Beverage manufacturer

Abstract

The beverage maker includes a water source, a filter holder, and a beverage cartridge holder configured to be disposed between the water source and the filter holder and to provide fluid communication between the water source and the filter holder.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 300,873, filed January 19, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to beverage makers. For example, the present disclosure relates to coffee makers. [Background technology]

[0003] There are many different methods for brewing beverages. For example, coffee makers known to the inventors come in a variety of forms and include percolator coffee makers, which generally have a carafe for brewing multiple servings of coffee at a time. Other coffee makers known to the inventors include single-serve coffee makers that use a coffee cartridge to brew the coffee.

[0004] A statement in the Background should not be assumed to be prior art merely because it is included in or associated with the Background. The Background may include information that describes one or more aspects of the subject technology. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In some embodiments, the beverage maker may include a water source that can be used in two modes of the beverage maker, thereby providing a more convenient beverage maker. In some embodiments, a beverage maker may be provided. The beverage maker may include a water source, a filter holder, and a beverage cartridge holder. The beverage cartridge holder may be disposed between the water source and the filter holder, and configured to provide fluid communication between the water source and the filter holder.

[0006] In some embodiments, the water source may be configured to hold a beverage cartridge disposed within said beverage cartridge holder.

[0007] In some embodiments, the beverage maker may further comprise a lid in which the water source is disposed, the lid may comprise a recess for receiving at least a portion of a beverage cartridge disposed in the beverage cartridge holder.

[0008] In some embodiments, the beverage maker may further comprise a beverage cartridge adaptor comprising the beverage cartridge holder, the beverage cartridge adaptor adapted to engage a lid or the filter holder.

[0009] In some embodiments, the beverage maker may further comprise one or more latches configured to engage the beverage cartridge adapter with the lid or the filter holder, and one or more buttons for releasing the one or more latches.

[0010] In some embodiments, the beverage maker may further comprise a housing body, the lid and the beverage cartridge adapter may be configured to pivot relative to the housing body.

[0011] In some embodiments, the beverage maker may further include a beverage cartridge adaptor having the beverage cartridge holder. The beverage cartridge adaptor may include side guides forming the beverage cartridge holder, and an adaptor base disposed below the side guides.

[0012] In some embodiments, the side guide extends upwardly from the adapter bottom and may include one or more side outlets.

[0013] In some embodiments, the adapter base may form a showerhead style fluid dispenser with multiple outlets that fluidly connect the beverage cartridge holder and the filter holder.

[0014] In some embodiments, the adapter bottom may include a first bottom and a second bottom surrounded by the first bottom in a plan view, and the plurality of outlets may include a plurality of first bottom outlets disposed in the first bottom and a plurality of second bottom outlets disposed in the second bottom.

[0015] In some embodiments, the filter holder may include a filter holder bottom with a bottom outlet.

[0016] In some embodiments, the beverage maker may further comprise a filter basket configured to support a filter, the filter basket may be disposed between the filter holder and the beverage cartridge holder. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a beverage maker according to one embodiment.

[0018] FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the beverage maker taken along line 2-2 in FIG.

[0019] 3A and 3B illustrate perspective views of the beverage maker shown in FIG. 1 in a first mode according to one embodiment.

[0020] FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of another example of a beverage maker according to an embodiment.

[0021] FIG. 5A illustrates a perspective view of the beverage maker of FIG. 1 in a second mode according to one embodiment.

[0022] FIG. 5B illustrates a cross-sectional view of another example of the beverage maker shown in FIG. 4 according to one embodiment.

[0023] FIG. 5C illustrates a side view of the beverage maker according to one embodiment.

[0024] 6A-6C show cross-sectional views of an example of use of the beverage maker shown in FIG. 4 in a first mode according to one embodiment.

[0025] 7A-7C show cross-sectional views of an example of use of the beverage maker shown in FIG. 4 in a second mode according to one embodiment.

