WO2007138457A2

WO2007138457A2 - Machine for percolating a beverage from powdered material inside a container

Info

Publication number: WO2007138457A2
Application number: PCT/IB2007/001415
Authority: WO
Inventors: Virginio Cortese
Original assignee: Sgl Italia S.R.L. Con Unico Socio
Priority date: 2006-05-31
Filing date: 2007-05-30
Publication date: 2007-12-06
Also published as: WO2007138457A3; ITTO20060405A1

Abstract

A machine (1) for percolating coffee from ground coffee in a container (2) ; the machine (1) has a pressurized- hot-water dispenser (14) movable between a fully open first position, and a fully closed second position connected to a percolating assembly (6) for receiving a container (2) and defined by a rotor (7) , which has a number of percolating cups (8) , and rotates about a fixed axis (10) to selectively position each cup (8) in an infusion position connected to the dispenser (14) ; and transmission means (24) are provided to rotate the rotor (7) when the dispenser moves from the second to the first position, and are designed to only allow the dispenser (14) to move towards the percolating assembly (6) from the first position.

Description

MACHINE FOR PERCOLATING A BEVERAGE FROM POWDERED MATERIAL INSIDE A CONTAINER

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a machine for percolating a beverage from powdered material inside a container .

More specifically, the present invention relates to a machine of the type comprising a percolating assembly, and a pressurized-hot-water dispenser movable between a first fully open position and a second fully closed position connected to the percolating assembly; the percolating assembly comprising a rotor rotating in steps about a fixed substantially horizontal axis, and which has a number of peripheral percolating cups equally spaced with a given angular spacing about the fixed axis; each cup housing a container, and the rotor selectively positioning each cup in an infusion position connected to the dispenser; and the machine also comprising transmission means interposed between the dispenser and the rotor to rotate the rotor in a given rotation direction and by an amount equal to said angular spacing when the dispenser moves from said second fully closed position to said first fully open position.

Though the machine according to the present invention can be used to percolate any beverage by feeding pressurized hot water through powdered material inside a container, the following description refers, purely by way of example, to a machine for making a coffee beverage using a container containing a measure of ground coffee. BACKGROUND ART

One example of a coffee machine of the type described above is described and illustrated in the Applicant's Patent Application WO2006005755, to which full reference is made herein for the sake of clarity. In this type of machine, the dispenser is normally fitted to a lid of the machine, and the transmission means are defined by a ratchet mechanism interposed between the lid and the rotor to rotate the rotor - whenever the lid is raised from the fully closed position to the fully open position - to move the percolating cup containing the used container from the infusion position, and move an empty cup into the infusion position to receive a fresh container.

Though straightforward and effective, the above transmission system between the lid and rotor requires that the lid, when raised to load a fresh container, be moved completely by the user from the fully closed to the fully open position, to ensure complete rotation of the rotor, and that the empty cup moved into the percolating position is aligned with the dispenser.

Experience has shown, however, that very often the user, through lack of skill or distraction, fails to perform the above operation correctly, thus not only impairing normal operation, but also seriously impairing the safety, of the machine.

In fact, if the lid is raised short of the fully open position, the rotor is not rotated completely, i.e. the empty cup is set to a position which, while allowing the user to insert a fresh container inside the cup, is offset with respect to the infusion position and does not allow connection of the dispenser to the cup when the lid is lowered, or, in the worst case scenario, results in improper connection, with the risk of pressurized-hot- water leakage at the percolating stage.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to improve a machine of the type described above. According to the present invention, there is provided a machine for percolating a beverage from powdered material inside a container, as claimed in Claim 1 and, preferably, in any one of the following Claims depending directly or indirectly on Claim 1. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A non-limiting embodiment of the invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a partly sectioned side view of a preferred embodiment of the machine according to the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a rear view of the Figure 1 machine; Figure 3 shows a partly section detail of Figure 2, with parts removed for clarity;

Figure 4 shows the Figure 1 machine in a different operating configuration;

Figures 5-8 show the Figure 2 detail in respective operating configurations;

Figure 9 shows a side view of the machine according to the present invention;

Figure 10 shows a front view of Figure 9;

Figure 11 shows a plan view of Figure 9; Figures 12-14 show a detail of Figure 9 in respective operating configurations .

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Number 1 in Figure 1 indicates as a whole a machine for percolating a coffee beverage from a measure of ground coffee inside a container, which, in the example shown, comprises a standard wafer 2 defined by a closed wrapping of permeable material.

