TWI719733B - Filter cup - Google Patents

Abstract

A filter cup includes a filter body and a coating. The coating is attached on the lateral outer surface of the filter body and covers part of the lateral outer surface. The effective porosity of the coating is less than the effective porosity of the filter body.

Description

Filter cup

The invention relates to a filter cup, especially a ceramic filter cup.

Coffee or tea is a widely popular drink in people's daily life. For example, 62% of the population in the United States drink at least one cup of coffee a day, which shows that there are huge business opportunities in coffee-related industries. According to statistics, coffee drinkers process more than two coffee filter papers every day, which causes the production of coffee filter paper to be unfriendly to the natural environment.

As the wave of specialty coffee hits, hand brewed coffee has become more and more popular, resulting in an increasing amount of coffee filter paper. Therefore, it is an urgent issue to find alternatives to coffee filter paper. At present, alternatives that can replace coffee filter paper are metal filter cups or ceramic filter cups. Among them, the metal filter cup cannot effectively filter the coffee fine grounds and coffee oils, so that the brewed coffee contains residues and excessive oils, and drinking coffee has a foreign body feeling and a greasy feeling. In contrast, ceramic filter bowls have high-quality filtering functions, and are superior in heat preservation and service life compared to metal filter bowls. However, the existing ceramic filter cups cannot effectively extract coffee substances, resulting in a weakening of the concentration during brewing. In addition, there is also a problem of easy breakage that needs to be improved by the industry.

In view of the above problems, the present invention discloses a filter cup, which helps to solve the problem that the ceramic filter cup cannot effectively extract coffee substances and is easily broken.

The filter cup disclosed in the present invention includes a filterable cup body and a coating. The filterable cup has an outer surface. The coating is attached to the outer surface of the filterable cup, and the coating covers a part of the outer surface. The effective porosity of the coating is less than the effective porosity of the filterable cup.

Another disclosed filter cup of the present invention includes a filterable cup body, the filterable cup body is made of porous ceramic material, and the filterable cup body is formed with a protruding structure on an outer surface.

According to the filter cup disclosed in the present invention, the coating covers the outer surface of the filterable cup body, and the coating has a water-repellent function. When brewing coffee or tea, the coating can prevent the liquid from seeping out from the outer surface covered by the coating, so that the liquid can flow toward the bottom of the filterable cup to extract the ingredients in the coffee beans or tea, which helps Improve the extraction rate. In addition, a protruding structure is formed on the outer surface of the filterable cup body, which can abut against the edge of the mouth of the drink cup, and an air gap is formed between the filterable cup body and the drink cup. The vapor generated by the drink in the drink cup can escape from the air gap to the outside, so that the space between the drink liquid level in the drink cup and the filterable cup body can maintain atmospheric pressure, thereby helping the filterable cup body The liquid can ooze out at a steady flow rate to avoid over-extraction of coffee beans or tea leaves, resulting in excessively high beverage concentration.

The above description of the disclosure and the following description of the implementation manners are used to demonstrate and explain the spirit and principle of the present invention, and to provide a further explanation of the patent application scope of the present invention.

The detailed features and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail in the following embodiments. The content is sufficient to enable anyone familiar with the relevant art to understand the technical content of the present invention and implement it accordingly, and according to the content disclosed in this specification, the scope of patent application and the drawings. Anyone who is familiar with relevant skills can easily understand the purpose and advantages of the present invention. The following examples further illustrate the viewpoints of the present invention in detail, but do not limit the scope of the present invention by any viewpoint.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the filter cup includes a filterable cup body and a coating. Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2 at the same time. FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a filter cup according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side cut-away schematic diagram of the filter cup of FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the filter cup 1 includes a filterable cup body 10 and a coating 20.

The filterable cup body 10 is used to filter liquid to brew coffee or tea, and it is made of porous ceramic material. For example, the filterable cup 10 is made of a ceramic material containing 52.0% by weight of oxygen, 13.0% by weight of aluminum, 23.0% by weight of silicon, 10.0% by weight of iron, and 2.0% by weight of magnesium. Alternatively, the filterable cup 10 is made of a ceramic material containing 47.0wt% oxygen, 6.9wt% carbon, 16.0wt% aluminum, 22.5wt% silicon, 2.1wt% iron, and 5.5wt% titanium . In this embodiment, the effective porosity of the filterable cup 10 is 10% to 45%. And the Vickers hardness of the filterable cup body 10 is HV700 to HV900. The aforementioned materials, porosity and hardness of the filterable cup 10 are not intended to limit the present invention.

