CZ2014128A3 - Device to prepare filtered coffee - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for preparing filtered coffee having a cylindrical vessel for brewing and leaching ground coffee with water and a piston provided with a filter adapted to separate the brew from the beverage when pushing the piston into said vessel. The apparatus has a piston formed as a cup (21) bottom (21) adapted to be inserted and pushed into the cylindrical container (1), a filter being arranged on the underside of the cup (2) above which the inlet opening (23) is formed in the bottom (21) of the mug. The inlet opening (23) is followed by a rising overflow tube (3) which, in the pressed position of the cup (2), ends lower than the upper edge of the cup (2).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to an apparatus for preparing a beverage, in particular coffee, having a cylindrical vessel for brewing and leaching ground or particulate material with water, and a piston or plunger provided with a sieve or filter mounted on a structure by which it material from the desired beverage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the field of coffee brewing machines, coffee brewing devices have been known for a long time by the direct compression filter method, which are commercially available under the name French press.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,324,966 discloses a French press apparatus for preparing a single portion of coffee having a cylindrical container with a lid within which a filter piston is movably mounted. The piston can be pushed downwards by a handle connected to the rod passing through the lid to filter out the filtered coffee from the grounds, and can be secured against unintentional withdrawal. The lid has fastening means for engaging a cylindrical vessel and a drinking opening which can be closed by a cover.

Conventional French press devices have the disadvantage that the prepared coffee is separated from the grounds only by a sieve or filter, so that if the beverage is left in the container for a long time, the substances which can damage the taste and effects of the beverage are released.

The beverage prepared in conventional frech press equipment should be immediately poured into another container so that the residue under the piston between the strainer and the bottom of the container is no longer leached and thus does not suffer the taste and effects of the beverage.

Attempts have also been made to address this drawback by additionally separating the beverage from the grounds.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,133 discloses a coffee brewing pot provided with a piston with a sieve to filter and press down the grounds, and a separating element is arranged above the sieve to separate the filtered beverage from the grounds.

The disadvantage of this device is the greater number of components of the device and the more complicated procedure for preparing coffee in the device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A device for preparing filtered coffee having a cylindrical vessel for brewing ground coffee with water and a piston having a filter adapted to separate the grounds from the beverage when the piston is pushed into the vessel is adapted to eliminate the above drawbacks such that

the beverage, filtered by pushing the plunger into the container, was collected separately from the filter immediately after passing through the filter screen and was no longer in contact with a separate sediment. This is achieved according to the invention in that said device has a piston formed as a bottom of a cup adapted to be inserted and pushed into said cylindrical container. A filter is provided on the bottom of the cup bottom, above which there is an inlet opening formed in the bottom of the cup, to which is connected a rising overflow tube which in the pushed-in position of the cup ends lower than the upper edge of the cup. The beverage, filtered by pushing the piston formed as the bottom of the filter-equipped mug, flows over the riser overflow into the mug space. At the end of the beverage preparation process, the mug is pushed into the cylindrical container, where the grounds are underneath the filter and inside the mug, in a space completely separated from the filter screen, the beverage is collected. For handling the device, it is advantageous if it is provided with a lid which can be placed on the mug and, at the same time, in the cup-pushed position, on a cylindrical container.

Extraction, subsequent filtration and separation of filtered coffee are among the simplest but at the same time expertly recommended ways of preparing quality coffee. The device according to the invention combines this method into one very simple integral mug, where only the ground coffee and the hot or heated water in the container are needed for the preparation of coffee. Using the device according to the invention, the time of extracting the flavorings from the coffee is perfectly controlled.

After filtering, the coffee no longer has to be transferred to another container, as the coffee grounds are already completely separated from the finished coffee. Thus, no undesirable leaching occurs after filtration.

The choice of any favorite type of coffee is supported by the possibility of simple replacement and use of different permeable strainers for filtering coffee, for example depending on the coarse grinding of the coffee used. This can be realized in such a way that the filter arranged on the underside of the bottom of the cup is designed as a replaceable filter screen inserted under the inlet opening. The replaceable filter strainer may be mountable under the inlet opening by means of a ring provided with an external thread co-operating with the internal thread of the inlet opening.

The tightness of the device is preferably ensured in that a sealing O-ring is fitted in a groove formed in the peripheral wall of the bottom of the cup forming the piston.

The device may be provided with a stop to limit the cup being pushed into the container. The stop can be simply formed as an extension or rim on the top edge of the cup. However, it can also be formed on a cylindrical container, for example as a constriction at the bottom of the container. The stop ensures that the edges of the container 1 and the cup 2 are flush with the cup in the retracted position and / or that a ground area is provided under the cup bottom in the depressed position.

