Patent ID: 7469627

Claim:
A coffee maker with combined milling stage and brewing stage, comprising: (a) a rotational brewing basket for receiving coffee beans and hot water, the rotational brewing basket adapted to rotate about a longitudinal axis and comprising a sleeve extending along a portion of the longitudinal axis; (b) a chopping blade provided inside the brewing basket; (c) a locking mechanism for selectively suppressing rotation of the rotational brewing basket; (d) a rotational shaft connected to the chopping blade for rotating the chopping blade to mill the coffee beans into milled coffee powder, the rotational shaft rotatably fitted within the sleeve of the rotational brewing basket and adapted to rotate about the longitudinal axis; (e) a motor for providing a rotational force to the rotational shaft; and wherein only the shaft rotates about the longitudinal axis to mill the coffee beans when the rotation of the brewing basket is suppressed by the locking mechanism; and wherein when the rotation of the brewing basket is not suppressed by the locking mechanism, rotation of the shaft generates frictional forces inside the sleeve of the rotational brewing basket, the frictional forces drive the brewing basket to rotate about the longitudinal axis, and the rotation of the brewing basket generates a centrifugal force to cause the hot water inside the brewing basket to penetrate the milled coffee powder to produce brewed coffee.