Automatic coffee-making machine

Claim 1

AN AUTOMATIC COFFEE-MAKING MACHINE COMPRISING: A SUPPLY STATION FOR DELIVERING A METERED QUANTITY OF GROUND COFFEE INCLUDING A GROUND COFFEE DISPENSER AND FIRST CONTROL MEANS FOR ENERGIZING SAID GROUND COFFEE DISPENSER TO DISPENSE GROUND COFFEE; A COMPRESSING STATION FOR COMPRESSING SAID METERED QUANTITY OF GROUND COFFEE INCLUDING A COMPRESSING MEANS AND SECOND CONTROL MEANS FOR ENERGIZING SAID COMPRESSING MEANS; A PERCOLATING STATION INCLUDING A SOURCE OF HOT WATER UNDER PRESSURE, A DISTRIBUTION MEANS FOR DELIVERING HOT WATER UNDER PRESSURE, SAID DISTRIBUTION MEANS INCLUDING AN ORIFICE OF GIVEN CROSS-SECTION, FIRST VALVE MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID SOURCE OF HOT WATER TO SAID DISTRIBUTOR MEANS AND MEANS FOR SUPPORTING A COFFEE CUP; A WASHING STATION INCLUDING A SOURCE OF WASH LIQUID, A WASH LIQUID DISPENSING MEANS AND SECOND VALVE MEANS CONNECTING SAID SOURCE OF WASH LIQUID AND SAID WASH LIQUID DISPENSING MEANS; SAID STATIONS BEING DISPOSED ON THE PERIPHERY OF A CIRCLE AND EQUIANGULARLY DISPLACED FROM EACH OTHER; A PLATE; FOUR CANISTERS FIXED TO SAID PLATE IN A CIRCLE AND EQUIANGULARLY DISPLACED FROM EACH OTHER, EACH OF SAID CANISTERS INCLUDING A PIERCED BASE AND AN OPEN TOP HAVING A RIM WITH A CROSS-SECTION COOPERATIVELY ENGAGEABLE IN A FLUID-TIGHT MANNER WITH THE ORIFICE OF SAID DISTRIBUTION MEANS; PLATE DRIVING MEANS SUPPORTING SAID PLATE SO THAT SAID CANISTERS ARE OPPOSITE SAID STATIONS, SAID PLATE DRIVING MEANS INCLUDING ROTARY DRIVE MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID PLATE IN INDEXED STEPS SO THAT EACH OF SAID CANISTERS IS MOVED SEQUENTIALLY OPPOSITE EACH OF SAID STATIONS AND AXIAL DRIVE MEANS FOR AXIALLY MOVING SAID PLATE, SAID ROTARY DRIVE MEANS AND SAID AXIAL DRIVE MEANS COOPERATING WHEN ENERGIZED TO, IN SEQUENCE, MORE SAID PLATE AWAY FROM SAID STATIONS, TO ROTATE SAID PLATE ONE-QUARTER OF A REVOLUTION AND TO MOVE SAID PLATE TOWARD SAID STATIONS; AND MEANS FOR ENERGIZING SAID FIRST AND SECOND CONTROL MEANS, SAID FIRST AND SECOND VALVE MEANS AND SAID PLATE DRIVING MEANS IN A PRESCRIBED SEQUENCE SO THAT AFTER EACH SEQUENTIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID PLATE, A FIRST CANISTER RECEIVES A METERED QUANTITY OF GROUND COFFEE, A SECOND CANISTER PRECEDING SAID FIRST CANISTER IS SUBJECTED TO A COMPRESSING ACTION, A THIRD CANISTER PRECEDING SAID SECOND CANISTER HAS ITS TOP RIM APPLIED IN FLUID-TIGHT MANNER AGAINST THE MOUTH OF A SAID DISTRIBUTOR MEANS AND ACCORDINGLY SERVES FOR THE PERCOLATION OF THE COFFEE WHICH THEN FLOWS DIRECTLY THROUGH THE PIERCED BASE OF SAID THIRD CANISTER INTO THE COFFEE CUP PLACED THEREBENEATH, AND A FOURTH CANISTER PRECEDING SAID THIRD CANISTER IS SUBJECTED TO THE WASHING OPERATION.