Patent ID: 7028604

Claim:
A coffee machine comprising: a pressurized hot water sprinkler; a dispenser cup facing said sprinkler and movable with respect to the sprinkler to and from an infusion position in which the dispenser cup is fitted to said sprinkler, said dispenser cup having a percolator spout, and a cavity communicating with said percolator spout and for housing a rigid sealed capsule for a measure of ground coffee, the sealed capsule being closed, at one end, by a sealing film facing the sprinkler in use, and, at the other end, by an end wall; a first piercing device carried by said sprinkler to pierce, in use, said sealing film; and a second piercing device carried by said dispenser cup to pierce, in use, said end wall when the end wall is permanently deformed outwards; said second piercing device comprising a plate housed in a fixed position inside said cavity to divide the cavity into a first portion for housing said sealed capsule, and a second portion communicating with said percolator spout, and a number of conical needles projecting from said plate towards said sprinkler; each said needle having a conical outer surface, an inner conduit extending through said plate to communicate with said second portion, and at least one opening formed through said conical outer surface to connect said inner conduit to said first portion; said first piercing device comprising a number of further needles movable towards said dispenser cup from a withdrawn rest position to an extracted piercing position; said further needles extending from said sprinkler towards said dispenser cup, and being fixed with respect to the sprinkler; and said first piercing device further comprising a cup-shaped body having a perforated end wall for the passage of said further needles, and fitted in sliding manner to said sprinkler so as to move, in opposition to elastic means, from a normal rest position wherein said further needles are housed inside said cup-shaped body, to a work position wherein said further needles extend outwards of said cup-shaped body through respective holes in said perforated end wall.