Patent Grant
6994879
The present invention is directed to an apparatus for preventing the passing off of a brewed beverage. More particularly, the invention is directed to a beverage brewing apparatus wherein the apparatus has a key means to accept one brand of a filter pack with beverage precursor packed therein.
Traditionally, unfair competition laws protect the first user of a name, brand or symbol in connection with the sale of goods or services against a competitor whose subsequent use of such a name, brand or symbol confuses consumers as to the source and/or quality of the goods or services. Unfair competition laws also protect consumers from the tort of passing off which occurs when, for example, a consumer asks to buy a specific product but is actually, without knowing, sold another product, typically of inferior quality.
In the beverage brewing industry, suppliers of tea leaf, for example, often supply to food establishments (i.e., in addition to the tea leaf) tea brewing apparatuses, and such apparatuses typically display the name of the supplier of the tea leaf or the tea leaf brand. It may be desirable, for instance, for superior food companies, like Unilever Bestfoods, to supply tea leaf (i.e., under the Lipton Tea Brand) to food establishments, along with a tea brewing apparatus marked with the famous Lipton Tea Brand logo. The marking on the beverage brewing apparatus provides notice to the consumer or end user that a specific product, of known quality, aroma and taste, is being brewed and dispensed from the tea brewing apparatus.
Unfortunately, however, many food establishments, subsequent to obtaining a beverage brewing apparatus, do not always brew a beverage, like tea, with a brand of beverage precursor that is supplied by (e.g., matches) the company having its name or brand displayed on the beverage brewing apparatus. Such a practice often confuses a consumer such that the consumer typically gets a brewed beverage of a quality that is less than the quality of the beverage expected. Moreover, the practice of brewing a beverage in such a matter, almost always, results in the consumer getting a beverage having an unexpected aroma and taste.
It is of increasing interest to develop a beverage brewing apparatus that is suitable to prevent the passing off of a beverage. This invention, therefore, is directed to a beverage brewing apparatus wherein the apparatus has a key means to accept one brand of a filter pack with beverage precursor packed therein.
Efforts have been disclosed for brewing beverages. In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2001/0053399 A1, a coffee filter pack apparatus is described.
Other efforts have been disclosed for brewing beverages. In European Patent Specification EP 0 776 166 B1, an infusion beverage product having co-agglomerated creamer and sweetener is described.
Still other efforts have been disclosed for making a brewed beverage. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,393,966, a beverage server and brewer that can automatically initiate a brewing cycle is described.
None of the additional information above describes a brewing apparatus wherein the apparatus has a key means to accept one brand of a filter pack with beverage precursor packed therein.
In a first aspect, the present invention is directed to a brew funnel comprising:
wherein the brew funnel further comprises a key means comprising a portion above the elevation device and attached to the floor or surrounding wall or both, or a key means attached to or protruding from a top portion of the elevation device thereby enabling the brew funnel to accept one brand of a filter pack with beverage precursor packed therein.
In a second aspect, the present invention is directed to a beverage brewing apparatus comprising the brew funnel of the first aspect of this invention.
In a third aspect, the present invention is directed to a method for making or brewing a beverage with the brew funnel of the first aspect of this invention.
Elevation device, as used herein, is defined to mean a device comprising a flat platform with a top and bottom portion; having the ability to be supported within a brew funnel, when elevated from and substantially parallel to the floor of the brew funnel; and having the ability to hold up and support a filter pack, the platform being porous to a liquid (e.g., a platform with at least two holes or perforations but preferably a plurality of holes or perforations).
Beverage precursor, as used herein, is defined to mean a material that can be contacted with water to produce a beverage, such a beverage precursor can be ground coffee or tea leaf.
Beverage, as used herein, is defined to mean a liquid that may be consumed by a human and made with a beverage precursor.
Coffee is defined to mean a beverage derived from a coffee bean, including ground coffee.
Tea, as used herein, is meant to include tea derived from Camillia sinensis, as well as herbal teas.
Filter pack is defined to mean a package having an outer material, like a filter paper material, that can be used to package a beverage precursor, whereby such a filter pack can expand or swell so that the beverage precursor is sufficiently contacted with water to brew beverage.
Brand is defined to mean a specific type of product or a series of products, with or without the same name, coming from a single source.
Key means is defined to mean a tangible item having a shape or configuration that acts like a key complementary to a form or contour of a filter pack with beverage precursor packed therein.
The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. The invention, however, may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures in which:
a–c depict various exposures of the filter pack;
There is no limitation with respect to the brew funnel that may be used in this invention other than that the brew funnel is one that may be used in an apparatus that can brew beverage, internally can support an elevation device and optionally can have a key means molded or attached to its floor and/or surrounding wall. Typically, such a brew funnel is made of polymeric material like a polycarbonate, polyester, polyamide, polyphenylene ether, blend thereof, copolymer thereof or the like.
A brew funnel that may be used in the invention herein includes those sold with an apparatus that can brew beverage such as those made commercially available (without the elevation device and without the key means of this invention) from suppliers like Bunn-O-Matic, Curtis, Cecilware, Hamilton Beach-Proctor Silex, Inc., Newco, Food Equipment Technologies, Inc. and Black and Decker. The most preferred brew funnels are the superior funnels obtainable with the tea brewing apparatuses made commercially available (without the elevation device and without the key means of this invention) by Unilever Bestfoods and sold under the Lipton Tea Brand. It is noted that when conventional and commercially available brew funnels are employed, the elevation device having the key means attached to or protruding from its top portion (i.e., the top portion of the platform) is desired.
