초록 ▼

An improved apparatus for separating chaff from coffee and cocoa beans is designed for use in combination with either the hot air blowing base of the common household consumer appliance, the electrical popcorn popper or the larger volume coffee roasters. The apparatus comprises a hopper having an op

An improved apparatus for separating chaff from coffee and cocoa beans is designed for use in combination with either the hot air blowing base of the common household consumer appliance, the electrical popcorn popper or the larger volume coffee roasters. The apparatus comprises a hopper having an open top, an open bottom mountable over the hot air blowing base of the popper for roasting beans, at least one exhaust gas outlet, a transparent or translucent lid for covering the top and allowing the user to observe the color of the roasting beans and a screen mounted over the exhaust gas outlet. The screen is coated with a material that causes its surface to become electrostatically charged during the bean roasting process. In addition, a protective outer coating is deposited to completely cover the dielectric material to prevent this material from being destructively removed or electrochemically altered by the chemicals in cleaners for the lid. The chaff from the beans becomes separated during the roasting process and then is entrained in the exhaust gases which pass upward from the hot air blowing base for roasting the beans and through the open bottom. The chaff is collected on the electrostatically charged screen and is easily removed after the roasting process.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [2.] A method for roasting beans which comprises placing the beans selected from the group consisting of coffee, cocoa and mixtures thereof into a hot air roasting mechanism to form a bed, roasting the beans by blowing hot air upward though the bed of beans at a temperature in

[ What is claimed is:] [2.] A method for roasting beans which comprises placing the beans selected from the group consisting of coffee, cocoa and mixtures thereof into a hot air roasting mechanism to form a bed, roasting the beans by blowing hot air upward though the bed of beans at a temperature in the range of about 350 to about 450.degree. F. for a period until the beans have turned dark brown, passing exhaust gases resulting from the roasting step through a screen coated with a mixture of materials that causes the surface of the screen to become electrostatically charged during an initial portion of the roasting step and at least one coating of a resin to cover the mixture of materials to prolong the electrostatic charge on the screen, and collecting the chaff that becomes separated from the beans during the roasting step onto the electrostatically charged screen.