To use the travel device, it is advantageous to have a lid that can be attached to the cup, serving as a support for pushing the cup into a cylindrical container with a slight hand pressure. The lid may have a shoulder for mounting on a mug and a shoulder for mounting on a cylindrical container, but in a preferred embodiment it is provided with an internal thread for fastening, by means of a thread located at the upper edge of the cylindrical container on its outside. In said pushed position, a space for the grounds is defined below the bottom of the cup.

• ·

The lid could also be provided with a narrower opposed male thread for fastening, by means of a thread located on the inner side at the upper edge of the cup, in the mounted position on the cup.

The overflow tube may be integral with the bottom of the cup or may be formed as a separate component attachable to the bottom of the cup, for example by screwing through an opening in the center of the bottom into the outlet opening.

The cup bottom may be integral with the cup wall, in which case the entire cup is preferably cylindrical, or the cup wall and cup bottom may be detachable.

The lid is preferably provided with a drinking opening and a closure, preferably lockable in the closed position.

The device according to the invention has no more complicated mechanical components and is characterized by very simple maintenance.

The apparatus may also be used to prepare tea or other beverage which is prepared by leaching ground, crushed, leaf or other particulate material with hot or hot or boiling water.

Clarification of the figures in the drawings

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings, in which preferred embodiments are shown. Identical parts are designated with the same reference numerals. The reference numerals in the drawings are indicated where the components they identify are best recognizable. In the drawings it represents:

Fig. 1a shows a diagram of the apparatus according to the invention, illustrating the assembly of a cylindrical container, cup and lid in the basic embodiment of the invention; Fig. 1b bottom view of the cup; 3 and a device according to the invention in cross-section, in an embodiment with a lid adapted for drinking, and Fig. 3b a lid of the embodiment according to Fig. 3a in a top view.

Examples

As mentioned above, the device according to the invention is not limited to the preparation of coffee, but can also be used to prepare another beverage which is prepared by leaching ground, crushed, leaf or other particulate material with hot or hot or boiling water. Since the apparatuses for making these drinks are structurally equivalent, the apparatus of the invention is referred to as coffee making apparatus in the following description for simplicity.

The principle of the device according to the invention is illustrated in Fig. 1a. The apparatus consists of an assembly of a cylindrical container 1, a cup 2 and a lid 4. For a better understanding of the invention, the cup 2 and the cylindrical container 1 are shown as if their walls were transparent. The cup 2 fits into the cylindrical vessel 1 and is lower than the cylindrical vessel 1, so that, when inserted into the cylindrical vessel 1, a coffee grounds 12 is formed between the bottom of the cylindrical vessel 1 and the bottom of the cup 2. The cup bottom 21 forms a piston whose diameter corresponds to the inner diameter of the cylindrical container 1. To ensure tightness against the inner wall of the cylindrical container 1 and thereby to provide the necessary pressure when pushing the cup 2 into the container 1, the cup bottom 21 is provided with an O-ring . As best seen in FIG. 2, the mug 2 has an inlet opening 23 from the bottom of the bottom having a diameter equal to approximately 1/2 of the diameter of the entire bottom 21 of the mug. In the cup bottom body 21, the inlet opening 23 passes into the overflow tube 3. The overflow tube 3 is a riser tube extending upward from the center of the cup bottom 21 and has an outlet opening 31 at a small distance below the upper edge of the cup 2. However, it can also be inserted into the cup bottom 21 in a different way or can be integral with the cup bottom 21. A replaceable filter strainer 22 is arranged below the inlet opening 23. When the cup 2 is pushed into the cylindrical container 1, the liquid from the space below the bottom 21 of the cup can only flow into the inlet opening 23 through the filter sieve 22. The closable lid 4 is slid onto the cup 2 and together with the cup 2 container 1, attachable to a cylindrical container 1.

The lid 4 can be mounted on the cylindrical container 1, for example, via a silicone ring (not shown). In this case, however, the mug cannot be used for more demanding travel.

In a further exemplary embodiment, the device with the cup 2 pressed into the cylindrical container 1 is tightly sealable by the lid 4. For this purpose, an outer thread (not shown) for fastening the lid 4 is provided at the upper outer edge of the cylindrical container 1. however, other arrangements for tightly closing the cylindrical container 1 with the lid 4 are also possible, for example a bayonet closure or clamping.

The cup 2, the cylindrical vessel 1 and the lid 4 may be made of any non-toxic material used for consuming hot beverages, for example stainless steel, plastic, glass, porcelain and the like. The replaceable filter screen 22 may be made of stainless steel or plastic, for example of polyamide. It is also possible to have an arrangement with more than one filter screen, for example with two filter screens of different mesh sizes arranged on top of each other.

