Patent Description:
Roasting coffee beans transforms unroasted coffee beans into roasted coffee beans. The unroasted coffee beans are typically green and/or dried coffee beans, and the roasted coffee beans particularly contribute to the flavor of the coffee beverage, which is prepared from the (grinded) roasted coffee beans. Roasting the coffee beans can be on a large scale, but also on a small scale. In small scale roasting of coffee beans, the business to the customer (a shop, a coffee shop, etc.) or a customer, e.g. the consumer of the coffee beverage, roasts the coffee beans. Roasting coffee beans by the consumer is very interesting, since the consumer can roast the coffee beans at home in order to experiment with different flavor profiles and in order to ensure a particularly fresh roast of the coffee beans, for example as a hobby.

When roasting of the coffee beans is finished, the roasted coffee beans need to be supplied for further processing such as grinding and/or coffee beverage preparation (e.g., coffee extraction). Removing of the roasted coffee beans is typically done manually. This, however, is disadvantageous, since the user, who manually manipulates the roasted coffee beans, might get hurt due to touching hot parts of the machine and/or the (hot) roasted coffee beans. Further, manually handling the roasted coffee beans is not so efficient, since the user needs to remove the coffee beans from the coffee roaster (machine) and manually insert the roasted coffee beans in a further apparatus, e.g. a coffee grinder and/or coffee beverage machine, for further processing.

Removing of the roasted coffee beans from the apparatus may also be done automatically. However, since the roasted coffee beans have respectively a relatively high weight (e.g. when compared to ground coffee in the form of powder), a certain amount of energy is required in order to drive the coffee beans and thus remove the coffee beans from the chamber. Further, the automation of removing the roasted coffee beans is quite difficult, in particular for the reason that the current of air for roasting and/or cooling the coffee beans agitates the coffee beans inside of the apparatus.

Document <CIT> describes a fully automatic coffee maker wherein a control circuit drives a blower and a heater so that hot air flow generated is discharged into a roasting container from air supply holes of a head portion to roast the raw coffee beans. After the hot air has been supplied for a predetermined time period to the roasting portion and the roasting of the coffee has been completed, the heater is turned off. When the coffee beans have cooled down the control circuit supplies a signal to the opening and closing mechanism so as to open the pathway of the transferring portion between the roasting container and the grinding portion thus the roasted coffee beans are loaded into the grinding portion by gravitational force.

Document <CIT> describes a roaster for coffee beans wherein a roasting air stream transports the beans from entrance in an air stream path defined by a conduit to an altitude from where they are directed to return to entrance by falling into a hopper having side wall and again in the same conduit. A valve can modify the conduit to define a path toward an exit port.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus, which overcome the aforementioned drawbacks. That is, it is in particular an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus, which provides for the consumer a more efficient and convenient roasting of coffee beans, in particular when the roasted coffee beans need to be further processed.

These and other objects, which become apparent upon reading the following description, are solved by the subject matter of the independent claims. The dependent claims refer to preferred embodiments of the invention.

According to the invention, an apparatus for roasting coffee beans is provided. The apparatus comprises: a chamber in which coffee beans can be received for roasting, a device for generating a current of air in order to agitate the coffee beans received by the chamber, a heater for heating air so that the so heated air is blown by the device into the chamber in order to generate the heated current of air, and a control unit for switching the apparatus between a roasting mode and a discharging mode, wherein the control unit is functionally connected to the device for generating a current of air and/or to the heater. The chamber is delimited by a bottom, a top, and a sidewall extending from the bottom to the top, wherein the sidewall comprises a discharge (or ejection) port, which is selectively movable between a closed position and an open position, such that the current of air generated by the device can drive the coffee beans through the discharge port to be discharged (i.e. ejected) from the chamber, when the discharge port is in the open position.

Wherein in the roasting mode the discharge port is in the closed position and the device is adapted to generate a heated current of air to roast the coffee beans received by the chamber, and wherein in the discharging mode the discharge port is in the open position and the apparatus is arranged to use the current of air generated by the device to drive the coffee beans through the discharge port to be discharged from the chamber, wherein the discharge port is arranged to be closer to the bottom than to the top, and wherein the bottom comprises an air inlet, and wherein the device is arranged to blow air through said inlet in order generate the current of air inside of the chamber. The apparatus therefore in particular facilitates that only the discharge port needs to be operated in order to discharge (or eject) roasted coffee beans from the chamber (and thus out of the apparatus); the discharge port therefore functions as a "trapdoor". In other words, it may thus not be required to change the current of air, generated by the device, in order to discharge roasted coffee beans from the chamber. In particular, the device therefore does not need to be operated to raise the velocity and/or pressure of the current of air (e.g. of a current of air for roasting and/or cooling) in order to discharge the roasted coffee beans from the chamber. Further, since the discharge port is not arranged on the top, but (at least in part) in the sidewall, less potential energy is used in order to transport the roasted coffee beans in the vertical direction and to the discharge port in order to be discharged from the chamber. The sidewall, on which the discharge port is arranged, further effects that the coffee beans, which are driven by the current of air, can travel along the sidewall and to the discharge port in order to be then discharged from the chamber, when the discharge port is in the open position.

The current of air generated by the device transports heat to be transferred to the coffee beans in order to roast the coffee beans, i.e. effect the chemical reactions to roast the (roasted) coffee beans. The apparatus is thus very easily controllable in order to selectively provide the heated current of air to roast the coffee beans. In particular, the heater may be arranged downstream with respect to the current of air generated by the device.

The apparatus comprises a control unit for switching the apparatus between a roasting mode and a discharging mode, wherein in the roasting mode the discharge port is in the closed position, and wherein in the discharging mode the discharge port is in the open position. The control unit thus facilitates that the apparatus can, for example, automatically switch between the roasting mode and the discharging mode, e.g. after a certain period of time has lapsed for roasting the coffee beans. Roasting coffee beans and discharging the coffee beans is therefore simplified.

In the roasting mode, the apparatus is arranged to roast the coffee beans received by the chamber by the device generating a heated current of air inside of the chamber.

In the discharging mode, the apparatus is arranged to use the current of air generated by the device to drive the coffee beans through the discharge port to be discharged from the chamber. For example, the same current of air, which is used in the roasting mode, can be used in the discharging mode for driving the coffee beans through the discharge port to be discharged from the chamber.

In sum, the apparatus therefore can be in particular operated with less (electrical) power or energy for discharging roasted coffee beans. Thus, the device, which generates the current of air inside the chamber (e.g. a fan), can be downsized, and thus there is in particular no need to oversize the device or a motor of the device. Thus, also the overall size of the apparatus can be optimized, thereby making the apparatus (or machine) compact. Further, the apparatus provides a convenient solution for the user to easily discharge the roasted coffee beans for further processing, in particular without the need of directly touching the roasted coffee beans and/or without colliding or conflicting with an optionally provided temperature sensor. Therefore, also the risk of contacting hot parts of the apparatus by the user's hand is reduced.

