U.S. patent application number 10/631266 was filed with the patent office on 2004-07-15 for method and device for brewing coffee and espresso drinks.
Invention is credited to Cai, Edward Z..
Application Number | 20040134357 10/631266 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25482449 |
Filed Date | 2004-07-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040134357 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cai, Edward Z. |
July 15, 2004 |
Method and device for brewing coffee and espresso drinks
Abstract
Method for brewing fresher coffee comprises introducing hot
liquid to roasted coffee grounds in a container to form a
dispersion and a layer of floated grounds, tilting container to
generate a liquid head on a first surface of a filter to drive the
dispersion through the filter to its second surface as coffee and
breaking the layer of floated grounds by swirling or shaking the
container. The method further comprises regenerating the filter by
moving the container in such a way to cause the liquid to wash the
grounds on the filter back into the container and adding ice into
the dispersion to quench the extraction, thereby preventing
over-extraction of coffee grounds and improving coffee taste. The
method may further comprise providing an extraction chamber to
enclose the roasted coffee grounds and an exchange chamber and
causing the liquid in the exchange chamber to interchange with the
dispersion in the extraction chamber through the filtration
openings to raise the concentration of flavor components in the
exchange chamber, thereby producing in the exchange chamber a
reservoir of fresh coffee substantially free of coffee grounds
ready for drinking or dispensing.
Inventors: |
Cai, Edward Z.; (Camas,
WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Edward Z. Cai
4607 SE Autumn CT
Camas
WA
98607
US
|
Family ID: |
25482449 |
Appl. No.: |
10/631266 |
Filed: |
July 31, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10631266 |
Jul 31, 2003 |
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09944998 |
Sep 1, 2001 |
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6725763 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
99/279 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47J 43/046 20130101;
A47J 43/1081 20130101; A47J 31/4407 20130101; A47J 31/14 20130101;
A47J 27/2105 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
099/279 |
International
Class: |
A47J 031/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for brewing a coffee beverage such as coffee, latte or
mocha in a container from a supply of flavor-containing materials
comprising roasted coffee grounds comprising: providing a brewing
device comprising a porous filter having a first surface for
contacting the flavor-containing materials and liquid in a
container, a plurality of filtration openings for allowing liquid
extraction to pass through as a beverage while blocking all or
substantially all coffee grounds and a second surface for receiving
the beverage from the plurality of filtration openings; a step of
introducing liquid into the container to allow the formation of a
dispersion containing the liquid and flavor-containing materials
and the formation of a layer of floated flavor-containing materials
on top of the dispersion; a step of tilting the container to
generate a liquid head to act on the first surface of the porous
filter to drive the liquid extraction through the plurality of
filtration openings to the second surface of porous filter as a
coffee beverage; and a step of breaking the layer of floated
flavor-containing materials on top of the dispersion in the
container, thereby preventing the clogging of the porous filter by
the layer of floated flavor-containing materials and increasing the
beverage flow through the filtration openings during said step of
tilting.
2. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein said step of breaking
comprises one of a step of swirling the container, a step of
shaking the container and a step of repetitively tilting the
container back and forth.
3. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein said device further
comprises a flow facilitator comprising at least one selective
opening, said selective opening being adapted to be sufficiently
small to restrict the flavor-containing materials from passing
through during said steps of breaking and tilting and adapted to be
or become sufficiently permeable to air to allow air to enter the
container during said step of tilting.
4. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising a step of
regenerating the porous filter by moving the container in such a
way to cause the liquid therein to wash the flavor-containing
materials accumulated on the first or lower surface of the porous
filter off into the container.
5. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising a step of
regenerating the porous filter by causing the flavor-containing
materials accumulated on the first surface of the porous filter to
fall off or be washed off into the container, said step of
regenerating comprising at least one of a step of swirling the
container, a step of shaking or vibrating the container and a step
of tilting the container back and forth.
6. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising a step of
resting the container in a substantially still position for a
period of time after said step of breaking, said step of resting
causing further increase of the filtration flow through the
filtration openings.
7. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising a step of
adding flavor-containing materials into a transient storage chamber
and a step of delivering the flavor-containing materials therein
into the container after the transient storage chamber or container
has been heated to a certain temperature.
8. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein said step of breaking
comprises a step of moving one of a plate, a rod and spoon in a
repetitive, substantially circular or linear motion within the
container.
9. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein said porous filter is
irremovably or permanently connected to the container to form a
closed chamber for enclosing a supply of roasted coffee grounds in
the closed chamber, wherein said step of introducing liquid
comprises a step of pouring liquid onto the second surface of the
porous filter, and a step of filtering the liquid into the closed
chamber and to the supply of roasted coffee grounds therein.
10. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising providing a
supply of roasted coffee grounds to be extracted by the liquid and
a supply of milk or the like solids to be dissolved by the liquid
introduced into the container during the step of introducing,
thereby producing a freshly brewed latte or the like milk-based
coffee drink during said step of tilting.
11. A method for making beverage from flavor-containing materials
with a device having a container, a porous filter and a blade
comprising a step of introducing flavor-containing materials
comprising roasted coffee beans into the container; a step of
grinding the flavor-containing materials in the container to
produce ground flavor-containing materials therein by the blade; a
step of introducing liquid into the container; a step of extracting
the aroma and/or flavor compounds out of the ground
flavor-containing materials with the liquid in the container to
produce a beverage; and a step of tilting the container to generate
a liquid head to drive the beverage out of the container through
the porous filter.
12. Method for making beverage as defined in claim 1 I further
comprising a step of turning the blade to stir the
flavor-containing materials and liquid to form a dispersion in the
container or to produce a visually appealing crema layer on the
beverage.
13. Method for making beverage as defined in claim 11 further
comprising a step of heating the liquid in the container.
14. A method for brewing milk-based coffee drinks such latte,
cappuccino and mocha in a container from a supply of roasted coffee
grounds comprising: providing a device comprising a porous filter
having a first surface adapted to contact roasted coffee grounds, a
plurality of filtration openings adapted to allow liquid extraction
to pass through while block substantially all roasted coffee
grounds and a second surface for receiving the liquid extraction
from the filtration openings; a step of introducing a first amount
of hot water into a container to produce a dispersion comprising
the hot water and roasted coffee grounds; a step of allowing the
hot water to extract the roasted coffee grounds for a certain
amount of time in the dispersion to produce a strong dose of coffee
extraction; a step of introducing a second amount of hot or frothed
milk into the container to produce a dispersion of the roasted
coffee grounds and the milk-containing coffee drink; and a step of
tilting the container to generate a liquid head to act on the first
surface of the porous filter to drive the milk-containing coffee
drink through the filtration openings to the second surface of the
porous filter and out of the container as a freshly brewed
milk-based coffee drink.
15. A method for brewing milk-based coffee drinks such latte,
cappuccino and mocha as defined in claim 14 wherein the first
amount of hot water in said step of introducing a first amount is
about 1/3 cup of hot water and the second amount of hot or frothed
milk in said step of introducing a second amount is about 2/3 cup
of hot or frothed milk.
