JP3031082B2 - Coffee extractor - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drip coffee extractor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, there are many so-called drip-type coffee extractors in which ground coffee beans (hereinafter referred to as coffee powder) are put into an extraction chamber in which a paper filter is placed, and hot water is poured from above. In this drip-type coffee extractor, it is necessary to pour hot water as much as possible to extract only the umami of the coffee in a short time, and to suppress the astringency extracted over time. Conventionally, a method of providing a plurality of heaters for raising the temperature of hot water or circulating and heating water in a water storage tank has been devised.

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 show a conventional drip-type coffee extractor for circulating and heating water in a water storage tank, and its structure and operation will be described below.

[0004] The main body 25 of the coffee extractor includes a water storage tank 26, an extraction chamber 27, a coffee container 28 positioned below the extraction chamber 27, a heater for heating water in the water storage tank 26, and keeping the coffee in the coffee container 28 warm. 29.

The water in the water storage tank 26 is taken out from the bottom by a pipe 31 through a check valve 30, is pushed up by a water rising pipe 32 through a heater section 29, is guided above the extraction chamber 27, and is guided by a dome-shaped watering cover 33. The hot water is evenly poured into the coffee powder in the extraction chamber 27 after passing through the purification unit 34 disposed above the extraction chamber 27.
Reference numeral 35 denotes activated carbon for purification filled in the purification unit.

In this conventional coffee extractor, the hot water poured into the coffee powder is circulated through the heater section 29 several times in order to raise the temperature to a temperature suitable for extraction.
Is discharged from the discharge pipe 36. Therefore 7
A temperature of 0 ° C. is detected by a sensor, and the temperature can be switched from the hot water circulation flow path to the discharge flow path by the flow path switching casing 37.

That is, as shown in FIG. 8, a temperature sensor 38 is provided in the water storage tank 26, and an operating member 41 in which an operating body 39 made of a coil-shaped shape memory alloy and an urging spring 40 are combined is vertically moved. And can be moved up and down freely. The upper portion of the operating member 41 is inserted into a valve port 42 formed on the bottom plate of the flow path switching casing 37, and the valve port 42 is opened by a valve element 43 provided on the upper portion of the operating member 41.

A water rising pipe 32 is connected to a first connection port 37a on the bottom plate of the flow path switching casing 37, and a discharge pipe 36 is connected to a second connection port 37b on the side of the flow path switching casing 37. Have been. The distal end of the discharge pipe 36 is folded upward in the watering cover 33, that is, above the flow path switching casing 37. The valve port 42 communicates with the water storage tank 26.

The extraction chamber 27 has an upper rotating shaft 27a and a lower rotating shaft 2
7b, the upper bearing portion 25a and the lower bearing portion 25b of the main body 25 are rotatably provided on the upper bearing portion 25a and the claw portion 27c provided in the extraction chamber 27 engages with the locking projection 25c provided on the main body 25. It is locked to.

In the above configuration, the main body 25 of the extraction chamber 27
The attachment / detachment to the device is performed as follows. That is, the extraction chamber 27
Rotates about the upper rotation shaft 27a and the lower rotation shaft 27b, and is pulled out from the main body 25 in the horizontal direction. The root of the upper rotation shaft 27a and the upper bearing portion 25a of the main body 25 have a certain interval (x). When the upper end of the extraction chamber 27 is separated from the main body 25, the extraction chamber 27 moves upward by this interval (x). it can. The lower rotation shaft 27b is slightly shorter than the predetermined interval (x), and if the extraction chamber 27 is moved fully upward, the lower rotation shaft 27b is disengaged from the lower bearing portion 25b, and thereafter the extraction chamber 27
Can be removed from the main body 25.

In the preparation for coffee extraction, the upper rotating shaft 27 is used.
The extraction chamber 27 rotates about a and the lower rotation shaft 27b and is pulled out from the main body 25 in the horizontal direction (FIG. 9). After the paper filter 45 is set along the wall surface of the extraction chamber 27 and the coffee powder is put therein, the upper surface of the extraction chamber 27 is covered with the extraction chamber lid 44 and then locked to the main body 25.

