Coffee brewer method and apparatus

Abstract: Apparatus for brewing coffee, tea and other beverages which consists of a lower (30) and upper chamber (58) which move relative to one another. The upper chamber (58) allows the mixing of the coffee and water. The lower chamber (30) has a filter element (38) at the top which allows the coffee liquid to move from the upper chamber (58) to the lower chamber (30) while leaving the residue on the filter element (38). A piston (43) in the lower chamber (30) forces air through the water and coffee to agitate it and then sucks the coffee liquid through the filter element (38) into the lower chamber (30). The coffee liquid then exits the lower chamber (30) through an opening (42) in the lower chamber and goes into a cup. The upper chamber (58) then raises and separates from the lower chamber (30) and a wiper blade (80) which is connected to the upper chamber (58) cleans the filter element (38) and pushes the coffee grounds into a residue container.

Description: This invention relates to method and apparatus which produce coffee, tea or other beverages during a single cycle. This invention is an improvement in coffee brewing machines as it allows a filter element to be repetitively used and efficiently cleans the filter element and disposes of the grounds which allows the device to remain clean and sanitary. The present invention is an improvement in single cup beverage brewers such as the ones disclosed in U.S-A-3,565,641 issued February 23, 1971, U.S-A-4,632,023, issued December 3, 1986 and U.S-A-4,694,739 issued September 22, 1987. In these apparatus the filter element consists of filter paper that cannot be reused. The present invention allows the filter element to be reused. These patents describe methods and apparatus which produce a single cup of coffee which consists of an upper chamber that is open at the top to allow coffee and hot water to enter and be mixed. For most of the cycle the upper chamber is tightly sealed to a lower chamber with a movable filter held therebetween. The lower chamber contains a piston which can move up and down. The piston first moves upwardly to force air through the mixture of coffee and water in the upper chamber. This air movement agitates the coffee and water. The piston. then travels downward and draws the liquid coffee through the filter element. The liquid coffee is drawn down until it reaches an opening in the lower chamber and it pours out along a spout. The chambers are then separated to advance the filter, and the filtered solids consisting of coffee grounds remain on the filter element. Thus, the movable filter becomes used up and must be replaced. The present invention is also an improvement over beverage machines, such as U.S-A-4,903,586, which employs a reusable movable, flexible filter strip as a filter element. In This device when the lower chamber is separated from the upper chamber, the filter strip is removed from the lower chamber and the coffee residue is scraped from the filter element. The filter element is then returned to the lower chamber and is ready for the next cycle. The brewer of this latter patent involves many moving parts in order to remove the coffee grounds. In order to prevent liquids from being ejected from the upper chamber, the filter strip requires a "hold down" mechanism in the upper chamber to clamp the filter during brewing, thereby adding complexity to the brewer and additional moving parts in the most messy part of the apparatus. After each cycle is complete the wet section of filter strip rests at the opposite side of the brewer from the side where the coffee grounds are deposited. The prior art brewers have a method of adjusting the pressure on the upper chamber to clamp it to the lower chamber. This is done through the addition of spacers or through turning of an adjusting nut. Therefore, these brewers require proper adjustment in order to brew coffee. An apparatus as defined in the preamble part of patent claim 1 is disclosed in the document EP-A-0 473 289. For removing the brewing material from the filter, a wiper arm rotates about a shaft, so that as it rotates in a first direction, it removes the coffee grounds from the filter, after which the wiper arm then moves back to its initial position. It is an object of the present invention to provide a beverage brewer which allows a reusable filter element. Another object of the invention is to allow the apparatus to be driven by turning a single shaft so that a wiper blade is positively driven in both directions over the filter without using springs which can be less reliable. It is yet another object of the invention to have a wiper drive system which consists of as few moving parts as possible because the wiper operates in the brewing area of the apparatus which is very messy given it is mixing water and coffee grounds. Another object of the invention is to allow the wiper blade to travel back and forth very quickly which leaves a large portion of the cycle available for agitating the coffee and water and drawing the liquid coffee through the filter element. It is yet another object of this invention to provide for the wiper blade to be parked below the surface of the lower chamber and above the waste container for the coffee grounds so that any excess liquid or solid coffee on the wiper drips into the waste container. Yet another object of the invention is for the brew chamber and wiper assembly to be easy to detach to allow for easy cleaning of these devices. Yet another object of the invention is to allow the apparatus to be assembled to discard the coffee grounds to the left side or to the right side of the brewer to allow more flexibility when placing multiple brewing mechanisms in a single machine. Broadly stated, the present invention is directed to method and apparatus for brewing a beverage having an upper chamber and a lower chamber and a filter mounted over the upper end of the lower chamber with means for separating the chambers and means for removing the brewing material off the top surface of the filter when the chambers are spaced apart from one another. An apparatus according to the invention is disclosed in independent Claim 1, whereas a method for brewing using such an apparatus is disclosed in claim 40. Other preferred features are disclosed in dependent Claims 2-39 and 41-45. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention the removing means is a wiper assembly which moves from a stored position on one side of the chambers to a return position on the opposite side of the chambers without touching the beverage material, and then with the chambers closer together moves from the return position across the filter to the stored position, wiping the brewing material off the filter as it goes. In another aspect of the present invention the wiper moves at a slower rate as it nears the stored position from the return position, thereby avoiding spillage of the brewing material. In accordance with another aspect of the recent invention, the upper chamber is supported on an H-frame pivotally mounted to a support member with the pivotal mounting also including a support bar which provides a parallelogram support for the upper chamber relative to the lower chamber. A feature and advantage of this aspect of the invention is that in both travel from the stored position to the return position and from the return position to the stored position the wiper moves parallel to the surface of the filter, thereby reducing the height to which the upper chamber is lifted for the first movement of the wiper assembly, and ensures intimate contact of the wiper across the entire surface of the filter in the second movement of the wiper. In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, spring members are provided on pull-down rods connected to the H-frame for pulling the upper chamber down toward the lower chamber and applying uniform pressure sealing the upper chamber to the filter. This construction avoids the necessity for any adjustment to maintain the seal of the upper chamber to the filter. In another aspect of the present invention there is a brush mounted on top of the wiper. Every time the wiper travels below the upper chamber it cleans the upper chamber of any excess coffee residue. This keeps the upper chamber clean. In another aspect of the present invention the main drive shaft of the brewer has two bends in it. This allows the main shaft to serve as a crank arm and pivot pin for the connecting rod. By eliminating the crank arm and a pivot pin used by conventional coffee brewers the mechanism is less expensive to manufacture and it is stronger. In another aspect of the present invention the piston is made of a sleeve made of a slippery plastic such as Teflon which is constrained by a two piece piston. The slippery plastic is forced against the side of the upper chamber by an O ring. Conventional brewers use a slippery seal made of an upside down cup of slippery plastic which covers the top of the piston. By eliminating the cup this invention allows the top of the piston to be shaped to mate with the top of the lower chamber. This eliminates any excess air and therefore increases the liquid brewing capacity of the device. It also allows the top of the piston to be shaped so as to drain the lower chamber more completely by adding a front notch or by sloping the top of the piston towards the opening in the lower chamber. In another aspect of the present invention, the coffee and water are guided into the upper chamber by a mixing chute and spillage chute. Conventional brewers use a circular funnel to mix the coffee and water. Using a mixing chute creates a more efficient mix of the coffee and water and it also prevents coffee and water from being ejected from the upper chamber by the upstroke of air. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the brewing apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. FIG. 3A is a front elevational view of the brewing apparatus in the home position. FIG. 3B is an elevational sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows illustrating the position of the pull-down mechanism in the home position. FIG. 3C is an elevational sectional view taken along line C-C in FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows illustrating the position of the wiper drive mechanism in the home position. FIG. 4A, 4B and 4C are views similar to Figs. 3A, 3B and 3C but illustrating the position of the elements as the wiper is moving from the stored position to the return position and illustrating in phantom the position of the wiper in the stored and return positions. FIG. 4D is a section view of the apparatus taken along line D-D in FIG. I in the direction of the arrows with the device in the position shown in Figure 4A. FIG. 5A, 5B and 5C are views similar to Figs. 3A, 3B and 3C illustrating the position of the elements as the wiper is moving from the return position to the stored position and scraping the brewing material off of the filter element. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the upper chamber separated from its support H-frame and illustrating in phantom the flexible movement of the H-frame arm. FIG. 7 is an illustrative drawing which shows the coffee grounds and hot water being agitated by the air upstroke, creating a swirl that allows the brewing to occur rapidly and efficiently. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the brewing apparatus which shows an alternative embodiment of the invention where the upper chamber 58' is attached directly to the pull-down rods 126' and 128'. FIG. 9 is a view of two brewing mechanisms which have been assembled so that the coffee grounds fall into a central waste bucket. