Powder blank with self-healing nature and method and related devices for making the same

Abstract

The subject application discloses a method of preparing a powder blank with self-healing nature and devices for making the same. The method includes: placing powder into a container with a conical wall; shaping the powder so that a central portion of a upper surface of the powder is raised relative to a peripheral portion; and pressing the powder in the container to form a powder blank, in which a peripheral portion of a upper surface is in a downwardly curved shape and a peripheral portion of a lower surface in a downwardly tapered conical shape.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to a method for preparing a powder embryo with self-healing properties and an apparatus for using the same, particularly a method and apparatus for preparing a coffee powder embryo. [Previous Technology]

[0002] In recent years, coffee has become one of the most widely consumed beverages. Whether at work during the day or in meetings in the afternoon, people are often seen with a cup of coffee in hand. The market offers a wide variety of coffees for consumers to choose from, from inexpensive canned coffee and homemade pour-over coffee to single-origin coffees from upscale coffee shops. People choose according to their preferences for quality and convenience. However, as people demand higher quality products and services, their expectations for coffee quality are also increasing. From coffee varieties, processing methods, roasting levels to brewing methods, more and more consumers are delving into various details in order to achieve their desired coffee experience.

[0003] Based on coffee extraction methods, coffee can be mainly classified into pour-over, espresso, and siphon coffee. Figure 1 shows the method of brewing espresso. Basically, coffee grounds are first placed in a container 120, which can be a coffee cup. The container 120 can be fitted onto the handle 100, which has a lug 110. The lug 110 can be coupled to a coupling mechanism (not shown) at the fluid outlet 12 of the coffee machine 10 to fix the handle 100 to the coffee machine. When the handle 100 is fixed to the coffee machine 10, the edge 122 of the container 120 abuts against the fluid outlet 12 to form a seal. Before fixing the handle 100 to the coffee machine 10, the coffee grounds need to be compacted in the container 120. The compacted coffee grounds provide the resistance required for the fluid, so that the fluid supplied by the fluid outlet 12 of the coffee machine 10 extracts the flavor substances in the coffee grounds under high pressure and produces coffee liquid.

[0004] Referring now to Figures 2A to 3D, for the extraction of coffee powder, the currently known art recommends using a container 120 as shown to hold the coffee powder. Container 120 has an end edge 122, a bottom plane 124, and an annular sidewall 130. The bottom plane 124 allows liquid to flow through but obstructs the flow of powder; the structure allowing liquid to flow through can be a semi-permeable membrane, a porous body, or fine pores 126. The pores 126 are at least less than or equal to the particle size of generally ground coffee powder; the pores 126 shown in the illustrations are for illustrative purposes only and do not conform to actual proportions.

[0005] As shown in Figure 3A, the current mainstream method for manufacturing powder blanks involves flattening the powder in a container 120 before brewing to create a powder blank 132 whose upper and lower planes are parallel to the bottom plane 124. Referring to Figure 3B, the advantage of the combination of the powder blank 132 and the container 120 is that when fluid is applied to the space above the powder blank 132, the pressure 138 it provides will be perpendicular to the surface and bottom plane 124 of the powder blank 132, so as to uniformly compress the height of the powder blank 132 from height H1 to height H2, and all fluid flows 136 flowing through the powder blank 132 have the same path length.

[0006] However, during the extraction process, the fluid flow 136 carries away compounds and trace particles (including desired flavor substances) from the powder embryo 132. Under the influence of the extraction and scouring of the fluid flow 136, the structure of the powder embryo 132 will collapse, as shown in Figure 3C. During the extraction process, defects 134 will be generated in the powder embryo 132. Defects 134 include cracks, fluid channels, or low-density areas, etc. The fluid flow 136 around the defect 134 will converge towards the defect 134. In other words, defects 134 will cause under-extraction of coffee powder at structurally intact areas or over-extraction at defective areas, which will have a significant impact on the flavor of the coffee liquid. When the coffee powder is under-extracted, the desired flavor substances cannot be fully released (such as molecules that produce coffee aroma); while when the coffee powder is over-extracted, molecules that produce undesirable odors such as bitterness or sourness will dissolve in large quantities into the coffee liquid.

[0007] This problem has remained unresolved for nearly a century, and conventional techniques have only focused on compacting the powder as much as possible or making the powder distribution uniform. However, as mentioned above, this problem arises from the extraction and washing of the powdered compound, so no matter how much the powder is compacted or homogenized before extraction, defects caused by structural collapse due to extraction cannot be avoided.

