Keurig, Inc.

Coravin, Inc.

Keuring, Incorporated

Nicholas G Lazaris

Roderick H Beaulieu

Otto Daniel DeRuntz

Mike Rider

Richard P Sweeney

Richard B Streeter

William T Jacobs

Adam Brierley Craft

Charles F Squires

William P Bucuzzo

Edmund J Britt, Ii

Amy T Potts

Otto Deruntz

Beverage extractor

Devices and methods for guiding a needle in movement through a bottle closure, such as a cork, to extract fluids from the bottle without removal of the cork. A needle may be attached to a device body by a needle base, which includes a surface arranged to engage with a needle guide to guide movement of the needle base and needle relative to the guide. A needle guide may also provide a shield for the needle tip and/or a needle opening.

Method and apparatus for beverage extraction needle guiding

A system for dispensing a metered volume of heated water to the brew chamber of a single serve beverage dispenser. The system includes: a storage tank for containing a supply of unheated water, a dispensing tank, and a delivery line communicating with the brew chamber and with the dispensing tank at an intermediate level demarcating the interior of the dispensing tank into upper and lower compartments wherein the volume of the upper compartment is equal to the metered volume. The system also includes a vent valve communicating via a vent line with the upper compartment, and a supply line connecting the storage tank to the lower compartment. An air pump is arranged to deliver pressurized air to the upper compartment. A water pump in the supply line is arranged to deliver water from the storage tank to the lower compartment. A heater for heating water is received in the dispensing tank. Sensing means for generating control signals indicative of the level and temperature of water in the dispensing tank; and a controller enabled by control signals generated by the sensing means and operative in response to a brew signal for operating the air and water pumps in conjunction with the opening and closure of the vent valve to fill the upper compartment with heated water displaced the lower compartment and to discharge the thus displaced heated water from the upper compartment to the brew chamber.

System for dispensing metered volumes of heated water to the brew chamber of a single serve beverage brewer

A system for dispensing a metered volume of heated water to the brew chamber of a single serve beverage dispenser. The system includes a storage tank for containing a supply of unheated water and a dispensing tank. A delivery line communicates with the brew chamber and with the dispensing tank at an intermediate level demarcating the interior of dispensing tank into upper and lower compartment. The volume of the upper compartment is equal to the metered volume. A vent valve communicates via a vent line with the upper compartment. A supply line connects the storage tank to the lower compartment. An air pump is arranged to deliver pressurized air to the upper compartment. A water pump in the supply line is arranged to deliver water from the storage tank to the lower compartment. A heater for heating water received in the dispensing tank. A sensing mechanism for generating control signals indicative of the level and temperature of water in the dispensing tank. A controller enabled by control signals generated by the sensing means and operative in response to a brew signal for operating the air and water pumps in conjunction with the opening and closure of the vent valve to fill the upper compartment with heated water displaced from the lower compartment and to discharge the thus displaced heated water from the upper compartment to the brew chamber.

A liquid level sensing arrangement for a tank may include a float having a disc-like shape and a sensor that detects a position of the float relative to the tank. The float may have an overall height/total displacement ratio of 0.5 or less. The float may have a range of motion relative to the tank so that at least a portion of the float may move below a portion of a bottom wall of the tank and/or below an outlet for the tank.

Method and apparatus for liquid level sensing

Disposable beverage filter cartridge

For use in a single serve beverage brewer in which a measured charge of a dry beverage medium is infused with a metered amount of heated liquid to produce a beverage medium, a reusable beverage filter cartridge is provided for containing the beverage medium and for accommodating an inflow of the heated liquid and an outflow of the beverage medium. The cartridge comprises a cup-shaped housing having a top opening and a closed bottom with an outlet port. A filter internally subdivides the housing into a first chamber accessible via the top opening and configured and dimensioned to contain the beverage medium, and a second chamber communicating with the outlet port. A lid is removably secured to the housing in a position closing the top opening, and an inlet port in the lid serves to admit heated liquid into the first chamber for infusion with the beverage medium contained therein. The filter is permeable to accommodate a flow therethrough of the resulting beverage into the second chamber from which it exits via the outlet port.