In the extraction of coffee, water in the water storage tank 26 is drawn out, heated by the heater unit 29, and guided into the flow path switching casing 37 through the water rising pipe 32. When the hot water temperature is lower than 70 ° C., the working body 39 made of a shape memory alloy is in a contracted shape, and the operating material 41 is moved upward by the biasing spring 40,
The valve element 43 has an opening 42. Therefore, the hot and cold water guided to the flow path switching casing 37 is supplied from the valve port 42 to the water storage tank 26.
Returned. That is, the water in the water storage tank 26 circulates until it reaches 70 ° C. Here, the second connection port 37b of the flow path switching case 37, that is, the discharge pipe 36 side is open without a valve, but the tip of the discharge pipe 36 is located at a position above the flow path switching case 37. There is, therefore, no hot or cold water discharged from the discharge pipe 36.

Next, when the temperature of the hot water reaches 70 ° C., the working body 39 made of a shape memory alloy extends, and the operating material 41 is
It moves downward by overcoming 0 and closes the valve port 42 with the valve element 43.
Therefore, the circulation flow path returning to the water storage tank 26 from the flow path switching casing 37 is cut off, and the hot water rising from the water rising pipe 32 is discharged from the discharge pipe 36.
It will discharge more. That is, the switching between the circulation flow path and the discharge flow path is performed by one valve element.

The hot water discharged from the discharge pipe 36 is supplied to the sprinkling cover 33.
The water is collected by the purification unit 35 by the water collecting slope 47 and passes through the purification unit 35 to pass through the extraction chamber cover 4.
4 fall on. The purifying unit 35 covers the upper and lower surfaces of the cylindrical resin container with a net and stores activated carbon therein, and scatters the calcium component and the like in the boiling water. The hot water that has passed through the purifying unit 35 is collected in the water sprinkling section 44a at the center of the extraction chamber lid 44, and is uniformly scattered with coffee powder through a plurality of holes provided on the bottom surface of the water sprinkling section 44a, so that coffee is extracted and stored in the coffee container 28. Is done.

If coffee remains in the coffee container 28, it can be kept warm by placing it on the heater 29.

After use, the extraction chamber 27 is detached from the main body 25 by the above-mentioned method of attachment and detachment, and is cleaned and cleaned.

[0017]

A first problem with the above-mentioned conventional coffee extractor is that when the paper filter 45 and the coffee powder 46 are set in the extraction chamber 27, the rotatable extraction chamber 27 is moved from the main body 25. The extraction chamber 27 is pulled out to open the upper surface of the extraction chamber 27. The upper end of the extraction chamber 27 is detachable from the time when the upper end of the extraction chamber 27 is opened from the main body 25. Not only is it difficult to insert, but in some cases, the lower rotating shaft 27b may move upward and come off the lower bearing portion 25b. When it comes off, there is an inconvenience that the extraction chamber 27 falls from the main body 25 and the coffee powder 46 is scattered on the table.

The second problem is that the coffee powder contains a large amount of carbon dioxide or the like depending on the type, and the water in the water storage tank 26 is circulated and heated, and the temperature of the hot water poured into the coffee powder is high. It becomes easier. For this reason, foaming in the extraction chamber 27 may remarkably overflow from the extraction chamber 27.

An object of the present invention is to provide a coffee extractor capable of extracting delicious coffee while keeping in mind the above conventional problems.

[0020]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned object, the present invention comprises a main body, a water storage tank, an extraction chamber for extracting coffee, an extraction chamber lid covering the extraction chamber, and a bottom of the water storage tank. and a heater unit for heating the water passing to the riser pipe derived through a check valve, exceeded the extraction chamber provided in the extraction chamber
Rotating shaft and lower rotating shaft that can be opened and closed and detachable from the main body, and a detent projection provided around the bearing of the main body.
And the rotation-preventing projection provided around the rotation shaft of the extraction chamber.
Thus, a coffee extractor capable of holding the extraction chamber at a constant opening angle is obtained .

