Automatic French Press beverage maker

Details Automatic French Press beverage maker Automatic French Press beverage maker

1999-08-04

2001-06-05

Alexander, Reginald L. (Department: 1761)

Foods and beverages: apparatus

Beverage

Infusors

C099S283000, C099S287000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06240833

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an automated beverage making machine combining a traditional French Press of the plunger/strainer type with an improved automatic hot water dispensing machine, the dispensing machine having a housing, a water tank, automatic electric water heating means, and a means for receiving a French Press extractor where the extractor also functions as a serving carafe for hot infused beverages such as coffee and tea. Coffee and tea steeped with a traditional French Press provides the beverages with a particular flavor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
French Press beverage makers have been in use for many decades. Employing a French Press with the traditional hand-operated plunger/strainer extracts flavored beverage from a mixture of heated water and beverage making materials, such as ground coffee or tea. The traditional French Press has been in use, particularly in Northern Europe, since the 19
th
century. To use such a device to prepare a beverage, it was necessary to employ an exterior and separate water heating or boiling apparatus to heat the water, and then pouring the heated water into the press for steeping, prior to using a plunger with a strainer or filter to extract the hot beverage from the press by separating the infused liquid from the beverage making material.
Automatic hot beverage machines have been in use in the prior art. None of these, however, have been combined with a French Press as in the present invention. One of the disadvantages of conventional hot beverage machines is that they do not provide hot water at a sufficiently high temperature so as to be optimal for use with a French Press plunger/strainer type of device. Extraction of flavor from beverage making materials using a plunger/strainer device requires water heated to a temperature higher than most prior art automatic beverage making machines. In addition, the hot beverage machines of the prior art are not adapted for use with a plunger/strainer type of apparatus functioning as the serving carafe.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved hot beverage maker combining a traditional French Press with an automatic hot water dispensing machine;
Another object of this invention is to provide hot water at a higher temperature so that sufficient flavor may be extracted using a traditional French Press;
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved water heating system which recirculates heated water until a desired, pre-selected temperature is reached;
Another object of this invention is to provide a drip proof valve which allows heated water to pass into a carafe only when the heated water has reached a pre-selected temperature;
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved beverage making machine where the machine is adapted to receive and cooperate with a carafe with a plunger/filter apparatus;
Another object of this invention is to provide alternative embodiments that permit adapting the invention to brew larger or smaller amounts of an infused beverage;
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved beverage making machine where the adapting of the machine to receive a plunger/filter carafe is especially attractive and easy to operate;
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved beverage making machine where the main body comprises two elliptical columns.


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