Patent Application
20060112832
None.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coffee maker and, more particularly, to a coffee maker with a mechanical coffee level indicator, especially of the type that includes a float and an indication needle within a gauge to indicate the amount of coffee remaining in a coffee holding reservoir.
2. Description of Related Art
It is well known in the art to use certain standard components in a coffee maker such as a water reservoir, from which water travels to a heating system where it is boiled. The heated water then travels through internal tubing, a water spreader, and to a coffee filter basket. Within the filter basket is an amount of coffee. The heated water drains through the coffee and into a coffee holding reservoir. The brewed coffee is kept warm in the holding reservoir by means of a secondary heater that is positioned on the floor of the coffee reservoir.
In order to allow a user to determine the amount of brewed coffee within the device, a transparent window on the coffee holding reservoir can be used. A vertical slot on the side of the holding reservoir can also be used. However, these windows and slots give a somewhat rough estimate of how much coffee remains and often do not give a clear indication of the exact amount. In addition, the amount of coffee remaining in the coffee maker is often difficult to gauge as the coffee may be difficult to see against the background of the coffee maker which is often somewhat similar in color to the coffee itself.
There is a need, therefore, for a coffee level indicator that is accurate, reliable and clearly indicates the amount of brewed coffee remaining in the holding reservoir.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art mentioned above. These and other objects are achieved by the present invention described herein.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention is directed to a coffee maker having a housing with a lid and a base, a control panel for operating the coffee maker, a coffee dispenser, an actuator for dispensing the coffee into a cup or container and a removable drip tray to catch any spilling of the coffee. Within the coffee maker is a fresh water reservoir to hold water to be heated, a heater to heat the water, a filter basket to hold the coffee grinds to be brewed, a water spreader to distribute the heated water into the filter basket, and a brewed coffee reservoir to hold the brewed coffee that drips from the filter basket. A secondary heater can be located within the brewed coffee reservoir to keep the brewed coffee warm.
The present invention features a mechanical coffee level indicator. The indicator consists of a pivoted arm, a float and an indication gauge. The gauge is located on the front panel of the coffee maker and indicates how much coffee remains in the coffee holding reservoir. The mechanism works by having a lever connecting to a float, which floats on the surface of coffee. As the float rises or falls, the lever causes a gear system to rotate. This gear system then rotates an indication needle, which indicates the amount of coffee within the coffee reservoir.
The present invention is more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment with the drawings identified below.
Referring to
As shown in
Located below the filter basket 28 is the brewed coffee reservoir 42. The coffee reservoir 42 holds the brewed coffee that drips from the filter basket 28 to the coffee reservoir though a basket opening 44. Within the coffee reservoir is a secondary heater 46 that keeps the coffee hot. The brewed coffee remains in the coffee reservoir 42 until it is to be consumed. On the front of the housing 12 is a coffee level indicator 24 to show the amount of brewed coffee remaining in the coffee reservoir 42.
As shown in
In operation, a user would open the lid 14 and place an amount of fresh water into the fresh water reservoir 26. The control panel 16 would be programmed to enable the coffee maker to prepare the coffee in a manner specified by the user. The water would flow from the fresh water reservoir 26 though a hole (not shown) in the bottom of the water reservoir 26 into a fresh water tube (not shown). The fresh water tube would carry the water from the water reservoir 26 through the water heater 36, where the water would be heated to a high temperature. The hot water tube 36 would carry the hot water to the pipe 38 and then onto the water spreader 30 via the arm 40. The hot water is then distributed to the filter basket 28 though the apertures 32 in the water spreader 30. The hot water mixes with the coffee grinds to produce coffee. The coffee drips through the basket opening 44 and into the brewed coffee reservoir 42. The heater plate 46 keeps the coffee hot until it is ready to be dispensed. To pour the coffee, a user would depress the actuator 20. The coffee would exit via the dispenser 18 into a cup or container to be consumed.
The coffee level indicator 24 would indicate the amount of brewed coffee within the coffee reservoir 42. As the coffee is brewed, the amount of coffee within the reservoir 42 would increase. This would cause the float 50 to rise on top of the coffee level. As the float 50 rises, the lever 48 pivots about the main hinge 70. This causes the first rod 58 to move vertically which, in turn, causes the second rod 60 to rotate about a rod hinge 72. This then causes the gears 56 to rotate, which rotates the indicator needle 62 within the gauge. A user can then read the amount of coffee remaining in the coffee reservoir 42 from the markings 74 on the indicator gauge 52. As coffee is dispensed from the coffee maker 10, the level of coffee within the coffee reservoir 42 decreases, causing the float 50 to move vertically downward. This causes the lever 48 to pivot in a downward direction, which indirectly causes the indicator needle 62 to rotate in the opposite direction.
The markings 74 on the indicator gauge 52 can be made to indicate a variety of different readings. For example, these can include a range from 0 to a certain maximum amount of coffee (e.g. the number of cups) contained in the coffee reservoir 42, or from E (empty) to F (full). The markings in between these levels can indicate, for example, the number of cups remaining, a percentage of coffee that remains or any other numerical indication of the amount of coffee remaining.
While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been herein disclosed and described, it is understood that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
