Machine for brewing a beverage such as coffee and related method
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
A47J-031/00
A23F-005/00
출원번호
UP-0525251
(2006-09-20)
등록번호
US-7673555
(2010-04-21)
발명자
/ 주소
Nosler, Zander
Hulett, Randy
Baum, Mike
Koller, Izaak
Shay, Brian
출원인 / 주소
Starbucks Corporation
대리인 / 주소
Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear, LLP
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
38인용 특허 :
131
초록▼
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
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.
대표청구항▼
What is claimed is: 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
What is claimed is: 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 dispense the filtered beverage from the machine by moving in a second direction. 2. The machine of claim 1, further comprising a controller operable to control the movement of the piston assembly. 3. The machine of claim 1 wherein the chamber and the piston assembly are cylindrical. 4. The machine of claim 1 wherein: the chamber has an end and a beverage-dispensing conduit disposed in the end; the piston assembly moves away from the chamber end while moving in the first direction; and the piston assembly moves toward the chamber end while moving in the second direction. 5. The machine of claim 1 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. 6. The machine of claim 1 wherein: the flavor base comprises coffee grounds; the liquid comprises water; and the solid comprises spent coffee grounds. 7. The machine of claim 1 wherein the piston assembly comprises a filter assembly that is operable to: filter the flavor base from the brewed beverage by passing the brewed beverage from a first portion of the chamber on a first side of the piston assembly to a second portion of the chamber on a second side of piston assembly and by preventing passage of the solid from the first chamber portion to the second chamber portion as the piston assembly moves in the first direction, and dispense the filtered beverage by preventing passage of the filtered beverage from the second chamber portion to the first chamber portion as the piston assembly moves in the second direction. 8. The machine of claim 1 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. 9. The machine of claim 1, further comprising a reservoir operable to hold the liquid, to heat the liquid to a predetermined temperature, and to provide the heated liquid to the chamber. 10. The machine of claim 1, further comprising: a reservoir operable to hold the liquid and to heat the liquid to a first predetermined temperature; and a temperature-control unit operable to receive the heated liquid from the reservoir, to change the temperature of the liquid from the first predetermined temperature to a second predetermined temperature, and to provide the liquid having the second predetermined temperature to the chamber. 11. The machine of claim 1, further comprising: a reservoir operable to hold the liquid and to heat the liquid to a first predetermined temperature; and a temperature-control unit operable to receive the heated liquid from the reservoir, to cool the liquid to a second predetermined temperature, and to provide the cooled liquid to the chamber. 12. The machine of claim 1, further comprising: a holder operable to hold a beverage cup; and wherein the piston assembly is operable to dispense the beverage into the cup. 13. The machine of claim 1, further comprising: 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. 14. The machine of claim 1, further comprising: wherein the chamber has a wall; and a heating assembly coupled to the wall and operable to maintain the wall at a predetermined temperature. 15. The machine of claim 1, further comprising: wherein the chamber has an opening; a substantially flat surface contiguous with the opening; and wherein the piston assembly has a surface and is operable to move into a wipe position where the piston-assembly surface is substantially coplanar with the contiguous surface. 16. The machine of claim 1, further comprising: wherein the chamber has an opening; a substantially flat surface contiguous with the opening; wherein the piston assembly has a surface; and wherein after dispensing the beverage the piston assembly is operable to move into a wipe position where the piston-assembly surface is substantially coplanar with the contiguous surface. 17. The machine of claim 1, further comprising: wherein the chamber has an opening; a substantially flat surface contiguous with the opening; wherein the piston assembly has a surface; and wherein after filtering the beverage but before dispensing the beverage the piston assembly is operable to move into a wipe position where the piston-assembly surface is substantially coplanar with the contiguous surface. 18. The machine of claim 1, further comprising: wherein the chamber has an opening; and a nozzle disposed outside of the chamber adjacent to the opening and operable to provide the liquid to the chamber. 19. The machine of claim 1, further comprising: wherein the chamber has a wall; and an opening in the chamber wall operable to provide the liquid to the chamber. 20. The machine of claim 1, wherein the second direction is opposite to the first direction. 21. A machine for brewing a beverage, the machine comprising: a brew chamber; and a piston assembly slideably disposed within the chamber and including a filter assembly having a plurality of filter layers, and a filter base plate including one or more openings for respectively receiving one or more one-way valves, wherein the filter assembly is coupled to the filter base plate. 22. The machine of claim 21, wherein the one or more valves comprises one or more check valves. 23. The machine of claim 21, wherein each of the one or more valves is flexible. 24. A method, comprising: producing a beverage in a chamber from a flavor base and a liquid; filtering a solid from the beverage by moving a piston in a first direction within the chamber; and dispensing the filtered beverage by moving the piston in a second direction within the chamber. 25. The method of claim 24 wherein producing the beverage comprises brewing coffee in the chamber from ground coffee and water. 26. The method of claim 24 wherein the solid comprises residual flavor base. 27. The method of claim 24 wherein producing the beverage comprises: introducing the flavor base into the chamber; introducing the liquid into the chamber; and stirring the liquid containing the flavor base. 28. The method of claim 24, further comprising wiping a solid residue from the piston into a waste-disposal unit after dispensing the beverage. 