Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47J—KITCHEN EQUIPMENT; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; APPARATUS FOR MAKING BEVERAGES
  • A47J31/00—Apparatus for making beverages
  • A47J31/44—Parts or details or accessories of beverage-making apparatus
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47J—KITCHEN EQUIPMENT; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; APPARATUS FOR MAKING BEVERAGES
  • A47J31/00—Apparatus for making beverages
  • A47J31/24—Coffee-making apparatus in which hot water is passed through the filter under pressure, i.e. in which the coffee grounds are extracted under pressure
  • A47J31/30—Coffee-making apparatus in which hot water is passed through the filter under pressure, i.e. in which the coffee grounds are extracted under pressure with hot water under steam pressure
  • A47J31/303—Coffee-making apparatus in which hot water is passed through the filter under pressure, i.e. in which the coffee grounds are extracted under pressure with hot water under steam pressure classical type of espresso apparatus, e.g. to put on a stove, i.e. in which the water is heated in a lower, sealed boiling vessel, raised by the steam pressure through a rising pipe and an extraction chamber and subsequently is collected in a beverage container on top of the water boiling vessel

Definitions

• TITLE CONTAINER FOR GRINDED COFFEE INCORPORATING A SYSTEM FOR
• the present invention finds its application, in general, in the field of kitchen accessories and, in particular, focuses on a specific accessory, consisting of the container for grinded coffee which is used for the preparation of the coffee drink by means of the so- called “Moka” coffee-maker, an iconic object that is still practically the same today, as it was made for the first time in 1933 by its inventor Bialetti.
• a "Moka” coffee-maker or simply “Moka” is a very popular kitchen accessory, known to most people, it is therefore not necessary to dwell on it for long, and we will only summarize very briefly its operation, and how it is composed.
• a "Moka” includes a boiler to be filled with the water needed to prepare the coffee. The upper edge of said boiler is threaded to ensure coupling with a jug where the coffee is collected when it comes up from the boiler. The boiler must be heated (for example by putting it in contact with the flame of a stove fire, but also with other heating techniques) so that the water contained in it rises upwards and, through a special conduit, also known as the "chimney", located inside the jug, is poured into the latter.
• a special conduit also known as the "chimney” located inside the jug
• the "Moka” has practically had no alternatives for the preparation at home of a coffee similar to the so-called espresso coffee, that is a coffee obtained by forcing the vaporized water to pass (at high pressure) through a filter containing grinded coffee.
• each "Moka” is designed to prepare a fixed amount of coffee, therefore, depending on the people for whom the coffee must be prepared, it is necessary to use a "Moka” of different sizes.
• the base of the jug (consisting of a surface with many small holes, called “plate filter”) must touch the pressed coffee, possibly exert a further light pressure on it, but it should never leave any empty volume between the base of the jug and the coffee, as this would reduce the compactness of the grinded coffee, and limit the transfer of aromatic substances into the hot water that passes through it, thus obtaining a non-quality coffee drink; the same happens if the coffee is not sufficiently pressed, having been filled only by gravity.
• dispensers of this type generally, do not give the possibility to perfectly dose the grinded coffee according to the user's tastes, as they are configured to load preset quantities of grinded coffee into the filter.
• the general purpose of the present invention is to indicate a new accessory for storing grinded coffee, which also functions as a universal dispenser to optimally load the filter of a generic "Moka" coffee-maker (of any size) for the preparing a coffee.
• it is very useful to have an accessory that is comfortable and effective, both for its use when preparing a coffee, and for storing the coffee itself.
• the purpose of the present invention is to indicate the characteristics of a dispenser for grinded coffee which has the following characteristics: it guarantees, at best, the filling and pressing of the funnel filter of a "Moka”; it ensures that this filling takes place precisely, without a part of the grinded coffee invading the edge of the boiler, in the area where the gasket installed in the jug must ensure optimal sealing; it is a "universal” object, that is, usable with "Mokas” of different sizes; it is a solution that guarantees that the coffee transfer operation from the container where it is stored to the funnel filter does not require intermediate steps, and does not require maneuvers for which there is a risk that part of the grinded coffee ends up outside, on the surface where the operation itself is being performed; in particular, it should not be necessary to use dosers or spoons of an appropriate size or shape to perform the pouring; in general, it is intended to describe the essential characteristics of a container for grinded coffee that integrates a dispenser to fill the filter of a generic
• a container for grinded coffee comprising a side containment wall, a bottom and an upper opening that can be used for its filling
• said container for grinded coffee is characterized in that: said bottom has at least one through hole for feeding the filter of a "Moka" coffee-maker, in one of the preferred embodiments, said hole is positioned centrally, and has a substantially tubular shape, the length of which is approximately equal to the width, the internal face of said bottom is concave, and shaped so that the upper edge of said hole is flush with the lowest part of the internal concavity, in one of the preferred embodiments, said bottom has a concave shape also in its external face, said container is combined with a pusher tool comprising a stem, suitable for being maneuvered by the user, which ends with a pestle whose dimensions allow it to easily push the grinded coffee inside the filter, until both the filter and said hole are completely filled.
