Beverage maker with intermittent beverage liquid dispenser and apparatus and method for uniform contact of brew ingredient with brew

In a beverage brewer having a heating means, a brewing liquid storage means and a housing therefor, the improvement being a dispensing system, comprising:

• a beverage ingredient holder with a brewing liquid receiving inlet;
• a dispenser assembly with means for automatically, intermittently, delivering brewing liquid into the beverage ingredient holder on a controlled basis during an dispensing period of a brewing cycle,
• said dispenser including
• a dispenser head assembly with a field of substantially uniformly spaced apart dispensing holes of substantially the same size located in coextensive overlying relationship with respect to the brewing liquid receiving inlet opening of the beverage ingredient holder, and
• a substantially closed body with the field of dispenser holes defining a bottom of the body and a wall spaced oppositely from the field of dispenser holes supporting a brewing a liquid inlet;
• a stream deflector, and
• means for mounting the stream deflector in a blocking position between the brewing liquid inlet and the field of dispenser holes.

In a beverage brewer having a heating means, a brewing liquid storage means and a housing therefor, the improvement being a dispensing system, comprising:

• a beverage ingredient holder with a brewing liquid receiving inlet;
• and
• a dispenser assembly with means for automatically, intermittently, delivering brewing liquid into the beverage ingredient holder on a controlled basis during an dispensing period of a brewing cycle,
• means for preselecting a length of time for the dispensing period, and
• means for selectively varying the total amount of brewing liquid delivered to the ingredient holder during the dispensing period of preselected length by varying the duration of the intermittent periods of delivery during the dispensing period of the brewing cycle.

In a beverage brewer having a heating means, a brewing liquid storage means and a housing therefor, the improvement being a dispensing system, comprising:

• a beverage ingredient holder with a brewing liquid receiving inlet;
• and
• a dispenser assembly with means for automatically, intermittently, delivering brewing liquid into the beverage ingredient holder on a controlled basis during an dispensing period of a brewing cycle,
• means for dividing the dispensing period into a plurality of control periods each having a duration on the order of fifteen seconds, and
• means for delivering brewing liquid during a portion of each of the control periods during the dispensing period.

In a beverage brewer having a heating means, a brewing liquid storage means and a housing therefor, the improvement being a method of dispensing, comprising the steps of:

• locating a beverage ingredient holder in position for receipt of brewing liquid;
• and
• automatically, intermittently, delivering brewing liquid into the beverage ingredient holder on a controlled basis during a dispensing period of a brewing cycle with an intermittently delivering means including a dispenser valve by a step of
• controlling, with a dispenser valve controller, the dispenser valve for automatically, intermittently, delivering the brewing liquid into the beverage ingredient holder during the dispensing period of the brewing cycle by performing the substeps of
• dividing the dispensing period into a plurality of dispensing control periods,
• establishing a duty portion for at least some of the plurality of dispensing control periods, and
• actuating the dispenser valve to pass the brewing liquid to the beverage ingredient holder only during the preselected duty portion of each of the plurality of dispensing control periods.

In a beverage brewer having a heating means, a brewing liquid storage means and a housing therefor, the improvement being a method of dispensing, comprising the steps of:

• locating a beverage ingredient holder with a brewing liquid receiving inlet in a location for receipt of brewing liquid;
• and
• automatically, intermittently, delivering brewing liquid into the beverage ingredient holder on a controlled basis during a dispensing period of a brewing cycle with a dispenser assembly,
• said dispenser assembly including
• a dispenser head assembly with
• a field of substantially uniformly spaced apart dispensing holes of substantially the same size located in coextensive overlying relationship with respect to the brewing liquid receiving inlet opening of the beverage ingredient holder, and
• a substantially closed body with the field of dispenser holes defining a bottom of the body and a wall spaced oppositely from the field of dispenser holes supporting a brewing liquid inlet, a stream deflector, and means for mounting the stream deflector in a blocking position between the brewing liquid inlet and the field of dispenser holes;
• and
• said step of delivering includes the step of delivering the brewing liquid in a stream to the stream deflector for deflection by the stream deflector.

In a beverage brewer having a heating means, a brewing liquid storage means and a housing therefor, the improvement being a method of dispensing, comprising the steps of:

• locating a beverage ingredient holder with a receiving inlet for receipt of brewing liquid at a receiving inlet;
• automatically, intermittently, delivering brewing liquid into the beverage ingredient holder on a controlled basis during a dispensing period of a brewing cycle with a dispenser assembly by the substeps of
• preselecting a length of time for the dispensing period, and
• selectively varying the total amount of brewing liquid delivered to the ingredient holder during the dispensing period of preselected length by varying the duration of the intermittent periods of delivery during the dispensing period of the brewing cycle.

In a beverage brewer having a heating means, a brewing liquid storage means and a housing therefor, the method of dispensing, comprising the steps of:

• locating a beverage ingredient holder with a brewing liquid receiving inlet for receipt of brewing liquid;
• receiving brewing liquid into a beverage ingredient holder with a brewing liquid receiving inlet;
• and
• automatically, intermittently, delivering brewing liquid into the beverage ingredient holder on a controlled basis during an dispensing period of a brewing cycle with a dispenser assembly by the substeps of
• dividing the dispensing period into a plurality of control periods each having a duration on the order of fifteen seconds, and
• delivering brewing liquid during a portion of each of the control periods during the dispensing period.