Patent ID: 6453800
Filing Date: 2002-09-24
Classification: A47J

Abstract:
A brewing apparatus for an electric coffee maker, said brewing apparatus comprising:a machine base with a fixed horizontal guiding tube that has a front end and a rear end; a water-feeding unit disposed fixedly on said front end of said guiding tube and including a first clamping member that is fixed relative to said machine base, and a hot-water outlet that is formed in said first clamping member; a sleeve unit including a sleeve body that is sleeved movably on said guiding tube and that has a top portion with a feeding opening, and a sleeve driving mechanism for driving said sleeve body to move horizontally on said guiding tube among a first sleeve position, a second sleeve position and a third sleeve position; and a plunger unit including a second clamping member that is disposed horizontally and movably relative to said machine base and said sleeve body and that is located in front of said first clamping member, a coffee passage that is formed through said second clamping member and that is adapted to discharge brewed coffee via said coffee passage, and a plunger driving mechanism for driving said plunger unit to move horizontally on said machine base among a first plunger position, where said sleeve unit is disposed at said first sleeve position so that said sleeve body is sleeved on said first and second clamping members such that a large chamber is defined within said sleeve unit between said first and second clamping members and is in communication with said opening, thereby permitting feeding of ground coffee beans into said large chamber via said opening, a second plunger position, where said sleeve unit is disposed at said second sleeve position so that the ground coffee beans are compressed within a small chamber, which is defined within said sleeve unit between said first and second clamping members, which is smaller than said large chamber in volume, and which is isolated fluidly from said opening, thereby permitting feeding of hot water from said hot-water outlet into said small chamber so as to result in consumed ground coffee and the brewed coffee that exits from said plunger unit via said coffee passage, and a third plunger position, where said sleeve unit is disposed at said third sleeve position so that said sleeve body is spaced apart from said second clamping member, thereby defining a space between said second clamping member and assembly of said first clamping member and said sleeve body, from which the consumed ground coffee drops automatically.