US 5,638,741 AGranted

Group module for coffee machine

OwnerSalvatore Cisariainventor

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Abstract

A pod group module adapted for attachment to a coffee machine operable for receiving and sealably containing a prefabricated coffee pod and directing the flow of heated water therethrough. A coffee pod consists of a measure of pre-ground coffee beans contained within and enveloped by a water permeable membrane such as a filter paper. The pod group module includes attachment means adapted to mount a pod group module onto a coffee machine. The attachment means includes a flow channel having an intake port which is positioned to receive hot water from a hot water output port on the coffee machine. The pod group module includes a coffee pod receptacle adapted to receive a coffee pod. Activation of a lever-type handle on the pod group module doses and seals the pod receptacle providing a fluid-tight chamber containing the coffee pod. Upon command, heated water issues from the coffee machine's boiler and is conducted, under pressure, through the pod group module's intake pod and into the pressure- and fluid-tight chamber. As the hot water enters the chamber it is dispersed by means of a diffuser to evenly distribute the hot water prior to percolation through the coffee pod. The hot water exits the coffee pod chamber through a continuation of the flow channel in the pod group module. The hot water flowing out of the chamber, containing flavor components extracted from the ground coffee beans during passage through the coffee pod, finally exits the pod group module through a suitable outlet port such as a dispensing spout.

Claims1

Dependent claims

An apparatus comprising a pod group adapted for attachment to a coffee machine, said coffee machine having a hot water outlet port and a hot water supply means operable for providing a controllable flow of hot water through the hot water outlet port upon demand, said apparatus providing means for receiving a coffee pod comprising a measured portion of ground coffee beans enveloped by and contained within a water permeable membrane, and for extracting flavor components from the coffee pod by directing the flow of hot water through the coffee pod and presenting the hot water bearing the extract at a dispensing orifice, said apparatus comprising, in combination:

(a) a mounting plate adapted for releasably and rigidly attaching said apparatus to said coffee machine and having a hot water intake port adapted to provide leak-proof fluid flow communication with said hot water outlet port of said coffee machine when said mounting plate is attached to said coffee machine;
(b) a coffee pod receptacle having a movable lower surface and a stationary upper surface, said coffee pod receptacle providing means operable for receiving and containing said coffee pod, said lower and upper surfaces of said coffee pod receptacle being a upwardly concave recess within the surface of a movable plate and a downwardly concave recess within the surface of a stationary plate respectively;
(c) coffee pod receptacle sealing means operable for forcing said moveable plate and said stationary plate into juxtaposition thereby sealing said coffee pod receptacle;
and
(d) a hot water flow channel providing means operable for conducting the flow of hot water from said hot water intake port into said coffee pod receptacle and for conducting hot water from said coffee pod receptacle to a dispensing orifice.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.