WO2002064004A1

WO2002064004A1 - Digital coffee counter

Info

Publication number: WO2002064004A1
Application number: PCT/HR2002/000006
Authority: WO
Inventors: Miroslav Kovac
Original assignee: Miroslav Kovac
Priority date: 2001-02-12
Filing date: 2002-02-05
Publication date: 2002-08-22
Also published as: HRP20010109B1; HRP20010109A2

Abstract

The digital coffee counter (1) consisting of the rectifier with voltage stabilizer (3), the counter with memory (4), and display (6), the timer (5) with trimmer potentiometer for time adjustment (7) is connected to power supply in the coffee machine (13), to the electric valve (8) and the switch (10). A pressure on the switch activates water (11) i.e. coffee (12) spouting. At the same time, the counter (4) increases the digit on the display (6) by one. Coffee pours out over a time set by the potentiometer (7) and then the timer (5) turns off power on the valve (8) and coffee stops running. The timer (5) is set for time required for a longer coffee brewing and coffee spouting can be cut by the switch (10) before the set time.

Description

DIGITAL COFFEE COUNTER CLASSIFICATION OF THE INVENTION

This Invention is intended for use in catering business and is an electric digital counter attached to a coffee machine for accurate counting of sold brewing sessions through controlled water flow. Under the International Patent Classification (IPC) the Invention can be classified as follows:

A47J 31/46 - Dispensing spouts, pumps, drain valves or similar liquid transporting devices A47J 31/58 - Safety devices THE TECHNICAL PROBLEM

The technical solution offered by this Invention consists in the design of a device connected to all types of espresso coffee machines in order to: - precisely count sold coffee doses (important to restaurant owners and coffee distributors)

- determine water quantity required per coffee dose (equal quantities)

- determine the potential total number of dispensed coffee doses

One of the greatest problems encountered in the catering business is how to precisely keep record of dispensed coffee doses. The problem is particularly expressed in restaurants not operated by their owners and where coffee distributors lease coffee machines under the condition that the lessees use their coffee supplies.

This Invention ensures maximum usability of a coffee machine in terms of its lifetime and, more important, cuts costs by up to 20%. STATE-OF-THE-ART

There are several solutions offered for coping with the problem. The most typical among them is the mechanical counter mounted on the coffee machine grinder. It records every dose of ground coffee, but, due to the grinder design, it can be easily duped by the restaurant personnel at the owner's expense. Attempts were made to address the problem by mounting the mechanical counter on the coffee machine itself, but it records only the push on the water spout switch. This, however, puts an additional strain on the switch and causes its malfunction. Besides counting is inaccurate, because at one pressure on the switch (one counted number) water pours out uncontrolled. Another problem is that in all these mechanical counters the finely ground coffee penetrated inside the mechanical structure, which in turn leads to repeated malfunction and, ultimately, short lifetime.

THE ESSENCE OF THE INVENTION The primary purpose of the Invention is to enable the user to accurately record every sold coffee dose.

The secondary purpose is to avoid the very mechanics of the counter susceptible to finely ground coffee.

Another purpose is to prolong the lifetime of the vital parts of the coffee machine and the counter itself and thereby increase cost-effectiveness by up to

20% in favour of the owner.

The succeeding description will show some additional advantages of the

Invention.

THE DIGITAL COFFEE COUNTER can be designed as a detached unit or a component of a coffee machine. The essence of both designs is the same. The difference is that the detached counter is installed in a housing impermeable to water and finely ground coffee and that its upper lid has a transparent opening through which the digital count can be seen. On the other hand, the counter as a component of the coffee machine has no housing and is directly installed in the coffee machine together with the rest of electronic parts.

The counter consists of a rectifier with voltage stabilizer, a digital counter with memory store and numerical display, an electronic timer adjustable to 5-80 sec intervals, cables for connection to the coffee machine, and a waterproof housing with a transparent lid through which the count display can be seen. Tests performed on the DIGITAL COFFEE COUNTER have always savings or increased coffee sales at the rate of 15-20%, so the high profitability of this counter is obvious in terms of financial gains.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

The attached drawings illustrate the above described Invention and should help understand its basic features.

