Abstract:
An apparatus for producing coffee or other beverages has two brewing cylinders and brewing pistons which are movable in the brewing cylinders and which form a brewing chamber. A loading station is provided for loading the brewing chambers with ground coffee or the other media. One brewing cylinder can be moved in each case together with the associated brewing piston from a brewing position to the loading station and back again, wherein the associated brewing piston can be removed for the disposal of the used coffee or medium from the brewing cylinder. The second brewing cylinder can therefore be moved to the same loading station as the first, and this therefore results in a simplification of the design of the apparatus.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to an apparatus for producing coffee or other beverages including at least one brewing cylinder, brewing pistons movable within the brewing cylinder(s) and which form a brewing chamber therewith, and a loading station for loading the brewing chamber with ground coffee or other media provided for the preparation of the respective beverage. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Apparatuses of this type, for example coffee machines, are known wherein the brewing cylinder is positioned stationarily, and both during the loading of the brewing chamber with ground coffee and during the brewing process is therefore to be found in the same position. The grinding mechanism for the coffee is located directly next to the brewing cylinder so that, due to the heat in the brewing cylinder, the coffee not directly intended for brewing is disadvantageously also heated. 
     OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The object forming the basis of the present invention is to provide an apparatus of the type specified at the start wherein not only the aforementioned disadvantage is eliminated, but also more efficient production of coffee or other beverages is possible. 
     This object is achieved according to the invention by an apparatus in which the brewing cylinder can be moved together with one brewing piston out of a brewing position to a loading station and back, this brewing piston being removable in order to expel the used coffee or medium from the brewing cylinder. 
     Further preferred embodiments of the apparatus according to the invention form the subject matter of the dependent claims. 
     Since according to the invention the brewing cylinder can be moved from a loading position into a brewing position and back, the grinding mechanism or a number of grinding mechanisms can be thermally isolated sufficiently from the brewing cylinder. It is particularly advantageous that already during the brewing process in one brewing cylinder the brewing chamber of a further brewing cylinder can be loaded. Preferably, even more than two brewing cylinders can be provided which can be moved independently of one another between the two positions so that parallel brewing processes in these brewing cylinders can overlap temporally. In a particularly preferred manner a number of grinding mechanisms are assigned to the station for loading, it being possible to convey the material to be ground of each grinding mechanism optionally into each of the available brewing chambers. 
     Means, such as for example valves, can preferably be provided with which the brewed coffee can be conveyed from individual brewing chambers to one or more outlets as desired. Coffee can also be conveyed from all of the brewing chambers into the same coffee outlet if, for example, larger quantities are required. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the following the invention is described in more detail by means of the drawings. These show as follows: 
         FIG. 1  is diagrammatically, in a top view, an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention for producing coffee comprising two brewing cylinders and a station for loading the brewing chamber of the respective brewing cylinder; 
         FIG. 2  is a section along line II-II in  FIG. 1 , with a first brewing cylinder in a loading position; 
         FIG. 3  is a section along line III-III in  FIG. 1 , with a second brewing cylinder in a brewing position; and 
         FIGS. 4-7  show the apparatus according to  FIGS. 1 to 3  in a perspective illustration in four working cycle phases. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In  FIGS. 1 to 7  an apparatus  1  for producing coffee is shown which comprises two brewing units each having a brewing cylinder  2 ,  2 ′ enclosing a respective brewing chamber  3 ,  3 ′ as obvious from  FIGS. 2 and 3  and  FIGS. 4 to 7 , and a station  5  for loading the respective brewing chamber  3 ,  3 ′ with ground coffee. According to  FIG. 1  the material to be ground can be conveyed from a respective grinding mechanism (not shown in the drawing) to the station  5  via powder passages  6 ,  7 . The grinding mechanisms are preferably driven by a common motor, optionally only one grinding mechanism respectively being used. 
     The brewing chamber  3 ,  3 ′ of the respective brewing cylinder  2 ,  2 ′ can be closed on the face side by a respective brewing piston  10 ,  10 ′;  11 ,  11 ′ moveable in the axial direction of the brewing cylinder  2 ,  2 ′, and which can be moved independently of one another. In the exemplary embodiment shown the brewing cylinders  2 ,  2 ′ are arranged vertically. For the movement of the lower brewing pistons  10 ,  10 ′ a respective drive  15 ,  15 ′ is provided, and the movement of the upper brewing pistons  11 ,  11 ′ is brought about by a respective drive  16 ,  16 ′ ( FIG. 1 ). 
     The upper brewing pistons  11 ,  11 ′, which in the exemplary embodiment shown only perform a vertical stroke movement, are respectively connected to a piston rod  17 ,  17 ′ in the form of a threaded rod, and respectively interact with a threaded nut  18 ,  18 ′ which is driven, for example, via a toothed belt disc  19 ,  19 ′ and a toothed belt  20 ,  20 ′ by a drive motor  21 ,  21 ′. The piston rods  17 ,  17 ′ and the upper brewing pistons  11 ,  11 ′ are secured against rotating here by means of a yoke plate  23 ,  23 ′ respectively guided over two fixed guide rods  22 ,  22 ′. 
     The lower brewing pistons  10 ,  10 ′ execute a combined stroke and pivot movement. They are respectively disposed on a pivot arm  25 ,  25 ′ which is connected to a guide axis  26 ,  26 ′ ( FIGS. 2 and 3 ). The guide axes  26 ,  26 ′ are respectively functionally connected to a threaded nut  27 ,  27 ′ that can be driven by a drive motor  24 ,  24 ′ via a drive belt  30 ,  30 ′ and can be moved by the latter axially, by means of which the stroke movement of the lower brewing pistons  10 ,  10 ′ (together with the pivot arms  25 ,  25 ′) is brought about. Here the respective lower brewing piston  10 ,  10 ′ can be pushed downwards out of the respective brewing cylinder  2 ,  2 ′. By means of a cross pin  28 ,  28 ′ inserted in the respective guide axis  26 ,  26 ′ and which interacts with a connecting link  29 ,  29 ′, with the axial movement of the guide axis  26 ,  26 ′ a pivot movement of the pivot arm  25 ,  25 ′ carrying the lower brewing piston  10 ,  10 ′ is forced. 
     By means of the pivot arm  25 ,  25 ′ on the one hand the lower brewing piston  10 ,  10 ′ pushed out of the respective brewing cylinder  2 ,  2 ′ can be pivoted out of the position coaxial to the brewing cylinder  2 ,  2 ′ in order to clear the brewing chamber  3 ,  3 ′ so as to expel the used coffee powder (this is then implemented by means of the upper brewing piston  11 ,  11 ′), but on the other hand the whole brewing cylinder  2 ,  2 ′ can be pivoted with the lower brewing piston  10 ,  10 ′ out of a loading position shown in  FIG. 2  into a brewing position according to  FIG. 3  and vice versa. Of course this can only happen when the upper brewing piston  11 ,  11 ′ is located outside of the brewing cylinder  2 ,  2 ′, i.e. is pushed out upwards. It would by all means be possible to separate the pivot movement from the upwards and downwards movement of the guide axis, and to implement it by means of a separate drive or by some other means away from the brewing cylinder to the side. 
     In the following the sequence of a working cycle implementable with the apparatus  1  is described by means of  FIGS. 4 to 7 . 
       FIG. 4  shows a phase in which the first brewing cylinder  2  is located in the loading position corresponding to  FIG. 2  beneath the station  5 . The upper brewing piston  11  is located in its uppermost position. The brewing cylinder  2  open to the top is loaded with material to be ground. The other brewing cylinder  2 ′ is located in the brewing position, but is still empty. The second upper brewing piston  11 ′ is positioned above the second brewing cylinder  2 ′. 
       FIG. 5  shows a phase in which the first brewing cylinder  2  together with the lower brewing piston  10  has been pivoted back into the brewing position by means of the pivot arm  25  functionally connected to the drive  15 . The upper brewing piston  11  has been introduced into the brewing cylinder  2  by means of the drive  16 , and is moved downwards, i.e. the brewing process is implemented. Meanwhile the second brewing cylinder  2 ′ together with the lower brewing piston  10 ′ has been pivoted by the pivot arm  25 ′ functionally connected to the drive  15 ′ out of the brewing position (unhindered by the upper brewing piston  11 ′) into the loading position, and is filled with material to be ground. 
     In a further phase according to  FIG. 6  the lower brewing piston  10  has been pushed out of the first brewing cylinder  2  by the drive  15  comprising the guide rod  26  and pivoted out of the position coaxial to the brewing cylinder  2  with the pivot arm  25 . The used coffee powder has been expelled downwards from the brewing chamber  3  thus cleared by means of the upper brewing piston  11 . Meanwhile coffee is brewed in the second brewing cylinder  2 ′ pivoted back into the brewing position. 
       FIG. 7  shows the lower brewing piston  10  of the first brewing cylinder  2  pivoted back into the position coaxial to the brewing cylinder  2  and introduced from below into the brewing cylinder  2 . The upper brewing piston  11  has been moved upwards again out of the brewing cylinder  2 . This first brewing cylinder  2  is now ready again to pivot into the loading position, while at the end of the brewing process the used coffee powder is expelled from the second brewing cylinder  2 ′. 
     The apparatus  1  according to the invention makes it possible to load the respective brewing cylinder  2 ,  2 ′ with material to be ground from one side and to discard the coffee grounds on the other side. The expulsion downwards is associated with the advantage that no additional apparatus is required to remove the used coffee powder. 
     The flow of the hot water introduced into the brewing chambers  3 ,  3 ′ on the one hand and of the fully brewed coffee conveyed out of the brewing chambers  3 ,  3 ′ to one or two outlets on the other hand can take place both from the top to the bottom and from the bottom to the top. 
     The principle according to the invention of the spatial separation of the brewing and the loading of the brewing chamber is advantageous with regard to the thermal separation of the grinding mechanism from the brewing unit. When using two brewing units the brewing chamber of the other brewing cylinder can advantageously already be loaded during the brewing process in a brewing cylinder. Preferably even more than two brewing cylinders can be provided which can be moved independently of one another between the two positions so that parallel brewing processes in these brewing cylinders can overlap temporally. In a particularly preferred manner a number of grinding mechanisms are assigned to the station for loading, the material to be ground of each grinding mechanism being optionally conveyable into each of the brewing chambers available. 
     Means, such as for example valves, can preferably be provided with which the brewed coffee from individual brewing chambers can be conveyed to one or more outlets as desired. Coffee from all of the brewing chambers can also be conveyed into the same coffee outlet if, for example, larger quantities are required. 
     Instead of with material to be ground, in the loading position the respective brewing chamber can also be loaded with other materials suitable for the preparation of a beverage and with cleaning agents in any conceivable form, such as e.g. in the form of solids, powders, flakes, granules, tablets, liquid etc. These materials can also be, for example, powdered or liquid milk, tea in powder or also in leaf form, cocoa and chocolate (both powder, flakes and pieces), syrups and other aromatic substances or alcoholic drinks. 
     The movement of the brewing cylinder or the brewing cylinders out of a loading position into a brewing position and back could also be implemented differently from how is described above, e.g. by translation or rotation (axis of rotation parallel, at an angle or perpendicular to the brewing cylinder axis).