US-12622547-B2 - Grinding device

US12622547B2US 12622547 B2US12622547 B2US 12622547B2US-12622547-B2

Abstract

A grinding device for grinding food products, comprises a housing compartment, grinding means and a hopper removably associated with the housing compartment, wherein the hopper comprises a container having at least one selectively openable and closable lower aperture.

Inventors

Guido Quaratesi
Emanuele Marcato

Assignees

DE' LONGHI APPLIANCES S.R.L. CON UNICO SOCIO

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20210713
Priority Date: 20200731

Claims (15)

1 . A grinding device for grinding food products, comprising: a housing compartment; grinding means; and a hopper removably associated with said housing compartment; wherein said hopper comprises a container having at least one selectively openable and closable lower aperture; wherein said hopper comprises a closing device, rotatable with respect to said container, said closing device comprising first coupling members configured to engage in an axial direction with mating second coupling members provided in said housing compartment; wherein said hopper also comprises clamping members, configured to assume a first inactive position in which said clamping members do not interfere with said housing compartment and allow removal of said hopper, and a second active position in which said clamping members engage with mating clamping seatings provided in said housing compartment clamping said hopper therein; wherein said clamping members are constrained to said container and are driven by said container's rotation, in a clamped position of said hopper said lower aperture being aligned with a respective through hole provided in said closing device to allow passage of food products toward said grinding means; and wherein said closing device comprises at least one slot made in a lateral wall, wherein at least part of said clamping members are positioned within the at least one slot through said lateral wall.
2 . The grinding device as in claim 1 , wherein said clamping members are associated with said closing device and are configured to assume said first inactive position in which said clamping members are positioned inside said closing device, and said second active position in which said clamping members protrude radially from said closing device and engage in said clamping seatings.
3 . The grinding device as in claim 2 , wherein said clamping members comprise at least one pin slidable along a guide which is conformed in such a way as to make said pin follow a roto-translation trajectory and comprising a substantially circular first segment, having a first diameter, and a substantially circular second segment, located in continuity with the first segment but with a larger diameter.
4 . The grinding device as in claim 1 , wherein said clamping members are associated with said container and are configured to make a bayonet-type coupling with said clamping seatings, and wherein said clamping members comprise at least one pin protruding radially with respect to a lower portion of said container.
5 . The grinding device as in claim 1 , further comprising a device for detecting a presence of said hopper in said housing compartment which is disposed in correspondence with at least one of said second coupling members and is configured to be activated by at least one of said first coupling members engaged with it.
6 . The grinding device as in claim 5 , further comprising a control and command unit connected to a presence detection device and to said grinding means, and configured to allow the activation of said grinding means only when said hopper is present in said housing compartment.
7 . The grinding device as in claim 1 , further comprising at least one device for detecting an opened/closed state of said lower aperture, disposed in correspondence with at least one of said clamping seatings and configured to be activated by at least one of said clamping members cooperating with said clamping seating in said active position.
8 . The grinding device as in claim 1 , further comprising a device for detecting an opened/closed state of said lower aperture, located in proximity of, or in correspondence with, an inactive or start of travel position of at least one of said clamping members and configured to be activated by said at least one of said clamping members when it is in said inactive or start of travel position.
9 . A method to insert said hopper of said grinding device as in claim 1 in said housing compartment of said grinding device, said method comprising: inserting said hopper in said housing compartment along a central axis, with said clamping members kept in said inactive position, until said first coupling members are coupled with said second coupling members; and rotating said container with respect to said closing device and said housing compartment around the central axis in order to drive said clamping members and take them to said active position, so as to engage them with said clamping seatings, clamping said hopper in said housing compartment and at the same time opening said lower aperture to allow products to be ground to be fed from said container to said grinding means.
10 . The insertion method as in claim 9 , further comprising detecting a presence of said hopper when the coupling between said coupling members occurs, consequently enabling a functioning of said grinding means before the rotation of said container.
11 . The insertion method as in claim 9 , further comprising detecting an opening of said lower aperture when the engagement between said clamping members and said clamping seatings occurs.
