Patent Publication Number: US-2015059590-A1

Title: Device for Expelling used Capsules of a Capsule Coffee Machine

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of priority to CN 201320537996.0, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People&#39;s Republic of China on Aug. 30, 2013, the entire specification of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a capsule coffee machine, especially to a device for expelling used capsules of a capsule coffee machine that can receive a coffee capsule and expel the coffee capsule after used. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     We use a coffee grinder to grind coffee beans into powder to make coffee drink, then use a coffee machine to brew and filter. To make the coffee drink easier and more stable in taste, there are capsule coffee machines, firstly mixing the coffee beans to coffee material with stable taste, and then sealing up the coffee material in a capsule, this kind of capsule with coffee material is called coffee capsule. When brewing coffee, the drink-making process involves using a pricker to puncture the coffee capsule, so that hot water flows into the coffee capsule, then using another pricker to puncture the coffee capsule to make the brewed coffee drink flowing out. 
     However, to brew the coffee capsule, it needs hot water, so that it&#39;s usually in high temperature around the coffee capsule of the capsule coffee machine, thus people can not casually take or put the coffee capsules, they need special tool to do that, causing it inconvenient, and dangerous to take or put the coffee capsules. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of the present invention is to provide with a device for expelling used capsules of a capsule coffee machine with simple, quick and safe operation. 
     The device for expelling used capsules of a capsule coffee machine is used for receiving a coffee capsule, comprising a support unit, a receiving seat and a linkage control unit, the support unit has a lower support and an upper support pivotally connected to the lower support; the receiving seat is pivotally connected to the lower support of the support unit for receiving a coffee capsule; and the linkage control unit with a pull plate is connected to the upper support and a switch plate pivotally connected to the lower support of the support unit; when the upper support swings upwardly, the pull plates moves upwardly and pulls up the switch plate and the switch plate raises the receiving seat from a receiving position to an overturning position. 
     The advantages of the present invention is that: with the linkage of the linkage control unit, when the upper support swings, it drives the receiving seat with a coffee capsule to overturn to expel the coffee capsule out of the receiving seat automatically, the present invention has simple, quick and safe operation. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a side view of an embodiment of the present invention when a receiving seat of the device for expelling used capsules is in a receiving position. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a partial exploded and schematic diagram of this embodiment to describe the relationship of a lower support, a linkage control unit and the receiving seat of the automatic expel mechanism when the receiving seat is in an overturning position. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an incomplete schematic diagram of this embodiment to describe the relationship of the linkage control unit, the lower support and the receiving seat. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a side view of this embodiment like  FIG. 1  when an upper support of device for expelling used capsules swings down. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an incomplete side diagram of this embodiment to describe the relationship of the receiving seat and the linkage control unit when a pull element of the linkage control unit moves to the lower of a switch plate. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates an incomplete side diagram of this embodiment like  FIG. 5  when the receiving seat is in overturning position. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates another incomplete side diagram of this embodiment like  FIG. 6  when the receiving seat is in overturning position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention will be further described with the drawings and the embodiment. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3 , a device for expelling used capsules of the present invention is to assemble to the interior of a capsule coffee machine, the device can receive a coffee capsule  10  with coffee material, with a puncture mechanism in the coffee machine (not shown), people can brew the coffee material, as the improvement of the present invention is nothing to do with how to brew the coffee material, how to brew is not described here. The device for expelling used capsules comprises: a support unit  2 , a receiving seat  3  pivotally connected to the support unit  2  by a first pivot shaft  30 , and a linkage control unit  4  connected to the support unit  2  to drive the receiving seat  3  to change between a receiving position and an overturning position, the coffee capsule  10  is received in the receiving seat  3 , the linkage control unit  4 , when the support unit  2  swings, drives the receiving seat  3  to change between the receiving position and the overturning position. 
     The support unit  2  comprises a lower support  21  and an upper support  22  pivotally connected to the lower support  21  by a second pivot shaft  20 , and a torsion spring  23  for enabling the upper support  22  to swing around the second pivot shaft  20  upwardly and backwardly, the lower support  21  comprises a lower frame portion  211  for assembling the receiving seat  3  in the front, a lower pivot portion  212  for assembling the upper support  22  at the rear protruded upwardly for the first pivot shaft  20  to run through, and an expel portion  213  located between the lower frame portion  211  and the lower pivot portion  212 . The lower frame portion  211  comprises a baffle  214  surrounding the front and the two sides, a shaft block  215  connected at the rear of the baffle  214  laterally, and an accommodating room  216  defined by the baffle  214  and the shaft block  215 , the expel portion  213  comprises two parallel side walls  217  opposing each other, and an expel through hole  218  located between the side walls  217 , the expel through hole  218  is bigger than the coffee capsule  10 . The upper support  22  has an upper frame portion  221 , and an upper pivot portion  222  pivot joint to the lower pivot portion  212  of the lower support  21 , the upper pivot portion  222  comprises two parallel left and right side flaps  223 . The torsion spring  23  sleeves on the second pivot shaft  20 . 
