Coffee Maker with Integrated Grinder and Self-Cleaning Brew Path
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing coffee making appliances that both grind and brew coffee are prone to clogs, produce inconsistent extraction, and are cumbersome to use and clean, especially when switching between different coffee bean roasts or flavors.
Innovation Solution
A coffee making appliance that includes a hopper for whole coffee beans, a vertically-oriented burr grinder, a filter that rotates to distribute grounds and facilitate even extraction, and a mechanism to dry coffee grounds after brewing, allowing for adjustable grind size and reduced clogging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a grinder is integrated into the coffee making appliance, then whole coffee beans can be ground on-demand, but the appliance becomes prone to clogs during the grinding stage
Solution Approach 1:
The grinder is segmented into separate functional components: a burr grinding mechanism for size reduction, a classification screen for particle size separation, and a collection chamber. This segmentation allows ground coffee to be continuously classified and removed, preventing clogs by maintaining open pathways throughout the grinding system.
Solution Approach 2:
A classification screen acts as an intermediary between the burr grinder and the collection chamber. This screen mediates the particle size separation, allowing fine grounds to pass through while retaining larger particles for re-grinding, thus preventing clogs by maintaining a controlled flow of ground coffee through the system.
2Productivity
If the appliance grinds and brews coffee in one system, then the brewing process can be completed in one cycle, but the extraction during brewing is inconsistent
Solution Approach 1:
The classification screen performs preliminary action by separating ground coffee particles by size before brewing. This ensures that only uniformly sized grounds are collected and brewed, providing consistent extraction. The system pre-classifies the coffee grounds, eliminating variability in particle size that would otherwise cause inconsistent brewing results.
Solution Approach 2:
The burr grinder allows adjustment of the gap between burrs to change particle size distribution. By controlling this parameter, the system produces grounds with consistent size ranges that brew uniformly. The ability to adjust grind parameters ensures reproducible extraction results across different brewing cycles.
3Device complexity
If the filter is designed to receive ground coffee from the grinder, then the brewing process can be streamlined, but changing coffee bean roasts or flavors becomes tedious and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The collection chamber is designed to be easily removable and emptyable from the main appliance body. Users can quickly empty spent coffee grounds from the collection chamber without disassembling the entire appliance or removing the filter assembly, significantly reducing the time required to prepare for the next brewing cycle with different coffee beans.
Solution Approach 2:
The classification screen and collection chamber are designed for easy user access and maintenance. The system allows users to quickly clear grounds and reload fresh beans without requiring technical expertise or complex disassembly procedures, enabling rapid switching between different coffee varieties.
4Ease of operation
If the appliance includes a mechanism to dry coffee grounds after brewing, then grounds disposal is facilitated, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drying mechanism utilizes the appliance's existing heating element and airflow system to evaporate moisture from spent coffee grounds after brewing. This self-service approach uses already-present components rather than adding dedicated drying equipment, simplifying the overall system while still achieving effective grounds drying for easy disposal.
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 appliance efficiently grinds and brews coffee with consistent extraction, reduces clogging, and simplifies the process of changing coffee beans and cleaning, while drying grounds for easy disposal.
Implementation Method 1
a vertically-oriented burr grinder positioned adjacent to the outlet of the hopper, the grinder being configured to transform the whole coffee beans into coffee grounds
Implementation Method 2
a driving mechanism configured to rotate the filter while the water is supplied to the filter to cause the water to pass radially through the coffee grounds
Implementation Method 3
a pump configured to supply water from the reservoir to the filter
Implementation Method 4
passing heated water into the filter and radially through the coffee grounds to produce brewed coffee
Implementation Method 5
The filter is configured to rotate for a period of time after a flow of water to the filter is ceased to dry the coffee grounds within the filter
Data Source
AI summary
A coffee making appliance includes a housing having a base for supporting a container configured to receive brewed coffee and a reservoir for receiving water to be heated. A hopper is configured to receive a quantity of whole coffee beans and is positioned adjacent a grinder that is itself configured to transform the whole coffee beans into ground coffee. A passageway is formed in the housing for channeling the ground coffee from the grinder to a brewing chamber. A pump configured to supply the water from said reservoir to said brewing chamber via a brew path and the brew path then directs said heated water over the passageway, thereby cleaning the passageway of particulates of the ground coffee.