Abstract:
The present invention is a coffee bean roster attachment for conventional home rotisserie overs. The invention features a roasting tube made of mesh or thin-walled perforated metal and a variety of different components to adapt the roasting tube to the rotisserie apparatus supplies with the conventional home rotisserie oven.

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/201,827 filed May 3, 2000 entitled Coffee roaster attachments for home rotisserie oven appliance. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to attachments for home appliances and, in the preferred embodiments, to home rotisserie oven attachments for roasting coffee. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention, in its preferred embodiments, provides a coffee roaster attachment for a home rotisserie oven. In one preferred embodiment, the roaster is a cylindrical stainless steel mesh container enclosed at one end by a gear wheel. Green coffee beans are poured into this cylinder and the open end is closed by a second gear wheel. The roaster is then advantageously placed into a conventional home rotisserie oven appliance with one of the gear wheels meshed with a motor-driven gear within the oven proper. The oven is then turned on causing rotation of the coffee beans in the container proximate to the oven&#39;s electrical heating element. 
     One of the many features of the preferred embodiments of the invention is that the coffee roaster advantageously incorporates the gear driven assembly normally supplied with a home rotisserie oven, thereby both substantially lowering the cost of the unit to the ultimate consumer and simplifying assembly and disassembly of the coffee roaster. 
     The gourmet coffee industry has been one of the fastest growing segments of the food processing business in the last few years. The present invention brings to consumers the ability to roast coffee in their homes in an efficient and economical way. The preferred embodiments of this invention enable gourmet coffee drinkers to cut their costs by as much as 50% and have even fresher coffee. For those who buy canned coffee, they now can, for mere pennies more than they are currently paying, enjoy gourmet coffee. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front view of a home rotisserie oven. 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of a home rotisserie oven and a portion of a gear-driven rotisserie assembly illustrating the connection between the driving mechanism and the rotisserie assembly. 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a gear-driven rotisserie assembly 
     FIG. 4 is front view of one embodiment of a coffee roaster attachment installed in the home rotisserie oven shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective partially exploded view of a coffee roaster attachment and a gear-driven rotisserie assembly. 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the components of an embodiment of the coffee roaster attachment. 
     FIG. 7 is an elevational view of one end of the coffee roaster tube. 
     FIG. 8 is an elevational view of the opposite end of the coffee roaster tube. 
     FIG. 9 a  is a close-up, cut-away view of one of the retainer clips just prior to engagement with the rod member of the gear driven rotisserie assembly. 
     FIG. 9 b  is a close-up, cut-away view of the clip after engagement by the rod member. 
     FIGS. 10 a  and  10   b  illustrate the manner in which another of the retainer clips engages the rod member as the coffee roaster tube is moved into position. 
     FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing the assembly of the coffee roaster attachment. 
     FIG. 12 a  is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the retainer clips for constructing the coffee roaster attachment of this invention. 
     FIG. 12 b  is a front view of an alternative embodiment of the retainer clips for constructing the coffee roaster attachment of this invention. 
     FIG. 12 c  is a bottom view of an alternative embodiment of the retainer clips for constructing the coffee roaster attachment of this invention. 
     FIG. 13 illustrates a component of an alternative embodiment of the retainer clips for constructing the coffee roaster attachment of this invention. 
     FIG. 14 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the retainer clips for constructing the coffee roaster attachment of this invention. 
     FIGS. 15 is an enlarged view of the alternative embodiment of the retainer clips for constructing the coffee roaster attachment of this invention illustrating how the retainer clip attaches the roaster shell to the gear wheel of the gear-driven rotisserie assembly. 
     FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the coffee roaster attachment installed in an alternate rotisserie apparatus. 
     FIG. 17 illustrates a front elevational view of the embodiment shown in FIG.  16 . 
     FIG. 18 is a cross sectional view of the alternate embodiment of the coffee roaster attachment taken along line  18 — 18  of FIG.  17 . 
     FIG. 19 is a front elevational view of a heat shield attachment for use with the coffee roaster. 
