Abstract:
Apparatus for refilling the filter-holders of a machine for the preparation of espresso coffee with selected doses of ground coffee. The machine has a plurality of dispensing units for the preparation of coffee beverages, each dispensing unit having a detachable filter-holder and a plurality of keys for selecting the beverage to be dispensed and a coffee bean grinder and metering device provided with a hopper for supplying beans of a desired grain size. The grinder and metering device has a hopper for supplying ground coffee and supporting means for the filter-holder. An identification unit generates information for recognizing the filter-holder of a selected dispensing unit and information related to the dose with which the filter-holder is to be refilled. A detection unit detects the information generated by the identification unit. A wireless device transmits the information generated by the identification unit to the detection unit.

Description:
This application claims priority to EP Application No. 09425421.6 filed 23 Oct. 2009, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an apparatus for refilling the filter-holders of a machine for the preparation of espresso coffee with selected doses of ground coffee to order. 
     An apparatus as mentioned above is widely used as the basic fitting for an espresso coffee preparation station as might be found, for instance, in bars and restaurants. 
     As is known, moreover, the filter-holders of the machine are filled only at the time of preparation of the beverage by taking the filter-holder from the relative dispensing unit of the machine and positioning it in the appropriate support provided in the metering and grinding device. 
     The dose of ground coffee to be supplied to the filter-holder is preferably prepared to order by pressing a corresponding key disposed on the metering and grinding device. In this way the coffee is kept in bean form in the hopper and ground only to order, thereby advantageously retaining its flavour. 
     Apparatus constructed in accordance with the prior art described above has various drawbacks which may lead, among other things, to errors as regards the type of beverage prepared. 
     As is known, espresso coffee machines are required to supply different kinds of beverages which are influenced by the tastes and traditions of various countries and which therefore require different quantities of ground coffee or doses, which may also be ground to different grain sizes. 
     For instance, in order to prepare a small espresso coffee of the Mediterranean type of 15 cm 3 , six grams of ground coffee are used on average while, to prepare a beaker of coffee of 120-150 cm 3  as consumed in northern Europe, up to nine grams of coffee may be needed. 
     The same kind of beverage may be prepared, moreover, from coffee roasted to differing extents or from decaffeinated coffee or even using single or double doses. 
     As the filter-holders of the machine have, as a result, to be filled in a variety of ways, it is quite possible for the beverages dispensed to differ from those actually ordered, leading to complaints, the need to replace the incorrect beverage and therefore losses of materials with economic repercussions which are particularly substantial in the case of apparatus installed in mass distribution outlets such as, for instance, service stations along motorways. 
     The object of the present invention is to remedy the drawbacks of the prior art by providing an apparatus which makes it possible to fill a filter-holder of a coffee machine in a highly accurate manner both in relation to the quality of the coffee needed to prepare the beverage requested and in relation to the quantity of the dose, as well as the degree to which the coffee needs to be ground for the beverage requested. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a method for filling the filter-holders of an espresso coffee machine with a desired dose of ground coffee in a highly automated and reliable manner in order to reduce the risk of filling errors. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The object is achieved by an apparatus for refilling the filter-holders of a machine for the preparation of espresso coffee with selected doses of ground coffee to order, comprising at least one machine for the preparation of espresso coffee the machine being provided with a plurality of dispensing units for the preparation of respective coffee beverages, each dispensing unit comprising a respective detachable filter-holder and a plurality of keys for selecting the beverage to be dispensed by the relative dispensing unit, at least one coffee bean grinder and metering device provided with a hopper for supplying the beans with adjustable grinding adapted to provide a desired grain size for the ground coffee, an outlet on the grinder and metering device for supplying the ground coffee and supporting means for maintaining the filter-holder of the coffee machine with respect to the supply outlet when it is being refilled with the dose of ground coffee, an identification unit on the espresso coffee machine generating information for recognising the filter-holder of a selected relative dispensing unit and information related to the type of dose with which the filter-holder is to be refilled, a detection unit on the coffee bean metering and grinding device for detecting the information generated by the identification unit, the detection unit causing the corresponding dose to be supplied to the filter-holder when the latter is positioned and held by the supporting means of the metering and grinding device, a wireless communicating device on the espresso coffee machine for transmitting the information generated by the identification unit to the detection unit on the coffee bean metering and grinding device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be described in further detail below with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof shown by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective diagrammatic view of a machine for preparing and dispensing espresso coffee provided with a coffee bean metering and grinding device of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective diagrammatic view of a machine for preparing and dispensing espresso coffee provided with a plurality of dispensing units; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective diagrammatic view of a filter-holder; 
         FIG. 4  shows an apparatus Comprising two machines for preparing and dispensing espresso coffee and four coffee bean metering and grinding devices according to the invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A metering and grinding device provided with a hopper  2  is shown overall by  1  in  FIG. 1 . 
