Transformable Filter Support for Multi-Volume Drip Coffee Brewing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Drip coffee makers often produce inconsistent coffee due to limitations in filter size and brewing volume compatibility, leading to suboptimal water/coffee contact time and extraction issues when using either cone or basket filters for varying coffee quantities.
Innovation Solution
A transformable filter support system within the brew basket that adjusts to accommodate different filter sizes and brewing volumes, allowing for multiple configurations to optimize water/coffee contact time across various brewing operations without the need for additional components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a basket filter is used for brewing single cups, then the filter can accommodate the brewing setup, but the smaller quantity of ground coffee results in insufficient flow resistance and underextracted coffee
Solution Approach 1:
The filter support is designed with flexible legs that can dynamically adjust their spread to create different chamber volumes. When legs are spread wider, they create a larger chamber suitable for basket filters and single cup brewing. When legs are closer together, they create a smaller chamber for cone filters and full pot brewing, ensuring proper flow resistance and extraction consistency for each configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The filter support chamber volume is made variable rather than fixed. By changing the spatial arrangement of the flexible legs, the chamber volume parameter is adjusted to match the requirements of different filter types and brewing volumes, ensuring optimal flow resistance and extraction for each scenario
2Adaptability or versatility
If a cone filter is used for brewing full pots of coffee, then the filter structure is in place, but the larger quantity of ground coffee produces excessive flow resistance and may cause filter overflow
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible legs of the filter support can be positioned to create a larger chamber volume when brewing full pots with cone filters. This increased volume reduces the coffee bed density and flow resistance, allowing proper brewing flow rate and preventing filter overflow while maintaining extraction quality
3Reliability
If multiple baskets or inserts are provided for different brewing volumes, then brewing consistency can be improved, but consumer confusion increases and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The filter support is designed as a universal, multi-functional component that can accommodate both cone filters and basket filters, as well as different brewing volumes, through a single device. The flexible legs allow the same filter support to create different chamber volumes, eliminating the need for multiple specialized baskets or inserts and reducing consumer confusion while maintaining brewing consistency
4Device complexity
If a single filter support configuration is used for all brewing volumes, then device simplicity is maintained, but brewing consistency deteriorates due to suboptimal water/coffee contact time
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than using multiple fixed configurations, the filter support employs dynamic flexibility in its leg structure, allowing it to be adjusted to the appropriate configuration for each brewing scenario. This maintains device simplicity with a single component while achieving brewing consistency through proper water/coffee contact time optimization for each filter type and volume
Data Source
AI summary
A drip coffee maker includes a transformable filter support that is capable of transforming into a plurality of configurations to support different sizes and/or profiles of coffee filters and/or to support different types of coffee brewing operations. In some instances, for example, a transformable filter support may be configured to include one configuration suitable for supporting a narrow-profile cone filter when brewing a single cup and/or lower volume of coffee, as well as another configuration suitable for supporting a wide-profile basket filter when brewing a full pot and/or greater volume of coffee.