阅读说明：本技术 具有可拆卸传送导管的咖啡研磨机 (Coffee grinder with detachable delivery conduit ) 是由 M·菲奥拉尼 于 2020-10-15 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种咖啡研磨机(100),包括：装有咖啡豆的料斗(1)；研磨单元(2),适于研磨从料斗供应的咖啡豆从而获得磨碎的咖啡；传送导管(4),其连接到咖啡研磨机的主体(3),与研磨单元(2)连通以传送磨碎的咖啡；以及快速连接/分离装置(M),该装置适于提供使所述传送导管(4)与咖啡研磨机的主体(3)的快速连接/分离。(The invention relates to a coffee grinder (100) comprising: a hopper (1) containing coffee beans; a grinding unit (2) adapted to grind coffee beans supplied from a hopper so as to obtain ground coffee; a delivery duct (4) connected to the body (3) of the coffee grinder, communicating with the grinding unit (2) to deliver ground coffee; and quick coupling/uncoupling means (M) suitable for providing a quick coupling/uncoupling of the delivery duct (4) to the body (3) of the coffee grinder.)

1. Coffee grinder (100) comprising:

-a hopper (1) adapted to contain coffee beans,

-a grinding unit (2), the grinding unit (2) being adapted to grind coffee beans supplied from a hopper, thereby obtaining ground coffee, an

-a transfer duct (4) connected to the body (3) of the coffee grinder, communicating with the grinding unit (2) to transfer ground coffee;

it is characterized by comprising:

-quick coupling/uncoupling means (M) suitable for providing a quick coupling/uncoupling of the delivery duct (4) to the main body (3) of the coffee grinder.

2. Coffee grinder (100) according to claim 1, wherein the quick connection/disconnection means (M) are magnetic retention means.

3. Coffee grinder (100) according to claim 2, wherein the quick connection/disconnection means (M) comprise a magnet (6) engaged with a ferromagnetic bracket (7).

4. Coffee grinder (100) according to claim 3, wherein the magnet (6) is fixed to the delivery duct (4) and the ferromagnetic support (7) is fixed to the body (3) of the coffee grinder, or vice versa.

5. Coffee grinder (100) according to claim 3, wherein the magnet (6) is housed in a housing (42) that projects radially outwards from the inlet (41) of the delivery duct and the ferromagnetic support (7) is cylindrical, projecting forwards from a flange (71) fixed to the body (3) of the coffee grinder.

6. Coffee grinder (100) according to claim 1, wherein the quick connection/disconnection means (M) are a fitting coupling.

7. Coffee grinder (100) according to claim 6, wherein the quick-connection/disconnection means (M) comprise tabs (106) engaged in a housing (107) in a bayonet-connection mode.

8. Coffee grinder (100) according to claim 3, wherein the tab (106) is present in the delivery duct (4) and the housing (107) is fixed to the body (3) of the coffee grinder, or vice versa.

9. Coffee grinder (100) according to claim 8, wherein the housing (107) engaged with the tab (106) has a U-shaped configuration and is present in an annular cover (170) fixed to a flange (33) integral with the body (3) of the coffee grinder, while a base plate (34) having an annular shape is fixed to the flange (33) integral with the body of the coffee grinder.

10. The coffee grinder (100) of claim 9, wherein the annular cover (170) comprises a front wall (171) from which a first rib (172) and a second rib (173) protrude to define the housing (107), and a side wall (174) disposed around the base plate (34),

an opening (175) present in the front wall (171) of the annular cover is sized to receive the tab (106) of the delivery conduit for inserting the tab (106) of the delivery conduit into the housing (107) of the annular cover.

11. Coffee grinder (100) according to claim 10, comprising a locking pin (8), said locking pin (8) being engaged in one of the tabs (106) of the transfer duct to lock the rotation of the tab of the transfer duct inside the housing (107) of the annular cover.

