Movable Heated Cup Tray for Coffee Machine Bean Storage Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Coffee machines with integrated grinders or storage containers lack space for a cup tray, as the upper surface is occupied by product containers, limiting the ability to preheat cups and access storage areas without clearing away utensils.
Innovation Solution
A coffee machine design with integrated storage spaces for coffee beans and a grinder, featuring a heatable cup rack that is pivotable and displaceable, allowing for user-friendly access to storage areas without disturbing cups, and incorporating a multi-layer structure for efficient heating and thermal insulation to prevent bean freshness loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If integrated storage containers are added to the coffee machine, then coffee bean storage capacity is improved, but the upper surface space for cup tray is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional surface placement to three-dimensional spatial utilization by integrating storage containers within the machine's internal volume. The cup tray is repositioned from the top surface to the front face of the housing, utilizing vertical and lateral space rather than horizontal surface area, thereby resolving the space conflict between storage capacity and cup tray availability.
2Ease of operation
If the cup rack is made heatable to preheat cups, then cup preheating function is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heating element is integrated directly into the cup rack structure, allowing the rack to self-heat without requiring a separate heating system. The rack receives electrical power through a cable connection and generates its own heat, eliminating the need for external heating sources or complex thermal management systems, thereby reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining the preheating function.
3Ease of operation
If the cup rack is made displaceable to allow access to storage areas, then accessibility is improved, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cup rack is designed with displacement capability along the longitudinal axis of the housing, transitioning from a fixed static structure to a movable dynamic one. This allows the rack to be shifted forward to access storage containers without requiring complex mechanical mechanisms, achieving simplicity through straightforward linear motion rather than multi-axis manipulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The cup rack is designed as a separable component that can be independently displaced from the main housing structure. This segmentation allows the rack to move along guide rails or tracks without affecting the stability of the storage containers or other machine components, simplifying the overall structural design by isolating the moving element.
4Reliability
If thermal insulation is added to prevent bean freshness loss, then coffee bean freshness is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The storage container incorporates thermal insulation material as part of its composite structure, combining the container body with insulating layers. This integrated approach provides effective thermal protection for coffee beans while avoiding the need for separate insulation components, thereby reducing assembly steps and manufacturing costs despite the added functional benefit of freshness preservation.
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 a large, heatable cup rack that maintains cup warmth without affecting coffee bean freshness, while providing easy access to storage and maintenance without removing cups, enhancing user convenience and serviceability.
Implementation Method 1
a second layer (5-B), in particular in the form of a heating foil (5-B), designed for heating the first layer (5-A)
Implementation Method 2
a third layer (5-C), covering this second layer (5-B) and thus facing the storage spaces (3a, 3b) and designed as an insulating layer (5-C)
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
Electrically operated coffee machine with a housing (1) and one or more storage compartments (3a, 3b) integrated at least partially into the interior (2) of the housing (1), characterized in that the top (4) of the housing (1) is designed as a cup tray (5) that is movable and/or pivotable relative to the storage compartment(s) (3a, 3b) or has such a cup tray (5).