Automated home beer brewing machine and method

An automated machine for simplified, low-temperature, single-vessel, home-brewing of beer, said machine comprising:

• a housing having a base portion, an intermediate portion above the base portion, and an upper portion on the intermediate portion, the housing portions cooperatively defining a recess for removably receiving a brew pot and cover, a temperature sensor in the recess for contacting the brew pot in heat transfer relation to sense the temperature of beer wort therein, and the housing on the base portion carrying a hot-plate heater having a heating surface, a power drive for a stirrer, and an incremental-movement power-drive ingredients dispenser;
• a removable brew pot receivable into said recess in cooperation with the housing and on said heating surface in heat transfer relation for heating beer wort in the brew pot;
• a lid for covering the brew pot, said lid defining an aperture through which ingredients may be dispensed into the brew pot from said power-drive ingredients dispenser, said lid carrying a stirrer extending into the brew pot toward but short of a bottom thereof, cooperative drive means connecting the stirrer with the power-drive for a stirrer when said brew pot and cover are received into said recess;
• said housing upper portion carrying said incremental-movement power-drive ingredients dispenser, said ingredients dispenser including plural ingredients containers carried upon a turntable member rotational on said upper housing portion, and incremental power drive means for driving said ingredients dispenser for dispensing ingredients from said ingredients containers into said brew pot via said aperture in response to incremental rotational motion of the turn table member, said power drive means including:
• a reversible motor;
• a gear rotating in respective opposite directions in response to respective forward and reverse operations of said motor;
• a toggle member pivoting between respective first and second positions in response to rotation of said gear in respective opposite directions;
• said toggle member carrying a first pinion meshed with said gear and driving a second pinion;
• said toggle member also carrying a third pinion meshed with said gear, and driving a fourth pinion via a direction-reversing drive, said second pinion and said fourth pinion being spaced circumferentially apart relative to said turn table member;
• said turn table member peripherally defining a gear section divided into plural respective gear sectors by plural circumferentially spaced apart intervening notches having no gear teeth;
• and
• in each of said first and said second positions of said toggle member said second and said fourth pinions respectively meshing with a gear segment of said turn table member to rotate said turn table member in a single direction regardless of direction of operation of said motor until the meshed pinion runs off a gear segment into a notch to stop rotation of said turn table member, continued operation of said motor in the same direction with a pinion in a notch not rotating said turn table member;
• whereby, reversing direction of operation of said motor pivots said toggle member to the other of said first and second positions, and meshes the other of said second and fourth pinions with a gear segment to again rotate said turn table member in said single direction regardless of direction of rotation of said motor;
• and
• a programmable controller for controlling said heater, said first power drive means, and said second power drive means.

An automated machine for home-brewing beer, said machine comprising:

• a housing;
• a heater;
• a stirrer with power drive means;
• an ingredients dispenser;
• a temperature sensor providing a temperature output signal;
• a brew pot in heat transfer relation with both the heater and temperature sensor;
• a lid for covering the brew pot, said lid defining an aperture through which ingredients may be added to the brew pot;
• said ingredients dispenser including plural ingredients containers for dispensing ingredients into said brew pot via said aperture;
• a programmable controller receiving said temperature output signal and controlling said heater in accordance with a programmed procedure for home-brewing beer programmed in the controller.