Beverage brewing system

Abstract

A brewer system is adapted to brew a beverage utilizing a cartridge packed with beverage grind such as coffee, tea, milk, and the like. The brewer system may include a pump adapted to draw the fluid from either a reservoir or a heater tank utilizing a vacuum pump. The pump may pass the fluid to a brewing chamber adapted to receive the cartridge and inject the fluid into the cartridge to brew a beverage. The pump may draw the fluid from a tube having a first end and a second end, the first end may be coupled to the pump, and the second end of the tube adapted may draw the fluid. A portion of the tube may be elevated above the maximum fill line of the fluid within the reservoir or the heater tank. An air switch may be coupled to the portion of the tube such that atmospheric air may enter the portion of the tube through the switch after a predetermined amount of fluid has been pumped through the tube to purge the cartridge of beverage.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A brewing system adapted to receive a cartridge and inject fluid into the cartridge to brew a beverage, the brewing system including:
 a first pump adapted to pump the fluid;   a first brewing chamber fluidly coupled to the first pump, the first brewing chamber adapted to receive the cartridge and inject the fluid into the cartridge;   a first tube having a first end and a second end, the first end coupled to the first pump, and the second end of the first tube adapted to draw the fluid therein; and   a first switch coupled to a portion of the first tube, the first switch movable between a first position and a second position, where in the first position the portion of the first tube is closed to an atmosphere such that when the pump is on, the fluid is drawn into the second end of the first tube, and in the second position the portion of the first tube is open to the atmosphere such that when the pump is on, air enters the portion of the first tube, and the first pump passes the air to the first brewing chamber.   
     
     
         2 . The brewing system according to  claim 1 , including a heater tank having an opening to allow air to pass therethrough, the heater tank adapted to heat the fluid therein, the second end of the first tube within the heater tank to draw the fluid within the heater tank. 
     
     
         3 . The brewing system according to  claim 2 , where the heater tank has first and second probes adapted to detect fluid level within the heater tank, the second end of the first tube located between the first and second probes, the first probe located below the second end of the first tube along a vertical axis when the brewing system is in use, and the second probe located below the opening of the heater tank along the vertical axis setting a maximum fill line for the fluid within the heater tank. 
     
     
         4 . The brewing system according to  claim 2 , where the heater tank is adapted to hold the fluid up to a maximum fill line within the heater tank, the portion of the first tube is located above the maximum fill line along a vertical axis when the brewing system is in use. 
     
     
         5 . The brewing system according to  claim 1 , where when the first pump has pumped a predetermined amount of the fluid through the first brewing chamber, the switch moves from the first position to the second position to allow air to enter the portion of the first tube to pass the air to the brewing chamber to substantially purge the cartridge of the fluid therein. 
     
     
         6 . The brewing system according to  claim 1 , including a heating member adapted to heat the fluid flowing along a pathway from a first end to a second end, the first end of the pathway fluidly coupled to the first pump, and the second end of the pathway fluidly coupled to the brewing chamber. 
     
     
         7 . The brewing system according to  claim 6 , where the heating member is a tube heater. 
     
     
         8 . The brewing system according to  claim 6 , including a reservoir adapted to hold the fluid, the second end of the first tube fluidly coupled to the reservoir to draw the fluid from the reservoir. 
     
     
         9 . The brewing system according to  claim 8 , where the reservoir is adapted to hold the fluid up to a maximum fill line along a vertical axis when the brewing system is in use, the portion of the first tube located above the maximum fill line along the vertical axis. 
     
     
         10 . The brewing chamber according to  claim 6 , including a processor communicably coupled to a temperature sensor adapted to monitor temperature of the fluid entering the first end of the heating member, the processor communicably coupled to the heating element, if the temperature of the fluid entering the first end of the heating element is above a predetermined level, the processor periodically turning on and off power to the heating element so that the temperature of the fluid exiting the second end of the heating member is substantially within a predetermined range. 
     
     
         11 . The brewing chamber according to  claim 6 , including a processor communicably coupled to a temperature sensor adapted to monitor temperature of the fluid entering the first end of the heating member, the processor communicably coupled to the heating element to control power provide to the heating element, if the temperature of the fluid entering the first end of the heating element is above a predetermined level, the processor turns off the power to the heating element. 
     
     
         12 . The brewing chamber according to  claim 6 , including a processor communicably coupled to a temperature sensor adapted to monitor temperature of the fluid entering the first end of the heating member, the processor communicably coupled to the first pump to adjust the speed of first pump depending on the temperature entering the first end of the heating member so that the temperature of the fluid exiting the second end of the heating member is substantially within a predetermined range. 
     
     
         13 . The brewing system according to  claim 6 , including a processor communicable coupled to a temperature sensor adapted to monitor temperature of the fluid exiting the second end of the heating member, the processor communicably coupled to the first pump to adjust the speed of first pump depending on the temperature of the fluid exiting the second end of the heating member so that the temperature of the fluid exiting the second end of the heating member is substantially within a predetermined range. 
     
