Food Equipment Technologies Company, Inc.

Other

Zbigniew G Lassota

Michael W Lassota

Bartosz Sokolski

Leszek M Wroblewski

Marek K Kwiatkowski

Andrzej Kaminski

Christopher P Michalek

Gregory Banasik

Christopher J Wierzbicki

Christopher Nowak

Leszak M Wroblewski

Woyciech Dymkowski

Chris Weirzeicki

A method of brewing hot beverage with an electric hot beverage brewer () with a duty cycle modulated DC voltage dispense pump () with an inlet () connected to a de-aerator () and beneath a lower limit and an outlet () located above an upper limit the surface a hot water tank () is finely controlled by a high frequency pulse-width, modulated, square power input voltage (FIG.) with a duty cycle controlled in accordance with predetermined profiles stored within a controller () to selectively change the flow rate out of the pump onto a distribution dome () during a dispense period of a brew cycle to achieve optimum brewing of different types of beverage ingredients and varieties of the different types and to selectively change the spray pattern of hot water onto the ingredient () within the basket assembly () between vertical and acute angles including acute angles that pass hot water into a bypass gap ().

Beverage brewing method with variable speed dispense pump

An electric hot beverage brewer () with a duty cycle modulated DC voltage dispense pump () with an inlet () connected to a de-aerator () and beneath a lower limit and an outlet () located above an upper limit the surface a hot water tank () is finely controlled by a high frequency pulse-width, modulated, square power input voltage (FIG.) with a duty cycle controlled in accordance with predetermined profiles stored within a controller () to selectively change the flow rate out of the pump onto a distribution dome () during a dispense period of a brew cycle to achieve optimum brewing of different types of beverage ingredients and varieties of the different types and to selectively change the spray pattern of hot water onto the ingredient () within the basket assembly () between vertical and acute angles including acute angles that pass hot water into a bypass gap ().

Beverage brewer with dispense pump

A beverage brewer housing () for passing hot water though a dry ingredient to create a freshly brewed beverage with a lower housing section () for protectively containing a hot water tank and an upper housing section () attached to and cantilever supported upon the lower housing section () having a rearward upper section open to the lower housing section () for protectively containing an upper part of the hot water tank and a forward upper section for containing temperature sensitive electronics. A closure plate () defines a floor for the forward upper section to support the electronics and an upwardly extending interior wall () thermally, protectively, separating the forward upper section from heat within the rearward upper section generated by the hot water tank. Both Each of the housing sections () are made from a single work piece of thin-walled stainless steel having a pair of planer side walls, a planer back wall and a curved front wall and an inwardly extending collar to enhance the lateral rigidity of the lower housing.

Sheet metal beverage brewer housing and method of making same

A method of controlling a hot beverage brewer () with an auto-directive brewer controller () that controls enabling and revealing of a plurality of hidden, or phantom, switches (and). Signals from disabled switches are ignored by a microcomputer (), and the operator is directed to only the hidden switches that are enabled by selectively revealing them with individually associated backlights (', and&#x2032;). When the backlights are energized the location of the hidden switches is revealed by the light passing through a dark, but semi-translucent, flexible, plastic control panel that overlies the hidden switches and their associated backlights. Different modes of normal operation may be preselected during a program mode (FIG.D) in which one or more of the brew start switches are relatively permanently disabled and remain relatively permanently hidden, while other ones of the start brew switches and other function selection switches are only temporarily disabled and temporarily hidden due to changing conditions or status of the brewer during normal operation.

Method of food processing using an auto-directive controller

A grinder () has a toolessly attached ingredient hopper assembly () overlying a toolessly attached fixed grinding burr () defining the top of a grind chamber () within which is received a mating rotary grinding burr () that is slidably mounted to a rotary drive motor () for adjustment relative to the fixed grinding burr (). Adjustment is achieved automatically by control of a stepper motor () that pushes on the end of an elongate control shaft () passing through a hollow rotary drive axle () and carrying the rotary grinding burr () at an opposite end. In a similar embodiment (FIG.), the non-rotary burr () is adjusted by movement of a control shaft () contained within a hollow motor axle (). In other embodiments (FIGS.-), a movable axle () of a movable rotor motor () and attached to the rotary burr () is moved to make the adjustments.

Electrical food grinder with an electronically controlled movable rotor drive motor and method

A food grinder () makes a sound or vibrates with a frequency that changes between a first mode when the grinding mechanism () is performing a grinding operation while there is bulk food ingredient within the grinding chamber, and a second mode when the grinding mechanism () is performing a grinding operation while there is no bulk food ingredient within the grinding chamber, has a detector () for sensing the change in frequency and a controller () responsive to the detector () for controlling the application of electrical power to the grinding mechanism (). Power is first applied when a start grind switch is manually actuated and is later automatically removed in response to a timer () a preselected time period after the detector senses that the grinding chamber is empty of bulk food ingredient to be ground.

Food grinder with automatic off controller and method

Method of making a housing having wall panels (and) formed from a single, metallic work piece () by folding it at each of four locations defining corners all of which are spaced from opposite ends of the work piece () with at least one fold having an angle substantially different from a right angle and then securing together opposite ends () of the work piece with a weld joint (). As a result of bringing together the opposite ends, at least one of the panels curved in a stressed state and forms interior corner angles at opposite sides that are substantially different from a right angle. A closure base () is attached to the bottom of the wall assembly () to close and support the open bottom of the wall assembly (), and as closure top () is attached an open top of the wall assembly ().

