Beverage maker for use in automotive vehicles

In a beverage maker system for installation and use in automotive vehicles including:

• a water heating chamber including means for receiving a quantity of water;
• means for heating said water chamber and the water contained therein;
• a beverage-brewing chamber including beverage making material in a quantity sufficient when acted upon by hot water to make one or more cups of hot beverage and bottom aperture means for dispensing hot beverage from said chamber;
• conduit means for directing the flow of heated water from said water chamber to said beverage-brewing chamber;
• means for initiating and controlling the heating of water in said water chamber to a predetermined temperature and for controlling the flow of heated water through said conduit means to said beverage-brewing chamber;
• and a beverage drinking cup positionable within said beverage maker system for receiving hot beverage dispensed from the beverage-brewing chamber, an improved beverage-brewing chamber comprising:
• (a) an upper brewing chamber area for receiving heated water from the water heater chamber via said conduit means and a lower brewing chamber area for receiving a disposable brew basket
• (b) a disposable brew basket within said lower brewing chamber area, said brew basket including a top wall having a peripheral edge portion and a central top opening for receiving heated water from said upper chamber area, an annular side wall, and a bottom wall having a multiplicity of fluid flow perforations;
• (c) a filter-like pouch located within said brew basket and containing said beverage making material, the bottom wall of said brew basket includes closure means for seating in and closing the bottom aperture means of the beverage-brewing chamber;
• and
• (d) shape-memory members of initially reduced height located within said lower brewing chamber area below said brew basket, positioned around the closure means of said brew basket, and in contact with the bottom wall thereof, said shape-memory members being expandable in height upon being heated to a predetermined temperature by hot beverage flowing from the fluid flow perforations in the bottom wall of said brew basket whereby said bottom wall is lifted by said members and the closure means thereof is unseated from the aperture means of said beverage-brewing chamber thereby permitting the flow of hot beverage from said chamber to said beverage drinking cup.