Rotating Coffee Filter Brewing With Integrated Burr Grinding
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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 with a vertically-oriented burr grinder that transforms whole coffee beans into grounds, a rotating filter for centrifugal brewing, and a mechanism to dry coffee grounds for easy disposal, allowing for adjustable grind size and consistent extraction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a grinder is integrated into the coffee making appliance to grind whole beans, then convenience and versatility are improved, but the device becomes more complex and prone to clogs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the grinding mechanism and brewing mechanism into a single integrated appliance. The grinder is positioned above the brewing chamber with direct gravitational feed of grounds into the brewing area, merging two separate functions (grinding and brewing) into one unified device, thereby improving versatility while managing complexity through functional integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The appliance is divided into distinct functional segments: a hopper for storing whole beans, a grinding chamber with burr grinder, a brewing chamber with filter, and a collection container. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while maintaining overall system manageability and ease of cleaning.
2Reliability
If coffee grounds are retained in the filter after brewing, then extraction quality is improved, but cleaning becomes more difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The filter is designed to automatically eject spent coffee grounds into a collection container after brewing. The ejection mechanism uses the existing brewing pressure and gravity to discharge grounds without requiring manual intervention, thereby maintaining extraction quality during brewing while automatically facilitating cleanup afterward.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically discards spent coffee grounds from the filter into a separate collection container. This separation allows the filter to be easily rinsed and reused, while the grounds are collected in a dedicated area designed for easy disposal, thereby simplifying the cleaning process while maintaining brewing quality.
3Productivity
If the appliance uses pre-ground coffee beans, then brewing speed is improved, but the quality and freshness of coffee are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The appliance performs the grinding action immediately before brewing, rather than in advance. Whole beans are ground just prior to contact with hot water, ensuring maximum freshness and aroma extraction. This preliminary action of grinding at the optimal moment preserves coffee quality while maintaining efficient brewing speed through the integrated design.
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 quickly, reduces clogging, ensures consistent extraction, and facilitates easy cleaning and flavor changes, with the drying mechanism allowing for convenient disposal of coffee grounds.
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 pump configured to supply water from the reservoir to the filter
Implementation Method 3
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 to produce the brewed coffee
Implementation Method 4
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, a reservoir for receiving water to be heated, a hopper configured to receive a quantity of whole coffee beans, the hopper having an outlet, a vertically-oriented burr grinder positioned adjacent to the outlet of said hopper, the grinder being configured to transform the whole coffee beans into coffee grounds, a filter removably received by the housing for receiving the coffee grounds from the grinder, a pump configured to supply water from the reservoir to the filter, and 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 to produce the brewed coffee.