The coating 20 is attached to the outer surface 110 of the filterable cup 10 to surround the filterable cup 10, and the coating covers a part of the outer surface 110. In this embodiment, the coating 20 is a thermal spray coating. After the spraying material is heated and melted, the molten material is sprayed onto the outer surface 110 of the filterable cup 10 by the thrust of the gas, and then the material is cooled to form the coating layer 20.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the effective porosity of the coating is less than the effective porosity of the filterable cup. Taking the embodiment of FIG. 1 as an illustration, the effective porosity of the coating 20 is 0.02 to 0.2 times the effective porosity of the filterable cup 10. More specifically, the effective porosity of the coating 20 is less than 10%. Thereby, when brewing coffee or tea, since part of the outer surface 110 of the filterable cup body 10 is covered by the coating 20, the coating 20 has a water-repellent function, which can prevent liquid (such as water) from being coated 20. The covered outer surface 110 seeps out, so that the liquid can flow toward the bottom of the filterable cup body 10 to extract the components in the coffee beans or tea leaves, thereby helping to increase the extraction rate. The aforementioned porosity of the coating 20 is not intended to limit the present invention.

Please also refer to Figure 3, which is an enlarged view of the interface between the filterable cup body and the coating in the filter cup shown in Figure 1. The pore 120 of the filterable cup 10 has a diameter of 10 micrometers (μm) to 800 μm, and the diameter of the pore 210 of the coating 20 is 0.03 to 0.07 times the diameter of the pore 120. In this embodiment, the filterable cup 10 includes a plurality of ceramic particles 121, and the pores 120 of the filterable cup 10 are formed between adjacent ceramic particles 121. The aforementioned pore diameters of the filter cup body 10 and the coating 20 are not intended to limit the present invention.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the Vickers hardness of the coating is 0.08 to 1 times the Vickers hardness of the filterable cup. Taking the embodiment of FIG. 1 as an illustration, the Vickers hardness of the filterable cup 10 is HV700 to HV900, and the Vickers hardness of the coating 20 is HV616 to HV900. Thereby, the coating layer 20 can have sufficient structural strength to avoid peeling off from the outer surface 110 of the filterable cup body 10 and the coating layer 20 is cracked or chipped. The aforementioned hardness of the filter cup body 10 and the coating 20 is not intended to limit the present invention.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the coating is made of ceramic material. For example, the coating 20 of FIG. 1 may be made of titanium oxide (TiO2), zirconium oxide (ZrO2), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), or a combination of at least two of these metal oxides. Thereby, the coating 20 can have a polycrystalline phase state, and each crystal grain maintains proper sliding ability and can slide relative to other adjacent crystal grains, thereby making the coating 20 more resistant than the filterable cup 10 Impact force.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the coating is made of a metal material. For example, the coating 20 of FIG. 1 may be made of nickel, cobalt, copper, titanium or alloys thereof. In this way, the coating 20 can prevent the liquid contained in the filterable cup 10 from seeping out from the outer surface 110, and can also help heat transfer to reduce the temperature of the liquid, and prevent the user from being exposed to the high temperature liquid when the filter cup 1 is touched. scald. The enumerated materials of the coating 20 are not intended to limit the present invention.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the vertical length of the coating is more than half of the vertical height of the filterable cup. As shown in Figure 2, when the filter cup 1 is used upright, the height of the filterable cup 10 is the aforementioned vertical height; that is, the distance between the top 130 and the bottom 140 of the filterable cup 10 is The vertical height H1 of the filter cup body 10. The coating 20 extends from the top 130 of the filterable cup 10 toward the bottom 140, and the length of the coating 20 in the direction A of the central axis of the filterable cup 10 is the vertical length H2 of the coating 20. The vertical length H2 of the coating 20 is more than half of the vertical height H1 of the filterable cup 10. Furthermore, in FIG. 2, the vertical length H2 is two-thirds of the vertical height H1. Thereby, it can be ensured that a sufficient area of the outer surface 110 of the filterable cup 10 is not covered by the coating 20 for the liquid to seep out smoothly.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the filterable cup body is formed with a protruding structure on the outer surface. Please also refer to Figures 4 and 5, where Figure 4 is a perspective view of the filter cup according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 5 is Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the filter cup. Since the second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment, the differences will be described below. In this embodiment, the filterable cup body 10a of the filter cup 2 is formed on the outer surface 110 with a protruding structure 150 integrally formed with the filterable cup body 10a. The protruding structure 150 extends along the direction D of the cup top 130 of the filterable cup body 10 a toward the cup bottom 140, and a part of the protruding structure 150 is not covered by the coating 20. In this embodiment, the protruding structure 150 is a plurality of ribs 151 extending from the top 130 of the cup toward the bottom 140 in a spiral or linear manner. 4 and 5 show that the ribs 151 extend in a spiral manner.

