount of water equal to the amount of coffee in one large cup, and the water is boiled. The boiled water is supplied directly to the coffee server by controlling the opening and closing of solenoid valve B in the flow path for the hot water addition process, and the additional hot water is added. The additional water supplied to the boiler is used up completely, so that there is no water left. Therefore, the amount of coffee in the coffee server is the sum of the amount of coffee in one cup and the amount of additional hot water added.
[0019] In this way, you can brew twice the amount of coffee that a large cup makes. Therefore, since a large cup makes twice the amount of coffee that a small cup makes, you can brew the amount of coffee you want to make, which is the equivalent of four small cups.
[0020] In this way, the operation timing and duration of the electric pump, solenoid valves A and B, and the ON / OFF of the heater are controlled, and after supplying water to the boiler, boiling water, and carrying out the steaming process, drip process, and hot water addition process to brew one cup of coffee, the electric drip coffee maker is equipped with a control circuit that supplies additional water to the boiler, boils water, and adds additional hot water. [Effects of the Invention]
[0021] The drip-type electric coffee maker of the present invention has a boiler, buffer, dripper, and coffee cup arranged vertically from top to bottom, with a flow path that supplies hot water to the dripper and a flow path that supplies hot water directly to the coffee cup.By controlling the opening and closing times of the solenoid valves arranged in each flow path, the hot water falls naturally, performing the steaming process, drip process, and hot water addition process, and it is possible to brew one cup of coffee.
[0022] This is a drip-type electric coffee maker that can brew the amount of coffee needed for one cup, then supply additional water to the boiler to boil the water, and add more water to brew the amount of coffee needed for four small cups. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Example]
[0023] The meanings of the terms used here are explained below. A cup of coffee is the amount of coffee you want to brew for one person, regardless of the size of the coffee cup. A cup of water is the amount of water needed to brew one cup of coffee, which is the sum of the amount of coffee in one cup and the amount of water absorbed by the coffee grounds.
[0024] Drip brewing is the process of extracting coffee by adding hot water to coffee grounds. The drip volume is the amount of coffee dripped into a coffee cup or coffee server. Adding hot water is the process of adding hot water directly from the boiler to a coffee cup or coffee server, and the amount of added hot water is the amount of hot water added. The drip rate is the ratio of the drip volume to the amount of coffee in one cup.
[0025] The steaming process is the process of supplying hot water to the coffee grounds before the drip process, allowing them to absorb enough water and steam. The drip process is the process of supplying hot water to the coffee grounds in the dripper to extract the coffee, and the steaming process is also part of the drip process. The topping up process is the process of supplying hot water directly to the coffee cup or coffee server.
[0026] As shown in Figure 10, coffee cups 7 come in small and large sizes. The large cups can hold approximately twice as much coffee as the small cups. The coffee server 43 can hold the equivalent of four small cups of coffee.
[0027] As shown in Figure 11, there are two types of paper filters 10: small and large. The present invention uses the small filter. The small filter is a paper filter 10 for 1-2 small cups, and can hold approximately 10-30g of ground coffee for drip brewing.
[0028] Selector switch A allows you to select American (coffee) 40% drip, Mild (coffee) 70% drip, or Regular (coffee) 100% drip. Strong (coffee) is coffee that does not require additional hot water.
[0029] The following describes the configuration of the device 1, which is an embodiment of the present invention. [Fig. 1] is an example of an external view of an electric coffee maker of the present invention. The operation panel 2 is equipped with a power switch 3, a selection switch A4, and a start switch 5. The selection switch A4 allows you to select the drip rate for one cup of coffee (0028).
[0030] Furthermore, the selection switch B40 can select the amount of coffee for one small cup or one large cup. The 4-cup switch 41 is a switch for selecting the amount of coffee for four small cups using the coffee server 43.
[0031] A removable water tank 6 is located at the rear of the device, and a coffee cup 7 for receiving coffee or a coffee server 43 can be placed at the front bottom. The dripper holder 8 is removable, and can be removed to set a dripper 9. A small paper filter 10 can be set in the dripper 9, and coffee powder 11 can be added.
[0032] [Figure 5] shows an example of the configuration of an electric coffee maker of the present invention, illustrating one example of the basic components arranged to achieve the effects of the present invention. Water tank 6 and boiler 12 are connected by water supply pipe 14 via electric pump 13. Electric pump 13 can supply water to boiler 12 by controlling its operating time. Boiler 12, buffer 42, dripper 9, and coffee cup 7 are arranged vertically from top to bottom to allow hot water to fall naturally.
[0033] [Figures 6] and [Figure 7] show the components of the boiler 12. The boiler 12 is composed of a boiler vessel 17, a vessel lid 18, and a heater 19, which is disposed inside the boiler 12. The boiler 19 also has a temperature sensor 20, a thermostat 21, and a thermal fuse 22. Furthermore, a water supply hole 23 and an exhaust hole 24 are provided in the vessel lid 18 at the top of the boiler 12, and a hot water supply hole A 25 and a hot water supply hole B 26 are provided in the bottom of the boiler vessel 17.
