WO2004023932A1

WO2004023932A1 - Apparatus for supplying beverages

Info

Publication number: WO2004023932A1
Application number: PCT/GB2003/003962
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gavin Thomson; Adrian Berry; Adam White
Original assignee: The Beancounter Coffee Company Limited
Priority date: 2002-09-12
Filing date: 2003-09-12
Publication date: 2004-03-25
Also published as: AU2003269125A1; GB0221095D0; GB2392834A

Abstract

A beverage dispenser comprising a frame and/or housing (20), movement means (26) for allowing the beverage dispenser to be moved along the ground, a storage (30) area set in the frame and/or housing for coffee beans or the like, a grinding station for grinding the coffee beans or the like mounted on or in the frame and/or housing, water dispensation means at a water dispensing station for adding water to the ground coffee beans or the like mounted on or in the frame and/or housing; and power storage means for supplying power to the grinding station. The grinding station comprises a power transmission means capable of operating grinding surfaces included in a container for coffee beans or the like. Water is stored, prior to being dispensed, in an insulated container. A plurality of coffee types is stored in the storage area.

Description

Apparatus for supplying Beverages

The present invention relates to an apparatus for supplying beverages, in particular, beverages prepared from precursor ingredients that require processing.

It is widely considered that the shorter the time between grinding roasted coffee beans and preparing a cup of coffee, the better the flavour and aroma of the coffee. In some speciality coffee shops, the beans may be selected by the customer and ground in the shop, and the coffee made immediately. Typically in restaurants and cafes, this processes is seen as too inconvenient and time consuming, and requiring too many steps with various machines, so it is more usual to use ground coffee beans that have been prepared off-site. One factor in the deterioration of flavour and aroma in coffee is the escape of volatile flavour oils. This process accelerates after the coffee has been ground and the surface area of the coffee increased. To ameliorate this effect, the ground coffee is hermetically sealed, so that the volatile components cannot escape, and to reduce exposure to oxygen, which can oxidise components in the coffee and promote decay, both of which have a detrimental effect on the taste of the coffee. Coffee can also be vacuum packed to further reduce the exposure to oxygen.

Although this reduces the amount volatile oils lost it does not stop it; further, after the ground coffee package has been opened, the coffee is exposed to the air and volatile oils allowed to escape.

In situations where coffee is required to be dispensed to a large number of people, either by a waiter or in a self-service manner, it is common to use a large vessel such as an urn, the urn being substantially closed to the atmosphere, and possibly heated, so that the waiter does not have to return to the kitchen or preparation area to prepare more coffee. Despite not being open to the surrounding environment, the taste of the coffee deteriorates rapidly, as the coffee is kept at a high temperature for a long time and 'stews'.

The object of the present invention is to allow beverages such as coffee to be conveniently prepared and supplied in the optimum manner to ensure a good taste.

According to the present invention there is provided a beverage dispenser comprising:

a frame and/or housing;

movement means for allowing the beverage dispenser to be moved along the ground;

a storage area set in the frame and/or housing for coffee beans or the like;

a grinding station for grinding the coffee beans or the like mounted on or in the frame and/or housing;

water dispensation means at a water dispensing station for adding water to the ground coffee beans or the like mounted on or in the frame and/or housing; and

power storage means for supplying power to the grinding station. Preferably the grinding station comprises a power transmission means capable of operating grinding surfaces included in a container for coffee beans or the like. Preferably, water is stored, prior to being dispensed, in an insulated container. A plurality of coffee types may be stored in the storage area.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of preparing a coffee drink or the like, comprising the steps of:

selecting a quantity of coffee beans or the like;

grinding the coffee beans or the like at a grinding station mounted on a self- contained mobile beverage dispenser to produce ground coffee beans or the like; and

transferring the ground coffee beans or the like to a water dispensation station mounted on the beverage dispenser and adding hot water to the ground coffee beans.

Preferably the method including the step of displaying a variety of coffee bean types prior to selecting the coffee beans.