The discharge port is arranged closer to the bottom than to the top. Therefore, particularly less energy is required to discharge the coffee beans from the chamber, since the coffee beans do not require much potential energy in order to travel in the vertical direction for being discharged from the chamber.

The discharge port may be manually movable between the closed position and the open position. Thus, the user can move the discharge port between the closed position and the open position only with muscle power, e.g. from the hand of the user. Further, moving of the discharge port between the closed position and the open position does therefore not need to rely on electrical components (e.g. a driving unit) and/or the availability of electrical power. Therefore, the discharge port also facilitates a simplified maintenance of the apparatus.

Additionally or alternatively, the apparatus may comprise a driving unit (e.g. an (electrical) motor), which is arranged to move the discharge port between the closed position and the open position. Thus, the user does not need to use their muscle strength in order to move the discharge port between the closed position and the open position. The discharge port can therefore be very easily moved between the closed position and the open position. Besides that, the driving unit facilitates that the movement of the discharge port between the closed position and the open position can be automated.

The discharge port may be slidably movable in order to move the discharge port between the closed position and the open position. This makes the apparatus particularly compact, since the discharge port can thus be arranged such that by sliding the discharge port, the discharge port does not protrude from the sidewall.

Additionally or alternatively, the discharge port may be pivotably movable in order to move the discharge port between the closed position and the open position. Thus, the discharge port may be movable about a rotational movement axis, which movement axis may extent in a vertical or horizontal direction. The discharge port can therefore be easily moved between the closed position and the open position.

The sidewall may be movable, e.g. pivotably movable, in order to move the discharge port between the closed position and the open position. For example, a part of the discharge port, e.g. a covering element, is stationary, wherein the sidewall comprises an opening so that by moving the sidewall the opening moves with respect to the covering element. The covering element may then, in the closed position, completely cover this opening, wherein in the open position, the sidewall is moved so that this opening is at least partially uncovered so that coffee beans can be driven through the opening to be discharged from the chamber. Since the sidewall is typically larger than the discharge port, in particular with respect to a contacting surface for moving the respective part, moving of the discharge port between the closed position and the open position, e.g. manually or by the driving unit (see above), is simplified. Of course, in other examples, the part of the discharge port, e.g. the covering element, is moving, wherein the sidewall is stationary. Further, also both the part of the discharge port (e.g. the covering element) and the sidewall (e.g. the opening) may move in order to move relative to each other for moving the discharge port between the open position and the closed position.

Additionally, the device may be adapted to generate a current of air to cool the coffee beans received by the chamber. For example, the device transports (ambient fresh) air, which is not heated, into the chamber in order to generate the current of air for cooling the coffee beans; the current of air then comes into contact with the (already roasted) coffee beans, and thus heat is transferred from the coffee beans to the current of air so that the coffee beans are cooled. For example, for generating the current of air to cool the coffee beans, the heater may simply be deactivated or turned off.

At least a cross-section of the sidewall, which comprises the discharge port, may have at least in part a circular or elliptical shape. This shape of the cross-section is very advantageous for driving the coffee beans along the sidewall and subsequently to the discharge port in order to discharge the coffee beans from the chamber. The coffee beans, which are then discharged through the discharge port, may then move tangentially with respect to the shape of the cross-section. For example, the part of the cross section, which has a circular or elliptical shape, merges continuously with the discharge port, in particular with an opening of the discharge port. Preferably, the before-mentioned cross-section has a closed circular or elliptical shape.

The bottom comprises an air inlet, wherein the device is arranged to blow air through said inlet in order to generate the current of air inside of the chamber. Therefore, the device can be very efficiently arranged in the apparatus.

The discharge port is arranged at a distance from the bottom or at the bottom above the air inlet.

The top of the chamber may comprise an outlet that is selectively movable between a closed position and an open position, wherein in the open position the outlet allows air and/or coffee chaff to be discharged from the chamber. In other words, the outlet may function as a ventilation for the chamber. By moving this outlet into the closed position, the part of the current of air for driving the coffee beans through the discharge port can be very easily intensified, without intensifying the (total) current of air generated by the device. That is, the part of the current of air for discharging the air and/or chaff from the chamber can be very easily redirected for discharging the coffee beans through the discharge port.

The apparatus may further comprise a chaffs collector, wherein the chaffs collector is arranged to collect chaffs of the coffee beans, e.g. via the outlet, wherein the apparatus is preferably adapted to use the current of air to drive the chaffs into the chaffs collector. Since it is desired that the roasted coffee beans are discharged from the chamber without any chaffs, the chaffs collector provides an easy means to separate the chaffs from the roasted coffee beans and to collect the chaffs. The chaffs collector may then be removed or detached from the apparatus, and the chaffs may then the removed from the chaffs collector and, for example, thrown into a bin or used for otherwise processing of the chaffs.

The apparatus may be a home appliance apparatus. The apparatus may thus have a design for being used in a kitchen of a household, e.g. arranged next to a coffee grinder and/or a beverage preparation machine. In other words, the apparatus may be an in-home solution for coffee roasting.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a system is provided, which comprises an apparatus according to any one of claims <NUM> to <NUM> and a further apparatus. The further apparatus is functionally connected to the apparatus to process the coffee beans, which are discharged from the apparatus through the discharge port.

The system therefore facilitates that a user of the system does not need to manually, in particular with his own hands, handle the coffee beans from the apparatus to be used in the further apparatus. Therefore, the user of the system can very easily roast the coffee beans and further process the so roasted coffee beans. For example, the system may be a home appliance apparatus and/or be provided as a (single) unit.

The further apparatus may comprise (or be) a grinder for grinding the (roasted) coffee beans. The grinder therefore transforms the roasted coffee beans into ground coffee (e.g. in the form of powder), which may then be used for preparing a coffee beverage by coffee extraction. Additionally or alternatively, the further apparatus may comprise (or be) a beverage preparation machine for preparing a beverage from the coffee beans, e.g. by coffee extraction. For example, if the grinder is present, the beverage preparation machine can be functionally connected to the grinder in order to prepare a coffee beverage from the ground coffee. The grinder and the beverage preparation machine may be provided as a unit and/or may be integrally formed.

In the following, the invention is described exemplarily with reference to the enclosed figures, in which.

In <FIG>, a preferred embodiment of an apparatus <NUM> is exemplarily shown. The apparatus <NUM> is adapted for roasting coffee beans. More specifically, the apparatus <NUM> is adapted to transform unroasted coffee beans, for example in the form of green coffee beans and/or dried coffee beans, into roasted coffee beans. More specifically, the roasting of the coffee beans transforms the chemical and physical properties of the unroasted coffee beans in order to produce the characteristic flavor of the roasted coffee beans and, thus, of the coffee beverage, which is prepared from the so roasted coffee beans. That is, the roasting of the coffee beans effect the specific taste of roasted coffee beans, for example by a Maillard reaction and other chemical reactions. The process of roasting the coffee beans therefore precedes other processes required for preparing the coffee beverage, such as coffee grinding and/or coffee brewing.