16. A method for brewing a beverage such as coffee, latte or mocha
from a supply of flavor-containing materials comprising: providing
a disposable brewing device comprising a disposable container
including one of a disposable cup, can and bottle, a disposable
porous filter permanently or irremovably connected to the
disposable container by one of a direct connection in which the
porous filter is directly attached to the disposable container and
an indirect connection in which the porous filter is attached to a
body and the body is attached to the disposable container, a supply
of flavor-containing materials in the disposable container and a
cover for sealing the device to maintain the freshness of the
flavor-containing materials therein, the porous filter having a
first surface adapted to contact the flavor-containing materials, a
plurality of filtration openings for allowing liquid extraction to
pass through as a beverage while blocking all or substantially all
solids and a second surface for receiving the beverage from the
plurality of filtration openings; a step of removing at least part
of the cover to make at least part of the second surface of the
porous filter accessible; a step of pouring hot liquid including at
least one of hot water and hot milk onto the second surface of the
porous filter to cause the liquid to filter through the filtration
openings to the flavor-containing materials in the disposable
container, wherein the hot liquid forms a dispersion with the
flavor-containing materials and extracts the flavor-containing
materials to form a liquid extraction; and a step of tilting the
device to generate a liquid head to act on the first surface of the
porous filter to drive the liquid extraction in the disposable
container through the plurality of filtration openings as to the
second surface of porous filter as a freshly brewed beverage.
17. A method for brewing a beverage such as coffee, latte or mocha
as defined in claim 16 further comprising a step of disposing the
brewing device after the beverage flow to the second surface of
porous filter and out of the disposable container becomes a thin
stream or drip-wise, thereby saving consumers from the traditional
time-consuming cleaning job after brewing a coffee beverage.
18. A method for brewing a beverage such as coffee, latte or mocha
as defined in claim 16 wherein the disposable brewing device
further comprises a chamber above the second surface of the porous
filter and the method further comprising a step of introducing an
amount of additive or additives into the chamber, wherein said step
of pouring hot liquid comprises a step pouring hot liquid onto the
additive in the chamber to dissolve and carry the additive through
the filtration openings into the disposable container.
19. A method for brewing an iced or cold coffee beverage such as
iced coffee, iced latte and iced mocha in a container from
flavor-containing materials comprising roasted coffee grounds
comprising: providing a device comprising a porous filter having a
first surface adapted to contact roasted coffee grounds, a
plurality of filtration openings adapted to allow liquid extraction
to pass through while block substantially all roasted coffee
grounds and a second surface for receiving the liquid extraction
from the filtration openings; a step of introducing liquid into a
container to produce a dispersion comprising the liquid and roasted
coffee grounds; a step of allowing hot liquid to extract the
roasted coffee grounds for a certain amount of time in the
dispersion to produce a liquid extraction; a step of adding an
amount of ice into the container to substantially quench or stop
the extraction of the roasted coffee grounds, thereby preventing
over-extraction of the roasted coffee grounds by the liquid and
improving the taste of the resulting coffee beverage; and a step of
tilting the container to generate a liquid head to act on the first
surface of the porous filter to drive the liquid extraction through
the filtration openings to the second surface of the porous filter
and subsequently out of the container as the iced coffee
beverage.
20. A method for brewing an iced or cold beverage as defined in
claim 19 wherein said step of introducing liquid comprises a step
of introducing a first amount of hot liquid including one of hot
water and hot milk into the container before said step of allowing
hot liquid to extract and a step of introducing a second amount of
cold liquid including one of cold milk and cold water after said
step of allowing hot liquid to extract.
21. A method for brewing an iced or cold beverage as defined in
claim 19 further comprising a step of moving the container
according to at least one of a swirling, shaking, repetitive
tilting and vibrating motions to cause the liquid extraction in an
extraction chamber to interchange with the liquid in an exchange
chamber through the filtration openings of the porous filter,
wherein during said step of adding ice the ice is added into the
exchange chamber of the container.
22. A method for brewing an iced or cold beverage as defined in
claim 19 further comprising a step of connecting the device to the
container prior to said step of tilting, wherein during said step
of adding ice the ice is added directly into the dispersion,
thereby allowing intimate contact between the ice and the roasted
coffee grounds in the dispersion to achieve a fast quenching of the
extraction.
23. A method for brewing an iced or cold beverage as defined in
claim 19 further comprising providing a disposable cup as the
container, wherein the device is a disposable device connected or
adapted to connect to the disposable cup, thereby allowing a user
to simply discard the disposable cup and device when iced coffee
beverage stops or substantially stops flowing out of the disposable
cup during a step of tilting.
24. A method for brewing a beverage such as coffee, espresso,
cappuccino, latte or mocha from flavor-containing materials
comprising: providing a device comprising a porous filter having a
first surface adapted to contact flavor-containing materials and
liquid, a filtration opening adapted to allow liquid extraction to
pass through and a second surface for receiving the liquid
extraction from the filtration opening; a step of introducing
liquid into an extraction chamber containing a supply of
flavor-containing materials and into an exchange chamber, the
liquid in said extraction chamber forming a dispersion with and
interacting with the flavor-containing materials therein to produce
a liquid extraction; and a step of causing the liquid in the
exchange chamber to interchange with the liquid extraction in the
extraction chamber through the filtration opening of the porous
filter to cause the concentration of the flavor components in the
liquid in the exchange chamber to increase, thereby producing in
the exchange chamber a reservoir of liquid extraction or
beverage.
25. A method as defined in claim 24 wherein said step of causing
comprises at least one of a step of swirling the container, a step
of shaking the container, a step of vibrating the container, and a
step of repetitively tilting the container back and forth.
26. A method as defined in claim 24 further comprising a step of
tilting the container to pour the beverage out of the exchange
chamber and to generate a liquid head to act on the first surface
to drive the liquid extraction in the extraction chamber through
the filtration openings to the second surface of the porous
filter.
27. A method as defined in claim 24 further comprising a step of
heating the liquid in the extraction chamber.
28. A method as defined in claim 24 further comprising a step of
adding an amount of soluble additive into the exchange chamber,
wherein the additive is dissolved by the liquid and distributed
into the extraction chamber substantially uniformly during said
step of moving.
29. A method for brewing a coffee beverage such as coffee,
espresso, latte or mocha from a supply of flavor-containing
materials comprising roasted coffee grounds comprising: providing a
brewing device comprising a porous filter and a flow facilitator
having at least one selective opening for increasing the beverage
flow through the porous filter, the porous filter having a first
surface adapted to contact roasted coffee grounds, a plurality of
filtration openings to filter a liquid extraction to produce a
coffee beverage and a second surface for receiving the beverage
from the filtration openings; a step of introducing liquid to a
supply of flavor-containing materials comprising roasted coffee
grounds in a container, which container is adapted to be
sufficiently large to allow a dispersion of the liquid and the
flavor-containing materials therein; a step of tilting the
container to generate a liquid head to act on the first surface of
the porous filter, the liquid head causing the dispersion to be
filtered through the filtration openings to the second surface of
the porous filter as a beverage; and wherein the at least one
selective opening is sufficiently small to restrict the roasted
coffee grounds from passing through during said step of tilting,
thereby ensuring that the coffee beverage on the second surface of
the porous filter is substantially free of the roasted coffee
grounds, and is or becomes sufficiently permeable to air to allow
air to enter the container during said step of tilting, thereby
preventing vacuum formation in the container and increasing the
beverage flow from the first surface to the second surface of the
porous filter.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This is a continuation in part application of the
application Ser. No. 09/944,998 filed Sep. 1, 2001 and
International application number PCT/US02/36899 filed Nov. 16,
2002.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Beverages such as coffee and espresso drinks are commonly
brewed by causing hot water to pass through the coffee grounds
above a disposable or permanent filter either under gravity in case
of manual or automatic drip coffee maker or under pressure in case
of espresso machines.
[0003] Such devices, although popular, have numerous drawbacks such
as inconsistent brew quality and lack of the original aroma in the
roasted beans. The quality of coffee and espresso brewed varies
significantly when coffee grounds of different sizes are used. When
grounds is too coarse, the resulting brew is watery; when too fine,
the brewing becomes very slow or even stops. The coffee or espresso
brewed lacks the aroma or alluring smell of the ground coffee, even
when it is made expensive commercial machines in premium coffee
shops.
