Patent Publication Number: US-2013233176-A1

Title: Coffee Maker Capable of Stopping Returning Steam

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to coffee makers capable of stopping returning steam, and more particularly, to a coffee maker capable of stopping returning steam in a manner that an outlet adapted to let in coffee particles is shut as soon as high-temperature steam is introduced into a brewing unit, so as to prevent the high-temperature steam from entering a grinding unit to wet residual coffee particles therein. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Conventional coffee makers come in a wide variety of forms and usually each comprise a grinding unit for grinding coffee beans into coffee particles, a guiding unit for discharging the coffee particles, and a brewing unit for brewing coffee from the coffee particles delivered thereto at high temperature. An outlet formed at one end of the guiding unit and adapted to let the coffee particles enter the brewing unit is usually open. As a result, high-temperature steam introduced into the brewing unit is likely to enter the grinding unit via the guiding unit to wet the residual coffee particles in the grinding unit. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is aimed at overcoming a drawback of a conventional coffee maker, that is, high-temperature steam is likely to enter a grinding unit via a guiding unit to wet residual coffee particles in the grinding unit. A decelerating motor at the upper end of a brewing unit of the coffee maker drives a lid to move to shut or open an outlet formed at one end of the guiding unit in a manner that the outlet adapted to let in the coffee particles is shut as soon as high-temperature steam is introduced into a brewing unit, so as to prevent the high-temperature steam from entering the grinding unit to wet residual coffee particles therein. 
     It is an objective of the present invention to provide a coffee maker that comprises a grinding unit for grinding coffee beans into coffee particles, a guiding unit for discharging the coffee particles, and a brewing unit for brewing coffee from the coffee particles delivered thereto at high temperature. A conduit extends laterally from a container disposed at the lower portion of the grinding unit and adapted to hold the coffee particles, and the conduit has an outlet corresponding in position to an opening formed on a cover portion at the top of the brewing unit. A decelerating motor is disposed at a preset position of the cover portion at the top of the brewing unit, and an axle of the decelerating motor is coupled to a lid. An axle of the decelerating motor is coupled to a lid. When the coffee particles exit the grinding unit and enter the brewing unit via the conduit to accumulate in the brewing unit to a preset quantity level, the decelerating motor drives the lid to undergo a displacement and thereby shut the opening at the top of the brewing unit, such that high-temperature steam introduced into the brewing unit for brewing coffee from the coffee particles is prevented from entering the grinding unit via the conduit to wet the residual coffee particles in the grinding unit. 
     Another objective of the present invention is to provide a silicone plug tightly embedded in the bottom of the lid coupled to the axle of the decelerating motor disposed at the cover portion at the top of the brewing unit. The silicone plug is effective in shutting the opening of the cover portion tightly, because the silicone plug undergoes thermal expansion when confronted with the high-temperature steam introduced into the brewing unit for making coffee from the coffee particles and thereby operates in conjunction with the lid in providing better hermetic seal. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a coffee maker capable of stopping returning steam according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the coffee maker capable of stopping returning steam according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a cutaway view of the coffee maker capable of stopping returning steam according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of the coffee maker with a lid opened by a mechanism for stopping returning steam according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view of the coffee maker with coffee beans therein according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a top view of the coffee maker with the lid shut by the mechanism for stopping returning steam according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a cutaway view of the coffee maker with the lid shut by the mechanism for stopping returning steam according to the present invention; and 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic view of the coffee maker with high-temperature steam being delivered thereto according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the present invention provides a coffee maker  5  capable of stopping returning steam. The coffee maker  5  comprises a grinding unit  1  for grinding coffee beans into coffee particles, a guiding unit  2  for discharging the coffee particles, and a brewing unit  3  for brewing coffee from the coffee particles delivered thereto at high temperature. 