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings, with particular reference to Figs. 1-5, the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a main support assembly 10 on which are mounted a lower chamber assembly 30, an upper chamber assembly 58 with its associated wiper assembly 80, and the drive assembly 100 with its associated upper chamber elevating assembly 120 and wiper drive assembly 140. The main support assembly 10 includes an upright channel or main support member 12 housing the drive assembly 100, upper chamber elevating assembly or pull down assembly 120 and wiper drive assembly 140. In its front and rear walls the support member 12 includes shaft supports 14 for the main drive shaft 102, and near the upper end of the side walls of support member 12, adjacent the rear wall thereof, openings 16 support an upper chamber assembly pivot shaft 17 positioned horizontally and parallel to the support member rear wall. Below support openings 16 are openings 18 supporting a pivot shaft 19 for mounting a support bar 63 described in greater detail below. A pair of openings 21 and 23 are provided above opening 14 in the support member 12 for receiving pivot shafts 22 and 24, respectively, to be described in greater detail below. Elongate openings 20 are provided in the sidewalls of the support member 12 to provide clearance for the wiper assembly 80, wiper drive assembly 140 and pull down assembly 120 which are described in greater detail below. The lower chamber assembly 30 is firmly attached to the support member 12 by side members 36 and includes a lower chamber 31 and a piston assembly 43. The lower chamber 31 consists of a hollow cylinder 32 having at the open upper end thereof a top plate 34. The top plate 34 has a groove 35 that fits a support gasket 37. As best shown by Figure 2 the support gasket 37 holds a support plate 33 and a flexible filter 38 to the top plate. The flexible filter 38 is attached to the support plate and filter 38 is made of material such as of nylon mesh that passes water but prevents passage therethrough of brewing materials such as coffee grounds. The support plate 33 supports the flexible filter 38 and has large openings that allow liquids to pass through. The hollow cylinder 32 includes at least one opening 40 which is surrounded by a spout 42 for delivering the brewed coffee into a cup therebelow. As best shown by Figures 2 and 7 the piston assembly 43 consists of a body 44 and a lower cap 45. The body is a cylinder with a top ridge 46 that captures therebelow a slippery sleeve 49. Below the ridge 46 the body has a peripheral groove 47 that accommodates an O ring 48. The O ring 48 forces the slippery sleeve 49 to make a tight seal with the hollow cylinder 32 as it slides up and down in the lower chamber 31. The cap 45 is at the bottom of the piston assembly 43 and is fastened tightly to the piston body 44 and captures the slippery sleeve 49. The slippery sleeve 49 is made of Teflon or similar plastics. As best shown by Figure 7 the top of the piston body 44 is shaped to mate with the upper portion of the lower chamber 31 when the piston is at the top of its travel. Therefore there is a minimal air gap between the piston assembly 43 and the lower chamber 31 which maximizes the liquid brewing capacity of the device. The front of the piston has a notch 39 which allows liquids to drain from off the top of the piston more completely. The top of the piston 43 can also have a gentle slope towards the opening 40 of the cylinder 32 which helps the coffee drain more completely. The piston assembly 43 is driven up and down in the lower chamber by a connecting arm 106 which is driven by an extension of the drive shaft 102. As best shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4D, the drive shaft 102 projects through the front of support member 12. The front of the drive shaft 102 has two ninety degree bends that form a crank shaft 104 and a pivot shaft 105 that engages the connecting arm 106. As best shown in Figs. 2 and 6, the H-frame assembly 50 consisting of a H frame body 51 and sides 52. The sides 52 of the "H" have ends 53 toward the rear of the brewer pivotally mounted on pivot shaft 17. The other or forward end of the sides 52 of the H-frame 51 are slotted longitudinally with a wider rigid portion 54 of the sides 52 located inwardly of the "H", and narrower portions 55 outwardly thereof which are flexible outwardly from the sides of the "H". Horizontal slots 56 extend rearwardly from the front ends of the inner portions 54 of the sides of the "H". At the rear ends of the slots 56, horizontal holes 57 are provided in the narrow portion 55 to pass the ends of stub shafts 60 and 61 positioned on the outer sides of the upper chamber assembly 58 as described below. The upper chamber assembly 58, which receives the brewing materials and hot water, has a gasket 59 that seals against the support gasket 37 of the lower chamber 31 when the lower end of the upper chamber 58 is brought down to the upper end of the lower chamber 31. The top of upper chamber assembly 58 consists of a mixing chute 65 and a spillage chute 66. The mixing chute 65 directs the coffee and hot water into the upper chamber 69 so that they mix quickly and efficiently. The spillage chute 66 directs any spilled coffee and water into the upper chamber. The upper chamber 69 has a pair of stub shafts 60 and 61 projecting out of opposite sides thereof for removable slidable insertion in the slots 56 of the forward ends of the H-frame sides 52 as the outer portions 55 are flexed outwardly so that the stub shafts 60 and 61 are held in the holes 57 when the other portions 55 are released with the stub shafts aligned with the holes 57. A support bar 63 connects between the shaft 19 and the stub shaft 62 which is connected to the upper chamber 58. The stub shaft 62 is provided on both sides of the upper chamber 58 which allows the support bar 63 to be assembled on either side of the upper chamber. The distance between shafts 17 and 19 is equal to the distance between the stub shafts 60 and 62, and the distance from the connection of support bar 63 to shaft 19 and to stub shaft 62 is equal to the distance from the connection of the side 52 of the H-frame to pivot shaft 17 to stub shaft 60 so that the support bar 63 and the adjacent side 52 of the H-frame form a parallelogram which maintains the chamber 69 level as the upper chamber assembly 58 is raised and lowered relative to the lower chamber assembly 30. In the lower position of the upper chamber assembly 58 the vertical axes of the lower chamber 31 and upper chamber 69 are coaxial, and as the upper chamber is raised, its axis remains vertical and parallel to the axis of the lower chamber 31. The wiper assembly 80, attached to the upper chamber assembly 58, includes parallel and spaced-apart rear shaft 82 and front guide 83 (See FIG. 4D) which provide, respectively, a linear bearing surface and a guide for a transversely extending wiper bracket 84. A wiper blade 86 is mounted on the wiper bracket 84, and the wiper bracket and blade can therefore slide together under the upper chamber 69. The wiper blade 86 will always remain parallel to the filter 38 as the upper chamber 69 is moved relative to the lower chamber 31 by reason of the parallelogram