Tea filter assembly for a coffee or tea maker

The invention is directed to a tea filter assembly (10) adapted to be fitted to a coffee maker (18) in place of a coffee filter in order to be able to make tea with the coffee maker (18). It is known in the art to provide such a tea filter assembly (10) with a first valve (36) for closing an outlet (44) from the tea filter assembly (10) while the tea is steeping. It is a disadvantage in such a type of tea filter assembly (10) that upon termination of the steeping time hot water continues to be discharged from the coffee maker (18), flowing over the tea leaves and extracting bitter principle in the process. To avoid this drawback, provision is made in the invention for a water conduit (14) through which hot water exiting the coffee maker flows straight into a carafe after the steeping time has ended, without coming into contact with tea leaves contained in a tea basket (16). During the steeping time, the water conduit (14) is closed by a second valve (42) which is actuatable jointly with the first valve (36), preferably by raising and lowering the tea basket (16) together with the water conduit (14).

This is a continuation of International Application PCT/EP95/02791, filed 
Jul. 15, 1995. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a tea filter assembly for a coffee or tea maker, 
having an infusion chamber which is adapted to be loaded with tea leaves 
or tea bags (tea material) and is supplied with hot water from a discharge 
port, and having a valve downstream from the infusion chamber for closing 
the outlet of the brewed beverage flowing out of the infusion chamber. 
A tea filter of this type is known from EP 0 327 822 A1. The known tea 
filter has a filter basket holder adapted to be attached to a coffee maker 
underneath a discharge port for hot water and above a carafe. A tea basket 
with a bottom configured as a strainer is inserted in the filter basket 
holder. The bottom of the filter basket holder is equipped with an outlet 
opening forming a drain for the tea basket and being adapted to be closed 
by means of a valve. 
To make tea, tea leaves or the like are loaded into the tea basket, and the 
coffee maker is switched on with the valve closed. Hot water is conducted 
from the flow-through heater of the coffee maker to the tea filter for 
steeping, meaning that it draws tea extracts from the tea leaves. At the 
end of the steeping time, a user opens the valve, and the tea flows 
through the outlet opening of the filter basket holder into the carafe 
placed underneath. The bottom of the tea basket, which is configured as a 
strainer, retains the tea leaves. 
A disadvantage of such tea filters when making major amounts of tea is that 
the steeping time ends before the entire volume of water has entered the 
tea filter. Hot water continues to be discharged from the coffee maker, 
flowing over the tea leaves and through the outlet opening of the filter 
basket holder into the carafe. The steeping time cannot be fixed by this 
arrangement but depends on the brewing time. This means that hot water 
continues to come into contact with the tea leaves even upon termination 
of the steeping time. This should be avoided when making tea because when 
water and tea leaves are maintained in relative contact for a long time a 
growing amount of tannin is extracted from the tea leaves, which even in 
small quantities may impart a bitter taste to the tea. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to further develop a 
prior art type tea filter so that the steeping time is completely 
independent of the amount of tea made, and that the hot water continuing 
to leave the coffee maker upon termination of the steeping time is 
prevented from coming into contact with the tea leaves. 
Proceeding from a tea filter of the type initially referred to, this object 
is accomplished by the features of the present invention. 
The advantage of the invention is that even for large amounts of tea the 
user has the option to end the steeping period, that is, the period during 
which hot water is in contact with the tea leaves in the tea filter, at 
exactly the desired moment, without any more hot water flowing over the 
tea leaves. Making tea by means of the tea filter assembly according to 
the present invention is based on the samovar principle, meaning that a 
relatively strong decoction is produced which at the end of the steeping 
time is diluted with hot water to make the tea. A carafe for the tea is 
preheated on a warming plate of the coffee maker. During the steeping 
period it is already possible for hot water to bypass the tea basket and 
enter the carafe, heating it in addition. The tea filter assembly of the 
invention permits tea to be made with a conventional coffee maker in best 
quality in any quantity limited only by the capacity of the coffee maker 
and with any steeping time. 