[0026] FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of a beverage maker according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] The description of exemplary embodiments according to the principles of the present disclosure is intended to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered as part of the entire written description. Any reference to direction or orientation in the description of the embodiments disclosed herein is merely for convenience of description and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. Relative terms such as "lower", "upper", "horizontal", "vertical", "upper", "lower", "upper", "down", "top", and "bottom", as well as derivatives thereof (e.g., "horizontally", "downwards", "upwards", etc.) should be construed as referring to the orientation as indicated in the description or drawings at the time. These relative terms are merely for convenience of description and do not require that the device be configured or operated in a particular orientation unless expressly indicated. Similarly, "mounted", "fixed", "connected", "coupled", "interconnected", and similar terms refer to a relationship in which structures are fixed or attached to one another, either directly, or indirectly, through an intervening structure or movable or fixed attachment member or connection, unless otherwise specified. Moreover, the features and advantages of the present invention are illustrated by reference to the illustrated embodiments. Thus, the present invention should not be expressly limited to the embodiments illustrating some possible and non-limiting combinations of features that may exist alone or in combination with other features, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims appended hereto.

[0028] This disclosure describes the best mode of carrying out the present invention currently contemplated. This description is not intended to be understood in a limiting sense, but provides examples of the disclosure presented for illustrative purposes only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, to advise those skilled in the art of the advantages and configurations of the disclosure. In the various figures of the drawings, like reference numerals indicate like or similar parts.

[0029] An embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a beverage maker that extracts flavors from brewing ingredients, such as coffee grounds. Although the present disclosure primarily describes brewing coffee, the systems and methods of the present disclosure may be applied to brewing coffee as well as brewing beverages other than coffee, such as tea or other brewable beverages. "Brewing ingredients" include, but are not limited to, coffee grounds, tea leaves, cocoa, fruits, grains, herbs, or other ingredients used in brewing. Thus, while the beverage maker is described with respect to brewing coffee, it is equally applicable to brewing tea or infusing spirits.

[0030] In one example, the present disclosure may provide a beverage maker that can function in a first mode and a second mode. In the first mode (e.g., carafe mode), the beverage maker may brew a beverage by passing and spreading water over the brewing ingredients on a filter. In the second mode (e.g., cartridge mode), the beverage maker may brew a beverage using a single-serve beverage cartridge containing the brewing ingredients. Examples of single-serve beverage cartridges include K-CUP® and other single-serve cartridge formats. In one example, a single water source may be used in the first and second modes. This may provide a more convenient beverage maker.

[0031] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a beverage maker according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the beverage maker along line 2-2 in FIG. 1. FIGs. 3A and 3B show a perspective view of the beverage maker shown in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment in a first mode. FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of another example of a beverage maker according to an embodiment. FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 4 show the beverage maker in a first mode 801.

[0032] As shown in FIGS. 1-3B, the beverage maker 100 may include a housing body 200, a water tank 210, a water supply passage 220, a lid 230, a water supply source 231, a filter holder 300, and a beverage cartridge adaptor 400. The water tank 210 may be in fluid communication with the water supply passage 220. The lid 230 may be attached to the housing body 200. The lid 230 may be provided with a recess 239 (see FIG. 3B). The water supply source 231 may be in fluid communication with the water supply passage 220. In one embodiment, the water supply source 231 may be disposed in the lid 230. In the example shown in FIGS. 2 and 3B, the water supply source 231 may be disposed in the recess 239 of the lid 230. As shown in FIG. 2, the water supply source 231 may be a needle, but may be any configuration other than a needle. In one embodiment shown in Figure 2, the water supply 231 may extend vertically, but may also extend in a direction other than vertical. Typically, such a vertically extending needle may be used to pierce the lid of a single-serve beverage cartridge during use. In the illustrated example, the water supply 231 may include a liquid path along the length of the water supply 231.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3A, the filter holder 300 may be disposed within the housing body 200. The filter holder 300 may hold a filter 590 that holds brewing materials, such as coffee grounds, therein or thereon. The filter 590 may be a disposable paper filter. In some examples, as shown in FIG. 8, the filter 590 may be a reusable filter made of, for example, metal mesh or cloth. The filter holder 300 may include a filter holder bottom 330 and a filter holder side 340. The filter holder bottom 330 may be provided with a bottom outlet 331. The filter holder side 340 may extend upward from the filter holder bottom 330. As shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 4, the filter holder 300 may or may not include a filter basket 370. The filter basket 370 may be configured to support the filter 590. In one embodiment, shown in FIG. 4, filter basket 370 may be provided with an outlet 371 that overlaps with outlet 331 of filter holder 300 .