12. Coffee grinder (100) according to claim 11, wherein the locking pin (8) is arranged behind the base plate (35) and comprises a stop tooth (80) passing through the base plate (35), the locking pin engaging with a stop housing present in one of the tabs of the delivery conduit.

13. Coffee grinder (100) according to claim 11, comprising a push button (9), said push button (9) being connected to said locking pin and protruding forward from a front wall (171) of said annular cover, so as to be actuated by a user to unlock said delivery duct (4).

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a coffee grinder with a detachable delivery duct.

Background

It is known that catering services provided by coffee machines using ground coffee also have coffee grinders. In fact, coffee beans retain their organoleptic properties far better than ground coffee. Accordingly, a restaurant service may provide an inventory of coffee beans that are ground using a coffee grinder when in use.

Coffee grinders generally comprise:

-a hopper containing coffee beans,

a grinding unit arranged in the grinding chamber for grinding the coffee beans to obtain ground coffee,

-a transfer duct communicating with the grinding chamber to transfer the ground coffee.

The ground coffee is discharged from the grinder by means of two or more rotating tabs which force the ground coffee through lateral notches of the grinding chamber and ends in a transfer duct.

A disadvantage of the coffee grinder is that the tabs do not completely discharge the ground coffee out of the grinding chamber. As a result, residues of ground coffee may remain in the grinding chamber and mix with the fresh ground coffee, thereby affecting the organoleptic quality.

Italian patent application No. 102018000009379 in the name of the same applicant discloses a transfer duct having a funnel shape, in which a grinding unit is provided to ensure complete emptying of the grinding chamber after transfer of a dose of ground coffee. However, said delivery duct is generally made integral with the body of the machine or in any case is firmly fixed to the body of the machine by means of screw means and adapted couplings which are difficult to disassemble. Indeed, in order to unscrew the screw means and to remove the adapter coupling, the operator must operate from inside the frame of the machine; that is, the operator must disassemble the frame of the machine before disassembling the delivery catheter. Obviously, such an operation is very time consuming, requires the use of special tools and requires a specialized operator. Therefore, in this type of machine, the cleaning and maintenance of the grinding unit are complex operations.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks of the prior art by disclosing a coffee grinder with a transfer duct that can be easily and quickly disassembled to ensure easy cleaning and maintenance of the grinding unit.

Another object of the invention is to disclose a coffee grinder that is reliable, versatile and easy to maintain.

It is a further object of the invention to disclose a coffee grinder which ensures a complete emptying of the grinding chamber after delivery of a dose of ground coffee.

According to the invention, these objects are achieved by the features of the independent claim 1.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention emerge from the dependent claims.

The coffee grinder of the present invention is defined by the independent claim 1.

Drawings

Additional features of the invention will become apparent from the following description, which is given by way of illustrative and not limitative example, and which is given by way of illustration only, in which:

fig. 1 is a sectional view of a coffee grinder according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of a magnetic type quick connect/disconnect device for connection/disconnection of a delivery catheter.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the transfer conduit of fig. 2 secured to a grinder body.

Figure 4 is a rear perspective view of the delivery catheter.

Figure 5 is a side view of the delivery catheter.

Fig. 6 is a front perspective view of a second embodiment of a mechanical adapter-type quick connect/disconnect apparatus.

Fig. 7 and 8 are sectional views taken along lines VII-VII and VIII-VIII of fig. 6.

FIGS. 9-11 are rear, side and front views, respectively, of the delivery catheter of FIG. 6.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view, partially in section, of the adaptor coupler of the quick connect/disconnect device of FIG. 6; and

fig. 13 and 14 are two enlarged sectional views of the unlocking mechanism of the quick connect/disconnect device of fig. 6.

Detailed Description

Referring to the drawings, there is disclosed a coffee grinder in accordance with the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral 100.

Referring to fig. 1, a coffee grinder 100 includes a hopper 1 or container that holds coffee beans suitable for grinding.