support of the upper chamber 58 to the support member 12. A top brush or wiper 87 is mounted on the wiper bracket. When the wiper bracket 84 slides under the upper chamber 69 the top brush 87 cleans the upper chamber 69 of excess coffee residue. As best shown by figure 4D, a stub shaft 88 projects rearwardly from the wiper bracket 84 and supports a sleeve bearing 90 for transverse movement of the wiper bracket 84 from the stored position 92 on one side of the upper chamber assembly 58 to a return position 94 on the other side of the upper chamber, as shown in phantom in Figs. 4A and 4B. The drive assembly for elevating and lowering the upper chamber assembly via the elevating assembly 120 and moving the wiper assembly via the wiper drive assembly 140 are illustrated in Figs. 1 through 5. In the drive assembly 100 at the opposite end of the drive shaft 102 from the crank arm 104, a pin 103 is driven by an electric motor 161 and a coupling member 162. Main drive shaft 102 includes a pull-down can 112 for operating the upper chamber elevating assembly 120 and a return cam 116 and a wipe cam 114 for operating the wipe drive assembly 140 (see Fig. 2). The upper chamber elevating assembly or pull-down assembly 120 includes a pull-down frame 122 on which is mounted a roller 124 which engages the pull-down cam 112. A pair of pull-down rods 126 and 128 slide axially in holes in the pull-down frame 122. Compressible rubber or metal springs 132 are trapped between the pull-down frame 122 and the stop pins 125 of the pull-down rods 126 and 128. When the pull-down frame 122 moves downwardly the pull-down springs 132 compress and force the pull-down rods 126 and 128 to move downwardly. The pull-down rods 126 and 128 extend upwardly and are angled outwardly through the side wall openings 20 in the support member 12 and the upper ends of the pull-down rods 126 and 128 are bent horizontally to fit into openings in the H frame body 51. The H-frame assembly 50 and pull-down rods 126 and 128 and pull-down frame 122 are biased upward by lift springs 134 mounted on the upper chamber assembly pivot shaft 17. One end of the lift spring 134 acts upon the support member 12 and the other end acts upon the H frame side 52. This forces the H frame assembly 50 upwards so that during elevation the upper chamber can be positioned at a first higher position at which the traveling wiper bracket will clear a cake of coffee grounds 165 on flexible filter 38, and at a second elevated but lower position the wiper blade 86 will be in contact with the filter 38 for wiping the coffee grounds from the surface of the filter 38. Pull-down cam 112, when rotated, forces the H frame assembly 50 to pivot around shaft 17, countering the action of lift springs 134, which bias the H-frame upwards. With particular reference to Figs. 2, 3C, 4C and 5C, the wiper drive assembly 140 includes an elongate return lever 142 pivotally mounted on the pivot shaft 22, and extending upwardly so that its upper end engages the sleeve bearing 90 for moving the wiper assembly from the stored position 92 to the return position 94. The bottom of the return lever 142 supports a cam follower 148. The cam follower 148 is driven by the return cam 116. Therefore, return cam 116 pivots the return lever 142 which forces the wiper bracket 84 to travel from the stored position 92 to the return position 94. Similarly, wipe lever 144 is pivoted on pivot shaft 24 so that the upper end of wipe lever 144 will engage the sleeve bearing 90 to move the wiper bracket 84 from the return position 94 to the stored position 92. The bottom of wipe lever 144 supports a cam follower 152 which is driven by the wipe cam 114. Therefore, wipe cam 114 pivots the wipe lever 144 which forces the wiper bracket 84 to travel from the return position to the stored position. Prior to the beginning of an operative cycle, the upper chamber 58 is clamped down and sealed against the lower chamber 31 in the position shown in Figs. 3A, 3B and 3C. In operation, when the dispenser machine is activated the electric motor 161 and coupling 162 of the dispenser machine turns the drive shaft 102 in one direction. The drive shaft 102 is usually turned at a constant rate. It can however be driven by a variable speed electric motor. Rotating the drive shaft 102 forces the connecting arm 106 to push the piston 43 up and down in the cylinder 32. Coffee is dispensed onto the mixing chute 65 and hot water is then dispensed so as to wash the coffee into the upper chamber. The piston 43 starts from a position just above the opening 40 of the lower chamber 31 and travels upwardly forcing air through the filter material 38. The mixing chute 65 is angled so as to deliver the coffee and water mixture to the side of the upper chamber 69. Figure 7 shows how the delivery position of this mixture and the air forced upwards by the piston 43 creates a swirl that causes the coffee to brew rapidly and efficiently. The mixing chute 65 and spillage chute 66 also form a barrier that prevents the air jet from ejecting any coffee and liquids from the upper chamber. During this time, the upper chamber 69 is firmly held against the lower chamber 31 so that the gasket 59 seals the upper chamber 69 to the lower chamber 31. The piston 43 travels to the top of the lower chamber 31 and then moves downwardly in lower chamber 31 to draw the liquid coffee through the filter material 38 and into the lower chamber 31, leaving the coffee grounds 165 on the filter material 38. As the piston 43 continues downwardly it draws the liquid coffee down to the opening 40 of the lower chamber 31 where the coffee exits from the lower chamber 31 and travels down the spout 42 and exits the brewing mechanism. The notch 39 allows the coffee to drain more quickly and more completely from the top of the piston. The drive shaft 102 continues to rotate and the pull-down cam 112, the return cam 116 and the wipe cam 114 begin to operate together to make the wiper blade 86 scrape the coffee residue from the filter material 38. The pull-down can 112 releases the roller cam follower 124 which releases the pull-down frame 122 which allows the pull-down springs 132 to release the pull-down rods 126 and 128, thereby causing the upper chamber 58 to rise due to the lift springs 134. The upper chamber 58 rises parallel to the lower chamber and