Brewing Material Lid And Container For A Beverage Brewer
Patent No. US11805934 (titled "Brewing Material Lid And Container For A Beverage Brewer") was filed by Adrian Rivera Maynez Enterprises Inc on May 26, 2023.
What is this patent about?
’934 is related to the field of beverage brewing, specifically accessories for single-serve beverage brewers. These brewers typically use pre-packaged cartridges or pods, leading to waste and limiting users to specific brands. The patent addresses the need for a reusable container that allows users to brew beverages from loose grounds or off-brand pods in existing single-serve machines.
The underlying idea behind ’934 is to create a reusable brewing material container that adapts to existing single-serve beverage brewers. This container features a receptacle to hold the brewing material and a lid with openings that align with the brewer's injection nozzles. A key aspect is the inclusion of a receptacle opening in the sidewall to allow the brewed beverage to flow out, bypassing the brewer's standard outflow needle. The container also includes a protrusion into the interior of the receptacle and a corresponding recess on the exterior.
The claims of ’934 focus on a brewing material container with a receptacle and a lid. The receptacle has a base and a sidewall, while the lid has through-holes to receive the brewer's injection nozzles. Crucially, the sidewall includes an opening for fluid outflow, and the receptacle features a protrusion into its interior with a corresponding recess on its exterior. The claims also cover a similar container defined in terms of 'means for' functional language.
In practice, the user fills the receptacle with loose grounds or a pod, closes the lid, and places the container into the brewer's chamber. Hot water is injected through the lid openings, and the brewed beverage exits through the sidewall opening, flowing directly into a cup or pitcher. The recessed means on the exterior of the receptacle isolates the brewer's outflow nozzle, preventing it from interfering with the brewing process or the beverage flow.
This design differs from traditional single-serve brewing systems that rely on proprietary cartridges punctured by the brewer's needles. By providing a reusable container with its own outflow path, ’934 allows users to bypass the cartridge system and use a wider variety of brewing materials. The sidewall opening and recessed enclosure are key features that enable this functionality, making the container compatible with existing brewer designs while offering greater flexibility and reducing waste.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical landscape at the time
In the early 2020s when ’934 was filed, single-serve beverage brewers were prevalent, at a time when systems commonly relied on disposable cartridges or pods for brewing. The brewing chambers of these machines were typically designed to accommodate specific cartridge configurations, when hardware or software constraints made adapting to different pod types non-trivial.
Novelty and Inventive Step
The examiner considered Sasena et al. to teach a capsule container with a filter container and lid, which could be seen to teach the claim limitations. The examiner also considered De Ruvo et al. to teach a capsule container having protrusions and a corresponding recess. However, the examiner determined that a coffee capsule having a container is not equivalent to a coffee filter having a container, and there was no reason to combine the teachings of De Ruvo et al. with Sasena et al. The examiner also noted that a capsule container is normally for piercing, while a filter container is for filtering and not configured for piercing. The examiner accepted the applicant's terminal disclaimer disclaiming the terminal portion of any patent granted on this application which would extend beyond the expiration date of App. 17/084,827.
Claims
This patent includes 30 claims, with claims 1 and 18 being independent. The independent claims are directed to a brewing material container for a beverage brewer, focusing on the structure and features of the receptacle and lid (or corresponding means). The dependent claims generally elaborate on specific features and configurations of the brewing material container described in the independent claims.
Key Claim Terms New
Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.
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Date
Description
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US11805934
- Application Number
- US18202810
- Filing Date
- May 26, 2023
- Status
- Granted
- Expiry Date
- Oct 30, 2040
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO, Google Patents