Machine for brewing a beverage such as coffee and related method
First Claim
1. A machine for brewing a beverage, the machine comprising:
- a chamber operable to receive a liquid and a flavor base and to allow the beverage to brew; and
a piston assembly disposed within the chamber and operable to;
filter a solid from the brewed beverage by moving in a first direction; and
force the filtered beverage out of the chamber by moving in a second direction, wherein the piston assembly comprises;
a filter assembly; and
a valve that is operable to;
allow the brewed beverage to pass through the filter assembly as the piston assembly moves in the first direction; and
prevent the filtered beverage from passing through the filter assembly as the piston assembly moves in the second direction,wherein the chamber has a bottom and a beverage-dispensing conduit disposed in the bottom;
the piston assembly moves away from the chamber bottom while moving in the first direction; and
the piston assembly moves toward the chamber bottom while moving in the second direction.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An embodiment of a machine for brewing a beverage such as coffee includes a chamber and a piston assembly disposed in the chamber. The chamber is operable to receive a liquid such as water and a flavor base such as ground coffee, and to allow the beverage to brew from a mixture of the liquid and the base. The piston assembly is operable to filter a solid such as spent coffee grounds from the brewed beverage by moving in a first direction, and to force the filtered beverage out of the chamber by moving in a second direction. By modifying or automating some or all steps of the French press brewing technique, such a machine may control one or more of the brewing parameters with a level of precision that yields brewed coffee having a uniform taste from cup to cup. Furthermore, such a machine may brew the coffee with a speed that renders the machine suitable for use by establishments that serve significant amounts of coffee.
-
Citations
18 Claims
-
1. A machine for brewing a beverage, the machine comprising:
-
a chamber operable to receive a liquid and a flavor base and to allow the beverage to brew; and a piston assembly disposed within the chamber and operable to; filter a solid from the brewed beverage by moving in a first direction; and force the filtered beverage out of the chamber by moving in a second direction, wherein the piston assembly comprises; a filter assembly; and a valve that is operable to; allow the brewed beverage to pass through the filter assembly as the piston assembly moves in the first direction; and prevent the filtered beverage from passing through the filter assembly as the piston assembly moves in the second direction, wherein the chamber has a bottom and a beverage-dispensing conduit disposed in the bottom;
the piston assembly moves away from the chamber bottom while moving in the first direction; and
the piston assembly moves toward the chamber bottom while moving in the second direction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A machine for brewing a beverage, the machine comprising:
-
a chamber operable to receive a liquid and a flavor base and to allow the beverage to brew; and a piston assembly disposed within the chamber and operable to; filter a solid from the brewed beverage by moving in a first direction; and force the filtered beverage out of the chamber by moving in a second direction, wherein the piston assembly comprises; a filter assembly; and a valve that is operable to; allow the brewed beverage to pass through the filter assembly as the piston assembly moves in the first direction; and prevent the filtered beverage from passing through the filter assembly as the piston assembly moves in the second direction; a holder operable to hold a beverage cup; and wherein the piston assembly is operable to dispense the beverage into the cup.
-
-
17. A machine for brewing a beverage, the machine comprising:
-
a chamber operable to receive a liquid and a flavor base and to allow the beverage to brew; and a piston assembly disposed within the chamber and operable to; filter a solid from the brewed beverage by moving in a first direction; and force the filtered beverage out of the chamber by moving in a second direction, wherein the piston assembly comprises; a filter assembly; and a valve that is operable to; allow the brewed beverage to pass through the filter assembly as the piston assembly moves in the first direction; and prevent the filtered beverage from passing through the filter assembly as the piston assembly moves in the second direction; a holder operable to hold a beverage cup; a sensor operable to indicate whether the beverage cup is in the holder; and wherein the piston assembly is operable to force the beverage out of the chamber and into the beverage cup if the sensor indicates that the cup is in the holder.
-
-
18. A machine for brewing a beverage, the machine comprising:
-
a chamber operable to receive a liquid and a flavor base and to allow the beverage to brew, wherein the chamber has a wall; a piston assembly disposed within the chamber and operable to; filter a solid from the brewed beverage by moving in a first direction; and force the filtered beverage out of the chamber by moving in a second direction; and a heating assembly coupled to the wall and operable to maintain the wall at a predetermined temperature.
-
Specification