[0008] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3A to 3C, the bottom hole of container 120 is usually not adjacent to the side wall of container 120, and the bottom of container 120 has rounded corners. That is to say, even if the upper surface of powder blank 132 can be perfectly parallel to the bottom plane 124 of container 120, all fluid flows through powder blank 132 will not have equal path lengths. For example, as shown in Figure 3B, the path length of fluid flow 136' that seeps into powder blank 132 from the periphery of the upper surface of powder blank 132 is greater than the path length of other fluid flows 136.

[0009] As shown in Figure 3D, to solve the problem of long fluid flow paths, conventional technology uses special milling processes to create containers with bottom planes and sidewalls that are nearly perpendicular (i.e., minimizing bottom rounded corners) and drilling to create fine holes adjacent to the sidewalls, so that each path maintains equal length. However, these containers, which require a lot of machining, are very expensive, and as mentioned above, the powder stock in the container is only in an unstable equilibrium. Under the disruption of high-pressure rinsing, defects will still be generated, and these defects will be amplified during the brewing process, resulting in the inability to produce coffee liquid of good and consistent quality. [Summary of the Invention]

[0010] To solve the above problems, this application proposes a method and related apparatus for preparing a powder preform. The powder preform prepared using the method disclosed herein possesses self-healing properties under fluid pressure, dynamically eliminating and sealing defects caused by fluid scouring and extraction. Furthermore, it ensures that all fluid penetrating the powder preform from a specific surface (whether the peripheral or central portion of the preform) maintains a stable flow direction throughout, and that all fluid flows 136 have the same length. The powder preform prepared by this application can generate radial contraction under fluid pressure to seal any potential defects.

[0011] The powder preform disclosed in this case has a uniform density and can maintain a stable overall density during the extraction process.

[0012] Please note that the disclosure in this case not only eliminates defects caused by extraction, but also eliminates defects that existed before extraction due to improper preparation methods by operators. Therefore, the disclosure in this case not only solves a long-standing problem in the field, but also further improves the convenience of embryo preparation.

[0013] In summary, this invention provides a method for preparing a powder preform with self-healing properties. The method includes: providing a container having a bottom plane, an annular sidewall, a conical wall, and an opening, wherein the diameter of the annular sidewall is larger than the diameter of the bottom plane, the conical wall gradually tapers from the bottom end of the annular sidewall to the periphery outside the bottom plane, the opening being disposed on the opposite side of the bottom plane, and the plurality of holes being sized to hold powder thereon while allowing fluid to pass through; filling an appropriate amount of powder into the container; shaping the powder so that the center of the upper surface of the powder is raised relative to the periphery; and pressing the powder to form a powder preform in the container with the periphery of the upper surface curved downward and the periphery of the lower surface tapering downward.

[0014] In addition, this invention provides a powder blank with self-healing properties, the powder blank comprising: an upper surface; and a lower surface, wherein the peripheral portion of the upper surface is a downwardly curved surface and the peripheral portion of the lower surface is a downwardly tapered cone.

[0015] In addition, this invention provides a pressing device, which includes a pressing member having a pressing surface below it, wherein the pressing surface includes a curved portion located at the edge of the pressing surface and a planar portion surrounded by the curved portion and recessed relative to the curved portion.

[0016] In addition, this application provides a shaping device comprising: a blade assembly configured to rotate relative to a container, the blade assembly including at least one blade, the at least one blade including a vertical curved surface, a bottom plane and a curved surface located between the vertical curved surface and the bottom plane, wherein the vertical curved surface is configured to push powder in the container toward the center portion of the container, and wherein the bottom plane and the curved surface are configured to compact the powder in the container.

Implementation Method

[0017] The following disclosure provides numerous different embodiments or instances for implementing various features of the provided object. Specific examples of elements and configurations will be described below to simplify this disclosure. Of course, these are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. For example, in the following description, "forming a first member above or on a second member" may include embodiments in which the first member and the second member are in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in which additional members may be formed between the first member and the second member such that the first member and the second member are not in direct contact. Furthermore, element symbols and / or letters may be repeated in various instances in this disclosure. This repetition is intended for simplicity and clarity and does not in itself indicate a relationship between the various embodiments and / or configurations discussed.

[0018] Furthermore, for ease of description, spatially relative terms (such as "below," "below," "down," "above," "upper," "above," and the like) may be used herein to describe the relationship between one element or component and another element(s), as illustrated in the figures. In addition to the orientations depicted in the figures, spatially relative terms are also intended to cover different orientations of the device during use or operation. The device may be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or otherwise), and the spatially relative descriptive terms used herein may be interpreted accordingly.

