Coffee dripper, and coffee dripper set

Abstract

The present invention comprises a dripper 2 and a stand 3 that is placed on a coffee vessel and supports the dripper 2. The dripper 2 comprises: a conical part 4 with a cylindrical shape whose inner diameter becomes smaller from to bottom; a projection part 7 extending radially outward on the outer peripheral surface of the conical part 4; and a stopper part 5 extending radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the lower end portion of the conical part 4. The stand 3 comprises a circular opening 10 that has a diameter smaller than the radial length of the stopper part 5 of the dripper 2 and can be passed through in the vertical direction. A portion of the dripper 2 between the stopper part 5 and the projection part 7 of the conical part 4 is disposed in the circular opening 10 of the stand 3 and the projection part 7 of the dripper 2 contacts the stand 3, whereby the dripper 2 becomes horizontal in relation to the stand 3.

Description

Coffee dripper, coffee dripper set

[0001] The present invention relates to a coffee dripper and a coffee dripper set.

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

[0003] Utility Model Registration No. 3193260

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

[0005] Specifically, when hot water is poured over coffee grounds to extract the coffee ingredients, the hot water does not pass through the coffee grounds evenly, but passes through a large portion of the grounds, a phenomenon known as channeling (uneven extraction).Channeling occurs when the hot water does not penetrate the coffee grounds evenly due to the water-repellent properties of dry coffee grounds and the uneven particle size distribution of the coffee grounds, and when fine coffee grounds clog the coffee filter.

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

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

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

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

[0010] The present invention also provides a coffee dripper made of elastically deformable resin, which is supported in use by a circular opening of a coffee dripper stand placed on a coffee container, the coffee dripper having a cylindrical conical portion whose inner diameter decreases from top to bottom, a protrusion extending radially outward on the outer circumferential surface of the conical portion, a stopper portion extending radially outward on the outer circumferential surface of a lower end of the conical portion, the radial length of the stopper portion being greater than the diameter of the circular opening of the coffee dripper stand, a portion of the conical portion between the protrusion and the stopper portion being positioned in the circular opening of the coffee dripper stand, and the protrusion of the conical portion coming into contact with the coffee dripper stand causes the conical portion to become horizontal relative to the coffee dripper stand.

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

[0012] Fig. 1(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a coffee dripper set according to an embodiment of the present invention, along with the A-A cross section of Fig. 2(a) and the B-B cross section of Fig. 3(a). Fig. 1(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the coffee dripper being tilted relative to the coffee dripper stand and spinning. Fig. 2(a) is a plan view of the coffee dripper, and Fig. 2(b) is a bottom view of the coffee dripper. Fig. 3(a) is a plan view of the coffee dripper stand, and Fig. 3(b) is a bottom view of the coffee dripper stand.

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

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

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

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

[0017] The upper portion of the convex portion 8 is semicircular. The upper end 8a of the upper portion of the convex portion 8 does not reach the upper end 4b of the conical portion 4; more specifically, the height of the upper end 8a of the upper portion of the convex portion 8 is lower than the height of the upper end 4b of the conical portion 4 by a predetermined amount, thereby forming a step portion 9 on the inner circumferential surface of the upper part of the conical portion 4. The lower portion of the convex portion 8 is approximately rectangular. The lower end of the lower portion of the convex portion 8 has a thickness of 0 and is integrated into the inner circumferential surface of the conical portion 4.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0042] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Dripper set 2 Dripper 3 Dripper stand 4 Conical portion 5 Stopper portion 6 Handle portion 7 Projection portion of dripper 8 Convex portion 9 Step portion 10 Circular opening 12 Slit 13 Recessed portion 14 Projection portion of dripper stand 15 Coffee filter 16 Coffee grounds with hot water poured

Claims

1. A coffee dripper set comprising: a coffee dripper; and a coffee dripper stand that is placed on a coffee container and supports the coffee dripper; the coffee dripper has a cylindrical conical portion whose inner diameter decreases from top to bottom; a protrusion extending radially outward on the outer circumferential surface of the conical portion; and a stopper portion extending radially outward on the outer circumferential surface of the lower end of the conical portion; the coffee dripper stand has a circular opening that penetrates in the vertical direction and has a diameter smaller than the radial length of the stopper portion of the coffee dripper; the portion of the conical portion of the coffee dripper between the protrusion and the stopper portion is positioned in the circular opening of the coffee dripper stand; and the protrusion on the conical portion of the coffee dripper abuts against the coffee dripper stand, thereby causing the coffee dripper to be horizontal relative to the coffee dripper stand.

2. The coffee dripper set according to claim 1, wherein the coffee dripper stand is plate-shaped and has a recess on the underside that is concentric with the circular opening and becomes deeper toward the center.

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

4. The coffee dripper set according to claim 1, wherein the coffee dripper stand has a slit formed therein that extends from a side end to the circular opening, and the portion of the conical portion of the coffee dripper between the protrusion and the stopper portion is positioned within the circular opening through the slit in the dripper stand.

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

6. The coffee dripper set according to claim 1, wherein the inner peripheral surface of the conical portion of the coffee dripper is provided with a plurality of convex portions of the same shape arranged in a circumferential direction, the plurality of convex portions each extending in the vertical direction and being plate-like with width and thickness decreasing from top to bottom, the plurality of convex portions are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the conical portion so that gaps extending in the vertical direction are formed between adjacent convex portions in the circumferential direction, the upper portions of the plurality of convex portions each have a semicircular, triangular or elliptical shape, and the upper ends of the upper portions of the plurality of convex portions do not reach the upper end of the conical portion.

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

8. A coffee dripper made of elastically deformable resin that is supported in use by the circular opening of a coffee dripper stand placed on a coffee container, the coffee dripper having a cylindrical conical portion whose inner diameter decreases from top to bottom, a protrusion extending radially outward on the outer circumferential surface of the conical portion, a stopper portion extending radially outward on the outer circumferential surface of the lower end of the conical portion, the radial length of the stopper portion being greater than the diameter of the circular opening of the coffee dripper stand, a portion of the conical portion between the protrusion and the stopper portion being positioned in the circular opening of the coffee dripper stand, and the protrusion of the conical portion abutting against the coffee dripper stand, causing the conical portion to become horizontal relative to the coffee dripper stand.

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