Patent Application
20160345770
The present disclosure generally relates to portable brewed-beverage vessels.
Individuals often drink hot beverages, such as coffee, on-the-go. Yet in order to brew hot beverages, these individuals currently need cumbersome, non-portable devices in order to heat the water, and/or brew their beverages. Then, these individuals need to transfer the heated beverage into a cup or vessel to transport their brewed beverage.
A hot beverage brewer and vessel may be provided. This brief overview is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This brief overview is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter. Nor is this brief overview intended to be used to limit the claimed subject matter's scope.
Embodiments of the present disclosure may be used to brew heated beverages. Such embodiments may be comprised of a power source, a heating element coupled to the power source, a vessel for containing liquid, and a means for releasing a brewing substance into an interior volume of the vessel.
Embodiments of the present disclosure may be used as a coffee vessel that is also a coffee maker. Embodiments may brew coffee inside of the vessel. It may use, but is not limited to using, a proprietary coffee, Hey Joe Coffee™. Embodiments of the present disclosure may utilize a lithium polymer battery to power a heating element within the vessel. The heater may enable embodiments to heat water to, for example, but not limited to, 140° F.-160° F. Embodiments may brew coffee in the same way tea is made, by steeping instead of using a drip coffee system or pressure. A special blend of coffee designed specifically to compliment this system of brewing may be used. The special blend of coffee may be provided, for example, in pods. Embodiments may be comprised of a power button that enables the user to heat the water up by pushing it. A battery may be implemented for powering embodiments of the present disclosure. The battery may be comprised of, but not limited to, a lithium polymer battery, such as, for example #18650, and may utilize multiple cells. The battery may be detached and charged separately. Embodiments may provide a means for dispensing coffee.
Both the foregoing brief overview and the following detailed description provide examples and are explanatory only. Accordingly, the foregoing brief overview and the following detailed description should not be considered to be restrictive. Further, features or variations may be provided in addition to those set forth herein. For example, embodiments may be directed to various feature combinations and sub-combinations described in the detailed description.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate various embodiments of the present disclosure. The drawings contain representations of various trademarks and copyrights owned by the Applicants. In addition, the drawings may contain other marks owned by third parties and are being used for illustrative purposes only. All rights to various trademarks and copyrights represented herein, except those belonging to their respective owners, are vested in and the property of the Applicants. The Applicants retain and reserve all rights in their trademarks and copyrights included herein, and grant permission to reproduce the material only in connection with reproduction of the granted patent and for no other purpose.
Furthermore, the drawings may contain text or captions that may explain certain embodiments of the present disclosure. This text is included for illustrative, non-limiting, explanatory purposes of certain embodiments detailed in the present disclosure. In the drawings:
As a preliminary matter, it will readily be understood by one having ordinary skill in the relevant art that the present disclosure has broad utility and application. As should be understood, any embodiment may incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed aspects of the disclosure and may further incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed features. Furthermore, any embodiment discussed and identified as being “preferred” is considered to be part of a best mode contemplated for carrying out the embodiments of the present disclosure. Other embodiments also may be discussed for additional illustrative purposes in providing a full and enabling disclosure. As should be understood, any embodiment may incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed aspects of the display and may further incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed features. Moreover, many embodiments, such as adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments described herein and fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
Accordingly, while embodiments are described herein in detail in relation to one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present disclosure, and are made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure. The detailed disclosure herein of one or more embodiments is not intended, nor is to be construed, to limit the scope of patent protection afforded in any claim of a patent issuing here from, which scope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof. It is not intended that the scope of patent protection be defined by reading into any claim a limitation found herein that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself.
Thus, for example, any sequence(s) and/or temporal order of steps of various processes or methods that are described herein are illustrative and not restrictive. Accordingly, it should be understood that, although steps of various processes or methods may be shown and described as being in a sequence or temporal order, the steps of any such processes or methods are not limited to being carried out in any particular sequence or order, absent an indication otherwise. Indeed, the steps in such processes or methods generally may be carried out in various different sequences and orders while still falling within the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of patent protection is to be defined by the issued claim(s) rather than the description set forth herein.
