Beverage-making device

• US 4,603,621 A
• Filed: 09/23/1985
• Issued: 08/05/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Shawmut Capital Corporation (Bank of America Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Bloomfield Industries, Inc.
• Inventors: Roberts, Melvin F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jenkins, Robert W.
• Application Number:
  US06/778,909
• Time in Patent Office: 316 Days
• Field of Search: 99/295, 99/300, 99/302 R, 99/304, 99/307, 99/301, 99/305, 99/306, 99/281, 99/282, 99/279, 99/283, 239/600
• US Class Current: 99/307
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/007 for brewing on a large scale, e.g. for restaurants, or for use with more than one brewing container
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/56 having water-level controls; having temperature controls
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 1/202 with resistances

Abstract

An improved beverage-making device, particularly useful for brewing coffee, provides a safety thermostat arrangement for quickly detecting excessive temperatures of a hot water container generally near a heating element arranged therein. A running thermostat provides a self-supporting sensing tube means in cooperation with a capillary tube and thermostat which detect the mean temperature of the hot water and are responsive to a narrow range of temperature variations within the hot water container. The improvement further includes a tap-off hot water system which provides hot water separately and independently of the brewing water heated in said container. The system is connected upstream of the cold water inlet valve of the device and directs cold water into a water coil means residing within the hot water container. Outlet pipe means convey heated water from the coil to an outlet faucet projecting exteriorly of the device. An improved spray disk assembly provides a cooperatively lockable spray disk and mounting collar. The spray disk locks with the mounting collar to tightly seal a flexible gasket around said spray disk whereby the spray disk receives hot water siphoned from said hot water container and evenly distributes hot water in a random dripping flow through the disk. Additionally, a bottom drain system is provided for emptying the hot water container which is non-corrodible and thread disengageable from said container. The drain system provides means for tightly sealing around a bottom drain hole of the container and manually operable valve means to facilitate draining the container.

Claims

1. In a beverage-making device of the type generally defined by an upper and lower housing, a hot water container arranged in the lower housing, said hot water container fluidly communicating with outlet means for discharging heated water therefrom and directing the water to a perforate spray disk means, said spray disk means associating with said upper housing at an aperture therethrough whereby discharging water is directed to be dispensed downwardly therefrom, the improvement comprising a spray disk assembly having mounting collar means arranged at said upper housing and including aperture means in fluid communication with said outlet means, said mounting collar means further having a continuous downwardly open side wall, said side wall including at least one engageable slot having a downwardly open portion and a horizontal slot extending therefrom, a perforate spray disk capable of fitting within said continuous side wall, said spray disk having at least one outwardly extending portion capable of engaging said engageable slot, and a flexible gasket arranged within said mounting collar means and capable of forming a seal between said mounting collar means and spray disk upon engagement of the extending portions at said engageable slot, whereby water discharged from said outlet means is constrained to flow through said perforate disk and wherein leakage between the side wall of the mounting collar means and the spray disk is prevented.

2. The improvement as in claim 1 wherein the flexible gasket has a height slightly less than the height of the side wall.

3. The improvement as in claim 2 wherein the perforate spray disk includes a plurality of perforations arranged in a pattern to form an imperforate portion of the spray disk directly below said mounting collar aperture means.

4. The improvement as in claim 2 wherein the engageable portion of the spray disk includes a flat section adjacent the disk and a U-shaped portion spaced outwardly from the disk, whereby the U-shaped portion provides holding means for manually engaging said spray disk to said mounting collar means.

5. The improvement as in claim 2 wherein the pressure of the hot water emitted from said outlet means is no greater than one inch of mercury.