System and method for controlling the brew process of a coffee maker

Abstract

A coffee brewing system and method that includes a brew chamber that holds a brew solution during a brew cycle and dispenses the brew solution; a water system that dispenses water into the brew chamber; a content sensing system that measures the brew solution contents added to the brew chamber; a temperature control system with a heating element and a temperature sensor; at least one recirculating processing loop with a particle monitor system, wherein the recirculating processing loop circulates brew solution extracted from the brew chamber; and a control system that is communicatively coupled to the content sensing system, the temperature control system and the particle monitor system during a brew cycle, wherein the control system controls a brew cycle based on a selected a specified taste profile.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A coffee brewing system comprising:
 a brew chamber that holds a brew solution during a brew cycle and dispenses the brew solution;   a water system that dispenses water into the brew chamber;   a content sensing system that measures the brew solution contents added to the brew chamber;   a temperature control system with a heating element and a temperature sensor;   at least one recirculating processing loop with a particle monitor system, wherein the recirculating processing loop circulates brew solution extracted from the brew chamber; and   a control system that is communicatively coupled to the content sensing system, the temperature control system and the particle monitor system during a brew cycle, wherein the control system controls a brew cycle based on a selected a specified taste profile.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the specified taste profile is selected from a set of taste profiles with each taste profile associated with a distinct user. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a user application that collects user feedback on dispensed coffee, wherein the user feedback is used in part to augment a brew process configuration of a second brew cycle of the coffee maker. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the user feedback is used in combination with a selected bean type to determine the brew process configuration used by the control system during the second brew cycle. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a set of manual controls that define the taste profile settings referenced by the control system. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a coffee grinding system with a grind outlet positioned to deliver coffee grounds to the brew chamber, wherein the grind size and quantity of produced coffee grounds is controlled by the control system. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the heating element of the temperature control system directly heats liquid in the water system; and wherein the processing loop comprises a subsection that is thermally coupled to the water system such that the heating element indirectly heats brew solution circulated through the processing loop. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the control system includes a calibration mode, wherein the heating effect of the temperature control system is calibrated and accounted for in directing control of the temperature control system. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a tasting flight system that can be removably added to a brew chamber while the control system operates in a tasting flight mode; wherein the tasting flight system comprises at least a chamber divider segmenting the brew chamber into multiple sub-chambers and a chamber selection system through which the control system can individually control the brew cycle of each sub-chamber. 
     
     
         10 . A method for controlled coffee brewing comprising:
 setting a brew process configuration of a coffee maker;   controlling a set of coffee brewing processes according to the brew process configuration comprising:
 controlling water temperature of water dispensed into a brew chamber; 
 controlling the water-to-coffee ratio within the brew chamber; 
 controlling temperature of a brew solution in the brew chamber; 
 controlling the dissolved solid amount in dispensed coffee; and 
   dispensing coffee from the coffee maker upon the dissolved solid amount satisfying a brew condition of the coffee process configuration;   receiving user feedback on dispensed coffee; and   updating the brew process configuration based in part on the user feedback.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the method of controlling the set of coffee brewing processes comprises utilizing trained operating parameters that correspond to the brew process configuration. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein controlling water temperature of water dispensed into a brew chamber comprises sensing temperature and activating a heating element according to a target temperature. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising calibrating the temperature effect of the heating element and utilizing the calibrated temperature effect of the heating element when controlling water temperature. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein controlling the water-to-coffee ratio within the brew chamber comprises sensing through a load cell the amount of brew solution contents added to the brew chamber; and dispensing an amount of water based on the amount of coffee grounds added to the brew chamber. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein controlling the dissolved solid amount in dispensed coffee comprises circulating a portion of the brew solution through a total dissolved solids monitoring system and measuring a dissolved solid reading value during the brew process; wherein the brew condition is at least partially based on the dissolved solids value 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising sensing temperature of the brew solution circulated through the total dissolved solids monitoring system. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprises receiving a chamber divider in a brew chamber of the coffee maker, wherein the chamber divider establishes at least a first and second sub-chamber; wherein setting the brew process configuration comprises setting a brew process configuration of the first sub-chamber and at least the second sub-chamber. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising receiving user selection of coffee dispensed from a preferred sub-chamber; and updating the taste profile of a user based on the brew process configuration of the preferred sub-chamber. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the brew process configuration is set by mapping a taste profile of a user and coffee bean information to a brew process configuration. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the brew process configuration is set by processing a taste profile of a current user with a set of other users.