US-12616330-B1 - Manual espresso machine

US12616330B1US 12616330 B1US12616330 B1US 12616330B1US-12616330-B1

Abstract

An espresso press for forcing hot water through coffee grounds into a container rests on a support surface, and is comprised of a base, a stand projecting upwardly from the support surface, an arbor assembly, a brewhead that includes a brewhead mount fixed with the stand, and an espresso chamber adapted to receive filter baskets of various sizes. The arbor assembly is comprised of an arbor mount, and an arbor that includes a movable shaft the arbor aperture and a plunger slidably fixed with the shaft. The arbor assembly further includes a rack-and-pinion arrangement that includes a rack gear fixed with the shaft of the arbor, and a pinion gear partially projecting into the arbor aperture and adapted to engage the rack gear of the arbor when the arbor is fixed within the arbor aperture. The pinion gear is rotatable with a manual lever.

Inventors

Christopher Peeler

Assignees

Christopher Peeler

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20220613

Claims (11)

1 . An espresso press for forcing hot water through coffee grounds into a container, the espresso press resting on a support surface and comprising: a base adapted for resting on the support surface and for supporting the container; a stand projecting upwardly from the support surface; an arbor assembly comprising an arbor mount and an arbor that includes a shaft movable within an arbor aperture of the arbor mount, the arbor assembly further including a rack-and-pinion arrangement that includes a rack gear fixed with the shaft of the arbor, and a pinion gear partially projecting into the arbor aperture and adapted to engage the rack gear of the arbor when the arbor is fixed within the arbor aperture, the pinion gear rotatable with a manual lever between a raised and a lowered position corresponding to a raised position of the arbor and a lowered position of the arbor, respectively; the arbor further including a plunger slidably fixed with a bottom end of the shaft of the arbor and defining a first internal volume therebetween, the shaft including a conduit between the bottom end and a top end of the shaft, the conduit in fluid communication with the first internal volume, the arbor further including a pressure gauge at the top end of the shaft and in fluid communication with the conduit; a brewhead includes a brewhead mount for fixing the brewhead with the stand between the base and the arbor assembly, an espresso chamber adapted to receive an espresso filter basket, the espresso chamber open at top and bottom ends thereof, and a cylinder removably attached with the espresso chamber, open at top and bottom ends thereof to define a second internal volume therein, and adapted for receiving the hot water therein, the top end of the cylinder open and adapted to receive a piston therein, sealed against an inside wall of the cylinder; whereby with the stand set upon the support surface, the container set upon the base under the espresso chamber, the coffee grounds held within the espresso filter basket within the espresso chamber, the cylinder fixed with the espresso chamber and containing the hot water, the piston is inserted into the top end of the cylinder to position the cylinder under the plunger of the arbor assembly, whereby the lever is pulled from its raised position to its lowered position while observing the pressure gauge to ensure that the pressure within the first internal volume does not exceed a predetermined limit, the plunger pressing the piston down into the cylinder to force the water through the coffee grounds and into the container.
2 . The espresso press of claim 1 further including at least one elastomeric O-ring on the plunger between the plunger and the bottom end of the shaft, wherein the first internal volume is sealed to the ambient atmosphere.
3 . The espresso press of claim 1 further including at least one elastomeric O-ring on the piston between the piston and the inside wall of the cylinder, wherein the second internal volume is sealed to the ambient atmosphere but through the coffee grounds.
4 . The espresso press of claim 1 wherein the espresso chamber is adapted to receive a 53 mm espresso filter basket therein.
5 . The espresso press of claim 1 wherein the espresso chamber is adapted to receive a 58 mm espresso filter basket therein.
6 . The espresso press of claim 1 wherein the brewhead further includes an upwardly-facing mirror projecting away from the brewhead, the mirror providing a reflected image of espresso pouring into the container from the filter basket when manually pulling down the lever.
7 . The espresso press of claim 1 wherein the cylinder and the espresso chamber include a twist-lock arrangement with an elastomeric seal, whereby the cylinder is mounted to the espresso chamber by dropping the cylinder into the espresso chamber and twisting the cylinder to compress the elastomeric seal, whereby water pressed through the coffee grounds is forced to exit the brewhead through the coffee grounds and out of the bottom end of the espresso chamber.
8 . The espresso press of claim 7 wherein an outside surface of the cylinder includes ribs for facilitating the gripping of and twisting of the cylinder within the twist-lock arrangement of the espresso chamber.
9 . The espresso press of claim 1 wherein the brewhead includes a track, the espresso chamber slidably fixed with the track to allow the espresso chamber to slide between rearward and forward positions, whereby the espresso chamber is loaded when in the forward position with the espresso filter basket, coffee grounds, the cylinder, the hot water, and the piston, and then the espresso chamber is slid into the rearward position below the plunger of the arbor assembly.
10 . The espresso press of claim 1 wherein the arbor assembly further includes a spring adapted for urging the manual lever into the raised position.
11 . An espresso press for forcing hot water through coffee grounds into a container, the espresso press resting on a support surface and comprising: a base adapted for resting on the support surface and for supporting the container; a stand projecting upwardly from the support surface; an arbor assembly comprising an arbor mount and an arbor that includes a shaft movable within an arbor aperture of the arbor mount, the arbor assembly further including a rack-and-pinion arrangement that includes a rack gear fixed with the shaft of the arbor, and a pinion gear partially projecting into the arbor aperture and adapted to engage the rack gear of the arbor when the arbor is fixed within the arbor aperture, the pinion gear rotatable with a manual lever between a raised and a lowered position corresponding to a raised position of the arbor and a lowered position of the arbor, respectively, the arbor assembly further including a spring for urging the manual lever into the raised position; the arbor further including a plunger slidably fixed with a bottom end of the shaft of the arbor and defining a first internal volume therebetween, the shaft including a conduit between the bottom end and a top end of the shaft, the conduit in fluid communication with the first internal volume, the arbor further including a pressure gauge at the top end of the shaft and in fluid communication with the conduit; a