[0034] FIG 5A illustrates a perspective view of the beverage maker of FIG 1 according to one embodiment. FIG 5B illustrates a cross-sectional view of another example of the beverage maker shown in FIG 4 according to one embodiment. FIG 5C illustrates a side view of the beverage maker according to one embodiment. FIG 5C illustrates a side view of the beverage maker according to one embodiment. FIGs 5A, 5B, and 5C illustrate the beverage maker in a second mode 802.

[0035] 2 and 5A-5B, the beverage cartridge adapter 400 may be disposed between the filter holder 300 and the water supply source 231. The beverage cartridge adapter 400 may include a beverage cartridge holder 410, an adapter bottom 430, and an exterior surface 450. The beverage cartridge holder 410 may be disposed between the water supply source 231 and the filter holder 300 and configured to fluidly communicate between the water supply source 231 and the filter holder 300. As shown in FIG. 5B, a filter basket 370 may be disposed between the beverage cartridge holder 410 and the filter holder 300. A beverage cartridge 490 may be disposed in the beverage cartridge holder 410. In some embodiments shown in FIGS. 5A-5B, the beverage cartridge 490 disposed in the beverage cartridge holder 410 may be pierced by the water supply source 231 (e.g., a needle in one example) and positioned relative to the water supply source 231. A beverage cartridge 490 disposed within the beverage cartridge holder 410 may be at least partially received by the recess 239 of the lid 230. The beverage cartridge holder 410 includes a side guide 411 below which an adapter bottom 430 is disposed. The side guide 411 may extend upwardly from the adapter bottom 430. The side guide 411 may be provided with one or more side outlets 413.

[0036] 5A and 5C, in the second mode 802, a platform 899 may be disposed below the filter holder 300 and hold a container 812, such as a coffee mug, above the base plate. In other embodiments, the beverage maker may not include a platform and the container 812 may be placed directly on the base plate. In any case, as shown, in the second mode 802, the carafe 811 used in the first mode 801 may be replaced with a mug or other container 812 used in the second mode, since this mode is used with a single-serve cartridge.

[0037] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3B, the adapter bottom 430 may form a shower head type fluid dispenser. In some embodiments, the adapter bottom 430 may be integrally formed with the beverage cartridge holder 410. In other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 8, the adapter bottom 430 is not integrally formed with the beverage holder 410, and the adapter bottom 430 and the beverage holder 410 may be different parts. In some embodiments, the adapter bottom 430 has a first bottom 431 and a second bottom 432 surrounded by the first bottom 431 in a plan view. In the illustrated example, the first bottom 431 and the second bottom 432 are different parts of a single adapter bottom 430 (e.g., a single circular plate) that may form a shower head type fluid dispenser. The first bottom 431 is a part located inside the beverage cartridge holder 410, and the second bottom 432 is a part located outside the beverage cartridge holder 410. In one example, the first bottom portion 431 may be circular, and the second bottom portion 432 may be ring-shaped. The shapes of the first bottom portion 431 and the second bottom portion 432 are not limited to these examples, and may be other shapes.

