WO2025247227A1 - Machines à boissons superautomatiques - Google Patents

Machines à boissons superautomatiques

Info

Publication number
WO2025247227A1
WO2025247227A1 PCT/CN2025/097520 CN2025097520W WO2025247227A1 WO 2025247227 A1 WO2025247227 A1 WO 2025247227A1 CN 2025097520 W CN2025097520 W CN 2025097520W WO 2025247227 A1 WO2025247227 A1 WO 2025247227A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
machine
brew chamber
coffee
housing
chamber
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
PCT/CN2025/097520
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Korkut BEKIROGLU
Ethan Brown
Steve Carter
Zhun CHENG
Pranav GUNREDDY
Sean MORI
Tom NICHOLAS
James Parry
Manan Patel
Eli PISCITELLI
Scott Shaw
Adam UDY
Chris SHOOK
Jacob ZHANG
Magnus Brodie Cooper
Larry Li
Songjiang NIE
Jacob BOAST
Paolo CORSINI
Jiwang WEN
Jilin YAO
Jianjun TANG
Bin Huang
Renhui LIN
Dongsheng HU
Haokai YANG
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Shenzhen Sharkninja Technology Co Ltd
Original Assignee
Shenzhen Sharkninja Technology Co Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from CN202421185038.6U external-priority patent/CN222443870U/zh
Priority claimed from CN202410671107.2A external-priority patent/CN118633839A/zh
Priority claimed from CN202421190305.9U external-priority patent/CN222487059U/zh
Priority claimed from PCT/CN2025/082760 external-priority patent/WO2025190411A1/fr
Application filed by Shenzhen Sharkninja Technology Co Ltd filed Critical Shenzhen Sharkninja Technology Co Ltd
Publication of WO2025247227A1 publication Critical patent/WO2025247227A1/fr
Pending legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

Links

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
    • A47J31/42—Beverage-making apparatus with incorporated grinding or roasting means for coffee
    • 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
    • A47J31/34—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 liquid pressure
    • A47J31/36—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 liquid pressure with mechanical pressure-producing means
    • A47J31/3604—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 liquid pressure with mechanical pressure-producing means with a mechanism arranged to move the brewing chamber between loading, infusing and ejecting stations
    • A47J31/3609—Loose coffee being employed
    • 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
    • A47J42/00—Coffee mills; Spice mills
    • A47J42/38—Parts or details
    • A47J42/50—Supplying devices, e.g. funnels; Supply containers

