Pour-in, instant brewing electric coffee maker

Claim 2

A pour-in, instant heating electrically powered water heating apparatus comprising: an electrical resistance heated type water heating unit providing therein, from a water inlet point to a discharge region, a water heating gravity flow path; a pour-in fill water reservoir having an outlet through which water is gravitationally fed to said heater inlet point; and means controlling flow from said reservoir to the heating unit inlet providing during a first part of the reservoir discharge cycle one outlet flow area, and thereafter increased outlet flow area to utilize more fully throuGh the cycle the heating capacity of the said unit, and thereby minimize the heating unit resistance wattage required to obtain a desired water discharge temperature in a selected cycle time and conversely to minimize the cycle time required to obtain a desired water discharge temperature with a unit of a given wattage.

Claim 3

Apparatus as described in claim 1, with said means comprising: a valving element sealable in the outlet opening of said reservoir and having therethrough a reservoir discharge controlling orifice, and a device responsive to water level in the reservoir to shift said element, from a sealed relation with said opening prevailing during a first part of the discharge cycle, to afford thereafter in the cycle a larger flow area.

Claim 4

Apparatus as described in claim 2, wherein said valving element has therein a flow-passage-defining formation providing a flow area increasing at an increasing rate with element displacement.

Claim 5

Apparatus as described in claim 2, wherein said outlet is a bottom-beveled aperture through a reservoir bottom wall; and said valving element includes a tapered hollow plug seatable upwardly against the aperture bevel and a tubular extension through the aperture, said extension connected to a float within the reservoir as the responsive device; said discharge controlling orifice continued through said extension; said extension having an axially extending notch running down to the tapered portion of the plug to provide increased flow area as the notch passes downward through the outlet opening.

Claim 6

Apparatus as described in claim 2, wherein said unit includes a comparatively thin cast metal block having therein an upwardly open elongated shallow cavity providing a flow path from an inlet region to the discharge region, comprising at one block end a circular well with an array of concentric interrupted circular ribs on the internal bottom surface thereof and a plurality of peripherally located and spaced discharge openings, a centrally apertured, downwardly dished circular baffle in said well in close vertical spacing to said array with periphery in good thermal contact with the well wall, a flow channel sloping from the other block end as the inlet region downward to the well edge to direct water onto said circular baffle, and a centrally depressed cover baffle spaced above and covering the well and channel and having a central opening longitudinally offset to said inlet region, said cover baffle having a continuous coplanar margin in good thermal contact with said block along the periphery of and above said well and channel; and wherein said reservoir has a metal bottom gasketed to the block around and forming heat transfer closure wall above said cover baffle of said cavity for condensation of steam arising in the cavity; said outlet of the reservoir discharging to the inlet region of the block.

Claim 7

Apparatus as described in claim 5, wherein said unit includes a resistance heating element incorporated within and in good thermal contact with surrounding metal of said block; said element extending parallel and proximate to both sides of said channel and around said well.

Claim 8

Apparatus as described in claim 6, wherein said block has in the region beneath said channel, a downwardly open recess; and wherein a thermostat switch for controlling energization of said heating element is mounted in said recess in good thermal contact with the bottom of the channel proximate to said inlet region.

Claim 9

Apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein said unit includes a comparatively thin metal block having therein an upwardly open broad shallow cavity providing a flow path from an inlet point to the discharge region; said reservoir has a metal bottom gasketed to the block around and forming a closure for said cavity for condensation of steam arising in the cavity; said outlet of the reservoir discharging to the inlet of the block.

Claim 10

ApparatUs as described in claim 8, wherein said cavity comprises a shallow, bottom ribbed circular well formation and a peripherally located discharge opening, and a flow channel sloping from the inlet region to the well edge; said apparatus including a centrally apertured, dished circular baffle in said well receiving water from said channel, and a cover baffle centrally depressed covering the well and channel and having a central opening longitudinally offset to said inlet.

Claim 11

Apparatus as described in claim 9, wherein said unit includes a resistance heating element incorporated within and in good thermal contact with surrounding metal of said block; said element extending parallel and proximate to both sides of said channel and around said well.

Claim 12

Apparatus as described in claim 8, having a housing structure including a pedestal providing a horizontally extending base providing stable engagement with a supporting environmental horizontal surface and a vertically extended hollow back column structure integral with and rising from the base, and a separate hollow hood structure for enclosing said heating unit and reservoir, having a rear bottom portion engaged and secured on a column top end and a front portion extending forwardly over the front portion of the base, the hood front portion on its bottom provided with a brewing funnel support formation; said base having a recessed bottom and having a beaker warmer plate aperture at the front region thereof opening downwardly to said recess; said warmer plate supported in said base at the respective base aperture; said heater unit supported on a bottom wall of the hood structure with the unit discharge region disposed in the forward portion of the hood for discharge into a brewing funnel aligned in said support formations over said warmer plate; said reservoir a broad shallow metal tray supported above said heating unit to be filled by water poured into a filling opening through the top of said hood.

