Coffee making apparatus

Abstract

A brewing apparatus for infusing compacted ground coffee in a grounds cup at a brewing station with heated water under pressure. At a brewing station, a piston head with an active seal that is spaced from the grounds cup wall during motion, extends into the grounds cup. When the piston head begins to compact the ground coffee it activates the seal to form a sealed upper end of a brewing chamber. Hot water is admitted to the brewing chamber to produce the coffee. When the brewing cycle is completed, the piston head displaces further to force additional coffee from the grounds. Then the piston head retracts to allow the infusion chamber assembly to be removed for cleaning.

1 . Apparatus for brewing beverages including a housing and means for supplying a liquid to an infusible material under pressure thereby to produce a beverage, said apparatus comprising: 
 A) infusion chamber means supported by said housing including a side wall, an open top and a perforated bottom for receiving the infusible material,    B) piston means supported by said housing for being displaced into said infusion chamber means, said piston means including means for directing the liquid from the liquid supply means to the infusible material,    C) active sealing means mounted on said piston means intermediate said piston means and side wall means, said active sealing means including a seal, means for displacing said seal into an expanded state wherein said seal contacts said side wall when said piston means compacts the infusible material whereby said piston means and infusion chamber means form a brewing chamber in which the material is infused.    
   
   
       2 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 1  wherein said infusion chamber means includes: 
 i) grounds cup means for receiving the infusible material and including said perforated bottom and a cylindrical side wall as said side wall, and    ii) grounds cup holder means for supporting said grounds cup means in the housing in alignment with said piston means.    
   
   
       3 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 2  including complementary means for removably supporting said grounds cup means in said grounds cup holder means.  
   
   
       4 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 2  wherein said piston means includes piston head means for compressing the infusible material in said grounds cup means.  
   
   
       5 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 4  wherein said cylindrical side wall has a height that is at least equal to the depth of the infusible material in said grounds cup means plus an amount that enables said piston head means to achieve a sealing relationship about said cylindrical side wall.  
   
   
       6 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 4  wherein said perforated bottom constitutes a central sieve and includes at least one annular tapered section supporting said central sieve from said cylindrical wall.  
   
   
       7 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 1  wherein said piston means includes: 
 i) a piston rod    ii) drive means for moving said piston rod between retracted and extended positions, and    iii) piston head means attached to said piston rod including said active sealing means for compressing the infusible material in said infusion chamber.    
   
   
       8 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 7  wherein said displacement means includes spaced top and bottom disks and intermediate biasing means for applying a force thereto whereby said top and bottom disks are displaced away from each other and said active sealing means is in its radially contracted state.  
   
   
       9 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 8  wherein said bottom disk includes a labyrinth facing said brewing chamber and said piston includes a perforated disk overlying said labyrinth thereby to distribute the liquid evenly over the infusible material during brewing.  
   
   
       10 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 9  wherein said seal in said active sealing means includes a peripheral sealing portion for sealing the periphery of said perforated disk and said bottom disk to confined liquid to emerge from said piston head means into the infusible material through said perforated disk.  
   
   
       11 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 1  wherein said seal in said active sealing means includes an annular flexible body portion with a first and second lip means and a peripheral skirt for forming a seal with said infusion chamber means in a radially expanded state of said sealing means.  
   
   
       12 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 11  wherein said piston means includes spaced top and bottom disks and intermediate biasing means for applying a force thereto whereby said top and bottom disks are displaced away from each other, said top and bottom disks having first and second attachment means for attaching to said first and second lip means, respectively, whereby said sealing means supports said bottom disk from said top disk and whereby compressing said bottom disk against said top disk displaces said seal to the radially expanded state.  
   
   
       13 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 12  wherein said seal includes a skirt portion extending from the periphery of said annular flexible body portion.  
   
   
       14 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 13  wherein said piston means additionally includes guiding means for aligning said piston means with said infusion chamber means thereby to protect said skirt from damage when said piston means moves in said infusion chamber means.  
   
   
       15 . Apparatus for brewing coffee by infusing ground coffee with hot water under pressure comprising: 
 A) a housing,    B) means for defining a brewing station in said housing,    C) a infusion chamber assembly for being inserted into said housing at said brewing station, said infusion chamber assembly carrying the ground coffee and having dispensing port means for dispensing brewed coffee,    D) piston means mounted to said housing proximate said brewing station for compressing the ground coffee in said infusion chamber assembly in an extended state.    E) active sealing means formed with said piston means, said piston means including means for moving said active sealing means between a radially contracted state wherein said sealing means is spaced from said infusion chamber assembly and a radially expanded state wherein said sealing means forms a seal between said piston means and said infusion chamber assembly, and    D) means for supplying hot water under pressure to said infusion chamber assembly when the sealing means is in the radially expanded state and said piston means has compressed the ground coffee.    
   
   
       16 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 15  wherein said water Supply means includes: 
 i) a water reservoir for containing water to be brewed,    ii) a pump for pressurizing the water for delivery to said infusion chamber assembly,    iii) a boiler for heating the water, and iv) means for interconnecting said water reservoir, pump and boiler in an operative relationship thereby to supply heated water to said infusion chamber assembly under pressure.    
   
