Automatic ejecting device for capsules in coffee machine

• US 8,079,300 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2008
• Issued: 12/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ningbo Aaa Group Electric Appliance Co., Ltd. (Ningbo AAA Group)
• Original Assignee: Ningbo Aaa Group Electric Appliance Co., Ltd. (Ningbo AAA Group)
• Inventors: Jing, Yudong
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US12/376,367
• Publication Number:
  US 20100224077A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,288 Days
• Field of Search: 992/89.R, 992/95, 993/02.P, 993/02.R, 992/97, 993/23, 426/77, 206/0.5
• US Class Current: 99/289.R
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/3633 Means to perform transfer from a loading position to an infusing position
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/3638 Means to eject the cartridge after brewing

Abstract

The invention relates to an automatic ejecting device for capsules in a coffee machine comprising a housing, a first frame, a second frame and a driving system; two jaws movably jointing with two sides of said second frame respectively, and the front portion of each jaw being able to splay and close relating to said second frame; while a first shaft being mounted on the front of each jaw vertically, and a second shaft being mounted on the rear of each jaw vertically, two pairs of guiding grooves being mounted on the housing. Under the driving system which makes the second word to move and the effect of the collaboration of the first shaft and the guiding grooves, the limiting parts on the front of the jaws can splay on proper time, then the capsule will drop down from the limiting parts.

Claims

1. An automatic ejecting device for capsules in a coffee machine comprising:

a housing, a first frame and a second frame both mounted in said housing, said second frame designed to be movable forward and backward relative to said first frame, said first frame and the second frame forming a hermetic chamber after hermetically closing so as to contain the capsule, a driving system also being mounted in the housing to close and open said first frame and second frame;

two jaws movably jointing with two sides of said second frame respectively, the front portion of each jaw bending and extending to the front surface of said second frame to form a limiting part, these two limiting parts being set apart so as to limit the movement of the capsule, and the front portion of each jaw being able to splay and close relative to said second frame;

a first shaft being mounted on the front of each jaw vertically, and a second shaft being mounted on the rear of each jaw vertically, two pairs of guiding grooves being mounted on the housing, the ends of said first and second shafts on the jaws being slid-able in the guiding grooves, respectively, each pair of guiding grooves comprising an upper guiding groove and a lower guiding groove for guiding the first shaft, therefore enabling the front portion of each jaw to complete at least one splaying and one closing when said second frame is moving backward.

2. The automatic ejecting device for capsules in a coffee machine of claim 1, wherein both of said upper guiding groove and lower guiding groove comprises a first sub-groove, a second sub-groove and a third sub-groove;

the second sub-groove is at the front of the first sub-groove and is convex outward, the third sub-groove is at the front of the second sub-groove and communicates with the front of second sub-groove, the front of the second sub-groove communicates with the front of the first sub-groove so that the first shaft can slide from the first sub-groove to the second sub-groove, the rear of the second sub-groove communicates with the middle of the first sub-groove so that the first shaft can slide from the second sub-groove to the first sub-groove;

in at least one of said upper guiding groove and said lower guiding groove, a step which is higher than the second sub-groove is formed at the boundary between the front of the second sub-groove and the first sub-groove, so as to prevent the first shaft from entering into the front of the first sub-groove from the front of the second sub-groove, and another step which is higher than the first sub-groove is formed at the boundary between the rear of the second sub-groove and the middle of the first sub-groove, so as to prevent the first shaft from entering into the rear of the second sub-groove from the middle of the first sub-groove;

the first shaft comprises an upper cylinder projected from the upper surface of the jaw and a lower cylinder projected from the bottom surface of the jaw, at least one of said two cylinders is movably located in the hole formed on the front portion of the jaw and supported by a spring.

3. The automatic ejecting device for capsules in a coffee machine of claim 2, wherein only the lower guiding groove has said steps.

4. The automatic ejecting device for capsules in a coffee machine of claim 2, wherein both the lower guiding groove and the upper guiding groove have said steps.

5. The automatic ejecting device for capsules in a coffee machine of claim 2 or 3 or 4, wherein said third sub-groove is gradually bending outward from rear to front from the axis of the pair of the third sub-grooves.

6. The automatic ejecting device for capsules in a coffee machine of claim 2 or 3 or 4, wherein said second sub-groove is convex outward in an arc-shape.

7. The automatic ejecting device for the capsules in the coffee machine of the claim 3, wherein the upper cylinder of the first shaft and the jaws are formed integratively.

8. The automatic ejecting device for the capsules in the coffee machine of claim 1, wherein said jaw joins with the second frame by the following structure:

two projecting shafts are respectively mounted on the two sides of the second frame, and a lengthwise slot hole for receiving said shaft is set on the middle of each jaw.

9. The automatic ejecting device for the capsules in the coffee machine of claim 1, wherein the lower portion of the end of the bending front limiting part of the jaw is in the shape of a concave arc to support the capsule steadily when the jaws closed.

10. The automatic ejecting device for the capsules in the coffee machine of claim 1 or 2 or 3 or 4, wherein a cavity for containing the capsule is set in the rear portion of the first frame, and a compressed spring is fixed in the cavity so as to push the capsule outside from the cavity.