NOVEL APPARATUS TAMES COFFEE GROUNDS AND/OR TEA FLAVORINGS WHEN APPLIED IN CONJUNCTION WITH BEVERAGE-MAKING INSTRUMENT SUCH AS A POUR-OVER-DRIPPER

FIELD

The present application relates to a novel apparatus which helps to tame and reduce the amount of coffee grounds that tend to float as liquid, including but not limited to hot water, is poured into a beverage-making instrument such as a pour-over-dripper type instrument (i.e., generally used to make hand-poured drip coffee — see also Background) or similar instrument (collectively hereinafter, “Dripper”). The novel apparatus will typically take the form of a disk shape, including an opening or openings at or near center of the disk to help allow liquid to pass through the grounds. This novel apparatus can also be applied to tea flavorings; hence, the terms coffee grounds and tea flavorings can be used interchangeably hereafter.

When used in conjunction with a Dripper, this novel apparatus is placed into the Dripper and over the coffee grounds for the purpose of taming the grounds near or at the interior bottom of the Dripper. As (hot) water is poured in manually by the user, the grounds impart flavor into the poured-in liquid which then drips down and out of the Dripper typically into a coffee cup or carafe. Without this novel apparatus, the user is typically required to make numerous pours of water in short increments onto the grounds to make even a single serving of coffee. One of the reasons for the numerous, short incremental pours is due to the effect that the grounds tend to float towards the liquid’s surface if larger quantities of liquid is poured in; and as a result, the grounds attach or “stick” to the sides of the Dripper (or more specifically, the coffee filter placed within the Dripper) as the water level recedes.

Hence, this novel apparatus allows the user to pour in larger amounts of liquid and/or with fewer incremental pours or a single pour into the Dripper, as the novel apparatus helps confine and maintain concentration of all or a majority of the grounds at or near the interior bottom of the Dripper. Arguably as a secondary benefit, less grounds may be used to make a single serving of coffee (or tea) if this novel apparatus tames the grounds to be more concentrated at the bottom of the Dripper, making the concentration of grounds more dense for the liquid to pass through, and in effect imparting an increased level of flavor to a certain degree.

BACKGROUND

In the coffee and tea beverage market, many devices or equipment are often utilized to make a cup of coffee or tea. The devices can range from electronic coffee makers to manual pour- over drippers to instant coffee mixes and tea bags which require no specialized device.

Pour-over-drippers, sometimes called “dripper cones” or simply “drippers,” are typically funnel-shaped (i.e., narrowing from top to bottom like a cone) with one or more drip holes at the bottom (or mesh walls) to allow liquid (usually hot water) to slowly drip down and out into a coffee cup, carafe, etc. Generally ranging from roughly 3 inches to 4 inches (1 inch = 2.54 centimeters) in height and 4 inches to 5 inches in width (at the top), drippers may resemble the appearance of a coffee mug (with the exception of the common funnel shape and the drip hole(s) at the base). They are typically used in conjunction with a coffee filter which are placed into the dripper and then coffee grounds are scooped in. Next, hot water is slowly poured over the grounds in multiple, short increments to allow the grounds to impart its flavor in the water, and then the flavor-imparted water drips into a cup, carafe, etc. on top of which the pour-over-drip typically sits.

Drippers are made of various materials, including but not limited to ceramic, glass, metal, and plastic. Drippers are typically used in conjunction with a coffee filter - usually made of paper - that lines the interior of the dripper to reduce small particles or pieces of grounds from exiting out of the drip hole(s), down into the cup, carafe, etc. Some stainless steel drippers do not have a drip hole(s) and are made of fine, stainless steel mesh material to act as the filter, and allow the user the option of not using a coffee filter (although generally not as effective).

The pour-over-dripper coffee trend started around 2010, at least in the United States, introducing a brewing method that generally only required a dripper, a coffee filter, coffee grounds (roughly the size of sea salt), a kettle of hot water, and a coffee cup. One of the key characteristics of making a cup of coffee using a dripper is the patient and incremental pouring of hot water in a spiral motion over the coffee grounds, little-by-little. As slow and careful pours are warranted, a special type of kettle with a narrow spout (e.g., a gooseneck kettle) is generally preferred to carefully spiral in the hot water.