filter 38 due to the parallelogram formed by one side 52 of the H-frame 50 and the support bar 63. The upper chamber 58 travels upward to a first upper position shown in Fig. 5, where the wiper blade 86 is higher than the coffee residue 165. The return cam 116 then engages the cam follower 148 at the bottom of the return lever 142, which causes the return lever to pivot around the pivot shaft 22 so that the upper end of the return lever engages the sleeve bearing 90 and in turn the stub shaft 88 of the wiper bracket 84, thereby forcing the wiper bracket 84 to slide along the shaft 82 and front guide 83 of the upper chamber assembly 58. The wiper blade 86 is kept parallel to the lower chamber 31, allowing the wiper blade 86 to travel above the coffee residue 165, as shown in Figs. 4A and 4B. The top brush 87 acts upon the upper chamber 69 and cleans off any excess residue. The stub shaft 88 of the wiper bracket 84 engages the sleeve bearing 90 which engages the top of the wipe lever 144. This causes the wipe lever 144 to rotate around pivot shaft 24, which the wipe lever 144 is free to do because the wipe cam 114 has a dwell so it no longer acts upon the cam follower 152 of the wipe lever 144. When the wiper blade 86 has travelled to a position beyond the coffee residue 165 and the wiper bracket 84 is in the return position 94, the pull-down cam 112 engages the roller 124 of the pull-down frame 122 which acts upon the pull-down springs 132 to force the pull-down rods 126 and 128 to lower the H-frame 50, the upper chamber 58, and the wiper bracket 84 to a second elevated position where the wiper blade 86 is in contact with the filter 38 on top of the lower chamber 31. The wiper blade 86 is kept parallel to the lower chamber and in contact across the full length of the filter 38, allowing the wiper blade 86 to push the coffee residue 165 as shown in Figs. 5A and 5B, and scrape the filter material 38 clean. The stub shaft 88 of the wiper bracket 84 engages the sleeve bearing 90 which then engages the top of the return lever 142. This causes the return lever 142 to rotate around the pivot shaft 22 and the return lever 142 is free to do so because the return cam 116 has a dwell so that it no longer acts upon the cam follower 148 of the return lever 142. Once the wiper blade has traveled beyond the top surface of the lower chamber 31 to the stored position 92, the coffee residue falls into a residue container 166 and the upper chamber assembly 58 can be lowered to bring it in contact with the lower chamber 31 because the wiper bracket 84 and the wiper blade 86 are clear of the lower chamber and can be moved into the parked position. To do this, the pull-down cam 112 engages the roller 124 which forces the pull-down frame 122 to act upon the pull-down springs 132 which force the pull-down rods 126 and 128 downward, lowering the H-frame 50 so that the upper chamber 58 and the lower chamber 31 are held tightly together and kept pressed together by the pull-down springs 132. The lowering of the upper chamber 58 also lowers the wiper bracket 84 and the wiper 86 to the parked position hanging over the residue container 166. The brewing cycle is now complete. The drive shaft 102 has made a complete rotation and the piston 43 has now returned to a position just above the opening 40 of the lower chamber 31 ready for the next cycle. It has been discovered best to slow the wiper bracket 84 and wiper blade 86 on its travel from the return position as it approaches the stored position to avoid the flexed wiper blade 86 from flipping coffee grounds off the edge of the top plate 34. Figure 8 shows another alternative embodiment of the invention which would be to attach the upper chamber 58' directly to the pull-down rods 126' and 128'. This approach requires large structural pull-down rods to center the upper chamber. The H frame approach, however, is more simple to build and to service. Fig. 9 shows another alternative use of the invention that uses the upper chamber 58 and wiper bracket assembled backwards on the shaft 82 and guide 83. The drive assembly 100, the pull down assembly 120 and wiper assembly 140 are assembled differently so that the stored position of the wiper bracket 84 is now on the opposite side of the brewing machine and the wiper bracket travels in the opposite direction to the return position which is located on the side of the machine where the stored position was located in the prior figures. This alternative arrangement allows the coffee grounds to be disposed of on the opposite side of the brewing mechanism and permits two brewing mechanisms to sit close together beside each other in a machine while using a common residue container 166. Still another alternative embodiment of the invention would be to attach the wiper to the H-frame 50 by an axial bearing which is attached to the H-frame. This construction allows the height of the wiper to be controlled by the H-frame position, and the wiper can still travel back and forth to clean the filter element. This implementation does not allow the wiper to remain parallel to the lower chamber and the filter and also does not allow the wiper to be removed for cleaning when the upper chamber is removed. It can be seen that this invention provides an improved brewing machine whereby a reusable filter element is cleaned by a wiper which is positively driven by levers and without springs which are less reliable. The wiper drive system consists of very few moving parts which allows it to work reliably in a dirty area. The wiper blade travels back and forth very quickly which leaves a large portion of the cycle available for agitating the coffee and water and drawing the liquid coffee through the filter element. The upper chamber and wiper assembly can be rapidly detached from the brewing mechanism for easy cleaning. The wiper blade is parked below the surface of the lower chamber and above the waste container for the coffee grounds so that any excess liquid or solid coffee drips into the residue container. The mixing chute and spillage chute act together to mix the coffee and water efficiently and prevent coffee and water from being ejected from the brewing mechanism. The preferred embodiment of the present invention can brew a cup of coffee in approximately 15 seconds. While the dimensions of various parts can be selected differently, the preferred embodiment of the invention has a 8.25 cm (3.25 inch) diameter piston which has a total travel in the cylinder of 9.52 cm (3.75 inches). The following chart illustrates the key positions of the operating cycle in terms of the degrees of rotation of the drive shaft and the percentage of the overall cycle for each stage in the operation. Key positions of the operating cycle: Start Position (degrees of rotation of shaft) Stop Position (degrees of rotation of shaft) Percent of cycle (%) Start of cycle with wiper parked 0 190 53% Wiper rises to clearance height 190 210 6% Wiper travels to return position 210 240 8% Wiper lowers to wipe height 240 270 8% Wiper wipes and travels to stored position 270 320 14% Wiper lowers to parked position 320 350 8% End of cycle with wiper parked 350 360 3%

