Method of making coffee

Abstract: A method of making coffee, comprising placing ground coffee beans in a basket; in a vessel having an interior wall and a bottom portion, providing a cover adapted to be positioned on the vessel and a shaft extending though a passageway of the cover, the basket being mounted to the shaft such as to allow the basket to be raised and lowered within the vessel through action of the shaft, the basket having a lip engaging the interior wall of the vessel; keeping a space between an underside of the basket and the bottom portion of the vessel; pouring liquid into the cover in such a way as to soak the ground coffee beans while retaining air in the space between the underside of the basket and the bottom portion of the vessel; moving the basket towards the bottom portion of the vessel so as to cause at least part of the air retained in the space between the underside of the basket and the bottom portion of the vessel to displace infused ground coffee beans while the air rises within the vessel; and raising the basket towards the cover. (end of abstract)

Agent: Jay A. Bondell, Esq. Schweitzer Cornman Gross & Bondell LLP - New York, NY, US
Inventor: Pierre Tardif
USPTO Applicaton #: #20060236870 - Class: 099279000 (USPTO)
Related Patent Categories: Foods And Beverages: Apparatus, Beverage, Infusors

Method of making coffee description/claims

The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060236870, Method of making coffee.

Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims

[0001] The present patent application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/445,644 filed on May 27, 2003. The contents of this previous application are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates a method of making coffee.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Infused beverages are highly popular in many parts of the world. In particular, tea and coffee are enjoyed by millions of people on a regular basis. In order to produce a satisfactory cup of tea or coffee, it is typically required to steep a flavoring substance, e.g., ground coffee beans or tea leaves, in hot water. The beans or leaves remain in the brew for a period of time that depends upon the desired strength of the infused beverage, upon which they must be removed lest the infused beverage turn bitter and insipid.

[0004] To satisfy avid consumers of infused beverages, the market has seen the emergence of various devices which allow a cup of brewed (as opposed to instant) coffee to be made without the need for electricity or a pressurized source of water. One such device is marketed under the trademark BODUM. This device includes a perforated disk which is attached to a stem at the end of which is a handle. In order to make an infused beverage, a flavoring substance is placed in the bottom of the vessel. Water is then poured into the vessel, following which the disk is inserted into the vessel. In the case of coffee, brewing thus takes place while the coffee grains are in contact with the bottom of the vessel. Once brewing has reached a desired level of completion, the handle is pushed down, bringing the disk towards the bottom of the vessel, hence capturing the coffee grains between the disk and the bottom of the vessel. In order to pour the brewed coffee, the vessel is tilted and the filter helps to block the spent coffee grains.

[0005] However, because the coffee grains remain in the vessel at all times, infusion can only be arrested by the act of pouring the coffee out of the vessel into a mug or cup. This is highly inconvenient if a mug or cup is not available. Also, the flavor of the coffee is dramatically altered if the coffee which remains in the vessel is reheated at a later time for delayed consumption. Moreover, for improved flavor, it is recommended that the disk be removed during the infusion process and the coffee grains stirred manually so as to disperse the grains throughout the infused beverage. This results in a loss of heat, with the additional problem of messiness, during the infusion process.

[0006] Clearly, therefore, there is a need in the industry for an improved system for making infused beverages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] As embodied and broadly described herein, the invention provides a method of making coffee, comprising: (a) placing ground coffee beans in a basket; (b) in a vessel having an interior wall and a bottom portion, providing a cover adapted to be positioned on the vessel and a shaft extending though a passageway of the cover, the basket being mounted to the shaft such as to allow the basket to be raised and lowered within the vessel through action of the shaft, the basket having a lip engaging the interior wall of the vessel; (c) keeping a space between an underside of the basket and the bottom portion of the vessel; (d) pouring liquid into the cover in such a way as to soak the ground coffee beans while retaining air in the space between the underside of the basket and the bottom portion of the vessel; (e) moving the basket towards the bottom portion of the vessel so as to cause at least part of the air retained in the space between the underside of the basket and the bottom portion of the vessel to displace infused ground coffee beans while the air rises within the vessel; and (d) raising the basket towards the cover.

[0008] The invention further provides a method of making coffee, comprising: (a) placing ground coffee beans in a basket; (b) in a vessel having an interior wall and a bottom portion, providing a cover adapted to be positioned on the vessel and a shaft extending though a passageway of the cover, the basket being mounted to the shaft such as to allow the basket to be raised and lowered within the vessel through action of the shaft, the basket having a lip for creating a fluid-tight engagement with the interior wall of the vessel; (c) keeping a space between an underside of the basket and the bottom portion of the vessel; (d) pouring liquid into the cover in such a way as to soak the ground coffee beans while retaining air in the space between the underside of the basket and the bottom portion of the vessel; (e) moving the basket towards the bottom portion of the vessel so as to cause at least part of the air retained in the space between the underside of the basket and the bottom portion of the vessel to displace infused ground coffee beans while the air rises within the vessel; (d) raising the basket up to an undersurface of the cover; and (f) locking the basket such that it is retained proximate to the undersurface of the cover.