Non-commercially available brew-funnels may be employed in this invention and these brew funnels comprise the addition of key means, for example, molded or attached therein (e.g., by use of an adhesive or by altering a conventional brew funnel mold).
Regarding the brew funnel employable in this invention, such a funnel may be used with an apparatus that brews hot or cold beverage. Therefore, the brew funnel may be used in apparatuses that brew beverage with water at a temperature from about 15° C. to about 99° C., with water at a temperature from about 15° C. to about 65° C. when, for example, cold brewed tea (e.g., iced tea) is preferred and from about 80° C. to about 99° C. when, for example, hot brewed tea is preferred.
As to the elevation device, such a device comprises a flat porous platform which is porous to a liquid, and the elevation device can fit within and be supported by the brew funnel. The elevation device is suitable to hold up and support beverage precursor within a filter pack to efficiently brew beverage. It is particularly noted that it is within the scope of this invention to fit existing and conventional brew funnels with the elevation device (comprising a key means) of this invention. This is desired when the floor and surrounding wall of the brew funnel are not equipped with a key means. It is noted that the brew funnel of this invention should have at least one key means, and the key means can be attached to the floor and/or surrounding wall of the brew funnel, or the elevation device.
There generally is no limitation with respect to the beverage precursor which may be used in this invention, other than that the beverage precursor may be used to brew beverage with hot or cold water. In an especially preferred embodiment, however, the beverage brewed within the apparatus of this invention is tea brewed from superior tea leaf sold by Unilever Bestfoods under the Lipton Brand.
Turning to the Figures,
Illustrative elevation device 26 may be metal, plastic, or the like and fits within brew funnel 10. Elevation device 26 comprises a top portion (on the flat platform) 28 with outer ridge 30 to rest on inner step 32a or 32b of brew funnel 10, a plurality of perforations 34 and a receiving means 36, illustrated as three openings or holes, preferably larger than perforations 34, for receiving (e.g., interlocking) key means 38 (attached to floor 16 and illustrated as finger-like) within brew funnel 10 so that elevation device 26 may be placed within brew funnel 10 to rest on inner step 32a or 32b. Filter pack 14 has filter receiving means 40, illustrated as three openings or holes, preferably larger than perforations 34, for receiving key means 38 within the brew funnel. The dimensions of receiving means 36 and filter receiving means 40 are substantially identically and their positioning is substantially in alignment so that elevation device 26 and filter pack 14, respectively, may be placed over (e.g., like a lock & key) key means 38 within brew funnel 10, such that a portion of the key means 38 is above the elevation device 26 and within (preferably beyond) the filter receiving means 40 of filter pack 14.
In a preferred embodiment, elevation device 26 has a diameter that is often at least about 5%, and preferably at least about 10%, and most preferably, at least about 20% less than the diameter of brew funnel mouth 12. In another preferred embodiment, filter pack 14 (when dry) has a diameter that is substantially identical (i.e., ±5.0%) to the diameter of the elevational device 26, and the brew funnel 10 has baffles 42 forming channels 44 to guide beverage not shown towards the aperture (shown in
a shows a top plan view of filter pack 14 having illustrative filter pack receiving means 40.
It is particularly noted herein that the illustrative brew funnels shown in
Turning to
In operation, (when making tea as described herein) it is particularly noted that when cold brew tea is preferred, the tea leaf employed is typically enzyme treated. Also, from about 50% to about 75% of the total weight of water within the ready to drink tea is added after brewing. When cold brewing tea, typically from about 0.75 ounces to about 1.5 ounces of tea leaf is used for about every 1.0 gallon of tea brewed. When hot brewing tea, typically from about 0.5 ounces to about 1.25 ounces of tea leaf is used for about every 1.0 gallon of tea brewed.
When making coffee, conventional conditions are used and they are similar to the conditions for making tea except that the beverage precursor is, for example, ground coffee comprising and not tea leaf comprising. Thus, when making coffee, the temperature of the water and the amount of ground coffee used is comparable to the conditions found in conventional coffee brewing apparatuses, like the Black & Decker® SmartBrew™.
When purchasing the brewing apparatus of this invention, the brewing apparatus may be sold with filter packs having beverage precursor therein. Such a brewing apparatus is provided with instructions that indicate that the superior brewing apparatus of this invention (e.g, a beverage brewing apparatus with a brew funnel having an elevation device and key means as described herein) can only be used to brew superior tasting beverage of a single brand, whereby the brand of beverage brewed must match the name of the brand of beverage displayed on the beverage brewing apparatus.
Therefore, the filter packs employed should fit (like a lock and key) on the key means, and rest flatly on the elevation device to ensure that each consumer or end user is only obtaining a desired beverage and not subject to consumer confusion, intentional or not.
This is a continuation of Ser. No. 10/178,972, filed Jun. 25, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,785,136.
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| Number | Date | Country |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10178972 | Jun 2002 | US |
| Child | 10723378 | US |