In one method of using the device according to the invention, a suitable amount of ground coffee is placed in a cylindrical vessel 1, optionally preheated, poured over with hot water and allowed to be leached for a suitable period of time, for example 3 minutes. Then, the cup 2, closed by the lid, is inserted into the cylindrical container 1 with a bottom and pressed into the cylindrical container 1 with slight pressure on the lid 1, the bottom 21 of the cup acting as a piston. The coffee is then filtered through the filter strainer 22 and overflows through the overflow spout 3 into the cup 2. After the lid rests on the cylindrical container 1, it is secured with a thread 41 on the container 1. The outlet tube 3 functions as an overflow, The filter coffee is completely separated from the grounds in the cup 2 and the grounds remain in the grounds 12 under the bottom of the cup 2. After filtering the coffee and threading it, the machine is compact and easy to transport. The coffee does not have to be poured into another container and is ready to be consumed directly from the assembled device.

The cylindrical vessel 1 may be adapted to directly heat water, for example on a flame, or an electric cooker. It is then possible to use the device according to the invention by first pouring water into a cylindrical vessel 1, bringing to a boil, allowing to cool to about 90 ° C and carefully pouring coffee into it. The procedure is then as described above.

The cup 2 may be made of a thermally insulating material, for example of a thermally insulating plastic.

In a variant where direct heating of the water in the cylindrical vessel 1 is not envisaged, the cylindrical vessel 1 may alternatively be formed as a standard thermo-insulating travel vessel. It may, for example, be of thermally insulating plastic or it may be double-walled of stainless steel. The only necessary condition is a cylindrical shape having a circular plan view with a substantially flat bottom 11 and a vertical section of a parallel wall. In this case, of course, the mug 2 will not be thermally insulated.

The cup 2 has the shape of a truncated cone tapering towards the bottom 21, as in the illustrated embodiment, or has the shape of a cylinder like a cylindrical container 1.

The diameter of the bottom 21 of the cup forming the piston is only by the necessary clearance smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical container 1 and the thickness of the bottom 21 of the cup (forming the height of the piston) is generally 0.3 to 1 cm. A sealing O-ring 27 is fitted in the groove formed in the peripheral wall of the bottom 21. The bottom 21 of the cup may be formed as a separate component attached to the cup 2 or may be integral with the cup 2. It may be cylindrical or frustoconical. The dimensions must be chosen such that after insertion into the cup 2 into the cylindrical container 1 the O-ring 27 seals tightly and that the cup 2 is simply pushable manually by syringe into the cylindrical container 1.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3a, in the center of the bottom 21 of the cup forming the piston, an inlet opening 23 is formed from the underside, having a diameter of, for example, Λ of the diameter of the entire bottom 21, hole 24 bottom. It has the same diameter as the outflow spout 3, usually 3 to 7 mm. The overflow tube 3 is fixedly fixed to the bottom outlet opening 24 and rises from the bottom 21 of the cup, ending at a small distance below the upper edge of the cup 2 having the outlet 31. When using the device, after pushing the cup 2 into the cylindrical container 1 the opening 31 of the tube is located at a small distance below the center of the fitted cap 4. Thus, it functions as an overflow and prevents the coffee from filtering back after filtering and having any contact with the grounds in the grounds 12.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in Figs. 1b and 2, the filter screen 22 is attached to the bottom of the cup bottom 21 in the inlet opening 23. The filter screen 22 may be attached to the inlet opening 23 with, for example, an outer threaded ring 26 which is underneath. after insertion of the strainer, it screws into the internal thread 29 in the inlet opening. The bottom of the inlet opening 23 on which the filter screen 22 rests can be provided with suitable grooves or ribs (not shown) to facilitate fluid flow above the filter screen 22 into the bottom outlet port 24. If the cup 2 is integral with the bottom 21 forming the piston and the overflow tube 3, the only replaceable parts thereof are the filter screen 22 under the inlet opening 23 and the O-ring seal 27, if present.

In the bottom 21 of the cup, a filter can be fixed instead of a replaceable filter screen 21. However, such a design is less flexible and more difficult to clean.

If the mug 2, the mug bottom 21 and the overflow tube 3 are formed as individual parts, the mug 2 may be attached to the piston-forming bottom 21 by, for example, an overflow tube 3 having a thread (not shown) at the bottom and above it as integral a part of the tube 3, for example a ring (not shown) which, after screwing the tube 3 through a hole in the center of the bottom 21 into the outlet opening 24, connects the bottom 21 formed as a piston, cup 2 and the tube 3 in one piece. The opening 24 in the bottom 21 must of course perfectly seal after screwing in the tube 3.

