Filter for a filter holder cup of a coffee machine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing coffee machine filters with irremovable filtering walls suffer from rapid performance degradation due to impurity accumulation and clogging, affecting hygiene and organoleptic quality, while removable filters damage seals and leave residues.
Innovation Solution
A filter design with a removable filtering wall and an additional protective filtering element with smaller holes, which seals along a closed line around the dispensing hole, preventing coffee powder from entering and clogging, and simplifies cleaning by dividing the dispensing chamber into storage and dispensing subchambers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the filtering wall is made irremovable, then the filter structure is simpler and more reliable, but the dispensing hole gets clogged due to impurity accumulation
Solution Approach 1:
The filter is divided into separable components: a cup-shaped body, a removable filtering wall, and a protective filtering element. This segmentation allows the filtering wall to be removed for cleaning to prevent clogging, while the protective element remains to maintain structure integrity and reliability during operation.
2Ease of operation
If the filtering wall is made removable, then cleaning access is improved, but the seal gasket is damaged and coffee powder enters the dispensing chamber
Solution Approach 1:
A protective filtering element acts as an intermediary barrier between the coffee powder and the dispensing chamber. This element remains in place during filtering operations, preventing coffee powder from entering the dispensing chamber even when the filtering wall is removed for cleaning, thus maintaining seal integrity and preventing contamination.
3Reliability
If a protective filtering element with smaller holes is added, then coffee powder is prevented from entering the dispensing chamber, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective filtering element is integrated with the cup-shaped body as a fixed, permanent component. This merging approach combines the protection function into the existing structure, preventing coffee powder from entering the dispensing chamber while avoiding the complexity of making the entire filtering wall removable and replaceable.
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
Prevents dispensing hole obstruction, maintains long-term efficiency and hygiene, and enhances coffee infusion quality by promoting turbulence and air mixing, while being easy to clean and maintain.
Implementation Method 1
a filtering wall provided with a plurality of through holes... The calibrated holes of the filtering wall retain the coffee powder but let through the infused coffee
Implementation Method 2
the filtering wall is perimetrally provided with a gasket that forms a seal with the cup-shaped body to prevent the coffee powder entering the dispensing chamber
Implementation Method 3
dimensions such as to permit significant acceleration of the flow of infused coffee so as to generate a significant increase in the turbulence induced in the flow and thus greater mixing of air in the infused coffee with a consequent formation of coffee cream or foam
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~6
AI summary
The filter (6, 13) for a filter holder cup (2) of a coffee machine, comprising a cup body (6) having a bottom wall (7) provided with a dispensing hole (8) for dispensing infused coffee and a side wall (9) that bounds a compartment (10) with the bottom wall (7), inside the compartment (10) a separating filtering wall (13) being further positioned between an upper housing chamber (14) housing coffee powder and a lower dispensing chamber (15) for dispensing the infused coffee comprising said dispensing hole (8), inside said dispensing chamber (15) a filtering element (17) protecting said dispensing hole (8) being provided.