Definitions

  • the present disclosure relates generally to automated beverage machines.
  • one object of the present disclosure is to provide this field with a precise-batch coffee bean grinding mechanism that is able to resolve the technical problem of the existing approximate products, that is, the weighing module is of suboptimal structural design and position of arrangement, making it difficult to be assembled in one piece with the bean grinding assembly; and the bean box of the bean grinding assembly is prone to spill beans when being removed, difficult to realize automatic locking of the bean box when being removed, and susceptible to being stuck with beans during the bean discharge process.
  • This object is accomplished by the technical solution described subsequently.
  • a precise-batch coffee bean grinding mechanism comprising: a bean box assembly, a bean grinding assembly, and a weighing module, the bean box assembly and the bean grinding assembly respectively arranged on a support in a coffee machine, the weighing module being arranged on the support in the coffee machine via a weighing module support while being arranged on a bottom portion of a bean discharge assembly fixing frame, a weighing sensor being arranged in the weighing module; a bean discharge assembly body being arranged in the bean discharge assembly fixing frame, coffee beans in the bean box on a top portion of the bean discharge assembly body passing through a bean dispensing channel in the bean discharge assembly body and a bean discharge channel in the bottom portion to enter the bean grinding assembly beneath the bean box assembly for grinding, a powder discharge channel being arranged on a side of a chamber beneath a position of a grinding blade in the grinder body assembly of the bean grinding assembly.
  • the essentials of the structure lie in that a bean discharge gear in the bean discharge assembly body beneath the bean box of the bean box assembly is driven by a transmission shaft at a synchronous motor on a side of outer diameter to rotate to discharge beans, while a bean discharge paddle is arranged on a side of the bean discharge gear in the bean discharge assembly body, the bean discharge paddle has one end abutting against a blade of the bean discharge gear and one other end fixed by articulation to swing in the bean discharge assembly body, a torsion spring is arranged on a positioning pole at the articulation position or on a side of the articulation position, an axis portion of the bean discharge gear arranged perpendicularly is aligned to a bottom hole opening of the bean box located above, the bottom hole opening of the bean box located above has a rectangular shape, a bottom hole opening of the bean discharge assembly body beneath the axis portion of the bean discharge gear is aligned to the bean discharge channel.
  • the above structure ensures that while coffee beans are ground at a precise batch during the bean discharge process, the bean discharge gear blocks coffee beans remaining inside when the bean box assembly is removed, while preventing spilling coffee beans or preventing coffee beans from remaining in the bean grinding assembly.
  • This is implemented by further arranging a gear assembly in the gear box at the motor shaft of the step motor, which is connected, by an eccentric shaft extending therefrom with a below first transmission gear; alternatively, this is implemented by directly connecting the motor shaft of the step motor with the center hole of the bean discharge paddle or the below first transmission gear.
  • the grinding blade applies an upper-lower burr structure or a disk-type grinding blade.
  • the grinding assembly mainly applies the specific upper-lower burr structure described subsequently.
  • a second transmission gear arranged integrally in the bean discharge assembly body is arranged on a side of a central axis of the bean discharge gear, a side of outer diameter of the second transmission gear meshes with a first transmission gear in the bean discharge assembly body, a center hole of the first transmission gear with a transmission shaft of a step motor on an outer diameter of the bean discharge assembly body.
  • the bean discharge assembly body of the bean box assembly comprises a gear box front cover, a gear box body, and the bean discharge assembly fixing frame.
  • the gear box front cover, the gear box body, and the bean discharge assembly fixing frame are connected integrally with the bean box.
  • the torsion spring, the bean discharge paddle, the bean discharge gear, the first transmission gear, and the second transmission gear are arranged in a large open hole on a side of the gear box body in the bean discharge assembly fixing frame, the second transmission gear has one end extending beyond a small open hole at the other side of the gear box body and connected with the transmission shaft of the step motor.
  • the afore-described is an embodiment of the specific structure of the bean box assembly.
  • a combination of left and right housings may substitute for the front cover, the gear box body, and the bean discharge assembly fixing frame.
  • the bean box of the bean box assembly has a hopper shape, screw holes are arranged respectively in lateral ears symmetrically arranged on two sides of an outer diameter of the bottom hole opening of the bean box.
  • the afore-described is an embodiment of the structure of the bean box.
  • a structure of a different shape may be used; that is, a cubic bean box may be arranged on the top portion of the hopper-shape bean box.
  • a blade of the bean discharge gear is arranged as a helical gear blade.
  • the blade of the bean discharge gear is designed to be a helical gear blade to prevent being stuck with beans during the bean discharge process.
  • the grinding blade of the bean grinding assembly is arranged eccentrically on a side beneath a shaft portion of the bean discharge gear; a side of a bottom portion of the bean box assembly is exposed by a hole opening on a side of a top portion of the bean discharge channel.
  • the weighing module has one end fixed on an edge on one side of a bottom hole opening of the gear box body of the bean discharge assembly body via the weighing module support and has one other end fixed in a groove.
  • This structure facilitates production and assembly of the weighing module and does not easily affect the bean dispensing channel in the bean discharge assembly body or the bean discharge channel in the bottom portion. It also facilitates sensing a change in weight in real time by the weighing module during the bean discharge process.
  • the grinding blade of the bean grinding assembly comprises a lower burr in the grinder body assembly and an upper burr assembly arranged in a burr adjusting disk above the lower burr, the lower burr extends to an position above a powder sweeping gear in the grinder body assembly, the lower burr is mounted in a circular groove right above a grinder body, the burr adjusting disk is arranged on an outer grinder body assembly on an outer side of the lower burr, the burr adjusting disk is driven to rotate by an adjustment motor on a side of outer diameter, the lower burr is driven to rotate by a bean grinding motor in the grinder body assembly. Described above is an embodiment of the structure of a combination of upper and lower burrs and a burr adjusting disk, which facilitates adjustment and settings for coarse/fine grinding.
  • the burr adjusting disk is stopped and sleeved in a top hole opening of the grinder body assembly by means of adjusting disk fixing pieces arranged symmetrically on two sides of an inner diameter of a bottom disk opening, while the burr adjusting disk is engaged in an outer circular ring of the grinder body assembly at outer side of a groove at the lower burr, a rib on a side of a positioning piece on an outer circumferential edge protruding from a bottom portion of the upper burr assembly is inserted into a positioning groove in an annular groove on an inner side of the outer circular ring of the outer grinder body assembly, three columnar projections arranged at equal intervals on an outer diameter of the upper burr assembly are placed into a track in an introduction groove of the burr adjusting disk through notches at three introduction groove on an inner wall of the burr adjusting disk.
  • a bean dispensing paddle may be arranged on the top portion of the lower burr.
  • Described structure is an embodiment of a specific mounting structure for the burr adjusting disk and a specific structure of the upper burr assembly, which facilitates the mounting and demounting of the upper burr assembly.
  • the adjusting disk fixing pieces are provided with point position holes respectively.
  • the point position holes of the adjusting disk fixing pieces correspond to point position columns on the outer circular ring of the grinder body assembly at outer side of the groove at the lower burr.
  • the metal adjusting disk fixing pieces are fixed point to point and face to face, such as to address the technical problem that plastic adjusting disks is insufficient in intensity during revolution, resulting with unstable fineness of the ground beans.
  • An arc-shaped projection is arranged on a side of a bottom outer diameter of the burr adjusting disk, an inching switch is arranged on the grinder body assembly corresponding to the arc-shaped projection.
  • This structure facilitates that when the burr adjusting disk of the bean grinding assembly automatically monitors and locates the zero point upon startup by means of the adjustment motor, the arc-shaped projection of the burr adjusting disk triggers the inching switch.
  • the adjustment motor is connected with the circuit board of the control panel via a circuit.
  • the control panel has a coarse/fine adjustment position button, saving the need for a knob and enabling setting the coarse/fine positions by means of the button.
  • the bean grinding motor is a horizontal motor, a teeth opening on an outer diameter of the burr adjusting disk is driven to rotate by a gear assembly meshed therewith at an output shaft of the adjustment motor, the adjustment motor is fixedly arranged on a side of the grinder body assembly, the horizontal motor is arranged on a symmetric other side of the grinder body assembly, a transmission shaft of the horizontal motor meshes with gear at a bottom shaft rod of the lower burr via a worm shaft and a worm gear assembly, the horizontal motor and the adjustment motor are arranged between two ends of the grinder body assembly and positioned at an angle of 90 degrees.
  • This structure decreases the space occupied by the bean grinding motor, and reduces the power and the volume of the bean grinding motor.
  • the present disclosure is of a reasonable structural design and is convenient in use for production. In particular, it is easy in overall assembly and installation.
  • the bean discharge gear arranged rotatably and perpendicularly facilitates precise batching during the bean discharge process.
  • the bean box assembly is easily operated to be removed or placed inside, not susceptible to jamming and spilling, and convenient for setting and resetting the fineness for grinding. It is suitable for use as a precise-batch coffee bean grinding mechanism for further improvement to products of approximate categories.
  • one object of the disclosure is to provide this field with a hydraulic cavity mechanism of a motor guide rod-type coffee brewer that is able to resolve the technical problem of the existing approximate products, that is, the combination of a motor and a guide rod exhibit relatively poor stability of the brewer head during the brewing process and results with insufficient self-locking force between the motor and the guide rod. This object is accomplished by the technical solution described subsequently.
  • a hydraulic cavity mechanism of a motor guide rod-type coffee brewer in which the coffee brewer of the hydraulic cavity mechanism comprises a lower brewer assembly and an upper brewer assembly, an output tube with both ends thereof extending beyond the upper brewer assembly is arranged on one or two sides of an interior of the brewer head assembly of the upper brewer assembly, guide poles are arranged symmetrically in the brewer head assembly, guide pole springs are arranged on outer diameter of the guide poles respectively, in a case that a brew chamber of the lower brewer assembly rotates such as to have one side thereof being aligned with the brewer head assembly, one end of the brewer head assembly is, by one end of a guide rod of the through-shaft step motor on the other end of the brewer head assembly, sleeved in a sealed manner in the brew chamber of the lower brewer assembly, the through-shaft step motor is fixedly arranged on an upper support frame in a top portion of the upper brewer assembly.
  • the essentials of the structure lie in that the through-shaft step motor is arranged on a bottom portion of the upper support frame, a grand support frame is arranged on a top portion of the upper support frame, a hydraulic outer cavity and a hydraulic inner cavity that in sleeved engagement are arranged in the grand support frame, the hydraulic inner cavity is sleeved in the hydraulic outer cavity, a seal collar is arranged on an outer diameter of the hydraulic inner cavity in a position of the sleeved engagement, the other end of the guide rod extending beyond the upper support frame and inserted into the grand support frame abuts against a bottom portion of the hydraulic outer cavity, an outer diameter of a top cavity opening of the hydraulic inner cavity is stopped in the grand support frame while the top cavity opening of the hydraulic inner cavity is connected with a pressurization tube, a through hole in communication with the hydraulic inner cavity is arranged in a bottom portion of the hydraulic inner cavity; or a hole is arranged on a side of the bottom portion of the hydraulic outer cavity beneath the hydraulic inner cavity and
  • the hydraulic outer cavity is allowed to move up and down in the grand support frame by the liquid cavity outer cavity to cause water injected into the liquid cavity inner cavity entering the liquid cavity outer cavity via a through hole; or the liquid cavity outer cavity is allowed to move up and down at the outer diameter of the hydraulic inner cavity and in the grand support frame by means of water injection into the liquid cavity outer cavity.
  • a reset spring is arranged on the outer diameter at the hydraulic outer cavity with the flanged-edge hole opening, or a reset spring is arranged at a corresponding position.
  • a liquid inlet hole is arranged on a side of the brew chamber of the lower brewer assembly.
  • Coffee powder falling into the brew chamber is flattened by a scraper on a side of a top cavity opening of the brew chamber and rotated to a side of the upper brewer assembly.
  • Coffee powder in the brew chamber is brewed and compressed tight into a coffee ground puck by a brewer head assembly of the upper brewer assembly located above.
  • the coffee ground puck is discharged through the top cavity opening of the brew chamber that is open and by a pushing rod on a bottom portion in the brew chamber.
  • Two output tubes in the brewer head assembly facilitate manufacturing of Americano and Espresso coffee.
  • a filter cartridge mesh is arranged on an end face of the brewer head assembly.
  • the filter cartridge mesh is fixed to the brewer head assembly by a screw in the middle of a bottom portion of the brewer head assembly. This structure facilitates improving the filtering effect.
  • T-shape grooves are provided symmetrically on two sides of the bottom portion of the upper support frame.
  • the grooves correspond to T-shape guide rails protruding symmetrically from two sides of a top portion of the lower brewer assembly.
  • the grooves of the upper support frame and the guide rails of the lower brewer assembly are held in sleeved engagement correspondingly. This structure facilitates the mounting and fixation of the upper brewer assembly at the guide rails of the lower brewer assembly by means of the upper support frame.
  • a bull gear extending beyond the upper brewer assembly is arranged at the through hole of the upper support frame.
  • the through-shaft step motor is optionally fixed in a central aperture of the bull gear in the upper support frame.
  • a side of an outer diameter of the bull gear meshes with a pinion gear of a gear motor on an outer side of the upper support frame to drive the through-shaft step motor of the bull gear to move up and down.
  • This structure facilitates fine adjustment of the position of the through-shaft step motor in the upper brewer by means of the bull gear and the gear motor.
  • the bull gear and the grooves at the grand support frame of the upper brewer assembly are arranged as needed.
  • the upper brewer assembly may be arranged directly in the machine body through the upper support frame.
  • a discharge plate formed in one piece with a housing at the lower brewer assembly is arranged on a ground discharge side of the lower brewer assembly.
  • the housing of the lower brewer assembly is composed of a left portion and a right portion arranged symmetrically. This structure facilitates outward discharge of the coffee grounds by the discharge plate and collection of the coffee grounds.
  • the disclosure is of a reasonable structural design and allows diverse forms of the structure, and has a good stability, in particular facilitates stability of the motor and the guide rod, thereby facilitating manufacturing of Americano and Espresso coffee. It is suitable for use as a hydraulic cavity mechanism of a motor guide rod-type coffee brewer and for further improvement to products of approximate categories.
  • an automatic extracting and brewing-type brewer for a large-dose coffee machine is provided.
  • a tamping assembly can be provided inside a housing of the brewer and can perform reciprocating rotation in a particular direction by means of a first motor on a side of an outside diameter of the housing.
  • a brewing chamber plunger reciprocating up and down can be provided in a brewing chamber inside a main body of the tamping assembly.
  • coffee powder inside the brewing chamber of the tamping assembly can be compressed into a coffee ground puck inside the brewing chamber by being pushed by a hydraulic assembly while hot water from a boiler flows through the brewing chamber of the tamping assembly into the tamping assembly and is then discharged.
  • a waste disposal hole can be provided on one side of the housing below the hydraulic assembly.
  • the hydraulic assembly leaves the brewing chamber of the tamping assembly and is reset inside the brewing chamber by a plunger spring.
  • the coffee ground puck can be pushed by the brewing chamber plunger and discharged from a waste disposal hole.
  • the hydraulic assembly can be fixedly arranged in a screw.
  • Male threads on an outside diameter of the screw can mesh with female threads on an inside diameter of an oblique gear.
  • An outer gear rim on an outside diameter of the oblique gear extending beyond the hydraulic assembly can mesh with a pinion gear provided at a motor shaft of a second motor.
  • a seal base inside the hydraulic assembly can be provided with a liquid discharge channel.
  • a hydraulic joining hole can be provided on a top portion of the liquid discharge channel of the seal base.
  • a pendulum shaft column can be provided symmetrically protruding on both sides of the outside diameter of the main body of the tamping assembly below brewing chamber. The pendulum shaft column can be secured by snap-fit in a shaft engaging groove on both sides at one end of the brewing bracket on a bottom portion of the tamping assembly in the housing.
  • a pendulum shaft of the first motor can be connected by the housing with a shaft socket on a side of the shaft engaging groove of the brewing bracket.
  • a shaft pin can be provided in symmetry protruding from an inner side of one other end of the brewing bracket.
  • the shaft pin of the brewing bracket can be inserted into symmetric pin holes on two sides of a lower outside diameter of the brewing chamber of the tamping assembly.
  • the tamping assembly and the brewing bracket can be connected in one piece to perform reciprocating rotation in a particular direction by means of the pendulum shaft of the first motor.
  • a grounds-pushing plunger can be provided in an end corner groove of the main body of the tamping assembly below the brewing chamber on the side of the shaft pin.
  • a shaft portion of the grounds-pushing plunger can be secured by snap-fit in the end corner groove of the tamping assembly to perform a pendulum motion.
  • a plunger head on one end of the grounds-pushing plunger can extend into the tamping assembly and can be connected by insertion into a rod hole at an end tip of a rod portion on one end of the brewing chamber plunger extending from a bottom portion of the brewing chamber in the tamping assembly.
  • the plunger spring can be provided on an outside diameter of the rod portion on a bottom portion of the brewing chamber plunger in the brewing chamber.
  • the brewing chamber of the tamping assembly is a brewing chamber capable of being loaded with 39.0 g of coffee powder or another amount of coffee powder.
  • the brewing chamber is a brewing chamber with an inside diameter of 52.0 mm (or another amount) , a free height of 62.0 mm (or another amount) , a minimum height of 25.0 mm (or another amount) after compression, and a maximum height of 46.0 mm (or another amount) after compression.
  • a height of the rod portion of the grounds-pushing plunger can be 13.5 mm or another amount.
  • the hydraulic assembly can have a quadrangular shape.
  • the oblique gear can extend beyond four end faces of the hydraulic assembly, respectively.
  • the housing includes a first housing and a second housing arranged on two sides of the tamping assembly, a hydraulic housing arranged on the outside diameter of the hydraulic assembly, and a powder-receiving cover at the powder-receiving port.
  • the powder-receiving port can be provided at the powder-receiving cover.
  • the powder-receiving cover on the outside diameter of the powder-receiving port can be secured by snap-fit to the first housing and the second housing on a side above the top chamber opening of the brewing chamber in a vertical state of the tamping assembly.
  • a T-shape head on a top portion of the oblique protruding port of the first housing and the second housing can be engaged and secured in a T-shape hole in a bottom housing aperture of the hydraulic housing in the coffee machine.
  • the hydraulic assembly, the oblique gear, and the screw are disposed in the hydraulic housing.
  • the first housing, the second housing, the powder-receiving cover, and the hydraulic housing are connected in one piece to form the housing, and the housing is placed as a whole into the brewer slot on one side of the coffee machine.
  • a scraper is provided in a bottom cover opening of the powder-receiving cover above the top chamber opening of the brewing chamber in the tamping assembly.
  • An aperture of the scraper can be aligned to a powder-receiving aperture of the powder-receiving cover.
  • a protruding scraping edge can be provided on a bottom portion of the scraper on a side in a rotation direction of the tamping assembly. The scraping edge of the scraper can be higher than the bottom cover opening of the powder-receiving cover while the scraping edge of the scraper abuts the top chamber opening of the brewing chamber in the tamping assembly.
  • a waste disposal plate protruding obliquely can be provided on the outside diameter of the brewing chamber of the tamping assembly below one side of the scraping edge of the scraper.
  • An Americano water inlet port and an espresso water inlet port can respectively be provided on two sides of the outside diameter of the housing.
  • the Americano water inlet port and the espresso water inlet port can respectively be in communication with the brewing chamber in the main body of the tamping assembly and a dual liquid discharge channel in the hydraulic assembly.
  • a brewing chamber water inlet nozzle projecting outwards can be provided on one side of the bottom portion of the brewing chamber in the tamping assembly. Hot water from the boiler can flow through the Americano water inlet port and the espresso water inlet port.
  • a bearing hose in the housing can be connected with the brewing chamber water inlet nozzle.
  • one other end of the grounds-pushing plunger can be provided with a stopping axis projecting outwards.
  • a stopping column can be provided in the housing above the stopping axis.
  • a pendulum rod fitting to an outer diameter of the brewing bracket can be provided respectively on two ends of the grounds-pushing plunger snap-fit in the end corner groove of the main body.
  • An adjustment hole in an arc shape can be provided in the housing on the outer side of the main body corresponding to the pendulum rod.
  • a loading/unloading button can be provided on a loading/unloading side of the housing on the outside of the tamping assembly.
  • the housing can be secured by snap-fit in the brewer slot on one side of the coffee machine by means of the loading/unloading button.
  • a machine for brewing a beverage in another aspect, includes a brew chamber configured to contain ground coffee and configured to be fluidically coupled to a water source, a plunger disposed within the brew chamber and configured to supply water to the ground coffee and to eject the ground coffee from the brew chamber, and a ring disposed on the plunger and configured to at least partially seal the brew chamber.
  • the brew chamber can include an upper opening through which the ground coffee is configured to be delivered into an interior region of the brew chamber.
  • the plunger can be configured to move upwardly in the brew chamber to eject the ground coffee from the brew chamber.
  • a plurality of holes can be formed in an upper surface of the plunger through which the water is configured to pass to enter the interior region of the brew chamber.
  • the ring can around a circumference of the upper surface of the plunger. The ring can be arranged under the upper surface of the plunger.
  • the machine includes a frame arranged above the upper opening of the brew chamber; wherein the frame is configured to scrape across an upper surface of the plunger.
  • the ring can extend around a circumference of the upper surface of the plunger.
  • the ring can be arranged under the upper surface of the plunger.
  • the machine further includes a first channel beneath and parallel to a bottom surface of the brew chamber and a second channel extending from an interior region of the brew chamber, through the bottom surface of the brew chamber, and into the first channel.
  • the water can be configured to enter the brew chamber by flowing in the first and second channels.
  • the machine can include the water source.
  • the machine can include the water inlet configured to receive the water from the water source.
  • the water can be configured to flow from the water inlet to the first channel.
  • the machine can include a housing that houses the brew chamber, the plunger, and the ring, and the water source can be configured to be removably coupled to the housing.
  • the machine includes a grinder configured to grind coffee beans and thereby produce the ground coffee.
  • the brew chamber can be configured to receive the ground coffee from the grinder.
  • the machine includes a chute configured to receive the ground coffee from a user.
  • the brew chamber can be configured to receive the ground coffee from the chute.
  • the machine includes a grinder configured to grind coffee beans, a chute configured to receive coffee grounds from a user, and a user interface configured to receive an input from a user.
  • the brew chamber can be configured to receive the ground coffee from one of the grinder and the chute based on the input.
  • a machine for brewing a beverage in another aspect, includes a brew chamber configured to contain ground coffee and configured to be fluidically coupled to a water source, a tamper configured to compress the ground coffee in the brew chamber to force water received by the brew chamber from the water source through the ground coffee, and a ring disposed on the tamper and configured to at least partially seal the brew chamber.
  • the tamper can be configured to move into the brew chamber to press against the coffee grounds in the brew chamber.
  • a surface of the tamper configured to press against the coffee grounds is configured to move into the brew chamber through an upper opening of the brew chamber.
  • the ring can be disposed above the surface of the tamper.
  • the machine includes a controller configured to control the movement of the tamper into the brew chamber.
  • the machine can include a force sensor configured to measure a force exerted by the tamper.
  • Controlling the movement of the tamper can include continuously monitoring a pressure in the brew chamber using the measured force, and, in response to determining that the pressure in the brew chamber is within a predetermined range of the determined brewing pressure, halting the movement of the tamper.
  • the machine can further include a motor and a gear train operatively coupled to the tamper.
  • the motor can be configured to drive movement of the gear train to cause the tamper to compress the ground coffee in the brew chamber.
  • the machine can include a controller configured to control the motor.
  • the machine includes an outlet and a channel arranged along a longitudinal axis of the tamper and fluidically coupled to the outlet. Movement of the tamper out of the brew chamber can be configured to generate negative pressure in the brew chamber such that brewed beverage contained in the brew chamber is drawn into the channel and transmitted out of the outlet.
  • the machine can further include the water source and a housing that houses the brew chamber, the tamper, and the ring.
  • the water source can be configured to be removably coupled to the housing.
  • the machine includes a grinder configured to grind coffee beans and thereby produce the ground coffee.
  • the brew chamber can be configured to receive the ground coffee from the grinder.
  • the machine includes a chute configured to receive the ground coffee from a user.
  • the brew chamber can be configured to receive the ground coffee from the chute.
  • the machine includes a grinder configured to grind coffee beans, a chute configured to receive coffee grounds from a user, and a user interface configured to receive an input from a user.
  • the brew chamber can be configured to receive the ground coffee from one of the grinder and the chute based on the input.
  • a machine for brewing a beverage in another aspect, includes a brew chamber configured to contain ground coffee and configured to be fluidically coupled to a water source and containing a recess formed on an outer surface thereof, a tamper disposed within a housing and configured to advance toward the brew chamber to compress the ground coffee in the brew chamber, and a clamp coupled to the housing and configured to move between a first position in which the clamp engages the recess to thereby constrain the tamper relative to the brew chamber and a second position in which the clamp disengages the recess.
  • movement of the clamp can be controlled by movement of the tamper.
  • movement of the clamp occurs in response to movement of the tamper.
  • the clamp can be configured to dynamically move into engagement with the recess and to dynamically disengage from the recess.
  • advancement of the tamper toward the brew chamber can be configured to cause the dynamic movement of the clamp
  • retraction of the tamper away from the brew chamber can be configured to cause the dynamic disengagement of the clamp.
  • the clamp can be pivotally connected to the tamper.
  • the tamper can be configured to advance downwardly through an upper opening of the brew chamber.
  • the clamp can extend downwardly.
  • the clamp includes a pair of clamps, and the recess includes a pair of recesses.
  • the machine can further include an outlet and a channel arranged along a longitudinal axis of the tamper and fluidically coupled to the outlet. Movement of the tamper out of the brew chamber can be configured to generate negative pressure in the brew chamber such that brewed beverage contained in the brew chamber is drawn into the channel and transmitted out of the outlet.
  • the machine can include the water source and a housing that houses the brew chamber, the tamper, and the clamp.
  • the water source can be configured to be removably coupled to the housing.
  • the machine includes a grinder configured to grind coffee beans and thereby produce the ground coffee.
  • the brew chamber can be configured to receive the ground coffee from the grinder.
  • the machine includes a chute configured to receive the ground coffee from a user.
  • the brew chamber can be configured to receive the ground coffee from the chute.
  • the machine includes a grinder configured to grind coffee beans, a chute configured to receive coffee grounds from a user, and a user interface configured to receive an input from a user.
  • the brew chamber can be configured to receive the ground coffee from one of the grinder and the chute based on the input.
  • a machine for brewing a beverage includes a grinder configured to grind coffee beans and thereby produce coffee grounds, a brew chamber configured to contain the coffee grounds, a chute disposed between the grinder and the brew chamber, the chute configured to deliver the coffee grounds to the brew chamber, a sieve disposed at an outlet of the chute, and an auger disposed within the chute and configured to agitate coffee grounds passing through the chute and to push the coffee grounds through the sieve.
  • the machine can further include an outlet. Brewed beverage contained in the brew chamber can be configured to be dispensed out of the outlet to a drinking container.
  • the brew chamber can be configured to receive water from a water source.
  • a machine for brewing a beverage in another aspect, includes a brew chamber configured to contain ground coffee and configured to be fluidically coupled to a water source and a tamper configured to compress the ground coffee in the brew chamber to force water received by the brew chamber from the water source through the ground coffee.
  • the brew chamber can be movable between a first position, in which the brew chamber is not aligned with the tamper and is arranged to receive the ground coffee, and a second position, in which the brew chamber is aligned with the tamper and is separated from the tamper by a first separation distance.
  • the brew chamber can be further movable between the second position and a third position, in which the brew chamber is aligned with the tamper and is separated from the tamper by a second separation distance that is less than the first separation distance.
  • the machine can include a plunger including a shaft and a disk disposed on an end of the shaft.
  • the disk can be configured to be arranged in an interior region of the brew chamber and cover a bottom surface of the brew chamber.
  • the shaft can be configured to extend out of the brew chamber through a through-hole in the bottom surface of the brew chamber.
  • the machine includes a scraper adjacent to and above the opening of the brew chamber when the brew chamber is in the first position.
  • the scraper can be configured to project into the opening of the brew chamber and slide across an upper surface of the disk.
  • a water inlet in the bottom surface of the brew chamber is configured to receive water from the water source.
  • a plurality of holes in the disk can be configured to allow water from the water inlet to pass through the disk and into the interior region of the brew chamber while containing ground coffee in the interior region of the brew chamber.
  • the machine can include a motor configured to drive the movement of the brew chamber.
  • the machine includes a grinder configured to grind coffee beans and thereby produce the ground coffee.
  • the brew chamber can be configured to receive the ground coffee from the grinder.
  • the machine includes a chute configured to receive the ground coffee from a user.
  • the brew chamber can be configured to receive the ground coffee from the chute.
  • the machine includes a grinder configured to grind coffee beans, a chute configured to receive coffee grounds from a user, and a user interface configured to receive an input from a user.
  • the brew chamber can be configured to receive the ground coffee from one of the grinder and the chute based on the input.
  • a machine for brewing a beverage in another aspect, includes a brew chamber configured to receive ground coffee and to receive water, a tamper configured to move into the brew chamber to press against the coffee grounds in the brew chamber, and a controller configured to control the movement of the tamper into the brew chamber based on a type of beverage being brewed in the brew chamber.
  • the machine can include a gear including a threaded bore.
  • the tamper can include an arm with a threaded external surface that is arranged in the threaded bore of the gear such that the gear rotating relative to the arm is configured to cause the tamper to move linearly along a longitudinal axis of the tamper into the brew chamber.
  • the tamper is configured to move linearly along the longitudinal axis of the tamper out of the brew chamber.
  • the gear rotating in a first direction can be configured to cause the tamper to move toward the brew chamber and the gear rotating in a second direction can be configured to cause the tamper to move away from the brew chamber.
  • the controller can be configured to receive information indicating the type of beverage to be brewed in the brew chamber, determine a brewing pressure based on the received information, and control the movement of the tamper to generate the determined brewing pressure.
  • the machine can include a force sensor configured to measure a force exerted by the tamper.
  • Controlling the movement of the tamper can include continuously monitoring a pressure in the brew chamber using the measured force, and, in response to determining that the pressure in the brew chamber is within a predetermined range of the determined brewing pressure, halting the movement of the tamper.
  • the machine can include a user interface configured to receive an input from a user indicating the type of beverage to be brewed.
  • the machine can further include an outlet configured to dispense the brewed beverage, and a channel arranged along a longitudinal axis of the tamper and fluidically coupled to the outlet. Movement of the tamper out of the brew chamber can be configured to generate negative pressure in the brew chamber such that the beverage contained in the brew chamber is drawn into the channel and transmitted out of the outlet.
  • a machine for brewing a beverage in another aspect, includes a housing in which a beverage is configured to be brewed in a brew chamber using ground coffee and water, an outlet through which the brewed beverage is configured to be dispensed to a drinking container, a waste container removably coupled to the housing, wherein the coffee grounds are configured to be ejected to the waste container from the brew chamber, and an excess fluid container removably coupled to the housing and configured to collect in a collection region excess fluid exiting the outlet.
  • a plate can be removably coupled to the excess fluid container.
  • a plurality of through-slots can be formed in the plate to allow the excess fluid to pass therethrough into the excess fluid container.
  • the excess fluid container and the plate are configured to be removed as a unit from the housing.
  • the excess fluid container, the plate, and the waste container are configured to be removed as a unit from the housing.
  • the excess fluid container can be configured to seat the drinking container thereon underneath the outlet.
  • the excess fluid container can include an overflow region in fluid communication with the collection region and configured to receive the excess fluid if the collection region becomes full.
  • the machine can include a sensor configured to detect when the excess fluid in the collection region and the overflow region exceeds a threshold amount.
  • the machine can include a user interface and a controller configured to notify a user, via the user interface, if the sensor detects that the excess fluid in the collection region and the overflow region exceed the threshold amount.
  • a removable lid can cover the overflow region.
  • the excess fluid container and the waste container are configured to be removed as a unit from the housing.
  • a machine for brewing a beverage includes a hopper including a container portion configured to contain coffee beans as a supply for a grinder, an opening in the container portion, a protrusion in an interior of the container portion and extending above the opening, an electro-mechanical rotor arranged in the opening below the protrusion, and a funnel arranged on an exterior of container portion beneath the opening, having a through-hole through which the electro-mechanical rotor extends, and having a spout arranged under the protrusion and through which the coffee beans are configured to exit the hopper.
  • the electro-mechanical rotor can be configured to move between a stationary configuration and a rotating configuration.
  • the electro-mechanical rotor In the stationary configuration, the electro-mechanical rotor can be configured to prevent the coffee beans contained in the container portion from entering the spout. In the rotating configuration, the electro-mechanical rotor can be configured to allow the coffee beans contained in the container portion to enter the spout.
  • the electro-mechanical rotor can include a central protrusion that is surrounded by plurality of circumferential spokes.
  • the plurality of circumferential spokes can be configured to cause the coffee beans contained in the container portion to move beneath the protrusion and into the spout.
  • the central protrusion can extend through the through-hole of the funnel.
  • the container portion is refillable.
  • the hopper can include a lid selectively covering the container portion.
  • the hopper includes a grating above the opening and the protrusion.
  • the protrusion is concave.
  • the machine can include a housing in which a beverage is configured to be brewed in a brew chamber using water and ground coffee beans.
  • the hopper can be configured to be removably coupled to the housing.
  • the machine can include a motor housed by the housing and, with the hopper removably coupled to the housing, configured to drive rotation of the electro-mechanical rotor.
  • the machine can include the grinder.
  • the grinder can be housed by the housing.
  • a machine for brewing a beverage includes a housing in which a beverage is configured to be brewed in a brew chamber using water and ground coffee and a hopper configured to store coffee beans and configured to be removably coupled to the housing.
  • the housing can have a bottom, a top, and a side extending between the bottom and the top, and the hopper can be configured to couple to the top of the housing.
  • the housing has a bottom, a top, and a side extending between the bottom and the top, and the hopper is configured to couple to the side of the housing.
  • the hopper can include a rotor configured to be driven by the motor with the hopper removably coupled to the housing to cause the coffee beans to exit the hopper.
  • a hopper identification device can be attached to the hopper.
  • a controller can be configured to receive information regarding the coffee beans from the hopper identification device.
  • At least one additional hopper can each configured to be removably coupled to the housing.
  • the housing can be configured to be removably coupled with only one of the hopper and the at least additional hopper at a time.
  • a first hopper identification device can be attached to the hopper and an additional hopper identification device can be attached to each of the at least one additional hopper.
  • a controller can be configured to receive information regarding the coffee beans from the hopper identification device of the one of the one of the hopper and the at least additional hopper removably coupled to the housing.
  • the housing can be configured to be removably coupled simultaneously with the hopper and the at least additional hopper.
  • a first hopper identification device can be attached to the hopper.
  • An additional hopper identification device can be attached to each of the at least one additional hopper.
  • a controller can be configured to receive information regarding the coffee beans from the hopper identification device of each of the one of the hopper and the at least additional hopper removably coupled to the housing.
  • the machine can include a grinder configured to receive the coffee beans from the hopper and to supply the ground coffee beans to the brew chamber.
  • a machine for brewing a beverage includes a hopper including a container portion configured to contain coffee beans as a supply for a grinder, an opening in the container portion, and an electro-mechanical rotor arranged in the opening below the protrusion, the electro-mechanical rotor including a plurality of circumferential spokes.
  • the electro-mechanical rotor can be configured to move between a stationary configuration and a rotating configuration. In the stationary configuration, the electro-mechanical rotor can be configured to prevent the coffee beans contained in the container portion from passing through the opening. In the rotating configuration, the electro-mechanical rotor can be configured to allow the coffee beans contained in the container portion to pass through the opening and out of the hopper.
  • An amount of the coffee beans allowed to pass through the opening while the electro-mechanical rotor is in the rotating configuration can be within a threshold amount of a predetermined amount of the coffee beans. The threshold amount can be less than or equal to 0.5 g or another amount.
  • the electro-mechanical rotor can include a central hub including a plurality of circumferential slots and a ring including the plurality of circumferential spokes.
  • the central hub can be disposed atop the ring such that each of the plurality of circumferential spokes extend through a slot of the plurality of circumferential slots.
  • the plurality of circumferential spokes can be formed from a flexible material.
  • a machine for brewing a beverage in another aspect, includes a housing in which a beverage is configured to be brewed in a brew chamber using water and ground coffee, a hopper, and a weight sensor configured to measure a total weight of the hopper and any coffee beans contained in the hopper.
  • the weight sensor can be configured to be the sole bearer of the total weight of the hopper and any coffee beans contained in the hopper.
  • the weight sensor is a load cell.
  • the machine can include a controller housed by the housing and configured to be communicatively coupled with the weight sensor.
  • the controller can be configured to determine if the measured total weight is below a predetermined threshold weight.
  • the machine can include a user interface.
  • the controller can be configured to provide a notification via the user interface if the measured total weight is determined to fall below the predetermined threshold weight.
  • the machine includes a controller housed by the housing and configured to be communicatively coupled with the weight sensor.
  • the controller can be configured to monitor the measured total weight during dispensing of coffee beans from the hopper and to stop the dispensing in response to the measured total weight having changed by an amount corresponding to a required amount of coffee beans for the beverage.
  • the machine includes a user interface.
  • the beverage can be configured to be selected by a user via the user interface.
  • the hopper is configured to be removably coupled to the housing.
  • a machine for brewing a beverage includes a housing in which a beverage is configured to be brewed in a brew chamber using water and ground coffee, a grinder, a plurality of hoppers each configured to supply coffee beans to the grinder, and a weight sensor configured to measure a total weight of the plurality of hoppers and any coffee beans contained in the plurality of hoppers.
  • the weight sensor can be configured to be the sole bearer of the total weight of the plurality of hoppers and any coffee beans contained in the plurality of hoppers.
  • the weight sensor is a load cell.
  • the machine can include a controller housed by the housing and configured to be communicatively coupled with the weight sensor.
  • the controller can be configured to determine if the measured total weight is below a predetermined threshold weight.
  • the machine can include a user interface.
  • the controller can be configured to provide a notification via the user interface if the measured total weight is determined to fall below the predetermined threshold weight.
  • the machine includes a controller housed by the housing and configured to be communicatively coupled with the weight sensor.
  • the controller can be configured to monitor the measured total weight during supplying of coffee beans to the grinder and to stop the supplying in response to the measured total weight having changed by an amount corresponding to a required amount of coffee beans for the beverage.
  • the machine includes a user interface.
  • the beverage can be configured to be selected by a user via the user interface.
  • each of the plurality of hoppers is configured to be removably coupled to the housing.
  • a machine for brewing a beverage in another aspect, includes a hopper, a grinder configured to grind coffee beans received from the hopper, a chute configured to configured to receive ground coffee from a user, and a brew chamber configured to receive either ground coffee from the grinder or from the chute for brewing a selected beverage.
  • the grinder can include a first burr and a second burr defining a space therebetween in which the coffee beans to be ground are configured to be located. Adjusting a size of the space can be configured to adjust coarseness of the grind.
  • the beverage machine further includes a controller.
  • the beverage machine can include an encoder operatively coupled to the controller and configured to transmit a signal to the controller indicating a current grind size setting of the grinder.
  • the beverage machine further includes a controller.
  • the beverage machine can include a gear train operatively coupled to the grinder and a motor configured to drive movement of the gear train to adjust the size of the space.
  • the beverage machine further includes a user interface configured to receive a user input selecting the beverage.
  • a machine for brewing a beverage includes a grinder configured to grind coffee beans and configured to move between a plurality of grind size settings, a motor mechanically coupled to the grinder and configured to move the grinder between the plurality of grind size settings, a controller operatively coupled to the motor and configured to determine an angular displacement associated with a predetermined grind size value and rotate the motor by the angular displacement associated with the predetermined grind size value to move the grinder to a grind size setting of the plurality of grind size settings that corresponds to the predetermined grind size value.
  • the machine can include an encoder configured to detect an angular displacement of the motor and generate an encoder value representing the detected angular displacement. Determining the angular displacement associated with the predetermined grind size value can include determining a range of encoder values corresponding to the predetermined grind size value.
  • a machine for brewing a beverage in another aspect, includes a hopper configured to store coffee beans, the hopper including an outlet, a grinder arranged beneath the outlet of the hopper and configured to grind coffee beans received from the hopper, and a seal disposed on an upper portion of the grinder and extending at least partially into the outlet.
  • the seal includes a plurality of circumferential bristles that extend at least partially into the outlet.
  • the bristles can include conductive fibers.
  • the bristles can include carbon fibers.
  • the seal can be a roller seal.
  • a brew mechanism for an automatic extracting and brewing-type brewer for a large-dose coffee machine is provided.
  • a tamping assembly can be provided and performs reciprocating rotation.
  • a brewing chamber plunger reciprocating up and down can be provided in a brewing chamber inside a main body of the tamping assembly when a top chamber opening of the brewing chamber of the tamping assembly is rotated to a powder-receiving port on one side of a top portion of the housing, coffee powder falls into the brewing chamber of the tamping assembly.
  • the top chamber opening of the brewing chamber of the tamping assembly When the top chamber opening of the brewing chamber of the tamping assembly is rotated to a hydraulic assembly provided obliquely on one other side of the top portion of the housing, coffee powder inside the brewing chamber of the tamping assembly can be compressed into a coffee ground puck inside the brewing chamber by being pushed by a hydraulic assembly.
  • the hydraulic assembly can leave the brewing chamber of the tamping assembly and be reset inside the brewing chamber by a plunger spring.
  • the brewing chamber of the tamping assembly is a brewing chamber capable of being loaded with 39.0g of coffee powder, the brewing chamber with an inside diameter of 52.0 mm, a free height of 62.0 mm, a minimum height of 25.0 mm after compression, and a maximum height of 46.0 mm after compression.
  • a machine for brewing a beverage can include any combination of components or features described herein.
  • a method for brewing a beverage includes delivering ground coffee to an interior region of a brew chamber, supplying water to the ground coffee through a plunger to brew a beverage in the brew chamber, dispensing the beverage from the brew chamber, and, after the dispensing of the beverage from the brew chamber, moving the plunger within the brew backet to eject the ground coffee from the brew chamber.
  • the brew chamber can include an upper opening through which the ground coffee is delivered into the interior region of the brew chamber.
  • the plunger can move upwardly in the brew chamber to eject the ground coffee from the brew chamber.
  • a plurality of holes can be formed in an upper surface of the plunger through which the water passes to enter the interior region of the brew chamber.
  • a frame can be arranged above the upper opening of the brew chamber scrapes across an upper surface of the plunger to eject the ground coffee from the brew chamber.
  • a first channel can be beneath and parallel to a bottom surface of the brew chamber.
  • a second channel can extend from an interior region of the brew chamber, through the bottom surface of the brew chamber, and into the first channel.
  • the water can be supplied to the brew chamber by flowing in the first and second channels.
  • the water can flow from a water source to the first channel.
  • the method can further include grinding, with a grinder, coffee beans and thereby producing the ground coffee.
  • the brew chamber can receive the ground coffee from the grinder.
  • the brew chamber receives the ground coffee from a chute into which a user manually delivers the ground coffee.
  • the method can include receiving, with a user interface, an input from a user.
  • the brew chamber can receive the ground coffee from one of a grinder and a chute based on the input.
  • the coffee grounds are ejected to a waste container.
  • the waste container can be removably coupled to a housing that houses the brew chamber and the plunger.
  • a method for brewing a beverage includes brewing the beverage using any of the machines described herein.
  • the method can have any number of variations.
  • FIG. 1A is a block diagram of one implementation of a beverage machine
  • FIG. 1B is a block diagram of another implementation of a beverage machine
  • FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one implementation of beverage machine
  • FIG. 3A is a top-down perspective view of a base of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 2;
  • FIG. 3B is a side perspective view of the beverage machine base shown in FIG. 3A;
  • FIG. 3C is a top-down perspective view of a fixed portion of the beverage machine base shown in FIG. 3A;
  • FIG. 3D is a top-down perspective view of a removable waste collection tray of the beverage machine base shown in FIG. 3A;
  • FIG. 4A is a top-down perspective view of a hopper of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 2;
  • FIG. 4B is a bottom-up perspective view of the hopper shown in FIG. 4A;
  • FIG. 4C is a bottom view of a container portion of the hopper shown in FIG. 4A;
  • FIG. 4D is a bottom view of an arrangement of a rotor in an opening the container portion shown in FIG. 4C;
  • FIG. 4E is a perspective view the rotor shown in FIG. 4D;
  • FIG. 4F is a bottom-up perspective view of an arrangement of a funnel beneath the container portion shown in FIG. 4C;
  • FIG. 4G is a perspective view of the funnel shown in FIG. 4F;
  • FIG. 4H is a top view of a load cell for the hopper shown in FIG. 4A;
  • FIG. 4I is a bottom-up perspective view of the coupling between a motor for driving the hopper rotor shown in FIGS. 4D-4E and the hopper load cell shown in FIG. 4A;
  • FIG. 4J is a perspective view of the motor shown in FIG. 4I;
  • FIG. 5A is a first side perspective view of a water reservoir of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 2;
  • FIG. 5B is a second side perspective view of the water reservoir shown in FIG. 5A;
  • FIG. 5C is a bottom view of the water reservoir shown in FIG. 5A;
  • FIG. 5D is a top view of an interior region of the water reservoir shown in FIG. 5A;
  • FIG. 5E is a perspective view of an outlet valve arranged in the water reservoir shown in FIG. 5A;
  • FIG. 6A is a side perspective view of a milk reservoir of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 2;
  • FIG. 6B is a front view of the milk reservoir shown in FIG. 6A;
  • FIG. 6C is internal components of the milk reservoir shown in FIG. 6A;
  • FIG. 7A is a side view of a grinder and a bypass chute of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 2;
  • FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional side view of the grinder and the bypass chute shown in FIG. 7A;
  • FIG. 7C is a cross-sectional view of a chamber of the grinder shown in FIG. 7A;
  • FIG. 7D is another cross-sectional view of the grinder shown in FIG. 7A;
  • FIG. 7E is a perspective view carriage of the grinder shown in FIG. 7A;
  • FIG. 7F is a perspective view of a gear for adjusting a position of the carriage shown in FIG. 7E;
  • FIG. 8A is a side perspective view of a brew chamber of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 2;
  • FIG. 8B is a top view of the brew chamber shown in FIG. 8A;
  • FIG. 8C is a perspective view of a plunger that is contained in the brew chamber shown in FIG. 8A;
  • FIG. 8D is a top view of the brew basket shown in FIG. 8A without the plunger shown in FIG. 8C;
  • FIG. 8E is a cross-sectional side view of the brew basket shown in FIG. 8A;
  • FIG. 8F is a side view of the brew basket shown in FIG. 8A;
  • FIG. 8G is an inner side of a one of a pair of walls between which the brew basket shown in FIG. 8A is arranged;
  • FIG. 8H is an inner side of another of the pair of walls between which the brew basket shown in FIG. 8A is arranged;
  • FIG. 9A is a side view of a tamper of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 2;
  • FIG. 9B is a gear train for moving the tamper shown in FIG. 9A;
  • FIG. 9C is a bottom view of the tamper shown in FIG. 9A;
  • FIG. 9D is a top view of the tamper shown in FIG. 9A;
  • FIG. 10A is the brew basket of FIG. 8A in a first position
  • FIG. 10B is the brew basket of FIG. 8A in a second position
  • FIG. 10C is the tamper of FIG. 9A extending into the brew basket of FIG. 8A; .
  • FIG. 10D is the tamper of FIG. 9A retracting from the brew basket of FIG. 8A;
  • FIG. 10E is the plunger of the brew basket of FIG. 8A pushing through the brew basket;
  • FIG. 10F is the brew basket of FIG. 8A returning to the first position
  • FIG. 11A is a perspective view of another implementation of a beverage machine
  • FIG. 11B is another perspective view of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 11C is another perspective view of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A with the water reservoir removed;
  • FIG. 11D is a magnified front view of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A with the milk jug for use with the beverage machine removed;
  • FIG. 12A is a cross-sectional perspective view of a milk jug for use with the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional side view of a milk frothing platform of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A coupled to the milk jug shown in FIG. 12A;
  • FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a steam wand of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 14A is a cross-sectional side view of the hopper, the grinder, and the bypass chute of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 14B is another cross-sectional side view of the hopper and the grinder of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 15A is a cross-sectional front perspective view of the hopper of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 15B is a cross-sectional side perspective view of the hopper of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 15C is a bottom-up view of the hopper of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 15D is a perspective view of a knob for twisting a locking mechanism for the hopper of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 15E is a perspective view of a cam of the locking mechanism for the hopper of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 15F is a perspective view of a central hub for a dispenser of the beverage machine of FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 15G is a perspective view of the peripheral paddles of the dispenser of the beverage machine of FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 16A is a perspective view of the grinder and bypass chute of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 16B is a cross-sectional perspective view of the grinder and bypass chute of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 16C is another cross-sectional perspective view of the grinder and bypass chute of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 16D is a bottom-up view of the grinder and bypass chute of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 16E is a perspective view of the outer burr carrier and bristle seal of the grinder of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the outlet of the grinder and the bypass chute of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the brew basket and the tamper of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 19A is a cross-sectional perspective view of the brew basket of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 19B is a magnified cross-sectional view of the interior bottom surface of the brew basket of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 19C is a magnified cross-sectional perspective view of the plunger of the brew basket of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 20A is a perspective view of the tamper of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 20B is a cross-sectional perspective view of the tamper of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 20C is a magnified cross-sectional side view of the tamper of the beverage machine shown in FIG. 11A;
  • FIG. 20D is a top-down view of the tamper of the beverage machine shown FIG. 11A with a top portion of the tamper housing removed;
  • FIG. 21 is a schematic of a beverage brewing cycle performed by one implementation of a beverage machine
  • FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a hopper weighing device of one implementation of a beverage machine
  • FIG. 23A is a partially exploded view of an implementation of a brewer without the first motor
  • FIG 23B is a perspective view of the assembled state of the brewer in FIG. 23A;
  • FIG. 23C is a view of the internal structure of FIG. 23B, the dotted lines indicating a partial internal structure
  • FIG. 23D is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 23B.
  • FIG. 23E is a perspective structural view from an opposite side to FIG. 23B without the second motor and pinion gear.
  • FIG. 24 is a schematic view of an exploded structure of a part of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 25 is a schematic view of a perspective structure of FIG. 24 after assembly.
  • FIG. 26 is a schematic view of a perspective structure of FIG. 25 on the other side, the dotted lines in the figure indicate the internal structure.
  • FIG. 27 is a first schematic view of a sectional structure of FIG. 24.
  • FIG. 28 is a second schematic view of a sectional structure of FIG. 24.
  • FIG. 29 is a schematic view of the structure of FIG. 24 in a state that the bean box assembly is removed, the dotted lines in the figure indicate a partial internal structure.
  • FIG. 30 is a schematic view of a sectional structure of Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, which illustrates that the through-shaft step motor is fixed to the bull gear, and an open hole is arranged at the hydraulic outer cavity.
  • FIG. 31 is a first schematic view of a sectional structure of Embodiment 2 of the upper brewer assembly of FIG. 30, which illustrates that the through-shaft step motor is fixed to the upper support frame, and a through hole is arranged between the hydraulic outer cavity and the hydraulic inner cavity.
  • FIG. 32 is a second schematic view of the sectional structure of FIG. 31.
  • FIG. 33 is a schematic view of a perspective structure of FIG. 32.
  • FIG. 34 is a schematic view of an exploded structure of FIG. 33.
  • like-named components of the embodiments generally have similar features, and thus within a particular embodiment each feature of each like-named component is not necessarily fully elaborated upon.
  • linear or circular dimensions are used in the description of the disclosed systems, devices, and methods, such dimensions are not intended to limit the types of shapes that can be used in conjunction with such systems, devices, and methods. A person skilled in the art will recognize that an equivalent to such linear and circular dimensions can easily be determined for any geometric shape.
