Beverage brewing apparatus and method
First Claim
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1. A brewing apparatus comprising:
- a warming deck for supporting a decanter thereon;
a heating element below the warming deck for radiating heat to the warming deck;
a temperature sensor in contact with the warming deck for generating temperature signals corresponding to a measured temperature of the warming deck; and
a microcontroller in communication with the temperature sensor for receiving the temperature signals from the sensor, and for actuating the heating element in response to the received temperature signals.
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Abstract
A brewing apparatus having a temperature sensor disposed on a warming deck that receives a brewed beverage decanter provides temperature information used to select a heating profile for maintaining the brewed beverage at a proper serving temperature without overheating. An intermittent heating profile based on the temperature difference between the actual brewed beverage temperature and the desired temperature is recalled from memory storage and applied to a heating element below the warming deck.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A brewing apparatus comprising:
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a warming deck for supporting a decanter thereon;
a heating element below the warming deck for radiating heat to the warming deck;
a temperature sensor in contact with the warming deck for generating temperature signals corresponding to a measured temperature of the warming deck; and
a microcontroller in communication with the temperature sensor for receiving the temperature signals from the sensor, and for actuating the heating element in response to the received temperature signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An improved brewing apparatus comprising a brew basket, a reservoir for storing a supply of heated infusion liquid, and a decanter for collecting a brewed beverage, comprising:
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a warming deck for supporting the decanter thereon and for conducting heat to the decanter;
a resistive heating element in contact with an underside surface of the warming deck for heating the warming deck;
a temperature sensor in contact with the underside surface of the warming deck for measuring a temperature of the warming deck below the decanter and generating a temperature signal corresponding to the measured temperature of the warming deck, where the measured temperature is dependent upon the temperature of the decanter; and
a microcontroller in communication with the temperature sensor for receiving the temperature signals from the sensor, and for controlling the heating element intermittently in response to the received temperature signals. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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Specification