An apparatus for supplying beverages will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, of which;

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the beverage dispenser; Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the drawer of the embodiment of the beverage dispenser extended;

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of portions of coffee which are located in the beverage dispenser;

Figures 4 to 8 and 11, and 13 to 16 show perspective views of the process of preparing a cup of coffee with the beverage dispenser;

Figure 9 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a grinding blade subassembly;

Figure 10 shows a longitudinal sectional view of an embodiment of a suitable coffee container and grinder blades; and

Figure 12 shows a perspective view of the embodiment of the beverage dispenser showing an aspect of its operation; and

Figure 17 shows a perspective view a water being placed in the beverage dispenser.

Referring to figure 1, the coffee dispenser comprises a body 20 which is supported by standard 22 and four legs 24. The legs are in an approximately cruciform arrangement, and each leg is provided with a castor 26 by which means the coffee dispenser may be easily moved.

The main body of the coffee dispenser has an approximately oval front profile, and has an oval aperture 28, as shown. The main body is divided into a lower storage area 30 (where a number of cups and saucers 75 are kept), a drawer 32, an upper storage area 34 (where a number of cafetieres 76 are kept), and a coffee processing mechanism 36 located at the top of the main body 20. A main handgrip 38 extends around the main body 20, and a further hand grip 39 extends across the front of the drawer, together forming a handgrip substantially encompassing the main body 20.

In use, the coffee dispenser is wheeled to a convenient location such as by a customer's table. Referring also to figure 2, a number of individual canisters 40 are stored in the drawer 32, the canisters 40 including different coffee varieties, indicated for example by a label on the canister. Each canister 40 contains enough coffee to fill a single cafetiere or a cafetiere for a fixed number of cups of coffee. The customer selects a particular type of coffee bean, and the waiter selects the appropriate canister, and then closes the drawer 32.

In this specification a serving shall be regarded as the provision of fresh coffee corresponding to a single container of fresh coffee beans which may correspond to a single portion of coffee for one person or it may correspond to a number of portions of coffee for a number of people ordering cups of the same coffee for example at the same table. The serving for however many people will however take place at the same time in response to the order made of the selected coffee bean type. The coffee bean type is most likely to be a pure type of bean from a particular location however it could also be a blend of beans form different origins.

Referring to figure 3, each canister 40 comprises a coffee bean storage compartment 42 and a reservoir lid 44, hermetically sealed together by engaging screw threads. The canister 40 can be opened by unscrewing the lid 44, as shown in figure 4, to allow the customer to smell the coffee and verify and confirm that that coffee bean is the chosen type, as shown in figure 5.

Referring to figure 6, a bore, sealed by foil 47, passes through the reservoir lid 44 of the canister 40, the bore being defined by a cylindrical wall 46 so that the reservoir lid 44 includes a volume separated from the bore. The waiter separates the reservoir lid 44 from the storage compartment, and interposes a grinding blade subassembly as shown in figure 7, the grinding blade subassembly 49 including male and female screw threads corresponding to those on the reservoir lid 44 and the storage compartment. The waiter then reattaches the reservoir lid, as shown in figure 8.

Referring to figures 9 and 10, the grinding subassembly 49 comprises a cylindrical body 50 (provided with the male and female screw threads), a moving grinding blade 52 and motor spindle purchase element 53, a static grinding blade 54, and an agitator 55. When the grinding subassembly 49 is interposed between the reservoir lid 44 and the storage compartment, an engagable surface of the motor spindle purchase element 53 is situated at the end of the reservoir lid's bore 46. The motor spindle purchase element 53 is secured in the base of the moving grinding blade 52, which is of frusto-conical shape. The agitator 55 comprises a plurality of paddles 56 radially extending from a central axle stub 57, the axle stub 57 being secured to the top of the moving grinding blade 52. The paddles 56 extend to the edge of the inner diameter of the grinding subassembly 50, and may include a annular strengthening member 59 at this region. The paddles 56 are so spaced that coffee beans can easily pass through gaps 43 between the paddles. The stationary grinding blade 54 is also frusto- conical, although it is not solid, and oppositely oriented to the moving grinding blade 52, the moving grinding blade 52 located inside the stationary grinding blade 54, with the widest diameter portion of the moving grinding blade 52 being adjacent to the narrowest diameter portion of the stationary blade 54. A gap exists between the moving grinding blade and the stationary grinding blade at this region.