• this container is completed by an upper lid and a base on which to position the container itself when it is stored.
• Said base is useful as it allows you to collect any coffee residues that might come out of the feed hole, and can be made as a sort of saucer on which to simply rest the container after use, or it can be a sort of lower lid to be applied to the base of the container, always after use.
• the main advantage of the present invention consists in the fact that a container for grinded coffee made according to the teachings of the present invention, together with the relative method of loading a funnel-shaped filter of a "Moka”, satisfies all the main requirements for which the invention itself was conceived.
• Figures 1a and 1 b show a "Moka" coffee-maker of the type suitable for the application of the present invention
• Figures 2a and 2b show, in a schematic and simplified way, a container for grinded coffee according to the invention, while it is used
• Figure 3 shows a form of implementation of a container for grinded coffee according to the invention while it is stored, complete with pusher tool, lid and basement.
• FIG 1 a shows a "Moka” coffee maker of the type suitable for the application of the present invention, indicated as a whole with the number 200.
• the view presented in Figure 1a is an exterior view in which two parts of said "Moka" 200 are highlighted: the lower part, indicated with the number 210, is the boiler that must be filled with water for the preparation of the coffee drink, while the upper part, indicated with the number 220, is the jug where the coffee drink is collected during preparation.
• Said boiler 210 and said jug 220 are coupled together in the intermediate zone indicated with the number 221 , and this coupling takes place by screwing the jug 220 onto the boiler 210, which therefore must be suitably threaded.
• FIG 1b shows the "Moka” 200 of figure 1a in a sectional view, which allows you to appreciate the internal part of said "Moka” 200.
• the boiler 210 and the jug 220 are essentially two containers which have approximately the same capacity, since the water, first contained in the boiler 210, is heated until it is vaporized, so that due to the effect of the increase in pressure it rises towards the jug 220.
• a funnel filter indicated with the number 230.
• Said funnel filter 230 during the preparation of the coffee drink is filled with appropriately roasted and grinded coffee, so that the water, to rise from the boiler 210 to the jug 220 must pass through the grinded coffee contained in the filter 230, acquiring the aromas, and transforming itself in the coffee drink.
• the grinded coffee contained in the filter 230 must completely fill the filter and must be pressed correctly, more or less, according to taste.
• FIG. 1b it can be seen how the coffee drink pours into the jug through a condensation duct indicated with the number 222 also known as the "chimney".
• the function of said duct 222 is multiple, in fact, in addition to favoring the condensation of the vaporized liquid coming from below, thanks to the effect of a constriction in its top, it ensures that a sufficient pressure difference is maintained between the inside of the jug. 220 and the inside of the conduit 222, so that the coffee drink rises completely and pours into the jug 220.
• Figure 2a shows a container for grinded coffee, indicated as a whole with the number 100, which allows you to fill the filter 230 perfectly, easily and in a short time.
• Said container 100 is composed of various parts, among which they are highlighted in Figure 2a a lateral containment wall, indicated with the number 120, and a bottom indicated with the number 130. With the number 110 an upper opening is then indicated, which serves, among other things, to fill the container 100 with grinded coffee, indicated with the number 310; but it also serves, as it will be clarified below, to carry out some maneuvers to load the filter, which is always indicated with the number 230.
• said bottom 130 has a hole, highlighted within a dashed line, and indicated with the number 131 ; other particularities of the conformation of said bottom 130 will be illustrated below.
• said container 100 is designed to be placed on a boiler, again indicated with the number 210, of a "Moka". Once said container 100 has been positioned above said boiler 210, already filled with water and with the filter 230 positioned, the coffee can be introduced into said filter 230 through said hole 131 .
