WO2020112067A2

WO2020112067A2 - A device that distributes coffee homogenously and applies controlled and measurable pressure

Info

Publication number: WO2020112067A2
Application number: PCT/TR2019/051009
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ümit KÖSA
Original assignee: GÜRER, Çetin; DEMİRALP, Seçkin; ÖZDİLEK, Metin; YETİK, Özkan
Priority date: 2018-11-29
Filing date: 2019-11-29
Publication date: 2020-06-04
Also published as: WO2020112067A3

Abstract

The invention is related to the coffee sector which is a device that is used to prepare coffee by controllable and measurable tamping by homogenously spreading the ground coffee that is placed in the coffee basket located inside the portafilter that is attached to the espresso machine.

Description

A DEVICE THAT DISTRIBUTES COFFEE HOMOGENOUSLY AND APPLIES CONTROLLED AND MEASURABLE PRESSURE

Technical Field of the Invention

The invention is related to a device that is used to prepare coffee with espresso, through controllable and measurable tamping by homogenously spreading the ground coffee that is placed in the coffee basket located inside the portafilter that is attached to the espresso machine. Known State of the Art (Prior Art)

Coffee is the name given to the tropical shrub species of Coffea which is from the Rubiaceae family, and to seeds and beverage prepared from said seeds. Nowadays coffee is the second product in the world after petrol with the greatest trading volume. Coffee is the second most consumed beverage after water. Espresso is a coffee type that is prepared by passing pressurized water through the fine grounded coffee powder.

In the prior art, in order to prepare espresso, the ground coffee is placed into the coffee basket inside the portafilter and is distributed manually by means of a tool called“coffee distribution tool”. After the ground coffee that is placed into the basket is distributed manually via the “coffee distribution tool”, it is pressed with a simple hand tool called a“Coffee tamper”, therefore enabling the coffee to have the desired consistency and desired surface smoothness. As a result, it is aimed for the coffee to perform a proper aromatic release.

The distribution tools that are used in the prior art only spreads out the coffee. However, when carrying out a spreading process, many air bubbles are formed due to the structure of the coffee granules and the static electricity that is stored in the coffee during the grinding process. After the coffee spreading (distribution) process is carried out, even though the coffee looks smooth on the outside, cracks are formed in its inner sections through which pressurized water can pass. Due to these cracks and due to improper spreading (distribution) the pressure applied creates higher pressure points at some points of the coffee inside the basket.

As these high-pressure points, do not allow the passage of water, the coffee at this section will not be brewed properly, and the coffee at the low-pressure points will be in contact with water for a longer period of time, thereby leading to excessive release, which in turn causes undesired taste in coffee.

Following the spreading process, pressure such as 13-15kg is applied to the coffee in order to compress the coffee. However, due to the design of these tools called“coffee tampers” that are used to apply pressure on the coffee, the wrist of the user is easily and frequently sprained.

During the tamping process, any kind of guidance is not provided for the user, whereby the user may press onto the edge or side of the coffee. If the user presses harder onto the side of the coffee, this will cause an elevation difference between the coffee sides. The lower portion of the coffee will, therefore, allow more water passage and it will brew faster and will cause the undesired taste to be released and the higher portion of the coffee will not be brewed properly.

In the prior art, two different tools are required for the best spreading and tamping process.

In automatic types of equipment, incorrect pressure is applied if the amount (grams) of coffee placed into the portafilter is under or over the correct amount that needs to be placed into the portafilter.

Brief Description of the Invention

The invention is related to a device that is used to prepare coffee with espresso, by tamping controllable and measurable tamping by equally spreading the ground coffee that is placed in the coffee basket located inside the portafilter that is attached to the espresso machine.

The device is locked onto the portafilter by means of its clamping mechanism. The device activates the coffee granules inside the basket by means of the vibration motor it comprises, and the coffee granules which receive the energy from the vibration, try to go into all of the spaces they can find even due to small amount of pressure such as 1-2 kilograms.