Fig. 1 - Digital coffee counter connected to espresso coffee machine

1) digital coffee counter

2) coffee machine

3) rectifier with voltage stabilizer 4) counter with memory and display 5) timer with trimmer

6) counter

7) trimmer potentiometer for time adjustment

8) electric water valve 9) boiler with heaters and water pump

10)water spout switch

11) water flow direction

12) handle with strainer and ground coffee

13) mains voltage -220 V Fig. 2 - Digital coffee counter - whole view

1) waterproof housing

2) trimming port

3) counter

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AT LEAST ONE APPLICATION Below is a detailed description of the assumed application of the Invention, illustrated by the attached drawings.

As shown in Fig. 1, the DIGITAL COFFEE COUNTER (1) consists of the rectifier with the voltage stabilizer (3), the counter with memory and display (6) and the timer (5) with the trimmer potentiometer for time adjustment (7). Fig. 1 also shows that the DIGITAL COFFEE COUNTER is connected to -220 V mains supply within the coffee machine itself and to the electric water valve (8) and via the water spout switch (10) through the strainer to ground coffee.

By pressing the switch (10) the water pump (9) is turned on and the electric valve (8) is fed with voltage, and at this moment the valve opens and lets in hot water pour through the strainer (12) with ground coffee. Voltage on the electric valve (8) triggers the memory (4) and the digit on the display (6) is increased by one. At the same time, the counter memory (4) activates the timer (5) previously adjusted to the designed time interval from 5 to 80 seconds by means of the trimmer potentiometer (7). For example, if the timer was adjusted to 29 seconds, the trimmer potentiometer (7) will cut voltage supply at the electric valve (8) after exactly 29 seconds, and thereby cut water flow through the electric valve (8). Pressing again on the switch (10) water will again start running for 29 seconds and will be turned off unless we turned it off earlier by means of the switch (10). The rectifier with the voltage stabilizer (3) adjusts and stabilizes voltage for stable and

100 uniform time measurement at the timer (5).

Why is a water shut time limit needed at all?

If we want to exactly count every coffee dose, it is necessary to adjust the trimmer potentiometer (7) on the timer to time required for a (prolonged) coffee pouring. This feature is required, because the spouting time varies from coffee

105 machine to coffee machine in a range from 5 to 80 seconds. In other words, every coffee dose pouring out from the coffee machine is thus recorded. For the needs of an espresso coffee distributor who in addition to coffee is leasing coffee machines and other equipment and who wants to make sure that the lessee will have him as sole supplier, a numerical limiter of total coffee doses

110 dispensed is installed in the Digital Coffee Counter. The limiter can program the received coffee quantity (e.g., 6 kg coffee equals 900 cups of coffee). Once 900 cups of coffee have been counted, the counter will automatically stop the coffee machine and coffee can no longer be brewed until the counter is reset. It is done by a key kept by the distributor. In addition to the limiter the counter may be fitted

115 with a signal lamp warning of imminent run-out of the agreed coffee quantity. This device makes sure that the pub will use only the coffee supplied by the distributor. APPLICATION OF THE INVENTION

The Invention offers a chance to introduce a practical, durable, useful and commercially feasible device which ushers in some major improvements

120 compared to the earlier products of the same type and, most important of all, which brings considerable savings in the respective area of use.

Experts will easily see that many technical modifications, including the housing design, are possible without affecting the extent and essence of the Invention. .

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. The Digital Coffee Counter (1) is characterized in that it consists of a rectifier with voltage stabilizer (3), a digital counter with memory and display (4 and 6), and a timer (5) with trimmer potentiometer (7) for time adjustment.

2. The Digital Coffee Counter, according to Claim 1 , is characterized in that the counter (1), designed as either a detached unit or a component of the coffee machine, is connected to the electric water valve (8) and the water spout switch (10) of all types of espresso coffee machines.

3. The Digital Coffee Counter, according to Claims 1 and 2, is characterized in that it controls the operation of the electric water valve (8) which lets in the exactly measured water quantity per one coffee brewing, with pouring being recorded and stored in the counter's memory.

4. The Digital Coffee Counter, according to Claims 1 , 2 and 3, is characterized in that water spouting before expiry of the set time can be discontinued by means of the water spout switch (10) mounted on the coffee machine (2)

5. The Digital Coffee Counter, according to Claims 1 and 2, is characterized in that once the supply of the counter (1) is shut, coffee supply to the coffee machine (2) is also shut.

6. The Digital Coffee Counter, according to Claims 1 and 2, intended for coffee distributors, is characterized in that a numerical limiter of the total number of sold coffee doses is installed in the counter.

7. The Digital Coffee Counter, according to Claims 1 , 2 and 3, is characterized in that for coffee machines with two, three or four groups the counter has individual or group display.