  • beverage machines e.g., coffee machines, espresso machines, etc.
  • beverage machines e.g., coffee machines, espresso machines, etc.
  • a beverage machine includes a brew mechanism, e.g., a brew chamber or brew basket, configured to receive coffee grounds, e.g., from a grinder, and to thereafter pivot to face a tamper of the beverage machine.
  • the tamper is configured to tamp the coffee grounds in the brew mechanism.
  • Water is configured to be introduced, e.g., pumped, into the brew mechanism from a bottom of the brew mechanism, and the tamper is configured to move into the brew mechanism from a top of the brew mechanism to pressurize the brew chamber and force the water through the grounds.
  • the machine e.g., a controller of the machine, is configured to control a distance that the tamper travels into the brew mechanism based on a type of the beverage being brewed. As the tamper is retracted from the brew mechanism, the brewed beverage is configured to be dispensed from the machine via an outlet channel in the tamper.
  • the controllability of tamper of such a machine may allow the machine to produce a myriad of high-quality beverages while maintaining the convenience of fully-automated brewing.
  • the systems, devices, and methods described herein are not limited to espresso machines.
  • An espresso machine is one example of a device to which the systems, devices, and methods described herein apply.
  • the systems, devices, and methods described herein also apply to other types of devices, such as a standalone grinder and a non-espresso coffee brewing device (e.g., a coffee machine) .
  • an espresso machine is configured to also brew one or more types of non-espresso coffee beverages such as drip coffee drinks or hot chocolate.
  • an espresso machine is not configured to brew non-espresso coffee beverages such as drip coffee drinks or hot chocolate.
  • a beverage machine is configured to brew a beverage and is configured to dispense a drinkable liquid, e.g., water that has been heated for, e.g., brewing tea, and/or (hot or cold) milk for producing drinks such as lattes.
  • a drinkable liquid e.g., water that has been heated for, e.g., brewing tea, and/or (hot or cold) milk for producing drinks such as lattes.
  • beverage machines are further described in, for example, U.S. Patent Application No. 18/651, 926 entitled “Suggesting Coffee Bean Grind Size For Beverage Machines” filed on May 1, 2024, U.S. Patent Application No. 18/651, 936 entitled “Milk Frothing” filed on May 1, 2024, U.S. Patent Application No. 18/651, 970 entitled “Preventing Coffee Bean Grinder Jamming” filed on May 1, 2024, U.S. Patent Application No. 18/652, 309 entitled “Beverage Machine Filters And Portafilters” filed on May 1, 2024, U.S. Patent Application No. 18/652, 415 entitled “Beverage Machine Portafilters” filed on May 1, 2024, U.S.
  • FIG. 1 shows one exemplary implementation of a beverage machine 100A.
  • the beverage machine 100A is configured to brew and dispense a beverage 144.
  • the beverage 144 can be a coffee-based drink, such as an espresso drink or a brewed coffee drink, or a non-coffee-based drink, such as hot chocolate.
  • the beverage 144 can be hot or cold.
  • the beverage machine 100A in this implementation is also configured to dispense water that has been heated for, e.g., brewing tea, as well as (hot or cold) milk for producing drinks such as lattes.
  • the beverage machine 100A is a fully automatic brewer configured to fine-tune the settings of several critical brewing components to optimize the brewing process for each drink that is brewed by the beverage machine 100A.
  • components such as a coffee bean hopper 102, a grinder 108, a brew mechanism (abrew basket 110 in this illustrated implementation) , and a tamper 120 as discussed further below
  • the beverage machine 100A is configured to automatically produce a wide variety of beverages without sacrificing beverage quality.
  • the beverage machine 100A is configured to control dispensing of beans from the hopper 100A and/or control movement of the tamper 120 into and out of the brew basket 110 to facilitate the production of quality beverages.
  • the beverage machine 100A is configured to brew the beverage 144 automatically in response to a user command to provide the beverage 144.
  • the beverage machine 100A includes a controller 134 configured to control operations of various components of the beverage machine 100A to produce the beverage 144, and the beverage machine 100A includes a user interface 136 configured to receive beverage order information from a user.
  • the controller 134 can be any suitable device or combination of devices that includes a data processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU, etc. ) and a memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM) , etc. ) .
  • the controller 134 can be a microcontroller.
  • the memory is configured to store instructions that, when executed by the controller 134, cause the controller 134 to perform various operations, as described herein.
  • the user interface 136 can be any suitable device or combination of devices for inputting information from a user to the machine 100A, e.g., to the controller 134, and outputting information to the user.
  • the user interface 136 includes one or more user controls (e.g., buttons, dials, switches, touch panels, or combinations thereof) and one or more visual display screens (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) , etc. ) .
  • the user interface 136 is configured to provide beverage and brewing information to the user and to receive a beverage selection and other beverage order information from the user, including the user command to provide the beverage 144.
  • the controller 134 is configured to operate components of the beverage machine 100A to produce the beverage 144 according to the beverage order information.
  • the user interface 136 is configured to display a beverage menu and allow the user to input a selection of their preferred beverage.
  • the user interface 136 is configured to display information about the selected beverage.
  • the displayed information is based on, e.g., a recipe for the selected beverage that is stored in the memory of the machine 100A, and includes beverage properties such as, for example, grind size (e.g., a numerical value representing recommended grind size) , grind level (e.g., a visual indication of a recommended grind level on a scale from fine to course) , espresso type (e.g., single, double, Americano, or quad) , beverage size (single, double, extra-large (XL) ) , brew type (e.g., classic, rich, over ice, cold brew, etc.
  • grind size e.g., a numerical value representing recommended grind size
  • grind level e.g., a visual indication of a recommended grind level on a scale from fine to course
  • espresso type e
  • beverage volume e.g., 8oz, 10oz, 12oz, 16oz, etc.
  • beverage temperature e.g., 175 °F, 250 °F, 210 °F, etc.
  • beverage type e.g., latte, cappuccino, flat white, cortado, etc.
  • Some types of beverage properties may not be possible to show because they are inapplicable to a particular beverage machine 100A, such as not showing espresso type if the beverage machine 100A cannot brew espresso.
  • the user interface 136 is configured to allow the user to customize one or more properties of their selected beverage.
  • the user interface 136 is configured to display one or more default beverage properties as well as one or more alternative options for each displayed property.
  • the user interface 136 is configured to allow the user to provide input to user interface 136 to switch from a default property to an alternative option.
  • beverage property that the user interface 136 can be configured to allow the user to customize is a beverage volume, e.g., by allowing the user to select one of a plurality of predetermined beverage volumes.
  • the user interface 136 is configured to present the beverage volume options to the user as, e.g., a list of numerical beverage volume values or a list of beverage volume descriptions (e.g., “Small, ” “Medium, ” “Large, ” etc. ) .
  • a beverage property that the user interface 136 can be configured to allow the user to customize is a coffee grind size.
  • the user interface 136 is configured to allow the user to select one of a plurality of predetermined grind sizes.
  • the user interface 136 is configured to present the grind size options to the user as, e.g., a list of numerical grind size values or on a scale from “Fine” to “Coarse. ”
  • the machine 100A is configured to recommend a grind size to the user, as discussed further below.
  • a beverage property that user interface 136 can be configured to allow the user to customize is a grind-to-water ratio, e.g., by allowing a user to select one of a plurality of predetermined grind-to-water ratios (e.g., to select one of 1.5: 1, 2: 1, 2.5: 1, 3: 1, 3.5: 1, and/or other ratios) .
  • the user interface 136 can be configured to allow a user to manually input a user-chosen grind-to-water ratio.
  • a beverage property that user interface 136 can be configured to allow the user to customize is a milk-to-coffee ratio, e.g., by allowing the user to select one of a plurality of predetermined milk-to-coffee ratios.
  • the user interface 136 is configured to present the milk-to-coffee ratio options to the user as, e.g., a list of numerical milk-to-coffee ratio values (e.g., 1: 1, 0.5: 1, 0.25: 1, and/or other ratios) and/or or as a list of milk-to-coffee ratio descriptions (e.g., “No Milk” , “Light Milk” , “Heavy Milk” , etc. ) .
  • the user interface 136 can be configured to allow a user to manually input a user-chosen milk-to-coffee ratio.
  • the user interface 136 is configured to provide the user with information and/or to receive information from the user related to maintenance of the beverage machine 100A.
  • the user interface 136 can be configured to indicate when one or more components of the beverage machine 100A require cleaning, refilling, or replacement.
  • the user interface 136 can be configured to receive user input related to the maintenance of the beverage machine 100A, such as a hard water test result to enable the machine 10 to monitor mineral buildup in various components of the beverage machine 100A.
  • Mineral deposits from water can build up in beverage machines, such as the beverage machine 100A and the various beverage machines described herein, due to water flowing through various components used in brewing.
  • a user can perform a hard water test using any suitable hard water testing technique and input the hard water test result to the beverage machine 100A using the user interface 136.
  • the machine 100A e.g., the controller 134, in an exemplary implementation is configured to determine a descaling schedule for the beverage machine 100A.
  • the user interface 136 is configured to provide an instruction the user to descale the beverage machine 100A according to the descaling schedule.
  • descaling beverage machines are described further, for example, in U.S. Patent Application No. 18/652, 049 entitled “Descaling Beverage Machines” filed on May 1, 2024, the contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
  • the user interface 136 is configured to receive user inputs for starting, pausing, or cancelling the brewing process.
  • the user interface 136 can include a “Start” button that, when pressed by the user, causes the controller 134 to initiate the brewing process, a “Cancel” button that, when pressed by the user, causes the controller 134 to abort the brewing process, and a “Pause” button that, when pressed by the user, causes the controller 134 to pause the brewing process.
  • the beverage machine 100A also includes a hopper 102; a dispenser 106 configured to dispense coffee beans from the hopper 102; a grinder 108; a water supply system including a water reservoir 114, a water pumping system 116, and a water heating system 118; a brew basket 110; a tamper 120; a water/brewed beverage outlet 124; and a milk supply system including a milk reservoir 126, a milk pumping system 128, a milk heating system 130, and a milk outlet 132.
  • the beverage machine 100A may not include some components if not relevant to that beverage machine’s functionality, such as not including the milk pumping system 128, the milk heating system 130, or the milk outlet 132 if the beverage system 100A lacks the milk reservoir 126 or not including the tamper 120 if the beverage system 100A cannot brew espresso.
  • the hopper 102 is configured to contain coffee beans 138a.
  • the coffee beans 138a are configured to be supplied to hopper 102 by a user.
  • the hopper 102 is refillable to allow the user to refill the hopper 102 with a same type of coffee beans as previously used or with a new type of coffee beans.
  • the hopper 102 can be a single hopper 102 usable with the machine 100A or can be a plurality of hoppers configured to be swappable and each configured to removably couple to the beverage machine 100A at a user’s selection. Providing a single hopper 102 may reduce cost of the beverage machine 100A and/or may be easier for a user to manage than multiple hoppers.
  • Providing multiple hoppers may allow each of the hoppers to contain a different type of coffee beans to allow the user to more easily and quickly use the machine 100A with different types of coffee beans, e.g., by coupling a selected one of the hoppers to the machine 100A without having to empty any coffee beans of another type already in the hopper 102.
  • a hopper identification device 146 is attached to hopper 102.
  • the hopper identification device 146 can be, e.g., a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, a microswitch, or other suitable device configured to communicatively couple to controller 134 when the hopper 102 is attached to the beverage machine 100A and transmit to the controller 134 information about the coffee beans contained in the hopper 102.
  • the controller 134 is configured to use the information provided by the hopper identification device 146 to control various components of the beverage machine 100A, as discussed further below.
  • the hopper 102 includes a plurality of hoppers each configured to be selectively coupled to the machine 100A
  • each of the plurality of hoppers including hopper identification device is configured to facilitate user of the different hoppers with different types of beans.
  • the hopper 102 includes a weight sensor 104 configured to measure a weight of the hopper 102 and any coffee beans 138a contained in the hopper 102.
  • the weight sensor 104 is configured to measure a weight indicative of only a weight of the hopper 102 and any coffee beans 138a contained in the hopper 102.
  • a total weight of the hopper 102, including any coffee beans 138a contained in the hopper 102, is configured to be borne solely by the weight sensor 104. The weight measured by the weight sensor 104 will thus accurately reflect a weight of only the hopper 102 and any coffee beans 138a contained in the hopper 102.
  • the hopper 102 includes the weight sensor 104 to facilitate the weight sensor’s bearing of the hopper’s and coffee beans’ weight with the hopper 102 coupled to a housing of the beverage machine 100A. Additionally, with the hopper 102 coupled to the machine 100A, no component of the machine 100A is configured to exert pressure or otherwise add any weight to the hopper 102 so the weight sensor 104 will measure only the weight of the hopper 102 and any coffee beans 138a contained in the hopper 102.
  • the weight sensor 104 is configured to automatically bear the weight of the hopper 102 and any coffee beans 138a contained in the hopper 102 when a user couples to the hopper 102 to the machine 100A, so the user need not take any special action to facilitate accurate weight measurement by the weight sensor 104.
  • the weight sensor 104 is configured to be communicatively coupled to the controller 134 to transmit information regarding the measured weight to the controller 134.
  • the controller 134 is configured to use the information provided by the weight sensor 104 regarding the measured weight to control various components of the beverage machine 100A, as discussed further herein.
  • the controller 134 is configured to tare the weight sensor 104 (e.g., prior to initiating dispensing the coffee beans 138a from the hopper 102) to ensure accuracy of the measured weight.
  • the controller 134 is configured to, based on the measured weight, determine when the weight of hopper 102 and any coffee beans 138a contained in the hopper 102 falls below a threshold weight value.
  • the user interface 136 is configured to indicate to the user that a supply of the coffee beans 138a contained in hopper 102 is running low to help the user know when to replace the hopper 102 with another, fuller hopper or to refill the hopper 102.
  • the weight of the hopper 102 including any coffee beans 138a contained in the hopper 102, has decreased to an amount indicative of a small amount or no amount of coffee beans 138a being in the hopper 102.
  • the dispenser 106 is arranged in an outlet of hopper 102 and is configured to controllably dispense the coffee beans 138a from the hopper 102.
  • the dispenser 106 is, for example, an electro-mechanical rotor or a sliding door configured to open and close the outlet of hopper 102.
  • the controller 134 is configured to control operation of the dispenser 106, e.g., control opening and closing of the outlet of the hopper 102, to selectively initiate and halt the dispensing of coffee beans from hopper 102.
  • the controller 134 controlling the opening and closing of the outlet of the hopper 102 may allow an appropriate amount of the coffee beans 138a to be provided to the grinder 108 for the particular beverage selected by the user and thus may allow for all of the coffee beans 138a to be ground by the grinder 108 and the grounds provided to the brew basket 110 without any excess beans 138a remaining in the grinder 108.
  • the controller 134 Based on the beverage order information received by the controller 134 from the user via user interface 136 and on the information about coffee beans 138a provided to the controller 134 by the hopper identification device 146, the controller 134 is configured to determine an amount of the coffee beans 138a required to brew the beverage 144 ordered by the user. The controller 134 is configured to operate the dispenser 106 to initiate the dispensing of the coffee beans 138a in accordance with the determined amount of coffee beans 138a.
  • the controller 134 is configured to use the measured weight information provided by the weight sensor 104 to monitor a change in the weight of the hopper 102 including any coffee beans 138a contained in the hopper 102.
  • the controller 134 is configured to halt the dispensing of the coffee beans 138a, e.g., close the dispenser 106 to stop the coffee beans 138a from being provided from the hopper 102 to the grinder 108, in response to determining that the weight of the hopper 102, including any coffee beans 138a contained in the hopper 102, has changed by an amount corresponding to the required amount of coffee beans for the selected beverage.
  • the weight of the hopper 102 including any coffee beans 138a contained in the hopper 102, has decreased by an amount corresponding to the required amount of coffee beans for the selected beverage, so the controller 134 prevents any more coffee beans 138a from being provided to the grinder 108 from the hopper 102.
  • the grinder 108 is arranged downstream of the dispenser 106 such that the coffee beans 138a released from the hopper 102 through the dispenser 106 are collected by the grinder 108 for grinding, e.g., using a pair of burrs or other grinding mechanism.
  • the grinder 108 has a plurality of grind size settings.
  • the controller 134 is configured to determine a grind size setting for the grinder 108 based on the beverage order information received from the user via the user interface 136 and the information about the coffee beans 138a provided by the hopper identification device 146.
  • the beverage machine 100A is configured to automatically use the grind size determined by the controller 134, which may help improve user experience by reducing a number of beverage options that a user inputs to the machine 100A and/or may help ensure a highest quality beverage.
  • the beverage machine 100A is configured to allow a user to input a selected grind size, whether or not the controller 134 is configured to determine a grind size setting for the grinder 108.
  • the controller 134 is configured to determine a recommended grind size for the beverage 144 based on the beverage order information received from the user via the user interface 136 and the information about coffee beans 138a provided by hopper identification device 146.
  • the controller 134 is configured to provide the recommended grind size to the user and prompt the user to input instructions to proceed with the recommended grind size or to proceed with a grind size different from the recommended grind size.
  • the controller 134 is configured to use the grind size setting for the grinder 108 according to the instructions provided by the user.
  • the dispenser 106 can be controlled based upon the determined grind size setting for the grinder 108. By correlating the operation of the dispenser 106 to the grind size setting, the beverage machine 100A can increase the volume of coffee beans dispensed into the grinder 108 while mitigating clogging of the grinder 108.
  • a user of the beverage machine 100A may wish to prepare a beverage using coffee beans that are different than the coffee beans 138a contained in hopper 102 currently coupled to the machine 100A or may wish to manually grind their own coffee beans instead of the grinder 108 grinding the beans.
  • the beverage machine 100A includes a bypass chute 112 that is configured to receive ground coffee 138b from the user.
  • the user interface 138 is configured to receive an input from the user indicating that the ground coffee 138b is being provided via the bypass chute 112 for brewing of a beverage, in which case coffee beans 138a will not be dispensed from the hopper 102 and the grinder 108 will not be operated in the process of brewing the beverage.
  • the bypass chute 112 is omitted, which may help ensure a highest quality beverage by using the machine’s grinder 108 to grind to a particular grind size.
  • the water reservoir 114 is configured to store water 140 therein.
  • the water reservoir 114 is configured to be refilled with water 140 by a user.
  • the water reservoir 114 is non-removably coupled to the beverage machine 100A, which can simplify manufacturing of the beverage machine 100A.
  • a user can provide the water 140 to the non-removable water reservoir 114 by, e.g., pouring or otherwise providing the water 140 through an opening in the reservoir 114.
  • the water reservoir 114 is removably coupled to the beverage machine 100A, allowing users to detach the water reservoir 114 from the beverage machine 100A and carry water reservoir 114 to a convenient refilling location such as a sink.
  • the water reservoir 114 includes a water level sensor configured to measure an amount of the water 140 contained in the water reservoir 114.
  • the water level sensor is coupled to the controller 134 and is configured to transmit measured water level information to the controller 134.
  • the controller 134 is configured to, based on the received measured water level information, determine when the water level in the water reservoir 114 has fallen below a threshold water level. In response to the controller 134 determining that the water level has fallen below the threshold water level, the controller 134 is configured to cause the user interface 136 to instruct the user to refill the water reservoir 114 with the water 140 (or to replace the water reservoir 114 with another, more full water reservoir 114) .
  • the water reservoir 114 includes at least a portion made of a transparent material to allow a user to see a water level in the water reservoir 114.
  • the water pumping system 116 is fluidically coupled to an outlet of the water reservoir 114 and is configured to pump water from the water reservoir 114, e.g., out of the outlet of the water reservoir 114, to the water heating system 118.
  • the pumping system 116 is operatively coupled to the controller 134 to allow the controller 134 to control the pumping.
  • the pumping system 116 can include, for example, a flowmeter and a fluid pump (e.g., a vibration pump or other suitable fluid pump) .
  • the flowmeter is configured to measure an amount of water 140 flowing therethrough.
  • the controller 134 is configured to determine an amount of water to be provided to the water heating system 118 based on the beverage order information received from the user via the user interface 136.
  • the controller 134 is configured to control the fluid pump of the pumping system 116 using information received from the flowmeter so that the determined amount of water 140 is provided to the heating system 118.
  • the water heating system 118 is configured to heat the water 140 pumped from the water reservoir 114 by the pumping system 116.
  • the water heating system 118 is operatively coupled to the controller 134 to allow the controller 134 to control the water heating system 118 and thus the heating of the water 140 (including not heating the water 140 in instances where the user has selected a cold beverage in which the water 140 should not be heated) .
  • the water heating system 118 includes a heating device, for example a thermocoil boiler, configured to heat the water 140.
  • the water heating system 118 also includes a temperature sensor (e.g., a thermistor or other type of temperature sensor) configured to measure a temperature of the water 140 being heated by the water heating device.
  • the temperature sensor is configured to directly measure a temperature of the water 140 by, for example, contacting water 140 flowing through or output by the water heating device. In some implementations, the temperature sensor is configured to measure a temperature of the heating device by, for example, directly contacting a surface of the water heating device, as a temperature indicative of the water 140 being heated.
  • the controller 134 is operatively coupled to the temperature sensor and is configured to determine a temperature to which the water 140 should be heated by the heating device based on the beverage order information received from the user via the user interface 136 and, using measured temperature information received from the temperature sensor, control the heating device to heat the water 140 to the required temperature for the particular beverage selected by the user. If the user’s selected beverage requires no heating of the water 140, the controller 134 controls the water heating system 118 accordingly to simply allow the water 140, unheated, to flow through the water heating system 118 to the brew basket 110.
  • the beverage machine 100A include at least one flowmeter configured to facilitate fluid flow control in the machine 100A.
  • the at least one flowmeter can include a plurality of flowmeters, including a first flowmeter configured to measure forward flow (downstream flow) through the pumping system 116 from the water reservoir 114 and a second flowmeter configured to measure bypass flow through a pressure relief valve (PRV) of the machine 100A.
  • the PRV is located downstream of the water pumping system 116 and upstream of the water heating system 118.
  • the PRV is configured to automatically open at a predetermined pressure. By automatically opening at the predetermined pressure, the PRV can make the beverage machine 100A more tolerant to overly fine grounds, thus improving beverage quality.
  • the predetermined pressure is around 9 Bar, however, other pressures may be used, such as those lower than 9 Bar. In some implementations, the predetermined pressure is adjustable by a user via the user interface 136.
  • the beverage is brewed in the brew basket 110 (also referred to herein as a “brew chamber” ) .
  • the brew basket 110 includes an open container configured to receive and contain ground coffee from the grinder 108 or the bypass chute 112 and to receive and contain water 140 from the water heating system 118.
  • the brew basket 110 is configured to be movable between a plurality of positions.
  • the controller 134 is configured to move the brew basket 110 between the plurality of positions during a brewing process.
  • the brew basket 110 In a first position, the brew basket 110 is arranged to receive ground coffee from the grinder 108 and the bypass chute 112.
  • brew basket 110 In a second position, brew basket 110 is arranged to receive the tamper 120.
  • the tamper 120 is configured to movable into the brew basket 110 to apply pressure to the ground coffee and water contained in brew basket 110 in order to extract coffee. Some beverages do not require use of the tamper 120, so the tamper 120 is not moved into the brew basket 110 in every brewing process (unless the user only selects beverages requiring tamping with the tamper 120) .
  • the tamper 120 is operatively coupled to the controller 134.
  • the controller 134 is configured to control movement of the tamper 120 relative to the brew basket 110 to allow the tamper 120 to move into brew basket 110 by an amount sufficient to generate a brewing pressure in the brew basket 110 corresponding to the brewing pressure associated with the user-selected beverage being brewed.
  • the controller 134 is configured to move the tamper 120 to one of a plurality of preset positions based on the brewing pressure associated with the user-selected beverage being brewed. In other implementations, as shown in the illustrated implementation of FIG.
  • the beverage machine 100A includes a force sensor 122 that is configured to measure a force applied to the brew basket 110 by the tamper 120.
  • the force sensor 122 is communicatively coupled to the controller 134 and is configured to transmit to the controller 134 information indicative of the measured force, e.g., the force being applied to the brew basket 110 by the tamper 120.
  • the controller 134 is configured to control the movement of the tamper 120 relative to the brew basket 110 to ensure that the appropriate brewing pressure is generated in brew basket 110.
  • a fluid channel is within the tamper 120.
  • the controller 134 is configured to retract the tamper 120 from the brew basket 110, which generates negative pressure in the brew basket 110. This negative pressure draws fluid (e.g., brewed beverage) contained in the brew basket 110 into the fluid channel in the tamper 120.
  • a filter is arranged over an inlet to the fluid channel to prevent coffee grounds from entering the channel.
  • the water/brewed beverage outlet 124 is fluidically coupled to the fluid channel in the tamper 120 and is configured to output the fluid in the fluid channel from the beverage machine 100A.
  • a plunger (not shown in FIG. 1) is arranged in the brew basket 110 and is configured to push upwards from a bottom surface of the brew basket 110 toward an opening of the brew basket 110.
  • the plunger is configured to push upwards through the brew basket 110 to eject used coffee grounds from the brew basket 110, which may improve user experience by automating this task.
  • the movement of the plunger is entirely mechanical.
  • the plunger is actuated electrically by, e.g., an electric motor.
  • the beverage machine 100A includes a waste collection container (not shown in FIG. 1) configured to receive the coffee grounds that are ejected from the brew basket 110.
  • the waste collection container is configured to be removably coupled to the beverage machine 100A to allow for easy emptying and cleaning of the waste collection container.
  • the milk reservoir 126 of the machine 100A is configured to store milk 142 therein.
  • the milk 142 can be any variety of milk product, for example dairy milk products such as whole milk, heavy cream, half-and-half, 2%milk, or non-fat milk or for another example non-dairy milk products such as almond milk, oat milk, or soy milk.
  • the user interface 136 is configured to allow user input of a type of milk product contained in milk reservoir 126, as the controller 134 may control dispensing and/or frothing of the milk 142 differently depending on a type of the milk 142.
  • Various implementations of milk frothing are further described in, for example, U.S. Patent Application No.
  • the milk reservoir 126 is configured to keep the milk 142 cold.
  • the milk reservoir 126 is lined with an insulating material to facilitate chilling of the milk 142 and/or the milk reservoir 126 includes a cooling system.
  • the cooling system is communicatively coupled to the controller 134 and includes a temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature of the milk 142.
  • the controller 134 is configured to control the cooling system based on data received from the temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature of the milk 142 to ensure that the temperature of the milk 142 remains within a threshold temperature range.
  • the threshold temperature range depends on the milk product type.
  • the milk reservoir 126 is configured to be refilled with the milk 142 by a user.
  • the milk reservoir 126 is non-removably coupled to the beverage machine 100A, which may simplify manufacturing of the beverage machine 100A.
  • a user can provide the milk 142 to the milk reservoir 126 by, e.g., pouring or otherwise providing the milk 142 through an opening in the milk reservoir 126.
  • the milk reservoir 126 is removably coupled to the beverage machine 100A, allowing users to detach the milk reservoir 126 from the beverage machine 100A and carry the milk reservoir 126 to a convenient refilling location.
  • the milk reservoir 126 includes a milk level sensor configured to measure an amount of the milk 142 contained in the milk reservoir 126.
  • the milk level sensor is communicatively coupled to the controller 134 and is configured to measure and transmit milk level information to the controller 134.
  • the controller 134 is configured to determine when the milk level in milk reservoir 126 has fallen below a threshold milk level. In response to the controller 134 determining that the milk level has fallen below the threshold milk level, the controller 134 is configured to cause the user interface 136 to instruct the user to refill the milk reservoir 126 with the milk 142 (or to replace the milk reservoir 126 with another, more full milk reservoir 126) .
  • the milk reservoir 126 includes at least a portion made of a transparent material to allow a user to see a milk level in the milk reservoir 126.
  • the controller 134 is configured to determine when the milk 142 contained in the milk reservoir 126 requires replacing.
  • the user interface 136 is configured to allow user input indicating a date and time that the milk reservoir 126 has been refilled.
  • the controller 134 is configured to use the input date and time to determine a replacement date and time for the milk 142, which may also be based on a type of the milk product.
  • the controller 134 is configured to cause the user interface 136 to instruct the user to dispose of the remaining milk 142 in the milk reservoir 126 and to refill the milk reservoir 126 with fresh milk (or to replace the milk reservoir 126 with another milk reservoir 126) .
  • the controller 134 is configured to cause the user interface 136 to periodically instruct the user to clean the milk reservoir 126, which is generally more susceptible to becoming dirty than the water reservoir 114.
  • the milk pumping system 128 is fluidically coupled to an outlet of the milk reservoir 126 and is configured to pump the milk 142 from the milk reservoir 126 to the milk heating system 130.
  • the milk pumping system 128 is operatively coupled to the controller 134 to allow the controller 134 to control the milk pumping system 128.
  • the milk pumping system 128 includes a flowmeter and fluid pump (e.g., a vibration pump or other suitable fluid pump) .
  • the flowmeter is configured to measure an amount of the milk 142 flowing therethrough.
  • the controller 134 is configured to determine an amount of the milk 142 to be provided to the milk heating system 130 based on the beverage order information received from the user via user interface 136, on milk product type, and/or on milk frothing preference input by au ser via the user interface 136.
  • the controller 134 is configured to control the fluid pump of the milk pumping system 128 using information received from the flowmeter of the milk pumping system 128 so that the determined amount of milk 142 is provided to the heating system 130.
  • the milk heating system 130 is configured to heat the milk 142 pumped from the milk reservoir 126 by the milk pumping system 128.
  • the milk heating system 130 is operatively coupled to the controller 134 and includes a heating device, for example a thermocoil boiler.
  • the water heating system 130 also includes a temperature sensor (e.g., a thermistor or other type of temperature sensor) configured to measure a temperature of the milk 142 being heated by the milk heating device.
  • the temperature sensor is configured to directly measure a temperature of the milk 142 by, for example, contacting the milk 142 flowing through or output by the milk heating device.
  • the temperature sensor is configured to measure a temperature of the milk heating device by, for example, directly contacting a surface of the milk heating device, as a temperature indicative of the milk 142 being heated.
  • the controller 134 is operatively coupled to the temperature sensor of the milk heating system 130 and is configured to determine a temperature to which the milk 142 should be heated by the milk heating device based on the beverage order information received from the user via the user interface 136, on milk product type, and/or on milk frothing preference input by au ser via the user interface 136 and, using measured temperature information received from the temperature sensor, control the milk heating device to heat the milk 142 to the required temperature for the particular beverage selected by the user. If the user’s selected beverage requires no heating of the milk 142, the controller 134 controls the milk heating system 130 accordingly to simply allow the milk 142, unheated, to flow through the milk heating system 130 to the milk outlet 132.
  • the components of the beverage machine 100A are contained in or attached to a housing (not shown in FIG. 1) .
  • the housing also referred to herein as a “frame”
  • the housing includes a base configured to be positioned on a support surface such as a countertop.
  • the water and milk outlets 124, 132 are arranged on the housing. Extending distally from the housing beneath the water and milk outlets 124, 132 are one or more surfaces (not shown in FIG. 1) configured to support a beverage container (e.g., a mug, cup, etc. ) .
  • the housing can include a drip tray configured to collect any fluid drips from the water and milk outlets 124, 132 when the beverage container is not present.
  • a beverage machine can include multiple (e.g., at least two) hoppers. Each hopper can be configured to contain a different type of coffee bean. All of hoppers can be configured to be coupled to the beverage machine at the same time. This can allow users to select between multiple types of coffee beans without requiring manual swapping of hoppers.
  • FIG. 1B A block diagram of dual-hopper beverage machine implementation 100B is shown in FIG. 1B. Portions of the beverage machine 100B that are substantially the same as those in the beverage machine 100A are not shown in FIG. 1B.
  • the beverage machine 100B can include a weight sensor 104, a dispenser 106, a controller 135, and a user interface 136.
  • the weight sensor 104, dispenser 106, controller 135, and user interface 136 are configured and used similarly to the weight sensor 104, dispenser 106, controller 135, and user interface 136 in the beverage machine 100A.
  • the beverage machine 100B is configured to couple to two different hoppers 102a, 102b simultaneously.
  • the two hoppers 102a, 102b of the beverage machine 100B are configured similarly to the hopper 102 of the beverage machine 100A.
  • the hopper 102a can include a hopper identification device 146a and the hopper 102b can include a hopper identification device 146b.
  • the identification devices 146a, 146b can be configured similarly to the identification device 146 of the beverage machine 100.
  • the weight sensor 104 in the beverage machine 100B is configured to measure a weight of both the hopper 102a and the hopper 102b, as well as the weights of any coffee beans contained in the hopper 102a and/or the hopper 102b.
  • the controller 134 is communicatively coupled to the weight sensor 104 and is configured to receive information regarding the measured weight of the hoppers 102a, 102b from the weight sensor 104. As previously described with respect to FIG. 1A, the controller 134 can use the information provided by the weight sensor 104 regarding the measured weight to control various components of the beverage machine 100B.
  • the controller 134 can also be configured to tare the weight sensor 104 (e.g., prior to initiating dispensing of coffee beans from either of the hoppers 102a, 102b) to ensure accuracy of the measured weight.
  • the dispenser 106 in the beverage machine 100B is configured to controllably dispense coffee beans from the hopper 102a and from the hopper 102b.
  • the dispenser 106 in the beverage machine 100B can be configured to rotate relative to the hopper 102a and the hopper 102b and can include two inlet holes (not shown in FIG. 1B) . As the dispenser 106 rotates, each of the two inlet holes in the dispenser 106 may periodically align with either an outlet of the hopper 102a or an outlet of the hopper 102b. When an inlet hole of the dispenser 106 aligns with an outlet of one of the hoppers 102a, 102b for a sufficient duration, beans from that hopper can flow out of the hopper and into the inlet hole of the dispenser 106.
  • the controller 134 can be configured to control the rotation speed of the dispenser 106 based upon a user selection of coffee bean type received through the user interface 136.
  • the controller 134 can identify which of the two hoppers 102a, 102b contains the user’s selected coffee bean type using the hopper identification devices 146a, 146b.
  • the controller 134 can initiate dispensing of coffee beans from that hopper by modulating the rotation speed of the dispenser 106 to reduce the rotation speed of the dispenser 106 when one of the two inlet holes in the dispenser 106 aligns with the outlet of the hopper that contains the user’s selected bean type and to increase the rotation speed to the dispenser 106 when either of the two inlet holes in the dispenser 106 aligns with the outlet of the hopper that does not contain the user’s selected bean type.
  • FIG. 2 illustrates an example beverage machine implementation 200.
  • the beverage machine 200 of FIG. 2 is generally configured and used similarly to the beverage machine 100A of FIG. 1A and includes components similar to those discussed above regarding the beverage machine 100 of FIG. 1A, e.g., the beverage machine 200 includes a controller (obscured in FIG. 2) , a memory (obscured in FIG. 2) , a housing 252, a waste collection container 370 (see FIG. 3B) , a hopper 202, a weight sensor (aload cell 474 in this illustrated implementation, see FIG. 4A) , an electro-mechanical rotor 406 (see FIG.
  • the beverage machine 200 in this illustrated implementation is an espresso machine configured to brew espresso drinks and one or more types of non-espresso coffee beverages.
  • the beverage machine 200 includes a top portion 200a, a bottom portion 200b, a front portion 200c, a rear portion 200d, and a pair of opposed side portions 200e, 200f.
  • the beverage machine 200 is generally box-shaped, though it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other geometric configurations are possible.
  • the beverage machine 200 includes a housing 252 configured to house internal components of the beverage machine 200 and to support external components of the beverage machine 200.
  • the housing 252 includes a base 254 that defines the bottom portion 200b of the beverage machine 200 and is configured to be positioned on a support surface such as a countertop or a table.
  • the base 254 includes a first portion 254a and a second portion 254b.
  • the first portion 254a is non-removably coupled to the housing 252 of the beverage machine 200 (see FIG. 2) .
  • the second portion 254b is removably coupled to and partially overlaps with the first portion 254a.
  • the first base portion 254a include a first region 355a, a second region 355b, and a third region 355c, as shown in FIG. 3C.
  • the regions 355a and 355c can be generally L-shaped and can together form a generally rectangular region and the region 355b can be a generally rectangular region protruding from one side of base portion 254a.
  • the region 355a base portion 254a is configured to contain one or more electronic components of the beverage machine 200.
  • the rear wall of the region 355a includes a notch 351a (FIG. 3C) . Adjacent to the notch 351a in the region 355a is one or more protrusions 351b.
  • an electrical plug 368a configured to connect to a power source (e.g., a wall outlet) is disposed outside of the base 254.
  • Electrical wires 368b configured to provide power from the power source to electronic components of the beverage machine 200 extend from the plug 368a and into an interior region of the base 254 through the notch 351a.
  • Protrusions 351b are configured to support and the electrical wires 368b to various components of the beverage machine 200.
  • An opening 353 is disposed in a side wall of the region 355a of the base portion 254a (FIG. 3C) .
  • a switch 366 configured to control the power supplied to the electronic components of the beverage machine 200 is inserted through the opening 353.
  • the switch 366 can be any suitable electronic switch, for example a push button switch, a toggle switch, or a linear sliding switch.
  • One or more concave portions 374 are disposed in an exterior side wall of the region 355a of the base portion 254a, as shown in FIG. 3B.
  • the one or more concave portions 374 are configured to provide handholds that allow a user to lift and maneuver the beverage machine 200.
  • the region 355b of the base portion 254a is a water reservoir support region. As shown in FIG. 3A, the region 355b contains a water reservoir aligner 360 that includes a water inlet 362. Various components of the beverage machine 200 are fluidically coupled to receive water through a water inlet 326.
  • the region 355c of the base portion 254a is configured to removably couple to the second base portion 254b.
  • the base portion 254b includes a first region 357a, a second region 357b, and a third region 357c.
  • the first region 357a and the second region 357b together form a generally L-shaped region that corresponds to the shape of the region 355a of the base portion 354a (see FIG. 3C) .
  • the second base portion 254b is configured to be removably coupled to the first base portion 254a by sliding the regions 357a-357b of the second portion 254b into the region 355c of the first portion 254a.
  • the rear wall of the region 355c of the base portion 254a includes one or more notches 359a (see FIG. 3C) .
  • the notches 359a are configured to receive corresponding brackets 359b disposed on a rear wall of the region 357a of the base portion 254b (see FIG. 3D) .
  • the base portion 254b is configured to collect waste that is generated while the beverage machine 200 is in use.
  • the removability of the base portion 254b allows the base portion 254b to be easily detached from the beverage machine 200 and carried to a convenient waste disposal or cleaning location (e.g., a sink or a trash receptacle) .
  • the region 357c extends from a front side of the base portion 254b. As shown in FIG. 2, when the base portion 254b is connected to the base portion 254a, the region 357c protrudes from the front side 200c of the beverage machine 200 and forms a drip tray.
  • a removable plate 356 including a plurality of through-slots 356a covers an upper portion of region 357a and is configured to support a user’s beverage container above region 357a.
  • the plurality of through-slots 356a are configured to direct fluid waste (e.g., fluid drips that are not captured by the beverage container or fluid overflow from the beverage container) into the region 357a.
  • the region 357a of the base portion 254b is fluidically connected to the region 357a and is configured to provide additional space for fluid waste to collect if the region 357a is overfilled.
  • Brackets 359 contain water level sensors (e.g., water level detection plates) 364 configured to detect when an amount of fluid contained in the regions 357a, 357c of the base portion 254b exceeds a threshold amount.
  • Water level sensors 264 are operatively coupled to the controller of the beverage machine 200, which is configured to notify users to remove the base portion 254b for emptying and/or cleaning, e.g., via the user interface 236.
  • the region 357a is covered by a removable lid 358 to prevent fluid spills when the base portion 254b is removed.
  • the region 357b of the base portion 254b supports a container 370 configured to collect used coffee grounds.
  • a front wall 372 of the container 370 extends laterally over a front portion of the region 357a that joins with the region 357c.
  • the wall 372 is configured to be received by a corresponding opening in the housing 252 in the front portion 200c of the beverage machine 200 and separate the interior region of the beverage machine 200 from the exterior region of the beverage machine 200.
  • the beverage machine 200 includes a hopper 202 configured to contain coffee beans.
  • the hopper 202 is configured to be removably coupled to the housing 252, e.g., to the top portion 200a of the beverage machine 200, in this illustrated implementation.
  • the top portion 200a of the beverage machine 200 can include an opening into which the hopper 202 can be inserted from above the beverage machine 200.
  • the top portion 200a can include a slot into which the hopper 202 can be inserted from the sides of the beverage machine 200 to be side-loaded.
  • FIGS. 4A-4J show various components of the hopper 202 as well as components of the beverage machine 200 that interact with the hopper 202.
  • the hopper 202 includes a container portion 202a that in this illustrated implementation is generally box-shaped and is configured to receive and contain coffee beans.
  • the container portion 202a includes a removable lid to allow for refilling of the hopper 202.
  • FIG. 4C A bottom view of container portion 202a is provided in FIG. 4C.
  • An opening 477 is disposed in the bottom of the container portion 202a.
  • a concave protrusion 479 extends above the opening 477 from the interior region of the container portion 202a.
  • a grating 478 Arranged in the interior region of the container portion 202a above the opening 477 and the concave protrusion 479 is a grating 478.
  • An electro-mechanical rotor 406 is arranged in the opening 477 beneath the concave protrusion 479, as shown in FIG. 4D.
  • the rotor 406 can be driven by a motor that is operatively coupled to the controller of the beverage machine 200.
  • the electro-mechanical rotor 406 includes a central protrusion 480 that is surrounded by plurality of circumferential spokes 481 (FIG. 4E) .
  • the spokes 481 also referred to herein as “paddles” or “blades” , can be formed from a flexible material that enables the spokes 481 to bend over coffee beans passing therebetween to mitigate or prevent stalling of the motor that drives the rotor 406.
  • the spacing 481a between adjacent spokes 481 can be such that only a predetermined amount of coffee beans can pass therebetween at any given time. In some implementations, the spacing 481a between adjacent spokes 481 enables the rotor 406 to dispense within 0.5 g of a predetermined dose of coffee beans from the hopper 202 (e.g., ensures the rotor 406 can dispense the predetermined dose of coffee beans ⁇ 0.5 g of coffee beans) .
  • a funnel 476 is arranged on the exterior of container portion 202a beneath the opening 477 (FIG. 4F) .
  • the funnel 476 includes a central through-hole 483 and a peripheral spout 485 (FIG. 4G) .
  • the central protrusion 480 of the electro-mechanical rotor 406 extends through the through-hole 483 of the funnel 476 while the spout 485 is arranged directly beneath the concave protrusion 476 to form a channel that extends from the interior region of the container portion 202a beneath the concave protrusion 479.
  • the container portion 202a of the hopper 202 is connected to a weight sensor 474, which is a load cell 474 (FIGS. 4A-4B) of the hopper 202 in this illustrated implementation.
  • the load cell 474 includes a central through-hole 487 and a peripheral through-hole 489 (FIG. 4H) .
  • the central protrusion 480 of the electro-mechanical rotor 406 extends through the through-hole 487 and the spout 485 extends through the peripheral through-hole 489 (FIG. 4B) .
  • the load cell 474 also includes an alignment plate 475 (FIG. 4B) .
  • the alignment plate 475 defines a slot 490.
  • a rotor motor 482 contained in the beverage machine 200 and configured to drive the electro-mechanical rotor 406 is inserted into the slot 490 (FIG. 4I) to connect a shaft 491 of the motor 482 (FIG. 4J) to the central protrusion 480 of the electro-mechanical rotor 406.
  • the motor 482 is operatively coupled to the controller of the beverage machine 200.
  • the rotation of the spokes 491 of the electro-mechanical rotor 406 causes coffee beans contained in the container portion 202a to move beneath the concave protrusion 479, into the spout 485, and out of the hopper 202. That is, the electro-mechanical rotor 406 functions as a dispenser for the hopper 202.
  • the concave protrusion 479 shields the spout 485 to prevent coffee beans in the hopper 202 from entering the spout 485.
  • the beverage machine 200 includes a water reservoir 214 arranged on the side portion 200e.
  • the water reservoir 214 is removably connected to the base 254 of the housing 252 of the beverage machine 200 in this illustrated implementation, specifically to the base portion 254a.
  • the base portion 254a includes a water reservoir support region 355b (FIG. 3C) that contains the water reservoir aligner 360 (FIG. 3A) .
  • the water reservoir 214 is configured to couple to the base 254 by inserting a bottom portion of the water reservoir 214 into the water reservoir aligner 360.
  • FIGS. 5A-5E provide various views of the water reservoir 214.
  • the water reservoir 214 includes a tank portion 214b that is covered by a removable lid 214a.
  • the lid 214a is configured to be removed to allow for the tank portion 214b to be filled with water.
  • a pair of concave regions 214c, 214d are formed in an external distal side surface of the tank portion 214b.
  • the concave regions 214c, 214d are configured to provide users with a handhold for lifting and carrying the water reservoir 214.
  • a third concave region 214e is formed in an external proximal side surface of the tank portion 214b (FIG. 5B) .
  • the concave region 214e is configured to receive a corresponding bracket or protrusion on an external surface of the housing 252 of the beverage machine 200 to provide additional support to the water reservoir 214.
  • the bottom surface of the water reservoir 214 includes a through-hole 590 (FIG. 5C) .
  • an outlet valve 592 (FIGS. 5C-5D) .
  • the outlet valve 592 is spring-loaded with a spring 593.
  • the spring 593 is configured to provide a biasing force to the outlet valve 592 that biases the outlet valve 592 to a closed configuration.
  • a force that overcomes the biasing force provided by the spring 593 is applied to the outlet valve 392, causing the outlet valve 592 to open and allowing water to flow from the tank portion 214b and into the water inlet 362 in the water reservoir aligner 360 (see FIG. 3A) .
  • this counteracting force is removed, and the spring 593 returns the outlet valve 592 to the closed configuration.
  • the beverage machine 200 includes a milk reservoir 226, which in this illustrated implementation is arranged on the side portion 200e adjacent to the water reservoir 214.
  • a milk outlet 232 is arranged adjacent to the front portion 200c of the beverage machine 200.
  • the milk outlet 232 is supported by an arm 698 that extends from a front side portion of the milk reservoir 226 to a back portion of the milk outlet 232.
  • a fluid channel configured to carry milk from the milk reservoir 226 to the milk outlet 232 is arranged within an interior region of the arm 698.
  • the arm 698 is configured to rotate about its attachment point to the milk reservoir 226 to enable the milk outlet 232 to be moved vertically relative to the base 254 of the beverage machine 200.
  • FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate various views and components of the milk reservoir 226.
  • the milk reservoir 226 includes a tank portion 226b that is covered by a removable lid 226a.
  • the lid 226a is configured to be removed to allow for the tank portion 226b to be filled with a milk product.
  • dials 696 Arranged on an outer surface of lid 226a are dials 696.
  • the dials 696 are configured to allow a user of the beverage machine 200 to control properties of the milk that is dispensed from the milk reservoir 226 through the milk outlet 232.
  • a first dial 696 enables the user to adjust an amount of milk that is dispensed
  • a second dial 696 enables the user to choose whether the dispensed milk is hot or cold.
  • first and second tubes 695a, 695b and first and second valves 699a, 699b Contained within the tank portion 226b are first and second tubes 695a, 695b and first and second valves 699a, 699b.
  • the first tube 695a extends from a lower region of the tank portion 226 to an upper region of the tank portion 226, where it fluidically couples to an inlet of the first valve 699a.
  • the second tube 695b extends from an outlet of the first valve 699a to an inlet of the second valve 699b.
  • An outlet of the second valve 699b is fluidically coupled to the fluid channel contained in the arm 698.
  • Milk contained in the tank portion 226b is configured to be drawn into the first tube 695a, then flow through the first valve 699a, then flow into the second tube 695b, then flow through the second valve 699b, then flow into the arm 698, and then flow through the outlet 232.
  • the milk outlet 232 includes one or more nozzles 232a. In the illustrated implementation, the milk outlet 232 includes two nozzles 232a.
  • the beverage machine 200 includes the water/beverage outlet 224.
  • the water/beverage outlet 224 is arranged on the front portion 200c of the beverage machine 200 behind the milk outlet 232 in this illustrated implementation.
  • the beverage outlet 224 includes one or more nozzles (obscured in FIG. 2) .
  • a support surface 250 is attached to the front portion 200c beneath the outlets 224, 232.
  • the support surface 250 is movable, e.g., foldable, between a first position, in which the support surface 250 extends distally outward from the housing 252, and a second position, in which the support surface 250 is flush against the housing 252.
  • the support surface 250 is configured to be moved to the first position to support a beverage container and to be moved to the second position to provide space for larger beverage containers to be supported on the cover plate 356 of the drip tray region 357c of the base 254.
  • the beverage machine 200 also includes a user interface 236.
  • the user interface 236 is a rectangular panel arranged on the front portion 200c of the beverage machine 200.
  • the user interface 236 can be arranged in a different location on the beverage machine 200, for example on the top portion 200c.
  • the user interface 236 is additionally or alternatively a device that is separate from the beverage machine 200, for example using a mobile device such as a tablet or a smart phone.
  • three user controls 236a are arranged near a bottom edge of the user interface 236.
  • the user controls 236a are configured to allow user input of beverage order information or other information related to the operation or maintenance of the beverage machine 200, as described above with reference to user interface 136 of the beverage machine 100 (FIG. 1) .
  • the user interface 236 can include a different number and/or type of user controls 236a.
  • a grinder 708 and a bypass chute 712 Housed within the housing 252 of the beverage machine 200 are a grinder 708 and a bypass chute 712, illustrated in FIGS. 7A-7D.
  • the grinder 708 includes a chamber 708a with an open upper end.
  • the open upper end of chamber 708a is arranged to receive coffee beans that are dispensed through the funnel spout 485 of the hopper 202 (see FIGS. 4A-4B) .
  • Contained within the chamber 708a is an inner burr 715 and an outer burr 717.
  • the inner burr 715 and the outer burr 717 define a space therebetween into which coffee beans received by the chamber 708a from the hopper 202 are configured to be delivered.
  • the inner burr 715 and the outer burr 717 can have a variety of configurations.
  • the inner burr 715 is a frustoconical burr and the outer burr 717 is a ring burr that surrounds the inner burr 715.
  • a shaft 713 is arranged in an interior region of the grinder 708 along a longitudinal axis of the inner burr 715.
  • the shaft 713 includes an upper portion 713a that is inserted in a cavity 715a of the inner burr 715.
  • the shaft 713 operably couples the inner burr 715 to a grinder motor 709.
  • the shaft 713 is connected to the motor 709 by a gear train 711a, 711b, 711c, as shown in FIG. 7D.
  • a first gear 711a of the gear train is arranged to contact a shaft 709a of the motor 709.
  • a second gear 711b of the gear train is disposed in an axial bore of the first gear 711a.
  • a third gear 711c of the gear train is adjacent to the second gear 711b.
  • the shaft 713 extends through an axial bore of the third gear 711c.
  • the motion of the motor shaft 709a causes the first gear 711a to rotate.
  • Rotation of the first gear 711a induces rotation in the second gear 711b which, in turn, induces rotation in the third gear 711c, thereby driving rotation of the shaft 713.
  • the rotation of the shaft 713 causes the inner burr 715 to rotate relative to the outer burr 717 rotation of the inner burr 715 about a longitudinal axis of the inner burr 715. This relative motion results in the grinding of coffee beans contained in the space defined between the inner burr 715 and the outer burr 717.
  • the grinder motor 709 is operatively coupled to the controller of the beverage machine 200.
  • the controller is configured to start the motor 482 that rotates the electro-mechanical rotor 406 in the hopper 202 to initiate dispensing of coffee beans from the hopper 202 into the chamber 708a.
  • the controller is configured to start the grinder motor 709 to commence grinding of the coffee beans that have been delivered into the chamber 708a.
  • the amount of time between the starting of the rotor motor 482 and the starting of the grinder motor 709 can be, for example, less than about 1 second, between about 1 and about 10 seconds, or greater than about 10 seconds.
  • the controller is configured to monitor the change in the weight of the hopper container 202a using information received from the load cell 474 as coffee beans are dispensed from the hopper 202 and thus also as the coffee beans are ground by the grinder 708.
  • the controller In response to the controller detecting that the weight of hopper container 202a has changed by a predetermined amount, the controller is configured to stop motor 482 to halt the dispensing of coffee beans.
  • the controller is configured to allow the grinder motor 709 to continue running for a predetermined duration after rotor motor 482 is halted to ensure that all of the beans delivered to grinder 708 are ground and that no unground beans are retained in grinder 708. In various implementations, this predetermined duration is between 1 second and 15 seconds, for example about 2 seconds, 3 seconds, 4 seconds, 5 seconds, 6 seconds, 7 seconds, 8 seconds, 9 seconds, or 10 seconds.
  • the burrs 715, 717 are arranged in a carriage 727 that, in turn, is arranged in an axial bore of a fourth gear 723b.
  • the fourth gear 723b is a component of a second gear train 723a, 723b that operatively couples the carriage 727 to an adjustment motor 725.
  • carriage 727 includes one or more pins 727a that extend radially outward from an external surface thereof and the fourth gear 723b includes one or more tracks 729 formed in an inner surface thereof.
  • Each track 729 in the inner surface of the fourth gear 723b is helical, although each track 729 does not necessarily extend completely around an entire circumference of the inner surface of the fourth gear 723b.
  • Each pin 727a of the carriage 727 is slidably seated in a track 729 of the fourth gear 723b.
  • the adjustment motor 725 is configured to rotate a fifth gear 723a of the second gear train.
  • the fifth gear 723a is engaged with the fourth gear 723b so that rotation of the fifth gear 723a induces rotation of the fourth gear 723b.
  • the rotation of the fourth gear 723b is in a horizontal plane.
  • the fourth gear 723b does not move upward or downward during its rotation.
  • the rotation of the fourth gear 723b causes the pins 727a of the carriage 727 to slide within tracks 729 of the fourth gear 723b. Due to the helical nature of the tracks 729, the sliding of the pins 727a in the tracks 729 causes the carriage 727 to either move vertically upward or downward, depending on the direction in which the fifth gear 723b is rotated.
  • the movement of the carriage 727 moves the outer burr 717 vertically upward or downward relative to the inner burr 715.
  • a diameter of the inner burr 715 decreases in an upward direction due to the frustoconical shape of the inner burr 715. Moving the outer burr 717 therefore allows the grind size of the grinder 708 to be adjusted.
  • the higher vertically that the outer burr 717 is located relative to the inner burr 715 the coarser the grinder 708 will grind the beans using the outer and inner burrs 717, 715.
  • the lower vertically that the outer burr 717 is located relative to the inner burr 715 the finer the grinder 708 will grind the beans using the outer and inner burrs 717, 715.
  • An uppermost position of the inner burr 715 corresponds to the coarsest grind
  • a lowermost position of the inner burr 715 corresponds to the finest grind.
  • the motor 725 is operatively coupled to the controller of the beverage machine 200. As explained in further detail below, the controller is configured to operate the motor 725 to adjust the grind size of the grinder 708 based on information including order information received from the user via the user interface 236.
  • the adjustment of the grind size of the grinder 708 is automatic and driven by an electric motor.
  • the grind size of grinder 708 is manually adjustable by a user.
  • Various techniques for adjusting the grind size of coffee grinders are described further, for example, in U.S. Patent Application No. 18/651, 926 entitled “Suggesting Coffee Bean Grind Size for Beverage Machines” filed on May 1, 2024, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
  • the adjustment motor 725 can be a servo motor having an encoder that is configured to detect the angular displacement of the motor 725.
  • the encoder can transmit encoding values representing angular displacement measurements to a control unit of the motor 725.
  • the control unit of the motor 725 can be configured to adjust the displacement of the motor 725 based on the displacement data.
  • the controller of the beverage machine 200 can store a mapping between each grind size setting of the grinder 708 and a range of encoder values of the encoder.
  • the controller can be communicatively coupled to the motor 725.
  • the controller can identify the range of encoder values of the encoder that correspond to the determined grind size setting and can transmit the identified range of encoder values to the control unit of the motor 725.
  • the control unit of the motor 725 can be configured to adjust the angular displacement of the motor 725 based upon the identified range of encoder values. As the angular displacement of the motor 725 changes, the grind size setting of the grinder 708 also changes due to the operative coupling between the motor 725 and the grinder 108.
  • the motor 725 can be configured to rotate at full duty until the encoder communicates encoder values within the identified range of encoder values that correspond to the determined grind size setting, at which point the motor 725 can be commanded to stop.
  • a chute 708b extends from an interior of the grinder 708 to an outlet 721.
  • the chute 708b is configured to deliver ground coffee from the chamber 708a to the outlet 721.
  • the outlet 721 is also connected to the bypass chute 712.
  • the bypass chute 712 allows a user to bypass the grinder 708 by manually delivering ground coffee to the bypass chute 712.
  • An access port 248 formed in the top portion 200a of the beverage machine 200 allows users to access the bypass chute 712 (see FIG. 2) .
  • a scoop for measuring and delivering ground coffee can be provided with the beverage machine 200.
  • a scoop (not shown) is housed in the beverage machine 200 directly beneath the access port 248.
  • brew basket 810 housed within the housing 252 of the beverage machine 200 is a brew basket (or brew chamber) 810, shown in FIGS. 8A-8H.
  • the brew basket 810 in this illustrated implementation is a generally cylindrical container with an open upper end.
  • a brew basket frame 810a with a rectangular outer edge and a circular inner edge is arranged above the open upper end of the brew basket 810.
  • An inclined surface extends downward from an edge of the brew basket frame 810a at an angle with an exterior side surface of the brew basket 810.
  • a bottom surface 810c of the brew basket 810 includes a central through-hole 810d.
  • a plunger 841 (FIG. 8C) is arranged in the brew basket 810.
  • the plunger 841 includes a disk 841a and a shaft 841b that extends from an underside of the disk 841a.
  • the disk 841a is contained in an interior region of the brew basket 810 and has substantially the same radius as the brew basket 810.
  • the shaft 841b extends through through-hole 810d to an exterior region of the brew basket 810.
  • a water inlet 833 is arranged adjacent to the brew basket 810 (FIGS. 8A, 8B) .
  • the water inlet 833 is fluidically coupled to a channel 810e that runs beneath and parallel to bottom surface 810c of the brew basket 810 (FIG. 8E) .
  • a second channel 810f extends from an interior region of the brew basket 810, through the bottom surface 810c, and into the channel 810e.
  • Water that enters the water inlet 833 e.g., water delivered from the water receptacle 214 of the beverage machine 200
  • the disk 841a includes a plurality of through-holes 841c configured to allow water to pass upward through the disk 841.
  • the brew basket 810 is arranged between a pair of parallel walls 837a, 837b.
  • a first track 837c and a second track 837d are formed in an inner surface of the first wall 837a (FIG. 8G) .
  • a first track 837e and a second track 837f are formed in an inner surface of the second wall 837b (FIG. 8H) .
  • the first and second tracks 837c, 837e are linear and extend upwards from the lower regions of the walls 837a, 837b at an angle with the bottom edges of the walls 837a, 837b.
  • the tracks 837d, 837f are curved and extend laterally from the tracks 837c, 837e toward the medial regions of the walls 837a, 837b.
  • An upper pin 810g and a lower pin 810h extends from each side of the outer surface of the brew basket 810 (FIG. 8F) .
  • the pins 810g, 810h are arranged in a line that runs parallel to a longitudinal axis of the brew basket 810 and are slidably seated in the tracks 837c-837f formed in the walls 837a, 837b.
  • a jointed arm 873 is arranged beneath the brew basket 810.
  • the arm 841 is configured to extend and unfold at one or more joints. Movement of the arm 873 causes the pins 810g, 810h to slide within the tracks 837c-837f in the walls 837a, 837b and, as a result, adjusts the position of the brew basket 810 relative to the walls 837a, 837b. Sliding of the upper pins 810g within the curved tracks 837d, 837f causes the brew basket 810 to pivot along a path parallel to the curved tracks 837d, 837f. Sliding of the pins 810g, 810h within the linear tracks 837c, 837e causes the brew basket 810 to move linearly in a direction parallel to the tracks 837c, 837e.
  • a brew basket motor 831 arranged adjacent to the first wall 837a (FIG. 8A) is configured to drive the motion of the arm 873.
  • the brew basket motor 831 is operatively coupled to the arm 873 by a shaft 843 (FIG. 8A) arranged in a cavity 873a that extends laterally from the arm 873.
  • Motion is transmitted from the brew basket motor 831 to the arm 841 by a third gear train 835a, 835b, 835c.
  • a first gear 835a of the third gear train engages with a geared shaft 831a of the motor 831.
  • a second gear 835b of the third gear train protrudes axially from the center of the first gear 835a of the third gear train and rotates as the first gear 835a of the third gear train rotates.
  • a third gear 835c of the third gear train engages with second gear 835b of the third gear train.
  • the shaft 843 extends through an axial bore of the third gear 835c of the third gear train and is rotated about its longitudinal axis by the third gear 835c of the third gear train.
  • the shaft 843 engages with teeth that protrude from an inner wall of the cavity 873a (FIG. 8E) to move the arm 873.
  • the arm 873 is caused to either fold or unfold depending on the direction of rotation of the shaft 843.
  • the brew basket motor 831 is operatively coupled to the controller of the beverage machine 200. As explained further herein, the controller is configured to control the brew basket motor 831 to adjust the position of the brew basket 810 during the brewing process.
  • the brew basket frame 810a is arranged above the open upper end of the brew basket 810.
  • the brew basket frame 810 is not attached to the brew basket 810 and does not move with the brew basket 810.
  • the open upper end of the brew basket 810 slides beneath the brew basket frame 810.
  • the outer sidewalls of the brew basket 810 can include one or more recesses 810i.
  • the recesses 810i can be configured to receive spring-loaded clamps of a tamper of the beverage machine 200 when the position of the brew basket 810 is adjusted to align with the tamper.
  • a tamper 920 housed within the housing 252 of the beverage machine 200 .
  • the tamper 920 in this illustrated implementation is an elongate cylinder with a threaded external surface 920a.
  • the tamper 920 extends through a bore in a housing 949.
  • a fourth gear train 947a, 947b, 947c that operatively couples tamper 920 to a motor (not shown in FIGS. 9A-9D) .
  • a first gear 947a of the fourth gear train is arranged to be rotated by a shaft of the motor.
  • a second gear 947b of the fourth gear train engages with the first gear 947a of the fourth gear train and is rotated by the first gear 947a of the fourth gear train.
  • a third gear 947c of the fourth gear train engages with the second gear 947b of the fourth gear train and is rotated by the second gear 947b of the fourth gear train.
  • the tamper 920 extends through an axial bore of the third gear 947c of the fourth gear train.
  • An interior surface of the axial bore of the third gear 947c of the fourth gear train is threaded.
  • the thread formed in the axial bore of the third gear 947c of the fourth gear train engage with the thread formed on the external surface 920a of the tamper 920 such that, when the third gear 947c of the fourth gear train rotates relative to the tamper 920, the tamper 920 moves longitudinally.
  • the tamper 920 either pushes out of the housing 949 or retracts into housing 949 depending on the direction of rotation of the third gear 947c of the fourth gear train.
  • the tamper motor configured to drive tamper 920 is operatively coupled to the controller of the beverage machine 200. As explained further herein, the controller is configured to operate the tamper motor to adjust the position of the tamper 920 during a brewing process.
  • a pair of spring-loaded clamps 945a, 945b can extend from bottom edges of the housing 949 (FIGS. 9A-9B) .
  • Each clamp can be configured to engage with one of the recesses 810i in the outer sidewall of the brew basket 810 (see FIG. 8F) .
  • one end of each of the clamps 945a, 945b can be coupled to the tamper 920.
  • Extension and retraction of the tamper 920 can cause the clamps 945a, 945b to move between a first position, in which the clamps 945a, 945b are configured to engage the recesses 810i to constrain the tamper 920 relative to the brew basket, and a second position, in which the clamps 945a, 945b are configured to disengage from the recesses 810i.
  • the brew basket 810 can include at least one, at least two, at least three, at least four, or at least five recesses 810i
  • the tamper 920 can include at least one, at least two, at least three, at least four, or at least five clamps for engaging with the recesses 810i.
  • the tamper 920 includes a bottom surface 920b in which a plurality of through-holes are formed.
  • the bottom surface 920b is circular in shape and has substantially the same radius as the brew basket 820.
  • Extending longitudinally from the bottom surface 920b along the length of the tamper 920 is a fluid channel 920c.
  • the fluid channel 920c is fluidically coupled to the beverage outlet 224 of the beverage machine 200 at an upper end. Fluid that passes through the through-holes in the bottom surface 920b is configured to be drawn into the fluid channel 920c and delivered to the outlet 224.
  • the hopper 202, the grinder 708, and the bypass chute 712 are arranged near to the rear portion 200d of the beverage machine 200 and the tamper 920 is arranged near the front portion 200c of the beverage machine 200.
  • the brew basket 810 is arranged below and between the hopper 202, the grinder 708, and the bypass chute 712 and the tamper 920.
  • the brew basket 810 together with the tamper 920, form a brewer that is configured to produce a brewed beverage (e.g., a coffee beverage) from water from the water reservoir 214 and ground coffee received from either the grinder 708 or the bypass chute 712.
  • a brewed beverage e.g., a coffee beverage
  • the controller is configured to cause the brew basket 810 to move relative to the hopper 202, the grinder 708, and the bypass chute 712 and the tamper 920 to facilitate different stages of the brewing process.
  • the brew basket 810 is arranged to receive ground coffee that is delivered from either the grinder 708 or the bypass chute 712 through the outlet 721.
  • the open upper end of the brew basket 810 is aligned with the outlet 721 so that the ground coffee falls from the outlet 721 into an interior region of the brew basket 810.
  • the plunger 841 is arranged adjacent to the bottom surface of the brew basket 810.
  • the tamper 920 is in a retracted configuration.
  • the controller of the beverage machine 200 has caused the brew basket 810 to pivot and be pushed diagonally upward such that the open upper end thereof is aligned with the tamper 920.
  • the brew basket 810 is arranged to receive water through the channel 810f in the bottom surface thereof. Water received by the brew basket 810 mixes with ground coffee delivered to the brew basket 810 through the outlet 721.
  • the controller of the beverage machine 200 is configured to extend the tamper 920 relative to the brew basket 810 such that it passes through the open upper end of the brew basket 810 and into the interior region of brew basket 810 (FIG. 10C) .
  • the controller of the beverage machine 200 is configured to extend the tamper 920 relative to the brew basket 810 such that it passes through the open upper end of the brew basket 810 and into the interior region of brew basket 810 (FIG. 10C) .
  • pressure is generated in the interior region of the brew basket 810.
  • the pressure generated by the tamper 920 in the brew basket 810 is configured to extract coffee from the mixture of coffee grounds and water contained in the brew basket 810.
  • the controller of the beverage machine 200 has caused the tamper 920 to move relative to the brew basket 810 to retract from the brew basket 810.
  • negative pressure is generated in the interior region of the brew basket 810, causing fluid (e.g., coffee) contained in the brew basket 810 to be drawn through the bottom surface 920b of the tamper 920 and into the fluid channel 920c within the tamper 920.
  • the controller of the beverage machine 200 has cause the brew basket 810 to begin pivoting away from the tamper 920, and the plunger 841 has pressed upward through the brew basket 810.
  • the plunger 841 is mechanically driven by the pivoting of the brew basket 810 back to its starting position beneath the outlet 721 (FIG. 10A) .
  • the motion of the plunger 841 is configured to force used coffee grounds that remain in the brew basket 810 after the tamper 920 retracts toward the open upper end of the brew basket 810.
  • the controller of the beverage machine 200 has caused the brew basket 810 to pivot beneath the frame 810a.
  • the brew basket 810 moves beneath the frame 810a, an edge of the frame 810a scrapes over the open upper end of the brew basket 810 across an upper surface of the plunger 841.
  • the scraping of the frame 810 across the plunger 841 is configured to push used coffee grounds ejected from the brew basket 810 by the plunger 841 toward the inclined surface 810b.
  • the inclined surface 810b is in turn configured to cause used coffee grounds to slide into the container 370 in the base 254 of the beverage machine 200 (see FIGS. 3A-3B) .
  • FIGS. 11A-11D illustrate another example beverage machine implementation 1100.
  • FIGS. 12A-20D illustrate various components of the beverage machine 1100.
  • the beverage machine 1100 is generally configured and used similarly to the beverage machine 100A of FIG. 1A and the beverage machine 200 of FIG. 2 and includes components like those discussed above.
  • reference numerals like those in FIGS. 2-10F indicate like features between the beverage machine 1100 and the beverage machine 200. Like features will not all be described again in detail.
  • the beverage machine 1100 includes a top portion 1100a, a bottom portion 1100b, a front portion 1100c, a rear portion 1100d, and a pair of opposed side portions 1100e, 1100f.
  • the beverage machine 1100 is generally box-shaped, though it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other geometric configurations are possible.
  • the beverage machine 1100 includes a housing 1152 configured to house internal components of the beverage machine 1100 and to support external components of the beverage machine 1100.
  • the housing 1152 includes a base 1154 that defines the bottom portion 1100b of the beverage machine 1100 and is configured to be positioned on a support surface such as a countertop or a table.
  • a pair of water/beverage outlets 1124 extend from an interior volume defined by the housing 1152 to a region exterior to the housing 1152 on a front portion 1100c of the beverage machine 1100.
  • a user interface 1136 can be connected to the front portion 1100c of the beverage machine 1100.
  • the base 1154 includes a region that protrudes from the front side 1100c of the beverage machine 1100 to form a drip tray. Disposed over an upper portion of the drip tray region is a removable plate 1156 that includes a plurality of through-slots 1156a (FIG. 11C) .
  • the removable plate 1156 is configured to support a user’s beverage container above the drip tray region and beneath the outlets 1124.
  • the plurality of through-slots 1156a are configured to allow fluid waste to flow into the drip tray region.
  • a pair of support surfaces 1150a, 1150b are attached to the front portion 1100c beneath the outlets 1124.
  • Each support surfaces 1150a, 1150b are movable, e.g., foldable, between a first position, in which the support surface extends distally outward from the housing 1152, and a second position, in which the support surface is flush against the housing 1152.
  • the support surfaces 1150a, 1150b are configured to be moved to the first position to support a beverage container beneath the outlets 1124 and above the drip tray region and to be moved to the second position to provide space for larger beverage containers to be supported on the cover plate 1156.
  • the support surfaces 1150a, 1150b can each include a plurality of through-slots 1150c configured to allow fluid waste to flow into the drip tray region.
  • the side portion 1100e of the housing 1152 can define a recess that is configured to receive a removable water reservoir 1114.
  • a lower surface of the recess can include a water inlet 1162 that is configured to fluidically couple to a water outlet of the water reservoir 1114 when the reservoir 1114 is inserted into the recess.
  • the side portion 1100f of the housing 1152 can include an access door 1152a (FIG. 11B) .
  • the access door 1152a can be configured to provide access to the interior components of the beverage machine 1100, e.g., to enable interior components of the beverage machine 1100 to be removed and/or cleaned.
  • the front portion 1100c of the base 1154 can include a milk frothing platform 1167 (FIG. 11D) .
  • the milk frothing platform 1167 can be configured to support a milk jug 1161 that is configured to contain milk (or a milk replacement product) therein.
  • a steam wand 1171 can be arranged above the milk frothing platform 1167. The steam wand 1171 can be configured to produce and direct steam into the milk jug 1161 when the milk jug 1161 is placed on the milk frothing platform 1167.
  • the milk jug 1161 is illustrated as a standalone element in FIG. 12A.
  • FIG. 12B provide cross-sectional views of the milk jug 1161 and the milk frothing platform 1167.
  • the milk jug 1161 can include a bottom surface 1161a, a main body 1161b, and a handle 1161c.
  • the bottom surface 1161a and the main body 1161b of the milk jug 1161 can together define a cavity that is configured to hold milk therein and can include a spout portion 232d configured to facilitate pouring contents out of the cavity.
  • An exterior of the main body 1161b can include fill lines 1161e, 1161f, 1161g that are configured to indicate milk fill levels for different types of beverages.
  • the fill lines 1161e, 1161f, 1161g may also be visible in an interior of the milk jug 1161, e.g., within the cavity defined by the main body 1161b.
  • the fill lines 1161e, 1161f, 1161g are each an indented ring extending around a circumference of the main body 1161b.
  • the fill lines can have other configurations, e.g., printed lines on the milk jug 1161, lines embossed in the milk jug 1161, etc.
  • a mechanical whisk 1263 can be arranged inside of the cavity defined by the main body 1161b on the bottom surface 1161a.
  • the mechanical whisk 1263 can be configured to rotate within the cavity of the milk jug 1161 to aerate milk contained in the milk jug 1161.
  • the whisk 1263 includes an agitator 1263a that surrounds an outer edge of a rotatable whisk driver base 1263b that is configured to rotate about a central post 1263d.
  • the whisk driver base 1263b can contain one or more magnets 1263c that are arranged circumferentially around the central post 1263d.
  • the magnets 1263c can magnetically couple to one or more magnets 1265a contained in an interior region of the platform 1167 (FIG. 12B) .
  • the magnets 1265a can be connected to a rotatable platform 1265b that is configured to be rotated by a motor 1265c. Rotation of the platform 1265b by the motor 1265c can cause the magnets 1263c in the whisk 1263 to rotate due to the magnetic coupling between the magnets 1263c in the whisk 1263 and the magnets 1265a in the frothing platform 1167.
  • the motor 1265c can be operatively coupled to the controller of the beverage machine 1100.
  • the user interface 1136 can be configured to enable a user to operate the motor 1265c to whisk milk that is contained in the milk jug 1161.
  • FIG. 13 A cross-sectional view of the steam wand 1171 is provided in FIG. 13.
  • the steam wand 1171 can include a first end 1171a that includes a plurality of steam outlets 1171b.
  • the steam outlets 1171b can be arranged peripherally about a center point of the first end 1171a.
  • a steam tube 1171f can extend through at least a portion of the interior region of the steam wand 1171. Steam emitted by the beverage machine 1100 through the steam tube 1171f can be directed out of the steam wand 1171 through the steam outlets 1171b.
  • the steam wand can contain a temperature sensor 1171c (e.g., an NTC thermistor) configured to detect the temperature of milk contained in the milk jug 1161 as the milk is being steamed.
  • the temperature sensor 1171c can be arranged inside a series of caps 1171d, 1171e that isolate the temperature sensor 1171c from the steam tube 1171f.
  • the temperature sensor 1171c can extend through a temperature sensor outlet 1171h in the end portion 1171a of the steam wand 1171.
  • the temperature sensor 1171c can be coupled to the controller of the beverage machine 1100 by a wired connection 1171g.
  • the beverage machine 1100 can further include a hopper 1102.
  • the hopper 1102 can be removable and can be received in a top portion 1100a of the beverage machine 1100.
  • the hopper 1102 can be configured to contain coffee beans.
  • the top portion 1100a of the beverage machine 1100 can also include an access port 1148.
  • the beverage machine 1100 can include a grinder 1408 and a bypass chute 1412, as shown in FIGS. 14A-14B.
  • a grinder 1408 When the hopper 1102 is connected to the beverage machine 1100 (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 11A-11C) , the hopper 1102 can be arranged above the grinder 1408.
  • the bypass chute 1412 extend outward from the grinder 1408 such that it is arranged beneath the access port 1148.
  • FIGS. 15A-15G show various components of the hopper 1102 of the beverage machine 1100.
  • the hopper 1102 can include a container portion 1102a that is configured to receive and contain coffee beans.
  • the container portion 1102a can include a through-hole 1102b.
  • a knob 1102c (FIG. 15D) can be arranged in the through-hole 1102b.
  • the knob 1102c can be mechanically coupled to a cam 1102e (FIG. 15E) .
  • the cam 1102e can be mechanically coupled to one or more pins 1102d.
  • the knob 1102c, cam 1102e, and pins 1102d can together form a locking mechanism for retaining the hopper 1102 to the beverage machine 1100.
  • the pins 1102d can engage with the cam 1102e to fasten the hopper 1102 to the beverage machine 1100. Twisting the knob 1102c can rotate the cam 1102e, causing the pins 1102d to disengage from the cam 1102e, thereby releasing the hopper 1102 from the beverage machine 1100 and enabling the hopper 1102 to be removed from the beverage machine 1100.
  • the bottom of the container portion 1102a can include an opening 1577.
  • An electromechanical rotor 1506 can be arranged in the opening.
  • the rotor 1506 can be configured to dispense coffee beans from the container portion 1102a of the hopper 1102.
  • the rotor 1506 can include a central hub 1506a (FIG. 15F) and peripheral paddle portion 1506b (FIG. 15G) .
  • the central hub 1506a can include a plurality of slots 1506c that correspond to a plurality of paddles 1581 of the peripheral paddle portion 1506b.
  • the central hub 1506a be disposed atop the peripheral paddle portion 1506b such that the paddles 1581 extend through the slots 1506c.
  • FIGS. 16A-16E show various views of the grinder 1408 and the bypass chute 1412 of the beverage machine 1100.
  • the grinder 1408 can include a chamber 1408a configured to receive coffee beans that are dispensed from the hopper 1102.
  • the chamber 1408a can contain a pair of burrs 1615, 1617.
  • the inner burr 1615 can be mechanically coupled to a shaft 1613 which, in turn, is connected to a motor 1409 by a gear train 1611.
  • the controller of the beverage machine 1100 can be configured to operate the motor 1409 to rotate the inner burr 1615 relative to the outer burr 1617 to grind coffee beans received in the chamber 1408.
  • a seal 1619 can be connected to an upper edge of the chamber 1408.
  • the seal 1619 can include a plurality of bristle strips.
  • the bristle strips can provide a low-friction, compliant seal that enables the seal 1619 to move relative to other components while preventing debris from entering unwanted areas of the coffee machine.
  • the bristles that make up the seal 1619 can include conductive fibers (e.g., carbon fibers) that reduce static buildup in the seal 1619.
  • the grinder 1408 can have a plurality of grind size settings.
  • the grind size setting can be automatically adjusted by an adjustment motor (e.g., an adjustment motor similar to the adjustment motor 725 of the grinder 708 shown in FIG. 7A) that is configured to adjust the size of a gap between the burrs 1615, 1617.
  • an adjustment motor e.g., an adjustment motor similar to the adjustment motor 725 of the grinder 708 shown in FIG. 7A
  • Ground coffee produced by the grinder 1408 can be output through an outlet chute 1408b that extends from an interior of the grinder 1408 to an outlet 1421.
  • the outlet 1421 is also connected to the bypass chute 1412.
  • the beverage machine 1100 can include a screen or sieve 1421a that is arranged in the outlet 1421 and configured to sift coffee grounds that are passing through the outlet 1421. Additionally, or alternatively, the beverage machine 1100 can include an auger 1421b that is arranged above the outlet 1421 and configured to be driven by a motor.
  • the sieve 1421a and the auger 1421b can prevent the formation of clumps in the coffee grounds that are passing through the outlet 1421 and can ensure the grounds are dispensed uniformly from the outlet 1421.
  • the auger 1421b can be configured to be automatically operated whenever the grinder 1408 is running or whenever the access port 1148 is open.
  • the beverage machine 1100 can further include a brew basket 1710.
  • the outlet 1421 can be arranged above a brew basket 1710 of the beverage machine 1100.
  • the beverage machine 1100 can also include a tamper 1820, as shown in FIG. 18.
  • the brew basket 1710 and the tamper 1820 can together form a brewer for the beverage machine 1100 that is configured to use ground coffee provided to the brew basket 1710 through the outlet 1421 to brew a coffee beverage.
  • the sieve 1421a and the auger 1421b can provide uniformly distributed coffee grounds to the brew basket, e.g., such that coffee grounds received by the brew basket 1710 form a cylinder with a substantially flat upper surface.
  • the brew basket 1710 and the tamper 1820 can, respectively, be substantially similar to the brew basket 810 and the tamper 920 of the beverage machine 200 described above.
  • the controller of the beverage machine 1100 can be configured to adjust the positions of the brew basket 1710 and the tamper 1820 to facilitate various portions of the brewing process.
  • FIGS. 19A-19C show various components of the brew basket 1710.
  • the brew basket 1710 can include a frame 1710a and a bottom surface 1710c with a central through-hole.
  • a channel 1710f can be formed in the bottom surface 1710c.
  • the channel 1710f can be fluidically coupled to a channel 1710e which, in turn, is fluidically coupled (e.g., by one or more tubes) to the water reservoir 1114 of the beverage machine 1100. Water can be transported into the interior region of the brew basket 1710 through the channels 1710e, 1710f in the bottom surface 1710c.
  • the channel 1710f can include a slanted surface to facilitate efficient water flow.
  • the bottom surface 1710c can include reinforcements or reinforcement features (e.g., regions of increased thickness) . These reinforcements or reinforcement features can allow pressures inside the brew basket 1710 to be increased to levels necessary to brew espresso beverages. Additionally, these reinforcements or reinforcement features can allow water to be flushed at pressures higher than used for brewing through the bottom surface 1710c to remove debris from the brewing chamber 1710.
  • reinforcements or reinforcement features e.g., regions of increased thickness
  • a plunger 1741 that includes a disk 1741a and a shaft 1741b can be inserted through the central through-hole in the bottom surface 1710c.
  • the disk 1741a can be configured to contain coffee grounds in the brew basket 1710.
  • a sealing ring 1741d can be disposed on a lower outer edge of the disk 1741a to at least partially seal the brew chamber 1710 to mitigate or prevent leaks of coffee grounds and other debris from the brew chamber 1710.
  • the ring 1741d can be arranged beneath the upper surface of the disk 1741a and can extend around a circumference of the disk 1741a.
  • the plunger 1741 can be configured to be moved upward through the interior region of the brew basket 1710 to eject a coffee ground puck.
  • the brew basket 1710 including the plunger 1741, can be coupled to a jointed arm 1773 that is configured to drive movement of the brew basket 1710 and the plunger 1741 between a plurality of positions during the brewing process.
  • one or more portions of the brew basket 1710 can be reinforced relative to other portions of the brew basket 1710 to allow pressures inside the brew basket 1710 to be increased to levels necessary to brew espresso beverages.
  • one or more portions of the brew basket 1710 can have a greater thickness than other portions of the brew basket 1710 to reinforce the brew basket 1710.
  • the brew basket 1710 can have a reinforced (e.g., thicker) water channels 1710e, 1710f, a reinforced (e.g., thicker) bottom surface 1710c, and/or a reinforced frame 1710a.
  • FIGS. 20A-20D show various views of the tamper 1820 of the beverage machine 1100.
  • the tamper 1820 can extend through a housing 2049 and can include a threaded external surface 1820a and a bottom surface 1820b.
  • a fluid channel 1820c can extend longitudinally from the bottom surface 1820b within an interior region of the tamper 1820.
  • the fluid channel 1820c can be fluidically coupled to the beverage outlets 1124 of the beverage machine 1100.
  • a seal 1720g can encircle a lower portion of the tamper 1820 adjacent to the bottom surface 1820b.
  • a sensor 1820e Contained within the tamper 1820 can be a sensor 1820e that is configured to detect contact between the bottom surface 1820b of the tamper 1820 and a coffee puck contained in the brew basket 1710.
  • the sensor 1820e is configured to be activated when at least a threshold amount of force (e.g., at least 10 kgf or another amount of force) is exerted on the bottom surface 1820b of the tamper 1820.
  • the threshold amount of force can be a lower limit on an amount of force required to sufficiently tamp coffee in the brew chamber 1710 to ensure production of a quality beverage.
  • the sensor 1820e and the fluid channel 1820c can be fluidically isolated by a wall 1820d.
  • the tamper 1820 can be mechanically coupled to a motor by a gear train 2047.
  • a pair of clamps 2045a, 2045b can be coupled to the housing 2049.
  • the clamps 2045a, 2045b can be configured to move between a first position, in which the clamps 2045a, 2045b engage with an outer surface of the brew basket 1710 to constrain the tamper 1820 relative to the brew basket 1710, and a second position, in which the clamps 2045a, 2045b disengage from the outer surface of the brew basket 1710.
  • the movement of the clamps 2045a, 2045b can be controlled by or can occur in response to movement of the tamper 1820.
  • advancement of the tamper 1820 into the brew basket 1710 can be configured to cause dynamic movement of the clamps 2045a, 2045b into corresponding recesses in an outer surface of the brew basket 1710, and retraction of the tamper 1820 away from the brew basket 1710 can be configured to cause dynamic disengagement of the clamps 2045a, 2045b from the brew basket 1710.
  • the clamps 2045a, 2045b can be pivotally connected to the tamper 1820.
  • FIG. 21 provides a schematic of a beverage brewing cycle in another implementation of a beverage machine. Specifically, FIG. 21 shows the relative positions of a coffee ground outlet 2121, a brew chamber 2110, a plunger 2141 of the brew chamber 2110 and a tamper 2120 of a beverage machine during various portions of a brewing cycle.
  • the coffee ground outlet 2121 can include features of the coffee ground outlet 721 of the beverage machine 200 (see, e.g., FIGS. 7A-7B) and/or the coffee ground outlet 1421 of the beverage machine 1100 (see, e.g., FIGS. 16B-16D) .
  • the brew chamber 2110 can include features of the brew chamber 810 of the beverage machine 200 (see, e.g., FIGS. 8A-8H) and/or the brew chamber 1710 of the beverage machine 1100 (see, e.g., FIGS. 19A-19C) .
  • the plunger 2141 can include features of plunger 841 of the beverage machine 200 (see, e.g., FIG. 8C) and/or the plunger 1741 of the beverage machine 1100 (see, e.g., FIG. 19C) .
  • the tamper 2120 can include features of the tamper 920 of the beverage machine 200 (see, e.g., FIGS. 9A-9D) and/or the tamper 1820 of the beverage machine 1100 (see, e.g., FIGS. 20A-20D) .
  • FIGS. 22A-22B Components of another implementation of a beverage machine 2200 are shown in FIGS. 22A-22B.
  • the beverage machine 2200 is substantially similar to the beverage machine 1100 described with respect to FIGS. 11A-20D and the beverage machine 200 described with respect to FIGS. 2-10F.
  • FIGS. 22A-22B reference numerals like those in FIGS. 2-10F or like those in FIGS. 11A-11D indicate like features. Like features will not all be described again in detail.
  • FIG. 22A shows a cross-sectional perspective view of a hopper 2202, a grinder 2208, and a hopper weighing device 2274 of the beverage machine 2200.
  • the weighing device 2274 can be any suitable device configured to bear the entire weight of the hopper 2202, including the weight of any coffee beans contained in the hopper 2202, when the hopper 2202 is connected to the beverage machine 2200.
  • the weighing device 2274 is a load cell.
  • the weighing device 2274 can be mounted on a preloaded spring 2274a.
  • the weighing device 2274 can include a protrusion 2274b that extends through a slot 2274c.
  • the preloaded force on the spring 2274a can correspond to an upper limit on an amount of force that can be applied to the weighing device 2274 by the hopper 2202 without overloading (and potentially damaging) the weighing device 2274. If the force applied by the hopper 2202 is less than the preloaded force on the spring 2274a, the spring 2274a does not compress further than its preloaded compression amount, and therefore supports the weighing device 2274 such that the protrusion 2274b extends above, but not in contact with, a bottom surface 2274d of the slot 2274c.
  • the spring 2274a compresses past its preloaded compression amount, causing the weighing device 2274 to move downward so that the protrusion 2274b contacts the bottom surface 2274d of the slot 2274c.
  • the bottom surface 2274d of the slot 2274c functions as a dead stop to prevent additional overloading of the weighing device 2274.
  • FIG. 22B shows a cross-sectional view of the interface between the hopper 2202 and the grinder 2208 of the beverage machine 2200.
  • the hopper 2202 is arranged above a chamber 2208a of the grinder 2208 such that coffee beans dispensed from the hopper 2202 are delivered to the chamber 2208 of the grinder 2208 for grinding.
  • a roller seal 2219 can be disposed on an upper edge of the chamber 2208a adjacent to the hopper 2202. The roller seal 2219 can prevent debris from entering unwanted areas of the machine 2200.
  • a tamping assembly 7 is provided inside a housing of a brewer and performs reciprocating rotation in a particular direction by means of a first motor on a side of an outside diameter of the housing.
  • a brewing chamber plunger 703 reciprocating up and down is provided in a brewing chamber inside the main body 701 of the tamping assembly.
  • a top chamber opening of the brewing chamber of the tamping assembly 7 When a top chamber opening of the brewing chamber of the tamping assembly 7 is rotated to a vertical powder-receiving port on one side of the top portion of the housing, coffee powder falls into the brewing chamber of the tamping assembly 7.
  • the top chamber opening of the brewing chamber of the tamping assembly 7 is rotated to the oblique hydraulic assembly 4 on the other side of the top portion of the housing, coffee powder inside the brewing chamber of the tamping assembly 7 is compressed into a coffee ground puck inside the brewing chamber by being pushed by a hydraulic assembly 4 while hot water from a boiler flows through the brewing chamber of the tamping assembly 7 into the tamping assembly 7 and is then discharged.
  • a waste disposal hole is provided on one side of the housing below the hydraulic assembly 4.
  • the hydraulic assembly 4 leaves the brewing chamber of the tamping assembly 7 and is reset inside the brewing chamber by a plunger spring 704, and the coffee ground puck is pushed by the brewing chamber plunger and discharged from a waste disposal hole.
  • the hydraulic assembly 4 is fixedly arranged in a screw 2. Male threads on the outside diameter of the screw 2 mesh with female threads on an inside diameter of an oblique gear 1.
  • An outer gear rim on the outside diameter of the oblique gear 1 extending beyond the hydraulic assembly 4 meshes with a pinion gear provided at the motor shaft of a second motor.
  • a seal base inside the hydraulic assembly 4 is provided with a liquid discharge channel.
  • a hydraulic joining hole is provided on the top portion of liquid discharge channel of the seal base.
  • a built-in spring is provided between the seal base and the sealing tamping plug.
  • a seal collar is provided on the outside diameter of the sealing tamping plug and the seal base.
  • a seal ring fitted into tamping assembly 7 in a sealing manner is provided on the outside diameter of the tamping plug at a bottom end.
  • the hydraulic assembly 4 has a quadrangular shape.
  • the oblique gear 1 extends beyond four end faces of the hydraulic assembly 4, respectively.
  • a pendulum shaft column 7011 is provided symmetrically protruding on both sides of the outside diameter of the main body 701 of the tamping assembly 7 below brewing chamber.
  • the pendulum shaft column 7011 is secured by snap-fit in a shaft engaging groove on both sides at one end of the brewing bracket 9 on a bottom portion of the tamping assembly 7 in the housing.
  • the pendulum shaft of the first motor is connected by the housing with a shaft socket 901 on a side of the shaft engaging groove of the brewing bracket 9.
  • a shaft pin 902 is provided in symmetry protruding from an inner side of the other end of the brewing bracket 9.
  • the shaft pin of the brewing bracket 9 is inserted into symmetric pin holes on two sides of a lower outside diameter of the brewing chamber of the tamping assembly 7.
  • the tamping assembly 7 and the brewing bracket 9 are connected in one piece to perform reciprocating rotation in a particular direction by means of the pendulum shaft of the first motor.
  • the brewing bracket 9 has a triangular shape.
  • a grounds-pushing plunger 702 is provided in an end corner groove of the main body 701 of the tamping assembly 7 below the brewing chamber on the side of the shaft pin. The shaft portion of the grounds-pushing plunger is secured by snap-fit in an end corner groove of the tamping assembly 7 to perform a pendulum motion.
  • the plunger head 7023 on one end of the grounds-pushing plunger extends into the tamping assembly 7 and is connected by insertion into a rod hole at an end tip of a rod portion on one end of the brewing chamber plunger 703 extending from a bottom portion of the brewing chamber in the tamping assembly 7.
  • the plunger spring 704 is provided on an outside diameter of the rod portion on a bottom portion of the brewing chamber plunger in the brewing chamber.
  • the afore-described brewing chamber of the tamping assembly 7 is a brewing chamber with an inside diameter of 52.0 mm, with a maximum load of 39.0 g coffee powder, a free height of 62.0 mm, a minimum height of 25.0 mm after compression, and a maximum height of 46.0 mm after compression.
  • the height of the rod portion of the grounds-pushing plunger is 13.5 mm.
  • the housing comprises a first housing 6 and a second housing 10 arranged on two sides of the tamping assembly 7, and a hydraulic housing 3 arranged on the outside diameter of the hydraulic assembly 4, a powder-receiving cover 5 at the powder-receiving port.
  • the powder-receiving port is provided at the powder-receiving cover 5.
  • the powder-receiving cover 5 on the outside diameter of the powder-receiving port is secured by snap-fit to the first housing 6 and the second housing 10 on the side above the top chamber opening of the brewing chamber in a vertical state of the tamping assembly 7.
  • a T-shape head on a top portion of the oblique protruding port of the first housing 6 and the second housing 10 is engaged and secured in the T-shape hole 301 in the bottom housing aperture of the hydraulic housing 3 in the coffee machine.
  • the hydraulic assembly 4, the oblique gear 1, and the screw 2 are disposed in the hydraulic housing 3.
  • a scraper 12 is provided in a bottom cover opening of the powder-receiving cover 5 above the top chamber opening of the brewing chamber in the tamping assembly 7.
  • An aperture of the scraper is aligned to the powder-receiving aperture of the powder-receiving cover 5.
  • a protruding scraping edge is provided on a bottom portion of the scraper in a rotation direction of the tamping assembly 7. The scraping edge is higher than the bottom cover opening of the powder-receiving cover 5 while the scraping edge of the scraper abuts the top chamber opening of the brewing chamber in the tamping assembly 7.
  • a waste disposal plate protruding obliquely is provided on the outside diameter of the brewing chamber of the tamping assembly 7 below one side of the scraping edge.
  • An Americano water inlet port 7012 and an espresso water inlet port are respectively provided symmetrically on two sides of the outside diameter of the housing.
  • the Americano water inlet port and the espresso water inlet port are respectively in communication with the brewing chamber in the main body 701 of the tamping assembly 7 and the dual liquid discharge channel in the hydraulic assembly 4.
  • a brewing chamber water inlet nozzle 7013 projecting outwards is provided on one side of the bottom portion of the brewing chamber in the tamping assembly 7. Hot water of the boiler flows through the Americano water inlet port and the espresso water inlet port.
  • the bearing hose 8 in the housing is connected with the brewing chamber water inlet nozzle.
  • the other end of the grounds-pushing plunger is provided with a stopping axis 7021 projecting outwards.
  • a stopping column 601 is provided in the housing above the stopping axis 7021.
  • the stopping axis 7021 of the grounds-pushing plunger abuts the stopping column in the housing.
  • a pendulum rod 7022 fitting to an outer diameter of the brewing bracket 9 is provided respectively on two ends of the grounds-pushing plunger snap-fit in the end corner groove of the main body 701.
  • An adjustment hole 602 in an arc shape is provided in the housing on the outer side of the main body 701 corresponding to the pendulum rod 7022.
  • a loading/unloading button 11 is provided on the loading/unloading side of the housing on the outside of the tamping assembly 7. The housing is secured by snap-fit in the brewer slot on one side of the coffee machine by means of the loading/unloading button 11.
  • the first motor is energized to drive the tamping assembly 7 to an initial point such that the chamber opening of the brewing chamber faces vertically upwards.
  • the brewing chamber plunger in the brewing chamber is driven downwards by the grounds-pushing plunger such that an open accommodating chamber appears in the brewing chamber, ready for receiving powder. This is when the powder receiving operation is completed.
  • the first motor is energized to drive the tamping assembly 7 to rotate to the side of the hydraulic assembly 4 such that the hydraulic assembly 4 is aligned to the brewing chamber of the brewing chamber plunger; and the second motor drives the screw 2 to move downwards to be engaged.
  • liquid injected into the hydraulic assembly 4 is converted into a pressure.
  • the coffee powder is pressed pushed by the hydraulic assembly 4 into the brewing chamber.
  • the brewing chamber plunger in the brewing chamber is biased downwards so that a ground puck is produced in the brewing chamber.
  • it is ready to perform coffee extracting and brewing with hot water from the boiler of the coffee machine. This is when the powder tamping and brewing operation is completed.
  • Discharge is performed via the liquid discharge channel of the hydraulic assembly 4.
  • the second motor drives the screw 2 and the hydraulic assembly 4 to reset while the brewing chamber plunger in the brewing chamber pushes the coffee ground puck out during the process of the first motor driving the tamping assembly 7 back to the initial point.
  • the coffee ground puck is blocked by the powder-receiving cover 5 and falls out of the housing from the waste disposal plate, whereby the waste disposal operation is completed.
  • the brewer has an peripheral dimension of 270 ⁇ 90 ⁇ 307 mm, with a double-channel coffee outlet/inlet port, and is suitable for extracting Americano and espresso coffee.
  • the brewing chamber automatically adjusts the stroke by the screw 2 and a hydraulic pressure of the power amount.
  • the powder amount is at least 12 g (espresso) and at most 39 g (Americano) .
  • the detachable brewing assembly facilitates cleaning and is capable of adaptively compressing a solid ground puck with hydraulic pressure, to thereby ensure the quality of each cup of coffee. It is capable of automatically scraping coffee grounds, enabling convenient waste disposal.
  • the coffee grounds are pressurized into a grounds puck with a reduced height of 45 mm. Two sets of motors are used for transmission, attaining to higher speeds and efficiency.
  • the subject matter described herein can be implemented in analog electronic circuitry, digital electronic circuitry, and/or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structural means disclosed in this specification and structural equivalents thereof or in combinations of them.
  • the subject matter described herein can be implemented as one or more computer program products, such as one or more computer programs tangibly embodied in an information carrier (e.g., in a machine-readable storage device) , or embodied in a propagated signal, for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus (e.g., a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple computers) .
  • a computer program (also known as a program, algorithm, software, software application, or code) can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment.
  • a computer program does not necessarily correspond to a file.
  • a program can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data, in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules, sub programs, or portions of code) .
  • the processes and logic flows described in this specification can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform functions of the subject matter described herein by operating on input data and generating output.
  • the processes and logic flows can also be performed by, and apparatus of the subject matter described herein can be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) .
  • processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processor of any kind of digital computer.
  • a processor will receive instructions and data from a read only memory or a random-access memory or both.
  • the essential elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data.
  • a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks.
  • Information carriers suitable for embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, (e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices) .
  • semiconductor memory devices e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices
  • the processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.
  • modules refers to computing software, firmware, hardware, and/or various combinations thereof. At a minimum, however, modules are not to be interpreted as software that is not implemented on hardware, firmware, or recorded on a non-transitory processor-readable recordable storage medium (i.e., modules are not software per se) . Indeed “module” is to be interpreted to always include at least some physical, non-transitory hardware such as a part of a processor or computer. Two different modules can share the same physical hardware (e.g., two different modules can use the same processor) . The modules described herein can be combined, integrated, separated, and/or duplicated to support various applications. Also, a function described herein as being performed at a particular module can be performed at one or more other modules and/or by one or more other devices instead of or in addition to the function performed at the particular module.
  • the mechanism comprises a bean box assembly 991, bean grinding assembly 992, and a weighing module 9911, the bean box assembly and the bean grinding assembly respectively arranged on a support in a coffee machine, the weighing module being arranged on the support in the coffee machine via a weighing module support 9912 while being arranged on a bottom portion of a bean discharge assembly fixing frame 9914, a weighing sensor being arranged in the weighing module; a bean discharge assembly body being arranged in the bean discharge assembly fixing frame, coffee beans in the bean box 9910 on a top portion of the bean discharge assembly body passing through a bean dispensing channel in the bean discharge assembly body and a bean discharge channel 9915 in the bottom portion to enter the bean grinding assembly beneath the bean box assembly for grinding, a powder discharge channel being arranged on a side of a chamber beneath a position of a grinding blade in the grinder body assembly 99201 of the bean grinding assembly.
  • a bean discharge gear 996 in the bean discharge assembly body beneath the bean box 9910 of the bean box assembly 991 is driven by a transmission shaft at a synchronous motor 9913 on a side of outer diameter to rotate to discharge beans, while a bean discharge paddle 995 is arranged on a side of the bean discharge gear in the bean discharge assembly body.
  • the bean discharge paddle has one end abutting against a blade of the bean discharge gear and one other end fixed by articulation to swing in the bean discharge assembly body.
  • a torsion spring 994 is arranged on a positioning pole at the articulation position or on a side of the articulation position.
  • An axis portion of the bean discharge gear arranged perpendicularly is aligned to a bottom hole opening of the bean box located above.
  • the bottom hole opening of the bean box located above has a rectangular shape.
  • a bottom hole opening of the bean discharge assembly body beneath the axis portion of the bean discharge gear is aligned to the bean discharge channel 9915.
  • a specific structure of the above is as follows.
  • a second transmission gear 998 arranged integrally in the bean discharge assembly body is arranged on a side of a central axis of the bean discharge gear; a side of outer diameter of the second transmission gear meshes with a first transmission gear 997 in the bean discharge assembly body; a center hole of the first transmission gear with a transmission shaft of a step motor 9913 on an outer diameter of the bean discharge assembly body.
  • the bean discharge assembly body of the bean box assembly comprises a gear box front cover 993, a gear box body 999, and the bean discharge assembly fixing frame 9914; the gear box front cover, the gear box body, and the bean discharge assembly fixing frame are connected integrally with the bean box; the torsion spring, the bean discharge paddle, the bean discharge gear, the first transmission gear, and the second transmission gear are arranged in a large open hole on a side of the gear box body in the bean discharge assembly fixing frame; the second transmission gear has one end extending beyond a small open hole at the other side of the gear box body and connected with the transmission shaft of the step motor.
  • the bean box of the bean box assembly has a hopper shape, screw holes are arranged respectively in lateral ears symmetrically arranged on two sides of an outer diameter of the bottom hole opening of the bean box.
  • a blade of the bean discharge gear is arranged as a helical gear blade.
  • the grinding blade of the bean grinding assembly is arranged eccentrically on a side beneath a shaft portion of the bean discharge gear; a side of a bottom portion of the bean box assembly is exposed by a hole opening on a side of a top portion of the bean discharge channel.
  • the weighing module has one end fixed on an edge on one side of a bottom hole opening of the gear box body of the bean discharge assembly body via the weighing module support and has one other end fixed in a groove.
  • the grinding blade of the bean grinding assembly comprises a lower burr 99202 in the grinder body assembly and an upper burr assembly 9916 arranged in a burr adjusting disk 9918 above the lower burr; the lower burr extends to an position above a powder sweeping gear in the grinder body assembly, the lower burr is mounted in a circular groove right above a grinder body; the burr adjusting disk 9918 is arranged on an outer grinder body assembly on an outer side of the lower burr; the burr adjusting disk is driven to rotate by an adjustment motor 99203 on a side of outer diameter, the lower burr is driven to rotate by a bean grinding motor in the grinder body assembly.
  • the burr adjusting disk is stopped and sleeved in a top hole opening of the grinder body assembly by means of adjusting disk fixing pieces 9917 arranged symmetrically on two sides of an inner diameter of a bottom disk opening, while the burr adjusting disk is engaged in an outer circular ring of the grinder body assembly at outer side of a groove at the lower burr; a rib on a side of a positioning piece 991601 on an outer circumferential edge protruding from a bottom portion of the upper burr assembly is inserted into a positioning groove in an annular groove on an inner side of the outer circular ring of the outer grinder body assembly; three columnar projections 991602 arranged at equal intervals on an outer diameter of the upper burr assembly are placed into a track in an introduction groove of the burr adjusting disk through notches at three introduction groove on an inner wall of the burr adjusting disk.
  • the adjusting disk fixing pieces are provided with point position holes respectively; the point position holes of the adjusting disk fixing pieces correspond to point position columns on the outer circular ring of the grinder body assembly at outer side of the groove at the lower burr.
  • An arc-shaped projection is arranged on a side of a bottom outer diameter of the burr adjusting disk 9918; an inching switch is arranged on the grinder body assembly corresponding to the arc-shaped projection.
  • the bean grinding motor is a horizontal motor, a teeth opening on an outer diameter of the burr adjusting disk is driven to rotate by a gear assembly meshed therewith at an output shaft of the adjustment motor;
  • the adjustment motor is fixedly arranged on a side of the grinder body assembly;
  • the horizontal motor is arranged on a symmetric other side of the grinder body assembly;
  • a transmission shaft of the horizontal motor meshes with gear at a bottom shaft rod of the lower burr via a worm shaft and a worm gear assembly, the horizontal motor and the adjustment motor are arranged between two ends of the grinder body assembly and positioned at an angle of 90 degrees.
  • the afore-described mechanism is specifically composed of the bean box assembly, the bean grinding assembly, and the weighing module.
  • the bottom portion of bean box of the bean box assembly is connected and fixed with the gear box body below by two arcuate screw holes of the bean box assembly and two screw holes of the gear box body located correspondingly.
  • the gear box body has two positioning poles at an upper left corner thereof; the positioning pole on one side to the right corresponds to and is connected with a positioning hole of the bean discharge paddle.
  • the positioning pole on the other side to the left corresponds to and is connected with the torsion spring and has a columnar boss on the top portion thereof, the columnar boss being inserted into a hole position of the gear box front cover to be fixed thereto.
  • Circular gaps are arranged on the right side in the gear box body and on the left side of the bottom portion of the bean discharge paddle, respectively, for positioning the torsion spring.
  • Two open holes are arranged in the gear box body, including a large one and a small one arranged in the front-and-rear direction.
  • the small open hole corresponds to and is connected with the second transmission gear and is configured to retain a mushroom-type boss on the bottom portion of the second transmission gear.
  • a cross-shape boss is arranged on the top portion of the second transmission gear and is connected with a cross-shape groove in the bottom portion of the bean discharge gear.
  • a bean discharge fixing frame is arranged beneath the gear box body for bearing the bean box assembly.
  • a circular open hole is arranged in the back portion of the bean discharge fixing frame.
  • Two columnar projections and screw holes that are laterally and vertically symmetric are arranged on two sides in the large open hole, which correspond to the four hole positions of the step motor for fixation.
  • the rotary rod of the step motor corresponds to and is connected with the notch in the bottom portion of the first transmission gear.
  • the burr adjusting disk is engaged in the outer circular ring of the groove of the lower burr.
  • the adjusting disk fixing piece is placed in the burr adjusting disk.
  • the two minimal holes of the adjusting disk fixing piece and the guide poles on the grinder body located right below are aligned and mounted to fit to each other point to point and face to face. While, three large holes of the adjusting disk fixing piece and the screw holes of the grinder body are aligned and fixed to each other using adjusting disk fixing screws.
  • the upper burr assembly has three cylindrical projections.
  • the three cylindrical projections are aligned with and placed perpendicularly into three introduction grooves on the inner diameter of the burr adjusting disk, followed by the bean discharge channel being placed perpendicularly into the hole opening of the upper burr assembly in the movable adjusting disk.
  • the bean box assembly is placed into the bean discharge assembly fixing frame located below.
  • coffee beans e.g., 39 g
  • the coffee beans fall into the cavity along the channel.
  • the step motor rotates counterclockwise and drives the first transmission gear connected therewith.
  • the first transmission gear drives the second transmission gear to perform a counterclockwise rotational motion together with it, while the second transmission gear drives the bean discharge gear to perform a counterclockwise rotational motion.
  • the bean discharge gear 8 pushes the bean discharge paddle away, and the torsion spring pushes the bean discharge paddle to reset subsequently.
  • This motion is performed repeated, during which coffee beans find a chance to fall through the gap therebetween and fall into the bean grinding assembly along the bean discharge channel.
  • the weighing module records an actual change in weight.
  • the mechanism is a mechanism for quantitatively controlling the amount of beans discharged, to thereby control the weight of the coffee beans to be ground. Meanwhile, attribute to the special configuration of the bean discharge gear, the mechanism is able to resolve the problem well that coffee beans remain at the upper burr of the bean grinding system after the bean box assembly is removed.
  • the coffee brewer of the hydraulic cavity mechanism comprises a lower brewer assembly 881 and an upper brewer assembly 882.
  • An output tube with both ends thereof extending beyond the upper brewer assembly is arranged on one or two sides of an interior of the brewer head assembly 883 of the upper brewer assembly.
  • Guide poles are arranged symmetrically in the brewer head assembly.
  • Guide pole springs are arranged on outer diameter of the guide poles respectively.
  • one end of the brewer head assembly is, by one end of a guide rod 886 of the through-shaft step motor 885 on the other end of the brewer head assembly, sleeved in a sealed manner in the brew chamber of the lower brewer assembly.
  • the through-shaft step motor is fixedly arranged on an upper support frame 884 in a top portion of the upper brewer assembly.
  • the through-shaft step motor is arranged on a bottom portion of the upper support frame.
  • a grand support frame 889 is arranged on a top portion of the upper support frame.
  • a hydraulic outer cavity 887 and a hydraulic inner cavity 888 in sleeved engagement are arranged in the grand support frame.
  • the hydraulic inner cavity is sleeved in the hydraulic outer cavity.
  • a seal collar is arranged on an outer diameter of the hydraulic inner cavity in a position of the sleeved engagement.
  • the other end of the guide rod extending beyond the upper support frame and inserted into the grand support frame abuts against a bottom portion of the hydraulic outer cavity.
  • An outer diameter of a top cavity opening of the hydraulic inner cavity is stopped in the grand support frame while the top cavity opening of the hydraulic inner cavity is connected with a pressurization tube.
  • a through hole in communication with the hydraulic inner cavity is arranged in a bottom portion of the hydraulic inner cavity; or a hole is arranged on a side of the bottom portion of the hydraulic outer cavity beneath the hydraulic inner cavity and is connected with the pressurization tube.
  • the bottom portion of the hydraulic inner cavity is partitioned from and in sealed sleeved engagement with the hydraulic inner cavity.
  • the hydraulic outer cavity is arranged in the grand support frame such as to be movable up and down by means of a hydraulic change in of the hydraulic inner cavity.
  • a filter cartridge mesh is arranged on an end face of the afore-described brewer head assembly.
  • the filter cartridge mesh is fixed to the brewer head assembly by a screw in the middle of a bottom portion of the brewer head assembly.
  • T-shape grooves 88201 are provided symmetrically on two sides of the bottom portion of the upper support frame.
  • the grooves correspond to T-shape guide rails protruding symmetrically from two sides of a top portion of the lower brewer assembly.
  • the grooves of the upper support frame and the guide rails of the lower brewer assembly are held in sleeved engagement correspondingly.
  • a discharge plate 88101 formed in one piece with a housing at the lower brewer assembly is arranged on a ground discharge side of the lower brewer assembly.
  • the housing of the lower brewer assembly is composed of a left portion and a right portion arranged symmetrically.
  • a bull gear 88202 extending beyond the upper brewer assembly is arranged at the through hole of the upper support frame.
  • the through-shaft step motor is optionally fixed in a central aperture of the bull gear in the upper support frame.
  • a side of an outer diameter of the bull gear meshes with a pinion gear of a gear motor on an outer side of the upper support frame to drive the through-shaft step motor of the bull gear to move up and down.
  • the hydraulic inner cavity and the grand support frame are fixed.
  • the through-shaft step motor and the guide rod moves downwards, to thereby drag the hydraulic outer cavity down to a program control position.
  • water injection is performed, where water is injected into the hydraulic inner cavity and the brewer head assembly simultaneously to ensure a consistent force is applied from above and below during the brewing process, to thereby guarantee the stability of the brewing.
  • the decompression valve is rotated outwards to be open, and the through-shaft step motor and the guide rod rotates reversely, to discharge the water inside the hydraulic inner cavity, whereby a cycle is complete.
  • the afore-described hydraulic inner cavity is a hydraulic inner cavity formed such that at a position inside the hydraulic outer cavity where the hydraulic outer cavity and the hydraulic inner cavity are connected in Embodiment 1, or a hydraulic inner cavity formed inside both of the hydraulic outer cavity and the hydraulic inner cavity that are in communication with each other in Embodiment 2.
  • a hydraulic mechanism or a hydraulic force and the like is applied to a top portion of the hydraulic cavity mechanism to control or offset the upward force of the through-shaft step motor and the guide rod to prevent an upward movement of the through-shaft step motor and the guide rod during the brewing process.

