Foods and beverages: apparatus – Beverage – Infusors
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-28
2001-07-03
Alexander, Reginald L. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Beverage
Infusors
C099S300000, C099S304000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06253663
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to automatic coffee makers. More specifically, this invention relates to coffee makers that are built into a wall of a dwelling, recreational structure, or vehicle. This invention also relates to self-filling home coffee makers.
Prior art coffee makers suffer from several drawbacks. First of all, most traditional coffee makers require a user to fill a reservoir of the coffee maker with water before operating the coffee maker. This is inconvenient because it generally requires the user to fill a separate container with water and transport it from the water source to the coffee maker. This can also be messy. Water is frequently spilled either when transporting the water to the coffee maker or when pouring the water from the separate container into the coffee maker's water reservoir. Commercial-sized coffee makers are permanently plumbed but have other drawbacks, such as size, that make them undesirable for home use.
An additional problem with prior art coffee makers is that they take up valuable counter space. Coffee drinkers generally prefer to have coffee on a daily basis and, consequently, coffee makers are generally left out on the counter to allow frequent use without the hassle of repeated setup. Unfortunately, this means that the coffee maker is permanently taking up counter space that might be needed for other things. This is particularly troubling in homes, apartments, hotels, offices, motor homes, and boats where counter space is limited or non-existent. Smaller coffee makers have been manufactured to take up less room, but they still take up counter space. Other coffee makers have been mounted under cabinets to free up counter space, but these are generally positioned over the counter and therefore continue to limit the free space above the counter for use in food preparation or for placement of other kitchen devices. Some prior art coffee makers have even been mounted inside cabinets. Although cabinet-mounted coffee makers do not occupy counter space, they instead take up valuable storage space.
The industry has been unable to supply a coffee maker that is ideally space conservative. What is needed, therefore, is a coffee maker that avoids taking up valuable countertop, cabinet, or above-counter space. The industry would also be benefitted by a self-filling home coffee maker.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to enable a coffee maker that takes up little or no counter or above-counter space and is not cabinet mounted.
Another object of the present invention is to enable a space conservative coffee maker that is self-filling.
This invention provides a significant improvement in the art by enabling a coffee maker that is mounted within the wall of a house, apartment, hotel room, office, motor home, boat, recreational vehicle (RV), or the like. An in-wall coffee maker according to the present invention includes a mounting structure for mounting a coffee maker unit within a wall. The mounting structure includes engagement structures to enable engagement between the mounting structure and one or more wall structures, and also includes attachment members to enable attachment with a coffee maker unit. The coffee maker unit mounts to or within the mounting structure. The coffee maker unit can include a water meter configured to provide a regulated supply of water from an incoming water line to a water reservoir. An electrical junction box can also be provided to supply electrical power from a power source to the coffee maker.
An in-wall coffee maker according to this invention is ideally space conservative because it occupies space not generally used. By placing the in-wall coffee maker of this invention within a wall cavity, no countertop space and little or no above-counter space is required. Furthermore, cabinet space is also not required. Also, by providing a self-filling capability through the use of a water meter, the in-wall coffee maker of this invention becomes extremely convenient to use.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention that proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.
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Miele web site http://www.miele.com/usa/cva (date unknown).
Alexander Reginald L.
Marger & Johnson & McCollom, P.C.
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