Fig. 6 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the filter cup of Fig. 4 placed on a drink cup. The drink cup 2" is, for example, a coffee cup or a tea cup, and the filter cup 2 is carried on the edge of the mouth of the drink cup 2". The protruding structure 150 abuts against the edge of the mouth of the drink cup 2” and helps to form an air gap G between the outer surface 110 of the filterable cup body 10a and the edge of the mouth. The vapor can escape from the air gap G to the outside, so that the space between the liquid level of the drink in the drink cup 2" and the filterable cup body 10a can maintain atmospheric pressure, thereby helping to filter the liquid in the filterable cup body 10a It can ooze out at a stable flow rate. The liquid in the filterable cup body 10a oozes out at a stable flow rate, which means a stable filtration rate, which can avoid excessive extraction of coffee beans or tea leaves, resulting in excessively high beverage concentration.

Fig. 7 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a filter cup according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Since the third embodiment is similar to the second embodiment, the differences will be described below. In this embodiment, the filterable cup body 10b of the filter cup 3 is formed with a protruding structure 150a on the outer surface 110, and the protruding structure 150a is not covered by the coating 20. In this embodiment, the protruding structure 150a is a plurality of bumps.

Hereinafter, embodiments and comparative examples of the present invention are provided to more specifically illustrate the beneficial technical effects of the filter cup of the present invention. The embodiment of the present invention provides a filter cup as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6. The comparative example provides a filterable cup, which is made of the same porous ceramic material as the example, but the filterable cup of the comparative example does not have a coating on the outer surface and does not form any protruding structure.

In the example and the comparative example, each put 55 grams of coffee bean powder of the same variety in the filterable cup, and brew the coffee bean powder with one liter of boiling water at a temperature of 95°C. The above steps are to conduct a brewing experiment . The embodiment and the comparative example each carried out multiple brewing experiments to obtain multiple coffee extraction rates and coffee concentrations.

Fig. 8 is a graph showing the relationship between coffee extraction rate and coffee concentration according to an embodiment of the present invention and a comparative example. Here, the filtration quality is evaluated according to the Gold cup standard proposed by Dr. Lockhart. It can be seen from Figure 8 that the coffee extraction rate and coffee concentration of the embodiment meet the "ideal taste" (Ideal) in the Jinbei theory, while the coffee extraction rate and coffee concentration of the comparative example only meet the "light and insufficient" in the Jinbei theory. "Weak under developed" or "Under developed", which means that the coating and protruding structure of the embodiments really help to improve the filtration quality of the filterable cup, thereby providing the user with a beverage with a better taste .

In summary, in the filter cup disclosed in the present invention, the coating covers the outer surface of the filterable cup body, and the coating has a water-repellent function. When brewing coffee or tea, the coating can prevent the liquid from seeping out from the outer surface covered by the coating, so that the liquid can flow toward the bottom of the filterable cup to extract the ingredients in the coffee beans or tea, which helps Improve the extraction rate. In addition, a protruding structure is formed on the outer surface of the filterable cup body, which can abut against the edge of the mouth of the drink cup, and an air gap is formed between the filterable cup body and the drink cup. The vapor generated by the drink in the drink cup can escape from the air gap to the outside, so that the space between the drink liquid level in the drink cup and the filterable cup body can maintain atmospheric pressure, thereby helping the filterable cup body The liquid can ooze out at a steady flow rate to avoid over-extraction of coffee beans or tea leaves, resulting in excessively high beverage concentration.