The hot water from the coffee maker may be conducted either to the tea 
basket for making the decoction or past the tea basket straight into the 
carafe in order to prevent the hot water from coming into contact with the 
tea leaves in the tea basket. This may be accomplished, for example, by 
swiveling a hot water tube of the coffee maker which has a discharge port 
for the hot water. This hot water tube is adapted to swivel such that the 
hot water flows either into the tea basket or into a water passageway 
bypassing the tea basket. This may also be accomplished by adjusting the 
water passageway so that an inlet opening of the water passageway is 
positioned either underneath or to the side of the hot water discharge 
port of the coffee maker. 
By virtue of the first embodiment of the invention according to the 
features of the present invention, a particularly simple tea filter 
assembly is obtained in which, with the aid of the water conducting device 
and an inlet that opens into the infusion chamber and is provided at the 
bottom, it is already possible to predetermine the quantity of hot water 
that is intended to enter the infusion chamber, hence flowing over the tea 
leaves. With the valve closed, the extracting water continues to flow 
through the inlet into the infusion chamber until the valve is opened. 
Subsequently, the hot water exiting the brewing head of a coffee or tea 
maker flows only through the water conducting device and the valve 
directly to a beverage carafe placed underneath the tea filter. Although 
this first embodiment of the tea filter assembly is very simple, it 
enables the time and amount of contact between the hot water and the tea 
to be determined by an operator. 
If for major quantities of tea the size of the infusion chamber is 
inadequate to accommodate the extracting water, it is possible by virtue 
of the features of the present invention that, with the infusion chamber 
filled to capacity, the excess tea beverage is discharged through the 
overflow directly into the beverage carafe. 
The features of the present invention advantageously prevent the material 
to be extracted, such as tea leaves, from entering the beverage collected 
in the beverage carafe. 
The embodiment of the invention has a water conduit for the passage of 
water. This conduit extends from the hot water discharge port of the 
coffee maker down to a filler opening of the carafe. The water conduit may 
be arranged to extend through the tea basket or past the side of it. At 
the end of the steeping time the water conduit directs hot water from the 
coffee maker directly into the carafe, stopping the hot water coming into 
contact with the tea leaves in the tea basket. 
According to the features of the present invention, the water conduit is 
preferably integrally formed with the tea basket. This makes it possible 
for the tea basket to be manufactured with the water conduit simply in one 
operation, as by injection molding, for example. The tea basket is 
insertable together with the water conduit in a filter basket holder which 
in turn may be fitted to the coffee maker underneath the machine's hot 
water discharge port superposing the carafe. As filter basket holder it is 
possible to use the coffee filter basket holder or coffee filter already 
provided for the coffee maker. It is also possible to use a separate tea 
filter basket holder which is attached preferably to a holding device on 
the coffee maker, substituting the coffee filter basket holder. This 
obviates the necessity of making modifications to the coffee maker. 
A second embodiment of the invention has a second valve. With the second 
valve in closed position, the water passageway is blocked and hot water 
flows from the coffee maker into the tea basket. With the second valve 
open, hot water flows from the brewing head of the coffee maker, through 
the water conducting device past the tea basket directly into the carafe. 
As extracting water is poured over the tea leaves, it is necessary for the 
second valve to be closed so that as soon as the water conducting device 
is filled with extracting water this water exits the water conducting 
device through its overflow, entering the infusion chamber containing the 
tea leaves. As soon as the steeping time ends, and extracting water 
continues to enter the tea filter, both valves are opened, enabling on the 
one hand the tea beverage to be discharged through the valve arrangement 
and the outlet into the beverage carafe, while on the other hand enabling 
the extracting water, which continues to flow into the tea filter, to be 
discharged directly into the beverage carafe through the water conducting 
device, bypassing the infusion chamber. Accordingly, the water conducting 
device is closed by the second valve, while the outflow of the infusion 
chamber is blocked by the first valve. This second embodiment of a tea 
filter assembly according to the present invention enables the extracting 
water to flow into the infusion chamber from above, whereas in the first 
embodiment of the tea filter assembly this takes place by contrast from 
the bottom. 