[0034] The purpose of the exhaust hole 24 is to exhaust air so that internal pressure does not build up in the boiler 12 when supplying water, making it possible to easily supply one cup of water, and to prevent steam pressure from building up in the boiler 12 when boiling water.Furthermore, the purpose is to draw air in so that negative pressure does not build up in the boiler 12 when supplying hot water to the coffee cup 7.
[0035] Furthermore, the exhaust hole 24 is connected by an exhaust pipe 31 to an exhaust port 30 provided on the outer casing of the body 1 in order to exhaust the steam and steam pressure generated when boiling water outside the body, thereby preventing steam and water droplets from adversely affecting the components inside the body.
[0036] Solenoid valve A15 is placed between boiler 12 and buffer 42 and connected by hot water supply pipe A32 to form a flow path for the drip process. Solenoid valve B16 is placed between boiler 12 and coffee cup 7 and connected by hot water supply pipe B33 to form a flow path for the hot water addition process. By controlling the operation timing and operation time of solenoid valves A15 and B16, hot water can be supplied to dripper 9 for coffee extraction, and hot water alone can be supplied directly to coffee cup 7 for adding hot water.
[0037] An embodiment of the coffee brewing process of the present invention will now be described. When brewing one cup of coffee, power switch 3 is pressed to turn on the power, selection switch A4 is pressed to select the desired coffee, and then selection switch B40 is used to select a small or large cup. When start switch 5 is pressed, the operating time of electric pump 13 is controlled to supply water for one cup to boiler 12. The amount of water for one cup can also be supplied in multiple increments.
[0038] The amount of water supplied to the boiler 12 is maintained, the heater 19 is turned on, and the water boiling process begins. When the water temperature in the boiler 12 reaches 90-100°C, the temperature sensor 20 detects this and turns off the heater 19. Until this process, the solenoid valves A15 and B16 are in the "closed" state.
[0039] Once the water temperature reaches 90-100°C and heater 19 is turned off, the steaming process begins, and the "open / close" time of solenoid valve A15 is controlled to supply steaming water from hot water outlet A34 to dripper 9. The amount of steaming water is approximately 20-50 mL, which is sufficient to steam the coffee grounds 11 in dripper 9. Then solenoid valve A15 closes, and the coffee grounds 11 in dripper 9 are steamed for approximately 20-30 seconds.
[0040] After the steaming process, the drip process begins, controlling the "open / close" time of solenoid valve A15 to supply hot water to dripper 9 and extract coffee into coffee cup 7. When mild is selected with selector switch A4 in [Figure 2] and large cup is selected with selector switch B40, solenoid valve A15 closes and the drip process is completed when the drip rate reaches 70%. At this time, the drip volume is approximately 175 mL, as shown in [Figure 8].
[0041] After the drip process, the machine enters the hot water addition process, and the "open / close" time of solenoid valve B16 is controlled to supply hot water directly to coffee cup 7. At this time, the amount of hot water added is approximately 75 mL, as shown in [Figure 8]. The amount of coffee in one cup is approximately 250 mL, consisting of 175 mL of drip water and 75 mL of added hot water.
[0042] When completing the above-mentioned hot water addition process, the solenoid valve B16 is "open" until the hot water in the boiler 12 runs out, and when the hot water in the boiler 12 runs out, the solenoid valve B16 is closed and the coffee brewing process is completed.
[0043] Next, we will explain how to brew four small cups of coffee using the coffee server 43. First, using [Fig. 8] and [Fig. 9], we will explain the amount of coffee and coffee powder when brewing coffee using a small cup, a large cup, and the coffee server 43. When the amount of coffee in a small cup is 125 mL, the amount of coffee powder is approximately 10 g. When the amount of coffee in a large cup is 250 mL, the amount of coffee powder is approximately 20 g.
[0044] As mentioned above, the small filter can be used with up to approximately 30 g of coffee powder, so it can actually brew 375 mL of coffee, which is equivalent to three small cups.However, as mentioned above, the capacity of the boiler 12 is limited to a certain size, and is the volume necessary to brew the amount of coffee needed for a large cup, so it is not possible to brew more than approximately 250 mL of coffee, which is the amount of coffee needed for one cup.
[0045] However, despite the limitations of filter size and boiler volume as mentioned above, by designing a program to control the water supply, boiling water, and hot water supply of the present invention, it is possible to brew the amount of coffee equivalent to four small cups.
[0046] An example of the process for brewing four small cups of coffee is described below. When brewing four small cups of coffee, approximately 30 g of coffee powder is placed in the paper filter 10, and the coffee server 43 is used instead of the coffee cup 7. The power switch 3 is pressed to turn on the power, and the selection switch A4 is pressed to select 100% drip regular coffee. Next, the 4-cup switch 41 is pressed, and when the start switch 5 is pressed, the operating time of the electric pump 13 is controlled to supply water to the boiler 12 in an amount equivalent to one large cup of water. Here, 100% drip is selected as an example, but 70% drip can also be selected.
