Beverage maker with adjustable brew chamber

• US 8,028,616 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2004
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Versuni Holding BV
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: East, Shaun Alan, Faneco, Simon James, Van Der Meer, Sijtze
• Primary Examiner(s): ALEXANDER, REGINALD
• Application Number:
  US10/561,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20070137493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,660 Days
• Field of Search: 993/02.R, 992/95, 992/84, 993/04, 993/05, 993/06, 993/07
• US Class Current: 99/284
• 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 31/368 Permeable cartridges being employed
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/4482 Details allowing to adapt the beverage-making apparatus to the size of the brewing vessel or the beverage container, e.g. with adjustable support for the beverage container or adjustable hot water outlet

Abstract

A beverage maker for brewing a beverage from water and a quantity of particle material includes a water supply structure, a brewing chamber downstream of the water supply structure, and a dispensing channel downstream of the brewing chamber. A bounding member is adjustable for adjusting the operational size of the brewing chamber, and an adjustment structure is provided for adjusting said bounding member. The adjustment structure is adjustable in response to the quantity of particles present in said brewing chamber.

Claims

1. A beverage maker for brewing a beverage from water and a quantity of particle material, comprising:

a water supply structure;

a brewing arrangement bounding a brewing chamber downstream of the water supply structure for receiving water supplied by the water supply structure;

said brewing arrangement comprising a bounding member adjustable for adjusting the operational size of the brewing chamber and an adjustment structure for adjusting said bounding member; and

a dispensing channel downstream of the brewing chamber when in an operational condition during the brewing of a beverage;

wherein said adjustment structure automatically adjusts in response to the quantity of particles present in said brewing chamber, wherein at least a portion of said dispensing channel extends through a piston member that extends downwards from said bottom, said piston being part of said adjustment structure.

2. The beverage maker according to claim 1, wherein said adjustment structure further comprises a resilient member for resiliently urging said bounding member against particles or a pad containing particles in said brewing chamber.

3. The beverage maker according to claim 2, further comprising a locking member for locking said bounding member in a position determined by the quantity of particles in said brewing chamber.

4. The beverage maker according to claim 1, wherein the brewing chamber has a cover that is displaceable away from said brewing chamber for allowing access to said brewing chamber, and wherein said bounding member forms at least a portion of the bottom of said brewing chamber.

5. The beverage maker according to claim 4, wherein said cover is operatively connected to said adjustment structure.

6. The beverage maker according to claim 1, wherein said adjustment structure is arranged for displacing said bounding member in inward direction through said chamber from the position of the bounding member adapting the size of said chamber for accommodating a smallest portion or single pad of particles into a particle or pad removal position.

7. The beverage maker according to claim 6, wherein the adjustment structure is arranged for displacing the bounding member into said particle or pad removal position only once between successive brewing operations.

8. The beverage maker according to claim 7, wherein said adjustment structure is arranged for displacing said bounding member into an enlarged particle or pad receiving position between successive brewing operations, and from its pad receiving position directly to its brewing position before each brewing operation, and from its brewing position via said pad removal position to said pad receiving position after each brewing operation.

9. A beverage maker for brewing a beverage from water and a quantity of particle material, comprising:

a water supply structure;

a brewing arrangement bounding a brewing chamber downstream of the water supply structure for receiving water supplied by the water supply structure;

said brewing arrangement comprising a bounding member adjustable for adjusting the operational size of the brewing chamber and an adjustment structure for adjusting said bounding member; and

a dispensing channel downstream of the brewing chamber when in an operational condition during the brewing of a beverage;

wherein said adjustment structure automatically adjusts in response to the quantity of particles present in said brewing chamber, wherein said cover is operatively connected to said adjustment structure, wherein the adjustment structure further comprises a guide structure for guiding a connecting member along a circulatory path in accordance with a reciprocating movement of said cover.

10. The beverage maker according to claim 9, wherein said circulatory path is at least one groove or ridge, that is movable back and forth and is operatively connected to said cover, the adjustment structure being adapted for causing a circulation of said connecting member along said circulating path in one sense of circulation only.

11. The beverage maker according to claim 10, wherein said groove or ridge includes a guide step for causing the circulation of said connecting member along said circulating path to take place in one sense of circulation only.

12. A beverage maker for brewing a beverage from water and a quantity of particle material, comprising:

a water supply structure;

a brewing arrangement bounding a brewing chamber downstream of the water supply structure for receiving water supplied by the water supply structure;

said brewing arrangement comprising a bounding member adjustable for adjusting the operational size of the brewing chamber and an adjustment structure for adjusting said bounding member; and

a dispensing channel downstream of the brewing chamber when in an operational condition during the brewing of a beverage;

wherein said adjustment structure is adjustable in response to the quantity of particles present in said brewing chamber, wherein at least a portion of said dispensing channel extends through a piston member that extends downwards from a bottom portion of said brewing chamber, said piston being part of said adjustment structure.

13. A beverage maker for brewing a beverage from water and a quantity of particle material, comprising:

a water supply structure;

a brewing arrangement bounding a brewing chamber downstream of the water supply structure for receiving water supplied by the water supply structure;

said brewing arrangement comprising a bounding member adjustable for adjusting the operational size of the brewing chamber and an adjustment structure for adjusting said bounding member; and

a dispensing channel downstream of the brewing chamber when in an operational condition during the brewing of a beverage;

wherein said adjustment structure is adjustable in response to the quantity of particles present in said brewing chamber, wherein the brewing chamber has a cover that is displaceable away from said brewing chamber for allowing access to said brewing chamber for placing particles or at least one pad of particles in the brewing chamber, and wherein said bounding member forms at least a portion of the bottom of said brewing chamber, wherein said cover is operatively connected to said adjustment structure, wherein the adjustment structure further comprises a guide structure for guiding a connecting member along a circulatory path in accordance with a reciprocating movement of said cover.

14. The beverage maker according to claim 13, wherein said circulatory path is at least one groove or ridge, that is movable back and forth and is operatively connected to said cover, the adjustment structure being adapted for causing a circulation of said connecting member along said circulating path in one sense of circulation only.

15. The beverage maker according to claim 14, wherein said groove or ridge includes a guide step for causing the circulation of said connecting member along said circulating path to take place in one sense of circulation only.

16. A beverage maker for brewing a beverage from water and a quantity of particle material, comprising:

a water supply structure;

a brewing arrangement bounding a brewing chamber downstream of the water supply structure for receiving water supplied by the water supply structure;

said brewing arrangement comprising an adjustable bottom portion for adjusting the operational size of the brewing chamber and an adjustment structure for adjusting said adjustable bottom portion;

a cover;

a locking member; and

a dispensing channel downstream of the brewing chamber when in an operational condition during the brewing of a beverage;

wherein said adjustable bottom portion automatically adjusts in response to the quantity of particles present in said brewing chamber, and wherein the cover is displaceable away from said brewing chamber for allowing access to said brewing chamber, and wherein the locking member is operable in response to locking the cover in a closed position, to lock the adjustable bottom portion in an adjusted position.

17. The beverage maker according to claim 16, wherein at least a portion of said dispensing channel extends through a piston that is operatively coupled to and extends downwards from the adjustable bottom portion.

18. The beverage maker according to claim 17, comprising a biasing spring, wherein the biasing spring is configured to bias the piston in an upward direction.