Coffee Dripper

Abstract

To provide a coffee dripper that can easily adjust coffee extraction conditions and reproduce the same extraction conditions every time. [Solution] The coffee dripper (1) is equipped with an adjusting valve (12) that adjusts the flow of coffee liquid dripped from the extraction port (112) of the funnel container (11). The adjusting valve is equipped with a rotating member (121) that rotates around the vertical center axis of the extraction port by a lever (126) and has an opening / closing portion for opening and closing an extraction opening formed in the extraction port. Furthermore, an indicator is provided that indicates the area of the extraction opening that is adjusted depending on the operating position of the lever.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a coffee dripper that drips coffee by pouring hot water over ground coffee powder and filtering it. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, coffee drippers have been known that are equipped with a valve mechanism at the bottom of a funnel-shaped container that holds coffee powder, which adjusts the flow rate of dripped coffee liquid (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). Patent Document 1 discloses a valve mechanism that opens and closes a lower hole in the dripper body with a lever. Patent Document 2 also discloses a speed regulator that is attached to the bottom of the dripper and allows for stepless adjustment of the area of the coffee liquid flow path. This speed regulator has an extraction hole component that is rotatable and intersects with the coffee flow path. By rotating a flap connected to the extraction hole component, the area where the outlet hole of the flow path intersects with the extraction hole of the extraction hole component changes, and the flow rate of the coffee liquid is adjusted accordingly. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-60735 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-23555 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The dripper described in Patent Document 1 allows for continuous adjustment of the flow rate of coffee liquid flowing from the lower hole of the dripper by reciprocating a lever extending from the side of the dripper body. However, it is difficult to adjust the flow rate by reciprocating the lever with one hand while pouring hot water into the kettle with the other, posing problems in terms of operability and ease of use.

[0005] The dripper described in Patent Document 2 allows for continuous adjustment of the speed at which coffee is extracted by rotating a flap while hot water is being poured. However, it is not possible to accurately determine from the outside the actual flow rate of the coffee liquid flowing through the valve mechanism or the angle of the extraction hole (i.e., the liquid flow path area). Therefore, even if it is possible to control the extraction time and amount to a certain extent when brewing coffee using a dripper, it is not always possible to reproduce the same optimal extraction conditions every time.

[0006] The present invention was conceived in consideration of these conventional problems, and aims to provide an easy-to-use coffee dripper that allows the user to easily adjust the coffee extraction conditions with one hand while pouring hot water. The present invention also aims to provide a coffee dripper that allows the user to brew coffee under the same optimal or preferred extraction conditions every time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a coffee dripper comprising a funnel container for containing coffee powder, an extraction port provided at the bottom of the funnel container for dripping filtered coffee liquid, and an adjusting valve for adjusting the flow of the coffee liquid dripped from the extraction port, wherein the adjusting valve comprises a rotating member having an opening / closing portion for opening and closing an extraction port formed in the extraction port, the rotating member being rotatable about a vertical central axis of the funnel container or the extraction port, the rotating member comprising a lever for rotating the rotating member about the vertical central axis to continuously change the area of the extraction port, and the coffee dripper further comprises an indicator for indicating the operating position of the lever, the indicator being adjusted by the lever and indicating the area of the extraction port.

[0008] In the coffee dripper, the indicator is preferably a scale that indicates the operating position of the lever.

[0009] In addition, it is preferable that the coffee dripper further includes a base body attached to a lower portion of the funnel container, and that the lever is configured to be rotated through an opening window formed on at least one side of the base body.

[0010] In addition, in the coffee dripper, it is preferable that the indicator is provided around the opening window of the base body.

