Patent ID: 9561909
Date: 2017-02-07
CPC Classifications: A47J,B65G

Claim:
1. An extruder for use in a dispenser of a loose product for the preparation of beverages, comprising: a housing, defining a product inlet, a product outlet, and a bore having a longitudinal axis, which bore interconnects the product inlet and the product outlet; a screw feeder including a screw blade that is both rotatably and translatably received in the bore, such that it is axially movable along the longitudinal axis between a first position and a second position; a first sealing device that is configured to fluidtightly seal a portion of the bore interconnecting the product inlet, and the product outlet in dependence of the axial position of the screw blade, such that in said first position of the screw blade, the first sealing device fluidtightly seals the portion of the bore interconnecting the product inlet and the product outlet, while in said second position of the screw blade, rotation of the screw blade can effect a continuous extrusion of loose product, supplied at the product inlet, from the product outlet; and a drive mechanism coupled to the screw blade and configured to convert rotational motion in a first direction of rotation into linear, reciprocating motion of the screw blade within the bore and configured to convert rotational motion in a second direction of rotation into rotation of the screw blade in an extrusion sense of rotation.