Apparatus for preparing a beverage

Abstract

An apparatus 1 for preparing a beverage comprises a brewer (15, fig 2) receivable within a beverage receptable (3, fig 1), the brewer having a chamber and a beverage outlet 51, where brewed beverage f

Description

Field This disclosure relates, in one aspect, to apparatus for preparing a beverage, particularly but not exclusively to apparatus for preparing a beverage that involves the steeping, infusing or brewing of a substance in a liquid. Illustrative examples of such beverages include tea, coffee, herbal teas / infusions and barley water / tea. In the context of this disclosure, "steeping", "brewing" and "infusing" should be interpreted as being synonymous, and simply to refer to processes where a substance is immersed in a liquid so that the substance can modify, for example flavour and / or colour, the liquid to provide a beverage. In the following disclosure particular reference is made to apparatus for brewing or infusing tea, but it should be remembered that this particular application is merely illustrative, and the apparatus that is disclosed herein may be used for preparing a variety of other beverages. Background It has long been appreciated that beverages prepared by steeping or brewing a substance in a liquid need to be left for a period of time in order to be at their best. A simple example of a previously proposed apparatus for preparing a beverage is the teapot. In a teapot, tea leaves (typically) are allowed to steep in hot water for a user-determined amount of time to allow the tea to brew, before it is poured out of the teapot into a teacup for consumption by the user. Another example of previously proposed apparatus is the cafetiere (otherwise known as a French press). Cafetieres are another type of so-called "immersion brewer" where coffee grounds are steeped in hot water, after which a metal mesh plunger is pressed down to separate the grounds from the coffee. Teapots and cafetieres both suffer from the common drawback that it is necessary for the user to make a determination about when the coffee or tea has steeped for a sufficiently long enough amount of time. If the user should pour the tea or coffee too early, the resulting beverage is likely to be too weak and watery to be enjoyable. Conversely, if the tea or coffee should be allowed to steep for too long, the resulting beverage is often said to be "stewed" and will likely taste stronger, more bitter, and more astringent. Given that different teas and coffees have different ideal steeping times, it can be difficult for a user to repeatedly make tea or coffee that is to their liking. It is also the case that as it is up to the user to stop the steeping process, it is all too easy for a distracted user to inadvertently allow their beverage to steep for too long. US Patent no. 6276262 provides an arrangement that, in theory at least, automatically controls the steeping process. More specifically, this patent discloses an automatic tea brewing system which comprises a tea brewer with a water discharge hole at its lower end, a mesh filter above the tea water discharge hole, and a teapot positioned to receive brewed tea discharged from the water discharge hole. The tea brewer and the water discharge hole are configured and sized to allow a certain amount of water to flow naturally through the water discharge hole in a predetermined amount of time, thereby automatically controlling the manner and rate of tea brewing. Whilst this arrangement relieves the user from having to decide when a steeping process should be interrupted, the apparatus is configured such that the steep time is wholly dependent upon the size of the water discharge hole and hence fixed, as it is the size of this hole that controls the rate at which the hot water flows through the tea leaves and hence the length of time that the tea leaves steep in the hot water whilst the water is waiting to be discharged from the tea brewer. As different teas, coffees and other beverages have different preferred steeping times, the fixed nature of the steeping time means that the apparatus of this US patent is only really suitable for brewing certain beverages. Another issue with the apparatus disclosed in this US patent is that if the brewer is not completely filled, for example because the user only wants to consume a smaller amount of tea, then the amount of time required for the brewer to completely empty (the "empty time") will be reduced. Since the "empty time" defines the amount of time that the tea leaves are steeped in hot water, half-filling the brewer will halve the steeping time, resulting in weak tea. In order to avoid weak beverages the user needs to ensure that the brewer is filled with hot water to the correct level, which may well require the user to heat more water than they might otherwise need for the amount of beverage they want to consume - which is wasteful both from an environmental and a financial perspective. Another issue is that as the relationship between fill level and empty time is not linear, surprisingly large variations in flow rate can occur with relatively small changes in fill level. This is because, with a ‘free draining’ brew chamber of the type taught in the aforementioned US patent, the drainage rate is not constant and reduces as the water level water level drops. Aspects of this disclosure have been devised with the foregoing in mind. Summary In one presently preferred implementation of the teachings of this disclosure there is provided apparatus for preparing a beverage, the apparatus comprising: a receptacle for a beverage; and a brewer receivable within the beverage receptacle, said brewer defining a chamber for the receipt of a substance and a liquid in which the