Infusion beverage brewing system

• US 20050199129A1
• Filed: 03/12/2004
• Published: 09/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meyer Intellectual Properties Limited
• Original Assignee: Meyer Intellectual Properties Limited
• Inventors: Glucksman, Dov Z., McGonagle, Gary P., Nickerson, Laura J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,213,507 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 99/279
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/20 having immersible, e.g. rotatable, filters

Abstract

An infusion beverage brewing system includes a container and an infuser. The infuser is positioned in a liquid, such as hot water, and has an infusing chamber for containing infusible materials, such as tea leaves. A plunger includes a piston with a peripheral seal and flap valves. After a brewing time has elapsed, an individual pushes on an operator to move the piston past a perforated wall portion of the infusing chamber. When the piston reaches a solid wall portion at the bottom of the infusing chamber, the flap valves open to allow liquid to escape. However, small apertures aligned with the flap valves prevent the passage of the infusible material. Consequently the infusible material is isolated from the liquid when the piston reaches a solid bottom wall portion of the infusing chamber.

Claims

1. An infusion beverage brewing system comprising

A) a container with an open top for receiving a quantity of hot liquid,

B) an infuser including:

i) an infusing chamber with open and closed ends having a solid wall portion extending from said closed end and a perforated wall portion intermediate said solid wall portion and said open end, said infusing chamber receiving a material to be infused, and

ii) a plunger assembly for being displaced within said infusing chamber, said plunger having

a) a piston spanning said infusing chamber in a sealed relationship therewith, said piston having a one-way valve therethrough and

b) an operator for moving said piston past said perforated wall portion to said solid wall portion whereby said piston and said solid wall portion and said closed end form a repository for the material that is isolated from the liquid.

2. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 1 wherein said piston includes a plurality of one-way valves therethrough.

3. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 1 wherein said piston includes first and second rigid disks and an intermediate flexible disk including the one-way valve, said periphery of said intermediate flexible disk being in a sliding seal relationship with the walls of said infusing chamber.

4. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 3 wherein said flexible disk includes a plurality of angularly spaced one-way valve structures and each of said rigid disks angularly spaced apertures aligned with said one-way valve structures.

5. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 4 wherein each aperture in said first rigid disk has an opening that permits displacement of a corresponding flap valve.

6. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 5 wherein each aperture in said second rigid disk has an opening that is smaller than the corresponding opening in said first rigid disk and that acts as a strainer to prevent the passage of the infused material therethrough.

7. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 4 wherein said operator includes a rod having one end attached to said piston.

8. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 4 wherein said operator includes a rod having one end detachably attached to said piston.

9. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 8 wherein said rod has a shank and shoulder at said one end and includes a thrust washer intermediate said shoulder and said piston.

10. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 4 wherein said piston includes structures for maintaining the angular alignment of said first and second rigid disks and said intermediate flexible disk.

11. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 4 wherein said infusing chamber has a flared top opening to facilitate the insertion of said plunger into said infusing chamber.

12. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 11 wherein said infusing chamber includes a flange with radial recesses for facilitating the removal of said infusing chamber from said container and a retainer for preventing the inadvertent displacement of said infusing chamber from said container during use.

13. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 4 wherein said container includes a handle attached to said container adjacent said open top and said system includes a cover having a portion for engaging said handle to align said cover with respect to said container.

14. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 13 wherein said container has a pouring spout and said cover has a pouring portion that aligns with said pouring spout.

15. A beverage brewing system comprising

A) open-top container means for receiving a quantity of hot liquid,

B) means for enabling a material to be infused including:

i) infusing chamber means for receiving a material to be infused, said infusing chamber means including means for forming a closed end, a solid bottom wall adjacent said closed end and an adjacent perforated wall means, and

ii) plunger means for being displaced within said infusing chamber means, said plunger means including;

a) piston means spanning said infusing chamber means in a sealed relationship therewith, said piston means having one-way valve means for allowing liquid to pass through said piston means when said piston means advances toward said solid bottom wall means, and

b) operator means for advancing said piston means past said perforated wall means to said solid wall means whereby said piston means and said infusing chamber means form a repository for the infused material that is isolated from the liquid.

16. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 15 wherein said piston means includes a plurality of one-way valve means.

17. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 15 wherein said piston means includes flexible disk means for forming said one-way valve means and first and second rigid disk means for clamping said flexible disk means therebetween whereby said flexible disk means forms a sliding seal with said solid wall means.

18. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 17 wherein said flexible disk means forms a plurality flap means for defining a plurality of said one-way valve means angularly displaced and each of said rigid disk means includes angularly spaced apertures means for forming passages aligned with each of said flap means.

19. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 18 wherein each aperture means in said first rigid disk means permits the displacement of a corresponding flap means.

20. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 19 wherein said second rigid disk means includes means for straining the infused liquid to prevent the passage of the infused material through said piston means.

21. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 18 wherein said operator means includes actuator means attached to said piston means and extending to the exterior of said container for enabling the depression of said piston means.

22. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 21 wherein said operator means includes means for detachably attaching said actuator means to said piston means.

23. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 18 wherein said piston means includes means for maintaining the angular alignment of said rigid and flexible disk means.

24. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 18 wherein said infusing chamber means includes means for facilitating the insertion of said piston means into said infusing chamber means.

25. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 24 wherein said infusing chamber means includes flange means for facilitating the removal of said infusing chamber means from said container means and retainer means for preventing the inadvertent displacement of said infusing chamber means from said container means during use.

26. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 18 additionally including cover means for closing said container means open top, said container means including a handle adjacent said open top, said cover means including means for engaging said handle for aligning said cover means with respect to said container means.

27. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 26 wherein said container means has means for facilitating pouring and said cover means includes a recessed portion for alignment with said pouring facilitating means.

28. A beverage brewing system comprising:

A) a cylindrical body having a closed end and an open end for receiving an infusible material and liquid in said cylindrical body for brewing a beverage,

B) a piston spanning said cylindrical body portion in a sealed relationship therewith, said piston having a one-way valve therethrough thereby to block the passage of infusible material and to allow the passage of the liquid, and

C) an operator for moving said piston along said cylindrical body through said infusible material and liquid whereby said piston moves the infusible material toward one of said open and closed ends and forms a repository with said cylindrical body for the infusible material that is isolated from the liquid.

29. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 28 wherein said piston includes a plurality of one-way valves therethrough.

30. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 28 wherein said piston includes first and second rigid disks and an intermediate flexible disk including the one-way valve, said periphery of said intermediate flexible disk being is a sliding seal relationship with the walls of said infusing chamber.

31. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 30 wherein said flexible disk includes a plurality of angularly spaced one-way valve structures and each of said rigid disks include angularly spaced apertures aligned with said one-way valve structures.

32. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 31 wherein each aperture in said first rigid disk has an opening that permits displacement of a corresponding flap valve.

33. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 32 wherein each of said second rigid disks includes a plurality of apertures therethrough aligned with each one-way valve, said plurality of apertures being sized to strain the infusible material.

34. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 31 wherein said operator includes a rod having one end attached to said piston.

35. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 31 wherein said operator includes a rod having one end detachable attached to said piston.

36. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 35 wherein said rod has a shank and shoulder at said one end and includes a thrust washer intermediate said shoulder and said piston.

37. A beverage brewing system as recited in claim 31 wherein each of said disks includes structures for maintaining the angular alignment of said first and second rigid disks and said intermediate flexible disk.