[0019] As used herein, terms such as “first,” “second,” and “third” describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections, and these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be used only to distinguish elements, components, regions, layers, or sections from one another. Unless clearly indicated herein, the terms such as “first,” “second,” and “third” as used herein do not imply a sequence or order.

[0020] As used herein, the terms “approximately,” “substantially,” “substantially,” and “about” are used to describe and explain minor variations. When used in conjunction with an event or condition, the terms may refer to instances in which the event or condition occurs precisely and instances in which the event or condition occurs very approximately. For example, when used in conjunction with a numerical value, the terms may refer to a range of variation less than or equal to ±10% of that numerical value, such as less than or equal to ±5%, less than or equal to ±4%, less than or equal to ±3%, less than or equal to ±2%, less than or equal to ±1%, less than or equal to ±0.5%, less than or equal to ±0.1%, or less than or equal to ±0.05%. For example, if the difference between two values ​​is less than or equal to ±10% of the average of these equivalent values ​​(such as less than or equal to ±5%, less than or equal to ±4%, less than or equal to ±3%, less than or equal to ±2%, less than or equal to ±1%, less than or equal to ±0.5%, less than or equal to ±0.1%, or less than or equal to ±0.05%), then these equivalent values ​​can be considered "substantially" the same or equal. For example, "substantially" parallelism can involve an angular variation of less than or equal to ±10° relative to 0°, such as less than or equal to ±5°, less than or equal to ±4°, less than or equal to ±3°, less than or equal to ±2°, less than or equal to ±1°, less than or equal to ±0.5°, less than or equal to ±0.1°, or less than or equal to ±0.05°. For example, "substantially" vertical can refer to an angle variation of less than or equal to ±10° relative to 90°, such as less than or equal to ±5°, less than or equal to ±4°, less than or equal to ±3°, less than or equal to ±2°, less than or equal to ±1°, less than or equal to ±0.5°, less than or equal to ±0.1°, or less than or equal to ±0.05°.

[0021] Unless otherwise specified herein, the terms "above," "below," "above," or "below" refer to the relative direction in which the container 120 or container 121 is placed horizontally to hold the powder blank 132, and this direction is easily understood by those skilled in the art to which this application pertains. For example, "below" the fluid outlet 12 of the coffee machine 10 in FIG1, and the end edge 122 shown in FIG4A and FIG4B is "above" the upper surface of the powder blank 132.

[0022] The powder preform system referred to in this case refers to a state in which powder has been properly processed and substantially shaped, making it suitable for fluid extraction. For example, the state in which powder is mechanically pressed and shaped in a container, or the state in which it is shaped by excipients or other treatments and can then be placed in an extraction container, such as a powder clump placed in a coffee capsule.

[0023] As mentioned above, this invention aims to eliminate defects in the powder embryo caused by extraction and rinsing (or defects left by user operation), thereby extracting the most flavorful coffee. Referring now to Figures 4A and 4B, this invention discloses a powder embryo 133 disposed in a container 121. The difference between container 121 and the aforementioned container 120 is that container 121 has a conical wall 140 between its bottom plane 124 and annular sidewall 130. The diameter of the annular sidewall 130 is larger than the diameter of the bottom plane 124. The conical wall 140 gradually tapers from the bottom end of the annular sidewall 130 to the outer periphery of the bottom plane 124. The holes 126 in the bottom plane 124 hold the powder but allow fluid to pass through. Furthermore, the outermost edge of the holes 126 in the bottom plane 124 is not necessarily adjacent to the bottom of the conical wall 140.

[0024] Compared to container 120, which only has vertical walls, when container 121 is subjected to pressure from a vertical direction (e.g., pressure exerted by a fluid on the upper part of the container), the conical wall 140 generates a radial force toward the center of the container, causing the powder compressed on the conical wall 140 to be pushed toward the center. Therefore, if defects are generated during the extraction process, the force exerted by the powder preform 133 on the conical wall 140 will cause the powder preform 133 to contract radially to eliminate the defects.

