Patent ID: 6405637
Filing Date: 2002-06-18
Classification: A47J

Abstract:
Apparatus for extracting flavor-containing materials such as coffee, tea or herbs to make a flavor-containing liquid, comprising:a water reservoir for receiving a supply of water; a container for containing an amount of the flavor-containing materials and for allowing the extraction of the flavor-containing materials under pressure therein; and a fluid delivery system for generating a plurality of pressure pulses, each pressure pulse comprising a hot water pulse and a steam pulse, and for delivering the plurality of pressure pulses through the flavor-containing materials in the container, thereby extracting useful compounds out of the flavor-containing materials under the pressure of the pressure pulses, the fluid delivery system including a chamber, a heater in heat conducting relation with the chamber to heat water in the chamber and to produce steam, a conduit for delivering water from the reservoir to the chamber, a valve disposed in the conduit between the reservoir and the chamber which opens to permit water to flow from the reservoir to the chamber when pressure in the chamber drops below a predetermined pressure, and a fluid passage connecting the chamber and the container to allow the hot water and steam to be forced through the flavor-containing materials in said container by the pressure of the pressure pulse.