[0004] Other drawbacks include bulky size, complicated brewing
process, high manufacturing cost, and time-consuming cleaning. Such
devices normally take a space over four times larger than the
volume of beverage they are designed to brew, which becomes an
issue as the countertop or desktop becomes increasingly crowded.
The brewing process, especially for espresso machines, involves
many steps such as adding grounds to filter, mounting filter,
filling water reservoir, heating and pumping water, placing cup or
carafe under the basket, is too complex for some people. The
manufacturing cost, especially for espresso machines, is very high
since numerous components such as heater and pump, reservoir, a
brew head, brew basket, basket holder, carafe, housing are
required. Finally, such devices require a user to clean many parts
such as filter basket, holders, carafe, brew head and cups, which,
although not difficult, is a major nuance for many people.
[0005] The inventor in U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,740 provided a coffee
and espresso device for making better tasting coffee and espresso
by transforming the brewed beverage from coffee filter into a
high-speed jet. The jet is arranged to inject into the coffee or
espresso maintained in a containing means to generate a layer of
visually crema in the cup. One issue with this improved device is
that it still requires the delivery of liquid through the ground
coffee, which increases the complexity, cost and size of the
device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The invention provides an innovatively simple device and
method for brewing better and fresher beverages in a container from
a supply of flavor-containing materials. The method comprises a
step of introducing hot liquid to a supply of flavor-containing
materials comprising roasted coffee grounds in a container, which
container is sufficiently large to allow the formation of a
dispersion containing the liquid and flavor-containing materials
and the formation of a layer of floated roasted coffee grounds on
top of the dispersion, a step of tilting the container to generate
a liquid head to act on a first surface of a porous filter to drive
the dispersion through the filtration openings to a second surface
of the porous filter as a coffee beverage, and a step of breaking
the layer of floated roasted coffee grounds by a step of swirling
or shaking the container to prevent the clogging of the porous
filter by the layer of floated flavor-containing materials and
increase the beverage flow during said step of tilting.
[0007] The method may further comprise a step of regenerating the
porous filter by moving the container in such a way to cause the
liquid therein to wash the roasted coffee grounds accumulated on
the first surface of the porous filter off into the container and a
step of resting the container in a still position for a period of
time after the step of breaking to further increase of the
filtration flow through the filtration openings. The method further
comprises providing a flow facilitator having a plurality of
selective openings adapted to be sufficiently small to restrict the
flavor-containing materials from passing through during the steps
of breaking and tilting and adapted to be or become sufficiently
permeable to air to allow air to enter the container during the
step of tilting. The method may further comprise a step of adding
an amount of ice into the container to quench or stop the
extraction of the roasted coffee grounds, thereby preventing
over-extraction of the roasted coffee grounds by hot liquid and
improving the taste of the resulting coffee beverage.
[0008] The step of introducing liquid may comprises a step of
introducing liquid into an extraction chamber containing the supply
of flavor-containing materials and into an exchange chamber. The
method further comprises a step of causing the liquid in the
exchange chamber to interchange with the liquid extraction in the
extraction chamber through the filtration openings of the porous
filter to cause the concentration of the flavor components in the
liquid in the exchange chamber to increase by swirling, shaking,
vibrating or repetitively tilting back and forth the container,
thereby producing in the exchange chamber a reservoir of coffee
beverage substantially free of coffee grounds and ready for
drinking or dispensing.
[0009] It is an object of the present invention to provide a device
and method for making better tasting beverage from
flavor-containing materials with a visually appealing top crema
layer.
[0010] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
device and method for grounding, extracting and filtering the
flavor-containing materials in the same container to capture all
the aroma in the resulting beverage.
[0011] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
device and method that are simple, intuitive and has little or even
no need to clean after usage.
[0012] It is a further object of the present invention to provide
the most compact beverage device that is nearly as small as the
volume of the beverage it brews at a time.
[0013] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
low cost beverage brewing device and a brewing device that can be
affordable to be disposed after one use.
[0014] These and other objectives and advantages of the present
invention will become apparent from the following description of
the preferred embodiments, taken together with the accompanying
drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] The accompanying drawing illustrates diagrammatically
non-limitative embodiment of the invention, as follows:
[0016] FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a first embodiment of a
beverage-making device;
[0017] FIG. 1a is a sectional view for the flow facilitator along
line a-a shown in FIG. 1;
[0018] FIG. 1b is a sectional view for the beverage-making device
shown in FIG. 1 in a tilted position for discharging the beverage
therein;
[0019] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a second embodiment of the
beverage-making device;
[0020] FIG. 2a is a sectional view along line a-a shown in FIG.
2;
[0021] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a third embodiment of the
beverage-making device;
[0022] FIG. 3a is a sectional view along line a-a shown in FIG.
3;
[0023] FIG. 3b is a sectional view for the beverage-making device
shown in FIG. 3 in a tilted position for discharging the beverage
therein;
[0024] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a forth embodiment of the
beverage-making device;
[0025] FIG. 4a is a top view of the beverage-making device of FIG.
4.
[0026] FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a fifth embodiment of the
beverage-making device;
[0027] FIG. 5a is a sectional view of an alternative brew head
assembly for the beverage device of FIG. 5;
[0028] FIGS. 6a-b are partially sectional, partially schematic
views of two alternative brew head assembly for the beverage-making
device of FIG. 1;
[0029] FIG. 7 is a partially sectional, partially schematic view of
a sixth embodiment of the beverage device;
[0030] FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a seventh embodiment of the
brewing device;
[0031] FIG. 8a is a sectional view for the device of FIG. 7 showing
the coffee having a natural crema layer made by the device.
[0032] FIG. 9 is a sectional view of an eighth embodiment of the
brewing device showing an iced latte made by the device;
[0033] FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a ninth embodiment of the
brewing device showing an iced coffee made by the device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0034] FIGS. 1, 1a and 1b shows certain parts of a device 10 for
making beverages. Only those parts of the device are shown which
are necessary for full understanding of the invention. Beverage
device 10 comprises a container for receiving a supply of
flavor-containing materials 37 and liquid and allowing the liquid
to extract the flavor-containing materials therein, a heater
assembly 39 supported by housing 38 and controlled by a thermal
control means such as a thermostat 40 for heating the container and
the content therein, and a brew head assembly 21 for facilitating
the extraction of the flavor-containing materials and filtering the
flavor-containing materials. The container 12 includes a top
opening 17 for receiving the brew head assembly, a neck 16, a
bottom 14, a bottom chamber 36 for the flavor-containing materials,
a upper chamber 35 for the liquid and the resulting
flavor-containing materials/liquid dispersion 11 and a top crema
layer 15, and handle 33 for a user to hold and tilt the container
to pour or drink the filtered beverage 44.
[0035] The assembly 21 comprises a body 18 for connecting to the
top opening 17 of the container, a porous filter 20 attached to the
lower end of the body having numerous filtration openings
dimensioned to allow the beverage 44 to pass through but block the
flavor-containing materials in the dispersion 11, a transient
beverage chamber 23 for collecting the beverage from the porous
filter, a blending/mixing mechanism 78 connected to the body 18 for
producing the visually appealing top crema layer 15 on the
dispersion 11, and a flow facilitator 27 located on the porous
filter for increasing the flow of the liquid extraction or beverage
44 through said filtration openings and preventing the
flavor-containing materials from getting out of the container in
the event that the dispersion covers or reaches the selective
opening under a liquid head or force. The body 18 has handle 24 for
facilitating the handling of the brew head assembly, an o-ring 19
for forming a seal with the neck 18 of the container, a beverage
outlet 22 from which the filtered beverage 44 is poured or drunk, a
top cover 25 for the transient beverage chamber, and an vent 28 for
venting the transient beverage chamber 23.
