WO2009112034A1

WO2009112034A1 - An automatic dosage unit

Info

Publication number: WO2009112034A1
Application number: PCT/DK2009/050054
Authority: WO
Inventors: Torben Malykke
Original assignee: Torben Malykke
Priority date: 2008-03-13
Filing date: 2009-03-12
Publication date: 2009-09-17

Abstract

The present invention relates to an automatic dosage unit for dosage of a product into a collection unit, said dosage unit comprising a grinding chamber, said grinding chamber comprising a grinding device, said grinding device consisting of a set of conic knives comprising an outer knife, which essentially is funnel-shaped and an inner knife, which essentially is cone-shaped. Furthermore, a flexible member is arranged downstream from the knives in the grinding chamber, said flexible member extending across a flow direction of the grinded product, and said flexible member being adapted to yield when the grinded product has reached a predetermined volume so that the grinded product is dosed into the collection unit.

Description

AN AUTOMATIC DOSAGE UNIT

Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates to an automatic dosage unit for dosage of a product into a collection unit, said dosage unit comprising a grinding chamber, said grinding chamber comprising a grinding device, said grinding device consisting of a set of conic knives comprising an outer knife, which essentially is funnel-shaped and an inner knife, which essentially is cone-shaped.

Background art

From WO 2005/063100 and WO 2006/133699 automatic dosage units are known. Even though several technical solutions have been incorporated in said known dosage units for, at least, limiting the presence of static electricity, it has been observed with certain types of products that they, after grinding, still have a tendency to stick to the different machine parts.

Furthermore, it has been observed that especially when the dosage units are being used to dose smaller amounts of products, and if the grinding of the product has been set to be fine grinding, which for instance is necessary if the dosage unit is being used for grinding coffee beans, which are going to be used as espresso coffee, the grinded coffee has a bigger tendency to stick to the interior of the dosage unit. The consequence is that the expected amount of coffee is not dosed into the collection unit, whereby the intended taste, feeling and texture of the finished brewed espresso coffee is not obtainable. Additionally, the dosage unit will in some circumstances simply not function properly.

Summary of the invention

An object of the present invention is to wholly or partly overcome the above disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. More specifically, it is an object to provide an automatic dosage unit, wherein the tendency of the grinded product to stick is minimized. It is also an object of the present invention to provide an automatic dosage unit, which facilitates the grinding of small amounts of products as well as fine grinding.

The above objects, together with numerous other objects, advantages and features, which will become evident from the below description, are accomplished by a solution in accordance with the present invention by a flexible member being arranged downstream from the knives in the grinding chamber, said flexible member extending across a flow direction of the grinded product, and said flexible member being adapted to yield when the grinded product has reached a predetermined volume so that the grinded product is dosed into the collection unit.

Hereby it is obtained that the tendency of the grinded product to stick is limited to an almost imperceptible level so that the intended amount of grinded product will substantially be the amount being dosed. Also, when the intended amount is small and the grinding of the product is set to be fine, the dosage unit according to the present invention will dose the intended amount into the collection unit.

The matter is that during the grinding of the product, the grinded product will leave the knives and be forced into a space under the knives and will at first be stopped by the flexible member. As soon as the weight or the volume of the grinded product reach a predetermined level, the flexible member will yield downwards so that the grinded product may be dosed into the collection unit. Preferably, the predetermined volume is smaller than the intended amount of grinded product to be dosed, so that the continuous grinding of the product provides additional grinded product to the volume whereby the additional supply of grinded product to the volume helps with a further force, thus, the flexible member will yield downwards. As soon as the intended amount of grinded product is reached, the grinding device will stop, and no more grinded product will be supplied to the space under the knives and the flexible member will return to its starting position and thereby substantially close the space off in a downward direction. The dosage unit according to the invention is hereinafter ready for grinding a new amount of the product.

According to the invention, the flexible member may be connected to the grinding chamber below the inner knife and/or the outer knife. Furthermore, the flexible member may comprise at least one circumferential lip and at least one flange, said flange being adapted to be connected to the grinding chamber.

Additionally, the lip may be directed downwards in the flow direction of the grinded product, whereby the force necessary for the yielding of the lip is minimised and the lip thereby forms a funnel-shaped configuration with the grinding chamber for facilitating the dosage of the grinded product.

Moreover, the lip may be adapted to sweep the grinding chamber after the grinded product has been dosed.

According to the invention, the flexible member may be arranged so that the predetermined volume between the flexible member and the knives may be less than 6.0 g of the grinded product.

Furthermore, the flexible member may be made of an elastic material. The material may be a polymer, such as for instance nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR).