Further , the main body, the water storage tank, and the coffee are extracted.
Extraction chamber, the extraction chamber lid that covers the extraction chamber, and the bottom of the water storage tank.
Heats the water flow to the riser pipe drawn out from the section through the check valve
And an extraction chamber provided in the extraction chamber.
Openable and closable to the main body by the upper and lower rotating shafts and detachable
And a foam container that swells upwards.
Having an extraction chamber lid provided with a vent hole in a foam storage part
Let it be an extractor.

Further , the main body, the water tank, and the coffee are extracted.
Extraction chamber, the extraction chamber lid that covers the extraction chamber, and the bottom of the water storage tank.
Heats the water flow to the riser pipe drawn out from the section through the check valve
And an extraction chamber provided in the extraction chamber.
Openable and closable to the main body by the upper and lower rotating shafts and detachable
In addition, a U-shaped groove is set up all around the upper end of the extraction chamber.
And put the extraction chamber lid in the U-shaped groove.
Use as a coffee extractor.

Further, the main body, the water tank, and the coffee are extracted.
Of the extraction chamber, the extraction chamber cover that covers the extraction chamber, and the water tank.
Add water to the riser pipe from the bottom through the check valve.
Flow path disconnection where the heater section to be heated and the upper end of the riser pipe are connected
A replacement case, and the extraction chamber is provided with an upper rotation shaft provided in the extraction chamber.
When it can be opened and closed and detachable from the main body by the lower rotating shaft
In particular, a cord provided with a steam vent hole at the bottom of the channel switching casing.
And a heat extractor.

[0024]

[Action] Ri by the above configuration, there is no possible inadvertently removed because detachable opening angle of extraction outlet chamber is restricted, since the extraction chamber Dekiru tacking with detent protrusion when making coffee powder The extraction chamber will not stabilize.

Further, since the air bubbles accommodating portion of the extraction chamber cover is discharged from the air vent hole prevents the foam from overflowing housed extraction chamber in a bag-like portion, the hot water which has passed through the purification unit extraction chamber center Is guided over the coffee powder by the cylindrical pouring cylinder provided in the water spraying section, so that the impact due to the drop of the hot water is reduced and foaming can be suppressed. In addition, by providing a steam vent hole in the flow path switching casing, steam of the hot water can be evacuated in advance, so that foaming in the extraction chamber is reduced. Further, since the inside and outside of the extraction chamber are sealed by a U-shaped groove provided in the extraction chamber, bubbles do not come out to the outside.

[0026]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

1 is a coffee extractor main body, 2 is a water storage tank, 3
Is an extraction chamber, 4 is a heater section, 5 is an extraction chamber lid, 6 is a coffee container, 7 is a filter, and 8 is a sprinkling cover. 2 and 3 are detailed exploded views of upper and lower mounting portions of the extraction chamber 3 with respect to the main body 1, respectively. The extraction chamber 3 has an upper rotating shaft 3a and a lower rotating shaft 3b on one side of the upper and lower sides thereof, and is rotatably accommodated in the upper bearing portion 1a and the lower bearing portion 1b of the main body 1, respectively.

A protrusion 3d is provided at the base of the upper rotating shaft 3a, and the extraction chamber 3 is formed by the opening angle of the extraction chamber 3 where the notch 1c provided in the upper bearing 1a and the stopper 3c are aligned. Can move upward. A first detent 1d and a second detent 1e are provided around the lower bearing 1b, and a detent projection 3d is also provided at the base of the lower rotation shaft 3b of the extraction chamber 3. A claw portion is provided at a lower portion of the extraction chamber 3 on the opposite side where the rotation shaft is provided, as in the conventional example, and is locked by a locking projection provided on the main body (not shown). The extraction chamber 3 has a double wall structure, and the space between the double walls near the upper end and the lower end has an opening 3 to the outside.
f, 3 g.