     
         14 . The brewing system according to  claim 6 , where the first pump is a direct current vacuum pump. 
     
     
         15 . The brewing system according to  claim 1 , where the first brewing chamber includes a cartridge holder having an opening with a well adapted to receive the cartridge, the cartridge holder having first and second needles within the well, the first needle between the opening and the second needle, the first needle adapted to pierce a bottom of a first cartridge, and the second needle is adapted to pierce a second cartridge that is longer along its longitudinal axis relative to the first cartridge. 
     
     
         16 . The brewing system according to  claim 1 , where the first cartridge is a K-cup®. 
     
     
         17 . The brewing system according to  claim 1 , further including:
 a second pump adapted to pump the fluid;   a second brewing chamber fluidly coupled to the second pump, the second brewing chamber adapted to receive the cartridge and inject the fluid into the cartridge;   a second tube having a first end and a second end, the first end coupled to the second pump, and the second end of the second tube adapted to draw the fluid therein;   a second switch coupled to a portion of the second tube, the second switch movable between a first position and a second position, where in the first position the portion of the second tube is closed to an atmosphere such that when the pump is on, the fluid is drawn into the second end of the second tube, and in the second position the portion of the second tube is open to the atmosphere such that when the pump is on, air enters the portion of the second tube, and the second pump passes the air to the second brewing chamber; and   a heater tank adapted to heat the fluid therein, the second end of the first tube and the second end of the second tube within the heater tank to draw the fluid through their respective second ends.   
     
     
         18 . The brewing system according to  claim 1 , further including:
 a heater tank having an opening to allow air to pass therethrough, the heater tank adapted to heat the fluid therein, the second end of the first tube within the heater tank to draw the fluid within the heater tank;   a temperature sensor adapted to measure temperature of the fluid within the heater tank; and   a processor communicably coupled to the temperature sensor and the first pump, the processor adapted to adjust the temperature of the fluid within the heater tank and adjust the speed of the first pump to adjust a flow rate of the fluid through the first tube such that the temperature of the fluid is substantially controlled independent of the flow rate of the fluid provided to the first brewing chamber.   
     
     
         19 . The brewing system according to  claim 18 , further including a wireless receiver adapted to receive the temperature setting and the flow rate setting from a wireless device, the processor communicably coupled to the wireless receiver to provide the fluid to the brewing chamber with the temperature setting and the flow rate setting from the wireless device. 
     
     
         20 . The brewing system according to  claim 1 , further including a processor adapted to control the brewing system, the brewing chamber including a reader adapted to read an indication mark on the cartridge, the processor communicably coupled to the reader to authenticate the indication mark on the cartridge, and if the processor determines that the indication mark is not authentic, then the processor does not activate the brewing system. 
     
     
         21 . The brewing system according to  claim 1 , further including a processor and a memory, and the brewing chamber including a reader adapted to read an indication mark on the cartridge, the processor communicably coupled to the reader to read the indication mark on the cartridge, the processor provides the indication mark information to the memory to keep inventory of the cartridges used corresponding with the indication mark. 
     
     
         22 . A method of brewing a beverage from a cartridge, the method including:
 drawing a predetermined amount of fluid through an inlet end of a tube;   passing the fluid from an outlet end of the tube to a brewing chamber adapted to receive the cartridge and inject the fluid into the cartridge; and   drawing air into the tube between the inlet and outlet ends after the predetermined amount of fluid has passed through the outlet end of the tube.   
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 22 , further including:
 heating the fluid to a predetermined temperature, the inlet end of the tube drawing the fluid heated to the predetermined temperature.   
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 22 , further including:
 storing the fluid within a reservoir, the inlet end of the tube drawing the fluid from the reservoir.   
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 22 , further including:
 heating the fluid from the outlet end of the tube, and then passing the fluid to the brewing chamber.   
     
     
         26 . The method according to  claim 22 , further including:
 passing the fluid from the outlet end of the tube through a tube heater to heat the fluid, and passing the heated fluid to the brewing chamber.   
     
     
         27 . The method according to  claim 26 , further including:
 adjusting the flow rate of the fluid passing through the tube heater to adjust the temperature of the fluid exiting the tube heater.   
     
     
         28 . The method according to  claim 22 , further including:
 storing the fluid within a reservoir adapted to store to the fluid to a maximum fill line; and   routing a portion of the tube above the maximum fill line, and the step of the drawing air into the tube is at the portion of the tube.   
     
     
         29 . A method of brewing a beverage from an authorized cartridge, the method including:
 marking the cartridge with an authorized indication mark; and   authenticating the authorized indication mark on the cartridge before brewing a beverage from the cartridge.   
     
     
         30 . The method according to  claim 29 , where the authorized indication mark is a bar code.