Claim 13

Apparatus as described in claim 11, wherein said hood structure comprises a downwardly and rearwardly open casing including a front panel having apertures for manual control switches and for indicator lamps, and integral longitudinal lateral inward bottom flanges at the rear secured to respective flat top end areas of the column and, in said support formation, affording opposed spaced ledges to engage a lip of a brewing funnel inserted from the front, and a support plate forming a bottom wall for the casing and upon said bottom flanges and with said ledges defining opposed funnel lip engaging slots.

Claim 14

Apparatus as described in claim 12, wherein said support plate includes an upward flange supporting manual control switches and indicator lamps in operative alignment with respective said apertures of the front panel, said heating unit being secured on said support plate and having mounted thereon water heat thermoswitch control means; said support plate with said heating unit, control switches and lamps mounted thereon and a power cord anchored thereto being insertable as a wired sub-assembly into the open back of the said casing; said reservoir insertable through the said open back into the casing and supported on the heating unit.

Claim 15

Apparatus as described in claim 13, wherein a molded insulating T-section member secured in the back of the hood structure provides a back closure for said casing and an inward flange affording a safety shield over conductive elements of an energizing circuit for the heating unit.

Claim 16

Apparatus as described in claim 14, wherein said pedestal and casing are constituted by respective molded plastic members, and said support plate is a formed sheet metal member.

Claim 17

Apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein: the reservoir outlet is provided by two reservoir bottom wall apertures; one said aperture being a fixed aperture unvaried through the cycle, the second of said apertures provided with a shiftable valve member, and means for shifting said member to increase the effective flow area and including a bimetal member sensing temperature of the heating unit in the region of the water inlet to increase the flow area in a later portion of the cycle.

Claim 18

Apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein: the reservoir outlet includes a reservoir bottom wall aperture and a shiftable valving member for said aperture varying the effective flow area of said outlet by shift of said valving member; said apparatus including means for shifting said member to increase the effective flow area and including a bimetal member carrying the valving member and sensing temperature of the region of the water flow path to increase the flow area with increased temperature in said region.

Claim 19

A pour-in type electrically powered coffee-brewing apparatus comprising: an electrically heated type water heating unit having a water inlet and a water discharge; a pour-in filled water reservoir tray having an outlet through which water is gravitationally fed to said heater water inlet; and a housing structure including a pedestal providing a horizontally extending base providing stable engagement with a supporting environmental horizontal surface and a vertically extended hollow back column structure integral with and rising from the base, and a separate hollow hood structure for enclosing said heating unit and reservoir, having a rear bottom portion engaged and secured on the column top end and a front portion extending forwardly over the front portion of the base, the hood front portion on its bottom provided with brewing a funnel support formation, said base having a recessed bottom and having a beaker warmer plate aperture at the front region thereof opening downwardly to said recess, said warmer plate bracket supported within said base at the respective base aperture; discharge means for hot water delivered from said heater unit supported in a bottom wall of the hood structure for discharge into a brewing funnel aligned in said support formation over said warmer plate; said reservoir a broad shallow metal tray supported in said hood to be filled by water poured into a filling opening through the hood top.

Claim 20

A pour-in type electrically powered coffee-brewing apparatus comprising: an electrically heated type water heating unit having a water inlet and a water discharge; a pour-in filled water reservoir tray having an outlet through which water is gravitationally fed to said heater water inlet; and a housing structure including a pedestal providing a horizontally extending base providing stable engagement with a supporting environmental horizontal surface and a vertically extended hollow back column structure integral with and rising from the base, and a separate hollow hood structure for enclosing said heating unit and reservoir, having a rear bottom portion engaged and secured on the column top end and a front portion extending forwardly over the front portion of the base, the hood front portion on its bottom provided with brewing a funnel support formation, said base having a recessed bottom and having a beaker warmer plate aperture at the front region thereof opening downwardly to said recess, said warmer plate bracket supported within said base at the respective base aperture; discharge means for hot water delivered from said heater unit supported in a bottom wall of the hood structure for discharge into a brewing funnel aligned in said support formation over said warmer plate; said reservoir a broad shallow metal tray supported in said hood to be filled by water poured into a filling opening through the hood top.

Claim 21

Apparatus as described in claim 18, wherein said hood structure comprises a downwardly and rearwardly open casing including a front panel having apertures for manual control switches and for indicator lamps, and integral longitudinal lateral bottom inward flanges at the rear secured to respective flat top end areas of the column and in said support formation affording opposed spaced ledges to engage a lip of a brewing funnel inserted from the front; and a support plate forming a bottom wall for the casing and supported upon said bottom flanges and with said ledges defining opposed funnel lip engaging slots.

Claim 22

Apparatus as described in claim 19, wherein said support plate includes an upward flange supporting manual control switches and indicator lamps in operative alignment with respective said apertures of the front panel, said heating unit being secured within a hollow portion of said housing having mounted therewith water heat thermoswitch control means; said support plate with said control switches, lamps and connecting wiring mounted thereon and a power cord anchored thereto being insertable as a wired sub-assembly into the open back of the said casing; said reservoir insertable through the said open back into the casing for support therein above said sub-assembly.

Claim 23

Apparatus as described in claim 20, wherein a molded T-section member secured in the back of the hood structure provides a back closure for said casing, said pedestal and casing are constituted by respective molded plastic members, and said support plate is a formed sheet metal member.