     The receiving seat  3  comprises a receiving portion  31  for receiving the coffee capsule, two parallel fulcrum bars  32  extending away from the receiving portion  31 , and a swing controlled portion  33  protruding outwardly from one fulcrum bar  32 , the fulcrum bars  32  are respectively disposed at the opposite sides of the shaft block  215  of the lower support  21 . The receiving portion  31  comprises a round wall  312  to hold the receiving room  311  of the coffee capsule  10 , the round wall  312  comprises an edge  313  near the upper to mount on the baffle  214  of the lower support  21 , the receiving room  311  has an opening  314 , the opening  314  faces upwardly when in receiving position, each of the fulcrum bars  32  comprises a rear projection section  321  extending backwardly horizontally, a pendant section  322  extending downwardly from the rear projection section  321 , and a pivot hole  323  disposed in the pendant section  322  near to the bottom edge, the first pivot shaft  30  connects the pivot hole  323  of the fulcrum bar and the shaft block  215  of the lower support  21 , so that the receiving seat  3  can swing upwardly and backwardly around the first pivot shaft  30 . The swing controlled portion  33  comprises a side projection piece  331  partially surrounding the axes of the first pivot shaft  30  and protrudes out from the pendant section  322  of one fulcrum bar  32 , a front projection block  332  extending away from the side projection piece  331 , and a control bar  333  connected to a side of the front projection block  332  and extends away from the front projection block  332  near the front edge, that is to say, the control bar  333  protrudes from one of the side walls  217  of the lower support and near to said side wall  217 . 
     The linkage control unit  4  of this embodiment is disposed with a pull plate  42  connected to the interior of one of the side flaps  223  of the upper support  22  by a plurality of first fixation elements  41 , and a switch plate  44  pivotally connected to the interior of one of the side walls  217  of the lower support  21  by a second fixation element  43 . The pull plate  42  is disposed with a fixation end  421  fixed to said side flap  223 , a pull end  422  spaced with the fixation end  421  extending to the switch plate  44 , and a pull element  423  connected to the pull end  422  and protruding to the switch plate  44 . The switch plate  44  comprises a fulcrum portion  441  in one end of the switch plate  44  for the second fixation element  43  to run through, a control hole  442  in an opposite end of the switch plate  44  disposed spaced in the front of the fulcrum portion  441 , and a lift portion  443  located between the fulcrum portion  441  and the control portion  442 , the control portion  442  has an elongated control hole  444  extending forwardly and backwardly, the control bar  333  of the receiving seat  3  is inserted into and slides inside the elongated control hole  444 . The lift portion  443  has a hook wall  445  protruding inwardly with an inclined surface faced inwardly, and a groove  446  between the hook wall  445  and the control portion  442 , the pull element  423  of the pull plate  42  can move to the hook wall  445  of the switch plate  44  and then abut against on the lower of the hook wall  445  to lift the switch plate  44 , when the switch plate  44  is lifted, it swings around the second fixation element  43 . 
     When the receiving seat  3  of this embodiment is in the receiving position as figured in  FIG. 1 , the upper support  22  swings upwardly and backwardly under the work of the torsion spring  23 , meanwhile, the coffee capsule  10  is placed inside the receiving room  311  of the receiving seat  3 . In this position, the pull element  423  of the pull plate  42  is approximately in the front up of the hook wall  445  of the switch plate  44 . 
     Refer to  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5 , the user operates to overcome the elastic force of the torsion spring  23 , then pressing the upper support  22  to the lower support  21  toward a brew direction  11 , the puncture mechanism in the support unit  2  (not shown) punctures the coffee capsule  10  to brew coffee. As the improvement of the present invention is nothing to do with how to brew the coffee material, how to brew is not described here. During brewing, the pull plate  42  is driven to move down by the upper support  22 , the pull element  423  of the pull plate  42  abuts against the inclined surface of the hook wall  415  of the switch plate  44  and then crosses by, and then moving to the back down of the switch plate, that is to say, the pull element  423  of the pull plate  42  moves to a standby position in  FIG. 5  from the position in  FIG. 4 , at this time, the pull element  423  is approximately in the back down of the switch plate  44 . 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 3 ,  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7 , after the coffee capsule  10  is brewed, under the work of the torsion spring  23 , the upper support  22  swings upwardly and backwardly in an expel direction  12  opposite to the brew direction  11 , meanwhile, the upper support  22  swinging backwardly drives the pull plate  42  to swing together, as the pull element  423  of the pull plate  42  is at the back down of the hook wall  445  of the switch plate  44 , when the fixation end  421  of the pull plate  42  swings backwardly with the upper support  22 , the pull end  422  of the pull plate  42  and the pull element  423  swing forwardly, and then abutting against on the lower edge of the switch plate  44 , then lifting the switch plate  44  up gradually to swing around the second fixation element  43 , as the control bar  333  of the swing controlled portion  33  of the receiving seat inserts into the control hole  444  of the control portion  442  of the switch plate  44 , the lifting motion will drive the receiving seat  3  to swing backwardly around the first pivot shaft  30  as a fulcrum. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 3 ,  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7 , when the pull element  423  of the pull plate  42  separates from the hook wall  445  of the switch plate  44 , the receiving seat  3  and the lower support  21  form an overturning incline angle  13 , in this embodiment, the overturning incline angle  13  is approximately 110 degrees, that is to say, when the receiving seat  3  changes to the overturning position form the receiving position, the opening  314  of the receiving room  311  of the receiving seat  3  is overturned and inclined to the expel through hole  218  of the lower support  21 , so that the present invention expels the used coffee capsule  10  to the expel through hole  218  of the lower support, obtaining automatic expelling under a convenient and safe operation. Under the designation, the overturning incline angle  13  is larger than 90 degrees, there is no limitation to the angle of this embodiment.