[0038] The showerhead fluid dispenser formed by the adapter bottom 430 may be provided with a plurality of outlets 4310 for fluid communication between the beverage cartridge holder 410 and the filter holder 300. This fluid communication may be achieved via side outlets 413 in the side guides 411. The plurality of outlets 4310 may include a plurality of first bottom outlets 4311 in the first bottom 431 and a plurality of second bottom outlets 4312 in the second bottom 432. In one example, the plurality of outlets 4310 may include only the first bottom outlet 4311. In another example, shown in FIG. 5B, the plurality of outlets 4310 may include only the second bottom outlet 4312. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5B, some embodiments may include a bottom needle 437 that penetrates the adapter bottom 430. The bottom needle 437 may have a liquid path along the length of the bottom needle 437. The exterior surface 450 may extend upward from the adapter bottom 430. Similar to when the water supply 231 is in the form of a needle, the bottom needle 437 may be used to pierce the bottom of the single-serve beverage cartridge 490 in the second mode 802.

[0039] Returning to FIG. 3A, the beverage cartridge adapter 400 may be engaged with the lid 230. In one embodiment, the lid 230 and the beverage cartridge adapter 400 may be configured to rotate together relative to the housing body 200. The beverage maker 100 may include a latch configured to engage the beverage cartridge adapter 400 with the lid 230. Referring to FIG. 5A, the beverage cartridge adapter 400 may be engaged with the filter holder 300. In one embodiment, the lid 230 may be configured to rotate relative to the beverage cartridge adapter 400 and the housing body 200. The beverage maker 100 may be configured to engage the beverage cartridge adapter 400 with the lid 230 and / or engage the beverage cartridge adapter 400 with the filter holder 300. The beverage maker 100 may further include one or more buttons 501 (see FIGS. 1, 3A and 5A) that may release the latch. In some embodiments, one button 501 releases one latch, exposing the filter holder 300 for a first mode 801 (e.g., carafe mode). In some embodiments, the other button 501 releases the other latch, exposing the top of the beverage cartridge adapter 400 for a second mode 802 (e.g., cartridge mode).

[0040] 6A-6C show cross-sectional views of an example of use of the beverage maker shown in FIG. 4 in a first mode 801 according to one embodiment.

[0041] 6A-6B, when the beverage maker 100 is in a first mode 801 (e.g., carafe mode), a container 811 (see also FIG. 3A) may be disposed below the filter holder bottom 330 of the filter holder 300. The container 811 may be a carafe, but may be any other container capable of storing liquid. In some embodiments, when the beverage maker 100 is in the first mode 801, a user may press one button 501 (see FIG. 1) to release one latch to expose the filter holder 300. When the beverage maker 100 is in the first mode 801, the beverage cartridge adapter 400 and the lid 230 are attached to each other and configured to rotate together relative to the housing body 200 to open the beverage maker 100. Next, beverage ingredients may be placed on the filter 590, and the filter 590 may be disposed in the filter basket 370, as shown in FIG. 6B. Next, the filter basket 370 holding the filter 590 may be placed in the filter holder 300. Then, as shown in FIG. 6C, after the beverage maker 100 is closed, heated water pumped from the water supply tank 210 through the water supply passage 220 is poured from the water supply source 231 into the beverage cartridge holder 410. The heated water in the beverage cartridge holder 410 is then poured onto the beverage ingredients through the outlet 4310 of the adapter bottom 430 to extract the beverage. In this way, the adapter bottom 430 with the outlet 4310 functions as a shower head type fluid dispenser. The extracted beverage is then poured into the container 811 through the outlets 331 and 371.

[0042] 7A-C show cross-sectional views of an example use of the beverage maker shown in FIG. 4 in second mode 802 according to one embodiment.