[0011] In addition, it is preferable that the coffee dripper has a plurality of extraction ports formed radially around the vertical central axis. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] This device allows you to easily turn the adjusting valve lever with the fingers of one hand, allowing you to adjust the coffee brewing conditions while pouring hot water. The indicator showing the area of the adjusting valve's outlet also allows you to check the drip flow rate of the coffee liquid, allowing you to reproduce the same coffee brewing conditions every time. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the appearance of a coffee dripper. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a coffee dripper. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is an exploded view of the coffee dripper. [Figure 4] Figure 4(a) is a front view of the funnel container, and Figure 4(b) is a side view of the funnel container. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a plan view of the funnel container. [Figure 6] Fig. 6(a) is a longitudinal sectional view of the funnel container taken along line AA in Fig. 5. Fig. 6(b) is a longitudinal sectional view of the funnel container taken along line BB in Fig. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the bottom of the funnel container, and is an enlarged view particularly illustrating the extraction opening formed in the extraction port. [Figure 8]Figure 8(a) is a plan view of the valve body, and Figure 8(b) is a side view of the valve body. [Figure 9] Fig. 9(a) is a plan view of the rotating member, Fig. 9(b) is a side view of the rotating member, and Fig. 9(c) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the rotating member taken along line CC in Fig. 9(a). [Figure 10] 10(a) to 10(e) are diagrams for explaining the change in area of the drip flow path of the regulating valve. [Figure 11] Figure 11(a) is a plan view of the base body, and Figure 11(b) is a front view of the base body. [Figure 12] Fig. 12(a) is a side view of the base body, and Fig. 12(b) is a longitudinal sectional view of the base body taken along line DD in Fig. 11(a). [Figure 13] 10 is a plan view illustrating an example of an index that indicates a rotational operation position of a lever. FIG. [Figure 14] Figure 14(a) is a plan view of the lower cover, and Figure 14(b) is a front view of the lower cover. [Figure 15] Fig. 15(a) is a side view of the lower cover, and Fig. 15(b) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the lower cover taken along line EE in Fig. 14(a). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] A coffee dripper 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of coffee dripper 1. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of coffee dripper 1, and Fig. 3 is an exploded view thereof. Coffee dripper 1 comprises a funnel container 11 that holds coffee powder ground to an appropriate coarseness, an adjusting valve 12 provided at an extraction port 112 at the bottom of funnel container 11, a base body 13 attached to the lower part of the main body of funnel container 11, and a bottom cover 14 attached to cover the bottom open portion of base body 13.

[0015] (funnel container) Fig. 4(a) is a front view of the funnel container 11, and Fig. 4(b) is a side view thereof. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the funnel container 11 as seen from above. Fig. 6(a) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the funnel container 11 taken along line AA in Fig. 5, and Fig. 6(b) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the funnel container 11 taken along line BB in Fig. 5.

[0016] The funnel container 11 is a container for containing ground coffee via a coffee filter (not shown) made of paper, cloth, etc. Hot water is poured onto the ground coffee contained in the funnel container 11 and filtered through the filter, causing coffee liquid to drip from an extraction port 112 at the bottom of the funnel container 11.

[0017] The main body 111 of the funnel vessel 11 has a generally inverted cone shape. A plurality of first fins 116a are formed on the inner surface of the main body 111, extending toward the extraction opening 113 (extraction port 112) at the bottom. A plurality of second fins 116b are formed on the inner surface of the main body 111 in the front-to-rear direction, extending parallel to the bottom. In this embodiment, the second fins 116b are formed with a gentle slope that is higher than the first fins 116a to fit a trapezoidal coffee filter. These fins 116a and 116b prevent the wet filter from adhering to the inner surface of the funnel vessel 11 and form a flow path through which the coffee liquid passes between the coffee filter and the funnel vessel 11. This allows coffee to be extracted efficiently and reduces undesirable bitterness and off-flavors.

[0018] An extraction port 112 for dripping filtered coffee liquid is formed integrally with the container body at the bottom of the funnel container 11. Three extraction openings 113, 113, 113 are formed in the extraction port 112. As shown enlarged in Figure 7, each extraction opening 113 is a square fan-shaped through-hole with the same radius and an outer periphery that is larger than the inner periphery. These extraction openings 113, 113, 113 are formed radially around the vertical central axis Av (see Figure 3) of the funnel container 11 or the extraction port 112. The shape and dimensions of each extraction opening 113 of the funnel container 11 match the opening 128 of a valve body 127, which will be described later.