[0025] Furthermore, compared to the powder preform 132, the powder preform 133 formed by the method and apparatus disclosed in this case has an arc-shaped peripheral portion 135 on its upper surface. As shown in FIG4B, when the user injects fluid from the top of the container 121, since the fluid pressure 138 is always perpendicular to the surface of the powder preform 133, the pressure 138 applied to the peripheral portion will also generate a component force that causes the powder preform 133 to retract laterally; under the action of pressure 138, the powder preform 133 will be compressed more compactly in the direction perpendicular to the bottom plane 124 and in the radial direction, thus dynamically eliminating possible defects. Furthermore, even if the powder preform 133 before being pressurized by the fluid has possible volume defects (such as areas of inconsistent density, preform cracks or closed pores of the preform) or surface defects (such as depressions or open pores of the preform) before extraction, they will be compensated under the uniform pressure state of the fluid pressurization. Furthermore, according to one embodiment of this disclosure, the straight-line distance from the bottom plane 124 to the annular sidewall 130 of the conical wall 140 is approximately equal to the radius of curvature of the peripheral portion 135 (see Figures 13A to 13C for details); as shown in Figure 4B, based on the combination of the arc shape of the peripheral portion 135 of the powder body 133 and the tapered conical wall 140, the path length of all fluid flows 136 from the upper surface of the powder body 133 to the nearest hole 126 will be approximately equal, so the user can obtain good and consistent quality every time they brew coffee.

[0026] As shown in Figure 5, the process of preparing the powder blank 133 in this disclosure can be roughly divided into a filling step S01, a shaping step S02 and a pressing step S03. The shaping step S02 is a pretreatment before the pressing step S03, which is a treatment performed to make the overall powder blank 133 have a similar amount of compression.

[0027] Please now refer to Figures 6A to 6C, which illustrate the specific process of the method for producing a powder blank with self-healing properties in this case. As shown in Figure 6A, the filling step S01 includes providing a container for holding the powder, such as the aforementioned container 121, and filling an appropriate amount of powder P into the container.

[0028] As mentioned above, the self-healing powder preform 133 disclosed in this case has a curved surface at its periphery. If the powder P shown in FIG. 6A is directly pressed with a tool or mold of the corresponding shape (i.e., a tool or mold with the periphery of the pressing surface bent downward), it is obvious that the amount of compression on the powder P at the periphery will be greater than that on other parts. This will result in uneven overall density of the pressed preform, which is detrimental to the extraction system. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6B, the shaping step S02 described in this case is to raise the center of the upper surface of the powder P relative to the periphery of the upper surface before pressing the preform.

[0029] The shaping step S02 can be performed by operating the shaping device 200 disclosed herein (see Figure 7). In some embodiments of this disclosure, the powder preform is molded, for example, by extrusion or injection molding, wherein the filling step S01 and the shaping step S02 are performed simultaneously. Since the mold itself used to form the upper surface of the powder preform has a corresponding portion that raises the upper surface, when the injected raw material enters the mold, the center of the upper surface of the powder P will bulge relative to the periphery of the upper surface. Therefore, the filling step S01 and the shaping step S02 can be performed simultaneously. In this case, the aforementioned container is part of the mold used for extrusion or injection molding.

[0030] The pressing step S03 uses pressure to shape the powder into a powder blank. For example, in the aforementioned extrusion or injection molding, the pressing step S03 can be the holding pressure stage after the raw material is injected into the mold. Based on one embodiment of this disclosure, the pressing step S03 uses a pressing device M to press the powder P through the opening 128 of the container 121 to form a powder blank 133. The upper surface of the powder blank 133 has a curved surface, or at least a downwardly curved surface at its periphery; the lower surface of the powder blank 133 includes a conical surface, or at least a downwardly tapering conical surface at its periphery. During the pressing process, although the direction of the force is perpendicular to the bottom plane 124, the powder can be uniformly compressed during the pressing process due to the radial reaction force generated by the conical wall 140 and the curved powder distribution of the pressing device M.

[0031] Based on another embodiment of this disclosure, the shaping step S02 and the pressing step S03 are performed simultaneously. The shaping step S02 involves raising the center of the upper surface of the powder P relative to the periphery of the upper surface before pressing the preform. Therefore, the shaping step S02 can be completed by giving the powder P the ability to move laterally within a confined space. For example, the container or pressing device M can be vibrated during pressing, allowing the powder to move towards the center within the limited space surrounded by the container and the pressing tool (because the center of the pressing tool has a larger space), thus completing the shaping step S02. In short, the shaping step S02 is a treatment to avoid localized over-compression or under-compression of the powder; or, the shaping step S02 refers to the action of moving the powder towards the center, such as the aforementioned vibration.