Additionally, it is important to note that each term used herein refers to that which an ordinary artisan would understand such term to mean based on the contextual use of such term herein. To the extent that the meaning of a term used herein—as understood by the ordinary artisan based on the contextual use of such term—differs in any way from any particular dictionary definition of such term, it is intended that the meaning of the term as understood by the ordinary artisan should prevail.
Regarding applicability of 35 U.S.C. §112, ¶6, no claim element is intended to be read in accordance with this statutory provision unless the explicit phrase “means for” or “step for” is actually used in such claim element, whereupon this statutory provision is intended to apply in the interpretation of such claim element.
Furthermore, it is important to note that, as used herein, “a” and “an” each generally denotes “at least one,” but does not exclude a plurality unless the contextual use dictates otherwise. When used herein to join a list of items, “or” denotes “at least one of the items,” but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list. Finally, when used herein to join a list of items, “and” denotes “all of the items of the list.”
The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar elements. While many embodiments of the disclosure may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings, and the methods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to the disclosed methods. Accordingly, the following detailed description does not limit the disclosure. Instead, the proper scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims. The present disclosure contains headers. It should be understood that these headers are used as references and are not to be construed as limiting upon the subjected matter disclosed under the header.
The present disclosure includes many aspects and features. Moreover, while many aspects and features relate to, and are described in, the context of brewing coffee, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to use only in this context. For example, embodiments of the present disclosure may be used in brewing tea and other brewed beverages.
I. Overview
Consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure, a hot beverage brewer and vessel may be provided. This overview is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below. This overview is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter. Nor is this overview intended to be used to limit the claimed subject matter's scope. The hot beverage brewer and vessel may be used by individuals or companies to brew hot beverages and transport them.
Embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a portable brewing vessel that is configured for brewing, storing and dispensing hot beverages. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure may be used to brew, for example, coffee, while, with the same device, provide a portable means from which a user may drink the brewed coffee.
The first portion of the portable brewing vessel may comprise a vessel. In some embodiments, the vessel may be insulated. Further, in some embodiments the vessel may be, in part, comprised of stainless steel.
The vessel may be configured to receive a lid. In some embodiments, a sealing mechanism, such as, for example, a gasket or O-ring may be implemented in sealing a union between the lid and the vessel. The lid may be comprised of one or more holes for, for example, dispensing liquid and providing air intake. In some embodiments, a covering or plugging mechanism may be provided to cover or plug the one or more holes may to make the vessel water-tight. The covering or plugging mechanism may attach to the lid via a hinge. In some embodiments the one or more holes may be plugged with overmolded parts.
The next portion of the brewing vessel may comprise a brewing substance dispensing mechanism. The brewing substance dispensing mechanism may receive a brewing substance. For example, coffee may be inserted into the dispensing mechanism. In some embodiments, the brewing substance may comprise, for example, a brewing packet. The brewing substance dispensing mechanism may be configured to lower the brewing substance into the vessel for steeping. This brewing method may mimic the way tea is made (e.g., by steeping). In some embodiments the brewing substance dispensing mechanism may mount to the lid.
For example, a pod mechanism (a means for holding the brewing substance) may be lowered into the water by a clamp that holds the coffee or tea pod. The clamp may allow the pod to remain in a fixed position while steeping in the water. The clamp may either be attached to the bottom side of the lid or, in some embodiments, me be a part of a tray that is lowered into the coffee through the lid itself. Once brewing is complete (after a predetermined time), the pod may be retracted back into the lid. In some embodiments, brewing may be done automatically with a SOC configuration enabling an automated lowering/retracting mechanism to be activated based on, for example, a timer or user-commands.
