Process and apparatus for preparing and dispensing coffee
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing coffee dispensing machines face challenges in achieving optimal and repeatable beverage quality due to non-uniform coffee powder distribution, increased maintenance costs, and variability in beverage extraction quality across different coffee amounts, leading to inconsistent results and wear on machine components.
Innovation Solution
A dispensing apparatus with a cylindrical infusion chamber and a rotating feed chute, where the positions of the chamber, piston, and chute are adjusted based on pre-determined coordinates to ensure uniform coffee distribution, allowing for efficient preparation of various coffee volumes with optimal extraction quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single infusion chamber is used for all coffee amounts, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision of coffee distribution becomes difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the feed chute rotatable and the infusion chamber translatable along its axis. The feed chute can rotate to different angular positions, and the infusion chamber can move to different vertical positions, allowing the system to adapt its geometry dynamically based on the coffee amount being dispensed. This dynamic adjustment enables a single chamber to achieve uniform coffee distribution for various beverage types without requiring multiple fixed chambers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by varying the geometric parameters of the coffee bed formation process. By changing the angular position of the feed chute and the vertical position of the infusion chamber, the system modifies the parameters of coffee powder deposition. This allows optimal distribution patterns to be achieved for different coffee amounts (espresso vs. American coffee) using the same physical chamber, thereby resolving the contradiction between device simplicity and manufacturing precision.
2Reliability
If multiple infusion chambers are used for different coffee amounts, then beverage quality consistency is improved, but device complexity and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a single infusion chamber that can serve multiple functions for different beverage types. Through the combination of the rotatable feed chute and translatable chamber, one chamber can accommodate various coffee amounts (from small espresso portions to larger American coffee portions) while maintaining optimal distribution and extraction quality. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for multiple specialized chambers, thereby reducing device complexity and maintenance requirements while preserving beverage quality consistency.
Solution Approach 2:
The dynamic adjustment mechanisms (rotatable feed chute and translatable infusion chamber) enable a single chamber to adapt its configuration for different beverage preparations. This dynamic capability allows the same chamber to achieve optimal performance for both small and large coffee amounts, providing the reliability of multiple chambers with the simplicity of a single chamber system.
3Ease of operation
If coffee powder is fed by gravity into the infusion chamber, then ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing precision of coffee distribution deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains the simple gravitational feeding mechanism (ease of operation) while adding dynamic positioning of the feed chute and infusion chamber. The feed chute remains in a fixed position for gravity feeding, but the infusion chamber can be translated and rotated to different positions during the coffee feeding process. This allows the gravity-fed coffee to be deposited in controlled patterns, achieving uniform distribution (manufacturing precision) without complicating the feeding mechanism itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces the movable infusion chamber as an intermediary between the fixed feed chute and the final coffee bed. The chamber's ability to move and rotate during coffee deposition acts as a mediator that transforms the simple gravitational flow into a uniformly distributed coffee bed, thereby improving distribution precision without affecting the simplicity of the gravity feeding operation.
4Device complexity
If the feed chute is fixed in position, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision of coffee distribution becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the feed chute rotatable around its axis and the infusion chamber translatable along its axis. This dynamic positioning capability allows the system to adjust the relative geometry between the feed chute and infusion chamber for different coffee amounts. The feed chute can be rotated to different angular positions, and the chamber can be moved vertically, enabling precise control over coffee distribution patterns without adding complex positioning mechanisms to the feed chute itself.
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 ensures consistent and repeatable coffee quality across different volumes, reducing maintenance costs and wear on components by maintaining uniform coffee density and distribution, thereby improving the overall performance of the coffee dispensing process.
Implementation Method 1
ground coffee is measured and inserted, by gravity, into an infusion chamber
Implementation Method 2
compressed by one or more movable walls, usually one or more pistons
Implementation Method 3
An infusion liquid, usually water, is then forced through the coffee tablet compressed into the infusion chamber, so that the substances of the ground product are extracted and the beverage is obtained
Data Source
AI summary
A process for preparing coffee in a dispensing apparatus is described, the apparatus (1) having a feed chute (6) mounted on the supporting frame (2) and being able to rotate with respect to said frame in order to feed the ground coffee to the infusion chamber (3), wherein the feed chute (6) and the infusion chamber (3) are positioned so as to obtain a desired distribution of ground coffee in the chamber (3).