brewhead includes a brewhead mount for fixing the brewhead with the stand between the base and the arbor assembly, an espresso chamber adapted to receive an espresso filter basket, the espresso chamber open at top and bottom ends thereof, and a cylinder removably attached with the espresso chamber, open at top and bottom ends thereof to define a second internal volume therein, and adapted for receiving the hot water therein, the top end of the cylinder open and adapted to receive a piston therein, sealed against an inside wall of the cylinder; the cylinder and the espresso chamber including a twist-lock arrangement with an elastomeric seal, wherein the cylinder is mounted to the espresso chamber by dropping the cylinder into the espresso chamber and twisting the cylinder to compress the elastomeric seal, water pressed through the coffee grounds being forced to exit the brewhead through the coffee grounds and out of the bottom end of the espresso chamber, an outside surface of the cylinder includes ribs for facilitating the gripping of and twisting of the cylinder within the twist-lock arrangement of the espresso chamber; the brewhead including a track, the espresso chamber slidably fixed with the track to allow the espresso chamber to slide between rearward and forward positions, wherein the espresso chamber is loaded when in the forward position with the espresso filter basket, coffee grounds, the cylinder, the hot water, and the piston, and then the espresso chamber is slid into the rearward position below the plunger of the arbor assembly; at least one elastomeric O-ring fixed between the plunger and the bottom end of the shaft, wherein the first internal volume is sealed to the ambient atmosphere; at least one elastomeric O-ring fixed between the piston and the inside wall of the cylinder, wherein the second internal volume is sealed to the ambient atmosphere but through the coffee grounds; whereby with the stand set upon the support surface, the container set upon the base under the espresso chamber, the coffee grounds held within the espresso filter basket within the espresso chamber, the cylinder fixed with the espresso chamber and containing the hot water, the piston is inserted into the top end of the cylinder to position the cylinder under the plunger of the arbor assembly, whereby the lever is pulled from its raised position to its lowered position while observing the pressure gauge to ensure that the pressure within the first internal volume does not exceed a predetermined limit, the plunger pressing the piston down into the cylinder to force the water through the coffee grounds and into the container.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 63/217,255, filed on Jun. 30, 2021, incorporated herein by reference. STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT Not Applicable. FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to coffee brewing machines, and more particularly to manual espresso presses. BACKGROUND Typically, manual espresso presses and automatic espresso machines are designed to accept a single sized filter basket. Automatic espresso presses, however, often lack pressure feedback that matches the exact pressure of the brewhead. And often found in manual and automatic espresso presses, the pressure gauge is connected directly to the water system, which can lead to contamination of the pressure gauge and contamination of the coffee drink. Therefore, there is a need for a device that has the benefits of both the automatic and manual espresso presses while avoiding the common downfalls. The needed device would have a pressure gauge that is secondarily connected to the water system, yet provide feedback that is matched to the exact pressure of the brewhead. Such a press should also be able to accept multiple different sized filter baskets. The present invention accomplishes these objectives. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present device is an espresso press for forcing hot water through coffee grounds into a container. The present invention has the ability to produce and control the typical espresso pressure of the hot water from 7 to 10 bar. The espresso press rests on a support surface, and is comprised of a base adapted for resting on the support surface and for supporting the container. The press further includes a stand projecting upwardly from the support surface, and an arbor assembly. The arbor assembly is comprised of an arbor mount, and an arbor that includes a shaft which is movable within the arbor aperture of the arbor mount. The arbor assembly further includes a rack-and-pinion arrangement that includes a rack gear fixed with the shaft of the arbor, and a pinion gear partially projecting into the arbor aperture and adapted to engage the rack gear of the arbor when the arbor is fixed within the arbor aperture. The pinion gear is rotatable with a manual lever between a raised and a lowered position, corresponding to a raised position of the arbor and a lowered position of the arbor, respectively. The arbor further includes a plunger slidably fixed with a bottom end of the shaft of the arbor and defines a first internal volume therebetween. The shaft further includes a conduit between the bottom end and a top end of the shaft, the conduit being in fluid communication with the first internal volume. The arbor further includes a pressure gauge at the top end of the shaft and is in fluid communication with the conduit. The espresso press further includes a brewhead including a brewhead mount for fixing the brewhead with the stand between the base and the arbor assembly. An espresso chamber adapted to receive an espresso filter basket with an optional espresso chamber handle is further included, and is open at both a top end and a bottom end. A water cylinder is removably attached with the espresso chamber, the water cylinder also open at both top and bottom ends to define a second internal volume. The water cylinder is adapted for receiving hot water therein. The top end of the water cylinder is open and adapted to receive a piston therein, which is sealed against an inside wall of the cylinder. When the stand is set upon the support surface, the container is set upon the base under the espresso chamber, the water cylinder is fixed with the espresso chamber with containing the hot water, the piston is inserted into the top end of the cylinder to position the cylinder under the plunger of the arbor assembly, and the lever is pulled from its raised position to its lowered position while observing the pressure gauge to ensure that the pressure within the first internal volume does not exceed a predetermined limit, such as 7 to 10 Bar. The plunger presses the piston down into the water cylinder to force the water through the coffee grounds and into the container. The present invention has the benefits of both the automatic and manual espresso presses while avoiding the common downfalls. The device has a pressure gauge that is secondarily connected to the water system, and also provides feedback that is matched to the pressure of the brewhead. The press is also able to accept multiple different sized filter baskets. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view of the espresso press in a raised position; FIG. 2 is a cross section view of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a top persp