3a, 3b show a particularly practical embodiment of the invention in which the lid 4 is provided with a closable drinking opening 42. The lid 4 consists of two parts, namely the base lid 44 and the closure 45. The base lid 44 fits and is sealed, for example, by a silicone ring (not shown) into the cup 2. The lid 44 has a collar that extends over the edge of the cup 1. The collar may be an internal thread 41 for fastening to the external thread of the rim of the container 1. The thread at the rim of the container 1 is arranged externally so as not to interfere with the insertion of the cup 2 or to prevent damage to the O-ring. The lid 4 with the collar provided with the internal thread 41 may be arranged such that even if the user accidentally uses more ground coffee than is intended for the device, and as a result more sediment is created than the space 12 is designed for. for the grounds, it is sufficient to connect the lid 4, the cup 2 and the cylindrical container 1 when the internal thread 41 is caught and lightly tightened on the respective thread of the edge of the cylindrical container 1. the assembled state can be further used or transferred.

The base cap 44 in this embodiment further comprises a drinking aperture 42 and an air intake aperture 43 on the opposite side. The closing system operates on a rotary principle. A cap 45 formed as a solid ring having approximately the same diameter as the mug 2 is attached to the base cap 44 by a pivot pin 46. The cap has corresponding apertures 49, 50 equidistant from the center of the pin 46 and at the same position. relative angular position as holes 42 and 43 in the base cap. In a preferred embodiment, the projections 47, 48 may be pressed downwardly in the closure 45, preferably at an angular distance of 90 degrees from the closure apertures 49, 50, which, when rotated to the base lid apertures 42, 43, engage the apertures 42, 43. and the lid 4 lock in the closed position. The base cap may also be provided with depressions (not shown) where the tabs 47, 48 of the cap will engage when the cap is opened 4 and ready to be drunk. The lid 4 in the open position is shown in Fig. 3b.

The drinking aperture 49 may be provided with a spout for direct drinking or pouring. The most suitable material for the lid is plastic, but it is possible, for example, to combine a plastic base lid 44 with a stainless steel closure 45.

Numerous modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art from reading the above description. For example, the attachment of the lid 4 to the cup 2 and / or the cylindrical container 1 may be accomplished by, for example, a bayonet closure, the device may also be provided with means for locking the cup 2 in the container, the device may further have an ear or other to facilitate handling.

List of cylindrical vessels bottom of the container bottom of the container mug cup mug filter strainer inlet outlet outlet bottom bottom threaded ring male thread O-ring internal thread inlet hole overflow outlet spout tube cap thread cap lid drinking aperture basic cap closure pin closure spout closure spout closure aperture aperture, drinking aperture aperture, aeration

ΡϊΛζ ^ - / zr · · ···· · ·

··· ··· ··· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Claims (12)

PATENT CLAIMS An apparatus for preparing filtered coffee having a cylindrical vessel for brewing and infusing ground coffee with water and a piston having a filter adapted to separate the grounds from the beverage when the piston is pushed into said vessel, characterized in that said device has a piston formed as a bottom (21). a cup (2) adapted to be inserted and pushed into a cylindrical container (1), wherein a filter is provided on the bottom side (21) of the cup (2) over which the inlet (23) formed in the cup bottom (21) is a downpouring overflow tube (3), which in the pushed-in position of the cup (2) ends lower than the upper edge of the cup (2). Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the device is provided with a lid (4) which can be attached to the mug (2) and at the same time to the container (1). Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the filter arranged on the underside of the bottom (21) of the cup (2) is designed as a replaceable filter screen (22) which can be mounted under the inlet opening (23). Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the replaceable filter strainer (22) _x is attachable under the inlet opening (23) by means of a ring (25) provided with an external thread (26) cooperating with the internal thread (29) of the inlet opening. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a sealing O-ring (27) is fitted in a groove formed in the peripheral wall of the bottom (21). Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the device is provided with a stop limiting the pressing of the cup (2) into the container (1), for example formed at the upper edge of the cup (2). Device according to one of Claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the cap (4) is provided with an internal thread (41), co-operating with the thread located on the upper part, for fixing to the cylindrical container (1) in the pushed position of the cup (2). an edge of the cylindrical container (1) on its outer side, wherein in said pushed position a space (12) for the grounds is defined below the cup bottom (21). Device according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the cup wall (2), preferably cylindrical, the cup bottom (21) and the overflow tube (3) are integrally formed in one piece. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the overflow tube (3) is attachable to the cup bottom (21) by screwing through an opening in the center of the bottom (21) into the outlet opening (24). Device according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the cup wall (2) and the cup bottom (21) are designed as individual parts which can be screwed together. Device according to one of claims 2 to 9, characterized in that the lid (4) is provided with a drinking opening (42) and a closure (45), preferably lockable in the closed position. Use of the device according to any one of claims 1 to 11 for preparing tea.