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US 9,561,909 B2Granted
Extruder for use in a dispenser of a loose product for the preparation of beverages
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips N.V.
InventorMark Ronald Van Der Woning
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An extruder (100) for use in a dispenser (1) of a loose product (30) for the preparation of beverages, comprising: a housing (110), defining a product inlet (112), a product outlet (114), and a bore (116) that interconnects the product inlet and the product outlet; a screw feeder (120) including a screw blade (124) that is both rotatably and translatably received in the bore (116), such that it is axially movable along the longitudinal axis (/) between a first position and a second position; and a first sealing device (126b) that is configured to releasably fluidtightly seal a portion of the bore (116) interconnecting the product inlet (112) and the product outlet (114) in dependence of the axial position of the screw blade (124).
Claims15
An extruder for use in a dispenser of a loose product for the preparation of beverages, comprising:
- a housing, defining a product inlet, a product outlet, and a bore having a longitudinal axis, which bore interconnects the product inlet and the product outlet;
- a screw feeder including a screw blade that is both rotatably and translatably received in the bore, such that it is axially movable along the longitudinal axis between a first position and a second position;
- a first sealing device that is configured to fluidtightly seal a portion of the bore interconnecting the product inlet, and the product outlet in dependence of the axial position of the screw blade, such that
- in said first position of the screw blade, the first sealing device fluidtightly seals the portion of the bore interconnecting the product inlet and the product outlet, while
- in said second position of the screw blade, rotation of the screw blade can effect a continuous extrusion of loose product, supplied at the product inlet, from the product outlet;
- and
- a drive mechanism coupled to the screw blade and configured to convert rotational motion in a first direction of rotation into linear, reciprocating motion of the screw blade within the bore and configured to convert rotational motion in a second direction of rotation into rotation of the screw blade in an extrusion sense of rotation.
4 more elements
An extruder for use in a dispenser of a loose product for the preparation of beverages, comprising:
- a housing, defining a product inlet, a product outlet, and a bore having a longitudinal axis, which bore interconnects the product inlet and the product outlet;
- a screw feeder including a screw blade that is both rotatably and translatably received in the bore, such that it is axially movable along the longitudinal axis between a first position and a second position;
- and
- a first sealing device that is configured to fluidtightly seal a portion of the bore interconnecting the product inlet and the product outlet in dependence of the axial position of the screw blade, such that
- in said first position of the screw blade, the first sealing device fluidtightly seals the portion of the bore interconnecting the product inlet and the product outlet, while
- in said second position of the screw blade, rotation of the screw blade can effect a continuous extrusion of loose product, supplied at the product inlet, from the product outlet;
- a drive shaft, configured to be rotationally driven by a motor;
- a rotary-to-linear-motion converter that is configured to convert rotational motion of the drive shaft in a first sense of rotation into linear, reciprocating motion of the screw blade within the bore;
- and
- a rotation-coupling that is configured to rotatably couple the drive shaft and the screw blade such that rotation of the drive shaft in a second sense of rotation causes rotation of the screw blade in an extrusion sense of rotation.
7 more elements
An extruder for use in a dispenser of a loose product for the preparation of beverages, comprising:
- a housing, defining a product inlet, a product outlet, and a bore having a longitudinal axis, which bore interconnects the product inlet and the product outlet;
- a screw feeder including a screw blade that is both rotatably and translatably received in the bore, such that it is axially movable along the longitudinal axis between a first position and a second position;
- and
- a first sealing device that is configured to fluidtightly seal a portion of the bore interconnecting the product inlet and the product outlet in dependence of the axial position of the screw blade, such that
- in said first position of the screw blade, the first sealing device fluidtightly seals the portion of the bore interconnecting the product inlet and the productoutlet, while
- in said second position of the screw blade, rotation of the screw blade can effect a continuous extrusion of loose product, supplied at the product inlet, from the product outlet,
- wherein the first sealing device is connected to the screw blade of the screw feeder, such that it translates in unison therewith and comprises:
- a fluid-impermeable body having a cross-sectional shape similar to that of the bore and dimensioned such that it is receivable inside the bore, said body defining a tangentially extending circumferential recess;
- a flexible O-ring that is received in said circumferential recess,
- such that, when the first sealing device is received inside a tangentially closed portion of the bore, the O-ring abuts the housing bounding the bore, and the first sealing device fluidtightly seals the bore.
7 more elements
An extruder for use in a dispenser of a loose product for the preparation of beverages, comprising:
- a housing, defining a product inlet, a product outlet, and a bore having a longitudinal axis, which bore interconnects the product inlet and the product outlet;
- a screw feeder including a screw blade that is both rotatably and translatably received in the bore, such that it is axially movable along the longitudinal axis between a first position and a second position;
- and
- a first sealing device that is configured to fluidtightly seal a portion of the bore interconnecting the product inlet and the product outlet in dependence of the axial position of the screw blade, such that
- in said first position of the screw blade, the first sealing device fluidtightly seals the portion of the bore interconnecting the product inlet and the product outlet, while
- in said second position of the screw blade, rotation of the screw blade can effect a continuous extrusion of loose product, supplied at the product inlet, from the product outlet,
- wherein the bore extends axially between a first end and an open second end, which second end defines the product outlet,
- wherein the product inlet connects to the bore in between the first end and the second end, and
- wherein the screw feeder further includes a second sealing device that is connected to the screw blade at an axial end thereof, such that, in both the first and second positions of the screw blade, the second sealing device seals a portion of the bore extending between the first end and the product inlet.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.