[0036] The blending/mixing mechanism 78 may perform one or several
functions, including generating the crema or foam layer 15, mixing
the flavor-containing materials and liquid, trapping the grounds in
the bottom chamber 36 of the container, grinding the
flavor-containing materials, and blending different ingredients for
a beverage, as shown in this and later exemplar embodiments. The
blending/mixing mechanism 78 in FIG. 1 comprises a plate member 14
and a rod 32 for connecting the plate member to the body 18. The
plate member has a plurality of holes 34 for allowing the
flavor-containing materials and fine air bubbles to pass through
and minimizing the amount of flavor-containing materials that may
be retained above the plate member. The holes 34 are taped with the
top opening larger than the bottom opening to facilitate the
flavor-containing materials to pass through downwards when the
plate member 14 is moved upward. The plate member 14 and rod 78 are
dimensioned to allow the plate member to cover or partially cover
the bottom chamber 36 to prevent or restrict the flavor-containing
materials that precipitates from the dispersion 11 to the bottom
chamber from being re-dispersed after the body 18 is connected to
the container as shown in FIG. 1b. The extracted or partially
extracted flavor-containing materials below the plate member 14 is
heated or even "re-roasted" by the heater 39, causing additional
flavor or/and aroma out of the flavor-containing materials.
[0037] It is found that by moving the plate member 14 up and down
within the dispersion 11 in the container, a visually appealing
crema layer 15 is generated on top of the dispersion. To display
the crema layer 15 on top of the dispersion 11 produced by the
blending/mixing mechanism, the porous filter 20, container 12
and/or the cover 25 may be transparent or translucent. It is also
found that some porous filters, such as those filters made from
polymeric materials that have similar refractive index as the
liquid, become transparent or more transparent after being wetted
by the liquid or the dispersion 11. It is also found, with much
surprise, and will be described in details in FIGS. 2-3 that the
plate member 14 may be replaced by a small ball 42 or even be
removed to allow the rod 32 itself to function as the
blending/mixing mechanism.
[0038] It is appreciated that the rod 32 can be slidingly mounted
in an opening on the cover 25 to allow a user to move the rod 32
and the plate member 14 up and down within the container while the
body I 8 is mounted to the container (not shown). It is also
appreciated that the plate member 14 may adopt other shapes such as
an arc shape or a blade shape, which will be discussed in more
detail in FIGS. 6a and 7.
[0039] The flow facilitator 27 functions not only to increase the
beverage flow rate through the filtration openings of the porous
filter 20 by allowing air to enter the container 12 to prevent the
formation of vacuum therein, but also to prevent or restrict the
flavor-containing materials in the dispersion 11 from getting out
in the event that the flow facilitator is covered by the dispersion
11 under pressure or a liquid head. Therefore, the users or
consumers are always ensured that that no flavor-containing
materials, which can be unpleasant when present in the beverage to
be drunk, will get out of the container 11 when the body 18 is
mounted to the container. The flow facilitator can be a check valve
as exemplified in FIGS. I and Sa and be a plurality of
quasi-filtration openings as exemplified in FIGS. 2-7. In all
examples, the flow facilitator has a selective opening 29 adapted
to allow air to enter container 11, but to prevent or restrict the
flavor-containing materials in the dispersion 11 from getting out
of the container.
[0040] The facilitator 27 of FIG. 1 is a check valve comprises a
base 30 for attaching the check valve to the porous filter 20 and
the selective opening 29 inserted into a sufficiently large opening
formed on the porous filter at a location farthest from beverage
outlet 22. It is, however, appreciated that facilitator 27 can be
located at other locations on porous filter 20 or on the body 18 or
container 12. The selective opening 29 comprises two resilient
elongated walls 31 and two resilient connection walls 42 for
connecting the two elongated resilient walls 31. The connection
walls are wider near the base 30 and become narrower when
approaching the lower end of the valve. This design makes selective
opening 29 decrease in size from the base to its lower end and
become small enough or even closed at the lower end to prevent the
flavor-containing materials in the dispersion 11 from passing
through. The lower end of the selective opening becomes larger when
the container 12 is tilted to generate a liquid head between the
upper level of the dispersion 11 inside the container and the level
of the beverage 44 at the beverage outlet 22, therefore allowing
air to enter the container to take the space vacated by the
beverage leaving the container through the porous filter 20. It was
found that the lower end of the selective opening 29 stays small or
closed when the dispersion 11 reaches over or covers the elongated
walls 31 and when the container is tilted in the non-intended
directions.
[0041] It is appreciated that a vent comprising a large opening
that can allow air, the dispersion and the flavor- containing
materials to pass through may be used to replace the flow
facilitator 27 for increasing the filtration flow if it is
acceptable to have some flavor-containing materials in the beverage
or the vent can be so located that the dispersion 11 can not reach
it during normal use. Such a vent can be located on a particular
area of the container 11 or body 18. It is also appreciated that
such a vent can be attached to the porous filter 20 or formed
directly on the porous filter to reduce the complexity and cost of
the beverage device.
[0042] The heater 39 may be permanently attached or removably
engaged to the container 12 to conduct heat to the liquid and
flavor-containing materials. The thermal control means may be
selected to turn off the heater when or before the liquid reaches
its boiling temperature to prevent overflow of the dispersion 11 in
the container and reduce the deterioration of the flavor or aroma
in the beverage prepared by the device. The flavor-containing
materials may be extracted by directly adding hot liquid into the
container.
[0043] In this and other exemplar embodiments, the container 12 can
be made from metal such as stainless steel or aluminum, ceramic or
porcelain, glass, paper, plastic foam or plastic materials or any
combination of such materials. If the container is intended to
contact or in heat-conducting relation with a gas or electric
heater for heating the liquid and flavor-containing materials
therein, it is preferred to use more heat conductive materials
(metal, etc.) as at least the bottom of the container to increase
the nucleation centers for steam bubbles thereon, thus reducing or
preventing potential overflow of the dispersion 11 when heated. The
container can be a carafe, pot, jar, can, bottle, pitcher, thermos,
cup or any other vessel that can contain liquid. The porous filter
20 can be a cloth, screen, wire-mesh, woven, non-woven, expanded
plastic, etched, punctured or injection molded filter and be made
from plastic, metal, glass or elastomer. The liquid can be hot or
cold water, milk, alcoholic drinks, soft drinks, fruit juices or
any other liquid that can extract flavor or aroma from the
flavor-containing materials 3 7. The flavor-containing materials
can be coffee grounds, tea, coca, chocolate powder, milk powder,
herb, fruit, meat, vegetables, grains, any combination, or any
other materials which contains flavor or aroma. The beverage made
by the device can be coffee, espresso, latte, mocha, tea, iced
drinks, hot chocolate, blended drinks, fruit juices or any other
edible fluids.
[0044] To use the beverage device 10 of FIG. 1 to make coffee or
espresso, a desired amount of liquid is added into the container 12
and heated by the heater 39 to a predetermined temperature. A
desired amount of ground coffee is then added to the hot liquid.
Normally, at least some of the ground coffee, although soaked in
the liquid, remains on the surface of the liquid. To generate a
visually appealing layer of crema, the user simply repetitively
moves the plate member 14 up and down in the container by holding
the handle 24 or the body 18. Also as a result of such movement,
the ground coffee become better dispersed in the container and the
coarser ground coffee becomes precipitated to the bottom 41 of the
container. The user then inserts the body 18 of the brew head
assembly 21 into the opening 17, which result in a water-tight seal
between the neck 16 of the container and the o-ring 19 on the body
and the trapping of the coffee grounds in the bottom chamber 36 by
the plate member 14. To pour coffee or to drink the coffee directly
from the beverage outlet 22, the user simply tilts the container
when holding the handler 33. The tilting causes a liquid head
between the top level of the dispersion 11 and the beverage level
at the beverage outlet 22 or the transient beverage chamber 23. The
liquid head drives the beverage part of the dispersion 11 out of
the container through the filtration openings of the porous filter
20. The selective opening 29 of the flow facilitator 27 opens up to
allow air to enter the container 12 to prevent vacuum formation
therein as the beverage exits the container, therefore facilitating
the filtration flow through the porous filter.
[0045] If the crema layer 15 is not desired, the user may omit the
step of moving the plate member 14 up and down in the container,
thus simplifying the brewing process. It is appreciated that the
ground coffee can be added into the container 12 any time, either
before or after the water is added or heated. It is also
appreciated hot or boiling water can be poured into the container
and the ground coffee therein to avoid the need to heat the
container, which makes it possible to use less heat resistant
materials such as paper, foamed plastics or plastics for the
container to lower the container cost. To make milk-containing
coffee beverages such as latte and cappuccino, water/milk or milk
alone is added to the container instead of water. Powdered milk,
cocoa and/or chocolate can be added to the container to make milk
and chocolate-containing coffee or espresso drinks. To make iced
beverages, ice can be added, and may be broken by the
blending/mixing mechanism 78, after the extraction has been
completed. Other flavoring liquid or solid such as wine, syrups,
cinema oil, fruits or fruit juices may also be added.
[0046] In the exemplar embodiment described in FIGS. 2 and 2a, an
alternative blending/mixing mechanism 78 and an alternative flow
facilitator 27 are provided for the brew head assembly 21. In the
alternative blending/mixing mechanism 78, a small ball 42 is
located at the end of the rod 32 to replace the plate member 14 of
FIG. 1. To use the alternative blending/mixing mechanism, the user
holds the handle 24 to insert the ball 42 and part of the rod 32
into the liquid and move the rod and ball in a substantially
circular motion, which causes a layer of crema 15 to be formed on
top of the dispersion 11 and some coarser ground coffee to
precipitate to the bottom of the container 12. The user then mounts
the assembly to the opening 17 of the container by inserting the
body 18 into the container and forming a friction fit between the
body 18 and the interior surface of the container to prevent the
brew head assembly from being pushed out by the dispersion when the
container is tilted. The lip 76 of the opening 17 of the container
may protrude a little inwardly to prevent the body 18 from being
pushed out by the dispersion 11 when the container 12 is tilted to
generate a liquid head to drive the beverage out of the container
through the porous filter 20. Here, the opening 17 of the container
functions as the beverage outlet from which the beverage is poured
or drunk.
[0047] In this alternative flow facilitator 27, the selective
openings 29 comprise quasi filtration openings which are
substantially cylindrical in shape and have larger size than the
filtration openings of the porous filter 20. It is, however,
appreciated that the quasi filtration openings can adopt square,
rectangle, oval or other suitable shape. The cylindrical quasi
filtration openings have significantly longer flow path, thus
significantly higher flow resistance, for the beverage than the
filtration openings of the porous filter, which, in combination
with the few number of quasi filtration openings, makes the amount
of beverage through the quasi filtration openings negligible
compared to the amount of beverage through the filtration openings
of the porous filter despite the larger size of the quasi
filtration openings. As a result, even if the quasi filtration
openings allow some fine particles or flavor-containing materials
to pass through, the amount is sufficiently small that the quality
of the resulting beverage will not be measurably deteriorated.
[0048] To prevent the quasi filtration openings from being blocked
by the liquid or beverage that may stay in the quasi filtration
openings due to capillary force, the quasi filtration openings are
so dimensioned that a very small vacuum in the container is
sufficient to pull the liquid in the openings back into container
to clear up the quasi filtration openings for air to pass through.
The vacuum or pressure at which the liquid in the quasi filtration
openings is pulled or pushed back into the container is referred as
the liquid breakthrough pressure in this application. It was found
that the liquid breakthrough pressure depends on the size and shape
of the quasi filtration openings, the material used to construct
the quasi filtration openings and the surface tension of the liquid
and the dispersion 11. Sufficiently low liquid breakthrough
pressure for the quasi filtration openings is critical for
achieving sufficiently high beverage flow rate through the
filtration openings of the porous filter when the container is
tilted to generate the liquid head. The liquid breakthrough
pressure for the quasi filtration openings is preferred to be less
than about two inches of liquid head, and is more preferred to be
less than one inch of liquid head. It is appreciated that too low a
liquid breakthrough pressure normally requires the quasi filtration
opening to have relatively large size, which may allow unacceptably
large flavor-containing materials to pass through, while too high a
liquid breakthrough pressure may cause too much beverage left in
the container at the end of the brewing or require the liquid head
generated by the tilting of the container 12 to be sufficiently
high to clear up the quasi filtration openings for air flow.
[0049] To facilitate the flavor-containing materials trapped in the
quasi filtration opening to be pulled back into the container, the
quasi filtration opening is slightly taped with the lower end
slightly larger than the upper end. To enable the flow facilitator
27 to function properly when the container 12 is tilted toward
different directions, a plurality of the quasi filtration openings
are formed around the periphery of the body 18. To reduce the cost,
the body 18, porous filter 20, flow facilitator 27 and the
blending/mixing mechanism 78 can be made as one part by injection
molding or other suitable method.
[0050] In the exemplar embodiment described FIGS. 3-3b, another
alternative flow facilitator 27 is provided. Unlike the alternative
flow facilitator of FIG. 2, here the quasi filtration openings 29
are formed directly around and near the outer periphery of the
porous filter. The quasi filtration openings may be formed at the
same time the porous filter is made or may be formed afterwards by
manufacturing means such punching, melting, mechanically or laser
drilling, or etching. Since here the length of liquid flow path
through the quasi filtration openings 29 is about the same as that
through the filtration openings in the porous filter 20, the quasi
filtration openings may be smaller in size than those in FIG. 2 to
reduce the amount of the flavor-containing materials may pass
through the quasi filtration openings, thus preventing any
measurable deterioration in beverage quality or taste. It was found
that by having the quasi filtration openings sufficiently
hydrophobic, the quasi filtration openings stay sufficient dry when
they are contacted by the liquid or dispersion in the container.
Such hydrophobic quasi filtration openings repels the liquid but
let air pass through relatively freely, therefore may have smaller
size than the liquid-wettable quasi filtration openings and even
than the filtration openings of the porous filter 20. It is
appreciated that the quasi filtration openings 29, either
hydrophobic or liquid wettable, can be formed in a separate entity
and later attached to porous filter 20, making it possible for the
quasi filtration openings to have longer flow path than the
filtration openings of the porous filter 20.
