A system, method, and apparatus for producing a brewed beverage using a brewing apparatus of a brewing machine to reduce the time to produce a brewed beverage through a sequence of steps. The apparatus includes structures and functions that help to maintain the reliability and cleanliness of the apparatus. The structure of the apparatus helps reduce the size and dimension of the apparatus while producing a desired brewed beverage result. The steps of the method configured using the apparatus to sequence and/or simultaneously operate various steps of the apparatus to reduce the time to produce a brewed beverage.

A kitchen appliance for preparing beverage comprises a housing, a basket holder in cooperative engagement with the housing, a filter basket selectively insertable into the basket holder when the basket holder is in an open position, and a ground coffee hopper for holding ground coffee. The hopper is positioned to dispense a desired amount of ground coffee into the filter basket when (i) the hopper is selectively mounted to the housing, (ii) the filter basket is inserted into the basket holder, and (iii) the basket holder is in its closed position. The bottom portion comprises a selectively rotatable doser defining a plurality of dosing cavities. Each dosing cavity is adapted to contain a same, predetermined amount of ground coffee and adapted to dispense the contained ground coffee through a dispensing hole defined in the bottom portion as each dosing cavity is rotated into a position above the dispensing hole.

The invention concerns a full automatic coffee machine (100) comprising a coffee extraction unit (10) with: a brewing chamber (1) for receiving coffee powder, an upper piston (2), a lower piston (3) movable inside said brewing chamber (1) between a lowest position and a highest position wherein the lower piston (3) comprises a piston rod (31), which comprises an internal channel (311) extending from a channel inlet (311a) at the lateral wall surface of the rod to a channel outlet (311b) at the bottom wall surface of the rod, and wherein the channel inlet (311a) is designed and positioned on the lateral wall surface of the rod so that said channel inlet (311a) overlaps the bottom wall (11) of the brewing chamber only when the lower piston is in the highest position.

A coffee brewer contains a brewing unit in which coffee grounds having been poured in are compressed by a plunger driven by an actuator. Heated water flows through the compressed coffee grounds. A control device controls the actuator in accordance with signals of an angle of rotation sensor. The control device first moves the plunger against a stop in an ejection position to calibrate the sensor, then moves the plunger by a predetermined distance in a downwards direction into a pouring-in position. Afterwards the control device moves the plunger by a second distance into the brewing position, a length of the predetermined distance and the second distance corresponds to a number of pulses of the sensor which are stored in the memory. The control device subsequently moves the plunger by a third distance back into the ejection position in which the coffee grounds are removed from the plunger.

A brewing unit for a piston coffee machine is designed as a spindle brewing unit with an outer spindle and inner spindle, and with a brewing slide as a brewing chamber, two piston units in the form of a showerhead and a plunger, a drive motor, and at least one gearing mechanism.

A coffee brewer contains a brewing unit in which coffee grounds having been poured in are compressed by a plunger driven by an actuator. Heated water flows through the compressed coffee grounds. A control device controls the actuator in accordance with signals of an angle of rotation sensor. The control device first moves the plunger against a stop in an ejection position to calibrate the sensor, then moves the plunger by a predetermined distance in a downwards direction into a pouring-in position. Afterwards the control device moves the plunger by a second distance into the brewing position, a length of the predetermined distance and the second distance corresponds to a number of pulses of the sensor which are stored in the memory. The control device subsequently moves the plunger by a third distance back into the ejection position in which the coffee grounds are removed from the plunger.

An apparatus to prepare beverages comprises a brewing chamber 3 movable by driving means 5, 6 along a vertical path, a first piston 7 and a second piston 9 movable within the brewing chamber 3, a hopper 25 to feed coffee powder to the brewing chamber and a discharge device 21 to discharge a spent coffee cake; the hopper 25 is pivotally mounted in the apparatus to obtain a desired distribution of coffee powder in the chamber.

The present invention relates to a proportional emulsion valve (1), configured to be used inside a fluid treatment machine, comprising a main body (2) in which an inlet duct (3) is defined, operatively connectable to the hydraulic circuit of a fluid treatment machine and configured to allow the entrance into said valve (1) of a fluid at a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure, and an outlet duct (4) operatively connectable to the hydraulic circuit of the machine and configured for the expulsion of the fluid from the valve (1), the inlet duct (3) and said outlet duct (4) being in fluid communication one another, the valve (1) comprising a slider (7) selectively positionable in an opening position, in which it allows the fluid communication between the inlet duct (3) and the outlet duct (4), and being selectively positionable, against the pressure exerted by a fluid when it is contained in the inlet duct (3), in a closing position in which the fluid communication between the inlet duct (3) and the outlet duct (4) is interrupted due to direct or indirect action of the slider (7), the slider (7) being operatively connected to an actuating system (9) comprising a driving element (10) configured to selectively exercise on the slider (7) a desired closing force (11) which tends to bring it towards the closing position; the driving element (10) is configured to exert the closing force (11) on the slider (7) through an elastic element (12) interposed between the driving element (10) and the slider (7) and configured to elastically force the slider (7) towards the closing position.

Embodiments generally relate to systems, apparatus and methods concerned with autonomous preparation of brewed beverages, such as coffee beverages. Some embodiments make use of at least one robotic arm in the brewed beverage preparation. Various embodiments use two robotic arms. Various embodiments have multiple separately controlled components with which the at least one robotic arm can interact as part of the coffee preparation process.

A coffee machine makes use of a valve arrangement for controlling the coupling of a water heater outlet selectively to one of two or more outlets, such as a steam delivery nozzle, a brew chamber and a water collection unit (e.g. drip tray). The valve arrangement comprises a rotatable routing element, wherein the angular position of the routing element controls the coupling of the inlet channel to one of the outlets. The rotation is driven by rotational coupling to a brew chamber motor. This coffee machine design makes use of a single valve arrangement to provide the flow control from the water heater. This provides a compact arrangement with a low component count and simple control mechanism.