Machine 1 comprises a frame 3 defined by a box body, in turn defined by a substantially vertical front wall 4, and two parallel vertical lateral walls 5 perpendicular to front wall 4.

Machine 1 also comprises a percolating assembly 6 fitted to and projecting from front wall 4, and in turn comprising a rotor 7 having four peripheral percolating cups 8, which are arranged in opposite pairs, are connected to one another by a central plate 9, and are each designed to at least partly house a wafer 2. In the example shown, cups 8 are two different alternating types. More specifically, two cups 8 are relatively shallow to house wafers 2 of the type normally used for making so-called "espresso" coffee; and two cups 8 are deeper to house wafers 2 of the type normally containing ground coffee and other anhydrous substances, such as powdered milk, for making a so-called "cappuccino" beverage.

In other embodiments not shown, cups 8 are all the same type. As shown in Figure 1, rotor 7 is mounted to rotate about an axis 10 perpendicular to front wall 4, to move cups 8 in steps (as explained below) along a circular path coaxial with axis 10, and to selectively set each cup 8 to an infusion position, in which cup 8 is positioned with its concavity facing upwards, and is coaxial with a substantially vertical axis perpendicular to axis 10.

Rotor 7 is fitted to one end of a shaft 11 coaxial with axis 10 and fitted through front wall 4, and is locked axially and angularly to shaft 11 by a removable cap 11a.

In addition to rotor 7, frame 3 is fitted with a lift-up lid 12 hinged to frame 3 to rotate, about an axis 13 crosswise to axis 10, between a raised position (Figure 4) and a lowered position (Figure 1) .

Lid 12 is fitted with a pressurized-hot-water dispenser 14 supplied with hot water from a known boiler (not shown) by a conduit 14a, and comprising a cylindrical casing; and a piston mounted to slide axially along the cylindrical casing, and fitted, on an end portion facing rotor 7, with a hot-water sprinkler 15 positioned with its concavity facing percolating assembly 6.

Dispenser 14 is movable with lid 12 between a fully open position, corresponding to the raised position of lid 12 (Figure 4) , and a fully closed position corresponding to the lowered position of lid 12 (Figure 1) , and in which sprinkler 15 is aligned axially with the cup 8 in the infusion position at the time, and is connectable in fluidtight manner by the piston to cup 8 to define, with cup 8, a fluidtight percolating chamber.

As shown in Figures 1 and 11, lid 12 comprises a handle 16, in turn comprising two rocker arms 17 located on opposite sides of lid 12, connected at respective ends by a crosspiece 18, and hinged to lid 12 to oscillate about an axis 19 parallel to axis 13.

More specifically, each rocker arm 17 comprises a first arm extending from axis 19 to crosspiece 18; and a second arm, which extends from axis 19 towards frame 3, is aligned with the respective first arm, and is fitted with an L-shaped bracket 20 comprising a flat end appendix extending on top of lid 12 and towards the other bracket 20 (Figures 9 and.11) .

Between the respective first and second arms, rocker arms 17 are fitted with respective U-shaped hooks 21, which extend from respective rocker arms 17 towards rotor 7, are positioned with their concavity facing frame 3, and, in use, engage respective holes formed through plate 9, on either side of each cup 8, to secure lid 12 to rotor 7, and to lock lid 12 in the lowered position, and rotor 7 in a given angular position.

In a different embodiment not shown, only one of the two rocker arms 17 has a hook 21, and, for each cup 8, plate 9 has only one hole engaged, in use, by hook 21.

As shown in Figures 9 and 14, on its free end facing frame 3, one of the two rocker arms 17 has a tooth 22 projecting upwards from rocker arm 17 and, as explained in detail below, forming part of a lock device 23 for locking handle 16, in use, in a given angular position about axis 19 when lifting lid 12. A transmission 24, defined by a ratchet mechanism, is interposed between lid 12 and rotor 7 to convert the rotation of lid 12 - connected with the movement of dispenser 14 from the fully closed position to the fully open position - to rotation of rotor 7 about axis 10 by an angle equal to the angular spacing of cups 8 about axis 10.

Transmission 24 comprises a first part integral with rotor 7 and defined by a retainer 25, which is located between lateral walls 5 of frame 3 , and comprises a circular flange integral with the end of shaft 11, and a disk 26 facing the flange, coaxial with axis 10, and connected to the flange by four pins 27, which are parallel to axis 10, are equally spaced about axis 10, and are each associated with a respective cup 8.