     The grinding unit  1  is disposed at one end of the coffee maker  5  for grinding coffee beans. The grinding unit  1  comprises a container  11  for holding the coffee beans to be grounded. Disposed at the center of the container  11  is a hole  111  for allowing a blade  12  to rest on the container  11  and allowing a downward-extending tube  121  of the blade  12  to penetrate the hole  111  and be pivotally coupled to the hole  111  of the container  11  (as shown in  FIG. 3 .) The tube  121  of the blade  12  is coupled to an axle  131  of a driving motor  13  disposed in the coffee maker  5 . A funnel  14  is disposed on the container  11  and adapted to hold the coffee beans to be grounded. A cover portion  141  extends laterally and obliquely downward from the funnel  14 . 
     The guiding unit  2  discharges the coffee particles into the brewing unit  3 . In an embodiment, the guiding unit  2  is implemented in the form of a backward-tapering U-shaped conduit  112  extending laterally and obliquely downward from the container  11  of the grinding unit  1 . The cover portion  141  extending laterally from the funnel  14  covers and rests on the conduit  112  to form a tubular structure (as shown in  FIG. 3 ) and form an outlet  113  at the terminal end of the conduit  112 . 
     The brewing unit  3  brews coffee from the coffee particles delivered thereto. The brewing unit  3  comprises a container  31  provided at a lower end thereof with a control outlet  311  and provided therein with a filtering chamber  32  (as shown in  FIG. 3 .) A cover portion  33  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) is formed at the top of the brewing unit  3 . Formed at a preset position of the cover portion  33  is an opening  331 . The outlet  113  at the terminal end of the conduit  112  corresponds in position to the opening  331 . A decelerating motor  34  is disposed at a preset position of the cover portion  33 . An axle  341  of the decelerating motor  34  is coupled to a lid  35 . An integrated circuit (IC) of the decelerating motor  34  controllably drives the lid  35  to undergo a preset angular displacement so as to shut or open the opening  331  of the cover portion  33 . The bottom of the lid  35  has a recess that tapers upward to receive a silicone plug  36  (as shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  3 .) 
     A mechanism for stopping returning steam is disposed in the coffee maker  5  and adapted to operate in conjunction with the coffee bean grinding and brewing process performed by the coffee maker  5  (as shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  4 ) in the steps described hereunder. In step  1 , a user lifts a lid  51  disposed at the top of the coffee maker  5  and places coffee beans  6  in the coffee maker  5  (as shown in  FIG. 5 ), and then the user starts the decelerating motor  34  disposed at the top of the brewing unit  3  so that the decelerating motor  34  drives the lid  35  to open by moving away from the opening  331  of the cover portion  33 . In step  2 , the driving motor  13  disposed in the coffee maker  5  starts and drives the blade  12  pivotally coupled to the grinding unit  1  from within to grind quickly the coffee beans  6  introduced into the container  11  into coffee particles  61 , and then airflow generated as a result of rapid rotation of the blade  12  drives the coffee particles  61  to enter the brewing unit  3  via the conduit  112  extending laterally from the container  11 . In step  3 , once the quantity of the coffee particles  61  introduced into the filtering chamber  32  of the brewing unit  3  reaches a preset level, the decelerating motor  34  disposed at the top of the brewing unit  3  will drive the lid  35  to undergo a displacement (in the direction of the arrow shown in  FIG. 6 ; see  FIG. 7 ) and shut the opening  331  at the top of the brewing unit  3 . In step  4 , high-temperature steam is admitted to an inlet  332  at the cover portion  33  at the top of the brewing unit  3  via a conduit  4  (as shown in  FIGS. 7 ,  8 ) so as to steam the coffee particles  61  in the brewing unit  3 . During the brewing process performed on the coffee particles  61  in the brewing unit  3  by means of high-temperature steam, the opening  331  of the cover portion  33  is shut by the lid  35  and the silicone plug  36  thereunder (as shown in  FIG. 7 ), such that the high-temperature steam introduced into the brewing unit  3  is prevented from entering the grinding unit  1  via the conduit  112  to wet the residual coffee particles  61  or coffee beans  6  in the grinding unit  1 . The silicone plug  36  is effective in shutting the opening  331  of the cover portion  33  tightly, because the silicone plug  36  undergoes thermal expansion when confronted with the high-temperature steam introduced and thereby operates in conjunction with the lid  35  in providing better hermetic seal.