Method of making a housing for food-related apparatus with arcuate panels

A spray distribution assembly () for a hot beverage brewer () with a spray head () having a generally vertical passageway () for receipt of hot water and an umbrella-like member () with an underlying spray plate () having a downwardly, outwardly tapered top surface with radiating, outwardly, downwardly directed, upwardly facing grooves and an upwardly standing central core () snuggly received within the passageway () joined to the underside of the top of the umbrella-like member () with a plurality of vertical radially, outwardly facing grooves () extending from the top to the bottom to form a plurality of peripheral closed channels for passing hot water to upwardly facing grooves () of the umbrella-like body. The umbrella-like spray plate assembly may be attached to a cup shaped spray housing () in lieu of a flat spray plate () by means of a mounting adapter ().

Spray plate assembly with umbrella-like body and means and method of retrofit attaching same to a cup-shaped spray housing

A dual-purpose brewer including a hot water dispenser system () for dispensing, hot water to a dispense outlet above a removable brew basket () with an electromagnetically controlled outlet drain valve () for selectively blocking beverage from leaving the brew basket () during a seeping period when making tea and leaves a drain hole () open throughout a brew cycle when making coffee. A drain plug () made of magnetic or ferromagnetic material is moved by an electromagnetic field to an open position (FIG.) to block a drain passageway () to drain the brew basket () of beverage and falls to a closed position (FIG.) during, a seeping period. Contact of electromagnetic coils () carried by the brew basket () with a source of energization is achieved through electrical contacts at the end of a. pivotally mounted actuation arm ().

Dual-purpose brewer and brew basket and method of brewing

A beverage warming assembly () with a non-ferromagnetic, transparent heat carafe () having an induction heating assembly () attached to the bottom () by a threaded fastener () formed of a generally planer, induction ferromagnetic heating element () with a top and a bottom, and an insulating member () interposed between the carafe bottom () and the bottom of the induction heating element () to thermally insulate the bottom () from he induction heating element (), to enable relative movement between the induction heating element () and the bottom () and to seal a fastener hole () against leaks. Different levels of heating are achieved by connecting a high frequency voltage signal from a generator () to different inputs along the length of the coil induction coil () in response to actuation of heating level selection switches (). An AC power circuit breaker () removes power in response to actuation of a power switch () or when an input current detector () senses a current level that exceeds a preselected level.

Beverage heating assembly and method

An automated mixing drink dispenser () establishes a preselected feed rate of concentrate from a concentrate hopper () and ratio of concentrate to mixing water fed into a mixing chamber () through the Venturi effect created by swirling water fed into a mixing chamber () at a preselected water pressure () and preselected regulated flow rate () associated with the preselected feed rate of the concentrate. Concentrate is fed to a mixing chamber () from a concentrate hopper () having an open drain hole () openly connected to the mixing chamber (). A stirring mechanism () mechanically mixes the concentrate within the concentrate hopper () to maintain a uniform density and viscosity and a gas pressure mechanism () maintains a uniform head pressure of concentrate to facilitate maintenance of the preselected concentrate flow rate over time. Nitrogen gas in air is pumped through a nitrogen passing filter to fill the space () above the concentrate to both maintain head pressure and to reduce deterioration of the concentrate due to interaction with oxygen.

Liquid beverage concentrate mixing beverage dispenser and method

A food ingredient grinder () having a grinding chamber () with an electrically powered grinding mechanism () has an ingredient hopper has a pivotally mounted cover () that is automatically moved between open and closed positions and a controller () responsive to a cover position sensor () failing to sense the cover in a closed position disables a start switch () from starting a grinding operation. The grinding chamber () is toolessly mounted to the top of a frame member () of the grinder to facilitate removal of the chamber for cleaning or replacement.

Food grinder with automatic hopper cover and tooless disassembly

A beverage brewer () having a housing () with source of dispense water () for mixing with beverage ingredient to produce a freshly brewed beverage has an electromagnet () mounted to the housing () and a brew basket assembly () with a drain plug assembly () that is responsive to energization of the electromagnet () to actuate a drain plug assembly to move a drain plug () out of blocking engagement with a drain hole (). The drain plug () is attached to a lower end of a plug support member () that has an upper magnetic responsive end () that is received within a hollow core of () of the magnet () when the brew basket assembly () is toolessly mounted to by raising it into operative position where it is held by mating magnetic connectors (). During use, the elongate plug support member () is used as a handle to remove a filter assembly () for cleaning.

Brewer with brew basket having electromagnetic drain hole closure

A coffee brewer (' and&#x2032;) is provided with a plurality of solenoid controlled, bi-position dispense valves (&#x2032;), a size adjustable valve () or a combination of both and a programmable controller () for controlling the dispense valves in accordance with preselected brew parameters of batch quantity and dispense time duration.

Coffee brewer with automatic rate selectable dispense system and method

A hot beverage brewer () having a hot water dispense system (), a brew basket assembly () for holding ingredient to be mixed with the hot water to make a freshly brewed hot beverage and a controller () for controlling the delivery of hot water from the hot water dispenser system to the brew basket () with a spray distribution assembly () having a spray head () having a generally vertical passageway () for receipt of hot water and an umbrella-like member (). A spray plate () mounted beneath the umbrella-like member () has a downwardly, outwardly tapered top surface with radiating, outwardly, downwardly directed, upwardly facing grooves and an upwardly standing central core () snuggly received within the passageway () joined to the underside of the top of the umbrella-like member () with a plurality of vertical radially, outwardly facing grooves () extending from the top to the bottom to form a plurality of peripheral closed channels for passing hot water to upwardly facing grooves () of the umbrella-like body.

Growing community of inventors

Long Grove, IL, United States of America

Zbigniew G Lassota