[0032] As mentioned above, due to rounded corners or other processing reasons, the bottom plane of container 121 does not entirely contain the holes 126 for fluid passage, as shown in FIG6C. The holes 126 are only contained within the area of ​​the hole region 125. Therefore, the transition edge 137 of the flat portion 306 of the pressing surface of the pressing device M transforms into the curved portion 304 corresponds to the edge of the area of ​​the bottom plane 124 of container 121 that allows fluid to flow (see below for details). Furthermore, when pressing is completed, the radius of curvature of the curved portion 304 of the pressing device M is approximately equal to the height H of the flat portion 306 of the pressing member 302 and the bottom plane 124 of container 121; or, when the pressing device M enters a predetermined position of container 121, the distance between the flat portion 306 and the bottom plane 124 of container 121 is equal to the radius of curvature of the curved portion 304. Therefore, whether the fluid enters the powder blank through the surface of the blank pressed by the curved portion 304 or through the surface of the blank pressed by the flat portion 306, the length of the path from the fluid through the powder blank to the orifice 126 is uniform. For more detailed information on the flat portion 306, the curved portion 304, and the transition edge 137 between them, please refer to the subsequent description of the powder blank 133.

[0033] Furthermore, because the process disclosed in this case involves a shaping process that causes the powder to move towards the center before or during pressing, resulting in a raised center on the upper surface of powder P relative to the periphery of the upper surface, even though the pressing surface has a centrally concave geometry, it will not cause a density difference in the powder preform as a whole after pressing. In short, the powder preform prepared based on the disclosure in this case can have a uniform density overall.

[0034] The powder preform prepared by the above steps can be directly subjected to fluid pressure extraction. Specifically, the extraction method involves injecting fluid into the container through the opening, wherein the fluid generates uniform pressure on the surface of the powder preform 133 and permeates through the powder preform 133. During the extraction process, the uniform pressure applied by the fluid on the powder preform 133 causes the powder preform 133 to continuously polymerize inward, thus eliminating any possible defects.

[0035] Please now refer to Figures 7 to 12, which show the shaping device 200 disclosed herein for agitating powder to the center portion of a container to form a raised shape on the upper surface of the center portion. The shaping device 200 has a blade assembly 215 for agitating the powder, the blade assembly 215 being able to be positioned at a desired height in any manner, and the powder being agitated by rotating the blade assembly 215.

[0036] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the blade assembly 215 can be connected to the cup portion 204 of the shaping device 200. The cup portion 204 has an opening therein. The cup portion 204 defines an internal volume, and when the shaping device 200 is fitted onto the container 121 (as shown in FIG. 12), the cup portion 204 and the container 121 together define an enclosed space. One inner periphery of the opening of the cup portion 204 includes a fastener 202 attached thereto, which is used to engage with one ear 110 of the coffee brewing handle 100 to secure the shaping device to the handle. The advantage of the shaping device 200 having the cup portion 204 is that, after the container 121 is placed on the handle 100 (as shown in FIG. 1), the shaping device 200 can cover the container 121 and secure the container 121 between the shaping device 200 and the handle 100. As shown in Figure 11, when the shaping device 200 is fixed to the handle, the user can use the shaking handle 100 to homogenize the powder in the enclosed space defined by the aforementioned cup portion 204 and container 121, so that powders with different particle sizes can be evenly distributed in the container 121.

[0037] As shown in FIG8, the shaping device 200 includes a rotating shaft 218, which includes a first end 220 rotatably pivotally mounted at the bottom center of the cup portion 204, and a second end 210 located inside the cup portion 204 relative to the first end 220. The first end 220 of the rotating shaft 218 includes a button 220a exposed outside the cup portion 204, and includes a handle 208 radially fixed to the button 220a. The user can rotate the rotating shaft 218 by operating the handle 208 outside the cup portion 204.

[0038] The second end 210 of the rotating shaft 218 can be coupled to the blade assembly 215, which can be integrally formed or assembled. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the blade assembly 215 includes a sleeve 214 having a third end 212, a fourth end 216, and a central bore 224 exposed externally from the third end 212. The central bore 224 has an inner contour that matches the outer contour of the second end 210 of the rotating shaft 218. For example, both the outer contour of the second end 210 of the rotating shaft 218 and the inner contour of the central bore 224 of the sleeve 214 are hexagonal, so that when the blade assembly 215 is mounted on the rotating shaft 218, the blade assembly 215 can be rotated by operating the handle 208 of the rotating shaft 218. The fourth end 216 of the sleeve 214 has at least one blade 206, for example, two symmetrically arranged blades 206, which extend radially outward in a spiral manner gradually moving away from the sleeve 214. The lower edge 226 of the blade 206 is curved 228 towards the inner side of the rotating shaft 218. In addition, the portion of the vertical curved surface 229 can push the powder towards the center of the container, that is, towards the rotating shaft (shaft hole 224); the curved surface 228 compacts the powder.