substance is to be steeped, infused or brewed to form a beverage, said brewer further comprising a beverage outlet that enables beverage to flow out of the brewer and into the receptacle, the arrangement being such that the brewer floats on the beverage as the beverage flows out of the brewer and into the receptacle. By virtue of this arrangement, the brewer rises up inside the receptacle as beverage flows into the receptacle. Unlike the aforementioned US patent where the rate of flow varies non-linearly with the fill level and size of water discharge hole, in this implementation of the teachings of this disclosure flow rates tend to be more consistent and predictable. Specifically, once there is sufficient liquid in the receptacle to float the brewer, the liquid level inside the brewer tends to be maintained just above the liquid level in the receptacle, thereby providing a small liquid head. This results in a much slower drain rate from the chamber compared with a ‘free draining’ arrangement, which is beneficial as it extends the brew time for a given drain hole size. Watching the beverage transfer from the brewer to the receptacle as the brewer rises within the receptacle can also enhance the "theatre" associated with the preparation of a beverage, correspondingly enhancing the user's enjoyment of the beverage preparation process. In one implementation the beverage outlet defines a bore, said bore having a diameter that is associated with a rate at which beverage is enabled to flow out of said brew chamber. The apparatus may comprise a plurality of beverage outlets having differing bores, the beverage outlets being selectively installable by a user in said brewer to vary the rate at which beverage is enabled to flow out of said brew chamber. The apparatus may comprise a lid for at least partly covering the receptacle, the lid including a plurality of apertures, each said aperture being configured to receive and store a said beverage outlet of said plurality. In one implementation the beverage outlet may be configured to allow a user to adjust the rate at which beverage is enabled to flow out of said brew chamber. The brewer may comprise a float. The apparatus may comprise a cylindrical brewer wall that cooperates with the float to define a void that functions as the brew chamber for receiving the substance and the liquid in which the substance is to be steeped, infused or brewed to form the beverage. The apparatus may comprise a strainer supported on said float, the float, strainer and brewer wall cooperating to define the void. In an envisaged arrangement, the float may comprise a passageway that extends between upper and lower surfaces of the float, the beverage outlet being receivable in said passageway. The float may be configured so that an end of the beverage outlet remote from the upper surface of the float tends, in use, to be below the surface of the beverage in the receptacle when the apparatus is in use. The float may comprise one or more bubble release channels extending from the end of the beverage outlet towards the upper surface of the float. The apparatus may comprise a spout, and / or a handle. The brewer and receptacle may have similar or different but complementary cross-sectional shapes. The brewer and receptacle may be generally circular in lateral cross-section. Another envisaged implementation of the teachings of this disclosure provides a set of beverage outlets for use with the apparatus disclosed herein, the set comprising a plurality of outlets, each of which has a different bore to the other outlets in the set. Yet another envisaged implementation of the teachings of this disclosure provides a method of using apparatus of the type disclosed herein to prepare a beverage, the method comprising the steps of: placing the brewer inside the beverage receptacle; providing a measure of a substance in the brew chamber of the brewer; pouring into the brew chamber a measure of a liquid in which the substance is to be steeped, infused or brewed to form a beverage ; allowing the liquid to drain from the brew chamber into the receptacle via the beverage outlet; and distributing the beverage for consumption. The method may comprise the additional steps of: selecting a beverage outlet from said plurality of outlets, said selected outlet having a bore that is associated with a beverage flow rate suitable for said substance, and installing the selected beverage outlet in the brewer so that beverage can flow, in use, from the brew chamber through the beverage outlet and into the receptacle. Other advantages and aspects of the heat transfer system disclosed herein will be apparent from the detailed description provided below. Brief Description of the Drawings The teachings of this disclosure, and arrangements embodying those teachings, will hereafter be described by way of illustrative example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic isometric view of apparatus that embodies the teachings of this disclosure; Fig. 2 is an exploded isometric view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the apparatus along the line A—A in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the apparatus along the line B—B in Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the region labelled C in Fig. 3; Figs. 6(a) to 6(d) are schematic representations depicting an illustrative beverage preparation process; Fig. 7 is an illustrative perspective view of another beverage outlet for use with the apparatus; Figs. 8(a) and 8(b) are illustrative cross-sectional views along the line D—D of Fig. 7; and Fig. 9 is a schematic isometric view of another apparatus that also embodies the teachings of this disclosure. Detailed Description Referring now to Figs 1 and 2 of the