A brewing apparatus for an electric coffee maker, said brewing apparatus comprising:
- a machine base having a front portion and a rear portion;
- a coffee-discharging unit disposed on said front portion of said machine base and including a discharge pipe that Is adapted to discharge brewed coffee therefrom;
- a driving unit disposed on said machine base;
- a hot water-feeding plunger unit disposed horizontally and movably on said machine base and capable of being driven by said driving unit to move on said machine base among a first plunger position, a second plunger position and a third plunger position, said plunger unit being formed with a hot-water outlet that is adapted to discharge hot water therefrom;
- a sleeve unit disposed horizontally and movably on said machine base and capable of being driven by said driving unit to move on said machine base among a first sleeve position, where said plunger unit is disposed at said first plunger position so that an unsealed chamber are defined among said coffee-discharging unit, said plunger unit and said sleeve unit such that ground coffee beans can be fed into said unsealed chamber, a second sleeve position, where said plunger unit is disposed at said second plunger position so that a sealed chamber is defined among said coffee-discharging unit, said plunger unit and said sleeve unit such that the ground coffee beans are received within said sealed chamber, thereby permitting flow of the hot water from said hot-water outlet in said plunger unit into said sealed chamber so as to result in consumed ground coffee in said sealed chamber and brewed coffee that in turn flows into said coffee-discharging unit, and a third sleeve position, where said plunger unit is disposed at said third plunger position so as to separate both said plunger unit and said sleeve unit from said coffee-discharging unit, thereby permitting dropping of the consumed ground coffee from a space between said coffee-discharging unit and assembly of said plunger unit and said sleeve unit;
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- wherein said sleeve unit is disposed behind said coffee-discharging unit and in front of said plunger unit, and includes:
- a cylindrical front sleeve portion having an open front end, which is sleeved on a rear portion of said coffee-discharging unit in such a manner that a liquid-tight seal is established therebetween when said sleeve unit is disposed at said first and second sleeve positions, and which is spaced apart from said coffee-discharging unit so as to be sleeved on a front end of said plunger unit when said sleeve unit is disposed at said third sleeve position, an open rear end sleeved on said front end of said plunger unit in such a manner that a liquid-tight seal is established therebetween when said sleeve unit is disposed at said second sleeve position, said open rear end having a lower portion;
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- a semi-cylindrical rear sleeve portion having a front end, which is formed integrally with said lower portion of said rear end of said front sleeve portion, and a rear end, which is sleeved on said front end of said plunger unit in such a manner that a liquid-tight seal is established therebetween when said sleeve unit is disposed at said first sleeve position.