Transmission 24 also comprises a second part integral with lid 12 and defined by a lever 28, which is hinged, with the interposition of a spring 29, to a block 30, in turn hinged to lid 12 to oscillate about an axis 30a parallel to axis 13. Lever 28 oscillates about an axis 31 sloping with respect to axis 10 and axis 30a, so as to move elastically in a plane substantially crosswise to axis 10. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, lever 28 extends from block 30 to retainer 25, and has, on its free end, a pointed appendix 32, and a lateral projection 33 defining, with appendix 32, a recess 34 substantially crosswise to lever 28 and forming part of a safety stop 35, which, as explained in detail below, prevents lid 12 from moving towards percolating assembly 6 when dispenser 14 is moved from the fully closed position to the fully open position, i.e. only allows lid 12 to be lowered towards percolating assembly 6 as of the fully open position of dispenser 14.

Disk 26 has serrated peripheral projections, and is connected to a pawl 36 to define, with pawl 36, a ratchet mechanism 37 which, together with recess 34, defines safety stop 35.

As shown in Figure 2, retainer 25 is preferably associated with a known step counter 38 comprising a flexible plate located along the path of pins 27 about axis 10, and which comes into contact with a pin 27 at each rotation step of rotor 7.

As shown in Figure 9, in addition to tooth 22 integral with one of the two rocker arms 17, lock device 23 for locking handle 16 also comprises an oscillating hook 39 hinged to lid 12, on the same side as tooth 22, to oscillate, about an axis 40 parallel to axis 13, between a release position (Figure 9) and an engaged position engaging tooth 22 (Figures 13, 14) and in which hook 39 is integral with handle 16. Hook 39 is fitted with a pin 41, which engages and slides transversely inside a guide slot 42 formed in a plate 43 integral with a lateral wall 5, and is connected to plate 43 by a spring 44 held taut between pin 41 and a fixed pin 45 projecting outwards from plate 43. Operation of machine 1 will now be described as of the fully closed operating configuration of dispenser 14 shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 9 and 10.

In this configuration, lid 12 is in the lowered position, handle 16 is substantially horizontal, and hooks 21 are inserted inside the respective holes formed in plate 9 on either side of cup 8 in the infusion position.

Moreover, bracket 20 of each rocker arm 17 is raised off the top surface of lid 12 (Figure 10), and tooth 22 integral with one of the two rocker arms 17 is released from oscillating hook 39, which is pushed backwards by rocker arm 17 in opposition to spring 44 (Figure 9) . To lift lid 12, the user grips and begins to lift crosspiece 18, so that handle 16 rotates about axis 19.

As shown in Figure 12, during the first part of this movement, hooks 21 are withdrawn transversely from the respective holes, brackets 20 are lowered towards lid 12, and oscillating hook 39 is pushed backwards by the end of rocker arm 17 with tooth 22, in opposition to spring 44, which is stretched further between pin 41 and pin 45.

When rotation of handle 16 exceeds a given angle, the end of rocker arm 17 moves down beneath oscillating hook 39, which is rotated, by contraction of spring 44, about axis 40 and clicks forward to engage tooth 22.

As shown in Figure 13, in this configuration, lock device 23 for locking handle 16 is active, and the top portion of each bracket 20 rests on the top surface of lid 12. From this point on, seeing as handle 16 is now integral with lid 12, further rotation of handle 16, as opposed to rotating handle 16 about axis 19, rotates lid 12 about axis 13 from the lowered position to the raised position (Figure 14) , thus simultaneously moving dispenser 14 from the fully closed position (Figures 1, 9) to the fully open position (Figures 4, 14) .

As stated, by means of transmission 24, rotation of dispenser 14 from the fully closed position to the fully open position rotates rotor 7 through 90 degrees about axis 10, so that the cup 8 containing the used wafer 2 is moved out of the infusion position, and an empty cup 8 is moved into the infusion position. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, when lid 12 is still in the lowered position (i.e. dispenser 14 is still in the fully closed position) , lever 28 is in an idle position, in which appendix 32 contacts the side of a pin 27 (hereinafter indicated 27a for the sake of clarity) , which keeps lever 28 pushed outwards in opposition to spring 29.

With reference to the operating sequence shown in

Figures 5-7, when lid 12 is first raised, lever 28 moves down towards retainer 25 until pin 27a is on a level with, and transversely engages, recess 34 by spring 29 moving lever 28 towards axis 10 (Figure 5) .