[0039] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the blade 206 does not have a lower edge 226, that is, the blade 206 is in the shape of a curved blade (scraper), having a vertical curved surface 229 and a curved surface 228, the curved surface 228 being located at the cutting edge. In addition, the curved surface 228 may not be arc-shaped, but rather a plane having an angle relative to the vertical curved surface 229.

[0040] As shown in Figure 12, the shaping step S02 includes fitting the shaping device 200 onto the handle 100 (not shown) and rotating the handle 208 of the shaping device 200 to perform shaping within the space defined by the shaping device 200 and the container 121. By the downward bending of the blade 206 and the curved vertical surface 229 of its lower edge 226 facing inward toward the rotation axis 218, rotating the blade assembly 215 causes the blade 206 to push the powder P toward the center of the container 121, causing the center portion of the upper surface of the powder P before pressing to bulge relative to the periphery. With the shaping device 200 disclosed herein, the shaping step S02 can be performed after the powder distribution has been homogenized. That is, it is not necessary to remove the shaping device 200 from the handle 100; instead, the shaken handle 100 can be left to stand, and the handle 208 can be rotated directly to distribute the powder.

[0041] As shown in Figure 12, after the powder P is pressed by the pressing device described below in this disclosure, a powder blank with uniform density can be obtained. In addition, since the lower leading edge of the blade 206 has a curved surface 228, the area swept by the blade 206 will level and shape the upper surface of the powder P to a certain extent, which facilitates subsequent pressing.

[0042] In practice, the user adjusts the flavor and taste of the brewed coffee by changing the total amount of powder contained in the container. To do this, the user must adjust the depth of the blade 206 entering the container 121 to accommodate different amounts of powder. According to one embodiment of this disclosure, at least one of the second end 210 of the rotating shaft 218 and the fourth end 216 of the sleeve 214 contains a magnetic material or a magnetizable material. As shown in FIG9, the user can insert one or more small pieces 217 into the shaft hole 224 through the opening of the shaft hole 224, thereby adjusting the depth of the rotating shaft 218 entering the shaft hole 224, and thus changing the depth of the blade 206 entering the container 121 during operation. The small piece 217 itself can be a magnetic material or a magnetizable material, depending on whether the second end 210 of the rotating shaft 218 or the fourth end 216 of the sleeve 214 is magnetic. In some embodiments disclosed herein, the small piece 217 is magnetic, and the fourth end 216 of the sleeve 214 is a magnetizable material, thereby allowing an appropriate number of small pieces 217 to be easily placed in the shaft hole 224 by magnetic force.

[0043] The sleeve 214 of the blade assembly 215 may further include a transverse through hole 222 disposed near the fourth end 216. The transverse through hole 222 penetrates one outer wall of the sleeve 214, passes through the axial hole 224, and extends to the opposite outer wall. The transverse through hole 222 is slightly larger than the radial dimension of the axial hole 224 at the outer wall of the sleeve 214 in the width direction, and gradually narrows to the axial hole 224 to have a width dimension consistent with the radial dimension of the axial hole 224. When the user wants to remove the small piece 217 located in the axial hole 224, the user can easily use an easily obtainable thin rod-shaped tool to insert into the transverse through hole 222 and push the small piece 217 to facilitate the removal of the small piece 227.

[0044] Please now refer to Figures 10A and 10B, which show a blade assembly 219 of another embodiment of the present disclosure. The difference between the blade assembly 219 and the blade assembly 215 shown in Figure 9 is that the two blades of the blade assembly 219, blade 206a and blade 206b, each have a plurality of spaced grooves 230 along their lower edge 226. The grooves 230 of each blade 206a and blade 206b are arranged alternately in the radial direction relative to the grooves of the other blade. As can be clearly seen in Figure 10B, the grooves 230 of each blade 206b and blade 206a are respectively located at distances D1, D2, D3 and D4 from the center of rotation, where distance D4 is greater than distance D2, greater than distance D3 and greater than distance D1. Therefore, when the rotating shaft 218 is rotated for shaping, the powder swept by the blade 206a can be surface-compacted by the curved surface 228, or pushed into the area swept by the groove 230. The powder in the groove 230 area of ​​the blade 206a can be surface-compacted by the curved surface 228 of the blade 206b. Through this alternating pushing and compaction, even if the original height of the powder is higher than the height of the lower edge 226 of the blades 206a and 206b in the container 121, this setting can still effectively prevent the powder from accumulating at the leading edge of the blades 206a and 206b during shaping, so that the overall powder surface is effectively shaped.