The heating to water is performed as follows. That is, the water in the water storage tank 2 is drawn out from the lower part of the water storage tank 2 by the pipe 10 via the check valve 9, heated by the heater unit 4, and the hot water is pushed up by the water rising pipe 11 and discharged toward the water spray cover 8. The purification unit 12 filled with the activated carbon 12a is arranged above the extraction chamber 3, and the hot water discharged from the discharge pipe 13 hits the sprinkling cover 8 and flows on the water collecting slope 14 formed on the main body 1 by the water collecting wall 8a. It passes through the purification unit 12 and is poured into the extraction chamber lid 3.

The purifying unit 12 is formed in a cartridge shape and is detachably engaged with an engaging portion 15 provided below the water collecting slope 14. The purifying unit 12 has water passage nets 12b and 12c on the upper and lower surfaces, and the activated carbon 12a uses crushed coconut shell activated carbon.
A waterproof wall 16 is formed around the locking portion 15, and a water collecting wall 8 a formed on the inner surface of the water spray cover 8 is formed on the outer periphery of the waterproof wall 16. All the discharged hot water merges on the water collecting slope 14 and passes through the purification unit 12 without leaking to the locking portion 15. Here, activated carbon 1 in purification unit 12
1a adsorbs chalky and musty odors and contributes to the extraction of delicious coffee.

As described in the prior art, the structure of the flow path switching section is such that the water in the water storage tank 2 is passed through the heater section 4 several times and reaches a temperature of about 70 ° C. suitable for coffee extraction.
It is discharged from. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, an operating mechanism 24 is provided in the water storage tank 2, and an operating material 20 in which an operating body 18 made of a coil-shaped shape memory alloy and an urging spring 19 are combined is vertically moved. And slidably provided up and down.

The upper portion of the operating member 20 is opened by a valve 23 provided above the valve opening 22 formed in the bottom plate of the flow path switching casing 21. The riser pipe 11 is connected to the first connection port 21a of the bottom plate portion of the flow path switching casing 21, and the discharge pipe 13 is connected to the second connection port 21b on the side of the flow path switching casing 21. . The tip of the discharge pipe 13 is bent in the direction of the watering cover 8, that is, upward, and is positioned above the flow path switching casing 21.
Note that the valve port 22 communicates with the water storage tank 2.

The channel switching casing 21 has a steam vent hole 21c at the bottom thereof, and the steam in the channel switching casing 21 is partially released into the water storage tank 2.

In the above configuration, the water in the water storage tank 2 is drawn out through the check valve 9, heated by the heater unit 4, and guided into the flow path switching casing 21 through the water rising pipe 11. Hot water is 70
When the temperature is lower than 0 ° C., the acting body 1 made of a shape memory alloy containing Ni—Ti—Cu as a main component (hereinafter referred to as a ternary SMA)
Reference numeral 8 denotes a contracted shape, the operating body 20 is moved upward by the biasing spring 19, and the valve body 23 has the valve port 22 opened.

Therefore, the hot and cold water guided to the flow path switching casing 21 is returned to the water storage tank 2 through the valve port 22. That is, the water in the water storage tank 2 is circulated until it reaches 70 ° C. Here, the second connection port 21a of the flow path switching casing 21, that is,
Although there is no valve on the side of the discharge pipe 13 and it is open, hot water is not discharged from the discharge pipe 13 because the tip of the discharge pipe 13 is located above the flow path switching casing 21.

Next, when the water in the water storage tank 2 is heated to 70 ° C., the working body 18 made of the ternary SMA expands, and the operating material 20 overcomes the biasing spring 19 and moves downward. The valve port 22 is closed. Therefore, the flow path returning from the flow path switching casing 21 to the water storage tank 2 is closed, and the hot water rising from the water rising pipe 12 is discharged from the discharge pipe 13. Even when the discharge proceeds and the amount of hot water in the water storage tank 2 is reduced and the working body 20 composed of the three-way SMA is exposed in the air, the power generated at the time of temperature decrease is 5 to 10 ° C. lower than the power generated at the time of temperature rise. Since they are equivalent, the valve 23 does not close the valve port 22 during extraction.