In a preferred embodiment of the invention both valves are adapted to be 
actuated jointly. To allow the tea to steep, both valves are closed so 
that hot water exiting the coffee maker flows into the tea basket and 
stays there. At the end of the steeping time both valves are opened 
jointly, whereby the prepared decoction, that is, the highly aromatic and 
strong but less bitter tea beverage, flows through the outlet of the tea 
basket into the carafe. As this occurs, hot water exiting the coffee maker 
also flows through the water conducting device to the outlet and directly 
into the carafe, "diluting" the decoction at the outlet to form an 
agreeably tasting tea beverage. Hence at the end of the steeping time the 
hot water from the coffee maker no longer comes into contact with the tea 
leaves in the tea basket. The joint actuation of both valves of the tea 
filter assembly of the invention simplifies its operation because the 
making of tea takes only a single manipulation to close both valves--if 
they were still open beforehand--before switching on the coffee maker, and 
because only one operating element controlling both valves needs to be 
actuated, again with just a single manipulation, to end the steeping time. 
By virtue of the features of the present invention, only one outlet is 
needed if the two valves are arranged in succession. The outlet of the tea 
filter with its valve arrangement thereby becomes particularly simple and 
affords ease and economy of manufacture if the tea filter is produced as a 
plastic molded part in an injection mold. 
In the second embodiment of the invention the lower end of the water 
conduit forms a dual valve structure for both valves. This one-piece valve 
arrangement, which is defined by the water conduit and the bottom of the 
tea filter, results in a simple and economical configuration of the second 
embodiment of the valve arrangement. While the first valve prevents the 
brewed beverage from being drained from the infusion chamber, the second 
valve prevents hot water from exiting the water conduit. Only when both 
valves are opened will water flow from both the infusion chamber and the 
water conducting device to the outlet and then into the beverage carafe. 
By virtue of the features of the present invention, it is also possible for 
this valve arrangement and hence not only for the water conducting device 
connected to the infusion chamber but also for the housing of the tea 
filter assembly to be manufactured as separate injection molded parts 
without the need for any subsequent mechanical processing operations. 
A particularly simple, second embodiment of the present invention results 
from additional features. In this embodiment, the dual valve arrangement 
is formed by the free end of the water conduit together with the wall of 
the outlet opening provided at the bottom of the tea filter assembly. 
According to the features of the present invention, a particularly simple 
actuation of both valves results for the second embodiment by arranging a 
lifting device configured as an eccentric actuating mechanism between the 
tea basket and the filter basket holder. 
A third embodiment of the invention with a dual valve arrangement results 
from additional features. In this valve arrangement, there is need of only 
a single seal, which together with the sealing face provided at the free 
end of the water conduit and on the plug forms the first and the second 
valve. 
To enable simple valve actuation in this instance, provision is made. As 
the result of an extension of the plug penetrating the outlet downwardly, 
the valve arrangement of the tea filter can be actuated from underneath, 
that is, from the outlet side. 
The infusion chamber of the tea filter should be small in relation to the 
volume of conventional coffee filters in order to ensure that even for 
small quantities of tea the hot water completely envelops the tea leaves 
in the tea basket while the tea is steeping, and that the infusion chamber 
fills up with water as quickly as possible. This may be accomplished by 
separating off the infusion chamber by means of partition walls in the 
filter basket holder, for example. 
The tea filter according to the present invention preferably includes an 
overflow allowing hot water to run off from the infusion chamber of the 
tea filter into the carafe when the infusion chamber of the tea filter is 
already full of hot water during the steeping time and hot water continues 
to flow from the coffee maker. A quantity of hot water defined by the 
volume of the infusion chamber extracts active substances from the tea 
leaves, producing the decoction, while further hot water flows from the 
coffee maker into the carafe, preheating it. At the end of the steeping 
time the decoction is drained from the infusion chamber into the carafe 
where it mixes with the hot water to produce tea. 
