Hayes

Claim 1

A COFFEE INFUSER COMPRISING A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR CABINET HOUSING ALL THE MAIN PARTS OF THE INFUSER AND OF SUCH A SIZE AND SHAPE THAT IT CAN BE READILY MOUNTED ON A SERVICE COUNTER, THE SAID MAIN PARTS OF THE INFUSER INCLUDING AN ELECTRICALLY-HEATED HORIZONTALLY-ARRANGED CYLINDRICAL BOILER DISPOSED IN THE REAR PART OF SAID CABINET, AN UPRIGHT COFFEE INFUSION CHAMBER LOCATED IN THE FRONT PART OF THE SAID CABINET, A PAIR OF UPRIGHT STORAGE CONTAINERS MADE OF TRANSPARENT MATERIAL AND ARRANGED ONE ON EACH SIDE OF SAID INFUSION CHAMBER, A PLURALITY OF PIPE CONNECTIONS JOINING SAID BOILER TO SAID INFUSION CHAMBER AND SAID INFUSION CHAMBER TO EACH OF SAID STORAGE CONTAINERS WHEREBY COFFEE IS INFUSED WITHIN SAID INFUSION CHAMBER AND IS THEN DELIVERED DIRECT TO SAID STORAGE CONTAINERS, MEANS FOR HEATING EACH STORAGE CONTAINER SO THAT COFFEE STORED IN SAID STORAGE CONTAINERS IS KEPT HOT, REMOVABLE LIDS ON SAID STORAGE CONTAINERS SO THAT THEIR CONTENTS CAN BE INSPECTED, AND TAP-CONTROLLED OUTLETS AT THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID STORAGE CONTAINERS, SAID PIPE CONNECTIONS CONNECTING SAID INFUSION CHAMBER TO SAID TWO STORAGE CONTAINERS INCLUDING TWO INDEPENDENTLY-OPERATED SOLENOID-ACTUATED VALVES WHEREBY THE INFUSION CAN BE DELIVERED TO EITHER ONE OF SAID STORAGE CONTAINERS AT WILL, TWO ELECTRIC SWITCHES, ONE SWITCH FOR EACH STORAGE CONTAINER, CONNECTED ELECTRICALLY TO A THIRD SOLENOID-OPERATED VALVE CONTAINED IN SAID PIPE CONNECTION CONNECTING SAID BOILER TO SAID INFUSION CHAMBER, EACH OF SAID ELECTRIC SWITCHES BEING RESPECTIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND SOLENOID-OPERATED VALVES WHEREBY OPERATION OF EITHER ONE OF SAID SWITCHES CAUSES SAID THIRD VALVE AND ONE OF SAID OTHER VALVES TO BE OPENED SO THAT COFFEE IS INFUSED WITHIN SAID INFUSION CHAMBER AND IS THEN DELIVERED TO ONE OF SAID STORAGE CONTAINERS, A CONTROL DEVICE AT THE UPPER END OF EACH OF SAID STORAGE CONTAINERS ADAPTED TO CLOSE SAID OPENED VALVES AUTOMATICALLY DIRECTLY THE INFUSED COFFEE WITHIN SAID LAST-MENTIONED STORAGE CONTAINER REACHES A CERTAIN LEVEL, SAID CONTROL DEVICE COMPRISING AN ELECTRICAL PROBE ARRANGED TO COMPLETE AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT THROUGH THE INFUSED COFFEE DIRECTLY THE LATTER TOUCHES SAID PROBE.