JPS6313596Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Field of Application] This invention relates to a fresh brew coffee extractor incorporated in a coffee vending machine, and particularly to its coffee grounds processing mechanism.

[Conventional technology]

With the diversification of products handled by vending machines, so-called fresh brew coffee vending machines that extract coffee using coffee powder made from ground coffee beans have become popular these days. There are various types of coffee vending machines, especially coffee extractors, but one type has a vertically movable filter block located below a cylinder assembly with a piston into which coffee powder and hot water for one cup are introduced. With the filter block in close contact with the open end of the cylinder assembly, coffee raw materials are fed into the cylinder to allow the coffee to ooze out, and then the piston is operated to forcibly filter the coffee through the filter surface. A coffee extractor is known in which the coffee grounds remaining on the filter surface are scraped off with a scraper after the filter block is finally separated from the cylinder assembly.

The structure of such a coffee extractor and the contents of its coffee extraction operation are described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1983-31894, which was filed by the same applicant as this invention. A conventional coffee extractor is constructed as shown in FIG. In the figure, 1 is a cylinder assembly, 2 is a filter block with a coffee filtration filter on its upper surface, 3 is a piston operating rod installed inside the cylinder assembly, and 4 is a rubber member at the tip of its moving arm 41. A scraper mechanism equipped with a scraper 42, 5 a movement guide groove of the scraper mechanism, 6 a drive motor of the scraper mechanism 4,
7 is the piston and filter block 2 described above.
This is a lifting motor. On the other hand, a coffee grounds discharge path 8 is configured that faces the coffee grounds discharge side of the filter block 2 on the opposite side from the scraper mechanism 4 and extends downward along the extractor body, and a grounds collection container 9 is disposed below the coffee grounds discharge path 8. It has been done.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the operation of discharging coffee grounds after coffee extraction will be explained as follows.
As a series of coffee extraction operations progresses and the coffee in the cylinder is sent out by filtering the filter by operating the piston, the piston is raised in the cylinder assembly 1 by the drive motor 7 in the next stroke, and at the same time the filter block 2 drops away from the cylinder assembly. The drive motor 6 is started in time with this operation, and the scraper mechanism 4 is reciprocated in the direction of arrow A along the guide groove 5. During this movement process, the scraper 42 scrapes the coffee grounds 1 remaining on the filter surface of the filter block 2.
0 toward the waste discharge path 8 as shown by arrow B. Therefore, the coffee grounds 10 fall through the discharge path 8 and are collected into the grounds collection container 9.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

By the way, 10 coffee grounds after coffee extraction
is not completely dehydrated and is in a very wet state containing hot water. For this reason, many of the debris adhere to the inner wall of the discharge channel 8 while falling, and if left as is for a long period of time, it will emit a foul odor. Further, such a state is not sanitary and unfavorable for vending machines that handle beverages. For this reason, in the past, it has been necessary to frequently dispose of the coffee grounds and clean the grounds discharge channel 8, which requires time and effort to maintain. For this reason, improvements in the treatment of coffee grounds are desired.

Therefore, in consideration of the above points, this device was designed to eliminate the shortcomings of the conventional machine, eliminate the bad odor of coffee grounds collected in a container, and make it easy to dispose of the grounds.It is hygienic and easy to handle. The purpose is to provide a coffee extractor with

[Means for solving problems]

This invention comprises: a cylinder assembly to which coffee powder and hot water are supplied; a filter block equipped with a filter on its upper surface, which is positioned oppositely below the cylinder assembly and is moved up and down so as to come into close contact with the open end of the cylinder; This fresh brew coffee extraction device is equipped with a scraper mechanism that is normally retracted to the side of the filter block and is operated to move forward to scrape off coffee grounds remaining on the filter surface after coffee is extracted. In the container, a coffee grounds collection container with an opening/closing lid is removably installed on the coffee grounds discharge side of the filter block and the lid is always closed, and an actuator for opening/closing the opening/closing lid is provided in the scraper mechanism,
The lid of the waste collection container is opened in conjunction with the forward movement of the scraper mechanism.

