Systems and processes for preparation of edible products with touchless interaction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beverage preparation machines for aromatic beverages, such as espresso-type coffee, face ergonomic challenges, particularly in accessing the beverage discharge mechanism, which requires manual operation and does not allow for hands-free use, especially when holding a drinking recipient and a mobile device simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
A system that enables touchless input gestures to activate the apparatus, allowing for the preparation of edible products without direct user contact, using input means that can detect and differentiate between various gestures and objects, such as free hand or recipient placement, to control the beverage preparation cycle, including selective access to the recipient placement and entry passageway for edible substance, without requiring manual operation of buttons or levers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual operation of access disposition is used, then device complexity is reduced, but ease of operation deteriorates when hands are occupied
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operation with touchless sensing technology. Input means detect gestures, hand positions, or object proximity through optical, capacitive, or other non-contact sensing mechanisms, eliminating the need for physical button presses or lever operations. This allows users to operate the apparatus even when both hands are occupied with a recipient and mobile device.
Solution Approach 2:
The apparatus automatically detects user intentions through touchless input and autonomously activates the appropriate cycle or opens the access disposition. The system interprets gestures or object placement patterns to determine user intent, reducing the need for explicit manual controls and enabling hands-free operation.
2Ease of operation
If access disposition is opened for manual operation, then ease of operation improves, but beverage quality deteriorates due to air exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The touchless input detection and access disposition activation occur in a coordinated sequence where the system prepares for discharge before the access disposition is fully opened. This minimizes the time the internal components are exposed to ambient air, reducing temperature loss and oxidation of the beverage before it reaches the recipient.
Solution Approach 2:
By using touchless sensing to trigger automated sequences, the system reduces manual intervention time and enables faster, more precise control of the access disposition opening and closing cycles, minimizing air exposure duration while maintaining ease of operation.
3Ease of operation
If touchless input means are added, then ease of operation improves for hands-free use, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The input means are designed to detect multiple types of gestures and inputs (hand gestures, object placement, proximity detection) using a single integrated sensing system. This multi-functional approach allows the apparatus to respond to various user intentions without requiring separate control mechanisms for each input type, managing complexity while enhancing ease of operation.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention discloses systems and processes for preparation of edible products, for example aromatic beverages such as espresso coffee and similar, based upon portions (7) of edible substance, for example coffee in a capsule, including an apparatus (1) that comprises a recipient placement disposition (2) adapted for placing a recipient (10, 10') for collecting edible product, an envelope (3) of apparatus and an access disposition (4) that provides selective access to at least one of said recipient placement disposition (2) and an entry passageway (8) of portions, whereby the cycle of beverage preparation can be carried out by means of apprehension of at least one type of touchless input gesture in the proximal surrounding of the apparatus (1), preferentially in the proximal surrounding of said access disposition (4).