A telescopic cup tray for a beverage machine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cup trays for beverage preparation machines are either user-unfriendly, aesthetically unpleasing, costly, and complex, with helical systems limiting height adjustments to two discrete positions and causing rotational issues with decorated designs.
Innovation Solution
A manual cup tray system with a vertical cam and horizontal groove mechanism, featuring a latch mechanism with equidistant ramps and flexible strips, allowing multiple stable height settings while maintaining logo alignment and providing easy cleaning and handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a manual cup tray is disconnected from the machine for height adjustment, then the tray can be repositioned to different heights, but the user experience deteriorates due to difficulty in proper reconnection and the tray protruding from the machine surface
Solution Approach 1:
The cup tray is divided into two main segments: a stationary base that remains integrated with the machine, and a movable tray portion that can be independently adjusted to different height positions. This segmentation allows the tray to be repositioned without disconnecting the entire assembly, improving ease of operation while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable tray portion is nested within the stationary base structure, allowing it to slide or rotate within defined boundaries. This nesting arrangement enables height adjustment while keeping the tray integrated with the machine, eliminating the protruding issue and simplifying the reconnection process.
2Adaptability or versatility
If helical systems are used for height adjustment, then the cup tray can be positioned at different heights, but the system allows only two discrete positions and causes rotational misalignment of logos or pictures
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment mechanism uses an asymmetric cam profile or eccentric geometry that converts rotational motion into vertical displacement without rotating the tray itself. This asymmetric design allows continuous or multi-position height adjustment while maintaining the tray's orientation, preventing logo misalignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs curved cam surfaces or spherical eccentric elements that translate rotational input into vertical motion along a controlled path. This curvature-based mechanism enables smooth height transitions and precise positioning at multiple levels while keeping the tray horizontally aligned, avoiding the discrete two-position limitation and rotational issues of helical systems.
3Ease of operation
If motorized cup trays are used, then high level of convenience is achieved, but the cost and complexity of building the machine increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The cup tray adjustment mechanism is designed to be manually operated through a simple cam-actuated lever or knob that the user can easily manipulate. This self-service design eliminates the need for motors, sensors, and control electronics, significantly reducing device complexity and manufacturing cost while maintaining ease of operation through intuitive mechanical action.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces expensive motorized components with simple, inexpensive mechanical elements such as cam lobes, levers, and springs. These basic mechanical parts are cost-effective to manufacture and replace, achieving the desired functionality without the high cost and complexity of motorized systems.
4Adaptability or versatility
If complex assembly systems are used for cup trays, then multiple functions can be integrated, but the manufacturing cost increases due to multiple parts needing assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The cup tray design merges multiple functions into a single integrated mechanism: the cam-actuated lever simultaneously controls height adjustment, locking, and alignment. By combining these functions into one unified mechanical system rather than separate components, the design reduces the number of parts needing assembly, lowering manufacturing cost while maintaining functional versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable cup tray mechanism is designed as a universal solution that can be adapted to different machine types and tray configurations. The cam-based adjustment system serves multiple purposes: positioning, locking, and alignment, making it a multi-functional component that reduces the need for additional specialized parts, thereby simplifying manufacturing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system offers easy, secure height adjustments with tactile and auditory confirmation, improved aesthetics, and ease of cleaning, while being cost-effective and simple to manufacture, ensuring the cup tray is fully integrated into the machine design.
Implementation Method 1
The cup tray comprises a vertical track cam and a horizontal groove mechanism, featuring a latch mechanism with equidistant ramps and flexible strips
Implementation Method 2
a latch mechanism with equidistant ramps and flexible strips, allowing multiple stable height settings while maintaining logo alignment
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention concerns a food and beverage preparation machine (1) comprising a machine body (2), a fluid system for preparing and dispensing a beverage, a beverage dispensing opening, and a cup tray (6) attached to the machine body in at least two possible height positions. According to the invention, the machine comprises a pit (7) with a cylindrical opening located below a dispensing opening, said cylindrical opening comprising at least one guiding pin (8), and the cup tray comprises a horizontal plate (10) and a vertical cylinder (11), the cylinder having a vertical cam groove (12) adapted to receive said guiding pin in a slidable manner for displacing the cup tray in height, and superimposed horizontal groove branches (13) extending from the vertical groove, advantageously through lower and upper curved camways defining a cusp-shaped cam path, for fixing the cup tray at predetermined height positions.