Beverage maker and method of making beverage

In a hot beverage maker having a supply of hot water to be selectively drawn through a dispensing system for mixing with a beverage ingredient, the improvement being a method of selectively dispensing said hot water to reduce the formation of solid deposits in said dispensing system which are evaporated out of said hot water, comprising the steps of:

• providing a supply tank with a substantially fixed level of hot water therein,
• dispensing said hot water from the supply tank at a substantially uniform rate through a smooth open free flowing tube by submerging an open, movable end thereof below the substantially fixed level of the liquid hot water supply tank and withdrawing water through a freely open, fixed end of the tube outside the supply tank;
• terminating the dispensing of hot water through the tube by automatically raising the open movable end above the surface of the hot water after a preselected time period;
• and
• removing water from the entire tube by holding at least a portion of the tube at an angle having a vertical component to cause gravity to drain residual water out through the open fixed end of the tube outside of the supply tank while keeping the fixed end freely open to atmosphere.

In a beverage maker having a supply tank for a liquid ingredient and a dry ingredient holder, the improvement being a system for conveying the liquid ingredient through the dry ingredient, comprising:

• means for removing liquid from the supply tank at a uniform preselected rate, and
• including means for maintaining the surface of the liquid in the supply tank at a preselected level relative to that of the dispenser outlet opening including a dispenser outlet opening at a preselected level in said supply tank;
• and
• a pressure isolation drain chamber open to atmosphere for receipt at said preselected rate and temporary collection of the liquid before passing it to the dry ingredient holder, said drain chamber having an upper portion for free flowing receipt through air of a stream of liquid from the supply tank and a lower portion with a drain hole for downwardly passing the liquid received at the top to the dry ingredient holder at a rate relative to the preselected rate that said stream of liquid temporarily collected is received in the upper portion to maintain the level of liquid therein beneath said upper portion,
• said drain chamber having a configuration for a selected minimum drain rate at which it passes liquid to the solid ingredient holder that is substantially not less than said uniform rate of removal from the supply tank;
• and
• means for maintaining said uniform rate including
• a freely open outlet tube through which the liquid from the supply tank is selectively passed to the drain chamber, and
• means for draining the outlet tube of liquid when not passing liquid from the supply tank to prevent the formalin of deposits within said outlet tube including
• means for blocking the entry of liquid into the tube, and
• means for holding at least a portion of the tube in at least a partially vertical orientation to cause gravity to drain residual liquid out from the tube when entry of liquid into the tube is prevented by said blocking means.

In a beverage maker having a supply tank for liquid ingredient, a mixing nozzle for conducting liquid from the supply tank to a mixing location where it is dispensed through and mixed with a dry beverage ingredient within a holder and a beverage strength control by-pass valve assembly for conducting liquid to a by-pass location where it is dispensed into the holder without passing through and mixing with the dry beverage ingredient, the improvement being a pressure isolating, drain assembly, comprising:

• a drain chamber having an upper portion with an inlet for receipt of liquid from the supply tank and a lower portion for temporary collection of the liquid before passing the collected liquid to the mixing nozzle;
• means for isolating the head pressure of the supply tank liquid from the temporary collection of liquid in the drain chamber including means for holding the surface level of the temporary collection of liquid in the drain chamber below the inlet in the upper portion to cause the liquid from the supply tank to be received into the upper portion as a stream through air including a level control member with a level control port located at a level intermediate the inlet in the upper portion of the drain chamber and the lower portion adjacent the mixing nozzle for passing additional liquid collected in the lower portion to the mixing locating when the surface of the temporary collection of liquid rises to the level of the level control port;
• and
• means for connecting said beverage strength control by-pass valve assembly to said lower portion to draw liquid from said temporary collection of liquid in the lower portion of the drain chamber.