The apparatus <NUM>, which exemplarily shown in the figures, is adapted for small scale coffee roasting, and is thus in particular not a large scale (industrial) roasting apparatus or machine. The apparatus <NUM> is thus particularly suitable for being used on the side of the business to customer (e.g. a coffee shop) and/or of the consumer, which is typically the consumer of the coffee beverage. Therefore, the apparatus <NUM> is preferably a home appliance apparatus. As such, the apparatus <NUM> may be used in a household or kitchen, in particular on a tabletop, e.g. next to or (functionally) integrated with a coffee grinder and/or a beverage preparation machine. The apparatus <NUM> therefore preferably has a size and weight for being transportable by a single person, in particular without the need of a dedicated transport mechanism.

The apparatus <NUM> comprises a chamber <NUM>, in which coffee beans can be received for roasting. For example, the chamber <NUM> is delimited by a bottom <NUM>, a top <NUM>, and a sidewall <NUM> extending from the bottom <NUM> to the top <NUM>. Therefore, when the coffee beans are received by the chamber <NUM>, the coffee beans are preferably supported on the bottom <NUM> and are at least in part in contact with the sidewall <NUM>. The chamber <NUM> has a design so that in particular heat and/or heated air can come in contact with the (unroasted) coffee beans in order to roast the coffee beans; for example, the bottom <NUM> and/or the sidewall <NUM> is made of a material with a relatively high heat conductivity, e.g. a material comprising or consisting of metal. The bottom <NUM> and/or the sidewall <NUM> may comprise a plurality of holes, which facilitate that heat and/or a current of air (for heating and/or for cooling) can flow into the chamber <NUM> for accordingly processing the coffee beans.

The top <NUM> is preferably defined by the distal end of the sidewall <NUM> and/or may be arranged opposite to the bottom <NUM>. For example, the top <NUM> may extent in a plane. The top <NUM> may comprise or be an opening for accessing the chamber <NUM>. As such, via the top <NUM>, coffee beans may be removed from the chamber <NUM> and/or inserted into the chamber <NUM>, i.e. the chamber <NUM> may be filled with coffee beans by way of the top <NUM>. The chamber <NUM> may be filled, additionally or alternatively, with coffee beans, for example, by way of an opening arranged in the sidewall <NUM> and/or in the bottom <NUM>. For example, the apparatus <NUM> may be adapted to be functionally connected with a hopper, which contains unroasted coffee beans, i.e. green and/or dried coffee beans. The unroasted coffee beans may then move from the hopper, e.g. said opening, into the chamber <NUM> for being received in the chamber <NUM> for roasting. For example, the hopper may be arranged such that the unroasted coffee beans move from the hopper into the chamber <NUM> only by gravity.

The chamber <NUM> may be detachably attached to the apparatus <NUM>, e.g. by way of a form and/or a frictional fit. For example, the apparatus <NUM> comprises a receptacle, which comprises the chamber <NUM> such that the chamber <NUM> is detachably attached to the apparatus <NUM>. For example, the receptacle may comprise a handle for manually handling the receptacle and thus the chamber <NUM>, e.g. in order to detach the chamber <NUM> from the apparatus <NUM> and/or to attach the chamber <NUM> to the apparatus <NUM>.

As apparent from, in particular, <FIG>, the apparatus <NUM> may comprise a housing <NUM> for housing at least the chamber <NUM>. For example, the housing <NUM> has a base <NUM> and a top <NUM>, wherein the chamber <NUM> is arranged such that the top <NUM> (of the chamber <NUM>) is arranged at or is the top <NUM> of the housing <NUM>. As such, the top <NUM> is preferably flush with the top <NUM>, which is preferably defined by a distal end of the housing <NUM>. The housing <NUM> may also comprise a sidewall <NUM>, which extends from the bottom <NUM> to the top <NUM> and preferably circumferentially surrounds the chamber <NUM>. The housing <NUM> is not limited to a specific form. The housing <NUM> may have a non-symmetrical or symmetrical form. For example, the housing <NUM> has substantially the form of a cylinder or a (truncated) cone.

As apparent from <FIG>, the housing <NUM> may be segmented, i.e. provided in several parts. For example, the housing <NUM> comprises a lower part <NUM> and an upper part <NUM>. The upper part <NUM> is preferably detachably attached to the lower part <NUM>, e.g. by a form and/or frictional fit. The upper part <NUM> preferably houses at least a part of the chamber <NUM> and/or comprises the top <NUM>. For example, the upper part <NUM> and the chamber <NUM> are concentrically arranged. The lower part <NUM> may house at least a part of the chamber <NUM> and/or may comprise the bottom <NUM> of the housing <NUM>. The lower part <NUM> may contain the components for roasting coffee bean in the chamber, e.g. the (air generating) device and/or heater (see below); that is, the lower part <NUM> may be the roaster. The lower part <NUM> and the upper part <NUM> may have an identical cross-section. As such, the lower part <NUM> and the upper part <NUM> may form, for example, a geometrical (symmetrical) form such as a cylinder, when the parts <NUM>, <NUM> are assembled together. The housing <NUM>, in particular the sidewall <NUM>, may comprise a plurality of ventilation holes, for example evenly distributed over the sidewall <NUM>. The ventilation holes aid in cooling the components, which are housed by the housing <NUM>. Thus, the ventilation holes particularly aid in transferring heat away from the chamber <NUM> so that the chamber <NUM> is cooled. Preferably, the lower part <NUM> forms the bottom or support of the apparatus <NUM>. Thus, the lower part <NUM> may be designed such that the apparatus <NUM> can be placed on a surface (a tabletop, etc.) and/or arranged with respect or on a beverage preparation machine. Preferably, the bottom <NUM> is adapted to be placed on a surface such as a tabletop, and/or may be configured to be mounted (e.g. fastened, such as with a form and/or frictional fit) to or on a further apparatus such as a grinder and/or a beverage preparation machine.

The apparatus <NUM> further comprises a device (not shown) for generating a current of air inside of the chamber <NUM> in order to agitate the coffee beans received by the chamber <NUM>. In particular, the device may be a fan, and/or the device may be adapted to use fluid bed technology to generate the current of air inside of the chamber <NUM>. For example, the coffee beans are agitated by the current of air such that the coffee beans move towards and then along the sidewall <NUM> and, optionally, towards the top <NUM> of the chamber. Agitating the coffee beans in the chamber <NUM> may be advantageous, in particular in order to improve the roasting and/or cooling of the coffee beans. The device may be adapted to generate a heated current of air for roasting the coffee beans, which are received by the chamber <NUM>. For example, the apparatus <NUM> or the (current of air generating) device may further comprise a heater, which heats up (fresh) air, wherein the device transports or blows this heated up air into the chamber <NUM>. The current of (hot) air therefore comes into contact with the coffee beans and thus effects the chemical and/or physical reactions to roast the coffee beans. Additionally, the device may be adapted to generate a current of air to cool the (already roasted) coffee beans received by the chamber <NUM>. For example, for cooling the coffee beans, the current of air generated by the device is not heated up (e.g. by simply controlling the heater to be deactivated or turned off), so that, for example, only (fresh) air, e.g. ambient air, is blown into the chamber <NUM>.