[0019] A valve accommodating section 114, which is a raised space for accommodating a valve element 127 (described later), is formed at the bottom of the extraction port 112. A key groove 117 is formed on the outer periphery of the extraction port 112, into which a rotating member 121 (described later) is rotatably fitted.

[0020] The funnel container 11 has hooks 118, 118 formed on the outer periphery of the lower main body thereof, which are inserted into slits 135, 135 of the base body 13, which will be described later.

[0021] Such a funnel container 11 can be manufactured as a single unit by injection molding using ABS resin, for example.

[0022] (regulating valve) An adjustment valve 12 is provided at the bottom of funnel vessel 11. Adjustment valve 12 is configured to include a valve element 127 housed in valve housing portion 114 of extraction port 112 of funnel vessel 11, and a rotating member 121 rotatably attached to extraction port 112.

[0023] Fig. 8(a) is a plan view of valve element 127, and Fig. 8(b) is a side view of valve element 127. Valve element 127 is an elastic member having a certain thickness. Furthermore, when valve element 127 slides while being slightly pressed against opening / closing portion 124 of rotating member 121, a certain amount of friction is generated between valve element 127 and rotating member 121 (opening / closing portion 124). An example of a material for valve element 127 that has such appropriate elasticity and friction properties is silicone.

[0024] The valve body 127 has three openings 128, 128, 128 that penetrate through it in the thickness direction. The shape, dimensions, and arrangement of the openings 128, 128, 128 match those of the extraction ports 113, 113, 113 of the extraction port 112 described above. Therefore, when the valve body 127 is housed in the valve housing portion 114 of the funnel container 11, the positions and openings of the extraction ports 113 of the valve housing portion 114 (extraction port 112) and the openings 128 of the valve body 127 match, and a drip flow path 129 for the coffee liquid is formed by connecting these (see FIG. 2).

[0025] Fig. 9(a) is a plan view of the rotating member 121 constituting the regulating valve 12, seen from above. Fig. 9(b) is a side view of the rotating member 121, and Fig. 9(c) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rotating member 121 taken along line CC in Fig. 9(a). The rotating member 121 is a valve member integrally formed with a cylindrical portion 122 having a recess 122a, a drip portion 123 at the bottom of the cylindrical portion 122, an opening / closing portion 124 that separates the cylindrical portion 122 and the drip portion 123 from each other, and a lever (or operating tab) 126 that extends laterally from the upper edge of the cylindrical portion 122. The rotating member 121 can be manufactured, for example, by injection molding polysulfone resin.

[0026] The opening-closing portion 124 forms the bottom of the recess 122a. Three openings 125, 125, 125 are formed in the opening-closing portion 124 and are arranged with shapes and dimensions that match the three extraction ports 113, 113, 113 of the funnel container 11 and the three openings 128, 128, 128 of the valve body 127. The openings 125, 125, 125 are provided to open and close the extraction ports 113, 113, 113 formed in the extraction port 112.

[0027] The extraction port 112 of the funnel vessel 11 is inserted into a recess 122a that forms a space within the cylindrical portion 122. The rotating member 121 is attached to the adjustment valve 12 so as to rotate about a vertical central axis Av of the funnel vessel 11 or the extraction port 112. A protrusion 122b for engaging with a key groove 117 of the extraction port 112 is formed within the recess 122a. The rotating member 121 fits into the extraction port 112 of the funnel vessel 11 with the protrusion 122b engaging with the key groove 117. This prevents the rotating member 121 from coming off the extraction port 112 and limits its rotation range. When the lever 126 is rotated, the rotating member 121 rotates about the vertical central axis Av (see FIG. 3), thereby continuously changing the flow path area of the extraction port 113.