[Effect]

According to the fresh brew coffee extractor of this invention based on the above means, the filter block 2
The dregs collection container 11, which is removably installed on the dregs discharge side, always has a lid 13 closed in a standby state, and the scraper mechanism 4 moves forward during the extraction process to remove the dregs on the filter surface of the filter block 2. Only when the scraper is operated to scrape off the scraps, the lid 13 is opened by an actuator 43 provided in the scraper mechanism 4 that is linked to this operation, and the scraped scraps are received. Therefore, the collected dregs are confined in the dregs collection container to eliminate bad odors, and when the dregs are to be disposed of, the container can be carried out of the machine with the lid closed, making it easy to dispose of the dregs.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, an embodiment of this invention will be described based on FIGS. 2 and 3. A dregs collection container 11 is removably attached alongside the filter block 2. This container 11 is equipped with a single-opening lid 13 that is hinged to the upper part of the container body 12, and the tip of the lid 13 is bent diagonally upward, and a cushion is formed at the tip of the lid 13. Gasket 14 and weight 15 to ensure lid closure
is installed. The mounting height of the container 11 is set so that the opening/closing lid 13 is located at approximately the same level as the top surface of the filter block 2.

On the other hand, an actuator 43 for opening and closing the lid is provided at the tip of a movable arm 41 constituting the scraper mechanism 4. This actuator 4
3 has a pair of left and right forks that protrude forward,
The tip of the fork has a wedge-shaped upper surface. Furthermore, fork guide grooves 22 are formed on both sides of the filter 21 on the upper surface of the filter block 2 in correspondence with the forks described above.

In the above configuration, the scraper mechanism 4 is always
is retreating and waiting, while the lid 13 of the waste collection container 11 is closed. The coffee extraction process progresses here,
When the filter block 2 is lowered to the position shown in FIG. 2, the scraper mechanism 4 begins to move forward. During this process, the tip of the fork of the actuator 43 first advances along the groove of the guide 22 and enters the underside of the lid 13 of the waste collection container 11. Subsequently, when the actuator 43 moves forward, the lid 13 is pushed up and opened by the actuator as shown by the chain line. At the same time, the scraper 42 scrapes the coffee grounds 10 remaining on the filter 21 into the grounds collection container 11.
Push it out toward the container and scrape it into the container. Thereafter, when the scraper mechanism 4 returns to the standby position, the actuator is released from the lid 13 and the lid 13 is closed again. When disposing of the coffee grounds accumulated in the container, the container 11 is removed from the machine with the lid closed and carried out.

[Effect of idea]

As described above, this invention arranges a lidded dross collection container on a filter block and removably installs it on the dross discharge side, and also includes an actuator in the scraper mechanism that opens the lid by the forward movement of the scraper mechanism. Therefore, the coffee grounds remaining in the filter block can be scraped directly into the grounds collecting container, and the lid of the container is always closed, so that the coffee grounds remaining in the filter block can be scraped off directly from the grounds collected in the container. It prevents bad odors from spreading to the surrounding area, and when disposing of the grounds, the container can be taken out of the machine with the lid closed, making it easy to handle and making coffee hygienically without spreading bad odors to the surrounding area. It is possible to provide a coffee extractor of great practical value that can process grounds.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional fresh brew coffee extractor, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of this invention, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the main parts of FIG. 2. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Cylinder assembly, 2... Filter block, 4... Scraper mechanism, 42... Scraper, 43... Actuator, 10... Coffee grounds, 11... Grounds collection container, 13... Opening/closing lid.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A cylinder assembly to which coffee powder and hot water are supplied, a filter block located below the cylinder assembly facing each other and equipped with a filter on the upper surface that can be raised and lowered to come into close contact with the open end of the cylinder; A fresh brew coffee extractor is equipped with a scraper mechanism that is retracted to the side of the filter and is operated to move forward to scrape off coffee grounds remaining on the filter surface after coffee extraction. A coffee grounds collecting container with an opening/closing lid which is normally closed is removably installed on the coffee grounds discharge side of the block, and an actuator for opening/closing the opening/closing lid is provided in the scraper mechanism to move the scraper mechanism forward. A fresh brew coffee extractor characterized in that the lid of the grounds collection container is opened in conjunction with the .