The device is not limited to be arranged in a specific position as long as the device can generate the current of air in the chamber <NUM>. For example, the bottom <NUM> may comprise an air inlet, e.g. in the form of a (single) hole or a plurality of holes. The device is arranged such that the current of air generated by the device flows from the device through the air inlet and into the chamber <NUM> to thereby generate the current of air inside of the chamber <NUM>. Thus, the bottom <NUM> may be arranged between the chamber <NUM> on the one side and the device and, optionally, the heater on the other side. The air inlet is preferably not arranged on the same level as the distal end of the sidewall <NUM>, i.e. the air inlet may be provided in a part of the bottom <NUM>, which is offset in a direction away from the chamber <NUM>, such as provided in a recess of the bottom <NUM>. If the discharge port <NUM> is provided at the bottom <NUM>, i.e. when there is substantially no distance between the discharge port <NUM> and the bottom <NUM>, the discharge port <NUM> is provided at a distance to the air inlet. In other words, the discharge port <NUM> may be arranged above the (hot) air inlet. Preferably, the housing <NUM>, for example the lower (housing) part <NUM>, houses the device and/or the heater. In other examples useful for understanding the invention, also the upper (housing) part <NUM> may house the device and/or the heater.

According to the invention, the sidewall <NUM> comprises a discharge port <NUM>. As can be seen in <FIG>, the discharge port <NUM> is selectively movable between a closed position (see, for example, <FIG>) and an open position (see, for example, <FIG>, and <FIG>). For example, the discharge port <NUM> comprises an opening <NUM> and a covering element <NUM> such that the covering element <NUM> selectively (completely) covers or (at least in part) uncovers the opening <NUM>. Therefore, when the covering element <NUM> (completely) covers the opening <NUM>, the discharge port <NUM> is preferably in the closed position, whereas when the covering element <NUM> (at least in part) does not cover the opening <NUM>, the discharge port <NUM> is preferably in the open position. The opening <NUM> may be arranged on or formed in the sidewall <NUM>, i.e. as an opening extending through the sidewall <NUM>. The covering element <NUM> may be arranged on the sidewall <NUM> or may be also arranged separately with respect to the sidewall <NUM>. As apparent from <FIG>, the covering element <NUM> may be arranged in the chamber <NUM>, e.g. on the surface of the sidewall <NUM> being directed to the inside of the chamber <NUM>. In other examples, the covering element <NUM> may be also arranged outside of the chamber <NUM>, e.g. on the surface of the sidewall <NUM> facing away from the chamber <NUM>.

In the closed position, the coffee beans, which are agitated by the current of air, cannot escape the chamber <NUM> via the discharge port <NUM>. For example, the moving or agitating coffee beans cannot be driven through the discharge port <NUM>, since the covering element <NUM> covers the opening <NUM>. As such, the coffee beans may come into contact with the covering element <NUM>, however cannot escape the chamber <NUM> via the opening <NUM>. In the closed position, the current of air generated by the device can therefore roast and/or cool the coffee beans received by the chamber <NUM>.

In the open position of the discharge port <NUM>, the coffee beans received by the chamber <NUM> are driven, by the current of air generated by the device, through the discharge port <NUM> to be thus discharged from the chamber <NUM>, in particular in a direction away from the apparatus <NUM>. When the discharge port <NUM> is in the open position, the discharge port <NUM> is adapted such that one or more coffee beans can be discharged through the discharge port <NUM> at the same time. As can be seen, for example, in <FIG>, the covering element <NUM> at least in part covers the opening <NUM> for discharging coffee beans from the chamber <NUM>. The opening <NUM> and the covering element <NUM> may therefore define an opening, which may be smaller than the opening <NUM>, such that one or more coffee beans can be discharged through said opening at the same time; this opening therefore has at least the size of a single coffee bean. Preferably, in the open position, the covering element <NUM> does not cover the opening <NUM> at all so that the whole extent of the opening <NUM> can be used for discharging coffee beans from the chamber <NUM>. As apparent from, for example, <FIG>, the covering element <NUM> may only partially cover the opening <NUM> in the open position such that the opening <NUM> is only half opened.

The coffee beans, which are discharged from the chamber <NUM> via the discharge port <NUM>, are therefore moving in a direction away from the chamber <NUM>, in particular away from the sidewall <NUM>. The so discharged coffee beans can now be used for a further processing, such as in a dedicated jug and/or for grinding and/or coffee beverage preparation, e.g. coffee extraction. For example, the coffee beans being discharged from the chamber <NUM> are directed to a conduit or pipe <NUM>, which is arranged to guide the coffee beans for further processing. The conduit <NUM> may guide the coffee beans to a different position than the chamber <NUM>, e.g. to an outside of the apparatus <NUM>, preferably for being processed in a further apparatus such as a grinder for grinding the coffee beans and/or a beverage preparation machine for preparing a beverage from the coffee beans or from ground coffee made from the coffee beans. The conduit <NUM> may be arranged at a distance to the discharge port <NUM> or may be directly coupled to the discharge port <NUM>, for example directly coupled to the opening <NUM>. The conduit <NUM> may extend through the housing <NUM>, e.g. through the upper housing part <NUM>. For example, the conduit <NUM> may extend from an inside of the housing <NUM>, in which the chamber <NUM> is provided, to an outside of the housing <NUM>. The conduit <NUM> may have any design or form, which is suitable for guiding the discharged coffee beans, such as the design or form of a nozzle, slide, channel, pipe, tube, or hose.

The coffee beans may be discharged from the chamber <NUM> with a direction, which intersects or does not intersect the sidewall <NUM>. Preferably, the coffee beans are discharged from the chamber <NUM> via the discharge port <NUM> with a direction, which is substantially tangential with respect to the sidewall <NUM> and/or the extent of the discharge port <NUM>, e.g. of the opening <NUM>. The direction of discharging the coffee beans through the discharge port <NUM> and therefore out of the chamber <NUM> may be effected by the direction of the current of air generated by the (air generating) device and/or by the sidewall <NUM>. Preferably, the sidewall <NUM> is accordingly designed to facilitate an advantageous discharging of coffee beans through the discharge port <NUM>. For example, at least a cross-section of the sidewall <NUM> (i.e. the surface of sidewall <NUM> being directed to the inside of the chamber <NUM>, also referred to as "inner surface"), which comprises the discharge port <NUM>, has at least in part a circular or elliptical shape. Preferably, the whole cross section is in the form of a closed circle or ellipsis. With the cross-section, which is at least in part circularly or elliptically shaped, the coffee beans, which are in contact with the sidewall <NUM>, can smoothly travel along the sidewall <NUM> to be subsequently discharged through the discharge port <NUM>. As such, the coffee beans can be in particular discharged through the discharge port <NUM> with a direction, which is tangential to the circular or elliptical shape. Preferably, the sidewall <NUM>, at least the inner surface of the sidewall <NUM>, has identical cross-sections along the (symmetrical) axis of the chamber <NUM>.