[0051] To prevent the body 18 from being pushed out by the
dispersion 11 when the container is tilted to generate the liquid
head (FIG. 3b), a cling-on chamber 79 is formed around the
periphery of the body 18 to secure the body to the interior surface
of the container 12. The cling-on chamber comprises an upper
chamber wall 77, a lower chamber wall 74 and a chamber opening 75
between the upper and lower walls. The upper and lower walls 74 and
77 are made of resilient materials and conform to the interior
surface of the container to form an air-tight seal to close the
opening 75, thus closing the chamber 79. To generate a vacuum in
the cling-on chamber when mounting the body 18 to the container,
the upper and lower chamber walls are adapted, such as being
sufficiently tall and resilient, to allow the cling-on chamber 79
to decrease in volume, thus expelling the air therein, when a user
holds the handle 24 to push the body 18 downwards into the
container and then to increase in volume, thus causing a vacuum in
the cling-on chamber, after the user releases the handle. The
container can be slightly taped to facilitate the insertion of the
body 18 and the creation of the vacuum in the cling-on chamber. The
vacuum generated in the cling-on chamber 79 causes the chamber to
suck to the interior surface of the container.
[0052] In the exemplar embodiment described FIGS. 4 and 4a, the
body 18 is irremovably attached to the container 12 to allow the
cover 25 of the body 18 to seal the container and prevent the
freshness loss of the flavor-containing materials in the container.
A breakable or removable section 49 of the cover 25 is located near
the left side of the container and a lever means 48, which is
similar to that in the aluminum cans for soft drinks, is located
above the breakable section to allow a user to pull the lever to
break or remove the breakable section 49 and to form the beverage
outlet 22. FIG. 4 shows the beverage device 10 after the breakable
section 49 is broken by the lever means 48 and after hot water is
added into the container through the beverage inlet 22 and through
the porous filter 20 to extract the flavor-containing materials 37
in the container.
[0053] The flow facilitator 29 is formed on the porous filter by
punching, melting or drilling a plurality of quasi filtration
openings similar to those described in FIG. 3. It is preferably
that the flow facilitator 29 is located at a location farther away
from the breakable section 49 to better facilitate the filtration
flow through the filtration openings of the porous filter when the
container is tilted to generate a liquid head.
[0054] In addition to those functions described earlier, the flow
facilitator 29 here allows air to get out of the container through
the quasi filtration openings 27 when hot water is poured onto the
porous filter to facilitate the filtration flow of the hot water
into the container 12. It is also found that the flow rate through
the filtration openings of the porous filter 20 can be further
increased by shaking the container or repetitively tilting the
container backward and forward. The flow facilitator prevents the
flavor-containing materials in the dispersion 11 from passing
through, thus from contaminating the beverage 44 from the
filtration openings of the porous filter during the shaking or
repetitive backward/forward tilting. It is believed that the
shaking or repetitive backward/forward tilting causes the floated
flavor-containing materials to precipitate to the bottom of the
container and causes the dispersion 11 to reach and wash away the
flavor-containing materials accumulated on the lower surface of the
porous filter 20 during the filtration.
[0055] The porous filter 20 is attached to the lower surface of the
cover 25 of the body 18. A dip-in chamber 63 is formed on the
porous filter 20 to cause the filtration of the dispersion 11
through the porous filter before the container 12 is tilted,
therefore making an amount of beverage 44 available in the dip-in
chamber. A heat insulation member such as a sleeve 45 made from
paper, foam or other insulation materials is attached, either
removably or permanently, to the outside of the container 12 to
prevent the hot liquid in the container from hurt the user when
holding the container. It is appreciated that the porous filter can
be attached to the top opening 14 of the container 12.
[0056] In the exemplar embodiment described FIG. 5, the body 18 and
container 12 are formed together as one part with the bottom end of
the body 18 connected to the top end of the opening 17 of the
container. The porous filter 20 is attached to the bottom end of
the body 18 to seal a supply of flavor-containing materials in the
container. The flow facilitator 29 in this exemplar embodiment is
the same and performs similar functions as the flow facilitator of
FIG. 4. The cover 25 is removably attached to body 18 to prevent
the freshness loss of the flavor-containing materials in the
container.
[0057] To use the device 10, the cover 25 is partially removed to
create a large enough opening as the beverage outlet and to allow
hot water to be poured onto the porous filter as shown in FIG. 5.
The cover can also be completely removed if desired. The hot water
is poured onto the porous filter 20 and subsequently flows through
the porous filter into the container to extract the
flavor-containing materials 37 therein as the air leaves the
container through the quasi filtration openings 29 of the flow
facilitator 27. With the assistance of the facilitator 27, a user
may further increase the flow rate of the beverage through porous
filter 20 by shaking or repetitively tilting the container in the
same as described in FIG. 4.
[0058] As described earlier in the method of using the device of
FIG. 1, to make latte or mocha or other milk-based coffee drinks,
water/milk or milk alone is added to the container instead of
water. Regular hot milk is added to make latte and
chocolate-flavored hot milk is added to make mocha. To make the
taste of the new latte and mocha close to the conventional latte or
mocha made from commercial or home espresso machines, a third cup
of hot water may be first added into the container 12 first to
extract the flavor-containing materials which is roasted coffee
grounds here and later two thirds cup of hot or frothed milk is
added into the container to mix with the dispersion 11. Latte or
mocha can be made and dispensed by simply tilting the container as
described above. The flavor-containing materials 37 may include a
certain amount of powdered milk, cocoa and/or chocolate besides the
roasted coffee grounds, therefore allowing one to brew mocha or
latte by simply adding hot water into the container.
[0059] It is appreciated that when the hot liquid is poured onto
the porous filter 20, the hot liquid overflow at the beverage
outlet presents a safety issue. We found that by using a woven wire
or plastic mesh filter which has less than 350 holes per inch,
preferably less than 200 holes per inch, such issue may be resolved
and the hot liquid can be poured onto the filter fairly fast
without causing overflow. It is also noticed that by pouring the
hot liquid onto a fixed spot or small area on the porous filter,
the liquid flow through the porous filter into the container
actually increases, thus helping preventing the hot liquid overflow
issue.
[0060] As described above, the filtration flow through the porous
filter 20 increases substantially if one shakes, swirls or
repetitively back and forth tilts the container 12 before tilting
to generate the liquid head and pour the drink. It was discovered
that the filtration flow through the porous filter can be increased
even further if the container is allowed to rest still after the
container 20 has been shaken, swirled or repetitively tilted back
and forth. It was also discovered, with a pleasant surprise, that
by resting the container for about one minute or more, the amount
coffee fines in the beverage from the beverage outlet 22 is
significantly reduced. It is theorized that such movement of the
container breaks a layer of floated coffee grounds in the container
20, thereby improving the filtration flow.
[0061] In FIGS. 6a-c, three alternative brew head assemblies 21 are
described for the container 12 of FIGS. 1-3. In the brew head
assembly of FIG. 6a, a transient storage chamber 54 is connected to
the lower surface of the cover 25 for storing a supply of
flavor-containing materials. The porous filter 20 adopts a taped
cylindrical shape with its larger low peripheral edge attached to
the lower end of the body 18 and its smaller top peripheral edge
attached to the lower surface of the cover 25. The storage chamber
comprises a cylindrical wall 53, a feed opening 56, a lid 55 for
closing the feed opening, and a bottom plate 59 connected to the
cylindrical wall 53 by hinge means 57. The bottom plate has a tab
61 at the opposite side of the hinge means for engaging with an
outward protrusion 60 formed at the lower end of the cylindrical
wall 53 to enable the bottom plate to close the storage chamber. A
spring 58 with one end connected to bottom plate 59 and the other
end to cylindrical wall 53 is loaded to facilitate the opening of
the bottom plate after tab 61 is disengaged from protrusion 60.