Some claim that one of the key reasons for the preference of the pour-over-dripper method is the control which allows the user to achieve increased richness and flavor. Another reason by some is that the dripper is easier to clean after each use, relative to an electronic coffee machine or a French press, for instance. In addition, some claim that the coffee filter helps capture oils and grit from the coffee grounds (the French press typically does not utilize paper filters).

While some users of drippers enjoy the careful ritual of slowly and patiently pouring incremental spirals over the coffee grounds, some find the process tedious and inefficient.

Hence, the novel apparatus presented in this application intends to make the process of making a cup of coffee (or tea) via a Dripper easier and more efficient.

SUMMARY

The present application relates to a novel apparatus to be used in conjunction with beveragemaking instruments such as a Dripper to make coffee (or tea beverage). The novel apparatus is to be placed over coffee grounds to tame and reduce the amount of floating coffee grounds as liquid (such as hot water) is poured into the Dripper. The novel apparatus allows for the user to pour in larger amounts of liquid and/or with fewer pours or a single pour into the Dripper, as it helps tame and maintain concentration of the coffee grounds at or near the interior bottom of the Dripper (where the grounds impart flavor in the poured-in liquid, such as hot water, which then drips down and out of the Dripper typically into a coffee cup or carafe). Without this novel apparatus, users are typically required to slowly make numerous pours of water in short increments onto the grounds to make even a single serving.

The novel apparatus (also referred to herein as “embodiment”), can be made out of various materials such as but not limited to ceramic, glass, metal, and plastic.

The embodiment is not limited to a circular disk shape. The embodiment can take the form of an oval, rectangular, square, or any other shape that better adapts to the interior shape of a Dripper.

The embodiment is not limited to a single opening or liquid flow-through point at or near its center, as the embodiment can have more than one opening or liquid flow-through point and can be at its center or off-center. The opening(s) or liquid flow-through point(s) is not limited by size, in terms of diameter and depth; however, an opening(s) or liquid flow-through point(s) that is excessively large in diameter may not perform effectively and openings that are excessively long in terms of depth may be more difficult to clean easily. The opening(s) or liquid flow-through point(s) of the embodiment can be instead made with a slit(s), microscopic holes, mesh, or any other type of opening which allows liquid to flow through.

The embodiment should have sufficient weight or be devised to withstand buoyancy.

The embodiment may have a handle attached or may have it excluded.

Further objects, features, advantages, and properties of the embodiment according to the present application will become apparent from the detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following detailed portion of the present description, the teachings of the present application will be explained in more detail with reference to the example embodiment shown in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary single-opening embodiment placed in an exemplary Dripper;

FIG. 2-1 through FIG. 2-6 are perspective views of exemplary embodiments differentiated by various types of openings (e.g., hole(s), slit(s), metal mesh, perforated holes) that can be implemented so that the liquid poured in can flow through the embodiment; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an exemplary single-opening embodiment with an exemplary handle attached (handle can be made utilizing other forms).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. Any references of “coffee grounds,” “grounds,” “tea flavorings,” “tea grounds,” “tea leaves,” “tea herbs,” and “tea spices” herein can be used interchangeably. Any references of “liquid,” “hot water,” and “water” herein can be used interchangeably. Any references of a “Dripper” herein can be used interchangeably with other instruments or devices which perform a similar function. A unit or other means may fulfill the functions of several units or means recited in the claims.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

In describing the invention, it will be understood that a number of techniques and steps are disclosed. Each of these has individual benefit and each can also be used in conjunction with one or more, or in some cases all, of the other disclosed techniques. Accordingly, for the sake of clarity, this description will refrain from repeating every possible combination of the individual steps in an unnecessary fashion. Nevertheless, the specification and claims should be read with the understanding that such combinations are entirely within the scope of the invention and the claims.

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. The present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated by the figures or description below. Although the present invention has been illustrated and described herein with reference to preferred embodiments and specific examples thereof, it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments and examples may perform similar functions and/or achieve like results. All such equivalent embodiments and examples are within the spirit and scope of the present invention, are contemplated thereby, and are intended to be covered by the following claims.

In the following detailed description, the apparatus according to the teachings for this application in conjunction with a form of an exemplary Dripper will be described by the embodiments.