[0043] 7A-7B, when the beverage maker 100 is in the second mode 802 (e.g., cartridge mode), a container 812 (see also FIG. 5A) may be placed on a platform 899 below the filter holder bottom 330 of the filter holder 300. The container 812 may be a cup or mug, but may be any other container capable of storing liquid. In some embodiments, when the beverage maker 100 is in the second mode 802, a user may press the other of the latch-releasing buttons 501 (see FIG. 1) to expose the top of the beverage cartridge adapter 400. The lid 230 is then rotated relative to the housing body 200 to open the beverage maker 100, as shown in FIG. 7B. The beverage cartridge adapter 400 remains resting on the filter holder 300. A beverage cartridge 490 containing beverage ingredients may then be placed in the beverage cartridge holder 410 of the beverage cartridge adapter 400. Then, as shown in Fig. 7C, after the beverage maker 100 is closed, the water supply source 231 (e.g., a needle in one example) penetrates the top of the beverage cartridge 490 placed in the beverage cartridge holder 410, and the bottom needle 437 penetrates the bottom of the beverage cartridge 490. Then, heated water pumped from the water supply tank 210 through the water supply passage 220 is poured from the water supply source 231 onto the beverage ingredients in the beverage cartridge 490 to extract the beverage. Next, the extracted beverage is poured into the container 812 through the bottom needle 437 and the outlets 331 and 371.

[0044] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the beverage cartridge holder 410 may be disposed between the water supply source 231 and the filter holder 300 and configured to be in fluid communication between the water supply source 231 and the filter holder 300. Thus, the common water supply source 231 may be used in both a first mode 801 in which the beverage ingredients are disposed on the filter 590 in the filter holder 300 and a second mode 802 in which the beverage cartridge 490 is disposed in the beverage cartridge holder 410. This provides a more convenient beverage maker.

[0045] While the present invention has been described at some length and with certain particulars with respect to several illustrated embodiments, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to those particulars, embodiments, or specific embodiments, but should be interpreted with reference to the appended claims in order to provide the broadest possible interpretation of such claims in view of the prior art, and thus to effectively encompass the intended scope of the invention. Moreover, while the present invention has been described above with respect to embodiments that were foreseen by the inventors and for which enabling descriptions were available, substantial variations of the present invention that are not presently anticipated may also represent equivalents to the present invention.

Claims

1. A water source; A filter holder; a beverage cartridge holder disposed between the water supply and the filter holder and configured to provide fluid communication between the water supply and the filter holder. The beverage manufacturer is characterized by:

2. The water supply is configured to secure a beverage cartridge disposed within the beverage cartridge holder.

2. The beverage maker according to claim 1.

3. The water supply source is further provided with a lid in which the water supply source is disposed; The lid includes a recess for receiving at least a portion of a beverage cartridge disposed within the beverage cartridge holder.

3. The beverage maker according to claim 2.

4. a beverage cartridge adaptor having said beverage cartridge holder; The beverage cartridge adapter engages with the lid or the filter holder.

4. The beverage maker according to claim 3.

5. one or more latches configured to engage the beverage cartridge adapter with the lid or the filter holder; and one or more buttons for releasing the one or more latches.

5. The beverage maker according to claim 4.

6. It also includes a housing body. The lid and the beverage cartridge adapter are configured to rotate relative to the housing body.

5. The beverage maker according to claim 4.

7. a beverage cartridge adaptor having said beverage cartridge holder; The beverage cartridge adapter includes a side guide forming the beverage cartridge holder and an adapter bottom disposed below the side guide.

2. The beverage maker according to claim 1.

8. The side guide extends upward from the bottom of the adapter and includes one or more side outlets.

8. The beverage maker according to claim 7.

9. The adapter base defines a showerhead style fluid dispenser with a plurality of outlets in fluid communication with the beverage cartridge holder and the filter holder.

8. The beverage maker according to claim 7.

10. the adapter bottom portion includes a first bottom portion and a second bottom portion surrounded by the first bottom portion in a plan view; The plurality of outlets includes a plurality of first bottom outlets disposed at the first bottom and a plurality of second bottom outlets disposed at the second bottom.

10. The beverage maker according to claim 9.

11. The filter holder includes a filter holder bottom having a bottom outlet.

2. The beverage maker according to claim 1.

12. a filter basket configured to support the filter; The filter basket is disposed between the filter holder and the beverage cartridge holder.

12. The beverage maker of claim 11.

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