[0009] These and other aspects and features of the present invention will now become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] In the accompanying drawings:

[0011] FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a system for making an infused beverage, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0012] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the system of FIG. 1;

[0013] FIGS. 3 and 4 are a perspective and sectional view, respectively, of a basket forming part of the system of FIGS. 1 and 2; and

[0014] FIGS. 5 through 10 are sectional elevational views of the system of FIGS. 1 and 2 at different stages of infusion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0015] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a system for making an infused beverage such as coffee. The system includes an infusion control device 10 mounted on a rim 12 of a vessel 14, which typically has a wide mouth 16 and a spout 18 for facilitating the pouring out of the infused beverage once infusion is complete. A grip 58 is also provided in order to allow a user to manipulate the vessel 14. The grip 58 can be of any standard shape or it can be of the type illustrated, where, by virtue of meeting an exterior surface of the vessel 14, the grip 58 serves the added function of protecting a potential user from being burned by heat from the infused beverage that is exchanged through the exterior surface of the vessel 14. To this end, the grip 58 may be designed to meet the exterior surface of the vessel 14 along a height extending at least the width of four adult fingers.

[0016] The device 10 has several main parts that are identifiable in FIGS. 1 and 2. In particular, the device 10 includes a cover 20 which rests atop the rim 12 of the vessel 14. The cover 20 can be suitably dimensioned for use with a variety of glass beakers or containers having standard sizes, or it can be specifically designed for use with a custom-made vessel. The cover 20 may be made from a thermally insulating material to minimize the loss of heat through the cover 20. The cover 20 has a basin-like or trough-like upper surface facing away from the interior wall of the vessel and an opposite undersurface facing toward the interior wall of the vessel and includes a distribution system that allows fluid communication between the upper surface and the undersurface of the cover 20. The upper surface therefore comprises a plurality of apertures 22 for allowing liquid poured onto the upper surface to emerge from the undersurface and soak the ground coffee beans without significantly agitating them. The sizes and locations of the apertures 22 may allow the liquid to emerge from the undersurface of the cover 20 as a fine shower. Moreover, the upper surface of the cover 20 may define a basin for temporarily storing a limited quantity of liquid prior to its entering the vessel.

[0017] Also part of the device 10 is a shaft 26 which passes through the cover 20 in a transverse manner thereto, i.e., an axis 27 of the shaft 26 is perpendicular to the rim 12 when the vessel 14 is placed on a flat surface. The shaft 26 can be made of stainless steel or other durable, washable material. The shaft 26 passes through a passage in the cover 20. The passage can be in the center of the cover 20. As can best be seen in FIGS. 2 and 5-10, at one end 30 of the shaft 26 there is provided a handle 32 having an ergonomic design and made from a thermally insulating material to prevent the user from feeling the heat transferred by the shaft 26.

[0018] The device 10 further includes a basket 36 mounted to the shaft 26. The basket 36 is intended to hold a flavoring substance e.g., ground beans, tea leaves, ginger root, herbs, flowers, etc., used to make the infused beverage. As seen most clearly in FIGS. 3 and 4, the basket 36 is chiefly composed of a frame 37 which supports a cup-shaped filter or screen 40 that can be made of stainless steel or other durable, washable material. A nylon screen 40 is also envisaged. The screen 40 has a mesh of perforations 42 that are sufficiently small to prevent the flavoring substance from falling through the screen 40 towards a bottom 24 of the vessel 14. Surrounding the frame 37 is a lip 44, which can be made of neoprene, thermoplastic or other rubber or any other suitable material. In a specific embodiment, the lip 44 can be overmolded with respect to the frame 37 so as to eliminate the presence of joints in which the flavoring substance is liable to get caught. The shape and/or material of the lip 44 can be selected such that a fluid-tight engagement is maintained between the lip 44 and the interior wall of the vessel 14.

[0019] In use, particulate flavoring substance (ground coffee beans) is placed into the basket 36 so as to cover the screen 40, typically forming a mound of flavoring substance. Due to the relatively small size of the apertures 42 of the screen 40, most of the ground coffee beans will not fall through the screen 40 and hence will be retained in the basket 36. Through action of the shaft 26, the basket 36 containing the ground coffee beans is lowered into the vessel 14, which should be substantially empty prior to use. The basket 36 is then lowered to a position that allows for further lowering of the basket 36 within the vessel 14. Of course, the basket 36 should also not remain too high within the vessel 14, or it might not be possible to introduce a sufficient amount of liquid into the vessel 14 for infusion. It is expected that individual users will be capable of easily determining a suitable level to which the basket 36 should be lowered within the vessel 14. In a non-limiting example scenario, the user may position the basket 36 at a point that is about three-quarters of the way towards the bottom 24 of the vessel 14.

Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
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