Brewing apparatus with pre-infusion and pulse brewing

Abstract

A brewing apparatus includes an intermittent brewing feature whereby a controller regulates flow into a brew basket based upon a user selected pre-stored flow profile comprising a sequence of flow pulses. A user selects from among a plurality of stored intermittent flow profiles according to the specific brewing operation, where each profile is designed for different brewing conditions. The flow profiles can be incorporated into a larger set of pre-stored or programmed instructions that also regulate temperature, volume, warming operations, and the like.

1 - 16 . (canceled)  
   
   
       17 . A brewing apparatus comprising: 
 a reservoir for storing heated water;    a brewing chamber having a drain disposed at a substantially lowermost elevational position;    a decanter disposed below the brewing chamber for collecting brewed liquid from said brewing chamber;    first piping for communicating heated water from the reservoir to the brewing chamber;    second piping for communicating heated water directly from said reservoir to said decanter, bypassing said brewing chamber;    a flow control valve regulating a flow of heated water to the brewing chamber;    a bypass valve regulating a flow of heated water directly to the decanter; and    a controller communicating with the flow control valve and the bypass valve for opening the flow control valve to permit water to flow therethrough to the brewing chamber while closing the bypass valve, and then closing the flow control valve while simultaneously opening the bypass valve to create a continuous flow into the decanter.    
   
   
       18 . The brewing apparatus of  claim 17  further comprising a memory for storing a plurality of brew profiles selectable by a user, and a plurality of brew profiles comprising a sequence of brewing commands for carrying out a brewing operation, said brewing commands have no set time duration.  
   
   
       19 . The brewing apparatus of  claim 18  further comprising means for determining an amount of liquid in said decanter, and terminating said brewing operation when said liquid in said decanter reaches a predetermined amount.  
   
   
       20 . The brewing apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein said means for determining an amount of liquid comprises a processor with a timer for measuring a total time that said flow control valve and said bypass valve are open, and using information on a diameter of said bypass valve and flow control valve and water pressure to calculate a total amount of water accumulated in said decanter.  
   
   
       21 . The brewing apparatus of  claim 17  wherein the continuous flow into the decanter is part of a pulse brew brewing operation.  
   
   
       22 . The brewing apparatus of  claim 17  further comprising a dispensing spout on the front of the apparatus connected to the second piping for dispensing heated water.  
   
   
       23 . The brewing apparatus of  claim 17 , further comprising a temperature sensor coupled to said controller for regulating the flow of heated water based on a temperature of said water in said reservoir.  
   
   
       24 . The brewing apparatus of  claim 23 , wherein a heating element is said reservoir is actuated by said controller if said sensor determines that said water in said reservoir is below a predetermined temperature.  
   
   
       25 . The brewing apparatus of  claim 24  wherein said predetermined temperature is a global setting that can be adjusted by a user.