   
       17 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 16  including a control panel and control means responsive to the inputs from said control panel and said water supply means for controlling the movement of said piston means relative to said infusion chamber assembly.  
   
   
       18 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 17  wherein said piston means includes electric drive means and said control means includes means for controlling the energization of said electric drive means.  
   
   
       19 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 17  wherein said control means includes means for controlling the temperature and quantity of the water from said water supply means.  
   
   
       20 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 15  wherein said piston means includes a piston head with a bottom disk having a lower labyrinth and with a perforated disk overlying said labyrinth whereby heated water under pressure passes through said labyrinth and perforated disk to infuse the ground coffee, said bottom disk including means for conveying the heated water under pressure to said labyrinth.  
   
   
       21 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 15  wherein said active sealing means includes a seal with an annular body portion and an outer skirt that forms a continuous seal around the periphery of said infusion chamber assembly.  
   
   
       22 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 15  wherein said housing includes means for defining a brewing station and said infusion chamber assembly includes: 
 i) a grounds cup holder with means for being supported in said housing at said brewing station including said dispensing port means, and    ii) a grounds cup having a cylindrical side wall and perforated bottom for passing brewed coffee to said grounds cup holder dispensing port, said active sealing means in its radially expanded state forming an upper limit of the brewing chamber.    
   
   
       23 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 22  wherein said active sealing means includes a seal with an annular body portion and an outer, downwardly extending skirt whereby said skirt contacts said grounds cup cylindrical wall to form a continuous seal around the circumference of said grounds cup when said seal is in its expanded state.  
   
   
       24 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 23  wherein said piston means includes top and bottom disks with an intermediate spring for biasing said top and bottom disks apart, said top and bottom disks being attached to upper and lower portions, respectively, of said seal whereby continued extension of said piston means into ground coffee in said grounds cup overcomes the bias of said spring thereby to decrease the separation between said top and bottom disks and cause said sealing means to expand radially into said grounds cup cylindrical wall.  
   
   
       25 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 14  wherein said housing includes: 
 i) means for defining a fill station,    ii) means for supporting said infusion chamber assembly in said fill station,    ii) means for dispensing ground coffee into said infusion chamber assembly at said fill station whereby the infusion chamber assembly with the ground coffee can be transferred from said fill station to said brewing station.    
   
   
       26 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 25  wherein said ground coffee dispensing means includes: 
 a) a grinder for grinding coffee beans, and    b) a hopper for directing coffee beans into said grinder.    
   
   
       27 . In a beverage brewing apparatus including an infusion chamber with a cylindrical side wall and a piston head movable within said infusion chamber to a brewing position, an active seal for generating a seal between said piston head and said side wall, said piston head comprising: 
 A) a first disk,    B) a second disk,    C) a peripheral seal having a central body portion and first and second means for attachment to said first and second disks, respectively, whereby said peripheral seal acts as a flexible coupling between said first and second disks, said peripheral seal having a third portion for engaging said cylindrical side wall when said first and second disks are compressed thereby to form a seal with the infusion chamber.    
   
   
       28 . An active seal as recited in  claim 27  including means for biasing said first and second disks apart whereby said peripheral seal is spaced from said side wall.  
   
   
       29 . An active seal as recited in  claim 28  wherein said central body portion has a C-shape that radially expands when the first and second disks overcome said biasing means and the distance between said disks decreases.  
   
   
       30 . An active seal as recited in  claim 29  wherein said peripheral seal includes a skirt about the periphery of said central body portion for contacting the surface of said infusion chamber in the expanded state of said active seal.  
   
   
       31 . Apparatus for brewing beverages including means for supplying a liquid to an infusible material under pressure thereby to produce a beverage, said apparatus comprising: 
 A) a housing with support means at a brewing station,    B) removable reusable infusion chamber means slidably supported by said housing including a side wall, an open top, and a perforated bottom for receiving the infusible material and engagement means for interacting with said support means whereby said infusion chamber means can be inserted and withdrawn from said brewing station, and    C) piston means supported by said housing for being displaced into said infusion chamber means, said piston means including: 
 i) means for directing the liquid from the liquid supply means to the infusible material, and  
 ii) sealing means intermediate said piston means and side wall means for contacting, said sealing means including a seal, wherein said seal contacts said side wall when said piston means enters said infusion chamber compacts the infusible material whereby said piston means and infusion chamber means thereby to form a brewing chamber in which the material is infused.  
   
   
   
       32 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 31  including means in said housing for detecting an alignment between said infusion chamber means and said piston means.  
   
   
       33 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 32  wherein said support means includes a track for interacting with said engagement means.  
   
   
       34 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 31  wherein said support means includes a track for interacting with said engagement means.  
   
   
       35 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 31  wherein said apparatus includes fill station means for dispensing ground coffee into said infusion chamber means, said fill station means including fill station support means for interacting with said engagement means.  
   
   
       36 . Apparatus as recited in  claim 32  wherein said fill station support means includes a track corresponding to the track at said brewing station thereby to facilitate the transfer of said infusion chamber means between said fill and brewing stations.