BEVERAGE BREWING APPARATUS WITH PUMP DISPENSING SYSTEM

• US 20080282896A1
• Filed: 05/17/2007
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ENE Holdings, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Electrical & Electronics, Limited
• Inventors: Andrew, Yuen Chin Chen, Cheng, Amy Decem, Lui, Kwan Fai
• Granted Patent: US 9,038,530 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 99/280
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/0573 with flow through heaters flow through heaters as part of a water boiling vessel in a beverage making machine A47J31/542
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/467 for the infusion

Abstract

A beverage machine for preparing and dispensing a hot beverage having a pump dispensing system. Hot water passes through a water distributor to infuse material in a filter basket. A coffee tank receives the brewed beverage and maintains it at an appropriate temperature. On demand, a pump dispensing system delivers the beverage through an outlet chamber and spout into a user'"'"'s cup. The user manipulates a switch to vary the rate at which the pump dispensing system dispenses the beverage.

Claims

1. Apparatus for brewing a hot beverage to be delivered in a single serving, said apparatus comprising:

A) a housing,

B) a dispensing spout connected to said housing,

C) a filter basket assembly mountable in said housing whereby hot water infuses an extractable substance to produce a hot beverage delivered through a filter basket outlet port,

D) a beverage tank assembly mounted to said housing and said filter basket assembly for accumulating the hot beverage from said filter basket outlet port, and

E) a dispensing pump assembly having an impeller subassembly impeller immersed in the accumulated hot beverage in said beverage tank assembly with an impeller that displaces the beverage through said dispensing spout.

2. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said filter basket assembly includes a drip stop assembly at the outlet port that contacts said beverage tank assembly.

3. Apparatus as recited in claim 2 wherein said drip stop assembly comprises:

i) a valve seal for closing said output port,

ii) a valve rod having a head connected to said valve seal,

iii) a spring for biasing said valve rod and seal to close said output port whereby said head engages said beverage tank assembly to open said drip stop assembly.

4. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said beverage tank assembly includes a barrier and said dispensing pump assembly comprises:

i) a pump drive subassembly mounted to said housing exteriorly of said beverage tank assembly for producing rotary motion, and

ii) a coupler that conveys the rotary motion of said pump drive subassembly through said barrier to said impeller subassembly thereby to rotate said impeller.

5. Apparatus as recited in claim 4 wherein said coupler is a magnetic coupler and beverage tank assembly and housing proximate said dispensing pump are formed of a non-magnetic material.

6. Apparatus as recited in claim 5 wherein pump drive subassembly includes motor with a motor shaft and said impeller assembly includes a support bearing with a rotatable impeller shaft, said coupler comprising:

i) a pump drive bracket attached to rotate with said rotor shaft,

ii) a plurality of angularly spaced, oppositely polarized permanent magnets mounted to said bracket,

iii) an impeller ring mounted to said impeller shaft, and

iv) a plurality of angularly spaced, oppositely polarized permanent magnets mounted to said impeller ring.

7. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said dispensing pump assembly includes first and second separable tubes connecting to said spout assembly, said apparatus additionally comprising a sealing coupling for interconnecting said first and second tubes during use.

8. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 additionally including a beverage output chamber intermediate said dispensing pump assembly and said spout assembly.

9. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said apparatus includes a support for a cup and said dispensing spout assembly is spaced above said support, said dispensing spout assembly including an adjustable unit for varying the distance between said dispensing spout and said support.

10. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said dispensing pump assembly includes an electric pump motor and said apparatus additionally includes a control system including a manually activated dispensing control.

11. Apparatus for brewing a hot beverage to be delivered in a single serving to a cup, said apparatus comprising:

A) housing means for forming a housing,

B) dispensing spout means connected to said housing means for delivering the hot beverage to the cup,

C) filter basket means mountable in said housing means for infusing an extractable substance to produce a hot beverage, said filter basket means including outlet port means for delivering hot beverage,

D) beverage tank means mounted to said housing below said filter basket means for accumulating the hot beverage from said outlet port means, and

E) dispensing pump means for pumping hot beverage from said beverage tank means to said dispensing spout means including impeller means immersed in the accumulated hot beverage in said beverage tank assembly for displacing hot beverage through said dispensing spout means.

12. Apparatus as recited in claim 11 wherein said filter basket assembly includes a drip stop means at said outlet port means for controlling the flow of the hot beverage therethrough.

13. Apparatus as recited in claim 12 wherein said drip stop means comprises:

i) valve seal means for closing said outlet port means in a first position and opening said outlet port means in a second position,

ii) valve rod means having a head connected to said valve seal for displacing said valve seal means between the first and second positions,

iii) spring means for biasing said valve rod means and valve seal means to said first position thereby to block the flow of beverage from said outlet port means, said output port whereby said head engaging said beverage tank means for shifting said valve seal means to the second position.

14. Apparatus as recited in claim 11 wherein said beverage tank means includes a barrier and said dispensing pump means comprises:

i) pump drive means mounted to said housing means exteriorly of the barrier for producing rotary motion, and

ii) coupling means for coupling the rotary motion of said pump drive means through said barrier to said impeller means thereby to rotate said impeller means.

15. Apparatus as recited in claim 14 wherein said coupling means includes means for generating interacting magnetic fields and said beverage tank means and housing means proximate said dispensing pump means are formed of a non-magnetic material.

16. Apparatus as recited in claim 15 wherein pump drive means includes motor with a motor shaft and said impeller means includes a support bearing with a rotatable impeller shaft, said coupling means comprising:

i) a pump drive bracket attached to rotate with said rotor shaft,

ii) a plurality of angularly spaced, oppositely polarized permanent magnets mounted to said bracket,

iii) an impeller ring mounted to said impeller shaft, and

iv) a plurality of angularly spaced, oppositely polarized permanent magnets mounted to said impeller ring.

17. Apparatus as recited in claim 18 wherein said dispensing pump means includes first and second separable tubes means for connecting to said spout means, said apparatus additionally comprising sealing coupling means for interconnecting said first and second tube means during use.

18. Apparatus as recited in claim 11 additionally including beverage output chamber means for receiving hot beverage from said dispensing pump means, said spout means conveying the hot beverage from said beverage output chamber means.

19. Apparatus as recited in claim 11 wherein said apparatus includes support means for supporting a cup in said apparatus and said dispensing spout means is spaced above said support means, said dispensing spout means having first and second nested spout means for conveying hot beverage from said beverage output chamber means to the cup, said first spout means being attached to said beverage output chamber means and said second spout means including means for adjusting the position of said second spout means relative to said first spout means thereby to vary the distance between said dispensing spout means and said cup support means.

20. Apparatus as recited in claim 11 wherein said dispensing pump means includes an electric pump motor and said apparatus additionally includes control means including a manually activated dispensing control for energizing said electric pump motor.