Beverage preparing assemblies

An apparatus for preparing a beverage from an aqueous medium and a particulate beverage material, said apparatus having

• (i) a brewing chamber assembly, said brewing chamber assembly comprising
• a brewing vessel having a floor,
• a compartment having a top wall, and
• a common partitioning wall,
• said common partitioning wall defining said top wall of said compartment and defining said floor of said brewing vessel,
• at least a portion of said common partitioning wall being configured as a filter for the evacuation of beverage from said vessel and being permeable to air,
• said compartment having an opening means for the entry of air thereinto and for the exit of beverage therefrom,
• said compartment having a hopper configuration having a sloped floor for gathering beverage for discharge therefrom by the opening means,
• (ii) supply means for supplying aqueous medium and said particulate beverage material to said brewing vessel,
• (iii) fluid displacement means for forcing air into the brewing vessel through said floor and for withdrawing obtained beverage from the brewing vessel through said floor,
• (iv) control means for controlling the supply means and said fluid displacement means to effect a brewing cycle, said brewing cycle comprising supplying aqueous medium and particulate beverage material to the brewing vessel, forcing air through said floor to agitate a mixture of beverage material and aqueous medium in the brewing vessel and drawing the obtained beverage from the vessel through said floor, and
• (v) a dispensing station for dispensing the obtained beverage characterized in that
• the fluid displacement means comprises a reversible peristaltic pump, said pump being operatively connected on one side thereof to said opening means of said compartment and on the other side thereof to a source of air and to the dispensing station, and
• said control means includes means for selectively activating said peristaltic pump to force air into said brewing vessel through said common wall for air agitation of said mixture and selectively activating said pump for reverse operation for withdrawing beverage from said brewing vessel through said common wall for delivery to said dispensing station.

An apparatus for preparing a beverage from an aqueous medium and a particulate beverage material, said apparatus having

• (i) a brewing chamber assembly, said brewing chamber assembly comprising
• a brewing vessel having a floor,
• a compartment having a top wall, and
• a common partitioning wall,
• said common partitioning wall defining said top wall of said compartment and defining said floor of said brewing vessel,
• at least a portion of said common partitioning wall being configured as a filter for the evacuation of beverage from said vessel and being permeable to air,
• said compartment having an opening means for the entry of air thereinto and for the exit of beverage therefrom,
• said compartment having a hopper configuration having a sloped floor for gathering beverage for discharge therefrom by the opening means,
• (ii) supply means for supplying aqueous medium and said particulate beverage material to said vessel,
• (iii) fluid displacement means for forcing air into the brewing vessel through said floor and for withdrawing obtained beverage from the brewing vessel through said floor,
• (iv) control means for controlling the supply means and said fluid displacement means to effect a brewing cycle, said brewing cycle comprising supplying aqueous medium and particulate beverage material to the brewing vessel, forcing air through said floor to agitate a mixture of beverage material and aqueous medium in the brewing vessel and drawing the obtained beverage form the vessel through said floor, and
• (v) a dispensing station for dispensing the obtained beverage, said apparatus being characterized,
• in that the fluid displacement means comprises a reversible peristaltic pump, said pump being operatively connected on one side thereof to said opening means of said compartment and on the other side thereof to a source of air and to the dispensing station,
• in that said control means includes means for selectively activating said peristaltic pump to force air into said brewing vessel through said common wall for air agitation of said mixture and selectively activating said pump for reverse operation for withdrawing beverage from said brewing vessel through said common wall for delivery to said dispensing station and
• in that said apparatus includes an open ended tubular member displaceable between a first brewing position and a second non-brewing position, the tubular member having a first open end and a second opposite open end, the first open end, when said tubular member is in said first position, abutting said common wall such that the common wall and the tubular member define said brewing vessel, the first open end, when said tubular member is in said second position, being spaced apart from the common wall.