Re-usable beverage filter cartridge

A brewer operates during a brew cycle to brew a beverage by infusing heated liquid with a dry beverage medium contained in a single serve disposable cartridge. During the brew cycle, the cartridge is contained in a cup-shaped housing closed by a lid. Rotation of the cartridge within the housing is resisted by locating surfaces arranged to interengage with at least one surface irregularity in the cartridge sidewall. Inlet and outlet probes pierce the cartridge and serve, respectively, to admit the heated liquid and to remove the served beverage.

Beverage filter cartridge holder

A beverage filter cartridge includes a cup-shaped outer container with a bottom and a side wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall to a circular rim surrounding an upper opening. The side wall has an upper section extending downwardly from the rim to an intermediate section, and a tapered lower section configured to provide a plurality of circumferentially spaced flutes extending downwardly from the intermediate section to the bottom wall. A filter element subdivides the interior of the container into first and second chambers. A beverage medium is stored in the first chamber. A cover is joined to the side wall at the rim to close the upper opening. The cover is yieldably piercable to accommodate an injection of liquid into the first chamber for combination with the beverage medium to produce a beverage. The filter element is permeable to accommodate a flow of the beverage from the first chamber into the second chamber, and the bottom wall is yieldably piercable to accommodate an outflow of the beverage from the second chamber to the exterior of the cartridge.

Beverage filter cartridge

A beverage is brewed by infusing heated liquid with a dry beverage medium contained in a first chamber of a disposable cartridge. The cartridge is internally subdivided by a permeable filter separating the first chamber from a second chamber, with both chambers being closed by piercable lid on one side of the cartridge. During a brew cycle, the cartridge is clamped between confronting arms, an the cartridge lid is pierced by inlet and outlet probes carried by a platen and arranged to communicate respectively with the first and second cartridge chambers. Heated liquid is admitted in to the first chamber via the inlet probe for infusion with the dry beverage medium, and the resulting brewed beverage permeates through the filter into the second chamber from which it exits via the outlet probe.

A beverage filter cartridge comprises an outer container with an access opening. A filter element is received in and configured and arranged to subdivide the interior of the container into first and second chambers. A beverage medium is stored in the first chamber. A lid closes the access opening. The lid has a first section overlying the first chamber and a second section overlying the second chamber. The first section of the lid is yieldably piercable to accommodate an inflow of liquid into the first chamber for infusion with the beverage medium to produce a beverage. The filter element is permeable to accommodate a flow of the beverage from the first chamber into the second chamber, and the second section of the lid is yieldably piercable to accommodate an outflow of the beverage from the second chamber to the exterior of the cartridge.

Disposable single serve beverage filter cartridge

A beverage filter cartridge includes an outer container with a bottom, and front, back and side walls extending upwardly from the bottom to a peripheral rim surrounding an upper opening. The side wall is contoured to define interior ledges located above the bottom and extending between the front and back walls. A planar filter element having front, back and side edge regions is configured, dimensioned and positioned to subdivide the interior of the container into first and second chambers, with the front and back edge regions of the filter element secured respectively to the front and back walls of the container, and with side edge regions of the filter element secured to respective interior ledges of the container side walls. A beverage medium is stored in the first chamber. A cover is joined to the container rim to close the upper opening. The cover is yieldably piercable to accommodate an inflow of liquid into the first chamber for combination with the beverage medium to produce a beverage. The filter element is permeable to accommodate passage of the beverage from the first chamber into the second chamber, and the container bottom is yieldably piercable to accommodate an outflow of the beverage from the second chamber to the exterior of the cartridge.

Growing community of inventors

Newton, MA, United States of America

Nicholas G Lazaris