Movable Beverage Outlet and Drop Collector for Spill-Free Dispensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Beverage preparation machines often experience undesirable dripping of residual liquids into the dispensing zone after beverage serving, leading to spills and compromising cleanliness and ergonomics.
Innovation Solution
The machine incorporates a movable ingredient seat, outlet, and drop collector that transition between a drop collection configuration and a dispensing configuration, guiding residual drops into a waste collection arrangement rather than the dispensing zone, preventing spills and improving cleanliness and user experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a fixed beverage outlet is used above the dispensing zone, then beverage dispensing is simple and direct, but residual liquid drips into the dispensing zone causing spills and cleanliness issues
Solution Approach 1:
The beverage outlet is made movable, transitioning between a dispensing position above the dispensing zone and a retracted position away from it. This dynamic positioning allows the outlet to be moved out of the drip path after dispensing, preventing residual liquid from falling into the dispensing zone while maintaining simple operation during the dispensing process itself
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a movable ingredient seat is used to enable cleaning access, then cleanliness is improved, but the complexity of the mechanism increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning access function is merged with the existing movable ingredient seat mechanism. The same seat that moves for ingredient insertion and removal also provides access to the brewing chamber for cleaning purposes. This consolidation avoids adding a separate cleaning mechanism, thereby reducing overall system complexity while still achieving improved cleanliness and accessibility
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the beverage outlet is moved away from the dispensing zone after dispensing, then dripping is prevented, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The outlet movement function is merged with the ingredient seat movement. As the ingredient seat moves between its retracted and advanced positions, the outlet moves with it. This coupled movement means that a single mechanical action achieves both ingredient handling and drip prevention, avoiding the need for a separate outlet positioning mechanism and thereby reducing overall complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The outlet is moved to a retracted position away from the dispensing zone before the dispensing cycle completes and residual liquid begins to drip. This preliminary retraction action prevents the harmful dripping effect from occurring in the first place, rather than attempting to address it after the fact
Data Source
AI summary
A machine (1) for preparing a beverage (2) comprises: —a seat (10) having at least one part (11) that is movable between a transfer position for introducing a beverage ingredient into the seat and/or removing said ingredient therefrom, and a processing position for forming said beverage from the ingredient in the seat; —an outlet (20) for dispensing said beverage upon formation in the seat; and —a drop collector (30) for collecting drops (2′) from the outlet. This movable part (11) of the seat (10), the outlet (20) and the drop collector (30) are associated, in particular connected, so that the drop collector and the outlet are relatively moved into: —a drop collection configuration for the drop collector to collect drops (2′) from the outlet when the movable part of the seat is in the transfer position; and/or —a dispensing configuration for dispensing the formed beverage (2) from the outlet into a dispensing zone (25), in particular a zone arranged for receiving a recipient such as a cup or a mug, when the movable part of the seat is in the processing position.