Automatic coffee-making machine

Claim 2

An automatic coffee-making apparatus of the kind described, comprising a stationary casing having an inner cylindrical surface defining a cylindrical chamber having a ground coffee inlet at a first station, a screened beverage outlet including a substantially bowl-shaped liquid-permeable diaphragm at a second station circumferentially spaced from said first station, a used coffee discharge outlet at a third station circumferentially spaced from said second station and located diametrically opposite to said first station, and pressurized hot water supply means located transversely of said first station; a cylindrical drum rotor having an outer surface sealingly engaging said inner cylindrical surface of said stationary casing and formed with a plurality of coffee-making cylindrical cavities extending radially inwardly from said outer surface, and having a passage means containing a first opening, a second opening, an outlet passage, and a transverse passage, said outlet passage communicating with said first opening located on said outer surface of the rotor and extending inwardly therefrom, and said transverse passage communicating with said outlet passage and with said second opening on said outer surface of the rotor, said rotor being stepwise rotatable about an axis of said cylindrical chamber for consecutive indexing alignment of said cavities and said passage means with said stations and said hot water supply outlet, respectively; and drive means operatively connected to said rotor for rotating the same, when actuated, through a stepped cycle of rotation in which after a cavity has been indexed at said second station and has begun to be initiated towards said third station, said second opening on said rotor is indexed with said hot water supply means so as to permit a brief blast of pressurized hot water to issue from said first opening after passing through said transverse passage and said outlet passage and impinge on said bowl-shaped liquid-permeable diaphragm for sweeping residual ground coffee therefrom.

Claim 3

An automatic coffee-making apparatus of the kind described, comprising a stationary casing having an inner cylindrical surface defining a cylindrical chamber having a ground coffee inlet at a first station, a screened beverage outlet including a substantially bowl-shaped liquid-permeable diaphragm at a second station circumferentially spaced from said first station, a used coffee discharge outlet at a third station circumferentially spaced from said second station located diametrically opposite said first station, and pressurized hot water supply means located transversely of said first station having a stationary supply inlet located on said inner cylindrical surface and biasing means urging said supply inlet inwardly of said cylindrical chamber; a cylindrical drum rotor having an outer surface sealingly engaging said inner cylindrical surface of said stationary casing and formed with a plurality of coffee-making cylindrical cavities extending radially inwardly from said outer surface, and having at least two passage means, said first passage means containing a first opening, a second opening, an outlet passage and a transverse passage, said outlet passage communicating with said first opening located on said outer surface of the rotor and extending inwardly therefrom, and said transverse passage communicating with said outlet passage and with said second opening on said outer surface of the rotor, said second passage means being a hot water passage communicating with said stationary supply inlet by said biasing means and extending inwardly from said outer surface of the rotor into the deepest portion of said cavities, said rotor being stepwise rotataBle about an axis of said cylindrical chamber for consecutive indexing alignment of said cavities, said first passage means, and said second passage means with said hot water supply outlet means, respectively; and drive means operatively connected to said rotor for rotating the same, when actuated, through a stepped cycle of rotation on which a cavity being indexed at said second station is delivered hot pressurized water via said second passage means and in which after a cavity has been indexed at said second station and has begun to be initiated towards said third station said second opening on said rotor is indexed with said hot water supply means so as to permit a brief blast of pressurized hot water to issue from said first opening after passing through said transverse passage and said outlet passage and impinge on said bowl-shaped liquid-permeable diaphragm for sweeping residual ground coffee therefrom.

Claim 4

An automatic coffee-making apparatus of the kind described, comprising a stationary casing having an inner cylindrical surface defining a cylindrical chamber having a ground coffee inlet at a first station, a screened beverage outlet including a substantially bowl-shaped liquid-permeable diaphragm at a second station circumferentially spaced from said first station, a used coffee discharge outlet at a third station circumferentially spaced from said second station located diametrically opposite said first station, and pressurized hot water supply means located transversely of said first station having a stationary supply inlet located on said inner cylindrical surface and biasing means urging said supply inlet inwardly of said cylindrical chamber; a cylindrical drum rotor having an outer surface sealingly engaging said inner cylindrical surface of said stationary casing and formed with a plurality of coffee-making cylindrical cavities extending radially inwardly from said outer surface, and having at least two passage means, said first passage means containing a first opening, a second opening, an outlet passage and a transverse passage, said outlet passage communicating with said first opening located on said outer surface of the rotor and extending inwardly therefrom, and said transverse passage communicating with said outlet passage and with said second opening on said outer surface of the rotor, said second passage means being a hot water passage communicating with said stationary supply inlet by said biasing means and extending inwardly from said outer surface of the rotor into the deepest portion of said cavities, said rotor being stepwise rotataBle about an axis of said cylindrical chamber for consecutive indexing alignment of said cavities, said first passage means, and said second passage means with said hot water supply outlet means, respectively; and drive means operatively connected to said rotor for rotating the same, when actuated, through a stepped cycle of rotation on which a cavity being indexed at said second station is delivered hot pressurized water via said second passage means and in which after a cavity has been indexed at said second station and has begun to be initiated towards said third station said second opening on said rotor is indexed with said hot water supply means so as to permit a brief blast of pressurized hot water to issue from said first opening after passing through said transverse passage and said outlet passage and impinge on said bowl-shaped liquid-permeable diaphragm for sweeping residual ground coffee therefrom.