Brief description of the drawings

The invention and its many advantages will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, which for the purpose of illustration show some non-limiting embodiments and in which

Fig. 1 is a side view of an automatic dosage unit according to the invention,

Fig. 2 is a view of the dosage unit where a section of the house has been removed and showing a collection unit placed under the dosage unit,

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the dosage unit according to the invention,

Fig. 4 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the grinding chamber,

Fig. 5 shows an enlarged detailed cross-sectional view of the flexible member of Fig. 4, Fig. 6 shows in perspective the inner knife and the flexible member according to the invention, and

Fig. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of the inner knife as shown in Fig. 6.

All the figures are highly schematic and not necessarily to scale, and they show only parts which are necessary in order to elucidate the invention, other parts being omitted or merely suggested.

Description of preferred embodiments

The overall construction and features of the automatic dosage unit is described in WO 2005/063100 and WO 2006/133699 (having the same applicant as well as inventor as the present invention) and will not be described in detail here, though, the descriptions of the mentioned WO-publications are hereby incorporated by reference.

However, for a description of the present invention some technical features of the known dosage units will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 shows an automatic dosage unit 1, which is shown ready for mounting to a wall or similar by means of the attachment devices 2. In other not shown embodiments of the dosage unit 1 it may also be adapted to be free standing on a table. The dosage unit is here shown mounted with a storage unit 3 for storage of the product (not shown) for dosage.

In Fig. 2, the dosage unit 1 is shown, where the cover or house is removed so that the internal parts of the dosage unit 1 are exposed. The dosage unit 1 may comprise an identification device 4, which is arranged to identify the size of a collection unit 5. This facilitates dosage of a product in correct amounts.

Furthermore, the dosage unit 1 also comprises a guiding device 6, here shown as a funnel, which is arranged to lead the product to the collection unit 5 and which together with the identification unit 4 fastens the collection unit 5. Next to the fastening device the automatic dosage unit 1 comprises a driving device 7, which is arranged to drive a grinding device 8. The grinding device 8 is placed inside a grinding chamber (not shown).

Fig. 3 shows a cross section of the dosage unit 1 where the grinding device 8 comprises an outer conic knife 9, which essentially is funnel-shaped, and an inner conic knife 10, which essentially is cone-shaped. The outer knife 9 is in this embodiment arranged to rotate around the inner knife 10 by means of a motor 7, which is placed deaxially in relation to the centre of the grinding device 8. Hereby is obtained, that the collection unit (not shown) may be placed directly under the grinding device 8. The grinding device 8 is arranged in a grinding chamber 11.

Above the grinding chamber 11 and the grinding device 8, the storage unit 3 is arranged. The product is thereby easily moved from the storage unit 2 to the grinding device 8 by its own weight. After the grinding of the product in the grinding device 8, the grinded product is led into a space 12 downstream from the grinding device 8. According to the invention, the space 12 is closed off by a flexible member 13 in the downwards direction. The grinded product will therefore stay in the space 12 until a predetermined volume of grinded product is grinded, whereinafter the flexible member 13 is adapted to yield when the weight of the grinded product as well as supply of additional grinded product from the grinding device 8 exceed the force where the flexible member is in its starting position, i.e. closing off the space 12 in a downwards direction, and the grinded product will then be led through the funnel 14 into the collection unit (not shown).

The funnel 14 may consist of two parts; a first slanting part 14a, which is the funnel part, meaning that it leads the product from grinding chamber 11 down into a second part 14b, whereby a funnel is formed without edges and pockets in which the freshly ground product may get stuck. It has thus been observed that the design of the funnel 14 minimises the static electricity to the product, due to the fact that the design of the funnel 14 provides a sliding motion for the product down into the collection unit where the product substantially discharges itself on the way through the funnel.

Furthermore, the dosage unit may be provided with an anti-static effect in a way that the product is mainly dosed without sticking to the unit. The anti-static effect may be provided by surface treating the areas, with which the product is in contact. These surface treatments may e.g. comprise polishing, eloxation or application of a coating.

In Fig. 4, an enlarged cross-sectional view of the grinding chamber 11 is shown. The grinding chamber 11 houses the grinding device 8, which consists of a set of conic knives, i.e. the outer essentially funnel-shaped knife and the inner essentially cone-shaped knife 10. Under the inner knife 10, the flexible member

13 is arranged, which together with the set of knives and wall of the grinding chamber 11 defines the space 12. The flexible member 13 is in this embodiment attached to the grinding chamber 11 below the inner knife 10, which also is shown more clearly in Fig. 5.

