Patent ID: 6797304
Filing Date: 2004-09-28
Classification: A47J

Abstract:
A steeping method, comprising:filling a container with a liquid and a solid food material; allowing the solid food material to maintain contact within the liquid to generate a flavored beverage; moving a plunger through the flavored beverage to trap the solid food material at a bottom portion of the container; and while the plunger is trapping the solid food material at the bottom portion of the container, manipulating a buffer element to substantially decouple the solid food material from the flavored beverage wherein moving the plunger through the flavored beverage includes moving a rod, that protrudes through a lid of the container, in a downward vertical direction such that the plunger, attached to a bottom portion of the rod, moves concurrently with the rod to trap the food material at the bottom portion of the container, when the plunger is trapping the food material at the bottom of the container, an outer circumference of the plunger is in frictional contact with the inside wall of the container, and manipulating the buffer element includes rotating the rod about an axis of the rod such that the frictional contact of the plunger with the inside wall of the container holds the plunger element stationary, while the buffer element rotates about the axis of the rod to cover holes in the plunger, thereby substantially decoupling the sold food material from the flavored beverage.