Claim 5

An automatic coffee-making apparatus of the kind described, comprising a stationary casing having an inner cylindrical surface defining a cylindrical chamber having a ground coffee inlet at a first station, a screened beverage outlet including a substantially bowl-shaped liquid-permeable diaphragm at a second station circumferentially spaced from said first station, a used coffee discharge outlet at a third station circumferentially spaced from said second station located diametrically opposite said first station, and pressurized hot water supply means located transversely of said first station having a stationary supply inlet located on said inner cylindrical surface and biasing means uring said supply inlet inwardly of said cylindrical chamber; a cylindrical drum rotor having an outer surface sealingly engaging said inner cylindrical surface of said stationary casing and formed with a plurality of coffee-making cylindrical cavities extending radially inwardly from said outer surface, and having at least two passage means, said first passage means containing a first opening, a second opening, an outlet passage and a transverse passage, said outlet passage communicating with said first opening located on said outer surface of the rotor and extending inwardly therefrom, and said transverse passage communicating with said outlet passage and with said second opening on said outer surface of the rotor, said second passage means being a hot water passage communicating with said stationary supply inlet by said biasing means and extending inwardly from said outer surface of the rotor into the deepest portion of said cavities, said rotor being stepwise rotatable about an axis of said cylindrical chamber for consecutive indexing alignment of said cavities, said first passage means, and said second passage means with said hot water supply outlet means, respectively; and drive means operatively connected to said rotor for rotating the same, when actuated, through a stepped cycle of rotation on which a cavity being indexed at said second station is delivered hot pressurized water via said second passage means and in which after a cavity has been indexed at said second station and has begun to be initiated towards said third station said second opening on said rotor is indexed with said hot water supply means so as to permit a brief blast of pressurized hot water to issue from said first opening after passing through said transverse passage and said outlet passage and impinge on said bowl-shaped liquid-permeable diaphragm for sweeping residual ground coffee therefrom, said blast being then deflected by said diaphragm into said cavity impinging the outer surface of the residual ground coffee cake in said cavity for disgregating said cake therefrom.

Claim 6

An automatic coffee-making apparatus of the kind described, comprising a stationary casing having an inner cylindrical surface defining a cylindrical chamber having a ground coffee inlet at a first station, a screened beverage outlet including a substantially bowl-shaped liquid-permeable diaphragm at a second station circumferentially spaced from said first station, a used coffee discharge outlet at a third station circumferentially spaced from said second station located diametrically opposite said first station, and pressurized hot water supply means located transversely of said first station having a stationary supply inlet located on said inner cylindrical surface and biasing means uring said supply inlet inwardly of said cylindrical chamber; a cylindrical drum rotor having an outer surface sealingly engaging said inner cylindrical surface of said stationary casing and formed with a plurality of coffee-making cylindrical cavities extending radially inwardly from said outer surface, and having at least two passage means, said first passage means containing a first opening, a second opening, an outlet passage and a transverse passage, said outlet passage communicating with said first opening located on said outer surface of the rotor and extending inwardly therefrom, and said transverse passage communicating with said outlet passage and with said second opening on said outer surface of the rotor, said second passage means being a hot water passage communicating with said stationary supply inlet by said biasing means and extending inwardly from said outer surface of the rotor into the deepest portion of said cavities, said rotor being stepwise rotatable about an axis of said cylindrical chamber for consecutive indexing alignment of said cavities, said first passage means, and said second passage means with said hot water supply outlet means, respectively; and drive means operatively connected to said rotor for rotating the same, when actuated, through a stepped cycle of rotation on which a cavity being indexed at said second station is delivered hot pressurized water via said second passage means and in which after a cavity has been indexed at said second station and has begun to be initiated towards said third station said second opening on said rotor is indexed with said hot water supply means so as to permit a brief blast of pressurized hot water to issue from said first opening after passing through said transverse passage and said outlet passage and impinge on said bowl-shaped liquid-permeable diaphragm for sweeping residual ground coffee therefrom, said blast being then deflected by said diaphragm into said cavity impinging the outer surface of the residual ground coffee cake in said cavity for disgregating said cake therefrom.

Claim 7

The automatic coffee-making machine as defined in claim 1 and having an annular gasket supported in said stationary casing and positioned for circumferentially confining the screened diaphragm and the outlet of the coffee-making cavity indexed with said diaphragm in said second station, said gasket being urged against said rotoR outer surface to provide a running seal on said surface and making leak-proof the space wherein the beverage pressure percolation is performed, wherein the said annular gasket has an edge annular face positioned to adherently mate with the rotor.