As the basket is a closed container, the coffee granules cannot escape out of the basket and they fill all of the cavities inside the basket. This prevents the formation of points that may have different pressures, or cracks that may lead to water channels, or air cavities that are caused due to static electricity. As the coffee granules fill all of the spaces they can find, by means of the energy that they receive from vibration, the coffee can be pressed to have the desired consistency by applying 2-7kg of pressure, without requiring it to be pressed with high pressure such as 13-15 kg. The pressing mechanism of the invention guides the tamper head which applies pressure during the pressing process and it enables to smooth out of the coffee perfectly. The guidance provided by the pressing mechanism completely eliminates the possibility of the coffee to be pressed sideways. When pressure is being applied onto the coffee, the scale module that is integrated into the tamper head can apply pressure at the gram amount desired by the customer. Even if an incorrect amount in grams of coffee is placed into the portafilter, pressure can be applied to the coffee granules with correct pressure. To sum up, 2-7 kg pressure is applied onto the coffee without necessitating high pressures such as 13-15kg as before, and the coffee granules are distributed homogenously, the pressure is applied while the coffee granules are weighed instantaneously and the desired consistency can be provided. Thereby the spraining of the wrists of the users from applying pressure onto the coffee granules with simple hand tools is prevented. The most important benefits of the invention is that the device distributes the coffee inside the basket homogenously by means of the vibration motor, and it calculates the pressure weight during pressing instantaneously by means of the scale module and it can apply correct pressure each time even if the wrong amount of coffee is placed into the basket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Figure 1, is the top view of the device (The portafilter is not attached).

Figure 2, is the side section view of the device (The portafilter is not attached).

Figure 3, is the top view of the device (The portafilter is attached).

Figure 4, is the side section view of the device (The portafilter is attached).

Figure 5, is the side section view of the device (The portafilter is attached and the portafilter is held by the portafilter holder. The coffee has not been pressed).

Figure 6, is the side section view of the device (The portafilter is attached and the portafilter is held by the portafilter holder. The coffee has been pressed).

Figure 7, is the side section view of the device (The portafilter is attached and the portafilter is held by the portafilter holder. The coffee has been pressed). Figure 8, is the general isometric view of the device.

Figure 9, is the general isometric view of the device without the cover. Figure 10, is the general view of the device from the side.

Figure 11, is the front sectional view of the device.

REFERENCE NUMBERS

1. Base

2. Bearing Spring

3. Main Body

4. Cover

5. Portafilter holder

6. Tamper Head

7. Scale Fixing module

8. Scale module

9. Portafilter Housing Base

10. Press Bar

11. Press Motor

12. Gear

13. Press Motor Fixing Apparatus

14. Locking spring

15. Oscillation Motor

16. Oscillation Motor Lock

17. Screen Module

18. Central Information Processor

19. Power Inlet

20. Sensor

21. Portafilter

22. Central Information Processor Bearing

23. Ball-bearing

24. Pressed Coffee

25. Non-Pressed Coffee

26. Portafilter Housing Detailed Description of the Invention

The invention is related to a device that is used to prepare coffee with espresso, by tamping controllable and measurable tamping by equally spreading the ground coffee that is placed in the coffee basket located inside the portafilter that is attached to the espresso machine which basically comprises;

• A non-slip base (1) which prevents the device from moving during its vibration, as said base is heavy,

• Bearing springs (2) which enable the device to easily vibrate but at the same time prevents this vibration to be transferred onto the surface that the device is placed on,

• A main body (3) which acts as a carrier for all parts of the device besides the base,

• Cover (4) which acts as a protector of the electronic components and motor components of the device,

• A portafilter holder (5) which keeps the portafilter in its place during vibration and pressure,

• Tamper head (6) which enables to straighten the coffee during the pressing process,

• Scale fixing module (7) which couples the tamper head (6) and the scale module and enables the press shaft (10) to be connected with the tamper head (6),

• A scale module (8) which is mounted fixedly to the tamper head (6) and which measures the tension between the press shaft (10) and the tamper head (6) during the pressing process and which transmits the measurement results to the central information processor.

