A positioning and extraction assembly for single-use capsules in coffee-making machines

The present invention relates to the field of coffee machines of the type using single-use refill capsules, and relates in particular to a unit for positioning and extracting single-use capsules in coffee machines.

For several years now, machines for coffee have been known which use single-use coffee refills, commonly known as capsules or wafers, constituted by containers of various shapes inside which coffee powder is pressed.

The preparation of a coffee with such capsules is simple. They are inserted into suitable seats defined in the coffee machine, where they are subjected to a jet of hot water which enables the substances contained in the powder to be extracted, obtaining a beverage, precisely coffee, which is conveyed towards the appropriate coffee-cup or beaker.

There are different kinds of capsules. For example, some are made of plastics material for foodstuffs, of the thermoformable type or of injection-mouldable type, or are made of aluminium foil, preformed and protected internally by a film of material for foodstuffs. In such capsules it is possible to define a central axis and two opposed bases transverse to that axis, there being understood by "base" a portion of the capsule into which the water enters or from which the coffee emerges; the shapes of the capsules may be very varied: cylindrical, barrel-shaped, conical, hemispherical, etc.

Certain types of capsule, in order to allow the emergence of the coffee, have to be perforated. In order to do this, the majority of coffee machines are equipped with needles which perforate the outer surface of the capsule at the moment when it is inserted into the appropriate space. Perforation by means of the needles may take place on a single base, for example that relating to the emergence of the coffee, while on the opposite base, that corresponding to the entry of the water, the capsule may be fractured by means of the pressure of the water itself. In other cases, perforation by means of needles may take place on both the bases.

The coffee machines which use capsules of this type provide units for the positioning and extraction of the capsules which are structured in the most varied manner, depending, among other things, also on the shape of the capsule.

For example, a capsule of known type is shaped like a cup and has on its upper edge a flange, protruding outwards, onto which a sealing film is welded; the material used for the cup-like body is for example a sheet of aluminium or polyethylene.

A positioning and extraction unit of known type which uses capsules of this kind provides for a pipe in which the capsule slides from top to bottom, by gravity, from the insertion opening to a dwell zone; the pipe is configured so as to allow the capsule to slide, oriented with its axis substantially transverse to the length of the pipe itself. In an intermediate position of the pipe is defined the dwell zone for the capsule in which it is subjected to the water for extracting the coffee; the dwell zone has a length in a direction transverse to the pipe. At the dwell zone, on opposite sides of the pipe, there are support shoulders for supporting opposed parts of the edge of the flange of the capsule onto which the sealing film is welded; when the capsule is resting on the shoulders, its axis coincides with the direction in which the dwell zone extends. In addition, the dwell zone is delimited, on one side, by a small plate equipped with a plurality of needles for perforating the sealing film of the capsule and with a nozzle for the injection of the water coming from the pumping means of the coffee machine with which the unit is associated and, on the opposite side with respect to the support shoulders, with a cup-shaped body facing towards the shoulders. On the bottom of the cup-shaped body there is a plurality of needles which perforate the lower base of the capsule; on the bottom itself there is a channel for conveying the coffee towards the dispensing zone of the machine with which the unit is associated.

There is also a lever mechanism which allows the cup-shaped body to move in translation transversely to the pipe from a position outside the latter to a position behind the plate, such as to permit, during that translation, the insertion of the capsule into the cup-shaped body and the displacement thereof into abutment on the plate, thus bringing about the

perforation of the two bases; the end stop of the lever mechanism effects the return of pressurised hot water towards the nozzle of the plate.

Between the support shoulders for the capsule and the small plate there is a portion of the pipe having a width greater than the distance between those shoulders; this portion of pipe allows the capsule to drop downwards following the step of extraction of the coffee by the jet of water. The cup-shaped body is not coaxial with the direction in which the dwell zone extends and therefore, when the cup-shaped body meets the capsule resting on the shoulders, the body deforms it in order to permit its insertion. Once the step of ejection of the water through the capsule is completed, the cup-shaped body is translated into the initial position outside the pipe; in that return movement, the capsule is no longer coaxial with the direction in which the dwell zone extends and therefore the flange interferes with the support shoulders, which thus function as a locator which prevents the capsule itself from returning to the initial position, obliging it to slip out of the cup-shaped body during the return movement of the latter, consequently dropping within the corresponding underlying portion of pipe, which ends in the discharge zone for the capsule.

hi this kind of unit for positioning and extracting the capsule, the fact that the cup-shaped body deforms the capsule during coupling may lead to the occurrence of jamming of the mechanism or even to undesired breakage of the capsule itself, with the loss of coffee powder inside the unit and the irregular passage of the water through the capsule itself. Moreover, ¹ the necessary deformation of the capsule involves very accurate dimensioning thereof and the obligatory use of sufficiently deformable materials, thus constraining the design choices to the detriment of a design aimed at reducing costs.

The main aim of the present invention is therefore that of perfecting a unit for positioning and extracting single-use capsules for coffee machines which avoids the deformation of the capsules.

Another important aim of the present invention is that of providing a unit for positioning and extracting single-use capsules for coffee machines which functions in a reliable

manner and does not generate after-sales returns, the need for assistance, and complaints from customers.

These aims are achieved by means of the unit for positioning and extracting single-use capsules for coffee machines according to the invention, which comprises a pipe, open at the top, for the insertion of a dedicated capsule; the pipe is configured so as to allow the capsule to slide, by gravity, oriented with its axis substantially transverse to the length of the pipe itself; a dwell zone for the capsule, defined in an intermediate position of the pipe and having a length in a direction transverse to the pipe; at the dwell zone, on opposite sides of the pipe, support shoulders are provided for supporting external parts of the capsule which are opposed with respect to the axis of the capsule itself; a small plate disposed at an end of the dwell zone and equipped with at least one nozzle for the injection of water coming from the pumping means of the coffee machine with which the unit is associated; a cup-shaped body arranged so as to slide in the dwell zone and facing towards the plate; means are provided for translating the cup-shaped body transversely to the pipe from a position outside the latter to a position behind the plate, which means are suitable for permitting during translation the coupling of the cup-shaped body to the capsule and the displacement of the latter into abutment on the plate; on the bottom of the cup-shaped body there are means for conveying the coffee towards the dispensing zone of the machine with which the unit is associated, and means for breaking the corresponding base of the capsule;

• locating means for the capsule which are disposed along the pipe at a portion of the latter having a width greater than the distance between the shoulders themselves, defined between the shoulders and the plate and capable of allowing the capsule to drop downwards; the locating means are capable of preventing the return movement of the capsule onto the support shoulders.

The unit is characterized in that the cup-shaped body is coaxial with the axis of the dedicated capsule when the latter is resting on the shoulders, and in that the locating means

for the capsule yield when urged towards the plate and are substantially rigid when urged in the opposite direction.

Other characteristics and advantages of the unit for positioning and extracting single-use capsules for coffee machines according to the invention will become clearer from the following description of an embodiment thereof, provided by way of non-limiting example with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a lateral view, in section along a longitudinal centre line plane, of a unit according to the invention, with a capsule shown by means of dashed lines at three different moments, respectively a) before insertion into the unit, b) inserted into the unit before the perforation step, c) discharged from the unit;

Figure 2 is a front view of the unit in section along the line II-II of Figure 1 ;

Figures 3 to 8 each show a view from above of the unit according to the invention, in section along a horizontal plane, shown in different steps of processing of the capsule;

Figures 9, 10 and 1 1 respectively show figures 3, 5 and 8 on an enlarged scale;

Figure 12 is a side view of the unit with the actuating lever shown in two different positions.

With reference to the aforesaid figures, a capsule usable in a positioning and extracting unit according to the invention is indicated by C and is constituted by a flared, cup-shaped body Cl, which has on the upper edge a flange C2 onto which a sealing film C3 is welded.

The unit for positioning and extracting single-use capsules comprises an outer casing 1 1 in which is defined a vertical pipe 12, open at the top for the insertion of a capsule C. The pipe 12 is configured so as to allow the capsule to slide, by gravity, oriented with its axis C5 substantially orthogonal to the length of the pipe itself. In particular, the cross-section of the pipe is partially of complementary shape to the cross-section of the capsule C to allow guided sliding thereof.

In an intermediate position of the pipe 12 a dwell zone 13 is defined in which the capsule is processed, as described in more detail hereinafter; the dwell zone is in practice a chamber

which intersects the pipe 12 and which extends in a direction transverse to the latter, dividing it substantially into three parts: an upper part in which the opening 12a for the insertion of the capsule C is defined, a central part corresponding to the dwell zone 13, and a lower part in which the discharge outlet 12b for the capsule C is defined.

At the dwell zone 13, on opposite sides of the pipe 12, there are support shoulders 14 for supporting external parts of the edge of the flange C2 of the capsule, opposed with respect to the axis C5; the shoulders 14 allow the blocking of the capsule as it drops from the upper opening 12a of the pipe 12. When the capsule is resting on the shoulders 14, the direction in which the dwell zone 13 extends coincides with the axis C5 of the capsule itself.

The pipe 12, in front of the shoulders 14 in the opposite direction to that in which the capsule extends when disposed on the shoulders, has a portion 12c having a width greater than the distance between those shoulders. The portion 12c extends as far as the discharge outlet 12b and allows the capsule to drop towards the outlet 12b, as described in more detail hereinafter.

At one end of the dwell zone 13 there is a small plate 15, substantially fixed to the casing 11, and which has in the centre a nozzle 16 for the injection of water coming from the pumping means of the coffee machine with which the unit is associated, which means is not shown in the drawings. At the inlet of the nozzle 16 there is an over-pressure valve 17 of the spring type, which opens when the pressure of the water coming from the pumping means exceeds the resistance value of the spring. On the surface of the plate 15 which faces the zone 13 there are perforating means for perforating the film C3 of the capsule, such as a plurality of perforating needles 18 (in other embodiments, the tearing of the film may be effected solely by means of the jet of water, thus avoiding the presence of perforating needles). An annular gasket 19 is disposed inside a corresponding annular recess 20 provided on the surface of the plate 15 on the perimeter of the area occupied by the needles 18, and its aim is to prevent water leaking laterally during the soaking of the capsule, as will become clearer hereinafter. According to what has been stated previously, the portion 12c of the pipe 12 in which the capsule C drops, and which has a width greater

than the distance between the shoulders 14, is defined between the plate 15 and the shoulders themselves.

In the dwell zone 13 a cup-shaped body 21 facing towards the plate 15 is arranged to slide and has a shape substantially complimentary to the capsule C. An important aspect of the invention is that the cup-shaped body 21 is coaxial with the direction in which the dwell zone extends, or with the axis C5 of the capsule when resting on the shoulders 14.

On the bottom 21a of the cup-shaped body 21 there are further perforating means for the base C6 of the capsule, such as a plurality of further perforating needles 22 emerging from a small disc 23 secured to the bottom 21a by means of a screw; the disc 23 is configured so as to define with the bottom 21a an air gap 24, and has a through-hole 23 a (shown by way of example in Figure 1 ) which places the air gap 24 in communication with the space in the cup-shaped body which receives the capsule C.

As can be seen in Figure 1, on the bottom 21a there are means for conveying the coffee towards the dispensing zone of the machine with which the unit is associated, such as a pipe 25 integral with the bottom itself, and the discharge outlet 25a of which is superposed on a funnel portion 26 integral with the casing 1 1 and which ends above the zone on which the coffee-cup is to be arranged (indicated by T in Figure 12).

Associated with the cup-shaped body 21 is a means 27 which allows translation thereof orthogonal to the pipe 12, from a position outside the pipe to a position behind the plate 15. Such translation permits the coupling of the cup-shaped body 21 to the capsule C and the displacement of the latter into abutment on the plate 15.

As can be seen in Figure 12, the translation means 27 is constituted in this embodiment by a kinetic motion means comprising a guide 28 for the cup-shaped body 21, defined on the casing 11 , parallel to the direction in which the dwell zone extends, a connecting rod 29 pivoted by one end on the sides of the cup-shaped body 21 and by the opposite end on a rocker-arm 30 which is itself pivoted on the casing 11. A lever 31 for actuating the kinematic motion means is integral with the rocker-arm 30.

Along the pipe 12, at the portion 12c in which the capsule drops towards the discharge outlet 12b, there are locating means 32 for the capsule which prevent the return movement of the latter from the plate 15 onto the support shoulders 14.

According to the invention, the locating means 32 yield when urged towards the plate 15 and are substantially rigid when urged by the flange C2 towards the cup-shaped body 21, such as to allow the passage of the capsule towards the plate 15 and to prevent the passage of the capsule during the return movement of the cup-shaped body 21 towards the position outside the pipe 12 by interference with the flange C2, thus permitting the extraction of the capsule C from the cup-shaped body 21 and the consequent drop towards the discharge outlet, inasmuch as it is not supported.

The locating means 32, clearly visible in Figures 9, 10 and 1 1, comprise, for example, two gates 33 which are secured to the respective opposed sides of the pipe 12, and which have substantially two positions: a first position in which they extend towards the centre of the dwell zone, where they interfere with the movement of the capsule, and a second position behind the corresponding side of the pipe; said second position does not interfere with the movement of the capsule. Associated with the gates 33 are resilient means 34 which permit their return from the second position to the first position. Preferably, each gate 33 is hinged to the casing 11 via a pin 35 substantially parallel to the length of the pipe 12, or orthogonal to the direction in which the dwell zone 13 extends and to the axis C5 of the capsule. The resilient means 34 are constituted by torsion springs wound on corresponding pins 35, and first ends of which are fixed to the casing 1 1 while the second ends thrust against the corresponding gates 33. When the gates 33 are in the aforesaid first position, they bear on corresponding rotational end stops 36.