The discharge port <NUM> is arranged to be closer to the bottom <NUM> than to the top <NUM> of the chamber <NUM>, as can be seen, for example, in <FIG>. The discharge port <NUM> is arranged at a distance to the bottom <NUM> or at the bottom <NUM> above the air inlet. If the discharge port <NUM> comprises the opening <NUM>, a lower side edge of the opening <NUM> may therefore be defined by the bottom <NUM>. By arranging the discharge port <NUM> close to the bottom <NUM> the device does not need to provide much energy to generate a current of air, which can drive the respective coffee beans along a long vertical direction in order to discharge the coffee beans from the chamber <NUM>; in other words, it is not required to use much potential energy in order to discharge the coffee beans from the chamber <NUM>. If the discharge port <NUM> is arranged to be distanced from the bottom <NUM> at a distance, this may be measured from the bottom <NUM> to a lower side edge of the discharge port <NUM>, over which side edge the coffee beans travel in order to be discharged from the chamber <NUM>; for example, the lower side edge may be a lower side edge of the opening <NUM>. The distance may be in the range up to <NUM>% or <NUM>% or <NUM>% or <NUM>% or <NUM>% or <NUM>% or <NUM>% or <NUM>% of the height of the chamber <NUM> to <NUM>% or <NUM>% or <NUM>% or <NUM>% or <NUM>% or <NUM>% or <NUM>% or <NUM>% or <NUM>% of the height of the chamber <NUM>, wherein the height of the chamber <NUM> is (measured) from the bottom <NUM> to the top <NUM> of the chamber <NUM>.

The opening <NUM> may have an elongate form, such as the form of a slit. In general, the opening <NUM> is, however, not limited to a specific form, as long as one or more coffee beans can be discharged through the opening <NUM> at the same time. For example, the opening <NUM> may also have a round, an elliptical, a polygonal, a square, and/or a rectangular form. The opening <NUM> may in particular extend along the circumference of the sidewall <NUM>. Thus, the opening <NUM> may extent along a round direction. The covering element <NUM> may have at least the size of the opening <NUM>, so that in particular the covering element <NUM> can appropriately cover the opening <NUM>. For example, the form of the covering element <NUM> corresponds to the form of the opening <NUM> so that the covering element <NUM> may, for example, have a round shape. The covering element <NUM> may also have an elongate form. The covering element <NUM> may be made from an (elongate) piece of material, e.g. having a rectangular form. The piece of material may be a sheet, e.g. a sheet of metal. The piece of material may be formed or bent in order to correspond to the opening <NUM>. For example, the covering element <NUM> may be a flap, an aperture, or a door, and/or may have a thin structure.

The discharge port <NUM> may be slidably movable in order to move the discharge port <NUM> between the closed position and the open position. The discharge port <NUM> may be arranged such that operating or moving the discharge port <NUM> with a sliding movement, e.g. defined by a sliding element having only one degree of freedom, namely the sliding movement, moves the discharge port between the closed position and the open position. For example, the covering element <NUM> is arranged on the sidewall <NUM> such that the covering element <NUM> can slide with respect to the sidewall <NUM> to thus selectively cover or not cover the opening <NUM>. Additionally or alternatively, the discharge port <NUM> may be pivotably movable in order to move the discharge port <NUM> between the closed position and the open position. For example, the opening <NUM> and/or the covering element <NUM> may be arranged so as to be pivotably (i.e. rotatably) movable around a specific movement axis. Preferably, the movement axis extends in a vertical direction or in a horizontal direction. The movement axis may be, for example, the symmetrical axis of the chamber <NUM>.

The opening <NUM>, i.e. the sidewall <NUM> comprising the opening <NUM>, and the covering element <NUM> may be relatively movable to each other in order to move the discharge port <NUM> between the closed position and the open position. For example, one of the opening <NUM> (i.e. the sidewall <NUM>) and the covering element <NUM> remains stationary (with respect to the apparatus <NUM>), wherein the respective other one of the opening <NUM> and covering element <NUM> is moving. In another example, both the opening <NUM> and the covering element <NUM> move in order to move relatively to each other. Thereby, in particular the sidewall <NUM> may be movable, e.g. pivotably movable, in order to move the discharge port <NUM> between a closed position in the open position. As such, the sidewall <NUM> may be movably supported, e.g. rotatably supported. The sidewall <NUM> may be moveably supported on the housing <NUM>, e.g. on the lower housing part <NUM>.

The discharge port <NUM> may be manually movable between the closed position and the open position. That is, the discharge port <NUM> is preferably adapted such that the discharge port <NUM> can be moved between the closed position and the open position with muscle strength (of a hand) of a user of the apparatus <NUM> only. For example, the discharge port <NUM> comprises a manipulating element for manually moving the discharge port <NUM> between the closed position and the open position. The manipulating element may be, for example, a protrusion <NUM>. The protrusion <NUM> may be arranged on the covering element <NUM>, e.g. integrally formed with the same. For example, the covering element <NUM> is arranged such that the manipulating element, e.g. in the form of the protrusion <NUM>, extents through the opening <NUM> or a further opening <NUM> (extending through the sidewall <NUM>) to an outside with respect to the chamber <NUM>. The manipulating element respectively protrusion <NUM> can therefore be also be used as a stopper in order to limit a relative movement between the opening <NUM> and the covering element <NUM>.

Additionally or alternatively, the apparatus <NUM> may comprise a driving unit <NUM> (e.g. a motor drive) for moving the discharge port <NUM> between the closed position and the open position. The driving unit <NUM> may comprise a (electrical) motor <NUM> and/or a transmission <NUM>, wherein the transmission <NUM> is adapted to transfer power of the motor <NUM> to the discharge port <NUM> in order to move the discharge port <NUM> between the closed position and the open position. For example, the driving unit <NUM> moves the covering element <NUM> in order to cover or not cover the opening <NUM> in order to accordingly move the discharge port <NUM> between the closed position and the open position. In the exemplarily shown preferred embodiment of the apparatus <NUM>, as can be seen, for example, in <FIG>, the driving unit <NUM> is adapted to transmit power to the sidewall <NUM> (e.g. to the outer surface of the sidewall <NUM>), to thereby move the sidewall <NUM> in order to move the discharge port <NUM> between the open position and the closed position. For example, the driving unit <NUM> meshes, e.g. with the transmission <NUM>, with the sidewall <NUM> so that a (rotational) movement of the driving unit <NUM> drives the sidewall <NUM> to make a (rotational) movement to thereby move the discharge port <NUM> between the closed position and the open position. The transmission <NUM> of the driving unit <NUM> may comprise one or more gears, which on one side mesh with teeth arranged on the sidewall <NUM>, and which on another side mesh with the motor <NUM> of the driving unit <NUM>.

The driving unit <NUM> is not limited to be arranged in a specific position. Preferably, the driving unit <NUM> is arranged in the housing <NUM>, e.g. in the lower part <NUM> and/or the upper part <NUM>. The driving unit <NUM> is preferably not arranged in the chamber <NUM>. For example, the driving unit <NUM> is arranged between the sidewall <NUM> and a sidewall of the housing <NUM>, e.g. the sidewall <NUM>.