Claims: Apparatus for brewing a beverage comprising, in combination: an upper chamber (69) for receiving and containing hot water and a brewing material and having an open lower end; a lower chamber (31) having an open upper end, a filter (38) mounted over the upper end of said lower chamber (31) preventing passage of the brewing material therethrough; means (120) for providing relative movement between said lower chamber (31) and said upper chamber (69) to move said chambers between a first position, wherein said filter (38) is clamped between said lower end of said upper chamber (69) and said upper end of said lower chamber (31) and a second position wherein said lower end of said upper chamber is spaced from said upper end of said lower chamber; means (80) for removing brewing material off the top surface of said filter (38); and means (140) for moving said removing means (80) across said filter (38) when said chambers are in said second position to remove brewing material from said filter (38); characterized in that said means (140) move said removing means (80) from a stored position (92) on one side of said chambers (31, 69) to a return position (94) on the opposite side of said chambers when said chambers are spaced apart by a distance sufficient for said removing means (80) to move from said stored position (92) to said return position (94) without touching the beverage material on said filter (38), and when said chambers (31, 69) are closer together than said distance to move said removing means (80) in contact with said filter (38) from said return position (94) across said filter (38) to said stored position (92) to remove the brewing material (165) off said filter. The apparatus of claim 1, including means (166) positioned below said stored position (92) for collecting the brewing material (165). The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said means (140) for moving said removing means (80) can be assembled for movement of said removing means from a stored position on either side of said chamber (31, 69) whereby brewing apparatus can be positioned side by side with their stored position adjacent one another and said collecting means (166) positioned therebelow. The apparatus of one of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said moving means (140) includes means for moving said removing means (80) at a slower rate as said removing means nears the stored position (92) from the return position (94). The apparatus of claim 1, including a support member (10), and wherein said means for moving said upper chamber includes a pair of support bars (63) with one end of both bars pivotally mounted on said support member a given distance apart, and the opposite end of both said bars pivotally mounted on said upper chamber (69) said given distance apart, and with the distance between the pivotal mounts (19, 62) of the opposite ends of each of said bars being equal. The apparatus of claim 1, including a support member (10), a generally horizontal H frame (51), pivotally mounted at its first free ends at the top on said support member, said upper chamber (69) removably pivotally mounted at the opposite free ends of the H frame (51). The apparatus of claim 6, including a support bar (63) having one end thereof pivotally connected to said support member (10) and the other end thereof pivotally connected to said upper chamber (69), the pivot connections (60, 62) of said upper chamber (69) to said H frame (51) and to said support bar (63) being the same given distance apart as the pivotal connections (17, 19) of said support member to said H frame (51) and to said support bar (63) and the distance between pivotal connections (17, 6) of said H frame (51) to said support member (10) and to said upper chamber (69) being equal to the distance between the pivotal connections (19, 62) of said support bar (63) to said support member (63) and said upper chamber (69). The apparatus of claim 7, including a drive shaft (102), said means (140) for moving said removing means (80) connected to said drive shaft (102) and elevating means (120) connected to said drive shaft (102) for first elevating said H frame (51) to space said chambers (31, 69) apart by a distance sufficient for said removing means (80) to move from stored position (92) to said return position (94) without touching the beverage material (165) on said filter (38), and after said moving means (140) has moved said removing means (80) from said stored position (92) to said removing position (94) lowering said H frame (51) to place said removing means (80) in contact with said filter (38), and after said moving means (140) had moved said removing means (80) from said return position (94) to said stored position (92) lowering said H frame (51) to place said upper chamber (69) in sealing contact with said filter (38). The apparatus of claim 1, characterized in that said removing means (80) includes a wiper blade (86). The apparatus of claim 9, characterized in that said removing means (80) includes a removal means projecting upwardly therefrom for cleaning the bottom of the upper chamber (69) when said removing means (80) moves between said stored (92) and said return (94) positions. The apparatus of claim 9, characterized by means for slidably mounting said wiper blade (86) on said upper chamber (69). The apparatus of claim 9, characterized in that in said first position the longitudinal axes of said chambers (31, 69) are vertical and coaxial and said relative movement means includes means