Further, the shorter the time until the working body 18 is exposed to the air and the discharge of the hot water in the water storage tank 2 is shorter, the lower the temperature of the working body is, the lower the working body 18 is. It is provided in.

The operation of the above configuration will be described. In the preparatory work for coffee extraction, the extraction chamber 3 is rotated about the rotation axis and pulled out from the main body 1. When the rotation preventing protrusion 3d gets over the first rotation preventing 1d, the rotation preventing 3d is sandwiched between the rotation preventing protrusion 3d and the second rotation preventing 1e, and becomes a resistance against the rotation, and the extraction chamber 3 is temporarily stopped and does not move. . Further, when the second rotation stopper 1e is passed over and rotated, the notch portion 1c provided in the upper bearing portion 1a and the upper rotation shaft 3 are rotated.
The position of the stopper 3c provided at the root of a is matched. Here, when the extraction chamber 3 is lifted upward, the extraction chamber 3 moves upward by the distance between the root of the upper rotation shaft 3a and the upper bearing 1a.
Since the lower rotating shaft 3b is slightly shorter than the moving distance, the lower rotating shaft 3b comes off the lower bearing 1b. When the extraction chamber 3 is further moved downward, the upper bearing 1a moves to the upper rotation shaft 3a.
, The extraction chamber 3 can be separated from the main body 1. However, the position of the notch 1c and the stopper 3c at the root of the upper rotation shaft 3a do not match until the position of the detent protrusion 3d passes the second detent 1e. Since the stopper 3c hits the periphery of the upper bearing portion 1a and the extraction chamber 3 cannot move upward, the extraction chamber 3
Never come off.

The foam of the coffee liquid in the extraction chamber 3 is mainly generated by the following three factors. The first factor is due to carbon dioxide gas or the like contained in the coffee powder, and the second factor is due to the impact of hot water falling from above on the coffee liquid. The third factor is bubbles generated by steam released from hot water.

The bubbles generated in the extraction chamber 3 accumulate in the upward direction. The bubbles are stored in the bag storage section 5a of the extraction chamber lid 5 which swells like a bag. At this time, the air and carbon dioxide gas in the extraction chamber 3 are pushed out to the outside by the bubbles from the air vent holes 5b provided in the extraction chamber lid 5, and the bubbles can be stored in the full volume of the bubble storage portion 5a.

The center of the extraction chamber lid 5 has a bowl-shaped water sprinkling section 5c for receiving hot water from the purification unit, and a pouring cylinder 5d extends downward at the center of the sprinkling cylinder 5d. The lower end is opened about 10 mm above the top surface of the powder. The hot water that has passed through the purification unit 12 is guided to the pouring cylinder 5d and poured into the coffee powder, so that the impact due to the drop of the hot water is reduced and the bubbling when the hot water falls on the coffee liquid surface is reduced.

Further, since the steam vent hole 21c is provided at the bottom of the flow path switching casing 21, the steam is removed once before the hot water enters the extraction chamber 3, so that even if the hot water touches the coffee powder in the extraction chamber 3, The amount of foam generated is reduced.

The inside and outside of the extraction chamber 3 are sealed by fitting the outer peripheral end of the extraction chamber lid into a U-shaped groove 3h provided on the entire periphery near the upper end of the extraction chamber 3 so that bubbles are formed. Does not overflow.

Further, in the above configuration, the water in the water storage tank 2 is circulated and heated to 70 ° C. by the heater unit 4, at which time the water storage tank 2 is filled with steam. However, since the water outlet 24a is provided in the water tank lid 24 and the vapor is discharged to prevent condensation on the rear surface of the water tank lid 24, water drops on the rear surface do not fall and do not wet the surroundings.

