Coffee refractometer method and apparatus
US7952697B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 8, 2008 |
| Grant date | May 31, 2011 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 4, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2021/435
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A coffee refractometer includes a prism that receives a brewed coffee sample, thus forming a prism-sample interface. A processor or microcontroller controls a light source to provide incident light to the prism-sample interface. The prism-sample interface refracts light toward a photodetector. A temperature sensor provides temperature information to the processor. The refractometer includes a memory store that stores a TDS formula that expresses the TDS of brewed coffee as a function of the index of refraction (ns) of brewed coffee and the temperature of brewed coffee. The processor determines the TDS of the brewed coffee sample by accessing the TDS formula in the memory store and employing the determined index of refraction (ns) of the brewed coffee sample to find the TDS from the TDS formula. The refractometer displays the resultant TDS % on a display of the refractometer and/or transmits such information to an information handling system.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.