[0047] After water is supplied to the boiler 12, approximately 250 mL of coffee is extracted into the coffee server 43 through steps
[0038] to
[0042] described above. Since 100% drip is selected here, there is no step of adding hot water. At this time, as explained in [Figure 9], approximately 30 g of ground coffee can brew 375 mL of coffee, so the drip volume of approximately 250 mL is an extraction volume with a drip rate of 66.7%.
[0048] Next, the operating time of electric pump 13 is controlled to supply the same amount of water as one large cup of coffee, i.e., approximately 250 mL, to boil water again, and when the water temperature reaches 90-100°C, heater 19 is turned off. The boiled water is supplied directly to coffee server 43 by controlling solenoid valve B16 in the flow path for the hot water addition process. At this time, solenoid valve B is kept "open" until the hot water in boiler 12 runs out, so that no hot water remains in boiler 12.
[0049] Therefore, by extracting approximately 250 mL of coffee into the coffee server 43 through step
[0047] , and then adding approximately 250 mL of hot water through step
[0048] , 500 mL of American coffee with a drip rate of approximately 50% can be brewed as shown in [Figure 9].
[0050] In this way, the coffee brewing process is controlled by the program of the control circuit 36, which controls the operation timing and operation time of the electric pump 13, solenoid valves A15 and B16, and heater 19, thereby making it possible to remove impurities and brew the desired amount of coffee in this drip-type electric coffee maker. [Brief explanation of the drawings]
[0051] [Figure 1] 1 is an external view of an example of an electric coffee maker according to the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is an example of an operation panel of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram of how to brew coffee using a commercially available dripper. [Figure 4] This is an explanatory diagram comparing the first 1 / 3 of the drip, the next 1 / 3 of the drip, and the last 1 / 3 of the drip when brewing one cup of coffee using a commercially available dripper. [Figure 5] 1 is an example showing basic components of a body of the present invention. [Figure 6] 7 is an example of a vertical cross section of a boiler according to the present invention (cross section AA in FIG. 7). [Figure 7] 1 is an example showing the top surface of a boiler of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is an example showing the amount of coffee in one cup, the amount of coffee powder to use, and the amount of drip. [Figure 9] This is an example showing the amount of coffee to brew in the coffee server, the amount of coffee powder to use, and the amount to drip. [Figure 10] 1 is a diagram showing types of coffee cups and coffee servers used in the present invention. [Figure 11]This is a diagram showing the types of paper filters available on the market. [Explanation of symbols]
[0052] 1. Unit 2. Operation panel 3 Power switch 4 Selector switch A 5 Start switch 6 Water tank 7 Coffee cup 8 Dripper tray 9 Dripper 10 Paper filter 11 Coffee powder 12 Boiler 13 Electric pump 14 Water supply pipe 15 Solenoid valve A 16 Solenoid valve B 17 Boiler vessel 18 Vessel lid 19 Heater 20 Temperature sensor 21 Thermostat 22 Thermal fuse 23 Water supply hole 24 Exhaust hole 25 Hot water supply hole A 26 Hot water supply hole B 27 Water level sensor 28 Normal water level 29 Upper water level 30 Exhaust port 31 Exhaust pipe 32 Hot water pipe A 33 Hot water pipe B 34 Hot water outlet A 35 Hot water outlet B 36 Control circuit 37 Check valve 38 Drip port 39 Cup holder 40 Selection switch B 41 4-cup switch 42 Buffer 43 Coffee Server
Claims
[Claim 1] In a coffee maker having an electric pump placed between the water tank and boiler, a boiler, buffer, dripper, and coffee server arranged vertically from top to bottom to allow hot water to fall naturally, an electromagnetic valve A placed between the boiler and buffer to form a flow path for the drip process, and an electromagnetic valve B placed between the boiler and coffee server to form a flow path for the hot water addition process, the amount of water for one cup can be supplied to the boiler and held for boiling by controlling the operating time of the electric pump, and the boiled water is used for the steaming process by controlling electromagnetic valve A on the flow path for the drip process to supply the amount of hot water required for steaming to the dripper, thereby executing the steaming process, and in the drip process, electromagnetic valve A on the flow path for the drip process is controlled to supply hot water to the dripper and control the amount of drip When the amount of coffee in one cup reaches 30-100%, solenoid valve A is controlled to complete the drip process, and in the hot water addition process, solenoid valve B on the flow path for the hot water addition process is controlled to supply hot water directly to the coffee server, making it possible to brew one cup of coffee, and when the hot water addition process is completed, the amount of water supplied is used up and no hot water is left behind, next, an amount of water equal to the amount of coffee in one cup is additionally supplied to the boiler again to boil the water, and solenoid valve B on the flow path for the hot water addition process is controlled to supply hot water directly to the coffee server to add more hot water, and all the water supplied to the boiler is used up so that no water is left behind, in this way, a drip-type electric coffee maker equipped with a control circuit that controls the entire process of brewing the amount of coffee desired depending on the amount of coffee in one cup and the amount of additional hot water added.