[0045] Please now refer to Figures 13A to 13C, which illustrate a powder preform 133 according to an embodiment of this invention. As shown by the solid lines in the figures, the peripheral portion 135 of the upper surface of the powder preform 133 has a downwardly curved surface, and the peripheral portion 141 of the lower surface has a downwardly tapering cone shape. The elongated portion (cylindrical in three dimensions) drawn by dashed lines corresponds to the portion of the perforated region 125 of the container where the powder preform 133 is to be extracted. As shown, the radius of curvature (including radius of curvature R1, radius of curvature R2, and radius of curvature R3) of the downwardly curved portion of the peripheral portion 135 of the upper surface of the powder preform 133 is defined by the distance from the outermost edge of the perforated region 125 to the outermost edge of the upper surface of the powder preform 133.

[0046] Since the radius of curvature is defined by the distance from the outermost edge of the pore region 125 to the outermost edge of the upper surface of the powder blank 133, in the embodiment shown in FIG13A, the edge of the pore region 125 is adjacent to the bottom end of the peripheral portion 141 of the lower surface. Therefore, the radius of curvature R1 of the peripheral portion 135 of the upper surface is the length of the peripheral portion 141 of the lower surface. In this embodiment, the peripheral portion 135 of the upper surface is an arc drawn from the top of the peripheral portion 141 of the lower surface, according to the radius of curvature R1 and with the outermost edge of the pore region 125 as the center, and extends to the transition edge 137; in other words, the vertical top of the arc is the transition edge 137, where the upper surface of the powder blank 133 becomes a planar portion 139 parallel to the bottom plane 142 of the lower surface. As shown by the right angle in the figure, at the vertical apex of the aforementioned arc (i.e., the transition edge 137), the line connecting the centers of the arc is perpendicular to the planar portion 139. In this embodiment, the planar portion 139 of the upper surface has the same area as the hole region 125.

[0047] In the embodiment shown in FIG13B, the edge of the perforated region 125 has a first distance from the bottom end of the peripheral portion 141 of the lower surface. Therefore, the radius of curvature R2 of the peripheral portion 135 of the upper surface is greater than the length of the peripheral portion 141 (i.e., the radius of curvature R1). In this embodiment, the upper surface is an arc drawn from the top of the peripheral portion 141 of the lower surface, with radius of curvature R2 and the outermost edge of the perforated region 125 as the center, extending to the transition edge 137; in other words, the vertical top of the arc is the transition edge 137, where the upper surface of the powder blank 133 becomes a planar portion 139 parallel to the bottom plane 142 of the lower surface. As shown by the right angle in the figure, at the vertical top of the aforementioned arc (i.e., the transition edge 137), the line connecting the centers of the arc is perpendicular to the planar portion 139. In this embodiment, the planar portion 139 of the upper surface has the same area as the perforated region 125.

[0048] In the embodiment shown in FIG13C, the edge of the hole region 125 and the bottom end of the peripheral portion 141 of the lower surface have a second distance greater than the aforementioned first distance. Therefore, the radius of curvature R3 of the peripheral portion 135 of the upper surface is greater than the length of the peripheral portion 141 (i.e., the radius of curvature R1) and greater than the radius of curvature R2. In this embodiment, the upper surface is an arc drawn from the top of the peripheral portion 141 of the lower surface, according to the radius of curvature R3 and with the outermost edge of the hole region 125 as the center, extending to the transition edge 137; in other words, the vertical top of the arc is the transition edge 137, where the upper surface of the powder blank 133 becomes a planar portion 139 parallel to the bottom plane 142 of the lower surface. As shown by the right angle in the figure, at the vertical top of the aforementioned arc (i.e., the transition edge 137), the line connecting the centers of the arc is perpendicular to the planar portion 139. In this embodiment, the planar portion 139 of the upper surface has the same area as the hole region 125.