     Roasted coffee beans are kept in the hopper  2  in order to be ground to order to fill the filter-holder of a machine for preparing espresso coffee as will be explained in further detail below. 
     The metering and grinding device  1  is also provided with an outlet  3  discharging the coffee, ground by a conventional grinder (not shown) within the device  1 , which is reached by the coffee beans from the hopper  2 . 
     The grinder may be adjusted to vary the degree of grinding by means of an adjustment nut  4  and an actuator  5  which causes the nut  4  to move. 
     The device  1  is provided with a communication interface  6 , preferably but not exclusively in the form of a touch screen which may show virtual electronic keys, by means of which the operating conditions of the device may be adjusted and the current condition of the device may be indicated. 
     This device  1  is provided with a sensor  7  which detects the presence of a filter-holder of a coffee machine provided with a code, for instance a colour code, as will be described in detail below, when the filter-holder is positioned on the support fork  8  which retains it below the outlet  3  when it is being refilled with the ground coffee. 
     The metering and grinding device  1  is lastly provided internally with an electronic circuit board, shown overall by  9 , including memory and radio communication devices of the short-range LAN wireless type, which acts as the unit detecting the information received. 
     By means of the circuit board  9 , as will be explained in detail below, the metering and grinding device  1  is able to exchange information with other apparatus, for instance, a machine for preparing espresso coffee shown overall by  10  in  FIG. 2 . 
     In  FIG. 2 , the espresso coffee machine  10  of the invention comprises an electronic circuit board  11  including memory and short-range radio communication devices compatible with the electronic circuit board  9  of the metering and grinding device  1 . 
     The circuit board  11  is housed inside the machine  10  and acts as a unit identifying the filter-holder of the selected dispensing unit and the type of beverage ordered and selected, as will be described in further detail below. 
     The machine  10  is further provided with a communication screen  12  showing information on the operation of the machine, with a relative programming keyboard  13  acting as a unit identifying the type of coffee ordered and the relative dose. The keyboard and screen functions may also be performed by a touch screen which is known per se, possibly with virtual electronic keys. 
     The machine  10  is provided with a plurality of dispensing units, shown respectively by  14 ,  15 ,  16  and  17 . Each of the dispensing units is provided with respective push buttons shown by  18 ,  19 ,  20  and  21  which control the selection of corresponding dispensing operations from the respective dispensing units and which are connected to the identification unit formed by the circuit board  11 . 
     Each dispensing unit is provided with a respective filter-holder shown by  22 ,  23 ,  24  and  25 , each of which bears a code which can be recognised both by the machine  10  and by a metering and grinding device of the type shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     For this purpose, each dispensing unit of the machine  10  is provided with a respective sensor  26 ,  27 ,  25  and  29  able to detect the code of each filter-holder and, at the same time, the presence of containers  30  for collecting the beverage disposed below the dispensing nozzles of the filter-holders. 
       FIG. 3  shows an example of a filter-holder  22 ,  23 ,  24  or  25 , with its relative code  31 . The code may be in the form of a bar code or in the form of a coloured bar. 
     The machine  10  may be programmed by means of the screen  12  and the keyboard  13  or by an external programming device in communication with the electronic circuit board  11 . In this latter case, the machine  10  may in turn carry out programming and exchange information with an apparatus which communicates with it via the circuit board  11 , for instance the metering and grinding device  1  of  FIG. 1  provided with the electronic circuit board  9 , acting as a detection unit, comprising receiver and transmitter devices or with a plurality of machines as shown in  FIG. 4  and described in detail below. 
       FIG. 4  shows an installation of a plurality of machines for preparing coffee-based beverages, which installation is particularly suited to public premises, for instance service stations along motorways. 
     The installation, in the embodiment shown, comprises a pair of coffee machines shown by  10  and  10 A, each having the structural and operational features as described with reference to  FIG. 2 , and a plurality of metering and grinding devices shown respectively by  32 ,  33 ,  34  and  35 , each having the structural and operational features as described with reference to the metering and grinding device  1  of  FIG. 1 . 
     In accordance with the invention, the metering and grinding device  32  for instance contains, in its hopper  2 , a mixture of highly roasted coffee beans suited to an Italian espresso coffee; this device is therefore programmed to dispense the quantities of ground coffee needed for one or two small cups of Italian espresso coffee and the nut  4  is set to provide a grain size likely to optimise their delivery in a dispensing time of 25 seconds. 