A dosator 10 is arranged in the hopper 1 for measuring a dose of coffee beans. The dosator 10 has a vertical axis Z. The dosator 10 communicates with a transfer funnel 11, which transfer funnel 11 ends in the grinding unit 2.

Referring to fig. 2, the grinding unit 2 includes:

a first blade 21, the first blade 21 being mounted on a fixed blade mount 23 fixed to the body 3 of the coffee grinder, and

a second blade 22 connected to a rotary blade holder 24 connected to a rotary shaft 25 (fig. 1).

Referring to fig. 1, the axis Y of the rotary shaft 25 is inclined at an angle of about 30 ° to 60 °, preferably 45 °, to the axis Z of the dosator 10. The rotary shaft 25 is rotated by a motor 26 through a belt transmission 27.

The grinding unit 2 is arranged inside the conveying duct 4. The delivery duct 4 has a funnel shape, which decreases in size towards the delivery opening 40. The vertical axis of the delivery conduit 4 is parallel to or coincides with the axis Z of the dosator 10.

Although the transfer conduit 4 shown in the figures has a funnel shape, the transfer conduit 4 may be a conventional grinding chamber in which the grinding unit 2 is arranged.

The support 5 is adapted to support the filter holder 50 or the container in such a way that the filter holder 50 is arranged below the transfer opening 40 of the transfer duct to receive ground coffee.

According to the invention, the coffee grinder 1 comprises quick coupling/uncoupling means M for quick coupling/uncoupling the delivery duct 4 to the body 3 of the coffee grinder.

The quick coupling/decoupling means M are means for the user to couple and decouple the transfer duct 4 to and from the main body 3 of the grinder in a simple and quick manner, operating from the inside of the coffee grinder body without using tools to screw and unscrew the screws and without disassembling the frame of the coffee grinder.

Referring to FIGS. 2-5, a first embodiment of the quick connect/disconnect device M as a magnetic retention device is disclosed.

The quick-connect/disconnect device M comprises a magnet 6 engaged with a ferromagnetic support 7. The magnet 6 may be fixed to the delivery catheter 4 and the ferromagnetic support 7 may be fixed to the body 3, or vice versa. In view of the above, the user may connect the delivery catheter 4 by simply bringing the magnet 6 into contact with the ferromagnetic holder 7, and may disconnect the delivery catheter 4 by overcoming the magnetic attraction between the magnet 6 and the ferromagnetic holder 7.

Referring to fig. 4 and 5, the delivery conduit 4 has an inlet 41, the inlet 41 having a generally circular shape and a larger diameter relative to the diameter of the delivery port 40. The transfer duct 4 is bent at an angle of about 45 °, i.e. the axis of the inlet 41 is inclined at about 45 ° with respect to the axis of the transfer port 40. The inlet has a rear edge 42 which is connected to a circular outlet conduit 30 (fig. 2 and 3) which is formed integrally with the main body 3 of the mill.

The quick-coupling/uncoupling means M comprise a seat 43, whose rear edge 42, in correspondence with the outlet, projects radially outwards from the outlet 41.

The magnet 6 is housed within the base 43 of the transfer conduit. Each magnet 6 has a disk-like shape, the central hole of which is penetrated by a screw 60, which screw 60 is screwed into the base 43 of the conveying conduit to firmly fix the magnet.

The ferromagnetic support 7 is shaped like a cylinder with an end circular surface 70 adapted to be in contact with the magnet 6.

The ferromagnetic holder 7 is mounted on a flange 71 fixed to the grinding mill body 3. For this purpose, the ferromagnetic support 7 has axial holes 72 to receive screw means for fixing the ferromagnetic support to the flange. The flange 71 has lateral holes 73 to accommodate screw means for fixing the flange 71 to the main body 3 of the grinding mill. The flange 71 is C-shaped and is arranged around the lower part of the outlet conduit 30 of the mill body. For the purpose of illustration, the quick coupling/uncoupling device M comprises three ferromagnetic supports 7 fixed to the flange 71, which engage with respective magnets 6 provided in the seat of the transfer duct.