The flexible member 13 may be arranged so that the predetermined volume between the flexible member 13 and the knives 9, 10 is less than 6.0 g of the grinded product, i.e. the predetermined volume substantially corresponds to less than 6.0 g of the grinded product. The flexible member is arranged downstream the knives with a distance, which actual distance depends on the diameter of the grinding chamber 11 and/or the intended volume. Within the inventive idea, the predetermined volume may as well correspond to other amounts of grinded products depending on the intended use as well as amount of the grinded product.

In other not shown embodiments, the flexible member may be attached to the grinding chamber 11 below the outer knife, or it may comprise two circumferential, separate, flexible parts, wherein the first part is attached below the outer knife and the second part is attached below the inner knife.

In Fig. 5, the flexible member 13 is shown in an enlarged cross-sectional view. The flexible member 13 comprises in this embodiment at least one circumferential lip 15 and at least one flange 16, said flange 16 being adapted to be connected to the grinding chamber 11, in this embodiment under the inner knife 10.

Furthermore, the lip 15 may be directed downwards in the flow direction of the grinded product, and the lip 15 may be adapted to sweep the grinding chamber 11 after the grinded product has been dosed. Advantageously, the flexible member 13 is made of an elastic material. Said material may preferably be a polymer, such as for instance nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) or similar materials. It is preferred that the material of the flexible member possesses some inherent flexibility. Furthermore, the surface of the flexible member may be smooth so that the grinded product substantially does not stick to the surface of the flexible member. The smooth surface of the flexible member also facilitates that grinded product slides off the flexible member, when the flexible member yields. Additionally, it is preferred that the flexible member is made of a material which is approved for use in connection with foodstuff.

In Fig. 6, the inner knife 10 is shown in perspective. The flexible member 13 is arranged a distance below the inner knife 10. Below the inner knife 10, an adjustment tool 20 is shown in engagement with the inner knife 10. The adjustment tool 20 is adapted to fasten the inner knife 10 to the dosage unit as well as to adjust the gap between the two knives and thereby the grind of the product, i.e. the smaller the gap, the finer the grind and vice versa. The adjustment tool 20 is, after the adjustment of the gap between the knives and the fastening of the inner knife 10, removed from the dosage unit. In another embodiment, the adjustment of the gap between the knives, i.e. the grind, may be performed automatically, and the control of the gap may be connected to the overall control unit of the dosage unit.

In Fig. 7, the inner knife 10 as well as the adjustment tool 20 are shown in a cross-sectional view. The flexible member 13 is shown attached below the inner knife 10 and a room 17 is arranged below the flexible member for facilitating the yielding of the member.

Advantageously, the automatic dosage unit according to the invention may be used for the preparation of coffee beans and dosage of coffee. However, it is conceivable within the idea of the invention, that the automatic dosage unit also may be used for various other products in the same way; both in powder- and liquid form, such as coffee powder, tea, various soft drink concentrates, etc.

Although the invention above has been described in connection with preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be evident for a person skilled in the art that several modifications are conceivable without departing from the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. An automatic dosage unit (1) for dosage of a product into a collection unit (3), said dosage unit (1) comprising a grinding chamber (11), said grinding chamber (11) comprising a grinding device (8), said grinding device (8) consisting of a set of conic knives comprising an outer knife (9), which essentially is funnel-shaped and an inner knife (10), which essentially is cone-shaped, wherein a flexible member (13) is arranged downstream from the knives (9, 10) in the grinding chamber (11), said flexible member (13) extending across a flow direction of the grinded product, and said flexible member (13) being adapted to yield when the grinded product has reached a predetermined volume so that the grinded product is dosed into the collection unit (3).

2. An automatic dosage unit (1) according to claim 1, wherein the flexible member (13) is connected to the grinding chamber (11) below the inner knife

(10) and/or the outer knife (9).

3. An automatic dosage unit (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the flexible member (13) comprises at least one circumferential lip (15) and at least one flange (16), said flange (16) being adapted to be connected to the grinding chamber (11).

4. An automatic dosage unit (1) according to claim 3, wherein the lip (15) is directed downwards in the flow direction of the grinded product.

5. An automatic dosage unit according to claim 3 and/or 4, wherein the lip (15) is adapted to sweep the grinding chamber (11) after the grinded product has been dosed.

6. An automatic dosage unit (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the flexible member (13) is arranged so that the predetermined volume between the flexible member (13) and the knives (9, 10) is less than 6.0 g of the grinded product.

7. An automatic dosage unit (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the flexible member (15) is made of an elastic material.

8. An automatic dosage unit (1) according to claim 7, wherein the material is a polymer, such as for instance nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR).