Patent GB-865199-A (GB)
Title: Brewing apparatus for coffee or the like
IPC: A47J31/40
Filed: 1959-03-31
Abstract: 865,199. Coffee and the like brewing apparatus. AUTOMATIC CANTEEN CO. OF AMERICA. March 31, 1959 [April 3, 1958], No. 10865/59. Class 129. [Also in Group XVIII] A coffee or like brewing apparatus comprises a brewing container 81 mounted on a trunnion 86 rotated by a driven shaft 97 to rotate the container about a horizontal axis successively through a brewing material receiving station, a brewing station and a flushing station, the container having an inlet 137 and an outlet 119 for liquid, filter means 82 for separating the brewing material from the brewed liquid and an open end with a cover 142, means being provided for moving the cover between open and closed positions. As shown, coffee or like dispenser 20 and a brewing assembly 21 are supported on a frame member 22 having a rear wall 23 and side walls 24, 25. Removably mounted on a U-shaped bracket 38 is a reservoir 27 with a tight fitting cover 31 which supports a hopper 35 and an off-centre aperture in its bottom to receive the upper end of a measuring device 26 consisting of telescoping sections 46, 47 whose lower end rests on bracket 49 which is slid on to bracket 38. A shaft 57 passes through aligned openings in brackets 38, 49 and has its upper end journalled in a bearing in the bottom wall 29 of reservoir 27. A disc 28, secured by member 60 and pin 61 on shaft 57 to rotate therewith, consists of a section 62, with openings 64, and a blank section 63. As shaft 57 rotates, coffee falls into container 26 only when openings 64 are opposite this opening and not when container 26 is being emptied, a gate 66 on the discharge end of device 26 being held closed by a guide plate 68 and opened against spring 71 by a camming finger 74 on shaft 57 once during each revolution. This assembly moves with bracket 49 to alter the capacity of device 26. A brew stem 83 holds the brewing basket 82 in place in container 81 which is mounted on a member 86 journalled in bearing assembly 87 mounted in a vertical frame member 88. Extending rearwardly from frame 88 there are bracket members 89, 90 secured to vertical angle bars carrying upper and lower supporting rods 93, 94 secured to the casing of a reduction gear assembly 95 and extending through and held in slots in walls 24, 25. Gear assembly 95 is driven by a motor 96 whose main shaft 97 carries a pin 98 to engage a socket in trunnion member 86 and drive brewing container 81. Driven through bevel gearing by shaft 97 there is a cam-shaft 101 carrying cams 105, 106 having respectively two driving pins 107, 108 and a tooth-shaped cam lobe 109. Pins 107, 108 and sized to fit in slots 78, 79 at the ends of a member 77 secured to the lower end of shaft 57. Member 77 is maintained at the lower end of shaft 57 by spring 80. Cam lobe 109 engages at different times the brewing and stop cycle switches 110, 111 respectively which are mounted on a plate 112 secured to gear assembly 95. Also mounted on plate 112 on a bracket 113 is a flush switch 114 to be actuated by cam 105, each switch being operated once per revolution. Diametrically opposite member 86 is a cylindrical fitting 116 secured to container 81 and rotatably mounted thereon is a sleeve member 117 with pipe connections 118, 119 forming an inlet and an outlet for container 81. Hot water passes from inlet 118 through annular groove 20, an axial passageway 121, a pipe 123 and to an internally threaded fitting 124 mounted on the bottom wall 84 of container 81. Outlet 119 is connected by a groove 126 and a passageway 127 to container 81. Grooves 120 and 126 are sealed from one another by sealing rings 128. Brewing basket 82 has a foraminous side wall 130 and a solid bottom wall 129 with an aperture through which the threaded end of a collar 134 passes into fitting 124 to hold the basket bottom 129 in position. Brew stem 83 is held in collar 134 and has a handle 136 and apertures 138 which allow hot water to pass into container 81, a sleeve 139 being provided to keep the apertures clear of grounds. When container 81 is inverted for flushing sleeve 139 slides down and is held on pins 141. The cover 142 of container 81 has a rubber or like gasket member 143 and is supported on plates 144, 145 secured thereto and normally biased open by springs 162, 168. A roller shaft 150 with a cam roller 151 is received in apertures in plates 144, 145 which have legs 152, 153 whose ends are received in grooves 156, 157 in fitting 116 and member 86 respectively. Legs 152, 153 have slots 154, 155 whose ends are closed by removable bars 158, 160 with stops 159, 161. Plates 164, 165 at either side of container 81 have stops 166, 167 to limit the movement of the cover at its open position. A cam plate 171 on frame 88 closes the cover when engaged by cover cam roller 151. The machine is usually combined with a tank 174 to which the brewed coffee passes and from which it is dispensed through a tap 178. Initially, container 81 is inclined, Fig. 1, with its end open and cam 106 is in engagement with stop cycle switch 111. Operation is initiated by a signal, e.g. from sensing means in tank 174, that the coffee is almost used up which energizes motor 96 to rotate container 81 counter-clockwise, Fig. 1, and disc 28 in reservoir 27 counter-clockwise, Fig. 4. As the upper open end of container 81 begins to align with the discharge end of device 26, camming finger 74 on shaft 57 engages cam lobe 75 on gate 66 to open the gate 66 and let the measured amount of coffee fall into basket 82. As cam roller 151 on cover 142 engages cam-plate 171 and container 81 rotates, cover 142 is closed being pivoted until it engages stops 166a, 167a when it is moved into sealed engagement with container 81. Lobe 109 on cam 106 then operates switch 110, de-energizes motor 96 and stops container in position shown in Fig. 9, at the same time operating a timer and the solenoid control valve 176 to brew the coffee, brewing being terminated after a predetermined time by the timer which closes valve 176 and energizes motor 96. Container 81 continues to rotate and the cover is released and at almost the same time flushing switch 114 is operated to initiate the flushing cycle. Shortly after flushing is complete cam lobe 109 engages stop cycle switch 111 to discontinue operation of the apparatus.