The operation of the invention is as follows: the capsule C is inserted into the upper opening 12a of the pipe 12. The capsule is guided by the complementary shape of the pipe until it comes to rest with the edge of the flange C2 on the shoulders 14 (see Figures 1, 3 and 9). The space occupied by the flange C2 of the capsule at each shoulder 14 is delimited below by the shoulder itself and on two sides by the corresponding gate 33 and by a vertical guide shoulder 37. At this point, by acting on the lever 31 , the cup-shaped body 21

is translated in such a way that the capsule C is inserted into the cup-shaped body (they are coaxial), in particular the perforating needles 22 are located against the base of the capsule (see Fig. 4). Further rotation of the lever 31 causes the cup-shaped body 21 to press on the capsule and consequently to push the flange C2 of the capsule against the gates 33; these rotate, allowing the capsule and the cup-shaped body to pass through (see Figures 5 and 10). At this point, a further rotatory movement of the lever 31 brings the capsule into abutment on the plate 15 and on the gasket 19, allowing the needles to tear the film (see Figure 6) and the opposed base C6. Owing to the fact that the edge 33a of the gates which faces towards the centre of the dwell zone 13 has a shape substantially complementary to the external circular shape of the cup-shaped body 21 and that the distance between the two gates 33 is greater than (or at least equal to) the outside diameter of the cup-shaped body 21, the gates 33 do not interfere with the latter. For this reason, once the flange has passed through the gates 33, the latter return from the second position into the first position by virtue of the thrust imposed by the torsion springs 34.

Via the nozzle 16, hot water is then injected which soaks the capsule torn by the needles, passing through it, and thus mixing with the coffee powder; the flow of beverage obtained is conveyed as far as the zone in which it is poured into the coffee-cup T.

When this operation is completed, a contrary rotatory movement of the lever 31 makes it possible to reverse the motion of the cup-shaped body 21 with the capsule. When the flange C2 of the capsule meets the gates 33, the latter, which cannot rotate since they are prevented by the end stop 36, block the capsule while the cup-shaped body 21 continues to be translated (see Figures 8 and 1 1). The result is the extraction of the capsule from the cup-shaped body. Once the cup-shaped body 21 has returned to the initial position outside the pipe 12, the capsule is no longer supported by anything and therefore drops along the drop portion 12c of the pipe, as far as the discharge outlet 12b.

It is clear that other kinds of locating means that yield in only one direction are possible. For example, other locating means (not shown in the drawings) may be constituted by two small cylinders, emerging from respective guide seats provided in respective sides of the pipe 12, interfering with the movement space of the capsule; between the bottom of the

seats and the cylinders, springs are arranged which oppose the re-entry movement of the cylinders into the seats; the protruding ends of the cylinders are chamfered on the side encountered by the capsule in the movement in which it approaches the plate; in this way the capsule, encountering the chamfered sides, imparts a re-entry thrust to the cylinders, while in its motion in the opposite direction, the capsule encounters the unchamfered sides of the cylinders, being blocked.

Furthermore, another embodiment may provide, as locating means, resiliently flexible thin plates (of suitable rigidity) protruding in a cantilevered manner from respective sides of the pipe in an inclined manner, with the free ends facing substantially towards the plate, thus permitting the passage of the capsule towards the latter but not the opposite movement.

In practice, it has been found that the invention achieves the aims proposed. In fact, by making the cup-shaped body coaxial with the capsule when resting on the shoulders, the deformation of the capsule is avoided. This results in a reduction in the occurrence of blocking of the capsule in the unit and of the occurrence of undesired breakage of the capsule. In order to allow the coaxial arrangement, it was necessary to use locating means for the capsule in the step of extraction from the cup-shaped body which would yield in the direction in which the capsule approaches the plate for perforation and injection, and which would be rigid in the opposite direction in order to allow the extraction of the capsule from the cup-shaped body.

The unit thus designed is capable of numerous modifications and variants, all coming within the scope of the same inventive concept; moreover, all the details may be substituted by other technically equivalent elements, without thereby departing from the scope of protection of the invention itself.

In practice, the materials used, provided they are compatible with the specific use, and also the dimensions, may be any whatever, according to the requirements and the state of the art.

Wherever the characteristics and techniques mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, these have been appended, by way of example, solely in order to increase

the intelligibility of the claims and consequently have no limiting effect on the interpretation of each element which they identify.