1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the field of beverage preparation machines. In particular, the present invention is directed to a brew head of a beverage preparation machine.
2. Related Art
Conventional beverage preparation machines include brew heads which have been difficult to close. These brew heads are lacking in compactness, do not have clear defined initial and end points, and are not self arrestive.
A brew head in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention solves the problems of the related art. The present invention provides an easy-to-close and compact brew head.
An exemplary embodiment solves these problems by providing a handle pivotally mounted on a lid with a spring/cam/follower mechanism. In this manner, the brew head provides an easy-to-close and compact brew head.
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a brew head for a beverage brewer that includes a lid, a handle rotatably mounted to the lid and including a cam surface, and a spring mounted to the lid with a follower that engages the cam surface such that movement of the handle from an open position to a closed position relative to the lid, or vice-versa, by a user causes the user to experience a clicking feeling.
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The receptacle 5 similarly rotates about the same axis as the lid 3. The receptacle 5 rotates between a closed position and an open position. When moving the receptacle 5 from the open position to the closed position, the receptacle 5 similarly rotates about the same axis towards the base 7. In the closed position, the receptacle 5 is parallel to the base 7. In the open position, the receptacle 5 is inclined with respect to the base 7.
Penetrating pins are disposed on the base 7 of the brewer. In operation, a cartridge (not shown) is inserted into the receptacle 5 and the receptacle 5 and lid 3 are rotated to the closed position. The rotation of the receptacle 5 and lid 3 to the closed position causes the cartridge to engage the penetrating pins, which penetrate the surface of the cartridge for applying a liquid to the cartridge and retrieving a brewed beverage from the cartridge. When the receptacle 5 of the brewer is moved to an inclined position, or open position, the receptacle 5 lifts the cartridge off of the penetrating pins to facilitate removal of the cartridge from the brewer.
When rotating from the open position to the closed position, the lid 3 and the receptacle 5 rotate about the same axis and in the same direction towards the base 7. In the closed position, the lid 3 and the receptacle 5 are parallel to the base 7.
When rotating from the closed position to the open position, the lid 3 and the receptacle 5 rotate about the same axis and in the same direction away from the base 7. In the open position, the lid 3 and the receptacle 5 are inclined with respect to the base 7. In the open position, the receptacle 5 faces the inside surface of the lid 3.
As clearly illustrated by
The handle 4 is free to rotate between open and closed positions without causing any rotation of the receptacle 5. Moreover, the handle 4 is free to rotate between open and closed positions without causing any rotation of the lid 3.
The lid 3 is also rotatable between the open position and the closed position without rotating the handle 4 from the open position to the closed position. That is, by exerting force directly on top of the lid 3, the lid 3 is rotated from the open position to the closed position while the position of the handle 4 remains entirely unchanged.
When the lid 3 is rotated from the open position to the closed position, the inside surface of the lid 3 contacts an upper surface of the receptacle 5 and overcomes a biasing force of a receptacle spring (not shown) which biases the receptacle 5 toward an inclined position away from a horizontal position. Thus, contact between the lid 3 and the receptacle 5 causes the rotation of the receptacle, not the rotation of the handle 4. The rotation of the handle 4 is independent of the rotation of the receptacle 5.
Further, the receptacle 5 is also free to rotate between a horizontal position and an inclined position without any rotation of the handle 4 or the lid 3. The receptacle 5 is biased toward the inclined position by a dedicated receptacle spring (not shown). When force is applied to the receptacle 5 the receptacle 5 rotates from the horizontal position to the inclined position without any rotation from the handle 4 or the lid 3.
As is clearly illustrated by
The deflection of the follower 12, which results from the movement of the cam surface 13 of the handle 4, is illustrated by
The follower 12 of the brewer starts in a first, original amount of deflection (
As explained above, the lid 3 is rotatable about an axis with respect to the housing 2. The lid 3 includes a lid spring (not shown) that biases the lid 3 in a direction of rotation toward the open position. The lid spring does not hold the handle 4 in the closed position. The handle 4 can be either in the open or closed position irrespective of the state of the lid spring (deflected or not). Furthermore, the lid spring applies a force to the lid 3 and the handle 4 (as a result of the handle 4 being attached to the lid) toward a lid open position.
The receptacle 5 has a dedicated spring mechanism (not shown) for biasing the receptacle 5 toward an inclined position. The handle 4 is free to rotate between an open position and a closed position with respect to the lid, without causing any rotation of the receptacle 5. The rotation of the handle 4 is independent of the movement of the receptacle 5.
Further, the receptacle 5 is free to rotate between the horizontal position and the inclined position without any rotation of the handle 4. The receptacle 5 is biased toward the inclined position by the dedicated receptacle spring. When force is applied to the receptacle 5, the receptacle 5 rotates from the inclined position to the horizontal position without any rotation from the handle 4 or lid 3.
The receptacle spring does not hold the handle 4 in the closed position. The handle 4 can be either in the open position or the closed position irrespective of the state of the receptacle spring (deflected or not). Further, the receptacle spring biases the receptacle 5 toward the lid 3, and thus, toward the handle 4.
The lid 3 rotates about an axis between a closed position and an open position. When moving the lid 3 from the open position to the closed position, the lid 3 rotates toward the base 7. In the closed position, the lid 3 is parallel to the base 7. In the open position, the lid 3 is inclined with respect to the base 7.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of embodiments of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising,”, “includes” and/or “including”, when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Accordingly, the invention is not limited to illustrated examples and any means for performing the functionality described herein are included in embodiments of the invention.
While the foregoing disclosure shows illustrative embodiments of the invention, it should be noted that various changes and modifications could be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Further, although elements of the invention may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated.