Coffee Densifier

Abstract

A coffee densifier is disclosed having an elongated housing having a chamber configured to receive ground coffee. The mixing chamber has an inlet end opposite a discharge end. The discharge end has a discharge door. The densifier has a shaft driven by a motor, the shaft extending along a longitudinal length of the mixing chamber. The densifier has a plurality of paddle-less pins fixed to the mixing shaft and configured to agitate a bed of coffee within the mixing chamber.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . A coffee densifier, comprising:
 an elongated chamber configured to receive a ground coffee, the chamber having an inlet and a discharge opening, the discharge opening comprising a discharge door, the inlet for receiving the ground coffee;   a densifier motor;   a shaft driven to rotate by the densifier motor and extending along a longitudinal length of the chamber;   a plurality of paddle-less pins fixed to the shaft and configured to polish a plurality of coffee particles of the ground coffee within the elongated chamber when the plurality of densifier members are rotated by the shaft through the ground coffee within the chamber;   the plurality of paddle-less pins are arranged about the shaft in four pin rows, each pin row of the four pin rows comprising at least two pins of the plurality of paddle-less pins, each pin row is oriented ninety degrees from adjacent pin rows in each direction about the shaft so that each pin row is either perpendicular to or co-planer with every other pin row; and,   the pins of each pin row are longitudinally offset from the pins in each immediately adjacent pin row in each direction about the shaft.   
     
     
         2 . The coffee densifier of  claim 1 , comprising a chamber cover, the cover comprises a semicircular cover bottom, a distal end of the pins of at least one pin row of the four pin rows are adjacent to the cover bottom. 
     
     
         3 . The coffee densifier of  claim 2 , wherein the chamber comprises a U-shaped interior wall, a distal end of the pins of at least two pin rows of the four pin rows is in close proximity to the U-shaped interior wall. 
     
     
         4 . The coffee densifier of  claim 2 , wherein the chamber comprises a U-shaped interior wall, a distal end of the pins of at least two pin rows of the four pin rows is in close proximity to the U-shaped interior wall; a first distance between the at least two pin rows in close proximity to the U-shaped interior wall and the U-shaped interior wall is greater than a second distance between the at least one pin row adjacent to the cover bottom and the cover bottom. 
     
     
         5 . The coffee densifier of  claim 1 , comprising a plurality of threaded pin studs extending from the shaft, each of the plurality of paddle-less pins comprises a proximal end threaded hollow opening, the proximal end threaded hallow opening of each paddle-less pin mates with a corresponding threaded pin stud of the plurality of threaded pin studs to removably secure the paddle-less pin to the shaft. 
     
     
         6 . The coffee densifier of  claim 1 , wherein the chamber comprises a receiving portion and a densifier portion, the paddle-less pins are located along the shaft in the densifier portion, a spiral auger is attached to the shaft in the receiving portion and configured to move coffee toward the pins in the densifier portion when the spiral auger is turned by the shaft. 
     
     
         7 . The coffee densifier of  claim 1 , wherein each paddle-less pin in each pin row is spaced about 0.8 inches apart from immediately adjacent paddle-less pins in the same pin row. 
     
     
         8 . The coffee densifier of  claim 1 , wherein each pin comprises a pin shaft, a base, and a terminating end opposite the base, the pin shaft has a uniform cross-section along its length from the base to the terminating end. 
     
     
         9 . A coffee processor, comprising:
 a coffee grinder comprising
 a pair of grinding rollers; 
 a grinder drive motor configured to drive the pair of grinding rollers to rotate; 
 a grinder inlet above the pair of grinder rollers; 
 a grinder outlet below the pair of grinder rollers; and, 
   a coffee densifier comprising
 an elongated chamber configured to receive a ground coffee, the chamber having an densifier inlet and a discharge opening, the discharge opening comprising a discharge door, the densifier inlet is located below the grinder outlet for receiving ground coffee; 
 a densifier motor; 
 a shaft driven to rotate by the densifier motor and extending within the chamber; 
 a plurality of paddle-less pins fixed to the shaft and configured to polish a plurality of coffee particles of the ground coffee within the elongated chamber when the plurality of densifier members are rotated by the shaft through the ground coffee within the chamber; 
 the plurality of paddle-less pins are arranged about the shaft in four pin rows, each pin row of the four pin rows comprising at least two pins of the plurality of paddle-less pins, each pin row is oriented ninety degrees from adjacent pin rows in each direction about the shaft so that each pin row is either perpendicular to or co-planer with every other pin row; and, 
 the pins of each pin row are longitudinally offset from the pins in each immediately adjacent pin row in each direction about the shaft. 
   
     
     
         10 . The coffee processor of  claim 9 , comprising a chamber cover, the cover comprises a semicircular cover bottom, a distal end of the pins of at least one pin row of the four pin rows are adjacent to the cover bottom. 
     
     
         11 . The coffee processor of  claim 10 , wherein the chamber comprises a U-shaped interior wall, a distal end of the pins of at least two pin rows of the four pin rows is in close proximity to the U-shaped interior wall. 
     
     
         12 . The coffee processor of  claim 10 , wherein the chamber comprises a U-shaped interior wall, a distal end of the pins of at least two pin rows of the four pin rows is in close proximity to the U-shaped interior wall; a first distance between the at least two pin rows in close proximity to the U-shaped interior wall and the U-shaped interior wall is greater than a second distance between the at least one pin row adjacent to the cover bottom and the cover bottom. 
     
     
         13 . The coffee processor of  claim 9 , comprising a plurality of threaded pin studs extending from the shaft, each of the plurality of paddle-less pins comprises a proximal end threaded hollow opening, the proximal end threaded hallow opening of each paddle-less pin mates with a corresponding threaded pin stud of the plurality of threaded pin studs to removably secure the paddle-less pin to the shaft. 
     
     
         14 . The coffee processor of  claim 9 , wherein the chamber comprises a receiving portion and a densifier portion, the paddle-less pins are located along the shaft in the densifier portion, a spiral auger is attached to the shaft in the receiving portion and configured to move coffee toward the pins in the densifier portion when the spiral auger is turned by the shaft. 
     
     
         15 . The coffee processor of  claim 9 , wherein each paddle-less pin in each pin row is spaced about 0.8 inches apart from immediately adjacent paddle-less pins in the same pin row. 
     
     
         16 . The coffee processor of  claim 9 , wherein each pin comprises a pin shaft, a base, and a terminating end opposite the base, the pin shaft has a uniform cross-section along its length from the base to the terminating end.