The apparatus <NUM> comprises a control unit (not shown), in order to accordingly control the roasting and discharging of the coffee beans, e.g. according to a control program, which includes, in particular, a predefined roasting and/or temperature profile. The control unit is adapted for switching the apparatus <NUM> between a roasting mode and a discharging mode. In the roasting mode, the discharge port <NUM> is in the closed position and the apparatus <NUM> is arranged to roast the coffee beans received by the chamber <NUM>, e.g. by accordingly controlling the (current of air generating) device to generate a heated current of air inside of the chamber <NUM>. For example, the control unit controls or activates both the device and the heater in order to provide the heated current of air inside of the chamber <NUM>. Therefore, the control unit is functionally connected to the device and/or heater.

The control unit may be configured such that the apparatus <NUM> remains in the roasting mode based on a predefined roasting program (or profile), which may be stored in the control unit. The predefined roasting program may include, for example, process parameters for roasting the coffee beans received by the chamber <NUM>. The process parameters may include a temperature, a velocity and/or a pressure of the (heated) current of air, and/or a specific (total) time for the roasting and/or cooling of the coffee beans. For example, the control unit may be configured such that after the specific time has lapsed, the control unit automatically switches the apparatus <NUM> into the discharging mode. When the control unit switches the apparatus <NUM> into the discharging mode, the control unit may only control the discharge port <NUM> to move in the open position. The control unit may thus be functionally connected to the discharge port <NUM>, in particular to its driving unit <NUM>, in order to accordingly control the discharge port <NUM> to move between the closed position and the open position. The control unit may be also operated by a user, e.g. by the user interface described below, for (manually) switching between the roasting mode and the discharging mode.

In the discharging mode, the apparatus <NUM> is thus arranged to use the current of air generated by the device to drive the coffee beans through the discharge port <NUM> to be discharged from the chamber <NUM>. The control unit may be configured such that in the discharging mode the heater is controlled to be switched off or deactivated. The control unit may be configured such that the apparatus <NUM> remains in the discharging mode until the control unit receives a signal for leaving the discharging mode, e.g. for switching into the roasting mode. For example, the signal may be a user input signal, e.g. received from the user interface. The control unit may be also adapted to switch the apparatus <NUM> into different modes, such as a cooling mode, in which the discharge port <NUM> is in the closed position and the heater is controlled to be deactivated. The control unit may be arranged in the housing <NUM>, for example in the lower part <NUM> and/or the upper part <NUM>.

As exemplarily shown in <FIG>, the apparatus <NUM> may comprise a user interface <NUM>. The user interface <NUM> facilitates that the user of the apparatus <NUM> can accordingly control the apparatus <NUM>, in particular for roasting and/or discharging the coffee beans, i.e. in particular for moving the discharge port <NUM> between the closed position and the open position. The user interface <NUM> is preferably functionally connected to the control unit so that the control unit can receive user inputs or signals from the user interface <NUM>, e.g. for switching between the roasting mode and the discharging mode. The user interface <NUM> may comprise one or more (e.g. only four) control elements <NUM>, e.g. in the form of one or more buttons or other touch sensitive elements (touchscreen, etc.), for controlling the apparatus <NUM>. For example, the one or more control elements <NUM> comprise a control element for starting the roasting process, i.e. for switching into the roasting mode, and a control element for stopping the roasting process, e.g. for switching into the cooling mode and/or the discharging mode. The control elements <NUM> may also comprise a control element for powering up (and turning off) the apparatus <NUM> (e.g. an on/off control element). The user interface is preferably arranged on a user side of the apparatus <NUM>. The user side of the apparatus <NUM> is preferably the front side of the apparatus <NUM> and/or the side of the apparatus <NUM>, on which the coffee beans are discharged from the chamber <NUM>.

The apparatus <NUM> may further comprise a power inlet, e.g. in the form of a power plug. By way of the power inlet, the parts of the apparatus <NUM> requiring energy, such as electrical energy (voltage and/or current), can be supplied with energy. These parts are, in particular, the device, the heater, the driving unit <NUM>, the control unit, and/or the user interface <NUM>. The power plug may be provided on a rear side of the apparatus <NUM> and/or on the housing <NUM>, e.g. on the lower part <NUM> or the upper part <NUM>. The rear side of the apparatus <NUM> may be a side of the apparatus <NUM> that is opposite to the user side.

As can be seen, in particular, in <FIG>, the top <NUM> may comprise an outlet <NUM> that is selectively movable between a closed position and an open position. In the open position, the outlet <NUM> allows (hot or cool) air and/or coffee chaff (also referred to as "chaffs") to be discharged from the chamber <NUM>. The unroasted coffee beans typically have a (green and/or dried) skin, in particular when it is first picked off the coffee tree. The chaff may also be referred to as husk of the coffee bean. During roasting of the coffee beans, this skin comes off the coffee beans and thus remains as chaffs. That is, in particular the high temperature of roasting allows the chaffs to be easily removed from the coffee beans, without the need of additional work. Since it is desired that this chaffs of the so roasted coffee beans does not remain with the roasted coffee beans, because, for example, the consumer does not wish to have the chaffs inside of the grinder and/or beverage preparation machine and, thus, inside of the coffee beverage, the chaffs are preferably discharged from the chamber <NUM> and collected, for example outside of the apparatus <NUM>. Thus, the chaffs will not remain with the finished product, which is the roasted coffee beans.

That is, the current of air, which is generated by the device, drives the air and/or chaffs to the top <NUM> to be subsequently discharged through the outlet <NUM> and thus discharged from the chamber <NUM>. The outlet <NUM> may be a diaphragm. The outlet <NUM> may comprise a movable element <NUM> and one or more openings <NUM>, wherein the movable element <NUM> and the one or more openings <NUM> are movable relatively to each other in order to move the outlet <NUM> between the closed position and the open position. For example, the element <NUM> is moving with respect to the (stationary) opening <NUM>. The element <NUM> may be arranged to be rotationally movable with respect to the opening <NUM>. In the closed position, the element <NUM> then preferably (completely) covers the opening <NUM>, wherein in the open position, the element <NUM> at least in part does not cover the opening <NUM>, thereby allowing the air and/or chaffs to be discharged from the chamber <NUM>. In the closed position, there is substantially no current or at least a reduced amount of air flowing through the outlet <NUM>. Thus, the whole or at least an increased part of the current of air generated by the device can be used, for example, for driving the coffee beans to be discharged from the chamber <NUM>. Preferably, the one or more openings <NUM> are arranged or formed in the top <NUM> of the housing <NUM>. The element <NUM> may be movably mounted to the housing <NUM> or upper housing part <NUM>, e.g. to the top <NUM>.