As lid 12 is raised further and lever 28 moves down, pin 27a, being integral with lever 28, is pushed downwards, thus rotating rotor 7 (anticlockwise in the drawings) about axis 10 (Figure 6) .

In this connection, it should be pointed out that ratchet mechanism 37 only permits anticlockwise rotation of rotor 7.

As rotor 7 rotates (Figure 6) , pin 27a, in addition to moving down, also moves gradually outwards of retainer 25, thus also pushing lever 28 outwards in opposition to spring 29.

When pin 27a, pushed downwards by lever 28, starts moving once more towards the centre of cage 25 (Figure I)₁ lever 28, pushed by the adjacent pin 27 upstream from pin 27a, continues to flex outwards.

When lid 12 is fully raised (and dispenser 14 is in the fully open position) , pin 27a is positioned contacting projection 33, outside recess 34 (Figure 8), rotor 7 has been rotated 90°, and an empty cup 8 is set to the infusion position to receive a fresh wafer 2.

When a fresh wafer 2 is inserted inside the cup 8 in the infusion position, and the user rotates handle 16 downwards to lower the raised lid 12 and move dispenser

14 back into the fully closed position, lever 28, no longer connected to pin 27a, moves freely upwards and withdraws gradually from retainer 25, while rotor 7 remains in the angular position assumed at the end of the preceding operating cycle.

Once dispenser 14 is restored to the fully closed position, further rotation of handle 16 automatically releases tooth 22 from hook 39, releases lock device 23 locking handle 16, and inserts hooks 21 inside the relative holes (Figure 9).

In connection with the above, it is important to note the advantage of safety stop 35 of lid 12. By means of ratchet mechanism 37 and recess 34, safety stop 35, in fact, prevents lid 12 from being lowered accidentally or intentionally before it has been fully raised, and before dispenser 14 has reached the fully open position.

This is made possible by pin 27a engaging recess 34 as lid 12 is raised, and by virtue of ratchet mechanism 37. That is, lever 28 and pin 27a are made integral with each other, and, given the lever-pin connection, any movement of lid 12 towards percolating assembly 6 would result in clockwise rotation of retainer 25, i.e. clockwise rotation of rotor 7 about axis 10, which is prevented by ratchet mechanism 37.

Preventing dispenser 14 from being restored to the fully closed position from other than the fully open position prevents dispenser 14 from being forced to close onto a cup 8 not properly aligned in the percolating position, thus resulting in potential damage to sprinkler 15 or, in the worst case scenario, in nonfluidtight connection of sprinkler 15 and cup 8, thus resulting in pressurized-hot-water spray as the water flows from sprinkler 15 to wafer 2.

Moreover, lock device 23 for locking handle 16 has the advantage of making lid 12 extremely easy to lift by the user. That is, by lifting crosspiece 18 continuously in the same direction, the user performs two operations: releases hooks 21 from the respective holes, and rotates lid 12 about axis 13. Moreover, click-on engagement of tooth 22 by oscillating hook 39 keeps handle 16 in the slightly backward-rotated position, even when handle 16 is pushed down by the user to lower lid 12, so that, when dispenser 14 reaches the fully closed position, hooks 21 are aligned facing the respective holes, ready to engage the holes upon further downward rotation of handle 16 by the user .

Finally, it should be pointed out that, in other embodiments not shown, machine 1 may also be used to make coffee from a container defined by a known rigid, perforated capsule or a known sealed capsule. In the latter case, sprinkler 15 and cup 8 are fitted with respective known piercing devices having respective needles, which pierce the capsule to feed water into the capsule and extract the beverage from the capsule respectively.

Claims

1) A machine for percolating a beverage from powdered material in a container (2), the machine (1) comprising a percolating assembly (6) ; and a pressurized- hot-water dispenser (14) movable between a fully open position, and a fully closed position connected to the percolating assembly (6) ; the percolating assembly (6) comprising a rotor (7), which rotates in steps about a substantially horizontal, fixed axis (10), and has a number of peripheral percolating cups (8) equally spaced with a given angular spacing about said fixed axis (10) ; each cup (8) being designed to house a container (2), and the rotor (7) selectively positioning each cup (8) in an infusion position connected to the dispenser (14); the machine (1) also comprising transmission means (24) interposed between the dispenser (14) and the rotor (7), and which impart rotation to the rotor (7) in a given rotation direction and by an amount equal to said angular spacing when the dispenser (14) moves from said fully closed position to said fully open position; the machine (1) being characterized in that the transmission means (24) comprise stop means (35) for arresting the dispenser (14) , and which only allow the dispenser (14) to move towards the percolating assembly (6) from said fully open position.