In some embodiments, the portable brewing vessel may be configured to be used with a proprietary blend of coffee, such as, for example, Hey Joe Coffee™. The proprietary blend may be a special blend of coffee packaged to complement the configuration of the portable brewing vessel. The proprietary blend may be comprised of, but not limited to, for example, instant coffee and coffee grounds.
A portion of the brewing vessel may comprise a heating element. The heating element may be configured to heat the liquid within the vessel. In this way, the liquid stored by the vessel may be heated to, for example, 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
The heating element may be powered by a power source. The power source may be, for example, a rechargeable lithium polymer battery. In some embodiments, the battery may be detached and charged separately. Consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure, the vessel may be transported without the battery attachment. In this way, a user may store and dispense liquid using the vessel without the added weight of a battery attachment. Some embodiments of the present disclosure may be configured to receive power from an outside source, such as, for example, but not limited to, a car charger.
A power button may be provided to enable the user to switch on or off the heating mechanism. The heating mechanism may further be configured to automatically turn off after receiving a trigger such as, for example, certain amount of time has passed since being turned on, or a thermocouple reaches a certain temperature.
Both the foregoing overview and the following detailed description provide examples and are explanatory only. Accordingly, the foregoing overview and the following detailed description should not be considered to be restrictive. Further, features or variations may be provided in addition to those set forth herein. For example, embodiments may be directed to various feature combinations and sub-combinations described in the detailed description.
II. Configuration
The vessel may be configured to receive, store, and dispense liquids. The present disclosure will be written with reference to water as a preferred liquid, although the vessel may be configured to receive, store, and dispense any suitable liquid. Accordingly, the vessel may be designed to store water at high temperatures while maintaining a low exterior temperature for handling.
The vessel may further be configured to mate with the power source. The vessel may be configured to use the power source to heat the water stored within the interior of the vessel. In addition, the vessel may be configured to mate with a lid. Such vessel-lid mating may be water-tight in order to prevent leakage. The lid may be configured with holes for drinking. As will be detailed below, the lid may further be configured to release a brewing substance, such as, for example, coffee or tea, into the vessel.
The brewing substance may be lowered when a user pulls directly on the brewing substance holding mechanism 735. Further, a lever may be employed in dropping or lowering the holding mechanism 735. Such a lever may let gravity lower the brewing substance via free-swinging hinges, or in some embodiments, the lever may mechanically drive the brewing substance down into the vessel. In some embodiments, the holding mechanism may be lowered into the 735 electronically.
III. Operation
As an example, operation will be described for brewing a cup of coffee. However, the method may be used for brewing any other hot beverage. Although the stages illustrated by the flow charts are disclosed in a particular order, it should be understood that the order is disclosed for illustrative purposes only. Stages may be combined, separated, reordered, and various intermediary stages may exist. Accordingly, it should be understood that the various stages illustrated within the flow chart may be, in various embodiments, performed in arrangements that differ from the ones illustrated. Moreover, various stages may be added or removed from the flow charts without altering or deterring from the fundamental scope of the depicted methods and systems disclosed herein. Ways to implement the stages of method @00 will be described in greater detail below.
First, the battery may be charged. The battery may receive charge, for example, by receiving a power plug in the power reception jack. Then, the battery may be attached to the vessel, by aligning the components described in the Configuration section. The lid may receive a pod of coffee in the pod basket. The lid may then be affixed to the vessel. Next, the power button may be depressed in order to heat the water. The water may be heated to, for example, 160° F. Once the water is heated, the battery may be removed. Then, the hinges attached to the brewing substance holding mechanism may be utilized to lower the coffee pod into the heated water. Then, the drinking hole cover may be removed from the drinking hole for dispensing of brewed coffee.
IV. Claims
While the specification includes examples, the disclosure's scope is indicated by the following claims. Furthermore, while the specification has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, the claims are not limited to the features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example for embodiments of the disclosure.
Insofar as the description above and the accompanying drawing disclose any additional subject matter that is not within the scope of the claims below, the disclosures are not dedicated to the public and the right to file one or more applications to claims such additional disclosures is reserved.