[0028] 10 is a diagram for explaining the change in area of extraction port 113 that constitutes flow path 129 of adjustment valve 12. More specifically, the rotational operation positions of lever 126 are indicated by scale 15 (see FIG. 13) as follows: Figure 10(a): Operating position of scale "4" (fully open) Figure 10(b): Operation position of scale "3" Figure 10(c): Operation position of scale "2" Figure 10(d): Operation position of scale "1" Figure 10(e): Scale "0" operating position (fully closed)

[0029] As shown in these figures, by rotating the lever 126 clockwise, the square fan-shaped extraction port 113 is gradually blocked by the opening / closing portion 124, and the opening area can be continuously adjusted from a state in which the flow path 129 is completely open ( FIG. 10( a) ) to a state in which the flow path 129 is completely closed ( FIG. 10( e) ). In particular, the regulating valve 12 of this embodiment is configured to continuously change the circumferential width of the square fan-shaped extraction port 113 while maintaining its radial width. Therefore, the rotational position or rotational angle of the lever 126 is linearly proportional to the flow path area of the regulating valve 12. Therefore, the index or scale 15 indicating the position or angle of the lever 126 also indicates the adjusted flow path area of the regulating valve 12. Furthermore, because the radial arrangement of the extraction ports 113 is maintained regardless of the flow path area of the regulating valve 12, liquid accumulation is eliminated, enabling consistently well-balanced coffee extraction.

[0030] (base body) Next, we will explain the base body 13 attached to the lower edge of the funnel container 11. Here, Fig. 11(a) is a plan view of the base body 13 seen from above, and Fig. 11(b) is a front view of the base body 13. Also, Fig. 12(a) is a side view of the base body 13, and Fig. 12(b) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the base body 13 taken along line DD in Fig. 11(a). As shown in these figures, the base body 13 is a hollow cylinder with a roughly frusto-conical shape whose outer diameter gradually widens downward, in other words, a member having a skirt-like main body.

[0031] An annular portion 131 is formed on the head of the base body 13, which abuts against the bottom surface of the main body of the funnel vessel 11. The annular portion 131 is formed with slits 135, 135 into which hooks 118, 118 formed on the bottom of the main body of the funnel vessel 11 are inserted.

[0032] An opening window 132 is formed on one side of the main body of the base body 13, exposing the lever 126 used to adjust the above-mentioned adjusting valve 12. As shown in Fig. 13, an indicator 15 indicating the operating position or angle of the lever 126 is provided on a flat surface 133 connected to the bottom edge of the opening window 132. In the example of Fig. 13, the indicator 15 is a scale that indicates the operating position of the lever 126 in steps using numbers. As another example, the indicator 15 may be a gradation that continuously indicates the operating position of the lever 126.

[0033] It is known that, based on the orifice equation in fluid mechanics, the cross-sectional area of the flow path 129 of the regulating valve 12 is proportional to the flow velocity (flow rate) of the liquid flowing through the flow path 129. In this embodiment, as described above, the operational position of the lever 126 is proportional to the cross-sectional area of the flow path 129, and therefore the operational position of the lever 126 indicated by the indicator 15 corresponds to the flow rate of the coffee liquid flowing through the flow path 129 of the regulating valve 12. Therefore, the scale 15 serves as an indicator showing the flow rate of the coffee liquid currently flowing through the regulating valve 12.

[0034] Inverted U-shaped notches 134, 134 are formed at the front and rear of the lower outer edge of the main body of the base body 13. Through these notches 134, the amount of coffee dropped into a mug or cup can be visually checked.

[0035] The base body 13 is integrally engaged with the funnel vessel 11 by inserting the hook portions 118, 118 formed on the lower part of the main body of the funnel vessel 11 into the slits 135, 135 formed on the head of the base body 13 and rotating it in one direction. The base body 13 can also be easily separated from the funnel vessel 11 by rotating it in the opposite direction.

[0036] Coffee dripper 1, in which base body 13 is attached to funnel container 11, has an external form that is tapered with a continuous curve at the joint between funnel container 11 and base body 13. With this configuration, coffee dripper 1 of this embodiment allows a user to hold the kettle in one hand and pour hot water into funnel container 11, while simultaneously operating lever 126 with the fingers of the other hand holding base body 13.