[0062] The flow facilitator 27 in this alternative brew head
assembly is the same as that of FIGS. 4 and 5. The blending/mixing
mechanism 78 is similar to that of FIG. 1, but is slidingly engaged
to an opening 81 at the center of the lid 55. In one design, the
bottom plate 59 is opened manually by pushing the handle 24
downwards, which in turn pushes the rod 32, plate member 14 and the
ground coffee 37 in the storage chamber 54 downwards, to disengage
the tab 61 from the outward protrusion 60. In another design, the
bottom plate 59 is opened automatically when the temperature around
it or in the container 12 becomes sufficiently high to cause the
bottom plate to expand thermally to disengage the tab 61 from the
protrusion 60.
[0063] In the brew head assembly of FIG. 6b, the body 18 is formed
from one sheet of formable materials such as polyester, polyolefin,
polystyrene or polyacrylics by thermal or mechanical means to
achieve very low cost. A thin chamber 50 is formed around body 18
to seal to the rim or top wall of container 12. The filter 20 can
be a low cost cloth, paper, woven or non-woven polymer filter
attachable to body 18. The flow facilitator is a check valve with
the selective opening 29 formed on the porous filter, a seal member
51 for closing the selective opening when the dispersion reaches
the facilitator and a keeper 52 for keeping the seal member below
the selective opening. To achieve lower cost, this facilitator may
be replaced by the facilitator of FIG. 5. With such low cost brew
head assembly and a disposable cup as the container, the device 10,
such as a coffeemaker or espresso machine, for making 1-8 cups of
coffee or espresso can be manufactured at a cost of $0.1 to
$0.2.
[0064] In the alternative brew head assembly of FIG. 6c, the
blending/mixing mechanism 78 comprises a blade 69, an electric
motor 46 mounted to the cover 25 of body 18, and rod 32 for
connecting the motor to the blade through an opening 64 on the
cover 25 and for transmitting the force or torque from the motor to
the blade. The blade 69 may function to generate the top crema
layer 15 on the dispersion 11, to mix the liquid with the
flavor-containing materials, to grind the flavor-containing
materials such as roasted coffee beans in the container, to break
ice and flavor-containing materials, to blend flavor-containing
materials and/or liquid to make various beverages, etc. The flow
facilitator 27 and porous filter 20 are similar to their
counterparts in FIG. 6a.
[0065] In FIG. 7, another exemplar embodiment of the invention is
shown. The brew head assembly of FIG. 7 is similar to that of FIG.
6c except that the electric motor 46 of the blending/mixing
mechanism 78 is mounted to a motor base 82 below container 12 and
the blade 69 and rod 62 are rotationally connected to a container
base 36 sealed to the bottom of the container. The rod 32 has a
cavity 71 for engaging with shaft 72 of the motor when the
container is removably received in cylindrical chamber 37 on motor
base 82. A heater may be located in the base 36 or 82 to heat the
container and the contents therein. Like the blending/mixing
mechanism 78 of FIG. 6c, the blending/mixing mechanism here enables
the device 10 to make all the drinks that can be made by coffee
makers, espresso machines, blenders and mixers.
[0066] FIGS. 8-8a show an improved version of the device of FIG. 5
and a method to brew various beverages with the improved device. In
FIGS. 8 and 8a, the brew head assembly 21 is positioned
substantially below the rim 107 of the cup 12 to form a
sufficiently deep exchange chamber 108 above the second surface 62
of the porous filter 20 and an extraction chamber 109 below the
first surface 61 of the porous filter to enclose the
flavor-containing materials 37 such as roasted grounds. The
exchange chamber 108 should be sufficiently deep to contain a
supply of liquid, which liquid initially contains little or no
flavor components from the flavor-containing materials 37 after the
introduction of liquid into the cup 12. The depth of the exchange
chamber can be about a quarter inches to two inches or even deeper
depending on the shape and size of the container 12. The extraction
chamber 109 encloses the flavor-containing materials 37 between its
first surface 61 and the bottom 41 of the container and allows a
dispersion 11 of the flavor-containing materials and liquid to be
formed therein after the introduction of liquid into the cup. The
extraction chamber should have a volume significantly larger than
the volume of the flavor-containing materials 37 to enable the
dispersion 11 to move relatively freely in the extraction chamber
when the container is swirled or shaken. It was found that the
volume of the extraction chamber should be about two or more times
of the volume of the flavor-containing materials 37 for the
dispersion 11 to move sufficiently free in the extraction chamber
for the device 10 of FIG. 3. It is, however, appreciated that
numerous factors such as the properties, size an thickness and
shape of the porous filter 20 and the shape and size of the
container 12 may affect the volumes and depths of the extraction
chamber 109 and the exchange chamber 108 required for the proper
operation of these two chambers.
[0067] It is discovered that by swirling or shaking the cup 12, the
liquid in the exchange chamber 108 gradually becomes saturated with
the flavor components from the flavor-containing materials 37 in
the extraction chamber 109. Therefore, a reservoir of beverage 44
free of coffee grounds is formed in the exchange chamber 108 above
the second surface 62 of porous filter 20 and is ready for drinking
or dispensing. It is theorized that the shaking or swirling motion
of the container 12 causes the liquid in the exchange chamber 108
to interchange with the liquid extraction in the extraction chamber
109 through the filtration openings 148 of the porous filter 20. As
a result, the concentration of the flavor components in the liquid
in the exchange chamber 108 increases gradually as the container is
being swirled or shaken. It was found that it took about 5 to 60
seconds to raise the concentration of the flavor components in the
exchange chamber 108 as high as that in the extraction chamber 109.
The amount of time needed to equalize the concentrations in the
exchange chamber and extraction chamber was found to depend on the
thickness, shape and location of the porous filter 20, the size of
the filtration openings 148 and the type and amplitude of the
motions exerted to the container 12, and the size and shape of the
extraction chamber and exchange chamber. Besides swirling and
shaking, other motions such as vibration, repetitive back &
forth tilting, repetitive expansion/contraction of the exchange and
extraction chambers can also cause effective interchange of the
liquid between the exchange chamber 108 and the extraction chamber
109.
[0068] It was also discovered that a visually appealing layer of
crema 15 (FIG. 3a) is formed on top of the reservoir of beverage 44
in the exchange chamber after the container was swirled or shaken.
Such a crema is known to be a sign of good quality coffee made by
traditional espresso or coffee machines. It is also discovered that
to reduce the amount of time needed to swirl or shake the
container, the porous filter 20 between the exchange chamber 8 and
extraction chamber 109 is preferred to be sufficiently large and
thin with straight-through filtration openings. For example, when a
thin wire mesh or a woven cloth with 200 or fewer straight holes
per inch is used as the porous filter 20, the amount of swirling
time needed to make a reservoir of saturated beverage in the
exchange chamber is significantly less than when dense paper filter
is used as the porous filter.
[0069] The device 10 of FIG. 8 has a line mark 106 formed or
printed on the interior surface of the cup to indicate the right
liquid level when one pours liquid into the cup to brew beverage.
Here, the brew head assembly 21 comprises a porous filter 20 with
its tapered peripheral edge heat sealed or staked to a
gas-impermeable barrier film 105 laminated or coated on the side
paper wall 111 of the cup 12. In this case, the upper part of the
side wall of the cup 12 becomes the body 18 for the porous filter.
A flow facilitator 27 having a plurality of selective openings 29
is located on the porous filter 20 to allow air to pass through
from atmosphere into the extraction chamber but to restrict the
flavor-containing materials from passing through when the container
20 is tilted to generate a liquid head to act on said first surface
61 of the porous filter to drive the liquid extraction out of the
extraction chamber 109 through the filtration openings 148. The
selective openings 29 can be equally spaced around the edge of the
porous filter so that at least one selective opening is exposed to
air on both the first and second surfaces 61 and 62 when the cup 12
is tilted.