Although the present invention is disclosed above with the foregoing embodiments, these embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention. All changes and modifications made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention fall within the scope of the patent protection of the present invention. For the scope of protection defined by the present invention, please refer to the attached scope of patent application.

1, 2, 3: filter cup 2": Drink cup 10, 10a, 10b: filterable cup 110: Outer surface 120: Pore 121: ceramic particles 130: cup top 140: cup bottom 150, 150a: prominent structure 151: Rib 20: Coating 210: Pore A: Center axis direction H1: vertical height H2: vertical length D: direction G: Air gap

Fig. 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a filter cup according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic sectional side view of the filter cup of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged schematic view of the interface between the filterable cup body and the coating in the filter cup of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a filter cup according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a schematic sectional side view of the filter cup of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the filter cup of Fig. 4 placed on a drink cup. Fig. 7 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a filter cup according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 8 is a graph showing the relationship between coffee extraction rate and coffee concentration according to an embodiment of the present invention and a comparative example.

2: filter cup

10a: Filterable cup

110: Outer surface

150: Outstanding structure

151: Rib

20: Coating

Claims (19)

A filter cup includes: a filterable cup body having an outer surface; and a coating attached to the outer surface of the filterable cup body, the coating covering a part of the outer surface, and the effectiveness of the coating The porosity is less than the effective porosity of the filterable cup. The filter cup described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the filterable cup body is made of porous ceramic material. In the filter cup described in item 1 of the scope of the patent application, the effective porosity of the coating is 0.02 to 0.2 times the effective porosity of the filterable cup body. As described in item 3 of the scope of patent application, the effective porosity of the filterable cup body is 10% to 45%, and the effective porosity of the coating is less than 10%. The filter cup described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the pore diameter of the filterable cup body is 10 μm to 800 μm, and the pore diameter of the coating is 0.03 times to 0.07 times the pore diameter of the filterable cup body. The filter cup described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the Vickers hardness of the filterable cup body is HV700 to HV900, and the Vickers hardness of the coating is 0.08 times to the Vickers hardness of the filterable cup body 1 times. The filter cup described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the coating is made of a metal material. The filter cup described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the coating is made of ceramic material. The filter cup described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the coating extends from the top of the filterable cup to the bottom of the cup, and the vertical length of the coating is more than half of the vertical height of the filterable cup . The filter cup described in item 9 of the scope of patent application, wherein the vertical length of the coating is two-thirds of the vertical height of the filterable cup body. According to the filter cup described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, the filterable cup body has a protruding structure formed on the outer surface, and at least a part of the protruding structure is not covered by the coating. In the filter cup described in item 11 of the scope of patent application, the protruding structure is a plurality of ribs, and the ribs extend along the direction of the top of the filterable cup body toward the bottom of the cup. A filter cup includes a filterable cup body, the filterable cup body is made of porous ceramic material, and the filterable cup body is formed with a protruding structure on an outer surface. As for the filter cup described in item 13 of the scope of patent application, the protruding structure is a plurality of ribs, and the ribs extend along the direction of the top of the filterable cup body toward the bottom of the cup. The filter cup described in item 13 of the scope of the patent application further includes a coating attached to the outer surface of the filterable cup body, wherein the coating covers a part of the outer surface, and the effective porosity of the coating Less than the effective porosity of the filterable cup. For the filter cup described in item 15 of the scope of patent application, the effective porosity of the coating is 0.02 to 0.2 times of the effective porosity of the filterable cup body. For the filter cup described in item 16 of the scope of patent application, the effective porosity of the filterable cup body is 10% to 45%, and the effective porosity of the coating is less than 10%. The filter cup described in item 15 of the scope of patent application, wherein the coating is made of a metal material. In the filter cup described in item 15 of the scope of patent application, at least a part of the protruding structure is not covered by the coating.

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