The outlet <NUM> is preferably functionally connected to the control unit so that the control unit can (automatically) operate the outlet <NUM> to move between the closed position and the open position. For example, the control unit may be configured such that (only) in the roasting mode the outlet <NUM> is moved into the open position. Additionally or alternatively, the control unit may be configured such that (only) in the discharging mode the outlet <NUM> is in the closed position. Additionally or alternatively, the outlet <NUM> may be adapted to be manipulated manually in order to move between the outlet's closed and open position.

As can be seen in <FIG>, the apparatus <NUM> may further comprise a chaffs collector <NUM> for collecting the chaffs of the coffee beans, which are roasted by the chamber <NUM>. The chaffs collector <NUM> is preferably arranged such that the chaffs flow from the chamber <NUM> through the outlet <NUM> to the chaffs collector <NUM> to be collected by the chaffs collector <NUM>. The chaffs collector <NUM> may comprise a compartment, in which the chaffs are collected and prevented from returning to the chamber <NUM>. For example, the chaffs collector <NUM> may comprise an inlet, which allows only a unidirectional flow of the chaffs so that the chaffs are collected by the chaffs collector <NUM>; thus, the inlet may allow a flow of the chaffs <NUM> into the compartment, but prevent a flow of the chaffs out of the compartment, in particular towards the chamber <NUM>. In order to provide a particularly good collection of the chaffs by the chaffs collector <NUM>, the chaffs collector <NUM> and the device can be accordingly arranged to one another. For example, the device can be arranged such that the current of air, which is generated by the device, drives the chaffs of the coffee beans towards the chaffs collector <NUM>, such that the chaffs are collected by the chaffs collector <NUM>.

The chaffs collector <NUM> may be designed to selectively open the chaffs collector <NUM> or, if present, the compartment in order to throw away or otherwise use the collected chaffs. The chaffs collector <NUM> may be detachably arranged, so that the chaffs collector <NUM> can be detached from the apparatus <NUM>, e.g. in order to easily throw away the chaffs. For example, the chaffs collector <NUM> is detachably mounted to the housing <NUM> (for example on the top <NUM> of the housing <NUM>), e.g. by a form and/or frictional fit or accordingly designed fastening element. The chaffs collector <NUM> may thus form the top of the apparatus <NUM>.

In <FIG>, a system <NUM> according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is exemplarily shown. The system <NUM> comprises an apparatus <NUM> according to any of claims <NUM> to <NUM> and a further apparatus, which in this preferred embodiment is a beverage preparation machine <NUM>, e.g. an (full) automatic beverage preparation machine. The apparatus <NUM> is functionally connected to the beverage preparation machine <NUM> such that the beverage preparation machine <NUM> can process the coffee beans, which are discharged from the apparatus <NUM> through the discharge port <NUM>. That is, the beverage preparation machine <NUM> prepares a beverage from the discharged coffee beans. In other examples, the further apparatus may also be a different apparatus for processing the discharge coffee beans, e.g. a grinder for grinding the coffee beans.

The apparatus <NUM> is functionally connected to the beverage preparation machine <NUM> such that the coffee beans discharged from the chamber <NUM> can move to the beverage preparation machine <NUM> with the current of air generated by the (current of air generating) device of the apparatus <NUM>. Therefore, the coffee beans can directly move from the apparatus <NUM> through the beverage preparation machine <NUM>, in particular without any additional manipulation of the coffee beans. For example, the apparatus <NUM> comprises the conduit <NUM> so that the coffee beans are at least moving along the conduit <NUM> to be moved from the apparatus <NUM> into the beverage preparation machine <NUM> for further processing of the (roasted) coffee beans. As apparent from, in particular, <FIG>, the conduit <NUM> may be connected to a hopper <NUM> (e.g. designed in the form of a chimney) so that the roasted coffee beans traveling through the conduit <NUM> are discharged from the conduit <NUM> to be filled into the hopper <NUM>. The hopper <NUM> may be integrally provided with the beverage preparation machine <NUM>, and/or the hopper <NUM> may be detachably provided with respect to or on the beverage preparation machine <NUM>. The hopper <NUM> and/or the connection between the conduit <NUM> and the hopper <NUM> is/are preferably sealed so that substantially no air can enter the hopper <NUM> and come into contact with the roasted coffee beans filled into the hopper <NUM>. Thus, roasted coffee beans filled into the hopper <NUM> can maintain a fresh roast over a relatively long time.

The beverage preparation machine <NUM> preferably comprises a grinder for grinding the coffee beans discharged from the apparatus <NUM>. For example, the coffee grinder is arranged such that the hopper <NUM> feeds the coffee grinder, e.g. by moving the coffee beans from the hopper <NUM> into the grinder by gravity. The grinder therefore grinds the coffee beans to ground coffee, from which the beverage preparation machine <NUM> can then prepare a coffee beverage. For example, the beverage preparation machine <NUM> further comprises one or more beverage preparation modules, such as a water tank, a water pump, and/or a heater, for preparing a coffee beverage from the roasted coffee beans, i.e. from the ground coffee. As apparent from <FIG>, the beverage preparation machine <NUM> may comprise a beverage dispensing side <NUM> for the dispensing of the coffee beverage. The dispensing side <NUM> comprises, for example, an outlet <NUM> for dispensing the coffee beverage and/or a support or tray <NUM>, on which a coffee cup can be placed so that the coffee cup is filled with the coffee beverage dispensed from the machine <NUM>, e.g. from the outlet <NUM>.

The beverage preparation machine <NUM> comprises a housing <NUM>. In the housing <NUM>, at least a part of the beverage preparation modules can be arranged. The housing <NUM> has a bottom <NUM> and a top <NUM>. The bottom <NUM> is preferably adapted such that the beverage preparation machine <NUM> and, thus, the system <NUM> can be placed on a surface in a household or kitchen, such as a tabletop. The apparatus <NUM> is preferably arranged on the top <NUM> of the housing <NUM>. The apparatus <NUM> can therefore be very efficiently arranged with respect to the beverage preparation machine <NUM>.

As apparent from <FIG> and <FIG>, the apparatus <NUM> may comprise the hopper <NUM> (e.g. a coffee (beans) inlet chamber and/or in the form of a cylinder), which is adapted to (sealingly) store unroasted coffee beans. The hopper <NUM> is connected to the chamber <NUM> so that the coffee beans stored in the hopper <NUM> can move into the chamber <NUM> (for subsequent roasting), e.g. only by gravity. For example, the coffee beans stored in the hopper <NUM> can move into the chamber <NUM> by way of a port (also referred to as "insertion port <NUM>"), which is selectively movable between a closed position and an open position. Therefore, in the open position, unroasted coffee beans can move from the hopper <NUM> into the chamber <NUM> via this port, whereas in the closed position, no unroasted coffee beans can move from the hopper <NUM> into the chamber <NUM>. This port may be functionally connected to the control unit so that the control unit can control this port to be in the closed position or open position. For example, the control unit controls this port to be opened, before switching into the roasting mode. Additionally or alternatively, the port may be also manually movable, i.e. with muscle strength, in order to be moved into the closed or into the open position. The hopper <NUM> is, however, not required. For example, the unroasted coffee beans may be also directly, i.e. manually, filled into the chamber <NUM>.