drawings, there is depicted apparatus 1 for preparing a beverage, the apparatus 1 embodying the teachings of this disclosure. The apparatus 1 comprises a receptacle 3 that is, in this arrangement, generally jug-shaped. The receptacle comprises a base 5 and a peripheral wall 7 that is upstanding from the base 5 when the receptacle is in use. The base 5 and peripheral wall 7 cooperate to define an internal open-mouthed void 8 (Fig. 2) within the receptacle that is closed in use, at least in part, by a lid 9. The receptacle 3 is provided with a handle 11 and a spout 13 so that beverage within the void 8 can be dispensed, in one envisaged implementation, the receptacle is of a transparent and insulating material such as borosilicate glass or polycarbonate. A brewer 15 is received, in use, within the void 8 inside the receptacle 3. In this implementation, both the brewer 15 and the receptacle 3 are generally circular in lateral cross-section. The brewer 15 has a smaller diameter than the void 8 within the receptacle 3, so that the brewer 15 can freely move and up down - in the depicted orientation - within the void 8. In other envisaged arrangements the brewer and receptacle may have different complementary cross-sectional shapes (for example, square), or indeed different cross-sectional shapes from one another (for example the receptacle may be square in cross-section and the brewer circular). All that is important is for the brewer to be able to freely move up and down within the void. The brewer 15 comprises, in this particular implementation, a float 17 that functions as a support for a strainer 19 and a cylindrical brewer wall 21. The brewer wall 21 is preferably transparent, or at least translucent, and may be of polycarbonate or Tritan™. The strainer 19 comprises a - in this embodiment - disc-shaped filter panel 23 (for example of woven or stamped stainless steel) coupled to the underside of a (in this embodiment, spider-shaped) filter support 25 by a strainer handle 27. The strainer handle 27 includes a threaded end portion 28 that is passed through the filter support 25 and filter panel 23 before being engaged with a nut 29 to securely couple the filter panel 23 to the filter support 25. The float, strainer and brewer wall cooperate to define an internal void 31 (Fig. 3) that receives, in use, a measure of a substance (such as tea for example), and a liquid (typically, a hot liquid) in which the substance is to be steeped, infused or brewed to form a beverage. In some implementations it may not be necessary to provide a strainer, in which case the float and brewer wall would cooperate to define the internal void. Referring additionally to Fig. 3, which is a cross-sectional view along the line A— A of Fig. 1, the float 17 has a dished upper surface 33 that is inclined downwardly (in the depicted orientation) towards a generally central passageway 35 that extends from the upper surface 33 to a lower surface 37 of the float that is spaced from the upper surface 33. The upper 33 and lower 37 surfaces cooperate with the walls that define the passageway 35 and an annular peripheral wall 39 to define one or more sealed internal float chambers 41 that improve the buoyancy of the float. The dished upper surface 33 of the float terminates at an annular peripheral upstand 43 that cooperates with the upper surface 33 to provide a recess in which the strainer 19 is received. A ledge 45 protrudes radially outwardly from the peripheral wall 39 on the outer side of the upstand 43 to form a seat for the cylindrical brewer wall 21. Referring now to Fig. 5, the junction between the central passageway 35 and the dished upper surface 33 includes a circumferential recess 47 that functions as a seat for a lipped peripheral portion 49 of a beverage outlet 51 received in the passageway. The beverage outlet has a central bore 53 through which beverage flows when the apparatus is in use, and the diameter of the bore affects the rate at which beverage flows from the brewer, and hence the amount of time for which the substance is steeped, infused or brewed in liquid within the void 31. As shown in Fig. 5, a lowermost end (i.e. an end closest to the base of the receptacle in use) of the beverage outlet 51 projects beyond a lowermost end of the central passageway, which makes it more likely that the lowermost end of the beverage outlet will be below the surface of the beverage in the receptacle when the apparatus is in use. This arrangement helps make it less likely that the brewer will "free drain" (as occurs in the apparatus disclosed in the aforementioned US patent) and helps slow and regularise the flow rate of beverage from the brewer. In an implementation of the teachings of this disclosure, the apparatus is provided with a set of beverage outlets 51 consisting of a multiplicity of outlets each with a different diameter bore. In this way, the user of the apparatus can select the outlet with a bore size that corresponds to an appropriate amount of time that whichever substance they have chosen for their beverage is to steep, infuse or brew in liquid within the void. For example, in the context of a Western tea brewing method, the user may select a beverage outlet with a relatively narrow bore that causes the tea leaves to brew in liquid for several minutes, whereas for a Chinese Gongfu method the user may select a beverage outlet with a relatively large bore that causes the tea leaves to brew in liquid for a much shorter amount of time. Conveniently, in an envisaged implementation depicted schematically in Figs. 1 to 4 and 6(a) to (d), the lid 9 of the apparatus may be provided with a plurality of holes that each function as a storage slot for one of the multiplicity of beverage outlets that together make