Patent ID: 8424448

Claim:
A beverage apparatus, comprising: a portable liquid container having a liquid containing body wall forming a bottom closed end and a ledge detail within a top open end and a switch engaging means; a removeable infuser having a body wall defining liquid-admitting perforation apertures, a closed bottom end and a top end, the top end having a top surface and an annular support flange protruding outwardly away from the top surface; a gasket disposed about the infuser below the annular support flange, where in use the gasket forms a liquid impervious seal with the container ledge detail and the infuser body and further spaces the infuser annular support flange from the container ledge detail to define a liquid access gap between the infuser annular support flange and the container ledge detail when the infuser is positioned into the portable liquid container top open end; at least one vertical channel defined through the gasket to communicate liquid through the gasket between the liquid container and the liquid access gap; a support base having a heating element and an internally oriented peripheral shoulder forming an opening to receive and hold a bottom end of the portable liquid container, the heating element to heat liquid within the portable container when the container bottom end is inserted within the interally oriented peripheral shoulder opening; and a switching means in circuit communication with the heating element to actuate the heating element to heat the container liquid to at least one specified temperature when the container bottom end is inserted to rest within the support base peripheral shoulder opening; wherein the switching means is located to engage the container switch engaging means when the container bottom end is inserted to rest within the support base peripheral shoulder opening, the engagement of the switch engaging means to actuate the heating element to heat the container liquid to the at least one specified temperature; wherein the container switch engaging means is a protrusion projecting outwardly from an exterior of a side wall of the bottom of the portable liquid container, said protrusion extending over a portion of a vertical length of the exterior of the container and terminating proximate an edge of the liquid container closed bottom end; and wherein the switching means is at least one push button switch located on the support base peripheral shoulder to be actuated by pressure from the container switch engaging means protrusion when the portable liquid container bottom end is inserted to rest within the support base peripheral shoulder opening.