The structure of the extraction chamber 3 is a double wall structure as shown in FIG. 6, and the space between the double walls is open to the outside near the upper and lower ends thereof. The steam rising from the center of the coffee container 6 during the extraction of coffee or keeping the temperature passes from the lower opening 3g to the upper opening 3f, and the opening 8b around the sprinkling cover 8.
Since it is more scattered in the air, there is no dew condensation around the extraction chamber 3 of the main body 1. Further, there is an advantage that the coffee in the extraction chamber 3 is hardly cooled, and the coffee powder or the like that has invaded between the double walls easily flows out and is kept clean even in the washing after coffee extraction.

[0046]

As is clear from the description of the above embodiment,
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION The coffee extractor of this invention improves the workability | operativity in a preparation operation, provides an easy-to-use coffee extractor, and circulates and heats the water in a water storage tank to the temperature suitable for coffee extraction, and extracts only the taste of coffee. Overflow due to foaming of the composition,
And a coffee extractor without condensation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a coffee extractor according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially detailed view of an upper rotating shaft of an extraction chamber of the coffee extractor.

FIG. 3 is a partial detailed view of a lower rotation shaft of an extraction chamber of the coffee extractor.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a flow path switching unit of the coffee extractor.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a purifying unit locking portion of the coffee extractor.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of an extraction chamber of the coffee extractor.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional coffee extractor.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a flow path switching unit of the coffee extractor.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an extraction chamber of the coffee extractor.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Coffee extractor main body 1a Upper bearing part 1b Lower bearing part 1c Notch part 1d First detent convex part 1e Second detent convex part 2 Reservoir 3 Extraction chamber 3a Upper rotating shaft 3b Lower rotating shaft 3c Stopper 3d Detents 4 Heater 5a Foam storage 5b Vent hole 5d Pouring cylinder 6 Coffee container 3h U-shaped groove 21c Steam vent 24a Exhaust port

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yasuji Hirose 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Inside Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-61-164530 (JP, A) -39638 (JP, U) Fully open sho 64-43834 (JP, U) Fully open sho 63-68931 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A47J 31/057 A47J 31/44

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A main body, a water storage tank, an extraction chamber for extracting coffee, an extraction chamber cover for covering the extraction chamber, and water flowing through a bottom pipe of the water storage tank through a check valve to a riser pipe. A heating unit for heating, and the extraction chamber is provided with an upper rotation in the extraction chamber.
With the body by a shaft and the lower rotation axis is freely opened and closed and removable, detent protrusions provided around the bearing portion of the main body
And the rotation-preventing projection provided around the rotation shaft of the extraction chamber.
A coffee extractor capable of holding the extraction chamber at a constant opening angle . 2. A body, a water storage tank, and a coffee extracting machine.
From the exit room, the extraction room lid that covers this extraction room, and the bottom of the water storage tank
Heat that heats the water flow to the riser pipe led out through the check valve
The extraction chamber is provided in the extraction chamber.
The main body is freely openable and closable with the shaft and lower rotating shaft
At the same time, an upwardly swelling foam storage section is
A coffee extractor having an extraction chamber lid having a vent hole in a container. 3. A main body, a water storage tank, and a coffee brewing machine.
From the exit room, the extraction room lid that covers this extraction room, and the bottom of the water storage tank
Heat that heats the water flow to the riser pipe led out through the check valve
The extraction chamber is provided in the extraction chamber.
The main body is freely openable and closable with the shaft and lower rotating shaft
In addition, when a U-shaped groove is provided on the entire periphery near the upper end of the extraction chamber,
Both are coffee extractors in which the extraction chamber lid is fitted and mounted in the U-shaped groove . 4. A main body, a water storage tank, and a coffee extracting machine.
From the exit room, the extraction room lid that covers this extraction room, and the bottom of the water storage tank
Heat that heats the water flow to the riser pipe led out through the check valve
And the flow path switching casing to which the upper end of the riser pipe is connected.
The extraction chamber is provided with an upper rotation axis and a lower rotation axis provided in the extraction chamber.
It can be opened and closed and detachable from the main body by
A coffee extractor provided with a steam vent hole at the bottom of the channel switching case .