up the aforementioned set of beverage outlets. In another contemplated implementation shown in Fig. 9, the holes in the lid may be omitted. Referring now to Figs. 1 and 4 of the drawings (Fig. 4 being a cross-sectional view through the apparatus along the line B—B of Fig. 1), the float is configured, in an envisaged implementation, to provide one or more (in this instance, two (only one of which is visible in Fig. 1)) recesses 55 in the lower surface 37 of the float. The recesses 55 are generally triangular in cross-section (as shown in Fig. 4), and extend from a lower end of the central passageway upwards towards the upper surface 33. The recesses 55 are configured to allow bubbles that form in the beverage beneath the float to move laterally and upwardly away from the lower end of the central passageway. As a result of this arrangement, the likelihood of the passageway being blocked by an air bubble is reduced. Referring now to Figs. 6(a) to 6(d) of the drawings, an illustrative tea brewing process will now be described. In a first step of the process, the appropriate beverage outlet for the tea that is to be consumed is selected, and inserted into the central passageway of the float. Next as shown in Fig. 6(a), once the apparatus has been reassembled, the void in the brew chamber above the strainer is filled with a measure of tea leaves, and then a measure of hot water is poured onto the leaves so that the leave steep in the hot water and infuse that water with the taste and aroma of the tea to form a beverage. As the beverage begins to flow out of the brewer in Fig. 6(b) the level of water in the brewer decreases, the level of beverage in the receptacle increases, and the brewer starts to float on the beverage in the receptacle and move upwardly away from the receptacle floor until, as shown in Fig. 6(c), all of the water in the brewer has passed through the beverage outlet into the receptacle. At this juncture, as shown in Fig. 6(d) the beverage in the receptacle can be dispensed via the spout into a mug or other drinking vessel. In the implementation described above, beverage outlets are exchanged to vary the rate at which liquid flows out of the brewer. In another implementation shown in Figs. 7, 8(a) and 8(b), an adjustable beverage outlet 57 is provided. In this implementation, the adjustable outlet comprises an outlet main body 59 that defines a central bore 61 through which liquid can flow. An enlarged upper end of the outlet main body 59 is provided with an internal screw thread and a plurality (in this instance, four) channels 63 that extend through the main body to the bore. The enlarged upper end of the main body is configured to seat in the circumferential recess 47 (Fig. 5) provided at the junction between the central passageway 35 and the dished upper surface 33 of the float. The adjustable outlet further comprises a stopper 64 with a handle portion 65 and an externally threaded portion 67 that carries a thread which is complementary to the internally threaded upper end of the outlet main body 59. By engaging the externally threaded portion 67 of the stopper 64 with the internally threaded portion of the outlet main body 59 and turning the handle portion 65, a projecting peg 69 at the base of the stopper can be moved between the position in Fig. 8(a) where the peg 69 projects into the central bore 61 to provide a narrow gap between the peg 69 and the outlet main body 59, and the position shown in Fig. 8(b) where the peg 69 has been withdrawn from the central bore 61 to enlarge the gap between the peg 69 and the outlet main body 59. In a particularly advantageous implementation, the stopper may be configured so that the internal bore 61 can be closed by the peg 69 to prevent flow into the receptacle. This arrangement allows a user to shut off fluid flow into the receptacle entirely. As will be appreciated, this particular arrangement allows a user to adjust the flow rate from the brewer to provide a steeping, infusing or brewing time that best suits, at least in the user's opinion, the beverage being prepared. The user is even enabled to vary the flow rate as a beverage is being prepared. For example, the user might opt to start preparing the beverage with a slow or zero flow rate, and then speed up the flow of fluid from the brewer once the substance from which the beverage is prepared has sat in the liquid for a desired amount of time. It will be appreciated that whilst various aspects and embodiments of the present invention have heretofore been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the particular arrangements set out herein and instead extends to encompass all arrangements, and modifications and alterations thereto, which fall within the scope of the appended claims. For example, it is recognised that the beverage outlets may be 5 offered for sale separately from the apparatus, for example to replace outlets that become damaged or lost, or indeed to provide specialist outlets for particular beverages. It should also be noted that whilst the accompanying claims set out particular combinations of features described herein, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the particular combinations hereafter claimed, but instead extends to 10 encompass any combination of features herein disclosed. Finally, it should be noted that any element in a claim that does not explicitly state "means for" performing a specified function, or "steps for" performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a "means" or "step" clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. Sec. 112, par. 6. In particular, the use of "step of" in the claims appended hereto is not 15 intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. Sec. 112, par. 6.

