EXTRACTION SLEEVE COFFEE BREWING APPARATUS

Abstract

Described is a system for roasting, grinding, brewing and dispensing coffee comprising: an infuser head in fluid communication with a source of hot water and comprising bedding means for distributing coffee grounds such that they are disposed substantially evenly on an inner surface of a slidable wall of a coffee cartridge thereby forming an extraction bed within an extraction chamber; and infuser means comprising one or more outlets for the hot water, the infuser head being adapted to deliver hot water to the extraction bed within the extraction chamber, whereby coffee is extracted to yield a coffee brew.

Claims

1. A system for roasting, grinding, brewing and dispensing coffee comprising: (a) a coffee cartridge containing: (i) unground and (ii) unroasted or part-roasted coffee beans, said cartridge having walls defining a cartridge chamber in which the beans are confined, wherein part or all of at least one wall of the cartridge is openable, and the openable wall of the cartridge is opposed to a slidable wall thereof, said slidable wall comprising: i. inner and outer surfaces, the inner surface being in contact with the beans; ii. a peripheral sealing portion on the inner surface; and iii. a central portion bounded by the peripheral sealing portion and comprising a screen for retaining the beans within the cartridge chamber while permitting a flow of coffee brew therethrough; wherein said cartridge is secured in a cartridge holder of: (b) coffee-making apparatus comprising: i. a collector head adapted to contact and support the outer surface of the slidable wall of the cartridge and to collect coffee brew flowing therethrough; ii. means for bringing the collector head into contact with the outer surface of the slidable wall and for sliding said slidable wall towards the openable wall of the cartridge, thereby opening the wall to produce an opened wall and exposed beans; iii. means for roasting the exposed beans; iv. an extraction sleeve having inner and outer surfaces and a sealing rim, the extraction sleeve being adapted to enter the cartridge chamber via the opened wall such that the sealing rim forms a face pressure seal with the peripheral sealing portion of the slidable wall of the cartridge, which seal isolates the exposed beans from the rest of the cartridge and contains them within an extraction chamber formed by the inner surface of the extraction sleeve and the central portion of the slidable wall; v. a blade grinder adapted to rotate within the extraction sleeve, thereby levitating the beans off the inner surface of the slidable wall and fragmenting them to form coffee grounds within the extraction chamber; vi. bedding means for distributing the coffee grounds such that they are disposed substantially evenly on the inner surface of the slidable wall of the cartridge thereby forming an extraction bed within the extraction chamber; vii. a source of hot water; viii. an infuser head in fluid communication with the source of hot water and comprising infuser means comprising one or more outlets for the hot water, the infuser head being adapted to deliver hot water to the extraction bed within the extraction chamber, whereby coffee is extracted to yield a coffee brew; and ix. means for delivering said coffee brew to a drinking vessel for consumption.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the grinder is: (a) adapted to reciprocate within the extraction sleeve; and/or (b) adapted to rotate bi-directionally within the extraction sleeve; and/or (c) is retractable; and/or (d) is a high-speed blade grinder.

3. The system of any one of the preceding claims wherein said bedding means comprises: (a) a source of pressurized air and means for directing a jet of pressurized air at the coffee grounds within the extraction chamber; and/or (b) a source of water for suspending the coffee grounds within the extraction chamber.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said bedding means comprises means for generating a turbulent flow of air within the extraction chamber.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said means for generating a turbulent flow of air within the extraction chamber comprises the blade grinder.

6.-9. (canceled)

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising a tamping head adapted to tamp the extraction bed to form a compacted extraction bed within the extraction chamber, wherein said tamping head is comprised in said infuser head and is in fluid communication with the source of hot water.

11.-12. (canceled)

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the beans are excluded from the peripheral sealing portion of the slidable wall of the cartridge by a fence disposed on the inner surface of the slidable wall.

14.-22. (canceled)

23. The system of claims 1 wherein the means for roasting the exposed beans comprises: (a) a source of a stream of air for levitating the exposed beans, wherein said source produces one or more directional streams of air; and/or (b) heating means selected from: means for microwave heating, radiant heating, conductive heating, convection heating or any combination thereof; and/or (c) a roasting chamber for fluidized bed roasting of the coffee beans.

24.-28. (canceled)

29. The system of claim 1 wherein the hot water is pressurized and the extraction sleeve is adapted to serve as a pressure jacket to contain the pressurized hot water during delivery to the coffee grounds.

30. The system of claim 1 wherein the means for bringing the collector head into contact with the outer surface of the slidable wall and for sliding said slidable wall towards the openable wall of the cartridge is adapted to drive the slidable wall of the cartridge towards the openable wall thereof thereby exerting a force of the openable wall such that it opens, so exposing the beans and/or displacing the beans from the cartridge chamber.

31. The system of claim 1 wherein the apparatus further comprises means for closing the openable wall.

32.-33. (canceled)

34. The system of claim 1 wherein the slidable wall of the cartridge further comprises a peripheral sealing portion on the outer surface thereof and wherein the collector head is adapted to form a pressure seal therewith.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein the collector head is frustoconical, such that the pressure seal is formed by compression of the peripheral sealing portion on the outer surface of the slidable wall against the frustum of the collector head.

36. (canceled)

37. The system of claim 1 wherein the coffee beans are selected from: (a) whole and/or cracked coffee beans; (b) unroasted coffee beans; (c) part-roasted coffee beans; and (d) mixtures of the foregoing.

38.-43. (canceled)

44. A process for producing and dispensing brewed coffee comprising automated, sequential steps of roasting, grinding, bedding and extracting: (i) unground and (ii) unroasted or part-roasted coffee beans, the process comprising the steps of: (a) providing a coffee cartridge as defined in claim 1; (b) securing the cartridge in a cartridge holder of coffee-making apparatus as defined in claim 1; (c) roasting the beans; and then (d) grinding, bedding and extracting the roasted beans within an extraction chamber as defined in claim 1.

45.-49. (canceled)

50. The system of claim 37 wherein the unroasted coffee beans are selected from: (i) green coffee beans; (ii) dried coffee beans; (iii) pre-heated coffee beans; and (iv) mixtures of two or more of the foregoing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0118] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0119] FIG. 1 shows plan and section views of a coffee cartridge for use in the system of the invention in closed configuration.

[0120] FIG. 2 shows top and bottom perspective views of the coffee cartridge shown in FIG. 1.

[0121] FIG. 3 illustrates schematically a process for roasting, grinding, brewing and dispensing coffee using the coffee cartridge shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in a coffee making apparatus adapted for use therewith.

[0122] It will be appreciated that part-roasted beans may be used in place of the unroasted (green) coffee beans referenced in the Example described below when practising the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN INVENTIVE EMBODIMENTS

EXAMPLE 1

[0123] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the coffee cartridge (10) is substantially cylindrical with substantially cylindrical side walls (12), a bottom slidable wall (14) slidable against the side walls (12) and an openable top wall (16). The walls define a cartridge chamber (18) containing unground (whole) and unroasted (green) coffee beans (22). Part-roasted beans may also be used. The cartridge is formed of cardboard.

[0124] As shown in FIG. 1, an annular fence (30) seated on the inner surface of the slidable wall (14) prevents contact of the beans (22) with the peripheral sealing portion (24) of the inner surface of the slidable wall.

[0125] As shown in FIG. 2, the slidable wall (14) comprises a peripheral sealing portion (24) bounding a central portion comprising a coffee filter paper screen (shown stippled, 28).

[0126] The openable top wall (16) is formed by a number of sequentially overlapping hinged flaps (20).

[0127] Referring now to FIG. 3, the cartridge (100) is loaded into a cartridge tray (not shown) by the user, and the tray then moved into position beneath a roasting chamber (102) (FIG. 3(a)).

[0128] The collector head (104) in fluid communication with brew spout (113) is then pushed by a ram (not shown) and rises to engage and slide the bottom slidable wall (106) towards the roasting chamber, driving the beans (108) against the folded leaves forming the top wall (110), thereby hinging the sequentially overlapped flaps away from the chamber and so opening the top wall while exposing the beans (108) to the roasting chamber (102) (FIGS. 3(b) and (c)).

[0129] Directional jets of hot air at 200-300 C. are then re-circulated through the roasting chamber by a fan (not shown), fluidizing the beans and rapidly roasting them (FIG. 3(d)).

[0130] After roasting, a stainless steel extraction sleeve (114), within which is disposed, in piston and cylinder configuration, a blade grinder (118) disposed co-axially (and independently reciprocating with) a tamping head (116). The extraction sleeve forms a face pressure seal (140) with the peripheral sealing portion of the slidable wall of the cartridge. The blade grinder then then rotates and reciprocates within the extraction sleeve, so creating turbulence within the extraction sleeve which levitates the beans while the blades fragment them (FIG. 3(e)).

[0131] Once grinding is complete, the coffee grounds (which are located predominantly on or near the inner walls of the extraction sleeve, having been driven there by centrifugal forces imparted by the spinning blade of the grinder) are redistributed by a jet of pressurized air (not shown) such that they form a substantially even layer on the inner surface of the slidable wall of the cartridge. This produces an extraction bed of coffee grounds of substantially uniform density within the extraction chamber.

[0132] Once grinding and bedding is complete, the tamping head (116) pushes the slidable wall (106) together with the (now non-rotating) blade grinder blades and isolated coffee grounds back into the cartridge (100), compressing the grounds against the slidable wall supported by the collector head (FIG. 3(f)) and forming a compacted extraction bed of coffee grounds of substantially uniform density and thickness within the extraction chamber.

[0133] The collector head comprises a frustoconical portion (not shown) such that a second pressure seal is formed by compression of the peripheral portion of the outer surface of the slidable wall by the sealing rim of the extraction sleeve against the frustum of the collector head.

[0134] At this stage, the roasted beans are back within the cartridge chamber (180), but contained within a sealed extraction chamber formed by the inner surface of the extraction sleeve (114) and the central portion of the slidable wall, which comprises a coffee filter paper screen (shown as a broken portion of the slidable wall).

[0135] This process yields fresh roasted coffee grounds in the form of a compacted extraction bed of fine coffee particles confined within the chamber of the cartridge, but separated from the side walls (not shown in FIG. 3, (12) in FIG. 2) by the steel walls of the extraction sleeve (114).

[0136] Pressurized hot water is then fed through an infuser (shown as a broken line) in the tamping head (116) from a high pressure pump via channels therein (not shown), forcing the hot water through the coffee grounds and extracting a coffee brew which is delivered to the user via the brew spout (113) (FIG. 3(g), where the arrows show the flow of hot water). Radial leakage of coffee brew is prevented by the second pressure seal between extraction sleeve and the collector head.

[0137] The substantially uniform thickness and density of the extraction bed promotes even penetration with the hot water, so facilitating the efficient extraction of the coffee brew.

[0138] A reclosing plunger (not shown) then refolds the flaps into the closed position, so that the spent grounds and cartridge can be ejected into a waste compartment (not shown) without user intervention. It should be noted that the hinged flaps need not be refolded into a sequentially overlapping configuration at this stage of the process: all that is required is that the spent coffee grounds be substantially retained by the refolded flaps within the cartridge chamber prior to ejection into the waste compartment. In some embodiments, this step is performed manually by the user so that the spent cartridge and/or spent grounds can be disposed of or recycled immediately.

[0139] The foregoing description details presently preferred embodiments of the present invention which are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain, using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents, modifications and variations to the specific embodiments of the invention described specifically herein. Such equivalents, modifications and variations are intended to be (or are) encompassed in the scope of the following claims.