Single-Serve Bean Cup Brewing With Integrated Piercing and Grinding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing coffee making appliances either require pre-ground coffee or whole beans to be ground within the machine, which may not preserve the freshness of coffee as whole beans are ground just before brewing, and often involve separate filter mechanisms or pods that are limited to ground coffee.
Innovation Solution
A beverage appliance that includes a housing with a liquid reservoir and a grinding mechanism to transform whole coffee beans from a pre-packaged, disposable filter cup into ground coffee for brewing, allowing for immediate grinding and brewing while maintaining the freshness of whole beans.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If pre-ground coffee is used in conventional appliances, then brewing speed is improved, but coffee freshness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The coffee beans are pre-packaged in a sealed container before use. The piercing assembly creates openings in the container to allow water flow, while the grinding mechanism grinds the beans immediately before brewing. This preliminary packaging preserves freshness until the moment of use, then enables rapid grinding and brewing without requiring pre-ground coffee storage.
2Ease of manufacture
If whole beans are ground within the machine, then coffee freshness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The piercing assembly, grinding mechanism, and brewing components are integrated into a single unified system. The piercing assembly creates openings in the pre-packaged container, the grinding mechanism immediately grinds the beans, and the brewing system extracts coffee all within one device. This merging of functions achieves fresh ground coffee brewing without requiring multiple separate devices or complex multi-step processes.
3Ease of operation
If separate filter mechanisms or pods are used, then ease of operation is improved, but adaptability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The appliance accepts pre-packaged containers containing whole coffee beans and processes them through an integrated system that includes piercing, grinding, and brewing functions. The brewing assembly with its filter and shower head configuration can handle various coffee types and brewing preferences. This universal design eliminates the need for separate pod systems or filter mechanisms while maintaining ease of operation and enabling adaptability to different coffee varieties.
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
Enables brewing of coffee from whole beans with immediate grinding, ensuring freshness and convenience through a single-serving, disposable package that integrates grinding and brewing processes, eliminating the need for separate filter mechanisms or pods.
Implementation Method 1
the grinding mechanism selectively transforms the beverage ingredient from the first size to a second size, the second size being smaller than the first size
Implementation Method 2
The piercing assembly selectively pierces the fracturable seal thereby causing said beverage ingredient to enter the grinding mechanism
Implementation Method 3
Liquid from the liquid reservoir is directed to the beverage container after the beverage ingredient of the second size has passed from the grinding mechanism into the beverage container such that the liquid exits an outlet of the beverage container after passing through the beverage ingredient of the second size
Data Source
AI summary
A beverage assembly includes a housing having a liquid reservoir, an inlet portion formed in the housing, a beverage container configured to be removably accommodated within the inlet portion and having a fracturable seal and containing a beverage ingredient of a first size, a grinding mechanism positioned within the housing and in fluid communication with the inlet portion, and a piercing assembly positioned within the housing, wherein the piercing assembly selectively pierces the fracturable seal thereby causing said beverage ingredient to enter the grinding mechanism. The grinding mechanism selectively transforms the beverage ingredient from the first size to a second size, the second size being smaller than the first size. The beverage assembly further includes a brewing area disposed beneath the grinding assembly and configured to removably accommodate the beverage container after the beverage container has been pierced by the piercing assembly.