[0049] In summary, the radius of curvature of the peripheral portion 135 of the upper surface of the powder preform 133 is equal to the shortest distance from the edge of the area through which the fluid can flow to the edge of the upper surface. Therefore, when the powder preform 133 is extracted, the fluid that penetrates the powder preform 133 into the peripheral portion 135 (the curved part) of the upper surface, under pressure, flows towards the nearest outlet, which is the pore at the edge of the pore region 125. The path length of the fluid at this point is equal to the radius of curvature of the peripheral portion 135 of the upper surface. Meanwhile, the fluid that penetrates the powder preform 133 into the planar portion 139 of the upper surface flows towards the pore vertically below the penetration point. The path length of the fluid at this point is equal to the height of the powder preform 133, which is equal to the radius of curvature of the peripheral portion 135 of the upper surface. Therefore, any fluid that seeps into the powder preform 133 from any part of its upper surface will have a consistent path length through the powder preform 133. Thus, the powder preform disclosed in this invention can be prepared based on the area of ​​the extraction container that allows fluid flow. In contrast, conventional techniques require the extraction container to cover the entire bottom area of ​​the container, resulting in high processing costs and failing to suppress or avoid defects generated during extraction or preform preparation. In short, even using containers with perfectly vertical inner walls and bottom planes, and with the entire bottom plane allowing fluid flow, conventional techniques cannot achieve the consistent and reproducible extraction quality disclosed in this invention. This invention has solved the problem of highly uncertain, randomly generated defects during the extraction process.

[0050] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, in an extreme case, when the extraction container has only a single fluid outlet on the lower conical surface, and if the diameter of the fluid outlet is so small as to be negligible, the overall appearance of the powder preform 133 disclosed herein will resemble a cone-shaped ice cream cone with a lower cone and an upper arc-shaped section, and the radius of curvature of the arc-shaped section is equal to the length from the apex of the cone to the arc-shaped section. That is, the powder preform 133 shown in FIG. 13A, in which the portion drawn by the dashed line is completely absent, and the left and right fan-shaped sections are joined together.

[0051] In practical use, users may adjust the total amount of coffee powder in the container according to their requirements for coffee flavor. As shown in Figure 14, this is illustrated using a container for extracting the powder embryo shown in Figure 13B; that is, the powder embryo 133 shown in Figure 14 has the same upper and lower surfaces as the powder embryo 133 shown in Figure 13B. The portion shown by the dashed line in Figure 14 represents the amount of coffee powder added or removed by the user according to their needs. The upper surface of the powder embryo 133 will be lifted by the powder in the dashed section; however, actual measurements show that the difference between the first distance L1 and the second distance L2 shown in Figure 14 is almost negligible. In other words, based on the powder embryo prepared in this case, using a pressing device with the same pressing surface in the same extraction container will not cause differences in extraction quality due to increases or decreases in the total amount of powder; furthermore, the powder embryo 133 shown in Figure 14 also has self-healing properties during the extraction process. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0052] The features disclosed herein will become clearer from the following embodiments, together with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, according to industry standard practice, the various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, for clarity, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily enlarged or reduced.

[0053] Figure 1 shows a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a coffee brewing device.

[0054] Figures 2A and 2B show a top view and a cross-sectional side view of a container for holding coffee powder.

[0055] Figures 3A to 3D show cross-sectional side views of coffee powder being acted upon by fluid in the above-mentioned container.

[0056] Figures 4A and 4B show cross-sectional side views of a powder preform prepared by the method disclosed in this case being subjected to fluid in a container.

[0057] Figure 5 shows a flowchart of the method for preparing the powder preform in this case.

[0058] Figures 6A to 6C show cross-sectional schematic diagrams of the process of preparing the powder preform.

[0059] Figure 7 shows a perspective view of a blade shaping device including the first embodiment of the present invention mounted on a coffee handle.

[0060] Figure 8 shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the blade shaping device including the first embodiment of this case.

[0061] Figure 9 shows a side view of the blade of the first embodiment of this case.

[0062] Figures 10A and 10B show a perspective view and a bottom view view of the blade in the bottom direction of the second embodiment of this case.

[0063] Figure 11 shows a three-dimensional schematic diagram of powder homogenization using the shaping device of this case.

[0064] Figure 12 shows a three-dimensional schematic diagram of plastic surgery performed using the plastic surgery device of this case.

[0065] Figures 13A to 13C show side view schematic diagrams of the powder preform of this case.

[0066] Figure 14 shows a side view of a powder preform according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A pressing device, comprising: A pressing member having a pressing surface below, wherein the pressing surface includes a curved portion located at the edge of the pressing surface and a flat portion surrounded by the curved portion and recessed relative to the curved portion.

2. The pushing device of claim 1, wherein the pushing surface of the pushing device has the same diameter as the opening of a container, allowing the pushing member to enter the container through the opening, wherein when the pushing member enters a predetermined position in the container, the distance between the planar portion and a bottom plane of the container is equal to the radius of curvature of the curved portion.

3. The pushing device as described in claim 2, wherein, One of the transition edges of the planar portion transforming into the curved portion corresponds to the edge of an area of ​​the bottom plane of the container through which fluid flows.

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