Coffee machine

• US 7,028,604 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2002
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Luigi Lavazza SPA (Finlav SPA)
• Original Assignee: SGL Italia, S.r.l. (Evoca SpA)
• Inventors: Cortese, Virginio
• Primary Examiner(s): ALEXANDER, REGINALD
• Application Number:
  US10/246,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20030070554A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• Field of Search: 992/95, 993/02.R, 992/87
• US Class Current: 99/295
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/3628 Perforating means therefor

Abstract

A coffee machine comprises a pressurized hot water sprinkler faces a dispenser cup housing a rigid sealed capsule closed by a deformable end wall; and the dispenser cup has a piercing device for piercing the end wall of the sealed capsule, when the end wall is permanently deformed outwards, by a number of conical needles facing the sprinkler and housed inside the dispenser cup; each needle having a conical outer surface, an inner conduit, and at least one axial slit formed in the conical outer surface to connect the relative inner conduit, in use, to the inside of the sealed capsule through the relative end wall.

Claims

1. 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.

2. A coffee machine as claimed in claim 1 and also comprising shoulder means formed inside said first portion and which cooperate with said sealed capsule to lock the sealed capsule axially with the relative end wall, when undeformed, substantially contacting a free end of each of said needles.

3. A coffee machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said conical outer surface has a base diameter at least equal to half a height of the relative needle.

4. A coffee machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said opening is a slit extending along a generating line of said conical surface.

5. A coffee machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said needle comprises a number of said openings defined by respective slits extending along respective generating lines of the relative said conical outer surface.

6. A coffee machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein said generating lines are equally spaced about an axis of the relative said conical outer surface.

7. A coffee machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein said inner conduit is substantially in the form of a pyramid having a number of edges;

each said slit communicating with said inner conduit along a relative said edge.

8. A coffee machine as claimed in claim 7, wherein said slits are three in number, and said pyramid is a triangular pyramid.

9. 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;

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 tubular needles projecting from said plate towards said sprinkler;

each said tubular needle allowing communication between said first and second portions;

said first piercing device comprising a number of further needles which extend from said sprinkler towards said dispenser cup, and are 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.