Referring to figures 11 and 12, on the top of the main body 20 of the coffee dispenser are situated two receiving cavities 62 (figure 11 shows a single cavity, both being visible in figure 12), each of which can accommodate the reservoir lid 44 of a canister 40. The coffee processing mechanism 36 includes a control means, a drive means and two motor spindles 64, each of the receiving cavities includes one of these spindles, and when a canister 40 is placed in a receiving cavity 62, the spindle 64 enters the bore 46 (piercing the foil seal 47) of the reservoir lid 44 and engaging the motor spindle purchase element 53 in the grinding blade subassembly 50. The reservoir lid 44 rests upon a surface in the receiving cavity 62 that includes a sprung switch 65 (visible in figure 10). Depression of the canister 40 by the waiter as shown in figure 13 operates this switch 65 which is connected to the control unit. The control unit activates a dc motor, which rotates the spindle 64 for that receiving cavity.

Referring back to figure 10, rotation of the spindle 64 causes the motor spindle purchase element 53 to turn, this rotation being transferred to the moving grinding blade 52 and the agitator 55. The coffee beans in the storage compartment 42 of the canister 40 fall through the gaps 43 between the paddles 56 to the volume between the moving grinding blade 52 and the stationary grinding blade 54. The motion of the agitator's paddles 56 ensures that all the coffee beans fall in this way. The grinding blades 52, 54 are not precisely rotationally symmetric, but feature some irregularities such a ridges or knurls, coffee beans becoming caught and crushed between these irregularities as the two grinding blades rotate relative to one another. The width of the volume between the grinding blades narrows in a downward direction, so that fragments of coffee bean fall downwardly through the volume as their size permits. They are then further crushed, until the fragments are sufficiently small to pass through the gap between the lower portions of the two blades.

Coffee beans falling between the grinding blades' gap are caught in the reservoir lid 44. When all the coffee beans have been ground and occupy the reservoir lid 44, the waiter may release the pressure on the canister 40, thereby returning the sprung switch and stopping the rotation of the spindle 64 and grinding blades 52, 54. Ideally part of the canister 40 is transparent so that it can be easily seen when all the coffee beans have been used. The canister may include some portion, such as a slightly projecting surface, that engages with a corresponding surface of the receiving cavity, to resist any rotation imparted to the canister by the rotation of the spindle when grinding is in progress. Alternatively, the action of holding the canister through the grinding process could be sufficient to prevent its rotation.

Referring to figure 14, after the beans have been fully ground, the reservoir lid 44 of the canister 40 is then unscrewed from the grinding blade portion 50 and coffee bean storage compartment 42 of the canister in order to reveal the captive ground coffee. As shown in figure 15 the waiter may at this stage allow the customer to again smell the ground coffee to ensure that it is the type that he wants and that the aroma is acceptable to him. This ground coffee is then poured into a cafetiere 76, as shown in figure 16 (by which is meant a coffee maker of the piston driven type), a number of cafetieres 76 being stored in the upper storage area 34 of the coffee dispenser. Ideally the diameter of the canister is the same as or slightly smaller than that of the cafetiere. Referring to figure 12, water is dispensed from a nozzle 70 in the coffee processing mechanism 36 into the cafetiere, the dispensation being operated by the depression of a button 72 on the top of the main body 20 of the coffee dispenser by the waiter. The plunger of the cafetiere is then operated in a conventional way, and it is given to the customer, together with a cup and saucer 75. Cups and saucers may conveniently be stored on shelves in the lower storage area.