     FIG. 20 is a side elevational schematic view of the heat shield attachment. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following description is of the best presently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. This description is made for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention and should not be taken in a limiting sense. 
     The Home Appliance Oven 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional home appliance oven  15  is shown having an electrical heating unit  20  and a gear wheel  25  within the oven. Gear  25  is driven by an electrical motor (not shown). 
     Gear  25  is adapted to continuously rotate a gear driven rotisserie assembly  26  shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Rotisserie assembly  26  includes a pair of spaced gear wheels  30  and  31  adapted to rotate on stub axles  32  in open bearing surfaces  35  and  36  formed on juxtaposed inside oven walls  40  and  41 , as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Gear wheels  30  and  31  are joined by a pair of rods  50  and  51 . The opposite end of rods  50  and  51  are reduced in diameter (a reduced end of each is shown in FIGS.  3  and  5 ). Each of the gear wheels  30  and  31  include a pair of female receptacles, integrally attached to the wheels, that receive these reduced diameter rod ends. Set screws (not shown) in the female receptacles of gear wheel  31  removably attach the ends of rods  50  and  51  to this gear wheel. Rods  50  and  51  are conventionally used to hold meat that is being cooked in the rotisserie oven. 
     By way of specific example, one type of suitable rotisserie oven is the “Showtime TM Rotisserie BBQ” rotisserie oven offered for sale by Ronco. Additional information about this oven is available at the Ronco web site (www.ronco.com). 
     One Embodiment of the Coffee Roaster Attachment 
     Referring to FIG. 5, the components of the coffee roaster include cross bars  10  and  12 , retainer spring  14 , stir blades  16 , and cylindrical tube  70 , which provides the container wherein the green coffee beans are roasted. Tube  70  is advantageously made of either wire mesh, thin-walled metal, or a combination of both. 
     The manner of assembling and using the coffee roaster attachment is as follows: Rods  50  and  51  are threaded through appropriately spaced and sized holes in cross bars  10  and  12  allowing one end of cylindrical tube  70  to seat against gear  31 . One end of spring  14  is then threaded onto the end of one of the rods  50  or  51 . The spring is then stretched so that the other end of spring  14  may be threaded onto the other rod  50  or  51  and seated against cross bar  12 . The spring  14  remains under tension in the assembled roaster attachment. That tension prevents spring  14  from slipping with respect to rods  50  and  51  thus holding cylindrical tube  70  in place against gear  31  until the spring is removed and the coffee roaster attachment is disassembled. 
     At this stage of assembly, the green coffee beans are loaded into the interior of cylindrical tube  70 . Gear  30  is then seated against the end of cylindrical tube  70  by inserting the reduced-diameter ends of rods  50  and  51  into the female receptacles of gear  30  thus completely enclosing the green coffee beans within cylindrical tube  70 . 
     Once the green beans have been placed in the roaster tube and closed off by gear wheel  30 , the completed unit is installed into the home appliance oven described above with one of the gear wheels  30  or  31  engaging gear  25 . The installed roaster in the oven is shown in FIG.  4 . At this stage, the user sets the timer on the oven unit for the desired roasting time, which will vary depending on the amount of green beans being roasted. The user then starts the oven unit, which will cause the heating elements  20  to begin to heat up and the rotation of the rotisserie gear drive assembly with the roaster appliance attached, thereby starting the roasting process. 
     To remove the roasted coffee beans, one merely removes the gear-driven rotisserie assembly  26  with its attached coffee roaster, takes off gear wheel  30  by sliding it off of the ends of rods  50  and  51  and pours out the roasted coffee beans out. As described above, spring  14  prevents the tube  70  from separating from the base gear drive  31  and thus prevent the beans from spilling all over. 
     A Second Embodiment of the Coffee Roaster Attachment 
     An alternative embodiment of the coffee roaster attachment is depicted in FIGS. 6 and 11. The components of this embodiment include retainer clips  60 ,  61  and  62 , stir blades  65 , and cylindrical tube  70 , which provides the container wherein the green coffee beans are roasted. Tube  70  is advantageously made of either wire mesh, thin-walled metal, or a combination of both. 
     The manner of constructing the coffee roaster attachment is as follows: starting with FIG. 7, the clips are positioned on one end of the tube  70 . Clips  60  are placed in two positions approximately 180° apart on the end of the tube and act not only as guides, but as stabilizers, to prevent the tube  70  from improper rotation. Clips  62  are attached approximately 90° apart from clips  60 , as holders to secure the stir blades  65  to the base of the tube  70 . Note that the stir blades  65  have extending tips  66  at opposite ends which fit into the rectangular opening  67  in each clip  62 . 
     Next refer to FIG. 8, which shows the opposite end of tube  70  and placement of the clips  61 ,  62  on this end of the tube  70 . Before installing clips  62 , the extended tips  66  of each stir blade  65  are inserted into slotted cut-outs  67  of clips  62  to secure the stir blade  65  in place. 
     The next step of construction of the coffee roaster is to add the final set of clips  61  into place. These clips allow for tension/pinch action against the respective rods  50  and  51  shown in FIGS. 9 a,    9   b  and  11 . Clips  61  not only act as a stabilizer for the roaster tube  70  but also positively secure the tube  70  to one of the gear wheels. A close-up of the actual installation of the coffee roaster unit, once all of the clips have been put into place, can be viewed in FIG.  11 . FIGS. 10 a  and  10   b  show how clips  60  slide down the body of rods  50  and  51  arriving at the end to form a closure of the tube  70  on the base of gear wheel  31 . FIGS. 9 a  and  9   b  illustrates that once the tube  70  has been lowered onto the base of gear wheel  31 , rods  50  and  51  slide through a hole in the base of clips  61 . Once rods  50  and  51  start up through the openings in clips  61 , they will press against the flanged portion of clip  61  pushing it slightly out in a toggle fashion, wherein enough tension is created that the flanged portion of clips  61  press up against the rods causing the roaster tube  70  to be held in position (until the tension is purposely relieved for dismantling the tube from gear wheel  31 ). The tension created by this toggle like action is sufficient to hold tube  70  to the gear drive wheel  31  in place with no slippage even when one pours the roasted beans out of the cylindrical tube. Thus, rods  50  and  51  force out the tension/pinch part of clip  61  to form a tension to secure the tube  70  to the gear driven rotisserie assembly  26 . 
     A feature of this embodiment of the invention is that once the clips are installed on the unit, the installation of the unit takes mere seconds; additionally, by the very design of the clips, to dismantle and remove the coffee roaster attachment one need only, by using the thumb and forefinger, relieve tension by pressing simultaneously outward on the ears of clips  61 , and the tube  70  will slide right off. 
     FIG. 11 further illustrates the final assembly of the coffee roaster attachment. 
     To fill the body of the tube with green coffee beans, prior to putting the top gear wheel  30  on (see FIG.  11 ), there is a large opening in the top of the nearly assembled unit. By merely pouring the green coffee beans into the body of the unit, one need only then place gear wheel  30  onto the unit, wherein gear wheel  30  acts as the final closure, preventing the green coffee beans from falling out. 
     A Third Embodiment of the Coffee Roaster Attachment 
     Another option for securing a tube of a larger diameter than the tube described in the second embodiment of the invention, can be done with another set of clips/fasteners clips  100  and  105  (see FIGS. 12 a - 15 ). Again, one takes advantage of the existing hardware such as is provided by Ronco, specifically the gear drive wheels  30  and  31  which both have eight holes in them. First, wire clip  105  is slid through the opening  106  in clip  100 , so that the hooped portion of clip  105  protrudes out the bottom of clip  100 , as shown in FIG.  14 . At this point, the tube  70  is placed on top of gear drive  31 . Now one takes another clip  105  and, from the bottom of gear  31 , inserts the hooped portion of clip  105  through one of the holes in the gear drive wheel  31  so that the hooped portion of clip  105  sticks out above the flat portion of the gear drive wheel  31  as shown in FIG.  15 . One then takes a spring  110  of suitable tension, attaches one end of spring  110  to the hooped portion of clip  105  that is protruding through the hole  106  in clip  100  as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. One then attaches the other end of the spring  110  to the hoop of clip  105  extending though the hole in gear wheel  31  as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. By pulling on this completed assembly, one creates tension. The hooked portion of upper clip  100  is then inserted through the grid of the wire mesh that is the main component of tube  70  as shown in FIG.  15 . This process is then repeated, strategically locating typically two or three more spring-loaded connectors in intervals sufficient to provide for stability. In this manner, tube  70  is attached to gear wheel  31 . 
     After this is done, one simply pours the green coffee beans onto the tube  70 , using the other gear drive wheel  30  to close everything off. One may also repeat the entire clip installation process to secure gear drive wheel  30  to the tube  70 . 
     To remove the roasted beans, one merely needs to release the hooked portion of top clip  100  from the side wall of the tube  70 , then remove the gear drive wheel  30  and pour the roasted beans out, all the time leaving in place the clips/fasteners holding the tube  70  to the other gear drive wheel  31 . One reasonably skilled in the art will note that this embodiment of the invention may be used with a gear-driven rotisserie assembly having only one rod connecting the gear wheels. 
     A Fourth Embodiment of the Coffee Roaster Attachment 
     The final embodiment of the invention that will be discussed is adapted for use with rotisseries that do not have the large gear and dual rod rotisserie assembly  26  but instead have a single rotisserie rod adapted to fit into an existing receiver within an oven or over a gas, electric or charcoal grill. One example of such a rotisserie with the invention installed is shown in FIG.  16 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 16,  17 , and  18 , this embodiment of the invention consists of a wire mesh tube  70  with end caps  200 . Integral with each end cap  200  is a stub axle  202 . The length of tube  70  and stub axles  202  may be preselected to adapt to the dimensions of existing rotisseries. In addition, the cross sectional shape of stub axle  202  may be preselected to conform to the requirements of existing rotisseries. End caps  200  may be secured to tube  70  through a pressure fit, wire and spring tension clips such as those illustrated above or by any other means known in the art. 
     A Heat Shield Attachment 
     One additional item that can be used to facilitate a quicker roasting time is a heat shield that is specifically designed for use with the Ronco or similar home appliance rotisserie oven. The heat shield will capture and reflect the heat radiating from the electrical heating elements  20 , creating a second enclosure within the enclosed oven unit. As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, one preferred embodiment of the shield  125  is made of a heat-resistant material, such as stainless steel that has a glass window  130  for viewing the coffee beans during the roasting process. Heat shield  125  is advantageously simple to install. After the assembled roaster has been placed in the Ronco unit (see FIG.  20 ), one places the legs  135  and  136  of the heat shield through the slots in the greasepan  140  provided by Ronco with another leg  145  bent at a 90° angle, providing stability. The specially designed heat shield can reduce the roasting time by as much as 45-50%. 
     After extensive testing of the coffee roaster appliance constructed in accordance with this invention, it has been determined that up to two pounds of green coffee beans can be roasted at any one time, with exceptional results. Depending upon roast time, quantity, etc., the beans can be roasted from a light to very dark roast, in a consistent fashion. It is further worth noting that the coffee roaster of this invention is the first economical means for the home roaster to be able to roast a quantity of green coffee beans as large as two pounds. 
     A particular feature of the preferred embodiments of the invention is that it has no screws, nuts or bolts. As a result, there is no need for any tools such as wrenches, screwdrivers, etc., to install or remove the adapter from the oven, which makes installation, as well as removal, a snap. 
     Although the present invention has been described in terms of certain preferred embodiments and exemplified with respect thereto, one skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various modifications, changes, omissions and substitutions may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It is intended that the present invention be limited solely by the scope of the following claims: