US 5,265,517 AGranted

Method and apparatus for brewing coffee

AssigneeIndustria Columbiana de Electronicos y Electrodomesticos, Incelt S.A. of Carrera

InventorJack J. Gilbert

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Abstract

Disclosed is a coffee brewing apparatus and method for brewing coffee which employs a rotating basket and other appropriate support structure The rotating basket is subjected to centrifugal acceleration and water containing caffeol is selectively extracted from water and ground coffee present in the basket. The water and caffeol extracted from the ground coffee exits from the basket through a plurality of ports disposed around the circumference thereof, is directed through a discharge passageway and is collected in a receptacle. In accordance with the method a preselected amount of ground coffee is introduced into the basket which is subjected to centrifugal acceleration. A preselected amount of water at a predetermined temperature is added to the basket in order to form a coffee grounds-water mixture and an aqueous solution containing caffeol but not the coffee grounds is selectively removed from the basket through the plurality of circumferential ports located in the wall of the basket. Centrifugal acceleration is continued until essentially all of the aqueous solution present in the basket has been separated from the ground coffee, removed from the basket and collected in the receptacle.

Claims21

Dependent claims

In a coffee brewing apparatus including a support structure for supporting means for receiving brewed coffee from a coffee brewing means provided with a predetermined amount of coffee to be brewed and which is in communication with said receiving means, water heating and feeding means for delivery of a predetermined amount of heated water at a predetermined temperature to said brewing means and control means for sequentially energizing and de-energizing said heating and feeding means, the improvement comprising:

(a) a housing having a base member and an upwardly-extending wall attached to said base member which define a chamber;
(b) a substantially cylindrical basket means having a base member and a frustro-conically shaped wall attached to and extending upwardly from said base member at a preselected angle relative to the central axis of said basket means and terminating in an outwardly extending upper edge forming a drive rim, a plurality of ports disposed around the circumference of said frustro-conically shaped wall in the vicinity of the upper portion thereof and substantially equidistant from said base member, said basket means being removably and rotatably mounted in spaced relationship in said chamber of said housing and substantially coaxially aligned with said housing, the walls of said housing and said basket defining an annular space forming a discharge passageway which communicates at one end with said ports and at the other end with said means for receiving brewed coffee said basket means including means for shrouding part or all of said ports and deflecting in a downward direction water and water containing caffeol exiting said ports, said shrouding and deflecting means being disposed in said discharge passageway in the vicinity of the level of said ports;
and
(c) stabilizing means located in the bases of said housing and said basket means and in the vicinity of the upper edge of said basket means for stabilizing said basket means in the x, y and z directions during rotation thereof around its central axis, said stabilizing means located in the vicinity of the upper edge of said basket, including drive means for rotating said basket means, and said control means being adapted to sequentially or simultaneously energize and de-energize said drive means and rotate said basket means around its central axis at a preselected speed to a preselected centrifugal acceleration in coordination with the feeding and heating of water introduced to said coffee brewing means.

1 more element

A coffee brewing apparatus comprising:

(a) support structure including a base having a horizontal platform extending into a vertical support arm;
(b) a liquid reservoir connected to the base, said liquid reservoir having an inlet for receiving liquid, the inlet located in an upper portion of the liquid reservoir;
(c) a circular housing having a base member and an upwardly extending frustro-conical wail attached to said base member which define a chamber, said housing pivotally and removably mounted on an upper portion of said vertical support arm and having one or more discharge outlets axially spaced from the central axis thereof and located in the base thereof, and a drive journal pin integrally formed in said base member in vertical alignment with said central axis thereof and extending into said chamber;
(d) a circular basket having a base member portion and a frustro-conically shaped wall attached to and extending upwardly from said base member, said wall being disposed at an angle of about 8.degree. to about 10.degree. relative to the central axis of said basket, said basket being removably and rotatably mounted on an upper portion of the pin of said housing and centrally disposed within said housing when so mounted, the basket being capable of holding a preselected amount of coffee grounds therewithin, the basket further having a circumferential drive rim which extends outwardly and downwardly from the upper outer wall of the basket and forms a skirt;
(e) means for heating water to a predetermined temperature below its boiling point, one end of said means being in communication with said liquid reservoir and the other end being in communication with said basket;
(f) a motor pivotally mounted on an upper portion of said vertical support arm, said motor having a friction involute drive wheel extending axially therefrom on which has an outer flat surface located substantially perpendicular to said basket, said drive wheel being in engagement with said drive rim, rotation of said drive wheel causing said basket to rotate around its central axis at a preselected rotational speed;
(g) control means for simultaneously energizing and de-energizing said water heating means and said motor and for delivering a predetermined amount of hot water from said water heating means to said basket, after said drive wheel rotates said basket, connected thereto;
(h) means for filtering comprising a plurality of circumferential ports located in an upper portion of said basket which have a preselected cross-sectional area and for separating water and water containing caffeol from said coffee grounds and which permit the passage of said water and water containing caffeol through said ports while retaining coffee grounds within said basket, the preselected cross-sectional area of the filter means controlling the residence time of water and water to centrifugal acceleration during rotation of said basket;
(i) the exterior surface of the wall of said basket and the surface of the interior wall of said housing being spaced apart and forming an annular discharge passageway therebetween terminating at one end near the lower portions of both said housing and said basket;
and
(j) a removable receptacle located below said housing in communication with said annular discharge passageway.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 07/774,077Filed 9 Oct 1991
Granted: 30 Nov 1993
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

A47J 31/22
Apparatus for making beverages: centrifuges for producing filtered coffee
A23F 5/26
Extraction of coffee ; Coffee extracts ; Making instant coffee: extraction of water soluble constituents
A47J 31/002
Apparatus for making beverages: following a specific operational sequence, e.g. for improving the taste of the extraction product
A47J 31/0573
With water container separated from beverage container, the hot water passing the filter only once i.e. classical type of drip coffee makers: with…