In a preferred embodiment according to the present invention, an inlet to 
the overflow is provided with a retention device for the tea leaves. This 
may be accomplished, for example, by forming the inlet as a strainer 
having passage holes or as a grill having slots. 
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in greater 
detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings,

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The tea filter assembly 10 of the invention as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 is 
used for the making of tea with the aid of a conventional coffee maker of 
which only the brewing head 18 is indicated by dashed lines in FIGS. 1 and 
3. The tea filter assembly 10 comprises a filter basket holder 12 in which 
a tea basket 16 integrally formed with a water conduit 14 is inserted. The 
parts 12, 14, 16 of the tea filter assembly 10 are preferably injection 
molded of plastic material. 
Indicated by dashed lines in FIGS. 1 and 3 above the tea filter assembly 10 
is part of the brewing head 18 of a coffee maker which is otherwise not 
presented in any further detail. A hot water discharge port 20 provided on 
the brewing head 18 is positioned to superpose the upper opening 22 of the 
water conduit 14. Water heated by a flow-through heater (not shown) flows 
out of the discharge port 20 into the tea filter assembly 10. The 
flow-through heater communicates with a water reservoir (not shown) of the 
coffee or tea maker. 
The filter basket holder 12 may be designed to be hung in the coffee maker 
in place of a coffee filter; when used as a pure tea maker the coffee 
filter is then superfluous. For this purpose the tea filter assembly 10 
has in a circumferential area of its upper brim 23 a depending, arcuate 
holding lug 24 for hanging in a complementary mount, not shown, of the 
coffee maker, which mount is otherwise used for hanging in a coffee filter 
(not shown). 
In this embodiment, the filter basket holder 12 has the shape of a 
thin-walled truncated cone widening slightly toward the top. It is open at 
the top, and its lower end has a bottom 13. It will be appreciated that 
other shapes are of course also possible for the tea filter assembly 10. 
In the lower area, underneath the holding lug 24, the filter basket holder 
12 rests against abutment stops 26, indicated by dashed lines in FIGS. 1 
and 3, of the housing 125 (only intimated) of the coffee maker. 
Underneath the tea filter assembly 10 according to FIGS. 1 and 3, a carafe 
27 (partly shown by a dashed line) sits on a warming plate (not shown) of 
the coffee maker, the lid 28 of the carafe being indicated by dashed lines 
in FIGS. 1 and 3. The lid 28 is constructed as a shallow funnel with an 
inlet opening 30 at its center. 
In FIGS. 1 and 2, the tea filter assembly 10 further comprises a filter 
housing 12 shaped essentially in the manner of a truncated cone, being 
divided at its center by a partition wall 46 so that to the right of the 
vertical center line 120 an infusion chamber 48 of essentially 
semicircular cross section is formed. It is also possible, however, for 
the infusion chamber 48 to be adapted for inserting in the filter basket 
holder 12 as an individual component. The upper edge of the partition wall 
46 has on either side of the horizontal center line 122 (FIG. 2) one or 
several overflow edges 88 which according to FIG. 1 are adjoined in upward 
direction by a strainer 96. The strainer 96 is formed by slots extending 
to the overflow edge 88. The overflow edge 88 is provided on the infusion 
chamber 48 at a suitable level for the volume of the infusion chamber 48 
to be large enough to enable tea leaves and sufficient hot water for the 
extraction process to be fed into the infusion chamber 48. 
According to FIGS. 1 and 2, a water conduit 14 defined on the one side by 
the partition wall 46 and on the other side by an essentially semicircular 
wall 124 adjoining the partition wall extends at the center Z from the 
bottom 13 to a level above the overflow edge 88. The water conducting 
device 14 is thus comprised of a tube of circular cross section having its 
lower end closed by the bottom 13 and its upper end open by reason of the 
upper opening 22 to the hot water discharge port 20. Inside the conduit 14 
there is an opening 126 in the bottom 13 which is adapted to be closed by 
a first valve 36. The first valve 36 is adapted to be actuated from the 
outside through an actuating bar 128 on which a manipulating handle 130 is 
formed. In this arrangement, the actuating bar 128 passes through a bore 
134 provided in the foot 132 of the filter basket holder 12. At the 
junction between the bottom 13 and the water conduit 14 there is a fluid 
connection 90 in the form of a passageway opening exclusively into the 
infusion chamber 48. The fluid connection 90 has individual ribs 92, thus 
resulting in a strainer 94 for retaining the tea leaves. 
The mode of operation of the tea filter assembly according to FIGS. 1 and 2 
of the present invention is as follows: 
After tea leaves are loaded in the infusion chamber 48 with the valve 36 in 
the closed position, the tea or coffee maker may be switched on. As soon 
as water is heated in the flow-through heater (not shown), the water is 
directed through a riser (not shown) to the hot water discharge port 20 
from where it flows into the water conducting device 14. Because the first 
valve 36 is closed, the hot water rises in the water conduit 14, flowing 
through the fluid connection 90 into the infusion chamber 48 where it 
comes into contact with the tea leaves. The extraction process begins as 
the hot water extracts theine and other aromatic substances from the tea 
leaves. As long as hot water flows into the water conducting device 14, 
the water level rises uniformly in both the water conducting device 14 and 
the infusion chamber 48. Once the level reaches the overflow edge 88, the 
tea beverage flows over this edge into the overflow chamber 50 adjacent to 
the infusion chamber, thence through the drain 56 into the inlet opening 
30 provided in the lid 28 and from there into the carafe 27 placed 
underneath. 
Upon expiration of the required steeping time, an operator turns the 
actuating bar 128 by means of the manipulating handle 130, causing the 
first valve 36 to open. The liquid held in the water conducting device 14 
and in the infusion chamber 48 now flows through the opening 126 and the 
open first valve 36 out through the outlet 44, entering the carafe 27 
through the inlet opening 30. As this occurs, the tea beverage emanating 
from the fluid connection 90 of the infusion chamber 48 mixes with the hot 
water held inside the annular chamber 136. As long as hot water continues 
to flow from the hot water discharge port 20 into the upper opening 22 of 
the water conduit 14, this particular water no longer comes into contact 
with the tea leaves inside the infusion chamber 48 because it passes 
directly through the opening 126 to the outlet 44, albeit not until the 
tea beverage has been completely drained from the infusion chamber 48, and 
the hot water from the annular chamber 136. By virtue of this arrangement, 
any hot water still flowing after the first valve 36 was opened after a 
predetermined steeping time no longer comes into contact with the tea 
leaves, thus making it possible to limit further extraction and hence the 
amount of bitter principle in the tea beverage. By virtue of this 
arrangement it is thus possible for the taste, aroma and theine content to 
be determined by an operator during the infusion operation. Hence the 
invention is accomplished in the first embodiment with just a single valve 
36, a water conducting device 14 and a fluid connection 90 provided at the 
bottom and extending from the water conducting device 14 to the infusion 
chamber 48. 
FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a second embodiment of the invention, which is 
comprised essentially of a dual valve arrangement having two valves 36, 42 
at the end of the water conducting device 14. At the center of the bottom 
13 of the filter basket holder 12 according to FIGS. 3 and 4, there is a 
short downwardly extending hollow cylinder section 32 whose inner surface 
acts as a valve seat 34 for a valve 36. At its lower end the hollow 
cylinder section 32 merges into a hollow cone 38 whose conical inner 
surface forms a valve seat 40 for a further valve 42. Instead of a tip on 
the hollow cone 38, a passage bore is provided forming an outlet from the 
filter basket holder 12. 
