Combined coffee bean weigher and grinder with selectable measured quantities

Apparatus for weighing and grinding a selectable predetermined amount of coffee beans, the apparatus comprising:

• (a) hopper means including at least one storage hopper receiving and storing a supply of coffee beans and defining a bottom outlet opening through which said coffee beans are freely gravitationally flowable;
• (b) hopper valve means controlling the release of coffee beans from the hopper means, including a hopper valve for each hopper outlet opening, and drive means for opening and closing each hopper valve;
• (c) a bean bucket deployed for receiving coffee beans released from the hopper means through the hopper valve means, said bean bucket defining a bottom discharge opening for gravitationally discharging the coffee beans, said bean bucket mounted on a bucket arm pivotally mounted for movement between an upward position and a downward position;
• (d) magnetic holding means releasably holding the bucket arm in its upward position while coffee beans flow into the bean bucket, said releasable magnetic holding means including a first magnetic element mounted to the bucket arm and a plurality of selectable second magnetic elements individually operatively positionable to provide a selectable holding force, whereby the bucket arm is released when the weight of the beans therein overcomes the selected releasable magnetic holding means;
• (e) a bean bucket stem valve depending into the bean bucket and having its distal end positioned to block the bean bucket bottom discharge opening when the bean bucket arm is in its upward position, whereby when the bucket arm pivots to its downward position, the bean bucket bottom discharge opening is exposed to permit the free gravitational flow of coffee beans therefrom;
• and
• (f) a grinder positioned to receive coffee beans released from the bean bucket and adapted to grind the coffee beans and discharge them as ground coffee.

Apparatus for weighing and grinding selectable predetermined amounts of selectable types of coffee beans, the apparatus comprising:

• (a) hopper means including at least one storage hopper receiving and storing a supply of coffee beans and defining a bottom outlet opening through which said coffee beans are gravitationally flowably releasable;
• (b) hopper valve means controlling the release of coffee beans from the hopper means, including a hopper valve for each hopper outlet opening and means for opening and closing each hopper valve;
• (c) a bean bucket deployed for receiving coffee beans released from the hopper means through the hopper valve means, said bean bucket having a bottom discharge opening for gravitationally flowably releasing coffee beans;
• (d) bean bucket valve means for alternatively preventing and permitting the gravitational flowable release of coffee beans from the bean bucket;
• (e) grinder means for gravitationally receiving and grinding coffee beans released from the bean bucket;
• (f) means for operating the hopper valve means to open a selected one of the hoppers and to close the hopper valve means when substantially all of one of at least two selectable amounts of coffee beans have been received in said bean bucket and for operating the bean bucket valve means to permit flow of the coffee beans released from the hopper into the grinder means;
• (g) means for selecting the hopper containing the desired coffee beans and for selecting the desired weight thereof;
• and
• (h) a ground coffee receptacle/bagger adapted to received ground coffee from a coffee grinder, including:
• (1) an upper cylindrical side wall and a downwardly converging bottom wall forming an open-topped container for receiving ground coffee.
• (2) said downwardly converging bottom wall defining a discharge spout for gravitationally releasing ground coffee from the open-topped container;
• (3) manually operable value means selectively blocking the discharge spout while ground coffee is being received in the open-topped container and opening the discharge spout to release ground coffee.