As can be seen in <FIG>, the apparatus <NUM> may comprise a mechanism <NUM> for moving at least the discharge port <NUM> between the closed position and the open position is shown. The mechanism <NUM> comprises the sidewall <NUM> and thus preferably in part delimits the chamber <NUM>. The bottom <NUM> is preferably not an integral part of the mechanism <NUM>, thus the bottom <NUM> is preferably separately provided with respect to the mechanism <NUM>. The mechanism <NUM> is preferably moveable (e.g., rotatably) arranged such that also the sidewall <NUM> is moveably arranged. Thereby, the discharge port <NUM> can be moved between the closed position and the open position by moving the mechanism <NUM> and, thus, the sidewall <NUM>. In <FIG>, one can also see that the mechanism <NUM> can be moved by the driving unit <NUM>, e.g. by the driving unit <NUM> camming with the optional teeth arranged on the mechanism <NUM> or sidewall <NUM>. In order to move the discharge port <NUM> between the closed position and the open position by means of the mechanism <NUM>, the sidewall <NUM> thus preferably comprises the opening <NUM> to thereby also move the opening <NUM>, e.g. with respect to a covering element <NUM> (see above).

The mechanism <NUM> thus facilitates the discharging of coffee beans from the chamber <NUM> via the discharge port <NUM>. The mechanism <NUM> may also facilitate the insertion of unroasted coffee beans into the chamber <NUM>. As such, the mechanism <NUM> may be adapted be (rotatably) movable at least into a first position and a second position, wherein in the first position (only) the discharge port <NUM> is in the open position, and wherein in the second position (only) an (coffee bean) insertion port <NUM> (see above) is in the open position. Thus, in the first position, the insertion port <NUM> is preferably in the closed position, and in the second position, the discharge port <NUM> is preferably in the closed position. In the second position, unroasted coffee beans can then enter the chamber <NUM> for subsequent roasting. The unroasted coffee beans are preferably (gravity) fed from the hopper <NUM> via the insertion port <NUM> into the chamber <NUM>. The insertion port <NUM> may be or comprise an opening (e.g. a hole or slot) formed or pierced in the sidewall <NUM>. As such, in the open position of the insertion port <NUM>, the opening is not covered, i.e. not obstructed, so that unroasted coffee beans can be inserted into the chamber <NUM> via the insertion port <NUM>, wherein in the closed position, the opening is covered, i.e. obstructed, so that no unroasted coffee beans can be inserted into the chamber <NUM> via the insertion port <NUM>.

The mechanism <NUM> may be adapted to (e.g. rotatably) move into a position (e.g. a position in addition to the first and second position, i.e. a third position), in which chaffs of the coffee beans can flow towards the chaffs collector <NUM> in order to be collected by the chaffs collector <NUM>. For example, the mechanism <NUM> comprises one or more (e.g. only two) chaffs ports <NUM> (e.g. arranged at least in part in the sidewall <NUM>), which in said (third) position allow the chaffs to move or flow (by the current of air generated by the device) via the chaffs ports <NUM> towards the chaffs collector <NUM> in order to be collected by the chaffs collector <NUM>. In this position, the (respective) chaffs port <NUM> is thus in an open position. In any position other than this (third) position, e.g. in the first and second position, the chaffs port <NUM> is preferably in a closed position. In this closed position, the air flowing through the chaffs port <NUM> towards the chaffs collector <NUM> is thus (significantly) reduced or obstructed so that the current of air is advantageously redirected, e.g. for discharging the coffee beans via the discharge port <NUM> from the chamber <NUM>. In the closed position of the chaffs port <NUM>, preferably no chaffs can flow from the chamber <NUM> through the chaffs port <NUM> towards the chaffs collector <NUM>. In the closed position of the chaffs port <NUM>, chaffs, which are collected by the chaffs collector <NUM>, are prevented from moving back into the chamber <NUM> via the chaffs port <NUM>. The chaffs port <NUM> may be or comprise an opening (e.g. a slot or hole) formed or pierced in the sidewall <NUM>. As such, in the open position of the chaffs port <NUM>, the opening is not covered, i.e. not obstructed, so that the flow of air and chaffs can flow through the opening and towards the chaffs collector <NUM> for chaffs collection, wherein in the closed position, the opening is covered, i.e. obstructed, so that the flow of air and chaffs cannot flow through the opening and towards the chaffs collector <NUM> for chaffs collection.

The sidewall <NUM> may comprise a cross-section, which comprises both the insert port <NUM> and the chaffs port <NUM>. In other words, the insert port <NUM> and the chaffs port <NUM> may be arranged on substantially the same height with respect to the height of the chamber <NUM>, e.g. at the top of the chamber <NUM>. The discharge port <NUM> is preferably not arranged in the cross-section of the sidewall <NUM>, which comprises the insert port <NUM> and/or the chaffs port <NUM>. In other words, the discharge port <NUM> on the one side and the insert port <NUM> and/or chaffs port <NUM> on the other side may be arranged on different heights with respect to the height of the chamber <NUM>, e.g. the discharge port <NUM> may be arranged on a lower height than the insert port <NUM> and/or chaffs port <NUM>. The teeth of the mechanism <NUM>, which cam with the driving unit <NUM>, are preferably arranged between the discharge port <NUM> and the chaffs port <NUM>.

Claim 1:
An apparatus (<NUM>) for roasting coffee beans, the apparatus (<NUM>) comprising:
a chamber (<NUM>) in which coffee beans can be received for roasting,
a device for generating a current of air in order to agitate and to roast the coffee beans received by the chamber (<NUM>),
a heater for heating air so that the so heated air is blown by the device into the chamber (<NUM>) in order to generate the heated current of air, and
a control unit for switching the apparatus (<NUM>) between a roasting mode and a discharging mode, wherein the control unit is functionally connected to the device for generating a current of air and/or to the heater,
wherein the chamber (<NUM>) is delimited by a bottom (<NUM>), a top (<NUM>), and a sidewall (<NUM>) extending from the bottom (<NUM>) to the top (<NUM>), wherein the sidewall (<NUM>) comprises a discharge port (<NUM>), which is selectively moveable between a closed position and an open position,
wherein in the roasting mode the discharge port (<NUM>) is in the closed position and the device is adapted to generate a heated current of air to roast the coffee beans received by the chamber (<NUM>), and wherein in the discharging mode the discharge port (<NUM>) is in the open position and the apparatus (<NUM>) is arranged to use the current of air generated by the device to drive the coffee beans through the discharge port (<NUM>) to be discharged from the chamber (<NUM>),
wherein the discharge port (<NUM>) is arranged to be closer to the bottom (<NUM>) than to the top (<NUM>),
wherein the bottom (<NUM>) comprises an air inlet, and wherein the device is arranged to blow air through said inlet in order generate the current of air inside of the chamber (<NUM>), and
wherein the discharge port (<NUM>) is arranged at a distance from the bottom or at the bottom above the air inlet.