According to FIGS. 3 and 4, an essentially vertically extending partition 
wall 46 divides the interior of the filter basket holder 12 into an 
infusion chamber 48 in which the tea basket 16 is inserted, and an 
overflow area 50 which is provided adjacent to the infusion chamber 48 as 
a separate chamber in the tea filter assembly 10. The infusion chamber 48 
occupies approximately half of the base area of the filter basket holder 
12. The upper edge of the partition wall 46 forms on either side of the 
horizontally extending center axis 74 (FIG. 4) a strainer 57 for the 
infusion chamber 48. The strainer 57 has vertically extending slots 54 
which form an overflow grill and whose lower edges form the overflow edges 
52. The water conduit 14 has at its upper opening 22 a further overflow 
edge 25 lying at a level above the lower overflow edge 52 of the strainer 
57. 
Provided in the bottom 13 of the filter basket holder 12 is a drain 56 from 
the overflow area 50 near the center of the filter basket holder 12 
directly against the partition wall 46. The drain superposes the lid 28, 
which acts as funnel, in the proximity of the inlet opening 30 of the lid 
28. 
According to FIGS. 3 and 4, the partition wall 46 has its center bent from 
above to below in a semicircular fashion over a section 55 in the 
direction of the overflow area 50. This semicircular section forms a guide 
surface 51 for the water conduit 14 and thus for the tea basket 16. The 
tea basket 16 inserted in the filter basket holder 12 has a semicircular 
base; it combines with the right-hand portion of the filter basket holder 
12 to form the infusion chamber 48. Its bottom 58 is configured as a sieve 
having a plurality of passage holes 60. The water conduit 14 integrally 
formed with the tea basket 16 has in its lower section 59 equally a guide 
surface 61 which, extending in like direction, engages the guide surface 
51 on the partition wall 46. The guide surface 61 is vertically 
displaceable together with the tea basket 16. The hollow cylinder section 
32 in the bottom 13 of the filter basket holder 12 also serves as a 
guiding means for the lower end of the water conduit 14 and thus for the 
tea basket 16. 
As mentioned in the foregoing, the tea basket 16 with the water conduit 14 
is operable to be lowered and raised in the filter basket holder 12 as 
will be described in more detail in the following. FIG. 3 illustrates the 
tea basket 16 in its lowered position. 
According to FIGS. 3 and 4, the lower end of the water conduit 14 is 
configured as a dual valve structure comprising a first 36 and a second 
valve 42. With the water conduit 14 in lowered position, the outer 
circumferential surface of the lower end of the water conduit 14 projects 
into the hollow cylinder section 32, thereby closing the outlet 44 at the 
bottom 13 of the filter basket holder 12, which outlet forms a drain for 
the tea basket 16 or the infusion chamber 48. To provide a seal, a sealing 
ring 62 is fitted in a circumferential sealing groove 64 in the outer 
surface at the lower end of the water conduit 14. With the water conduit 
14 in the raised position, the outlet 44 is open for the passage of liquid 
from the infusion chamber 48 or the tea basket 16. 
Arranged in the center of the lower end of the water conduit 14 according 
to FIGS. 3 and 4 is a cap 66 with its closed side facing up. This cap 66 
forms the valve body of the second valve 42. It is integrally connected 
with the water conduit 14 via ribs 68. With the water conduit 14 in 
lowered position, its lower circumferential edge 70 engages sealingly the 
valve seat 40 of the second valve 42, thus preventing liquid from flowing 
out of the water conduit 14 through the outlet 44 at the bottom 13 of the 
filter basket holder 12. With the water conduit 14 in raised position, the 
outlet 44 for liquid from the water conduit 14 is open. 
