Brewed beverage appliance and method
View Patent ↗A beverage making appliance uses a specialized beverage container and a related method of brewing a beverage. The container includes a cup-shaped body having a floor, a circumferential wall, and a top opening, a filter element positioned above the floor, at least one aperture formed in the floor, and a cover releasably attached to the cup body and covering the top opening. The appliance includes a base adapted to receive a beverage receptacle, a reservoir, a housing, a brewing tray in mechanical communication with the housing and dimensioned to receive a container containing at least one drink ingredient having particles of a first size, a grinding mechanism and a water delivery mechanism to selectively deliver water from the reservoir to one of a brewed beverage outlet in fluid communication with the receptacle, and a hot-water outlet.
1. A beverage appliance, comprising:
a base adapted to receive a brewed beverage receptacle;
a housing, said housing including a liquid reservoir;
a brewing tray in mechanical communication with said housing and dimensioned to receive a container containing at least one drink ingredient having particles of a first size, said container including a seal for preventing said particles from spilling out of said container;
a grinding mechanism for selectively reducing said particles from said first size to a second size within said container, said second size being smaller than said first size;
a water delivery mechanism adapted to deliver liquid from said liquid reservoir to said container to mix with said at least one drink ingredient of said second size to make a brewed beverage; and
wherein said grinding mechanism is selectively moveable between a first grinding position outside of said container, to a second grinding position inside of said container, said grinding mechanism piercing said seal when moving from said first position to said second position.
2. The beverage appliance of claim 1 , wherein:
said brewing tray is slidably received by said housing and is movable between a first position in which said brewing tray is extended from said housing to allow for insertion of said container, and a second position in which said brewing tray is positioned within said housing.
3. The beverage appliance of claim 1 , further comprising:
a control panel for controlling a volume of water delivered to said container.
4. The beverage appliance of claim 1 , wherein:
said water delivery mechanism includes a pump for selectively pumping liquid from said liquid reservoir to said container.
5. The beverage appliance of claim 1 , wherein:
said at least one drink ingredient is a plurality of whole coffee beans.
6. The beverage appliance of claim 5 , wherein:
said mechanism is a grinding blade rotatably driven by a motor.
7. A beverage appliance, comprising:
a base;
a housing, said housing including a liquid reservoir;
a receptacle in mechanical communication with said housing and dimensioned to receive a container containing at least one drink ingredient having particles of a first size; and
a grinding mechanism for selectively reducing said particles from said first size to a second size within said container, said second size being smaller than said first size; and
a liquid delivery system configured to selectively deliver liquid from said liquid reservoir to one of a brewing outlet adjacent said receptacle and a hot-water outlet;
wherein at least one of said grinding mechanism and said receptacle is movable towards the other of said grinding mechanism and said receptacle from a first position where said grinding mechanism is disposed outside said container to a second position where said grinding mechanism is disposed within said container.
8. The beverage appliance of claim 7 , further comprising:
a valve, said valve being selectively controllable between a first state in which said liquid is delivered to said brewing outlet, and a second state in which said liquid is delivered to said hot-water outlet.
9. The beverage appliance of claim 8 , wherein:
said valve is positioned along a hot-water distribution line of said liquid delivery system upstream from said receptacle.
10. The beverage appliance of claim 8 , further comprising:
a brewing supply conduit in fluid communication with said brewing outlet and said valve; and
a hot-water tube in fluid communication with said hot-water outlet and said valve.
11. The beverage appliance of claim 8 , further comprising:
a control panel for controlling said valve between said first state and said second state.
12. The beverage appliance of claim 7 , wherein:
said particles of at least one drink ingredient are whole coffee beans.
13. The beverage appliance of claim 12 , wherein:
said mechanism is a grinding blade rotatably driven by a motor.
14. A coffee appliance, comprising:
a base adapted to receive a brewed beverage receptacle;
a reservoir;
a housing;
a receptacle in mechanical communication with said housing and dimensioned to receive a container containing at least one drink ingredient having particles of a first size;
a grinding mechanism for selectively reducing said particles from said first size to a second size within said container, said second size being smaller than said first size; and
a water delivery mechanism to deliver water from said reservoir to said container to mix with said at least one drink ingredient to make a brewed beverage;
wherein said receptacle includes a hollow needle configured to form a hole in a bottom floor of said container upon insertion of said container in said receptacle, said hollow needle also providing an outlet for the flow of said brewed beverage from said container to said brewed beverage receptacle.
15. The coffee appliance of claim 14 , wherein:
said receptacle is slidably received by said housing and is movable between a first position in which said receptacle is extended from said housing to allow for insertion of said container, and a second position in which said receptacle is positioned within said housing.