SEMI-AUTOMATIC GROUND COFFEE PRESS ASSEMBLY

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

5 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to presses for creating cakes of ground coffee and more particularly pertains to a new semi-automatic ground coffee press having means for creating cakes of ground coffee optimally compacted for the production of particular types of coffee beverages. 0

2. Description of the Prior Art

The use of ground coffee presses is known in the prior art. In one aspect, these presses are used to create cakes of ground coffee which are compacted to produce, e.g., latte ^' s and espressos. As

5 is well known in the art, the amount of compaction of the coffee cake influences the quality of the beverage produced thereby. Prior art presses are fully manual, typically having a manual gauge or other device for measuring the amount of force applied to a lever by a press operator. In order to ensure that the cake compaction is consistent, the operator must apply a consistent amount of pressure, usually between 35 and 50 pounds, to the press lever. Operably connected to

10 the lever is a tamper, having a flat compacting surface and capable of both a twisting and axially reciprocal motion. These presses suffer from the drawback that the operator must repeatedly push the lever down for each compaction. This process is difficult for many operators, especially those not endowed with great strength. Another problem is that the means for measuring the compaction force is not accurate and may further deteriorate over time.

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Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 3,988,981; U.S. Pat. No. 4,011,809; U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,199; U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,318; U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,562; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,313; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 386,503.

While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a semi-automatic ground coffee bean press.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of presses now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new manually operated ground coffee bean press construction wherein the same can be utilized for ensuring the proper extraction of a coffee beverage.

A coffee press assembly for creating cakes of compacted ground coffee is provided. The inventive device includes a frame having a base and a vertical main support member. The base, which is relatively massive, has an aperture formed therein, adapted to receive and support the vertical support member. A workpiece support element is attached to the vertical support member, and is shaped to receive a container for holding ground coffee. The support element includes at least one sensor, preferably a load cell, for sensing the amount of pressure applied to the ground coffee contained within the container. Force for compressing the ground coffee is applied to the container in a precisely controlled manner by an actuator assembly having a lever operated tamper with a substantially conical shape with a relatively large base having a smooth compacting surface. The lever and tamper are operatively connected by a cam mechanism which is shaped to ensure a smooth and gradual application of sufficient pressure to form a properly compacted coffee cake. The load cell is electrically connected to the sensor for providing an indication of applied pressure. Means for applying a twisting motion to the tamper is also provided. The sensors are electrically connected to a digital display device for numerically displaying the force applied to the container, as well as other information useful for proper operation of the apparatus. A hygrometer may be connected to the digital display to provide an operator with an audible or visual indication of changes in the ambient humidity to allow for

dynamically adjusting the compaction force. In one embodiment, the invention contemplates a fully automatic apparatus, including motorized force application means and means for filling and positioning a container with ground coffee, integrated with the hygrometer and load cell to dynamically adjust the compaction force. A grinder may be included to grind coffee beans 5 contained in the container. Also, a controlled temperature and humidity environment may be provided for storing ground coffee in bulk, to be distributed incrementally into a container for compaction. The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new manually operated ground coffee bean press apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the press mentioned heretofore and many novel 10 features that result in a new manually operated ground coffee bean press which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art presses, either alone or in any combination thereof.

It is a major object of this invention to provide a ground coffee press having means for accurately [ 5 producing discrete units of ground coffee for producing particular types of coffee beverages.

It is another object of the invention to provide a ground coffee press which allows for monitoring the amount of pressure applied to a quantity of ground coffee beans.

10 It is another object of the invention to provide a ground coffee press which allows for adjustments to the pressure applied in response to the ambient conditions.

These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. >5

The present invention meets or exceeds all the above objects and goals. Upon further study of the specification and appended claims, further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various other objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the coffee press assembly of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the interior of the main housing of the assembly, illustrating the actuator contained therein.

Fig. 3 shows a side view of the interior of the main housing of the assembly, illustrating the actuator in the retracted position.

Figs. 4 side view of the interior of the main housing of the assembly, illustrating the actuator in the extended position.

Fig. 5 shows a detail of the workpiece holder of the assembly.

Fig. 6 shows a detail of the display portion of the assembly.

Fig. 7 shows a detail of the assembly in the retracted position.

Fig. 8 shows a detail of the assembly in the extended position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to Figs. 1 - 8, the apparatuses and method of the present invention are illustrated. As previously stated, the apparatus 10 is used to convert ground coffee beans from a particulated

5 state to a compacted state useful for producing particular coffee drinks. The compacted coffee

38, commonly called a cake or puck, is contained within a filter 40 which is then deposited in a coffee brewing apparatus to produce the end product coffee beverage. While the invention is particularly directed toward producing lattes, it is of course applicable to producing cakes for other types of beverages made from varying compressed foodstuffs.

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It can be seen from Fig. 1 that the apparatus has a base 20 from which an upstanding, vertical support arm 22 extends. The base 20, which is shown as substantially rectangular but may have any reasonably symmetrical shape, is relatively massive to stabilize the apparatus 10 as would be apparent to one of skill in the art. The base 20 includes a recess 23 within which support arm 22

5 is firmly fixed. The base 20 may be made of any rigid dense substance such as metal or stone, whereas support arm 22 is preferably made of metal. At least one load sensor assembly 34 positioned in the workpiece holder 28 is electrically connected to a digital display 36 contained within the assembly 10 to inform an operator when a desired pressure or compaction force has been exerted on the workpiece, i.e., the ground coffee 38 contained within the filter 40, as will be >0 explained in more detail later. An audio transducer (not shown) may be provided to give an audible warning when the predetermined pressure has been reached.

Workpiece holder 28 is held in position on the assembly 20 by a collar 44 sized for sliding engagement about support arm 22, the workpiece holder 28 secured to the collar 44 as by >5 welding or other secure fastening means. Vertical positioning of the holder 28 is facilitated by threaded rod 46 which cooperates with a central threaded bore 48 formed in the holder 28, with rotation of the rod 46 actuated by rotation of dial 50 connected in journaled relation to the bottom 51 of the housing 60. The rod 46 may include a stop 53, which may be a nut, to fix the lower limit of travel of the holder 28. The holder 28 has an open front edge 55 defined by an arcuate

edge portion 52, the radius of curvature of the arc 52 corresponding to the shape of standard coffee filters. The holder 28 may be sized to accommodate a range of standard and non-standard sized filters so that the assembly 10 may be used to prepare cakes for virtually any coffee brewing device. In an alternative embodiment, the holder 28 may include a spring loaded clamping arrangement to allow for a range of filter sizes to be used, the clamping arrangement structured to ensure axial alignment of any size filter with the tamper 50.

In order to ensure a precise delivery of compacting force to the ground coffee, a load sensing assembly 34 is built into the holder 28. Any type of load sensing or load cell assembly may be used for this purpose, but a key aspect of the invention is that at least one, and preferably three contacting elements, which may be in the form of pistons 56, extend from the holder 28, the top end of the pistons 56 arranged to engage the bottom surface 58 of tamper 50, the opposing end of the pistons 56 impacting upon the movable element (not shown) of the load sensing assembly 34, the pistons 56 sized for frictionless (i.e. non- contacting) reciprocal movement within apertures 57. If three separate load sensors are used, one for each contacting element 56, the output of the load sensors may be averaged.

Also attached to the main support is a housing 60 which contains an actuator comprised of force application lever 61, handle 62, cam 64 and tamper 50. The housing 60 is affixed to the support 22 by a collar 68 extending rearwardly from the housing 60 and rigidly attached thereto, the collar 68 sized for sliding engagement about the support 22. Once the housing 60 is vertically positioned, collar 68 may be releasably locked into position by a bolt 70 extending through the collar 68, the distal end of the bolt contacting support 22 as is well known. Thus it can be seen that both the housing 60 and holder 28 are releasably connected to the support 22 allowing for disassembly of the assembly 10 for storage and transportation. The actuator is operated by pulling handle 62 in a clockwise direction which simultaneously imparts reciprocating linear and angular movement of the tamper 50 via cam 64 and linkage assembly. Slot 69 formed in the housing 60 allows for moving the handle 62 from the retracted to the extended position.

Cam 64 and linkage assembly includes lever 61 extending from the handle 62, the lever 61 rigidly connected to cam 64. The cam 64 is pivotally attached to the sidewall 74 of the housing 60 by a pivot 63. Camming surface 76 is shaped to cause gradual reciprocating motion of the tamper 50 by acting upon the tip 77 of a follower 78 which extends through a cylindrical guide 80 within which it is slidingly disposed to allow for both axial and angular motion of the follower 78, the distal end of the follower 78 rigidly attached to tamper 50. Guide 80 is firmly fixed onto sidewall 74 via a connector 81 or by welding. Extending from a position proximate the tip 77, and rigidly connected to the follower 78 is right angle linkage member 82, with member 82 secured at its top end to a spring loaded linkage member 84, which may be a simple spring, or a spring loaded hydraulic piston. The top end 86 of the linkage member 84 is connected to a tab 88 rigidly attached to the interior surface 90 of the housing 60. Piston assembly 84 expands with the downward motion of the handle 62 and is thus is biased to cause handle 62 to return to the upright (retracted) position in the absence of applied force. Any conventional attachment means may be used to connect the piston assembly 84 between tab 88 and right angle linkage member 82, provided said attachment means does not inhibit angular motion of the right angle linkage member 82.

A twisting element 92 is attached perpendicularly to the side of the cam 64 extending outwardly therefrom so as to act upon right angle linkage member 82. An additional element 94 extends from the sidewall of the housing 60 to which it is rigidly attached. Specifically, as can be seen in reference to Figs. 3 and 4, twisting element 92 acts upon member 82 to impart angular movement from a forward to a rearward position as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 respectively, as handle 62 is moved from the retracted position of Fig. 3 to the extended ( force application) position shown in Fig. 4. This motion in turn causes rotation of the follower 78, which rotates the tamper 50 which is rigidly connected thereto. It can be seen that element 92 imparts motion to linkage 82, while element 94 functions as a stop to limit rotation of the follower 78 and tamper 50. All components of the actuator assembly including cam 64 and tamper 50 may be made of metal or other durable, rigid materials.

Display and control panel 100 includes display 36, a tare switch 104, an LED 105, and a function switch 106. The function switch 106 allows for adjusting the compaction pressure at which the operator receives a visual ( and optionally audio) indication(i.e., setting the optimal compaction force). Function switch 106 may also be used to perform other maintenance and operational functions which are outside of the scope of this invention. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the operator will not have to zero small changes due to load cell drift or buildup on the scale; autozero tracking shall take care of these increments automatically. The means for accomplishing this are known the art. The panel 100 may be located anywhere on the assembly 10, for example as indicated by box 108, or on the handle 62.

In operation, coffee 38 is placed in the filter 40 and positioned in the workpiece holder 28. The filter 40 may include a filter holder. After a tare procedure is performed by depressing tare switch 104, the digital displays reads zero after compensating for the weight of the coffee 38 and filter 40 as is known in the art. The tamper 50 remains in the retracted position as shown in Figs. 3 and 7 until downward (clockwise) force applied to the handle62 causes downward vertical motion of the tamper 50 causing contact and compression of the coffee 38 by the bottom surface 58 of the tamper 50. Force is continually applied until the desired pressure is reached, indicating that an optimal compaction of the coffee has been obtained, as indicated by the display 36. The display may of course read pounds, or whatever units are desired. Also, LED 105 can illuminate when the predetermined optimal compaction of the coffee has been reached. The twisting motion imparted by the twisting element 92, causes twisting of the tamper 50, in the direction indicated by the arrow 110 as the downward force (arrow 112) is applied, which causes bottom surface 58 to form a hard finish on the coffee cake, with the assembly in the extended position as shown in Figs. 4 and 8. The coffee 38 is then formed into a cake, ready for use after retraction of the tamper 50 into the position shown in Fig. 3.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a hygrometer (not shown) is positioned within the assembly for measuring the relative ambient humidity. Under microprocessor (not shown) control, the desired force, which is set to a predetermined initial value, is adjusted in accordance with the humidity. The new optimum compacting force, which is therefore

5 dynamically adjusted, is transmitted to the microprocessor which adjusts the display 36 so that the numerical value shown thereon is equal to the predetermined initial value. For example, if the ambient humidity requires a force of 52 lbs, as opposed to 50 lbs, the display will read 50 lbs when in fact 52 lbs of force are applied. Alternatively, the display 36 will show the actual force applied, but LED 105 will blink at 52 lbs to indicate the desired compaction force has been

10 reached.

As an additional example, a container may be provided to dispense coffee at predetermined increments into a filter positioned on the holder 28, with a motor driven version of the assembly 10 applying force to compact the coffee into cakes, the resulting assembly thus being fully [ 5 automatic. The container may be associated with a grinding means for grinding coffee immediately prior to dispensing, and may include temperature and humidity control means.

From the foregoing description, one skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention and, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, can .0 make various changes and modifications of the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the sole embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims: