Brewing device with control of the amount of grounds by a flow meter and coffee maker comprising such a device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9560933-B2
Application number	US-201314095275-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2013
Priority date	Dec 3, 2012
Publication date	Feb 7, 2017
Grant date	Feb 7, 2017

Abstract

Provided is a brewing device for an espresso maker having a brewing chamber for receiving grounds, a pressing ram mounted movably on a path of travel extending between a top position and a bottom compaction position in which it penetrates into said brewing chamber to form a cake of compacted grounds, a hydraulic drive mechanism for the pressing ram having a hydraulic pump and means for measuring the volume of hydraulic fluid injected into the drive mechanism. The brewing device has a control circuit that determines the height of the cake of compacted grounds from signals delivered by the volume measurement means during the travel of the pressing ram.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A brewing device for an espresso maker having a brewing chamber for receiving grounds, a pressing ram mounted movably along a path of travel extending between a top position and a bottom compaction position in which it penetrates into said brewing chamber to form a cake of compacted grounds, a hydraulic drive mechanism for the pressing ram having a hydraulic pump and means for measuring the volume of hydraulic fluid injected into the drive mechanism, wherein the brewing device has a control circuit which determines the height of the cake of compacted grounds from signals delivered by the volume measurement means during the travel of the pressing ram, and
wherein the volume measurement means has a flow meter and the brewing device comprises a calibrating device for calibrating the flow meter in relation to a portion of the path of travel of the pressing ram, and
wherein the calibration device has a switch and a ruler displaceable with the pressing ram in which the ruler is equipped with two projections cooperating with the switch, the distance between the two projections corresponding to the portion of the path of travel of the pressing ram.

2. The brewing device as in claim 1 , wherein the hydraulic pump supplies the brewing chamber with water and the control circuit determines the amount of water injected, which is representative of the volume of the beverage to prepare, from signals delivered by the volume measurement means.

3. The brewing device as in claim 1 , wherein the measured portion of the path of travel is larger than one third of the path of travel of the pressing ram.

4. The brewing device as in claim 1 , wherein the measured portion of the path of travel is larger than half of the path of travel of the pressing ram.

5. The brewing device as in claim 1 , wherein the switch is water-tight.

6. The brewing device as in claim 1 , wherein the hydraulic drive mechanism of the pressing ram has a hydraulic cylinder.

7. An espresso maker having a brewing device according to claim 1 .

8. An espresso maker having a brewing device according to claim 2 .

9. An espresso maker having a brewing device according to claim 3 .

10. An espresso maker having a brewing device according to claim 4 .

11. An espresso maker having a brewing device according to claim 5 .

12. An espresso maker having a brewing device according to claim 6 .

Assignees

• Seb Sa

Inventors

• Leforgeais Michel
• Leterrier Thomas
• Hiron Frederic
• Deliens Patrick
• Le Goueff Ronan

Classifications

• A47J31/4403

  Constructional details · CPC title

• A47J31/56 Primary

  having water-level controls; having temperature controls · CPC title

• A47J31/3614 Primary

  Means to perform transfer from a loading position to an infusing position · CPC title