for moving said upper chamber (69) upward while keeping the longitudinal axes of said chambers vertical and parallel. The apparatus of claim 12, including a support member (10) and characterized in that said means for moving said upper chamber (69) includes a pair of support bars (63) with one end of each of said bars pivotally mounted on said support member (10) a given distance apart and the other end of each of said bars pivotally mounted on said upper chamber (69) said given distance apart. The apparatus of claim 13, characterized by means for slidable mounting said wiper blade (86) on said upper chamber (69). The apparatus of claim 14, characterized by a pair of parallel spaced apart rods mounted on said upper chamber (69) and having longitudinal axes perpendicular to the plane containing the vertical axis of the upper chamber (69) for mounting said wiper blade (86) for horizontal movement across the top of said filter (38). The apparatus of claim 15, characterized by means (166) positioned below said start position for collecting the brewing material (165). The apparatus of claim 15, characterized in that said movement means (140) for moving said wiper blade (86) move said wiper blade (86) at a slower rate as it nears the stored position (92) from the return position (92). The apparatus of claim 15, characterized by a wiper bracket (84) slidably mounted on said rods (126, 128) and supporting said wiper blade (86) therebeneath and having a sleeved shaft projecting laterally therefrom and a return lever (142) engaging said sleeved shaft to move said wiper bracket (84) from said stored position (92) to said return position (94) and a wiper lever (144) for engaging said sleeved shaft for moving said wiper bracket (84) from said return position (94) to said stored position (92). The apparatus of claim 18, characterized by a drive shaft (102) with a return cam (116) for engaging said return lever (142) against said sleeve shaft to move said wiper bracket (84) from said stored position (92) to said return position (94) and disengaging said return lever (142) for movement of said wiper bracket (84) back to said stored position (92) and a wipe cam (114) for engaging said wipe lever (144) against said sleeved shaft to move said wiper bracket (84) from said return position (94) to said stored position (92) and disengaging said wipe lever (144) for movement of said wipe lever back to said return position (94) whereby continuous rotation of said drive shaft (102) in one direction positively moves said wiper assembly (80) from said stored position (92) to said return position (94) and back to said stored position (92). The apparatus of claim 1, characterized by a piston (43) slidably positioned within said lower chamber (31) and a slippery sleeve (49) completely surrounding at least a portion of said piston (43) and captured on said piston (43) for slidable contact with the interior wall of said lower chamber (31). The apparatus of claim 20, characterized by an O ring (48) mounted in a groove (47) in a position radially within said sleeve (49), said O ring (48) forcing said slippery sleeve (49) to make a tight seal with the interior wall of said lower chamber (31). The apparatus of claim 20, characterized in that said piston (43) has an upper surface substantially conforming the shape of the lower surface of said filter (38) and the mating sealing surface of the top of said lower chamber (31), said piston upper surface having means for draining liquid of the top of said piston (43). The apparatus of claim 1, characterized by a support member (10); a generally horizontal H-frame (51) pivotally mounted at its first free ends at the top on said support member (10); means for removably pivotally mounting said upper chamber (69) at the other free ends of said H-frame (51), the pivotal connection of said H frame (51) to said support member (10) providing relative movement between said chambers (31, 69) between a first position wherein the longitudinal axes of said chambers are vertical and coaxial and said filter (38) is clamped between said lower end of said upper chamber (69) and the upper end of said lower chamber (31) and a second elevated position of said lower end of said upper chamber above said filter with the longitudinal axes of said chambers being vertical and parallel; a support bar (63) having one end thereof pivotally connected to said support member (10) and the opposite end thereof removably pivotally connected to said upper chamber (69) with the pivotal connections of said upper chamber (69) to said H frame (51) and to said support bar (63) being the same given distance apart as the pivotal connections of said support member to said H frame (51) and to said support bar (63) and with the distance between pivotal connections of said H frame (51) to said support member (63) and to said upper chamber (69) being equal to the distance between the pivotal connection of said support bar (63) to said support member (63) and said upper chamber (69); and characterized in that said means (80) for removing brewing material of the top surface of said filter (38) include a wiper blade assembly (80) mounted on said upper chamber (69), comprising a pair of parallel spaced apart rods mounted on said upper chamber (69) and having longitudinal axes perpendicular to the plane containing the vertical axis of said upper chamber (69); a wiper blade (86); a wiper bracket (84) supporting said wiper blade (86) there below and slidably mounted on said rods for movement from a stored position (92) on one side of said upper chamber (69) beneath and across said lower end of said upper chamber (69) to a return position (94) on the opposite side of said upper chamber (69) and means for moving said wiper bracket (84) from said stored position (92) to said return position (94). The apparatus of claim 23, characterized by means (166) positioned below said stored position (92) for collecting the brewing material (165). The apparatus of claim 23, characterized in that said means (100) for moving said removing means (80) can be assembled for movement of said moving means (80) from a stored position (92) on either side of said chambers (31, 69) whereby brewing apparatus can be positioned side by side with their stored position adjacent one another and said collecting means positioned therebelow. The