[0037] (lower cover) Fig. 14(a) is a plan view of the lower cover 14, and Fig. 14(b) is a front view of the lower cover 14. Fig. 15(a) is a side view of the lower cover 14, and Fig. 15(b) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the lower cover 14 taken along line EE in Fig. 14(a). As shown in these figures, the lower cover 14 has a substantially disk-like shape with the same diameter as the bottom diameter of the base body 13 in order to close the bottom open portion of the base body 13.

[0038] Specifically, the lower cover 14 has a pair of left and right plate portions 141, 141 each having a substantially semicircular shape, and an arch portion 142 extending in the front-to-rear direction so as to separate the pair of plate portions 141, 141. An opening 143 is formed in the center of the arch portion 142, through which the drip portion 123 of the above-mentioned adjusting valve 12 is inserted. In addition, inverted U-shaped end portions 144 corresponding to the notch portion 134 of the above-mentioned base body 13 are formed on both ends of the arch portion 142.

[0039] The lower cover 14 is joined to the base body 13 by engaging an arc-shaped flange 145 formed on its outer periphery with an arc-shaped hook 136 formed on the outer edge of the lower opening of the base body 13.

[0040] Such a lower cover 14 can be manufactured as a single unit by injection molding using ABS resin, for example.

[0041] The coffee dripper 1 of this embodiment described above includes an adjusting valve 12 that adjusts the flow of coffee liquid dripped from the extraction port 112 of the funnel container 11. The adjusting valve 12 includes a rotating member 121 that rotates about a vertical central axis Av of the funnel container 11 or the extraction port 112 and has an opening / closing portion 124 for opening and closing the extraction outlet 113 formed in the extraction port 112. The rotating member 121 includes a lever 126 that rotates about the vertical central axis Av to continuously change the area of the extraction outlet 113. A user can easily rotate the lever 126 with one finger holding the base body 13, allowing the user to adjust the coffee extraction conditions and drip flow rate while simultaneously pouring hot water. Furthermore, the coffee dripper 1 of this embodiment is provided with an indicator 15 such as a scale that indicates the flow rate of coffee liquid flowing through the adjusting valve 12 according to the operating position of the lever 126. The user can reproduce the same coffee extraction conditions every time by appropriately rotating the lever 126 while referring to this scale. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1 coffee dripper 11 Funnel container 12 Regulating valve 13 Base body 14 Lower cover 15 indicators 112 Extraction port 113 Extraction port 114 Valve housing 116a, 116b Fin 121 Rotating member 122 Cylindrical part 123 Dripping part 124 Opening and Closing Section 125 Opening and Closing 126 Lever 127 Valve body 128 Opening 129 Dripping channel 131 Circular section 132 Opening window 133 Plane section 141 Plate section 142 Arch

Claims

1. A coffee dripper comprising a funnel container for containing coffee powder, an extraction port provided at the bottom of the funnel container for dripping filtered coffee liquid, and an adjustment valve for adjusting the flow of the coffee liquid dripped from the extraction port, The adjusting valve includes a rotating member having an opening / closing portion for opening and closing an extraction port formed in the extraction port, the rotating member is rotatable about a vertical central axis of the funnel container or the extraction port; The rotating member includes a lever for rotating the rotating member around the vertical central axis to continuously change the area of the extraction port, The coffee dripper further comprises an indicator for indicating an operating position of the lever, the indicator indicating an area of the extraction port adjusted by the lever.

2. 2. The coffee dripper according to claim 1, wherein the indicator is a scale indicating the operating position of the lever.

3. 2. The coffee dripper according to claim 1, further comprising a base body attached to a lower portion of the funnel container, wherein the lever is configured to be rotated through an opening window formed on at least one side of the base body.

4. 4. The coffee dripper according to claim 3, wherein the indicator is provided around the opening of the base body.

5. 5. The coffee dripper according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the extraction ports are formed radially around the vertical central axis.

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