2) A machine as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said stop means (35) comprise fastening means (34) for securing the dispenser (14) temporarily to the rotor (7) as the dispenser (14) moves from the fully closed position to the fully open position, so that the dispenser (14) can only move towards the fully open position; and antirotation means (37), which only permit rotation of the rotor (7) in said given rotation direction, as the rotor (7) rotates about the fixed axis (10) .

3) A machine as claimed in Claim 2, and comprising a lid (12) fitted with the dispenser (14); the lid (12) being mounted to move between a raised position corresponding to the fully open position of the dispenser

(14) , and a lowered position corresponding to the fully closed position of the dispenser (14) ; said transmission means (24) imparting said rotation to the rotor (7) in response to movement of the lid (12) into said raised position; and said stop means (35) only allowing the dispenser (14) to move towards the percolating assembly

(6) as of the raised position of the lid (12) . 4) A machine as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the lid (12) is hinged to a frame (3) of the machine (1) to rotate, with respect to the frame (3) and between said raised position and said lowered position, about a substantially horizontal first axis (13) of rotation crosswise to said fixed axis (10) .

5) A machine as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the percolating assembly (6) comprises a shaft (11) , which is coaxial with the fixed axis (10) , is fitted with the rotor (7), and is connected in rotary and axially fixed manner to said frame (3) .

6) A machine as claimed in Claim 5, wherein said transmission means (24) comprise a retainer (25) rotating with said shaft (11) about the fixed axis (10) and having a number of pins (27), which are integral with and parallel to said shaft (11) , are equally spaced about the fixed axis (10), and are each associated with a respective cup (8); and a push member (28), which is fitted to the lid (12), is movable with the lid (12), and cooperates with the retainer (25) to rotate the retainer (25) about the fixed axis (10) by an angle equal to said angular spacing, in response to the lid (12) moving from the lowered position to the raised position; said push member (28) having a recess (34) , which forms part of said fastening means, and is engaged selectively by one of said pins (27), as the dispenser (14) moves from the fully closed position to the fully open position, to connect the push member (28) and the pin (27) to each other during said movement of the dispenser.

7 ) A machine as claimed in Claim 6 , wherein said antirotation means (37) comprise a ratchet mechanism defined by a disk (26) integral with the retainer (25), coaxial with the fixed axis (10) , and having serrated peripheral projections; and by a pawl (36) located along the path of said serrated peripheral projections to only permit rotation of the rotor (7) in said given rotation direction, as the rotor (7) rotates about the fixed axis ( 10 ) .

8) A machine as claimed in one of Claims 4 to 7, wherein the lid (12) comprises a handle (16) connected to the lid (12) to rotate, with respect to the lid (12), about a second axis (19) of rotation parallel to the first axis (13) of rotation, and which is fitted with latch means (21) movable to and from an engaged position connected to the percolating assembly (6) to lock the lid (12), in use, in said lowered position. 9) A machine as claimed in Claim 8, and also comprising a device (23) for angularly locking the handle (16) about the second axis (19) of rotation, so as to lock said latch means (21) in a release position released from the percolating assembly (6) . 10) A machine as claimed in Claim 9, and comprising at least one seat formed on the percolating assembly (6); said latch means (21) comprising at least one hook (21) fitted to the handle (16) to rotate, about said second axis (19) of rotation, to and from a position engaging said seat.

11) A machine as claimed in Claim 9 or 10, wherein the device (23) for angularly locking the handle (16) comprises a tooth (22) integral with the handle (16); and an oscillating hook (39) fitted to the lid (12) to rotate about a third axis (40) of rotation and click onto said tooth (22) when the handle (16) is rotated about the second axis (19) of rotation to release the latch means (21) from the engaged position connected to the percolating assembly (6) .

12) A machine as claimed in Claim 11, and comprising elastic means (44) associated with the oscillating hook (39) to force the oscillating hook (39) elastically into the position engaging the tooth (22) .

13) A machine as claimed in any one of the foregoing Claims, wherein the cups (8) are four in number, and said angular spacing is an angle of 90°.

14) A machine as claimed in any one of the foregoing Claims, wherein the cups (8) are of two different types alternating about the fixed axis (10) .