apparatus of claim 23, characterized by means for moving said H frame (51) to move said upper chamber (69) to a first elevated position above said lower chamber (31) permitting moving said wiper blade (86) from said stored position (92) to said return position (94) without touching beverage material (165) positioned on said filter (38) and a second position in which said wiper blade (86) is in sliding contact with said filter (38) when said wiper bracket (84) moves transversely beneath said lower end of said upper chamber (69). The apparatus of claim 26, characterized in said means for moving said wiper bracket (84) includes means for moving said wiper bracket (84) from said stored position (92) to said return position (94) when said upper chamber (69) is in said first elevated position and moving said wiper bracket (84) from said return position (94) to said stored position in sliding contact with said filter (38) to wipe the brewing material (165) off said filter. The apparatus of claim 27, characterized in that said moving means (80) includes a removal means projecting upwardly therefrom for cleaning the bottom of the upper chamber (69) when said removing means (80) moves between said stored (92) and said return (94) positions. The apparatus of claim 27, characterized in that said means for moving said wiper bracket (84) moves said wiper blade (86) at a slower rate as the wiper bracket (84) nears the stored position (92). The apparatus of claim 29, characterized in that said means for moving said wiper bracket (84) includes a return lever arm (142) for moving said wiper bracket (84) from said stored position (92) to said return position (94) and a wipe lever (144) for moving said wiper bracket (84) from said return position (94) to said stored position (92). The apparatus of claim 30, characterized by a drive shaft (102) with a return cam (116) for engaging said return lever (142) against said sleeved shaft to move said wiper bracket (84) from said stored position (92) to said return position (94) and disengaging said return lever (142) for movement of said wiper bracket (84) back to said stored position (92) and a wipe cam (114) for engaging said wipe lever (144) against said sleeved shaft to move said wiper bracket (84) from said return position (94) to said stored position (92) and disengaging said wipe lever (144) for movement of said wipe lever (144) back to said return position (94) whereby continuous rotation of said drive shaft in one direction positively moves said wiper assembly (80) from said stored position (92) to said return position (94) and back to said stored position (92). The apparatus of claim 23, characterized by a piston (43) slidably positioned within said lower chamber (31) and a slippery sleeve (49) completely surrounding at least a portion of said piston (43) and captured on said piston (43) for slidable contact with the interior wall of said lower chamber (31). The apparatus of claim 32, characterized by an O ring (48) mounted in a groove (47) in a position radially within said sleeve (49), said O ring (48) forcing said slippery sleeve (49) to make a tight seal with the interior wall of said lower chamber (31). The apparatus of claim 32, characterized in that said piston (43) has an upper surface substantially conforming to the shape of the lower surface of said filter (38) and the mating sealing surface of the top of said lower chamber, said piston upper surface having means for draining liquid of the top of said piston (43). The apparatus of claim 34, characterized in that said draining means includes a notch (39). The apparatus of claim 34, characterized in that said draining means includes a sloped upper surface of said piston (43). The apparatus of claim 1, characterized by a support member (10), said lower chamber (31) fixedly mounted on said support member (10) and means for mounting said upper chamber (31) on said support member (10) and including means (132) spring biasing said upper chamber (69) against said lower chamber (31). The apparatus of claim 1, characterized said upper chamber (69) includes a mixing chute (65) projecting from one side of the upper chamber downwardly across a portion of the upper chamber and a spillage chute (66) projecting from a side of said upper chamber (69) opposite said one side downwardly to a position above the lower end of said mixing chute (65). The apparatus of claim 23, characterized by means (132) spring biasing said upper chamber (69) against said lower chamber (31). Method for brewing using an apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the brewing material (165) and liquid are loaded into an upper chamber (69) and air is first forced up into the upper chamber (69) by a piston (43) in a lower chamber (31) to rapidly brew the beverage and secondly the piston (43) is pulled down to draw the brewed liquid through a filter (38) into the lower chamber, the steps comprising: drawing the liquid down through a rigid filter which will pass air and liquid but not brewing material; and separating the upper and lower chambers and wiping the brewing material laterally of the filter. The method of claim 40, characterized by first separating the chambers by a distance to move a wiper from on side of the chambers to the other side of the chambers without touching the beverage material and then moving the chambers closer together before the step of wiping the brewing material of the filter is performed. The method of claim 41, characterized in that the step of wiping the brewing material of the filter includes the step of removing brewing material from the bottom of the upper chamber. The method of claim 41, characterized in that the steps of separating and moving the chambers relative to one another includes maintaining the longitudinal axes of the chambers parallel. The method of claim 40, characterized by slowing the wiping step upon closely approaching the end of the wiping step. The method of claim 41, characterized by positively driving the wiper from the one side to the other side of the chambers and back to the one side of the chambers by a drive shaft continuously rotating in one direction.

Inventors: KING BRIAN L, KING PAUL A, KING, BRIAN L., KING, PAUL A.
Applicants: VKI TECHNOLOGIES INC, VKI TECHNOLOGIES INC.
Application year: 1993
Main classification: A47J31
IPC codes: A47J31