Brewed beverage appliance and method

#The present invention relates to brewed beverage appliances and, more particularly, to a brewed beverage appliance adapted to brew coffee from a pre-packaged, disposable container and filter combination.

#Various known coffee making appliances involve adding of coffee beans in one of various forms (i.e., ground or unground) to a container that is part of a machine in which heated water is delivered to the container and passes therethrough. The container typically includes a filtering mechanism so that heated water exiting the container is in the form of brewed coffee. Certain appliances require pre-ground coffee beans to be added in the form of “grounds.” Other appliances are designed to accept whole coffee beans into a hopper or opening and include mechanisms that grind the beans into a ground form and then complete the brewing process. It is sometimes preferred to keep whole beans on hand for making coffee so that the coffee may be ground immediately prior to brewing, as this is believed to produce the freshest tasting coffee beverage. Yet other appliances required use of pods or pre-packaged coffee grounds in a serving-sized filter container to be inserted into the appliance. In such instances, the pre-packaged pods or containers are limited to being filled with ground coffee. Certain pre-packaged containers require placement into a separate filter mechanism in the appliance, while others have built-in filtering mechanisms.

#It is an object of the present invention to provide a beverage making appliance and related method that include the benefits of brewing coffee from whole beans that are ground immediately before brewing and that are contained in a convenient, disposable, single-serving package.

#FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a whole coffee bean pre-packaged filter cup according to the present invention.

#FIG. 2 is a perspective top view of the whole coffee bean pre-packaged filter cup of FIG. 1.

#FIG. 3 is a perspective bottom view of the whole coffee bean pre-packaged filter cup of FIG. 1.

#Referring to FIGS. 1-7, a filter cup 10 for use with an appliance according to the present invention includes a cup 12, a paper/fabric filter 14, a plastic screen 16 and a foil cover 18. The filter 14 prevents coffee grounds and other sediment from exiting the cup 12 during brewing but permits passage of liquid. The cover 18 may be formed from aluminum or other material known in the art, and is preferably heat-sealed or otherwise releasably affixed to the top rim of the cup 10. A plurality of whole coffee beans 20 are enclosed in the space between the foil cover 18 and the plastic screen 16. While FIG. 1 shows coffee beans housed in the filter cup 10, other types of food and substances, such as tea and the like, may be used in similar fashion to that described herein, without departing from the broader aspects of the present invention.

#As further shown in FIG. 1, the cup 12 has an opening 22 at the top thereof, a circumferential sidewall 24 and a floor 26. As best shown in FIGS. 2-7, the floor 26 has a plurality of grooves or channels 28 that direct a flow of fluid to a circular depression or recess 30 having one or more apertures 32. Importantly, the recess 30 is the lowest portion of the cup 10 such that brewed coffee collects in the recess 30 and exits the cup through the apertures 32, as discussed hereinafter. FIG. 7 illustrates the cup 10 in an assembled state and containing coffee beans 20. As shown therein, the paper filter 14 is positioned on the floor 26 of the cup 12. The plastic screen 16 is positioned on top of the paper filter 14 and protects the paper filter 14 from abrasion caused by a grinding blade and/or coffee grounds. Both the paper filter 14 and the screen 16 are circular and sized to be closely received by the circumferential sidewall 24 of the cup at the bottom thereof. As best shown in FIG. 7, the screen 16 may be resilient and resistant to bending such that the screen 16 provides a flat surface in the cup 12 on top of which coffee bean 20 may rest. Importantly, the screen 16 prevents the coffee beans 20 from falling to the floor 26 of the cup 12 (which may be out of reach of a grinding blade) to facilitate optimal grinding by the grinding blade, as discussed in detail hereinafter. As discussed above, the foil cover 18 seals the filter 14, screen 16 and coffee beans 20 inside the cup 12.

#The cup 10 may be stored and transported in a separate sealed package or wrapper for additional freshness and protection, and the apertures 32 in the floor 26 may be covered with, for example, an adhesive label (not shown). In the preferred embodiment, the filter cup 10 is a pre-packaged, single-use, disposable component. Thus, it is sealed by the foil cover 18 in an air-tight manner to preserve freshness and flavor and to protect the coffee beans 20 from moisture and contamination. As discussed above, the filter cup 10 may be sealed by the foil cover 18 and an adhesive label, or may be packaged in a wrapper with or without the adhesive label. In an alternative embodiment, it is contemplated that the filter cup 10 may instead be a re-usable cup that is re-filled for each use. In an embodiment, the floor 26 of the cup may be formed without apertures 32. In this embodiment, the floor of the cup 26 may be pierced by a needle upon insertion into a coffee appliance to provide an exit for the flow of brewed coffee.