The first embodiment 200 placed in an exemplary Dripper covering coffee grounds 103 is illustrated from a top view angled slightly from a side perspective in FIG. 1. Liquid 101 is poured into the exemplary Dripper, avoiding directly pouring into single opening 201 or outer edges of embodiment 200. Liquid 101 can be poured to a level above the level of the first embodiment 200 with less or no coffee grounds floating to the top of liquid 102. The liquid 101 that has been poured in above the grounds 103 and first embodiment 200 flows through the single opening 201, as well as around the sides of the first embodiment 200. The liquid 101 eventually drips or seeps down 104 through the drip hole(s) at the bottom of the exemplary Dripper (not shown) into a cup, carafe, etc. that is placed under the exemplary Dripper.

Note that a coffee filter is usually inserted in the Dripper before coffee grounds are scooped in, except in certain cases where no paper filter is required, e.g., with stainless steel mesh Drippers.

A first embodiment 200 is illustrated from a top view angled slightly from a side perspective in FIG. 2-1. This exemplary embodiment 200 is disk-shaped and implements a singleopening design 201 at center or near center to allow liquid to flow through the embodiment.

A second embodiment is illustrated from a top view angled slightly from a side perspective in FIG. 2-2. This exemplary embodiment is essentially identical to the first embodiment 200, except that it implements a multi-opening design 202 instead of a single-opening design 201 at center or near center to allow liquid to flow through the embodiment.

A third embodiment is illustrated from a top view angled slightly from a side perspective in FIG. 2-3. This exemplary embodiment is essentially identical to the first embodiment 200, except that it implements a slit design 203 instead of a single-opening design 201 at center or near center to allow liquid to flow through the embodiment. A fourth embodiment is illustrated from a top view angled slightly from a side perspective in FIG. 2-4. This exemplary embodiment is essentially identical to the first embodiment 200, except that it implements a double-slit design 204 instead of a single-opening design 201 at center or near center to allow liquid to flow through the embodiment.

A fifth embodiment is illustrated from a top view angled slightly from a side perspective in FIG. 2-5. This exemplary embodiment is essentially identical to the first embodiment 200, except that it implements a metal-mesh design 205 instead of a single-opening design 201 at center or near center to allow liquid to flow through the embodiment.

A sixth embodiment is illustrated from a top view angled slightly from a side perspective in FIG. 2-6. This exemplary embodiment is essentially identical to the first embodiment 200, except that it implements a perforated design 206 instead of a single-opening design 201 at center or near center to allow liquid to flow through the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 2-1 through FIG. 2-6, the embodiment 200 is not limited to a single opening 201 at center or near the center, as the embodiment can have more than one opening 202 or different types of openings and can be off-center. The opening(s) or liquid flow- through point(s) is neither limited by size, in terms of diameter/width and depth, nor shape. As stated, the opening(s) of the embodiment can be instead made with different types of openings such as a slit(s) 203 or 204, mesh 205, perforated holes 206, or any other style of opening which allows liquid to flow through. The embodiment should have sufficient weight or be devised to withstand buoyancy. The embodiment can be made out of various materials such as, but not limited to, ceramic, glass, metal, and plastic. The embodiment is not limited to a circular, disk shape. The embodiment can take the form of an oval, rectangular, square, or any other shape that conforms to a Dripper. It should be noted that the outer edges of the embodiment can be sharp, rounded, angled, or any other type of edge.

The embodiment may or may not have a type of handle attached 301, primarily for ease of placement and retrieval as well as easier handling. Although the teachings of the present application has been described in detail for purpose of illustration, it is understood that such detail is solely for that purpose, and variations can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the teaching of this application. For example, the first embodiment 200 has been described in the form of a disk shape that is generally assumed to be perfectly circular in diameter, but it is understood that the embodiment does not need to be perfectly circular and may take the form of any other shape.

Further, while the embodiment may largely be used in connection with coffee grounds and the examples and illustration shown in Fig. 1 herein are with respect to coffee grounds, the embodiment may also be utilized for tea flavorings (including but not limited to tea grounds, leaves, herbs, and spices). It should also be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing the methods and apparatuses of the teachings of the present application. Whilst endeavoring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance, it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.