Wilbur Curtis Company, Inc.

Conopco, Inc.

Group Timberline, Inc.

Lucian H Lyall, Iii

Christopher Milner Enright

Michael Charles Cirigliano

Mauro Dominick Mordini

Karol Zbigniew Renau

James A Inhofe, Jr

Kevin Robert Curtis

Stephen J Boros

Chris Enright

A beverage server includes a removable lid with a display adapted to be viewed from a distance, the display equipped with LEDs that flash information to users with respect to a freshness and fluid level of a beverage in the server.

Coffee container with freshness indicator

Side-by-side tea dispenser

A brew basket for a brewing apparatus includes a splash protection structure to protect against spilling when the brew basket is removed prematurely with hot brewing liquid therein. The structure is a splash reservoir formed near the handle of the brew basket, extending the interior surface of the brew basket radially outward at the site of the compartment where the basket is pulled out of the brewing apparatus. A well or reservoir attenuates a wave of liquid created by pulling the basket out by directing the wave to the reservoir rather than impact the side wall of the basket, where hot liquid would then tend to splash or spill out.

Brew basket with splash reservoir

An improved brewing basket, and receptacles for receiving the basket, collectively forming an improved brewing apparatus. A siphon is received within the receptacle aperture and is covered by a shroud depending from the floor of the basket. The basket is elevated with respect to the receptacle, preferably supported predominantly by the siphon. The apparatus of the invention is quite flexible, and by permitting use of a single basket for loose and filter pack teas, the complexity of manufacturing and sales is reduced. Other advantageous features include a stainless steel insert to assist in containing the siphon within the shroud, retaining tabs within the shroud to help secure the siphon, and one or more, preferably three or more, protrusions extending upwardly from the floor of the basket to assist in keeping any infusion bags from lying flat on the floor of the basket, and thereby to promote infusion. Preferably, the shroud is integral with the basket floor and extends both above and below the floor.

Brewing apparatus

Brew basket for a coffee maker

A brewing apparatus includes an intermittent brewing feature whereby a controller regulates flow into a brew basket based upon a user selected pre-stored flow profile comprising a sequence of flow pulses. A user selects from among a plurality of stored intermittent flow profiles according to the specific brewing operation, where each profile is designed for different brewing conditions. The flow profiles can be incorporated into a larger set of pre-stored or programmed instructions that also regulate temperature, volume, warming operations, and the like.

Brewing apparatus with pre-infusion and pulse brewing

A coffee brewing basket for use with a pre-measured coffee filter packet is shown having a first compartment for retaining the coffee filter packet and a second compartment situated below the first compartment for providing an initial wetting of the coffee filter packet. A rib protruding from an interior wall of the first compartment into the second compartment provides access by which hot water introduced into the brewing basket can enter the first compartment and bypass the coffee filter packet to collect in the lower compartment. A reservoir formed by a series of ridges channels the water draining out of the second compartment and draws water through the coffee filter.

Brew basket for coffee filter pack

A spray head for a coffee making apparatus having a plurality of holes at the bottom of a fluid reservoir for wetting the coffee grounds located below the spray head, the holes raised above a floor of the fluid reservoir by upwardly projecting stand pipes. The elevated hole draws water from a depth spaced from the floor where sediment and lime scaling occurs to delay clogging of the spray head. The arrangement of the holes are selected to wet the grounds evenly, and the size of the holes are preferably selected to create an impact of droplets with the grounds below while maintaining an adequate flow rate through the holes.

Coffee spray head

Brew basket for coffee pack

A grip coupling ( ) for tubular conduit has a coupling body ( ) formed by two halves ( ) which are joined along weld lines ( ). The two halves ( ) each include a tapered entrance section ( ) and an interior seal ( ). The interior seals ( ) are disposed inboard of the tapered entrance sections ( ). Two annular-shaped shoulders ( ) are formed in the interior surfaces of each of the two halves ( ), and are spaced apart to face inboard relative to the respective two halves ( ) when the two halves ( ) are joined together. Two grip rings ( ) are disposed within respective ones of the two halves ( ), fitting against respective ones of the two annular-shaped shoulders ( ). The grip rings ( ) have grip teeth ( ) and are tapered to extend radially inward in an inboard direction relative to the body ( ).

Growing community of inventors

Coto de Caza, CA, United States of America

Lucian H Lyall, Iii