[0070] To brew beverage, one pours liquid into the container until
the liquid level reaches about the line mark 106. The user then
swirls or shakes the container 12 and in 5 to 30 seconds a
reservoir of beverage 44 with a visually appealing crema layer 15
will be produced in the exchange chamber 108 above the porous
filter (FIG. 8a). The beverage 44 in the exchange chamber 108 may
be drunk or poured out by slightly tilting the container 12. When
the container is tilted more, a sufficient liquid head will be
generated to act on the first surface 61 of the porous filter 20 to
drive the liquid extraction in the extraction chamber 109 to the
second surface 62 and subsequently to the exchange chamber and the
beverage outlet 22.
[0071] FIG. 9 shows an alternative to the brewing device of FIG. 8.
In this alternative, the porous filter 20 is attached to the bottom
41 of the cup to form the extraction chamber 109 between the first
surface 61 of the porous filter and the bottom 41 to enclose a
supply of flavor-containing materials 37. The exchange chamber 108
is formed between the second surface 62 of the porous filter and
the side wall of the container and comprises a dip-in filtration
chamber 63. The dip-in filtration chamber 63 is below the top end
of the extraction chamber 109 and as a result the liquid extraction
in the extraction chamber will flow from the extraction chamber
into the dip-in filtration chamber when hot water is added into the
extraction chamber.
[0072] A gas-impermeable film cover 25 having a strip tab or string
connected to it for facilitating its removal may be attached to the
bottom 41 outside the porous filter 20 to form a barrier enclosure
for the supply of flavor-containing materials. The film cover 25
has been removed prior to introducing water into the cup and is
thus not shown in FIG. 4. As in FIG. 8, the bottom 41 comprises a
gas-impermeable barrier film 105 laminated or extrusion-coated on
the paper cardboard 111. The side wall of the cup 12 may not need
to have any gas-impermeable barrier film 105, therefore lowering
the cost for the cup. It is appreciated that the porous filter 20
may be attached to a gas-impermeable plastic sheet or film disc
(not shown) to form the extraction chamber 109 to enclose the
supply of flavor-containing materials 37. The disc, together with
the porous filter and the supply of flavor-containing materials on
it, is then attached to the bottom of a low-cost conventional
disposable paper cup. It is also appreciated that the porous filter
can be made elastic and flexible enough to allow it to be pushed
down or compressed towards the bottom 41 of the container by the
gas-impermeable cover film 25, thereby allowing several such
devices 10 to be stacked into each other for storage. It is also
appreciated that the gas-impermeable cover film 25 may be sealed to
the impermeable plastic sheet or film disc prior to attaching the
assembly to the bottom 41 of the cup. It is also appreciated that
the extraction chamber can be made tall to allow a top part of the
porous filter to stick out of the liquid surface during
brewing.
[0073] To make an iced latte with this brewing device, about 1/3
cup hot or boiling water is poured onto and through the porous
filter 20 into the extraction chamber 109 to form a dispersion with
the roasted coffee grounds in the extraction chamber. Part of the
coffee extraction will flow out of the extraction chamber into the
dip-in filtration chamber 63 of the exchange chamber 108. After
about 1 minute, ice cube or crushed ice 178 and cold milk are
introduced, either simultaneously or separately, into the exchange
chamber 108. The container is then swirled or shaken for 5 to 20
seconds to produce a reservoir of iced latte 44 in the exchange
chamber 108. To reducing spluttering, a lid may be placed on the
cup 12 prior to swirling or shaking the cup 12. Chocolate milk may
be used to replace the milk to make iced mocha.
[0074] The heat exchange from the ice 178 and/or cold milk in the
exchange chamber 108 to the dispersion 11 in the extraction chamber
109 quickly quenches or stops further extraction of the
flavor-containing materials 37 by water, therefore preventing
certain bitter flavors or "bad" chemicals from being extracted out
of the flavor-containing materials and improving the taste of the
resulting latte.
[0075] FIG. 10 shows an improved version for the brewing device of
FIG. 6b and a method for making iced coffee, latte and other
beverages with the device. The improved device 10 comprises a
disposable brew head assembly 21, a disposable cup 12 for
containing a supply of flavor-containing materials 37. The
disposable brew head assembly 21 comprises a thin formed plastic
sheet 182 made from a thin plastic sheet such as polyester,
polyolefin or polystyrene sheet by thermal or mechanical means to
achieve very low cost. The thin formed plastic sheet 182 have a
cover 25, a beverage outlet 22 and vent opening 28 formed on the
cover, a cylindrical side wall 18 and a thin or narrow chamber 50
formed around the cylindrical body 18 to seal to the outer rim 107
of cup12. The disposable brew head assembly 21 further comprises a
porous filter 20, which may be a low cost disposable paper filter,
cloth filter or woven or non-woven plastic filter, attached to the
cylindrical body 18 to form a substantially closed transient
beverage chamber 23.
[0076] A neck 177 is formed below the narrow chamber 50 to form a
lock with the outer rim 107 of cup 12 to prevent the brew head
assembly from being dislodged by the liquid head that is to be
generated to act on the first surface 61 of the porous filter 20 to
drive the filtration flow through the filtration openings. An
outwardly tapered flange 179 is formed below the neck 177 to
facilitate the mounting of the brew head assembly 21 to the cup 12.
A flow facilitator 27 comprises a second porous filter 183 having a
plurality of selective openings 29 attached to the porous filter
20. The selective openings 29 are adapted to be either hydrophobic
enough to prevent the liquid from entering selective openings 29 or
smooth and large enough to cause the liquid in the selective
openings 29 to be readily pulled out by a slight vacuum, pressure
or vibration.
[0077] FIG. 10 is also used to illustrate a method to make iced
beverage such as iced coffee or latte with this and other devices
10. To make an iced coffee, one pours hot or boiling water into the
cup 12 to form a dispersion 11 with the roasted coffee grounds.
After about 1 minute, ice cube or crushed ice 178 are added into
the dispersion 11. The ice 178 quickly quenches or stops further
extraction of the flavor-containing materials 37 by water,
therefore preventing certain bitter flavors or "bad" chemicals from
being extracted out of the flavor-containing materials and
improving the coffee taste. The brew head assembly 21 is then
mounted to the cup so that the rim 107 is received by the narrow
chamber 50 and locked together by the neck 177.
[0078] To make an iced latte, about 1/3 cup hot or boiling water is
poured into the cup to form a dispersion with the roasted coffee
grounds. After about 1 minute, ice cube or crushed ice 178 and cold
milk are introduced, either simultaneously or separately, into
dispersion 11 to fill the cup. The ice 178 quickly quenches or
stops further extraction of the flavor-containing materials 37. The
brew head assembly 21 is then mounted to the cup so that the rim
107 is received by the narrow chamber 50 and locked together by the
neck 177. To drink or dispense the iced latte, one simply tilts the
cup 12 towards the beverage outlet 22 to generate a liquid head to
act on the first surface 61 to drive the iced coffee through the
porous filter and out of the beverage outlet 22.
[0079] Chocolate milk is used to replace the milk to brew iced
mocha. To avoid dilution of the milk by water, one may heat 3/4 to
3/4 cup of milk and pour the hot milk into the cup 12 to form a
dispersion 11 with the roasted coffee grounds. After about 1 minute
of extraction by the hot milk, ice cube or crushed ice 178 are
added into the dispersion 11 to quench the extraction process.
[0080] The scope of the invention is obviously not restricted or
limited to the embodiments described by way of examples and
depicted in the drawings, there being numerous changes,
modifications, additions, and applications thereof imaginable
within the purview of the claims.
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