Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Foraminous material infusion type – or foraminous container...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-22
2004-05-25
Weinstein, Steven L. (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Foraminous material infusion type, or foraminous container...
C426S078000, C426S079000, C426S112000, C099S295000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06740345
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cartridge and method for making drinks and other fluid comestibles. Particularly, the present invention relates to a cartridge and method that allows a user to make better-tasting beverages in faster, safer and a cleaner manner.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It has been known for centuries to interact flavor-containing or absorbent materials with water to prepare coffee, tea, espresso, milk, cocoa, herb, filtered water, soup and other fluid comestibles. The steeping of roasted coffee grounds under ambient pressure emerged in late 14
th
century and has been automated with the inventions of stove-top percolator in 1820′s, electric percolator in 1950′s, and automatic drip coffee maker in the 1970s. The steeping of roasted coffee under elevated pressure, resulting in the well-known espresso drinks, emerged with the invention of steam espresso machine in 1910′s and later improved by the inventions of piston espresso machine in 1940′s and pump espresso machine in 1960′s.
Currently, coffee and espresso drinks are mostly made by measuring and filling loose coffee grounds into a filter basket, mounting the basket to the brew head of an espresso machine or coffeemaker, delivering hot water through the grounds either under ambient or high pressure, and receiving the extraction in a cup or a carafe. After enjoying the coffee or espresso, the user must face the tedious tasks of removing the dripping basket, discarding the wet grounds, cleaning the filter basket, the machine, countertop and the carafe, and replacing the filter basket and carafe back into the machine. The above process, although simple, involves too many steps and is too time-consuming for some users, especially when espresso drinks are concerned. In addition, it is messy since most users will splutter the loose coffee grounds when filling the filter basket and drip brown coffee around the kitchen when discarding the wet, used grounds. Furthermore, the quality of the brew, especially espresso, is inconsistent due to many difficult-to-repeat process variables such as ground size, the degree of tamping of the grounds and the amount of grounds.
To make latte, cappuccino, mocha and other milk-containing coffee drinks, the user must heat or froth milk with steam from a steam source such as a steam or pump espresso machine. The heated or frothed milk is then mixed with espresso by pouring milk into espresso or vice versa. To heat or froth milk the user inserts a steam nozzle into the milk in a cup or pitcher, bobs the cup up and down to generate foam, and watches the milk carefully to avoid overheating or overflow. Such milk frothing is intimating to most consumers, which contributes in preventing most people from enjoying latte, cappuccino and mocha at their homes.
To simplify the process of making coffee and espresso, it has been proposed to seal ground coffee in individual air-impermeable packages. For example, coffee pouches, comprising a dose of ground coffee for one or more cups of coffee loosely packed in a paper filter bag and sealed in an air-impermeable film pouch, are available in most hotel rooms having a coffeemaker. To make coffee, the user tears open the film package and place the paper filter bag in the filter basket of the coffeemaker. Such coffee pouch, although relieving the users from measuring and handling loose coffee grounds, requires them to perform much tedious work such as cleaning the filter basket, machine, countertop and carafe, mounting the basket to the machine, and replacing the filter basket and carafe after cleaning back into the coffeemaker.
Such coffee pouch concept has also been applied to espresso. In “espresso pods” such as those offered by STARBUCKS Coffee company and illy espresso of the America, the dose of coffee grounds is compactly packed in the paper filter bag and then sealed in an air-impermeable film pouch. To make espresso, the user opens the sealed pouch, places the pod into the holder and places the holder firmly into the brew head before starting the brewing. Such espresso pod removes the variability of tamping the coffee grounds and relieves the user from measuring and handling loose grounds. Like coffee pouch, the espresso pod, however, requires the users to perform much tedious work such as cleaning the holder, machine and countertop, mounting the holder to the machine, and replacing the holder after cleaning back into the machine.
Fond, Lavanchy and Yoakim in U.S. Pat. No. 5,656,316 and Favre in U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,719 taught a sealed coffee cartridge that is to be placed into a brewing chamber of a holder. The holder is then mounted in an espresso machine. To make coffee or espresso, the cartridge is pierced by a needle for injection of water into the cartridge and by perforator tips or relief surface elements for the flow of the fluid comestibles from the cartridge. Compared to espresso pods, such sealed cartridges do not need the air-impermeable film pouch to prevent the loss of aroma and retain the freshness of the coffee grounds for prolonged period of time, thus saving the user the step of opening the film pouch. However, like the espresso pods the sealed cartridges also require the much tedious work such as cleaning the holder, machine and countertop, mounting the holder to the machine, and replacing the holder after cleaning back into the machine. In addition, there exists some risk that the user's fingers get injured by the needle and perforator tips used to pierce the sealed cartridges.
Accordingly, the present invention intends to provide a cartridge and method to relieve the users from the tedious work of cleaning the holder or filter basket, machine and countertop. The present invention also intends to provide a cartridge and method to drastically simplify the process of making drinks and other liquids and reduce the time needed. The present invention further intends to provide a package and method for improving the freshness of the coffee grounds the taste of the drinks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a new cartridge and method for making fluid comestibles such as cappuccino, latte, mocha, espresso, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, soup or frothed milk. The cartridge comprises a cartridge inlet for connecting to a mounting head and introducing water under pressure into the cartridge, a chamber connected to said cartridge inlet for containing suitable flavor-containing or particle materials and for allowing the interaction of the materials with water under pressure therein to form the fluid comestibles, a cartridge outlet connected to the chamber for discharging the fluid comestibles, and a handle enabling a user to hold the handle to attach and secure the cartridge inlet to the mounting head. The cartridge may contain one or more types of flavor-containing or particle materials in the chamber to make the desired beverage. In one embodiment, the chamber contains only roasted ground coffee supported on a filter sealed to the bottom of the chamber for making coffee or espresso. In another embodiment, chamber comprises granular or powdered milk supported on a first filter (or a separator) sealed to the bottom of the chamber and roasted ground coffee separated from the granular or powdered milk by a second filter. The first filter (or a separator) has larger openings than the second filter to prevent the gel or gel-like protein materials in the granular or powdered milk from clogging the first filter (or a separator). A freshness promoter is provided to prolong the freshness of the flavor-containing materials in the chamber.
The cartridge inlet, chamber, cartridge outlet may be formed as one single and integral part and adapt a generally spherical or cylindrical shape to increase the cartridge's resistance to liquid pressure and lower manufacturing cost. In one embodiment, the handle comprises the wall of the chamber, which is sufficiently rigid to prevent deformation or damage. In another embodiment, the handle comprises
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