Coffee grinder and brewer apparatus with basket sensing and grind only feature

• US 5,542,342 A
• Filed: 08/08/1995
• Issued: 08/06/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Grindmaster Corporation (AB Electrolux)
• Original Assignee: Grindmaster Corporation (AB Electrolux)
• Inventors: McNeill, Robert C., Nance, Douglass
• Primary Examiner(s): JENKINS, ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US08/512,305
• Time in Patent Office: 364 Days
• Field of Search: 99/279, 99/280, 99/283, 99/282, 99/285, 99/286, 99/289 R, 99/290, 99/295, 99/300, 99/304, 99/307, 241/101.2
• US Class Current: 99/280
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/42 Beverage-making apparatus with incorporated grinding or roasting means for coffee coffee mills A47J42/00; coffee roasters in general A23N12/08
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 42/40 relating to discharge, receiving container or the like; Bag clamps, e.g. with means for actuating electric switches

Abstract

A coffee bean grinding and brewing apparatus having a control circuit for initiating grinding and brewing cycles. The control circuit has a brew basket sensing switch that is positioned adjacent the brew basket retaining arms and is engaged into an open position by one of the arms when no basket is positioned between the arms and becomes closed when a basket is positioned between the arms. The control circuit does not initiate any cycle as long as the sensing switch is open avoiding the problem of grounds being delivered accidentally when no basket is present. Additionally, the control circuit has a grind-only switch and a brew-only switch that respectively permit an operator to select a grind-only or a brew only cycle when a basket is held properly between the arms. Finally, the circuit may be provided with a partial and full brew selector switches that permit an operator to select a full and predetermined amount of ground coffee and/or hot water to be delivered to the brew basket or a lesser amount, e.g., one half of the full amount, of ground coffee and/or hot water to the brew basket.

Claims

1. An apparatus having a coffee bean grinding system having a cycle for the grinding of coffee beans and brewing of ground coffee,

said apparatus including

a grinder for grinding coffee beans and distributing the ground coffee into a brew basket held by retaining arms adjacent a passageway communicating with said grinder,

a grinder motor for driving the grinder,

a brewing system for the distribution of hot water to the brew basket, and

a control circuit for selectively initiating grinding and brewing cycles, said control circuit including a grind-only switch which when closed the grinding cycle is initiated and the brewing cycle remains in an off state thereby ground coffee is distributed to said brew basket without the distribution of hot water.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said control circuit includes a partial pot switch for setting the amount of ground coffee to be delivered to said brew basket, said grinder delivering a lesser amount of ground coffee to said brew basket when said partial pot switch is closed.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said control circuit further includes a brew basket sensing switch and a start-cycle switch as part of said control circuit, said brew basket switch positioned adjacent said retaining arms and being open when no basket is positioned between said retaining arms and being closed when a basket is positioned between said retaining arms, said control circuit initiating said selected grinding and brewing cycles only when said brew basket sensing switch is closed and said start-cycle switch is closed.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 in which said brew basket sensing switch is open when abutted by one of said retaining arms.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 in which said retaining arms are pivotally mounted so as to articulate toward and away from each other, said arms biased to pivot toward each other and pivoting away from each other when a brew basket is pushed therebetween thereby grasping the brew basket, said arms being biased into a retaining arm closed position when no basket is present therebetween with said one arm abutting said brew basket sensing switch.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 including a brew-only switch as part of said control circuit, said control circuit activating said brewing cycle and not said grinding cycle when said brew only switch is closed and said basket is present between said arms thereby hot water is distributed to said brew basket without the distribution of ground coffee.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 in which said control circuit includes a partial pot switch for setting the amount of hot water to be distributed to said brew basket, said control circuit causing said brewing system to deliver a lesser amount of hot water than when said partial pot switch is closed.

8. An apparatus for the grinding of coffee beans and brewing of the ground coffee comprising

a storage hopper for coffee beans,

a grinder mechanism in communication with said hopper for grinding said beans,

a pair of articulating brewer basket retaining arms positioned beneath a passageway leading to said grinder for retaining a brew basket in contact with an underneath surface of said apparatus, said arms pivotally attached to said apparatus and being biased to pivot toward each other so as to grasp said basket when urged therebetween,

a hot water distribution system for distributing hot water to said brew basket, said system including a hot water storage tank and a water distribution head positioned in a region bounded by the contact between said basket and said underneath surface, said distribution head in communication with a hot water storage tank, and

a control circuit for operating said grinder mechanism and hot water distribution system, said circuit including

a first switch for initiating a grinding and brewing cycle,

a second switch for initiating a grind only cycle, and

a third switch positioned to abut one of said arms when no basket is positioned between said arms whereupon said third switch is open, said control circuit energizing said grinder mechanism only when said second and third switches are closed and enrgegizing both of said grinder mechanism and said water distribution system only when said first and third switches are closed.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 in which said arms are connected by a spring element biasing said arms about said pivot toward one another.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 in which said arms are pivotally mounted to a support structure that is in turn pivotally mounted within said apparatus so as to permit movement of said arms in a vertical direction toward and away from said underneath surface, said support structure being biased so as to cause said arms to move toward said underneath surface.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 in which said third switch is mounted on said support structure.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 including a fourth switch, said control circuit energizing said water distribution system only when said third and fourth switches are closed.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 including a partial pot switch, said control circuit delivering lesser amounts of ground coffee or hot water or both when said partial pot switch is closed.

14. A coffee bean grinding and brewing apparatus including

a storage hopper for containing coffee beans,

a coffee bean portioning mechanism communicating with said hopper for providing selected quantities of beans;

a grinder communicating with said portioning mechanism and a grinder motor for driving said grinder,

a pair of basket retaining arms pivotally mounted to a support structure below said grinder, said arms being biased toward one another and said support structure providing a stop for said arms when a basket is not therebetween, said structure being pivotally mounted within said apparatus and being biased so as to pivot said arms upwards and cause a basket retained by said arms to abut against an underneath surface of said apparatus,

a passageway leading from said grinder to an opening in said underneath surface within an area abutted by said retained basket,

a hot water distribution system including a hot water tank and a hot water distribution head communicating with said tank for distributing hot water to ground coffee in said retained basket, and

a control means for energizing said grinder motor and controlling flow of hot water from said tank to said head, said control means energizing said grinder only when said basket is being retained between said pair of retaining arms.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 in which said control means includes a switch means positioned on said support structure for disabling said control circuit when a basket is absent.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 in which said switch means is a first switch in a circuit of said control means that is opened by one of said retaining arms in the absence of a basket and closed in the presence of a basket.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 including a grind-only switch in the circuit of said control means, said control means energizing said grinder motor and not opening said flow of water between said distribution head and said hot water storage tank when both said grind-only switch and said first switch are closed.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 in which said circuit of said control means includes a partial pot switch, when said partial pot switch is closed, said control circuit timing said portioning mechanism to deliver a lesser amount of coffee beans to said grinder than when said partial pot switch is open.