Calibrated handheld espresso tamper

• US 20050132890A1
• Filed: 12/17/2004
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DKK Enterprises Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Espro Inc. (Regal Ware Incorporated)
• Inventors: McLean, Christopher, Constantine, Bruce
• Granted Patent: US 7,992,486 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 99/275
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/44 Parts or details or accessories of beverage-making apparatus filters or strainers A47J31/06
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 43/28 Other culinary hand implements, e.g. spatulas, pincers, forks or like food holders, ladles, skimming ladles, cooking spoons; Spoon-holders attached to cooking pots

Abstract

An espresso tamper including a force calibration means is disclosed. The tamper is optimally handheld. Upon force of a desired magnitude being applied by a user, at least one discrete signal, such as an audible, visual, tactile or electrical signal is emitted. The tamper handle includes an anti-rotation feature. The handle is flared to avoid pinching the user'"'"'s fingers during operation and to stop the user'"'"'s fingers from sliding down the handle or in any way touching the base, thereby rendering the tamper more effective and safe. The tamper and force-calibration kit and method of use optimize espresso making.

Claims

1. A handheld espresso tamper for the application of a tamping force comprising a tamping force calibration means wherein said tamping force calibration means are functional to provide at least one discrete signal detectable by a user when a tamping force of a desired magnitude has been applied.

2. The handheld espresso tamper of claim 1 wherein the desired magnitude of the tamping force is adjustable by said user.

3. The handheld espresso tamper of claim 1 wherein said at least one discrete signal comprises one of an audible signal, a tactile signal, a visual signal, an electrical signal or combination thereof.

5. The handheld espresso tamper of claim 1 additionally comprising a base and a handle, wherein the base is rotationally fixed to the handle, such that rotation of said handle by said user of the tamper results in rotation of the base.

6. The handheld espresso tamper of claim 1 additionally comprising a base and a handle, wherein said tamping force calibration means are substantially enclosed within said handle and/or said base.

7. The handheld espresso tamper of claim 6 wherein said desired magnitude of the tamping force is set at the point of manufacture, and is not able to be modified by said user of said tamper without at least partial disassembly of said tamper.

8. The handheld espresso tamper of claim 1 additionally comprising a handle and a base, wherein said handle is formed in a shape suitable for accurate manual application of the tamping force to the handle by a user of the tamper and for preventing said user'"'"'s fingers from resting on the base during operation.

9. The handheld espresso tamper of claim 1 further comprising a handle, wherein said handle comprises a flare or ridge at a lower portion of said handle.

10. The handheld espresso tamper of claim 1 further comprising a handle, wherein said handle comprises a textured surface or a grippy surface material.

11. The handheld espresso tamper of claim 1 additionally comprising a handle and a base, wherein said handle is formed in a shape suitable for preventing the fingers of said user of said tamper from being pinched between said handle and said base during use.

12. The handheld espresso tamper of claim 1 wherein said tamping force calibration means further comprises a signal dome means.

13. The handheld espresso tamper of claim 1 wherein said desired magnitude of the tamping force at which the signal is actuated is between 5 and 100 lbs force.

14. The handheld espresso tamper of claim 1 wherein said desired magnitude of said tamping force at which said signal is actuated is between 20 and 40 lbs force.

15. The handheld espresso tamper of claim 2 wherein said desired magnitude of said tamping force is adjustable to a multiplicity of indexed magnitudes ranging between 5 to 100 lbs force.

16. The handheld espresso tamper of claim 2 wherein said desired magnitude of said tamping force is adjustable to a multiplicity of indexed magnitudes ranging between 20 to 40 lbs force.

17. The handheld espresso tamper of claim 1 additionally comprising a base, wherein said base is adapted to fit within a desired espresso portafilter such that said tamping force may be applied directly to a quantity of coffee grounds within said portafilter without interfering with the portafilter.

4. The handheld espresso tamper of claim 4 wherein said tamping force calibration means does not come into direct contact with said user of said tamper in the process of providing the tactile signal.

18. A tamper comprising a base with a substantially flat bottom and an upper portion extending substantially vertically from said base, said tamper further comprising a tamping force calibration device disposed within said upper portion, wherein the tamping force calibration device comprises a variable tamping force indicator.

19. The tamper of claim 18 wherein when said tamping force calibration device is activated, a variable increasing signal detectable by a user of said tamper corresponding to the application of a variable increasing tamping force magnitude is generated by the variable tamping force indicator, wherein said variable increasing signal comprises at least one of a visual signal, an electrical signal or an audible signal.

20. The tamper of claim 19 wherein said tamper is a handheld espresso tamper.

21. The handheld espresso tamper of claim 20 wherein said variable increasing signal comprises a visual signal directly corresponding to said magnitude of said tamping force applied, and wherein said variable increasing visual signal is indicated by an active gauge comprising an indexed scale of tamping force magnitudes.

22. The handheld espresso tamper of claim 21 wherein said active gauge is capable of indicating tamping force magnitudes ranging between 5 to 100 lbs force.

23. The handheld espresso tamper of claim 22 wherein said active gauge is capable of indicating tamping force magnitudes ranging between 20 to 40 lbs force.

24. The tamper of claim 18 wherein said upper portion is rotationally fixed in relation to said base.

25. The tamper of claim 18 wherein when said upper portion is depressed to a predetermined force magnitude, said tamper emits an audible click.

26. The tamper of claim 18 wherein said upper portion comprises a flange adapted to abut the fingers of a user.

27. The tamper of claim 18 wherein said upper portion comprises a handle disposed about a moveable plunger, said plunger depressible by a user upon application of a desired tamping force, wherein when said desired tamping force is applied, said tamping force calibration device, comprising a signal dome, snaps from a first position to a second position generating at least one of a tactile signal and an audible signal detectable by said user.

28. The tamper of claim 27 wherein said handle comprises an obstruction adapted to inhibit a user'"'"'s hand from sliding down said handle.

29. A method of applying a tamping force of a desired magnitude to a quantity of coffee grounds in an espresso portafilter comprising the steps of:

applying a progressively increasing tamping force to a handheld espresso tamper comprising a tamping force calibration means functional to provide at least one discrete detectable signal when a tamping force of the desired magnitude is applied;

ceasing the application of said tamping force when said at least one discrete signal is detected.

30. The method of claim 29 additionally comprising the step of rotating said espresso tamper relative to said portafilter to create a smooth surface on the tamped coffee grounds.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein said at least one discrete detectable signal comprises one of an audible signal, tactile signal, visual signal, electrical signal, or combination thereof.

32. The method of claim 29 wherein said desired magnitude of said tamping force is between 5 to 100 lbs force.

33. The method of claim 29 wherein said desired magnitude of said tamping force is between 20 to 40 lbs force.

34. The method of claim 29 wherein said discrete detectable signal is a visual tamping force gauge comprising an indexed scale of tamping force magnitudes and said detected discrete signal is an indication on said visual gauge that the desired tamping force has been applied.

35. A tamper force calibration kit comprising a tamper force calibration means which comprises a signal generating means, said tamper force calibration kit adapted to be integrated into a handheld tamper for the application of a tamping force, wherein said tamping force calibration means are functional to provide at least one discrete signal detectable by a user of said handheld tamper when a tamping force of a desired magnitude has been applied.