Seal in a coffeemaker

• US 6,990,891 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2003
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applica Consumer Products Incorporated (Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: HP Intellectual Corp.
• Inventors: Tebo, James A. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): ALEXANDER, REGINALD
• Application Number:
  US10/683,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20050076789A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 992/95, 992/87, 993/02.R, 992/79, 992/89.R, 993/07, 993/06, 426/433
• US Class Current: 99/295
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/0647 with means to adjust the brewing chamber volume to accommodate different quantities of brewing material
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/0668 specially adapted for cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/0684 Sealing means for sealing the filter holder to the brewing head
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/368 Permeable cartridges being employed
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/3685 Brewing heads therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/4464 by means of bayonet-type engagement
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/4496 Means to produce beverage with a layer on top, e.g. of cream, foam or froth

Abstract

A brewing apparatus including a housing having a movable lid; a water heater connected to the housing; a pod carrier removably connected to the housing; a seal connected to the lid for movement towards and away from a top side of the pod carrier as the lid is moved between an open position and a closed position; and a hot water discharge head connected to the lid for delivering hot water from the water heater in a direction towards the top side of the pod carrier when the lid is in its closed position. When the lid is in its closed position, the movable lid closes over the top side of the pod carrier and, the seal is adapted to be located against a perimeter side of the pod carrier for sealing along the perimeter side.

Claims

1. A brewing apparatus comprising:

a housing having a movable lid;

a water heater connected to the housing;

a pod carrier removably connected to the housing;

a seal connected to the lid for movement towards and away from a top side of the pod carrier as the lid is moved between an open position and a closed position;

a hot water discharge head connected to the lid for delivering hot water from the water heater in a direction towards the top side of the pod carrier when the lid is in its closed position; and

a cam member movably connected to the housing for camming the pod carrier in an upward direction, wherein, when the lid is in its closed position, the movable lid closes over the top side of the pod carrier and, the seal is adapted to be located against a perimeter side of the pod carrier for sealing along the perimeter side.

2. A brewing apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the seal is mounted to the hot water discharge head.

3. A brewing apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the cam member comprises a rotatable locking ring mounted to the movable lid and having a portion for locking the movable lid in the closed position.

4. A brewing apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising a locking ring rotatably mounted to the hot water discharge head.

5. A brewing apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the perimeter side comprises an inner side of the pod carrier.

6. A brewing apparatus as in claim 5 wherein the pod carrier comprises a top aperture with a surrounding perimeter wall forming an inwardly facing sealing surface along the inner perimeter side and an inwardly extending shelf located at a bottom of the sealing surface, wherein the seal is movable into the top aperture and against the inner perimeter side.

7. A brewing apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the pod carrier comprises a first pod receiving area into a first side and a second pod receiving area into a second opposite side, and wherein the first and second pod receiving areas comprise different sizes.

8. A brewing apparatus as in claim 7 wherein the pod carrier comprises a support located between the first and second pod receiving areas, and wherein the support is adapted to allow liquid to flow therethrough.

9. A coffeemaker comprising:

a housing;

a water heater connected to the housing;

a hot water discharge head connected to the water heater, the hot water discharge head being movable with a portion of the housing about a pivot axis;

a seal connected to the hot water discharge head;

a pod carrier connected to the housing having a top aperture with a surrounding perimeter wall forming an inwardly facing sealing surface and an inwardly extending shelf located at a bottom of the sealing surface; and

a cam member movably connected to the housing for camming the pod carrier in an upward direction wherein the seal is movable into the top aperture, and wherein the seal is adapted to be compressed between the discharge head and the shelf.

10. A coffeemaker as in claim 9 wherein the cam member comprises a rotatable locking ring mounted to the movable portion of the housing and having a section for locking the movable portion in a closed position.

11. A coffeemaker as in claim 9 further comprising a locking and camming ring rotatably mounted to the hot water discharge head.

12. A coffeemaker as in claim 9 wherein, when the seal is compressed between the shelf and the discharge head, the seal is adapted to deform outwardly into a sealing contact with the inwardly facing sealing surface of the pod carrier.

13. A coffeemaker as in claim 9 wherein the pod carrier comprises a first pod receiving area at the top aperture into a first side and a second pod receiving area at an opposite aperture into a second opposite side, and wherein the first and second pod receiving areas comprise different sizes.

14. A coffeemaker as in claim 13 wherein the pod carrier comprises a support located between the first and second pod receiving areas, and wherein the support is adapted to allow liquid to flow therethrough.

15. A method of forming a seal in a coffeemaker, the method comprising steps of:

removably positioning a coffee pod carrier on a housing of the coffeemaker;

pivotably moving a lid of the housing to a closed position, the lid covering a top side of the coffee pod carrier;

moving a seal on the lid into a top aperture of the coffee pod carrier by camming the coffee pod carrier in an upward direction; and

compressing the seal inside the coffee pod carrier to form the seal between the coffee pod carrier and a hot water discharge head connected to the lid.

16. A method as in claim 15 wherein the step of camming comprises rotating a combined locking and camming ring attached to the lid to also lock the lid in the closed position.

17. A method as in claim 15 wherein the step of compressing the seal comprises compressing the seal between the hot water discharge head and a shelf inside the top aperture to cause the seal to deform outwardly and form a sealing engagement with an inner side perimeter of the coffee pod carrier.