Referring to fig. 6 to 14, a second embodiment in which the quick connect/disconnect device M is a fitting type coupling is disclosed.

The quick connect/disconnect means M comprise tabs 106 which engage in a bayonet connection mode in the housing 107. The tab may be present in the delivery conduit 4 and the housing 107 may be fixed to the body 3 of the coffee grinder, or vice versa.

Referring to fig. 9-11, the transfer duct 4 includes two tabs 106 projecting radially outward from the entrance 41 of the transfer duct, which correspond to the rear edge 42 of the entrance. The tabs 106 are disposed at diametrically opposite positions.

Each tab 106 has an L-shaped cross-section and includes a tooth 160 projecting forwardly from the tab.

One of the two tabs 106 includes a stop housing 162 (fig. 9) having a concave shape that is present in the rear surface of the tab.

Referring to fig. 7 and 12, the housing 107 engaged with the tab 106 has a U-shape. In view of the above, the tooth portion 160 of each tab is slidingly engaged in the housing 107.

The housing 107 is present in an annular cover 170 which is fixed to the flange 33 integral with the body 3. The base plate 34 having an annular shape is preferably made of metal, and the base plate 34 is fixed to the flange 33.

The annular cover 170 comprises a front wall 171 having, in a protruding position, a first rib 172 and a second rib 173, defining the housing 107. The side wall 174 protrudes from the front wall 163 of the annular cover and is disposed around the base plate 34.

Referring to fig. 6, there are two openings 175 in the front wall 171 of the annular cover at diametrically opposite locations. The opening 175 of the annular cover is sized to allow the tabs 106 of the delivery catheter to pass therethrough. In view of the above, the delivery catheter 4 is installed by inserting the tab 106 of the delivery catheter frontally into the opening 175 of the annular cover and rotating the delivery catheter so that the tooth portions 160 of the tab pass through the housing 107 of the annular cover.

Referring to fig. 8, 13 and 14, the locking pin 8 is disposed behind the base plate 34. The locking pin 8 is L-shaped and comprises a stop tooth 81 which penetrates the hole 35 of the base plate and projects frontally from the base plate, engaging the stop housing 162 of the tab 106 of the delivery catheter. As shown in fig. 13. In this way, the delivery catheter 4 is locked in place and the tabs 106 of the delivery catheter cannot rotate within the housing 107 of the annular cover.

The locking pin 8 is removably mounted to move from a locking position (fig. 13), in which the stop tooth 80 projects forward from the base plate so as to engage in the stop housing 162 of the tab of the delivery catheter, to an unlocking position (fig. 14); while in the unlocked position, the stop tooth 80 is disposed in a rearward position in the aperture 35 of the base plate to disengage the stop housing 162 of the tab of the delivery catheter.

A spring means (not shown) holds the stop tooth 80 in the locking position.

Advantageously, the stop tooth 80 has a tapered surface 81 to facilitate its insertion into the stop housing 162 of the tab.

The locking pin 8 is connected to a push button 9 which projects forward from the front wall 171 of the annular cover for actuation by the user. The button 9 has a stem 90 which passes through the hole 36 of the base plate and engages with the locking pin 8, and a head 91 which projects from a hole 175 of the front wall of the annular cover.

In view of this, as shown in fig. 14, when the user presses the head 91 of the push-button in the direction of the arrow F1, the locking pin 8 moves from the locking position to the unlocking position and the stop tooth 80 of the locking pin disengages from the stop housing 162 of the tab, thereby rotating the delivery catheter 4 in the direction of the arrow F2 so that the tab 106 of the delivery catheter corresponds to the opening 175 of the annular cap in order to withdraw the delivery catheter from the annular cap.

Many equivalent variations and modifications of the present embodiment of the invention may be made within the ability of a person skilled in the art, in any case falling within the scope of protection of the invention.