Method for brewing a beverage

• US 9,591,862 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2014
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blossom Coffee Inc.
• Original Assignee: Blossom Coffee Inc.
• Inventors: Kuempel, Jeremy, Walliser, Matt
• Primary Examiner(s): WEIER, ANTHONY J
• Application Number:
  US14/541,045
• Publication Number:
  US 20150201796A1
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A23F 5/262 the extraction liquid flows through a stationary bed of solid substances, e.g. in percolation columns
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/36 with mechanical pressure-producing means
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/52 Alarm-clock-controlled mechanisms for coffee- or tea-making apparatus ; Timers for coffee- or tea-making apparatus; Electronic control devices for coffee- or tea-making apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/521 the electronic control being performed over a network, e.g. by means of a computer or a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/525 the electronic control being based on monitoring of specific process parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/5251 of pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/5253 of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/5255 of flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 31/56 having water-level controls; having temperature controls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

One variation of an apparatus for brewing a beverage includes: a reservoir containing fluid; a boiler including a heating element and a fluid pickup, a portion of the boiler arranged vertically below the reservoir; a brew chamber, a portion of the brew chamber arranged vertically above the boiler; a first contactless valve operable in a first mode and in a second mode, the first contactless valve open in the first mode to communicate fluid from the reservoir into the boiler and closed in the second mode; a second contactless valve operable in the first mode and in the second mode, the second contactless valve open in the first mode to vent gas from the boiler and closed in the second mode; and an air pump configured to displace air into the boiler in the second mode to displace fluid from the boiler, via the fluid pickup, into the brew chamber.

Claims

1. A method for brewing a beverage at a brewing apparatus, the method comprising:

retrieving a brew recipe for a brew cycle based on a selection for the brew recipe;

calculating a pump duration based on a target fluid volume specified in the brew recipe;

opening a first valve arranged between a reservoir and a boiler to dispense fluid from the reservoir into the boiler;

closing the first valve in response to receipt of an output from a fluid level sensor within the boiler indicating achievement of a target fluid level within the boiler, the target fluid level specified in the brew recipe;

actuating a first heating element thermally coupled to the boiler to heat fluid within the boiler;

closing a second valve, the second valve coupled to an exhaust port of the boiler by a first fluid conduit;

pumping gas into the boiler for the pump duration to dispense heated fluid from the boiler, through a second fluid conduit, into a brew chamber in response to receipt of an output from a temperature sensor thermally coupled to the boiler indicating achievement of a target brew temperature within the boiler, the target brew temperature specified in the brew recipe; and

actuating a second heating element thermally coupled to the brew chamber to maintain fluid within the brew chamber at the target brew temperature.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the brew recipe for the brew cycle comprises retrieving the brew recipe in response to a selection for the brew recipe from a set of brew recipes presented through a user interface integrated into the brewing apparatus.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising initiating a timer for a brew duration specified in the brew recipe in response to dispensation of the target volume of fluid into the brew chamber and presenting a visual prompt within the user interface to dispense fluid from the brew chamber in response to expiration of the timer.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising retrieving a portafilter specification from the brew recipe and delivering a prompt, through the user interface, to install a portafilter consistent with the portafilter specification into the brewing apparatus prior to initiation of the brew cycle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the pump duration comprises calculating the pump duration based on an output of the temperature sensor and a target final volume of the brewed beverage.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein closing the first valve comprises driving a plunger into an elastic tube fluidly coupling the reservoir to the boiler to obstruct fluid flow from the reservoir into the boiler;

and wherein opening the first valve comprises retracting the plunger to open the elastic tube to enable fluid to drain from the reservoir into the boiler.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein actuating the second heating element comprises sampling a second temperature sensor thermally coupled to the brew chamber and implementing closed loop feedback control to cycle power to the second heating element based on outputs of the second temperature sensor and the target brew temperature.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein pumping air into the boiler comprises actuating an electromechanical pump to pump ambient air into the boiler for the pump duration with the first valve closed and the second valve closed to dispense approximately the target fluid volume of heated fluid into the brew chamber;

and further comprising opening the second valve to exhaust gas from the boiler to ambient in response to expiration of the pump duration.