• Portafilter (21) into which the ground coffee is placed in order to carry out the brewing process in espresso machines, which enables to brew the coffee by means of pressurized water,

• Press motor (11) which thrusts the portafilter holder (5), tamper head (6), scale module (8) and scale fixing module (7) under the control of the central information processor (18),

• Press shaft (10) which enables the cable received from the scale module (8) via the central channel to reach the central information processor (18) which is responsible of thrusting the portafilter holder (5), tamper head (6), scale module (8) and scale fixing module (7) by means of the press motor (11), • Gear (12) that is fixed to the shaft of the press motor (11) which enables to transfer the motion to the press shaft (10),

• Press motor fixing apparatus (13) which enables to fix the press motor (11),

• Locking spring (14), which is located between segment that is fixed to the press shaft (10) and the portafilter holder, and enables the thrusting of the portafilter holder (5) during the pressing process and fixing it to the portafilter,

• Oscillation motor (15) which steps in, after the portafilter (21) is fixed to the portafilter holder (5) and enables the coffee to be equally distributed inside the portafilter (21) during the pressing process,

• Oscillation motor locking apparatus (16) which enables to fix the vibration motor (15) to the main body (3),

• Screen module (17) into which the user can enter data such as the pressure to be applied to the coffee, which transmits this data determined by the user, to the central information processor (18),

• Central information processor (18) which can process the data that has been entered by the user via the screen module (17), where said data is received from the sensor (20) and scale module (8), which can transmit data to the press motor (11), vibration motor (15) and screen module (17) wherein all procedures can be tracked and managed,

• Power inlet (19) which enables power to the central information processor (18), motor, sensor (20) and scale module (8),

• Sensor (20) which detects that the portafilter (21) is fitted into the portafilter housing (26) and transmits this information to the central information processor (18),

• Central information processor bearing (22), which enables to couple the central information processor (18) to the main body (3),

• Ball-bearing (23) which bears the shaft of the press motor (11) in order to ensure that the motor can easily be rotated and that the motor has a longer usage life,

• Portafilter housing (26) into which the portafilter (21) is fitted by means of the portafilter (21) lugs.

The base (1) has been made of heavy metal so that the device does not move during vibration. The base (1) has slots for the bearing springs (2) to be mounted therein. According to an embodiment of the invention, at least four bearing springs (2) of the vibration mechanism which enables the device to be easily vibrated have been provided.

Slots have been provided on the main body (3) in order for the cover (4) and the bearing springs (2) to be fixed onto the main body (3).

At least one slot is provided on the cover (5) to house the screen module.

The tamper head (6) can be produced from metal, plastic or a special coating that is compatible with coffee.

The scale module (8) is mounted such that it is fixed to the tamper head (6). The scale module measures the tension between the press shaft (10) and the tamper head (6). The measurement is delivered as kilogram basis or as the desired measurement unit to the central information processor (18). The data that are delivered are evaluated according to the pressing values, thereby the pressing power of the press motor (11) is adjusted.

The portafilter housing (26) is the section into which the portafilter is placed. The base of the portafilter housing (26), namely the portafilter housing base (9) is produced from a material that is different from the material of the main body. According to an embodiment of the invention, the housing base (9) of the portafilter is made of rigid metal. The portafilter housing base (9) acts as a base for the lugs of the portafilter during the pressing process and it prevents the main body (3) from being crushed and deformed.

The mid section of the press shaft (10) has a channel. A cable passes through this channel, wherein one end of the cable is connected to the scale module (8) and the other end is connected to the central information processor (18).

According to another embodiment of the invention, the communication between the scale module (8) and the central information processor (18) is wireless.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the fixing spring (14) of the device is a conical spring.