The canister 40, including the grinding subassembly, is essentially disposable, thereby ensuring that the coffee beans selected by one customer do not become contaminated with coffee beans used by previous customers. Different grinding subassemblies may be selected by the waiter to effect particular types of grinding, in particular the gap between the lower parts of the stationary grinding blade and the moving grinding blade may be set at particular size to achieve a particular coffee beans particle size. Grinding subassemblies may be colour-coded to indicate their characteristics; for example, grinding subassemblies suited to grinding decaffeinated coffee beans may be coloured green, with grinding subassemblies suited for regular beans coloured red. The grinding subassemblies may be stored in the drawer together with the canisters.

Referring to figure 17, hot water for dispensation from the coffee processing mechanism 26 is provided from an insulated flask 78 (such as a Dewey vessel type flask) situated in a compartment 79 that may be accessed by pulling upon a fascia panel 80, causing the panel 80 and compartment 79 to pivot. When the contents of an insulated flask 78 have been exhausted, it may be replaced by another flask, or the flask may be taken out and refilled with hot water. The dispensation of water may be achieved for example by the depression on the water dispense button 72 causing air to be pumped into the flask so that the hot water is displaced through a siphon tube in the flask, and thence through the dispensing nozzle 70.

The coffee dispenser includes a power storage and supply means.

Conveniently this is a rechargeable battery located in the standard, or in the bottom part of the main body. This battery supplies power to operate the grinding of the coffee, and the dispensation of the water. It may also operate ancillary features such as lighting.

It will be realised that the configuration of the coffee dispenser could be varied considerably within the principles herein disclosed. In particular, the arrangement of the water dispensation, grinding means and storage of the coffee beans could be configured in many equivalent ways. It will also be realised that rather than supplying hot water in an insulated flask, water of an ambient temperature could be supplied in a flask, or poured into the coffee dispenser, and heated in situ. Types of coffee maker other than a cafetiere may be employed; further, a percolation stage could be included in the coffee processing mechanism so that coffee beverage is dispensed directly from the coffee dispenser.

It will in particular be noted that various types of coffee bean container could be utilised instead of the canister herein described. The canister could take a variety of shapes and sizes, the receiving cavity and operating switch of the coffee dispenser having a similar shape where to accept the part of the canister that is inserted in the receiving cavity. The coffee dispenser could even, though less ideally, include a dedicated grinding mechanism. Alternatively, replaceable blades could be included in the machine separate to the canister, being replaced each time a new coffee bean type is selected. The canister and grinding blade subassembly could be stored in an fully assembled state.

Although the specific embodiment has been described with reference to a waiter and customer, it will of course be realised that the coffee dispenser could be operated in a self-service manner.

It will in particular be realised that the invention is not dependent upon the constructional details of the canister, and other storage and grinding means may be used. Further, though less ideally, the grinding means may be totally incorporated in a mobile beverage dispenser as herein described.

Claims

1. A beverage dispenser comprising:

a frame and/or housing;

a storage area set in the frame and/or housing for coffee beans or the like;

power storage means for supplying power to the grinding station.

2. A beverage dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the grinding station comprises a power transmission means capable of operating grinding surfaces included in a container for coffee beans or the like.

3. A beverage dispenser according to any previous claim, wherein water is stored, prior to being dispensed, in an insulated container.

4. A beverage dispenser according to any previous claim, wherein a plurality of coffee types are stored in the storage area.

5. A method of preparing a coffee drink or the like, comprising the steps of:

selecting a quantity of coffee beans or the like;

6. A method according to claim 5, including the step of displaying a variety of coffee bean types prior to selecting the coffee beans.

7. A method according to either claim 5 or 6, wherein a grinding means is added to the grinding station substantially simultaneously with the step of grinding the coffee beans.

8. A beverage dispenser as herein described and illustrated.

9. A method of making a beverage as herein described and illustrated.

10. Any novel and inventive feature or combination of features specifically disclosed herein within the meaning of Article 4H of the International Convention (Paris Convention).