In the upper area, a lifting device 72 having an eccentric journal 78 is 
rotatably mounted in the filter basket holder 12 at a location on the 
circumference of the tea filter assembly 10 and the tea basket 16. The 
axis of rotation 74 of the eccentric journal 78 is slightly tilted 
relative to the horizontal. The lifting device 72 includes an actuating 
handle 76 projecting outwardly from the filter basket holder 12. The 
eccentric journal 78 engages in an essentially horizontal slot 80 in the 
tea basket 16. By turning the lifting device 72 one quarter turn it is 
possible to raise and lower the tea basket 16 together with the water 
guiding tube 14, whereby the two valves 36, 42 are jointly opened and 
closed. 
Tea making by means of the tea filter assembly 10 according to the second 
embodiment of the invention as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is performed in 
conjunction with a conventional coffee maker 18 as follows: 
Tea leaves or the like are loaded into the tea basket 16. The two valves 
36, 42 are closed together with the water conduit 14 by lowering the tea 
basket 16 using the lifting device 72. After the coffee maker 18 is 
switched on, hot water flows out of the hot water discharge port 20 of the 
coffee maker 18 into the water conduit 14. Because the second valve 42 has 
closed the water conduit 14 at its lower end, the hot water accumulates in 
the water conduit 14 and, as soon as the annular chamber 136 is filled to 
capacity, flows over this chamber's top end into the infusion chamber 48 
of the tea basket 16. 
The tea leaves (not shown) held in the interior of the infusion chamber 48 
are thus swirled about, resulting in better extraction of the tea leaves 
than with the first embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. Because the first valve 
36 closes the outflow for liquid from the infusion chamber 48 while at the 
same time the second valve 42 closes the outlet 44, the hot water is 
unable to be drained, rising therefore in the infusion chamber 48 and in 
the annular chamber 136 simultaneously, producing a decoction. 
To end the steeping operation upon expiration of a predetermined time 
period, an operator turns the eccentric device 72, thereby causing the tea 
basket 16 with the water conduit 14 to be raised. The two valves 36, 42 
are opened. The decoction is drained from the infusion chamber 48 through 
the outlet 44 in the bottom 13 of the filter basket holder 12, entering 
the carafe 27 placed underneath the tea filter assembly 10. If any hot 
water continues to flow out of the discharge port 20 of the coffee maker 
18, this water will flow directly through the water conduit 14, the open 
second valve 42 and the outlet 44 into the carafe 27, without this hot 
water coming into contact with the tea leaves inside the tea basket 16, 
thus enabling the taste of the tea to be determined by an operator 
independently of the amount of hot water. 
If the level of liquid in the infusion chamber 48 rises above the overflow 
edge 52 of the partition wall 46 in the filter basket holder 12 while hot 
water is being delivered, the liquid will flow over this edge 52 into the 
overflow area 50 of the filter basket holder 12 and thence through the 
holder's drain 56 into the carafe. The slots 54 forming the retaining 
grill in the upper edge area of the partition wall 46 hold back any tea 
leaves floating on the liquid inside the infusion chamber 48, thus 
preventing them from entering the carafe. 
FIG. 5 illustrates a third embodiment of a tea filter assembly 10 in which, 
as in FIGS. 3 and 4, the valve arrangement is a dual valve arrangement 
including a first and a second valve 36, 42, in which, however, the valve 
arrangement with its lifting device 72 is of a configuration different 
from that of the second embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4. In this instance, the 
first and the second valve 36, 42 are comprised of a common sealing ring 
110 of U-shaped cross section which is mounted in an annular groove 140 
provided in the opening 138 of the outlet 44 The upward pointing sealing 
face serves to provide a seal for the sealing face 106 of the first valve 
36 and for the sealing face 108 of the second valve 42. The first sealing 
face 106 is formed by the free end of the water conduit 14, while the 
second sealing face 108 is formed by a plug 102 provided in the lower end 
of the water conduit 14 and formed integrally with the water conduit 14 
via cleats 144 (represented by dashes). Drain holes 104 are provided in 
the plug 102 between the cleats 144 and between the two sealing faces 106 
and 108, thus establishing a fluid connection from the annular chamber 136 
of the water conduit 14 to the second valve 42. 