12 . A method to extract said hopper of said grinding device as in claim 1 from said housing compartment of said grinding device, said method comprising: rotating said container with respect to said closing device and said housing compartment around a central axis in order to drive said clamping members and take them from said active position to said inactive position, so as to disengage them from said clamping seatings, unclamping said hopper and at the same time closing said lower aperture to prevent products to be ground from being fed from said container to said grinding means; and extracting said hopper from said housing compartment along said central axis, with said clamping members maintained in said inactive position, until said first coupling members are decoupled from said second coupling members.
13 . The extraction method as in claim 12 , further comprising detecting an absence of said hopper when decoupling between the coupling members occurs, consequently disabling a functioning of said grinding means.
14 . The extraction method as in claim 12 , further comprising detecting a complete closure of said lower aperture when said clamping members are in correspondence with an inactive or start of travel position in said housing compartment.
15 . A machine to prepare coffee beverages comprising said grinding device as in claim 1 , wherein said grinding means are integrated inside a containing body thereof and said hopper is removably associated with said machine.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION Embodiments described here concern a grinding device provided with a hopper for loading the products to be ground, which can be removed from a containing body of the grinding device. Embodiments described here also concern a method to remove the hopper from the containing body and insert it back inside it. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Grinding devices for domestic or professional use are known, which can be used for grinding, shredding or crushing different types of food products, such as for example cereals, seeds, coffee beans, or dried fruit, such as walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts and suchlike, to obtain a powder with a certain granulometry, or other foods such as for example carrots, basil, and suchlike, to finely chop them. Grinding devices can be integrated into other household appliances, such as for example a machine for preparing beverages, or they can be made as autonomous components and accessories. Normally, in grinding devices, whether they are integrated into household appliances, or “stand alone”, the grinding means are integrated inside a machine body, and a fixed hopper is provided to feed the products to be ground, which is accessible from outside the machine body. One disadvantage of machines with a fixed hopper is that they make cleaning and maintenance difficult. Another disadvantage is that they do not allow to easily and frequently change the type of product to be ground, as this entails manual emptying of the hopper and of the grinding means. To try to solve the problems related to cleaning, machines for preparing beverages have been made, provided with a grinding device integrated in the machine body and with a removable hopper. These known solutions generally comprise a knob positioned inside the hopper, which can be rotated manually to close one or more holes for the passage of the beans provided on the bottom and simultaneously release the hopper from the machine body. One disadvantage of these known machines is that to access the knob, the user has to necessarily insert his/her hands inside the hopper. These solutions are therefore impractical and unhygienic. Other known solutions provide a mobile closing plate positioned below the bottom of the hopper, which can be moved by means of a slider to close a passage opening for the coffee beans. This solution is also not very functional, since the slider is normally positioned laterally with respect to the hopper and is not always easily accessible for the user. Known solutions are in particular intended to allow the grinding means to be cleaned and maintained, but do not allow to frequently and quickly change the type of coffee beans to be used. Moreover, these known machines generally allow the grinding means to start only when the hopper is in the assembled position and the passage aperture for the beans is open. In this way, however, if the user wants to change the type of coffee beans, contamination occurs between the old and the new type of beans. In the field of machines for preparing coffee, on the other hand, it would be preferable to be able to allow an easy and quick replacement of the coffee beans present in the hopper, to allow the preparation of types of coffee with different aromas. There is therefore a need to perfect a grinding device with a respective hopper which can overcome at least one of the disadvantages of the state of the art. In particular, one purpose of the present invention is to provide a grinding device provided with a hopper which can be removed simply and quickly. Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a hopper which can be removed from the machine body without the user having to touch the food products inside it. Another purpose of the invention is to perfect a grinding device which allows to change the type of food products to be ground, preventing contamination between the old and the new product. Another purpose of the invention is to provide a grinding device that is safe for the user. Another purpose is to perfect a method to remove and insert a hopper from/into a machine body of a grinding device which allows these operations to be performed quickly, effectively, and hygienically, at the same time guaranteeing the safety of the user. The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claims. The dependent claims describe other characteristics of the present invention or variants to the main inventive idea. In accordance with the above purposes, a grinding device provided with a removable hopper is provided, which overcomes the limits of the state of the art and eliminates the defects present therein. In accordance with some embodiments, the grinding device comprises a containing body provided with a housing compartment, grinding means conta