Automatic distributor for dispensing espresso coffee starting from coffee-beans and relative method
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing espresso coffee dispensing machines from coffee beans suffer from aroma and organoleptic quality degradation due to exposure to air and moisture, leading to poor quality coffee, especially when inactive for long periods, and capsule-based systems incur high costs and environmental issues.
Innovation Solution
A device with a hermetically sealed containment tank using a vacuum pump to preserve coffee beans, preventing air and moisture exposure, and a control unit to manage coffee bean transfer and grinding, ensuring freshness and quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If coffee beans are stored in a hopper exposed to air, then the machine structure is simple and easy to operate, but the aroma and organoleptic characteristics of the coffee deteriorate over time due to oxidation and moisture absorption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the inert atmosphere principle by creating a vacuum environment inside the containment tank where coffee beans are stored. The vacuum pump removes air from the tank, replacing it with a near-vacuum inert environment that prevents oxidation and moisture absorption. This resolves the contradiction by protecting coffee quality without requiring complex sealing mechanisms or expensive inert gas systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the harmful air atmosphere from the coffee storage environment by using a vacuum pump to remove air molecules from the containment tank. This creates a vacuum environment that isolates the coffee beans from oxidative and moisture-related degradation, solving the quality deterioration problem while maintaining system simplicity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the machine is left inactive for long periods with coffee beans exposed to air, then operational flexibility is improved, but the coffee quality deteriorates significantly due to prolonged oxidation
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum environment created in the containment tank provides long-term protection for coffee beans during periods of machine inactivity. The inert vacuum atmosphere prevents oxidation and quality deterioration even after extended storage periods, ensuring consistent coffee quality regardless of how long the machine remains unused. This resolves the contradiction between operational flexibility and quality reliability.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If capsules are used to protect ground coffee from air, then coffee preservation is improved, but packaging costs, storage costs, and environmental impact increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a vacuum environment as an alternative to physical packaging capsules. By storing coffee beans in a vacuum-sealed containment tank, the system provides protection from air exposure without requiring individual capsules for each serving. This eliminates capsule packaging waste and associated disposal costs while maintaining coffee quality, resolving the contradiction between protection and environmental impact.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts the protective function from individual capsules and applies it to the entire coffee storage system through vacuum sealing. Instead of encapsulating each portion of coffee, the vacuum environment protects all coffee beans collectively, eliminating the need for disposable capsules and their associated environmental problems while maintaining effective air exclusion.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If ground coffee is stored in capsules, then protection from air is achieved, but the aroma release is less complete compared to freshly ground coffee
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary protection of whole coffee beans in a vacuum environment before grinding. By maintaining the beans in a protected vacuum state until the moment of use, then grinding them fresh, the system preserves both protection from degradation and complete aroma release. This resolves the contradiction by applying protection to the whole beans rather than pre-ground coffee in capsules.
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 vacuum-sealed system maintains coffee aroma and quality, reduces contamination, and avoids the drawbacks of capsule-based systems by ensuring freshly ground coffee with reduced environmental impact and cost.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum pump (5) provided that is operatively active on the containment tank (2) containing the coffee-beans so as to create a vacuum therein
Data Source
AI summary
A method for preparing espresso coffee starting from coffee beans, comprising the following steps: inserting coffee beans in a containment tank (2); creating vacuum in the containment tank (2) for containing the coffee beans; transferring a pre-established amount of coffee beans from the containment tank (2) to a dosing chamber (11); transferring a portion of coffee beans from said dosing chamber (11) to a grinding station; grinding the portion of coffee beans that has reached the grinding station.