According to FIG. 5, the sealing ring 110 is centrally located within a 
holding ring 146, which is in turn guided on the guide surface 51. The 
holding ring 146 has depending hooks 148 latching behind the free end of 
the outlet 44 on the bottom 13 of the filter basket holder 12. In this 
arrangement, the holding ring 146 takes support upon a step 150 arranged 
at the outlet 44 and is thus fixed in this position. Radially beyond the 
hooks, the outlet bore 44 further has a stepped bore 152 which is engaged 
by a ring 154. Distributed around the circumference of the ring 154 are 
passageways 156, some of which are penetrated by the hooks 148. Further 
passageways 158 are provided on the ring 154 in offset position to the 
passageways 156 and are penetrated from below by hooks 160 resiliently 
engaging behind shoulders 162 provided on the passageway 158. In this 
manner, the dish-shaped actuating member 164, which is connected with a 
radially outwardly projecting lever 166, is thus joined to the ring 154 in 
a non-rotatable relationship thereto. The ring 154, however, together with 
the actuating member 164, is rotatably joined via the lever 166 to the 
free end of the outlet 44 of the filter basket holder 12 on the bottom 13. 
The actuating member 164 has a bore 168 extending concentrically with the 
opening 112 and forming the extension of the outlet 44. 
According to FIG. 5, a journal 170 projects from the inner wall 169 of the 
ring 154 and engages in a slideway 116 provided in the extension 114. The 
slideway 116 extends upward on the circumferential edge of the extension 
114 in such a way as indicated by the dashed line 172 that the extension 
114 and hence the entire tea basket 16 are lifted upward when rotation is 
imparted to the ring 154 by means of the actuating member 164. 
The mode of operation of the tea filter assembly 10 according to FIG. 5 of 
the invention is as follows: 
When the two valves 36, 42 are closed and tea leaves have been loaded in 
the infusion chamber 48, the brewing operation can begin by hot water 
flowing through the hot water discharge port 20 into the water conduit 14 
in accordance with FIG. 3. Once the annular chamber 136 is full up to the 
overflow edge 25, extracting water flows into the infusion chamber 48, 
extracting the tea leaves as previously described with reference to FIG. 
3. If there is now to be no more contact between the hot water and the tea 
leaves, the lever 166 of the lifting device 118 configured in the form of 
a ramp arrangement is turned, thereby causing the ring 154 and hence the 
journal 170 to be turned via the actuating member 164. Because the tea 
basket 16 and hence the extension 114 are non-rotatably arranged in the 
filter basket holder 12, an axial displacement of the tea basket 16 in 
upward direction according to FIG. 5 results from the rotary movement. 
Hence the two sealing faces 106, 108 of the first and second valve 36, 42 
become unseated from the sealing face 142 of the sealing ring 110, causing 
the decoction to be routed in the direction shown by the arrowed line 174 
through the passage holes 60, along the bottom 13, past the first and 
second valve 36, 42, into the annular chamber 176 formed between the 
extension 114 and the inner wall 169, and thence to the outside through 
the bore formed by the inner wall 168. At the same time, the hot water 
held in the interior of the annular chamber 136 flows through the drain 
hole 104 and the second valve 42, entering equally the annular chamber 
176. At the location between the first valve 36 and the drain hole 104, 
the decoction flowing out of the infusion chamber 48 mixes with the hot 
water inside the annular chamber 136 of the water conduit 14. If hot water 
now continues to flow through the hot water discharge port 20 into the 
annular chamber 136, this water will be fed to the outlet 44 without it 
coming into contact with the tea leaves in the infusion chamber 48. If hot 
water continues to be supplied to the water conduit 14 even as the 
decoction inside the infusion chamber 48 is being drained through the 
outlet 44, this hot water will now only flow out of outlet 44 into the 
carafe 27 (FIG. 3).