Portion Dispenser Piston Assembly for Sealed Gravity Dispensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beverage dispensing systems for coffee and other powdered ingredients are costly, complex, and prone to dosing accuracy issues, with coffee powder often spreading and being sensitive to oxidation, leading to freshness and packaging material consumption problems.
Innovation Solution
A portion dispenser with a piston assembly and frame design that allows for sealed, gravity-driven dispensing of beverage items from an exchangeable cartridge, minimizing exposure to ambient air and using a piston actuator for precise and efficient handling of the closure cap to maintain product integrity and reduce packaging material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If sealed capsules are used to protect coffee from oxidation, then freshness and coffee quality are improved, but production cost and packaging material consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the packaging system into two parts: a reusable sealed container that protects multiple portions from oxidation, and individual unsealed capsules that are dispensed as needed. This segmentation allows the expensive sealed packaging to be reused across multiple dispensing cycles, reducing overall packaging material consumption while maintaining oxidation protection for the bulk coffee supply.
Solution Approach 2:
The system recovers and reuses the sealed container after dispensing individual portions. The container is refilled and reused for multiple cycles, while only the individual dispensing capsules are discarded. This recovering approach significantly reduces packaging material consumption compared to using sealed capsules for each individual portion.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If vacuum or inert gas supply means are used in the container, then oxidation protection is improved, but device complexity and operating cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the oxidation protection function from complex active systems (vacuum pumps, inert gas generators) and implements it through a simple passive sealed container design. The sealed container physically isolates the coffee from oxygen without requiring any active mechanical or chemical systems, thereby reducing device complexity and operating costs while maintaining effective oxidation protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses simple, inexpensive sealed containers that can be easily manufactured and replaced, rather than investing in complex, expensive vacuum or inert gas systems. The sealed container serves its protection function effectively and can be refilled or replaced at low cost, making the overall system more economical and less complex.
3Productivity
If coffee powder is dispensed in bulk, then productivity is improved, but dosing accuracy and cleanliness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the bulk coffee supply into individual pre-measured capsules within the sealed container. Each capsule contains a precise dose of coffee, ensuring dosing accuracy. The dispensing mechanism then transfers these pre-segmented portions individually, maintaining both speed and precision without the messiness of bulk powder handling.
Solution Approach 2:
The coffee is pre-dosed into individual capsules before storage in the sealed container. This preliminary action of portioning and sealing ensures that each serving has accurate dosing, and the actual dispensing process simply involves transferring the pre-prepared portions, maintaining both speed and precision while improving cleanliness.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If a piston assembly with sealing connection is used, then oxidation protection during dispensing is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The piston assembly is designed to automatically seal and open the container based on the dispensing cycle. The piston moves to open the container for dispensing, then automatically returns to seal the container, protecting the remaining coffee from air exposure. This self-service mechanism reduces the need for additional complex sealing systems while maintaining oxidation protection during and after dispensing.
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 solution provides a low-cost, sustainable, and accurate dispensing system that maintains the freshness of coffee and reduces packaging material consumption by minimizing air exposure and ensuring precise dosing, while keeping the dispensing process clean and efficient.
Implementation Method 1
a discharge opening next to the receiving portion and sized for allowing the beverage items to be individually discharged by gravity from the cartridge
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The invention relates to a portion dispenser (2) for dispensing beverage items (8) from an exchangeable cartridge (3) comprising: a frame (4) with a receiving portion (5) for receiving the exchangeable cartridge, a discharge opening (6) next to the receiving portion (5) and sized for allowing a beverage item to be individually discharged by gravity from the exchangeable cartridge, a piston assembly (16) comprising a piston (19) and a piston housing (20) in which the piston is arranged for moving therein, wherein the piston (19) is arranged for providing a discharge chamber (23) for discharge of at least one beverage item therein and for transporting to a dispensing area (17) and wherein the piston assembly (16) is arranged for sealingly connecting with the exchangeable cartridge (3) and comprises means for opening the exchangeable cartridge to allow the discharge of the beverage item in the discharge chamber and for re-closing the exchangeable cartridge.