     The second metering and grinding device  33 , in accordance with the invention, for instance contains, in its hopper  2 , a mixture of lightly roasted coffee beans suited to a filter coffee of the type consumed in central and northern Europe; the device is thus programmed to dispense the quantities of ground coffee needed for one or two cups of filter coffee and the nut  4  is set to provide a grain size likely to optimise their delivery in a dispensing time of 25 seconds. 
     The third metering and grinding device  34 , also of the type shown in  FIG. 1 , contains, in its hopper  2 , a mixture of highly roasted decaffeinated coffee beans suited to an Italian espresso coffee; the device  34  is therefore programmed to dispense the quantities of ground coffee needed for one or two small cups of Italian decaffeinated espresso coffee and the nut  4  is set to provide a grain size likely to optimise their delivery in a dispensing time of 25 seconds. 
     Lastly, the fourth metering and grinding device  35 , also of the type shown in  FIG. 1 , for instance contains, in its hopper  2 , a mixture of lightly roasted decaffeinated coffee beans suited to a filter coffee of the type consumed in central and northern Europe; the device  35  is thus programmed to dispense the quantities of ground coffee needed for one or two cups of filter coffee and the nut  4  is set to provide a grain size likely to optimise their delivery in a dispensing time of 25 seconds. 
     Considering the coffee machines which make up the installation of  FIG. 4 , it will be appreciated that, for instance, the machine shown by  10  comprises the dispensing unit  14  programmed to dispense the doses for two cups of non-decaffeinated Italian espresso coffee by pressing a key of a relative keyboard  18  or the doses for two cups of decaffeinated Italian espresso coffee by pressing another key on the keyboard  18 ; the dispensing unit  14  is also programmed to recognise the relative filter-holder  22  which bears a filter suited to Italian espresso coffee. 
     A further dispensing unit shown, for instance, by  15  is programmed to dispense the doses for one cup of non-decaffeinated Italian espresso coffee by pressing a key of its keyboard  19  or the doses for one cup of decaffeinated Italian espresso coffee by pressing another key on the keyboard  19 ; the dispensing unit  15  is also programmed to recognise the relative filter-holder  23  which bears a filter suited to Italian espresso coffee. 
     Continuing with the description of the installation shown in  FIG. 4 , the dispensing unit  16  is for instance programmed to dispense the doses for two cups of non-decaffeinated filter coffee by pressing a key of the keyboard  20  or the doses for two cups of decaffeinated filter coffee by pressing another key on the keyboard  20 ; the dispensing unit  16  is also programmed to recognise the relative filter-holder  24  which bears a filter suited to filter coffee. 
     Lastly, the dispensing unit  17  is programmed to dispense the doses for one cup of non-decaffeinated filter coffee by pressing a key of the keyboard  21  or the doses for one cup of decaffeinated filter coffee by pressing another key on the keyboard  21 ; the dispensing unit  17  is also programmed to recognise the relative filter-holder  25  which bears a filter suited to filter coffee. 
     The second machine  10 A, which is structurally and functionally identical to the coffee machine  10  shown in  FIG. 2 , may be programmed and arranged in the same way as described for the machine  10  or its dispensing unit  14  may in particular be programmed to dispense doses of black coffee in a quantity of 250 cm 3  in 25 seconds. 
     In an installation as illustrated in  FIG. 4  and described above, various types of coffee-based beverages may be dispensed in accordance with the practical and operational examples described below. 
     Bar staff working with the apparatus as described and required, for instance, to prepare two small cups of non-decaffeinated Italian espresso coffee will input what is to be dispensed on the keyboard  18  corresponding to the dispensing unit  14  and take the filter-holder  22  from the dispensing unit. As a result of pressing the key, the machine  10  communicates the request to the metering and grinding device  32  which contains non-decaffeinated roasted coffee beans in its hopper  2 . 
     The screen  6  on the metering device  32  lights up, showing the operator the position from which the ground coffee is to be taken. 
     The operator places the filter-holder  22  on the fork  8  below the outlet  3  of the metering device in the vicinity of the sensor  7  which, recognising that the filter-holder  22  corresponds to the type of coffee requested by the machine  10 , supplies the necessary quantity of ground coffee. 
     The operator can then take the filter-holder  22  with the ground coffee and move it to the dispensing unit  14  of the machine  10  which recognises the filter-holder via the sensor  26 . 
     Once the container  30  has been placed below the dispensing unit  14 , the required coffee can start to be dispensed as the sensor  26  has also detected the presence of the container  30 . 
     When preparing the other kinds of coffee described above, the operator works in the same way, each time taking the ground coffee from the metering and grinding device corresponding to the beverage to be dispensed. 
     In accordance with a further example, it is assumed that the dispensing unit  14  on the machine  10 A has been prepared to dispense a beaker of 250 cm 3  of black coffee to be made from the lightly roasted mixture in the hopper of the metering and grinding device  33 . 
     In this case, as it is necessary during preparation of the beverage to dispense, in 25 seconds, a quantity double that of a filter coffee of 120 cm 3  dispensed by the dispensing unit  16 , use is therefore made of more coarsely ground coffee. When the operator requests a black coffee from the dispensing unit  14  of the machine  10 A, the latter communicates the request for the beverage to the metering and grinding device  33  which is actuated and has its nut  4  adjusted by means of the actuator  5  in order to provide the ground coffee with the adjustment required for this kind of coffee, confirming that what has been requested is available on the screen  6 . When the operator requests a filter coffee, however, the actuator  5  returns the nut  4  to the optimum setting for this latter type of coffee. 
     If the machines  10  and  10 A are provided with individual systems for regulating the dispensing pressure and temperature of each dispensing unit, it is also possible, by means of the push buttons  18 ,  19 ,  20  and  21 , to request different types of coffee from the same dispensing unit  14 ,  15 ,  16  and  17 , in each case requesting a mixture with a specific quantity and type of ground coffee from one of the metering and grinding devices  32 ,  33 ,  34  and  35 . In the installation shown in  FIG. 4 , each metering and grinding device  32 ,  33 ,  34  and  35  is able to receive the requests from the dispensing units  14 ,  15 ,  16  and  17  of the machines  10  and  10 A and is adapted to dispense the type of ground coffee requested. 
     If the machines are arranged such that they produce, in a dedicated manner, only one type of ground coffee from each dispensing unit  14 ,  15 ,  16  and  17 , operation may also be streamlined. In this case, by taking out one of the filter-holders  22 ,  23 ,  24  or  25 , the machine  10  or  10 A will directly request the type of coffee corresponding to that particular filter-holder from the metering device and it is sufficient to dispose the filter-holder in question on the fork  8  of the metering device which has been actuated in order automatically to receive the dose in the filter-holder; when the filter-holder is again disposed in the dispensing unit, dispensing of the coffee starts automatically. 
     The apparatus of the present invention has many advantages. The following may in particular be mentioned. 
     Signalling of the request directly to the corresponding metering and grinding device prevents errors which could cause, for instance, a decaffeinated coffee to be served to a person who has ordered a normal coffee or, worse, a normal coffee to a person who has ordered a decaffeinated coffee. 
     If a first bar operator requests a type of coffee from the machine  10  and a second bar operator requests a different type of coffee from the second machine  10 A, two metering and grinding devices are actuated but on each of these the touch screen is lit and indicates the type of coffee that has been requested from it, making it possible to prevent any errors from the point of view of reversing the filter-holders to be refilled. Moreover, as a result of the presence sensor  7  which recognises the code of the filter-holder, the metering and grinding device supplies the ground coffee only if it recognises the filter-holder corresponding to the request received by the machine, in practice ruling out any possibility of error as regards the positioning of the filter-holder. 
     The fact that the dispensing unit  14 ,  15 ,  16  and  17  is enabled only if the filter-holder  22 ,  23 ,  24  and  25  corresponding to the code of the particular unit is applied to it prevents errors such as the provision of an espresso coffee from a dispensing unit calibrated for filter coffee and vice versa; the machine  10  or  10 A is actuated only if the metering and grinding device  32 ,  33 ,  34  or  35  has confirmed to the dispensing unit that it has carried out the required grinding. 
     At the end of dispensing, the machine  10  or  10 A can detect and memorize, in an appropriate electronic log, the length of the dispensing time and may compare the progressive mean of the dispensing time by comparing it with the optimum dispensing time programmed for each kind of coffee. 
     As coffee is a hygroscopic raw material, it is strongly affected by ambient moisture and it is known to operators in the sector that an increase in moisture tends to increase coffee&#39;s resistance to the passage of water, the opposite happening in a dry climate. As it is desired to keep a high quality of dispensing by maintaining the dispensing time at an optimum value, the bar operator should undertake frequent adjustments of the extent of grinding. In accordance with the present invention, the machine detects a deviation of the dispensing time from the admissible tolerance, and may directly inform the metering and grinding device that grinding needs to be adjusted, the metering and grinding device then acting on the nut  4  by means of the actuator  5  in order to bring the dispensing time back within the admissible tolerance.