29. The method of claim 24, further comprising wiping a solid residue from the piston into a waste-disposal unit after filtering but before dispensing the beverage. 30. The method of claim 24, further comprising: receiving a beverage-producing parameter; and producing the beverage according to the parameter. 31. The method of claim 24, further comprising: electronically receiving a beverage-producing parameter; and producing the beverage according to the parameter. 32. 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, the chamber having an end and a beverage-dispensing conduit disposed at least in part in the end; 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 moves away from the chamber end while moving in the first direction, and wherein the piston assembly moves toward the chamber end while moving in the second direction. 33. 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, the chamber having a bottom and a beverage-dispensing conduit disposed at least in part in the bottom; 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 moves away from the chamber bottom while moving in the first direction, and wherein the piston assembly moves toward the chamber bottom while moving in the second direction. 34. 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; 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 reservoir operable to hold the liquid, to heat the liquid to a predetermined temperature, and to provide the heated liquid to the chamber. 35. 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; 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; a reservoir operable to hold the liquid and to heat the liquid to a first predetermined temperature; and a temperature-control unit operable to receive the heated liquid from the reservoir, to change the temperature of the liquid from the first predetermined temperature to a second predetermined temperature, and to provide the liquid having the second predetermined temperature to the chamber. 36. 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; 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; a reservoir operable to hold the liquid and to heat the liquid to a first predetermined temperature; and a temperature-control unit operable to receive the heated liquid from the reservoir, to cool the liquid to a second predetermined temperature, and to provide the cooled liquid to the chamber. 37. 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; 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 holder operable to hold a beverage cup, wherein the piston assembly is operable to dispense the beverage into the cup. 38. 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; 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; a holder operable to hold a beverage cup; a sensor operable to indicate whether the beverage cup is in the holder, 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. 39. 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, the chamber having 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. 40. 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, the chamber having an opening; 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 substantially flat surface contiguous with the opening, wherein the piston assembly has a surface and is operable to move into a wipe position where the piston assembly surface is substantially coplanar with the contiguous surface. 41. 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, the chamber having an opening; 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 substantially flat surface contiguous with the opening, wherein the piston assembly has a surface, and wherein after forcing the beverage out of the chamber the piston assembly is operable to move into a wipe position where the piston assembly surface is substantially coplanar with the contiguous surface. 42. 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, the chamber having an opening; 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 substantially flat surface contiguous with the opening, wherein the piston assembly has a surface, and wherein after filtering the beverage but before forcing the beverage out of the chamber the piston assembly is operable to move into a wipe position where the piston assembly surface is substantially coplanar with the contiguous surface. 43. 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, the chamber having an opening; 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 nozzle disposed outside of the chamber adjacent to the opening and operable to provide the liquid to the chamber. 44. 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, the chamber having 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 an opening in the chamber wall operable to provide the liquid to the chamber. 45. 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 second direction is opposite to the first direction. 46. A machine for brewing a beverage, the machine comprising: a brew chamber; and a piston assembly slideably disposed within the chamber and including a filter assembly, and a one-way valve, wherein the valve is flexible.
연구과제 타임라인
LOADING...
LOADING...
LOADING...
LOADING...
LOADING...
이 특허에 인용된 특허 (131)
Palozzi Nicola (Woodbridge CAX) Kipiniak Andrew M. (Etobicoke CAX), Additive blending controller.
Hoffman Ronald J. (Solon OH) Pillion Lawrence M. (University Heig OH) Jewell Paul L. (Northfield Cent OH), Apparatus and method for heating water for infusion and the like.
Varga Steve ; Eagle ; III Bryan ; Desmarais Richard ; Cowling Robert ; Lemieux Michael D. ; Hall John, Apparatus and method for improved vending machine inventory maintenance.
Czeck Stephen J. (Shoreview) Hoerning Douglas S. (Crystal) Mehus Richard J. (Minneapolis) Gutzmann Timothy A. (Eagan) Ruhr Richard O. (Buffalo MN), Apparatus and method for mixing and dispensing chemical concentrates at point of use.
Wandrick Lisa C. (Decatur) Hoover George H. (Marietta) Whigham Roger C. (Atlanta) Bearden John H. (Marietta GA), Beverage dispenser with automatic ratio control.
McDonough Robert M. (Hatfield PA) Hanson Thomas E. (Phoenixville PA) Brill Richard H. (Philadelphia PA) Oates Ronald W. (Chalfont PA), Coffee maker with a variable brew strength apparatus.
Lieto Gregory S. (Muskegon MI) Richardson William O. (Grand Haven MI) Kyle Thomas A. (Rothbury MI) Hockman Craig L. (North Canton OH), Direct interface between fuel pump and computer cash/register.
Castor Patrick F. (Naperville IL) Tsau Yung-Chun (Oak Brook IL) Kristiansen Inge B. (Pasadena CA) Nelson John W. (Chicago IL), Distributed data processing system and method utilizing peripheral device polling and layered communication software.
Horne Arthur H. (Salt Lake City UT) Henderson Ralph J. (Salt Lake City UT) Anderson David C. (Deer Valley UT), Inventory, cash, security, and maintenance control apparatus and method for a plurality of remote vending machines.
Warn Walter E. (207 Whitfield St. Knightdale NC 27545) Carr Fred K. (915 Coker Dr. Chapel Hill NC 27514), Liquid dispenser control system interfaced to a cash register.
Thomas,Kevin R.; Cardwell,Donald; Hu,Ruguo, Method and system of setting and/or controlling of a food product dispensing machine using a tag-type communication device.
Ohlrogge Klaus,DEX ; Hasler Carsten,DEX ; Wind Jan,DEX ; Cegla Dieter,DEX ; Steffens Franz Josef,DEX, Method for measuring the concentration of a dissolved gas in a fluid.
Gutwein, Roger William; Connor, Christopher Wade, Methods and systems for utilizing delayed dilution, mixing and filtration for providing customized beverages on demand.
Meier Hermann (Musenweg CHX) Franzolin Jean-Paul (Au Floreal CHX), Piston-cyclinder-assembly for a coffee brewing apparatus and a method of its operation.
Rothgeb, Timothy Michael; Gansle, Kristina Marie Rohal; Joyce, Jonathan Livingston; Jordan, James Madison; Rohwer, Tedd Addison; Lockhart, Randal Ray; Smith, Christopher Lawrence; Trinh, Toan; Cipoll, Sensor device and methods for using same.
Moore Joseph F. (Richmond VA) Kopaskie Mark S. (Chagrin Falls OH) Cook Mark E. (Stow OH) Wanhainen Daniel J. (Newbury OH) Weidman Craig C. (Wooster OH), Single chamber brewing device.
Phillips Paul A. ; O'Brien Ellen Sandor ; Schroeder Alfred A. ; Edwards William A., Soft drink dispensing machine with modular customer interface unit.
Dahmen William A. (Ingleside IL) Lojacono Christopher Paul (Seattle WA) Malec Zbigniew (River Grove IL), System and method for brewing and dispensing a hot beverage.
Turin, Jody L.; Rusek, Jr., Stanley Joseph; Bowne, George A.; Seng, Jocelyn M., System and method for collecting and disseminating household information and for coordinating repair and maintenance services.
Strasser John G. (San Dimas CA) Reymann Joseph (San Dimas CA) Fail John E. (San Dimas CA), System and method for controlling product dispensation utilizing metered valve apparatus and electronic interconnection.
Enelow Michael R. (Miami Lakes FL) Levy Michael (Plantation FL) Porter William P. (Coral Springs FL), System for indicating and controlling dispensing of beverages.
Duffy, Brendan J.; Winkler, Karl T.; Honan, David G.; Taylor, Jon; Stokes, Peter L., System for monitoring and controlling the operation of a single serve beverage brewer.
McLaughlin, James M.; Nguyen, Quan H.; Collier, Christopher D.; Nall, Eileen M.; Marks, Lucas A.; Rebhuhn, Carrie M., Method and apparatus for controlling brewed beverage quality.
Juris, Amanda L.; Hanley, Dervala A.; Cook, Charles B.; Kim, Sung Hoon; Law, William Sauway; Jensen, Joel Frederic; Holcomb, David A.; Gray, Joseph; Sparks, Robert, Method for brewing a beverage.
Peters, Dan; Tran, Son V.; Newman, David R.; Antao, Leonard F.; Slagley, David O.; Kolls, H. Brock, Systems and methods for dispensing consumable products.
Peters, Dan; Tran, Son V.; Newman, David R.; Antao, Leonard F.; Slagley, David O.; Kolls, H. Brock, Systems and methods for dispensing consumable products.
Peters, Dan; Tran, Son V.; Newman, David R.; Antao, Leonard F.; Slagley, David O.; Kolls, H. Brock, Systems and methods for facilitating consumer-dispenser interactions.
Peters, Dan; Tran, Son V.; Newman, David R.; Antao, Leonard F.; Slagley, David O.; Kolls, H. Brock, Systems and methods for facilitating consumer-dispenser interactions.
Peters, Dan; Tran, Son V.; Newman, David R.; Antao, Leonard F.; Slagley, David O.; Kolls, H. Brock, Systems and methods for facilitating consumer-dispenser interactions.
Peters, Dan; Tran, Son V.; Newman, David R.; Antao, Leonard F.; Slagley, David O.; Kolls, H. Brock, Systems and methods for facilitating consumer-dispenser interactions.
Newman, David Roy; Phillips, Paul Anderson, Systems and methods for monitoring and controlling the dispense of a plurality of product forming ingredients.
Carpenter, Gregg; Newman, David R.; Kolls, H. Brock; Tran, Son V., Systems and methods for providing dynamic ingredient matrix reconfiguration in a product dispenser.
※ AI-Helper는 부적절한 답변을 할 수 있습니다.