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

Abstract

L'invention concerne une machine pour infuser des boissons. La machine à boisson automatisée comprend un ensemble d'évacuation de grains comprenant un corps d'ensemble d'évacuation de grains délimitant une première ouverture ; un pignon (996) d'évacuation de grains contenu dans le corps d'ensemble d'évacuation de grains de sorte qu'un axe central du pignon (996) d'évacuation de grains se trouve au-dessus de la première ouverture, le pignon (996) d'évacuation de grains étant conçu pour tourner autour de l'axe central ; une palette (995) d'évacuation de grains contenue dans le corps d'ensemble d'évacuation de grains sur un côté du pignon (996) d'évacuation de grains, la palette (995) d'évacuation de grains comportant une première extrémité qui vient en butée contre une pale du pignon (996) d'évacuation de grains et une seconde extrémité articulée conçue pour s'articuler par rapport au corps d'ensemble d'évacuation de grains ; et un ressort de torsion (994) accouplé à la seconde extrémité articulée, la rotation du pignon (996) d'évacuation de grains amenant la pale du pignon (996) d'évacuation de grains à pousser la palette (995) d'évacuation de grains pour ouvrir un espace entre le pignon (996) d'évacuation de grains et la palette (995) d'évacuation de grains ; et après l'ouverture de l'espace, le ressort de torsion (994) est conçu pour pousser la palette (995) d'évacuation de grains pour fermer l'espace entre le pignon (996) d'évacuation de grains et la palette (995) d'évacuation de grains. La machine est utilisée pour réguler quantitativement la quantité de grains de café évacués et ainsi le poids de grains de café à moudre.
PCT/CN2025/097520 2024-05-27 2025-05-27 Machines à boissons superautomatiques Pending WO2025247227A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (8)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CN202421185038.6U CN222443870U (zh) 2024-05-27 2024-05-27 电机导杆式咖啡酿造器的液压腔机构
CN202421185038.6 2024-05-27
CN202410671107.2A CN118633839A (zh) 2024-05-28 2024-05-28 咖啡豆精准定量研磨机构
CN202421190305.9 2024-05-28
CN202421190305.9U CN222487059U (zh) 2024-05-28 2024-05-28 一种咖啡豆精准定量研磨机构
CN202410671107.2 2024-05-28
PCT/CN2025/082760 WO2025190411A1 (fr) 2024-03-15 2025-03-14 Machines à boissons superautomatiques
CNPCT/CN2025/082760 2025-03-14

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2025247227A1 true WO2025247227A1 (fr) 2025-12-04

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Country Link
WO (1) WO2025247227A1 (fr)

Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20160316970A1 (en) * 2013-12-20 2016-11-03 Van Deuce Pty Ltd Coffee grinder
CN110301838A (zh) * 2019-07-31 2019-10-08 登辉电器(惠州)有限公司 一种磨豆器
CN216994927U (zh) * 2021-11-17 2022-07-19 于玮 一种咖啡豆称重取用装置
JP2022144795A (ja) * 2021-03-19 2022-10-03 株式会社大都技研 コーヒー豆挽き機
CN218009422U (zh) * 2022-08-05 2022-12-13 广东新宝电器股份有限公司 一种精准定量咖啡粉的磨豆机
CN220572046U (zh) * 2023-08-07 2024-03-12 广东新宝电器股份有限公司 一种咖啡机的输豆装置
CN118633839A (zh) * 2024-05-28 2024-09-13 浙江比依电器股份有限公司 咖啡豆精准定量研磨机构
CN222487059U (zh) * 2024-05-28 2025-02-18 浙江比依电器股份有限公司 一种咖啡豆精准定量研磨机构

Patent Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20160316970A1 (en) * 2013-12-20 2016-11-03 Van Deuce Pty Ltd Coffee grinder
CN110301838A (zh) * 2019-07-31 2019-10-08 登辉电器(惠州)有限公司 一种磨豆器
JP2022144795A (ja) * 2021-03-19 2022-10-03 株式会社大都技研 コーヒー豆挽き機
CN216994927U (zh) * 2021-11-17 2022-07-19 于玮 一种咖啡豆称重取用装置
CN218009422U (zh) * 2022-08-05 2022-12-13 广东新宝电器股份有限公司 一种精准定量咖啡粉的磨豆机
CN220572046U (zh) * 2023-08-07 2024-03-12 广东新宝电器股份有限公司 一种咖啡机的输豆装置
CN118633839A (zh) * 2024-05-28 2024-09-13 浙江比依电器股份有限公司 咖啡豆精准定量研磨机构
CN222487059U (zh) * 2024-05-28 2025-02-18 浙江比依电器股份有限公司 一种咖啡豆精准定量研磨机构

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