• said hole 131 has a tubular shape, and the width and length dimensions are such that the grinded coffee, if well compacted, can form a plug which occludes said hole 131. Therefore, the hole 131 must not be too large, otherwise, given the limited compactness obtainable by compressing the grinded coffee, it would not allow the formation of a plug, while the longer the tube forming the hole 131 , the more the formation of this plug is favored. However, too narrow holes would make the filling of the filter too long and difficult, as well as eventual holes with too elongated side walls, which would make the bottom 130 too thick.
• the sizing of the hole 131 can be decided with a certain freedom, however taking care to ensure that the dimensions allow the formation of a plug of grinded coffee that obstructs the hole itself when the container is not placed over the filter that must to be filled.
• a sizing that has proven to work very well a prototype that gives excellent results requires a hole with a diameter of 14 mm and a height of 13 mm.
• a further peculiarity of said bottom 130 is in the conformation of its two faces.
• the upper face, inside the container 100, has a concave funnel shape, so as to facilitate the sliding of the grinded coffee 310 into the hole 131 , since this hole 131 is located in the lowest area of this concavity and its upper edge it is flush with the internal surface of said bottom 130.
• the lower face of said bottom 130, external to the container 100 also has a concave shape, with the concavity, this time, facing downwards.
• This external concavity is strongly recommended, even if not essential, since said bottom 130 can in theory also have a flat external face, or even with another conformation.
• an external concavity typically less accentuated than the internal concavity, represents a form of implementation that is very simple to make, and which has at least two functions of considerable benefit.
• the first function is to leave some space centrally above the filter 230 so that there can be a little more coffee than is strictly sufficient to fill the filter itself, in this way, following the screwing of the jug on the boiler. 210, the grinded coffee undergoes further pressing.
• the second function is instead to make the support of the container 100 above the edge of the boiler 210 more stable.
• the external face of the bottom 130 is covered with a plastic or rubbery material, or in any case less rigid than the material of which the "Moka" boiler is made: this is to favor the stability of the support of the container over the edge of the boiler.
• said bottom 130 can be composed of several assembled parts, for example the lower part and the upper part can be two different pieces coupled after their construction, or the hole can be obtained from a pipe stub coupled to the bottom body 130.
• the bottom 130 of the container 100 according to the invention contains the characteristics of shape that are strictly functional to the use of the container 100 as a tool suitable for the correct filling of a filter 230 of a "Moka" 200 coffee-maker.
• the container 100 Once the container 100 has been described, its operation can also be illustrated which, in essence, also defines a new and particularly effective method for filling a filter 230 of a "Moka" coffee-maker with the right dose of coffee and with the right pressing, so as to make a coffee drink in a workmanlike manner, and without even a small part of grinded coffee invading the edge of the boiler, causing the problems described above.
• the hole 131 is designed to form a plug of grinded coffee, it is essential to push the coffee through this hole, initially to remove the existing plugging, and subsequently to speed up the discharge of the grinded coffee and to press the spilled coffee, which is in the filter when it is completely filled.
• the ideal compactness that the grinded coffee must have when it is inside the filter 230 for an optimal preparation of the coffee drink is a compactness which, if it is also obtained in the volume of the hole 131 , significantly smaller than the volume of the filter 230, it is largely sufficient to form a plug capable of obstructing the hole 131 , preventing the escape of the grinded coffee 310 contained in the container 100. And it is precisely the exploitation of this mechanical property of the grinded coffee 310, which constitutes the fundamental intuition for the conception of the present invention.
• the present invention provides for the use of said pusher tool 140.
• It is a very simple tool, consisting of a stem which allows it to be maneuvered by holding it from above without the need to enter the container 100 with the hand.
• At the distal end with respect to the gripping area of this stem there is an enlargement that forms a sort of pestle, indicated in Figure 2a with the number 141 , and ending with a small flattened surface.
• said pusher element 140 can push the grinded coffee towards the hole until it fills the filter and in this filling phase, consequent to the thrust, compacts it both in the filter and in the hole itself.
• said pusher tool 141 With regard to the dimensions of said pusher tool 141 , it is possible to opt for a choice which allows it to easily penetrate into said hole 131 for filter feeding, leaving a small gap between the edge of said pestle 141 and the wall of said feed hole. In this way it is possible to press the coffee to compact it right into the filter, but the risk is that a distracted user (or impractical in the use of the object) will worry about compacting only the coffee inside the filter and not worry also filling hole 131 well, and also sufficiently compacting the grinded coffee that is inside this hole 131.