Claims

1. Apparatus for preparing a beverage, the apparatus comprising:a receptacle for a beverage; and5 a brewer receivable within the beverage receptacle, said brewer defining a brewchamber for the receipt of a substance and a liquid in which the substance is to be steeped, infused or brewed to form a beverage, said brewer further comprising a beverage outlet receivable in the brewer so that beverage can flow out of the brew chamber via the beverage outlet and into the receptacle, the arrangement being such 10 that the brewer floats on the beverage and rises up inside the receptacle as the beverage flows out of the brewer and into the receptacle, wherein the beverage outlet defines a bore with a diameter that is associated with a rate at which beverage is enabled to flow out of said brew chamber, said apparatus comprising a plurality of beverage outlets having differing bores, the beverage outlets being selectively installable 15 by a user in said brewer to vary the rate at which beverage is enabled to flow out of said brew chamber via the beverage outlet and into the receptacle.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, further comprising a lid for at least partly covering the receptacle, the lid including a plurality of apertures, each said aperture 20 being configured to receive and store a said beverage outlet of said plurality.

3. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein said brewer comprises a float.25 4. Apparatus according to Claim 3, further comprising a cylindrical brewer wall thatcooperates with the float to define a void that functions as the brew chamber for receiving the substance and the liquid in which the substance is to be steeped, infused or brewed to form the beverage.30 5. Apparatus according to Claim 4, comprising a strainer supported on said float,the float, strainer and brewer wall cooperating to define the void.

6. Apparatus according to any of claims 3 to 5, wherein the float comprises a passageway that extends between upper and lower surfaces of the float, the beverage 35 outlet being receivable in said passageway.16 06 267. Apparatus according to Claim 6, wneiem me float is configured so that an end of the beverage outlet remote from the upper surface of the float tends, in use, to be below the surface of the beverage in the receptacle when the apparatus is in use.5 8. Apparatus according to Claim 7, wherein the float comprises one or more bubblerelease channels extending from the end of the beverage outlet towards the upper surface of the float.

9. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the receptacle comprises a 10 spout.

10. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the receptacle comprises a handle.15 11. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the brewer and receptaclehave similar or different but complementary cross-sectional shapes.

12. Apparatus according to Claim 11, wherein the brewer and receptacle are generally circular in lateral cross-section.2013. A method of using apparatus according to any preceding claim to prepare a beverage, the method comprising the steps of:placing the brewer inside the beverage receptacle;selecting a beverage outlet from a plurality of beverage outlets, said plurality of25 beverage outlets having differing bores that are each associated with a rate at which beverage is enabled to flow out of said brew chamber, said selected outlet having a bore that is associated with a beverage flow rate suitable for a substance that is to be steeped, infused or brewed in a liquid to form a beverage;installing the selected beverage outlet in the brewer so that beverage can flow, in30 use, from the brew chamber through the beverage outlet and into the receptacle; providing a measure of the substance in the brew chamber of the brewer;pouring into the brew chamber a measure of a liquid in which the substance is to be steeped, infused or brewed to form a beverage; andallowing the beverage to drain from the brew chamber into the receptacle via the 35 beverage outlet.A

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