The vibration motor (15) steps in after the portafilter (21) is fixed to the portafilter holder (5) and enables the coffee to be equally distributed inside the portafilter (21) during the pressing process. The operation and stopping times and durations of the vibration motor are managed by the central information processor (18).

The screen module has buttons/keys that help to enter data. According to another embodiment of the invention, the screen module is a touchscreen.

The ground coffee is placed into the portafilter and said portafilter is used to carry out the brewing process in espresso machines, which enables us to brew the coffee by means of pressurized water. The several holes that are very small allow the coffee to be brewed at high pressures such as 8-9 bars.

The operation principle of the device is as follows;

• The desired amount of coffee is placed into the portafilter (21),

• The portafilter (21) is placed into the portafilter housing (26),

• The sensor (20) detects that the portafilter (21) is placed into the portafilter housing (26),

• The sensor (20) transmits the data to the central information processor (18),

• The central information processor (18) evaluates the received data and sends an activation command to the press motor (11),

• After the press motor (11) receives the activation command, the portafilter (21) is fixed to the portafilter holder (5),

• After the portafilter (21) is fixed to the portafilter holder (5), an activation command is sent to the vibration motor (15),

• At the same time, the press motor (11) continues to press the coffee,

• The vibration motor (15) and the press motor (11) operate simultaneously for the desired period of time (0.5-1.0 seconds) and the coffee is both pressed and vibrated,

• At the end of the synchronous operation, the vibration motor (15) stops, however, the press motor (11) continues to operate,

• The pressure process applied to the coffee by the press motor (11) continues until the coffee reaches the weight requested by the user, whereby upon receiving this data from the scale module (8), the central information processor ends the process and brings the device to its initial state.

As measurements are taken according to the response obtained from the coffee during the pressing process, the desired weight of pressure can be applied even if the amount of coffee in grams is higher or lower than the amount that is aimed to be placed into the portafilter housing.

Claims

1. A device that distributes coffee homogenously and applies controlled and measurable pressure, characterized by having;

• A non slip base (1) which prevents the device from moving during its vibration, as said base is heavy,

• Press shaft (10) which enables the cable received from the scale module (8) via the central channel to reach the central information processor (18) which is responsible of thrusting the portafilter holder (5), tamper head (6), scale module (8) and scale fixing module (7) by means of the press motor (11),

• Gear (12) that is fixed to the shaft of the press motor (11) which enables to transfer the motion to the press shaft (10),

• Press motor fixing apparatus (13) which enables to fix the press motor (11), • Locking spring (14), which is located between segment that is fixed to the press shaft (10) and the portafilter holder, and enables the thrusting of the portafilter holder (5) during the pressing process and fixing it to the portafilter,

2. A device according to claim 1, characterized by the base (1) being metal.

3. A device according to claim 2, characterized by the base (1) having slots through which the bearing springs (2) are fixed to the base.

4. A device according to claim 1, characterized by comprising at least four bearing springs (2).

5. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that slots have been provided on the main body (3) in order for the cover (4) and the bearing springs (2) to be fixed onto the main body (3).

6. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the cover (5) has at least one slot for the screen module to be placed therein.

7. A device according to claim 1, characterized by the tamper head (6) being metal.

8. A device according to claim 1, characterized by the tamper head (6) being plastic.

9. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the portafilter housing base (9) is made from a different material than the main body.

10. A device according to claim 9, characterized by the portafilter housing base (9) being metal.

11. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the press shaft (10) comprises a channel at the mid section to allow the passage of a cable.

12. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the communication between the scale module (8) and the central information processor (18) is wireless.

13. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the communication between the scale module (8) and the central information processor (18) is wired.

14. A device according to claim 1, characterized by the locking spring (14) being conical metal.

15. A device according to claim 1, characterized by the screen module (17) having buttons/keys that enables the user to enter data.

16. A device according to claim 1, characterized by the screen module (17) being a touchscreen.