• An implementation variant consists in inserting fixed elements inside the through hole 131 that increase the internal surface of the hole 131 (for example thin blades, placed vertically), favoring the compaction of the grinded coffee and its adhesion by friction on these walls.
• the use of these fixed elements therefore, allows to guarantee the formation of the plug even with larger sections of the hole.
• the pusher element 140 is instead shaped in such a way that its sliding inside the hole 131 is not foreseen, evidently, the presence of any fixed elements inside the hole 131 does not interfere with the maneuvers of the 'pusher element itself, the latter being designed to compress the ground coffee by exerting pressure only by acting from the outside of the hole 131.
• Further embodiments may concern the conformation of the side walls of the hole 131 , since these are made in such a way that the through section is not constant but is slightly smaller in the lower area of the hole 131.
• the side walls of the hole 131 can be slightly inclined so that the section of the hole is reduced downwards, preventing the coffee plug, while remaining compact, from sliding downwards due to insufficient friction of the side walls of the hole itself.
• Yet another expedient, again aimed at preventing the compacted coffee plug from slipping may consist in the presence of a small edge slightly protruding towards the inside of the base of the hole 131 , even in this case, only the crumbling of the plug can reopen the hole 131 , and not its sliding.
• the only essential fact is that the grinded coffee flows from the container 100 to the filter of the "Moka" coffee-maker through one or more holes 131 , that it can be compacted with the aid of the pusher tool 140, and that this compaction is functional both for the preparation of the coffee drink (as regards the coffee inside the filter) and for the formation of a plug that obstructs said one or more holes 131 , when the container 100 is removed from the "Moka" coffee-maker to be stored away.
• the container 100 can thus be stored away without the risk of the grinded coffee 310 spilling out onto the work surface, where the filling operations of the filter 230 were carried out.
• Figure 3 allows you to appreciate the extreme simplicity of the accessory according to the invention consisting of a container for grinded coffee incorporating a system for filling the filter of a "Moka" coffee-maker.
• An important feature of the present invention is the simplicity of the elements that compose it, and, in this, it is inspired by the same essentiality of the "Moka”: in fact, the object of this invention is made up of elements that are not subject to wear and therefore long-lasting. It has no constraints that allow the reciprocal movement of its parts, and the only maneuver that requires movement is the actuation of the pusher tool 140, which however is a completely manual and very simple action.
• the container 100 according to the invention can be completed with additional elements which, although not essential for the operation of the invention, are extremely useful, not to say indispensable, so that this accessory can be used in a real and widespread way: this is an upper lid, indicated in Figure 3 with the number 151 , and a base, indicated in Figure 3 with the number 152.
• Said lid 151 is important because, when the container is put away, it is obviously appropriate that the grinded coffee 310, stored inside the container itself, is protected from the possibility that something enters it accidentally contaminating the coffee: after all, all food containers they are usually equipped with a lid. If, as recommended, you want to leave the pusher 140 inside the container, a radial slot can be obtained on the lid to allow it to close, even if not hermetically.
• Said base 152 is instead an element whose utility is specific to the container 100 according to the invention.
• said base 152 can be a sort of saucer, possibly specially shaped to provide a matching support on which to place the container, or it can be conceived just as a lower lid, designed to also close the underlying part of the container by coupling it "in grip” with the base of the container itself.
• This last embodiment option allows the container 100 to be moved from one place to another, gripping it centrally like a normal jar, and at the same time carrying the base 152 with it.
• the "saucer” option in which the actual container it is only resting on the base, when this is lifted the base obviously remains where it is, in the point where the container must then eventually be stored again.
• the container for grinded coffee incorporating a system for filling the filter of a "Moka" coffee-maker is presented as an accessory that can replace the containers (generally cans) already normally used today to store the grinded coffee when a new package of coffee is opened; therefore it would not be an additional accessory, which is often not appreciated in contemporary kitchens already too invaded by a large number of accessories and utensils designed for each operation to be carried out in the kitchen.
• the container for grinded coffee incorporating a system for filling the filter of a "Moka” coffee-maker according to the invention is extremely effective for carrying out a particularly problematic operation, which, today, is often performed in imperfect way: that is the correct filling of the filter of a "Moka” coffee-maker.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Food Science & Technology (AREA)
• Apparatus For Making Beverages (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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• 2021
  • 2021-12-06 WO PCT/IB2021/061364 patent/WO2022123425A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2021-12-06 EP EP21834895.1A patent/EP4258956A1/de not_active Withdrawn

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