WO2009011982A1

WO2009011982A1 - French press brewing system

Info

Publication number: WO2009011982A1
Application number: PCT/US2008/065545
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robert Vu
Original assignee: Javavoo, Llc
Priority date: 2007-07-16
Filing date: 2008-06-02
Publication date: 2009-01-22

Abstract

A French press beverage brewing system (100) is provided. The French press beverage brewing system includes a brewing bag (210) attached to a lid (104). A flexible plunger (110) extends through the lid and into the brewing bag, being affixed to the bottom of the brewing bag. The lid is placed on a cup (102) of brewing liquid (310), which may be hot or cold. The flexible plunger allows a user to extend the brewing bag into the brewing liquid. After a brewing penod is complete, the flexible plunger is used to compress the brewing bag under the lid, thereby removing the brewing bag from the brewing liquid. The flexible plunger may be stored in the upper surface of the lid through the use, for example, of retaining clips (512).

Description

FRENCH PRESS BREWING SYSTEM

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/959,435 filed on July 16, 2007, entitled Self Contained Disposable French Press Stand Alone Disposable French Press, which application is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to systems and methods of brewing beverages and, more particularly, a system and method of brewing beverages according to French brewing techniques.

BACKGROUND

Millions of people enjoy coffee and tea everyday and have given rise to many coffee shops (e.g., Starbucks Coffee^® shops) in just about every neighborhood. There are many different varieties and methods of brewing coffee, including drip, espresso, cappuccino, latte, and French press. The French press method involves placing coffee grounds and water together in a coffee pot. The coffee pot is equipped with a plunger with a wire or nylon mesh attached to the end. The coffee grounds and the water are allowed to brew for a few minutes, after which the plunger is depressed. By allowing the coffee grounds to sit directly in the water, more of the flavor and oils from the coffee grounds are captured. The coffee grounds are separated from the brewed coffee by depressing the plunger, thereby forcing the coffee grounds to the bottom of the coffee pot. The French press method generally provides a thicker, richer cup of coffee that many people prefer.

The French press method, however, is time consuming, more labor intensive, and requires specialized equipment. Also, because the coffee grounds are not removed from the water, the brewed coffee may become over-brewed, resulting in a bitter flavor as the oils and flavor from the coffee grounds are continued to be extracted. As a result, it is preferred that the brewed coffee be served shortly after brewing, and thus, it may be difficult to find French brewed coffee on-the-go. Furthermore, even though a wire mesh or nylon filter is used to strain the brewed coffee, the strained brewed coffee often contains some of the coffee grounds. Therefore, there is a need for a beverage brewing system that is simple to use, quick, and inexpensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other problems are generally solved or circumvented, and technical advantages are generally achieved by a system and method of brewing beverages according to French brewing techniques.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a beverage brewing system is provided.

The beverage brewing system includes a lid, a flexible plunger, and a brewing bag. The lid has a plunger hole and a drinking hold. One end of the flexible plunger extends through the plunger hole of the lid, and the other end of the flexible plunger is attached to the brewing bag. The brewing bag includes a fastener that affixes the brewing bag to the lid.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a brewing bag for a beverage brewing system is provided. The brewing bag includes a bag-shaped container of a flexible, porous material. A brewing substance may be placed within the brewing bag. A fastener is affixed to the top of the bag-shaped container for attaching the brewing bag to a lid. A plunger is attached to the bottom of the bag-shaped container and extends through the fastener.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a method of assembling a beverage brewing system is provided. One end of a flexible plunger is inserted through a hole in a lid, and the other end of the flexible plunger is attached to a bottom of a brewing bag. A fastener on the brewing bag is attached to the lid, and the loose end of the flexible plunger is secured on the exterior portion of the lid.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly features of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures or processes for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following is a brief description of the drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention and in which:

Figures Ia and Ib are perspective views of a French press beverage brewing system of an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a cross-section view of a French press beverage brewing system with a brewing bag in a stored position in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a cross-section view of a French press beverage brewing system with a brewing bag in a brewing position in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 4 is a perspective view illustrating an assembly of a brewing bag and a lid in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a cross-section view of a lid and brewing bag of a French press beverage brewing system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 6 is a cross-section view of a lid and a brewing bag of a French press beverage brewing system that further illustrates a fastener attaching the brewing bag to the lid in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 7 is a cross-section view of a dry package of a French press beverage brewing system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 8 is a cross-section view of a wet package of a French press beverage brewing system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

Figures 9 and 10 are cross-section views of another embodiment of a French press beverage brewing system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers are used herein to designate like or similar elements throughout the various views, illustrative embodiments of the present invention are shown and described. The figures are not necessarily drawn to scale, and in some instances the drawings have been exaggerated and/or simplified in places for illustrative purposes only. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate the many possible applications and variations of the present invention based on the following illustrative embodiments of the present invention.

Referring first to Figure Ia, a perspective view of a French brewing system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The French brewing system 100 includes a cup 102 and a lid 104. The lid 104 has a drinking hole 106 and is attachable to the cup 102 in a manner such that fluids within the cup 102 are not allowed to leak through the joint when the French brewing system 100 is in use. The French brewing system 100 may further include optional ridges 108 along an exterior portion of the cup. The ridges 108, which will be discussed in greater detail below, provide a mechanism to allow users to handle the French brewing system 100 while the contents are hot.

As shown in Figure Ia, the lid 104 further includes a flexible plunger 110, which is shown in a stored position. As will be discussed in greater detail below, the flexible plunger 110 is attached to a brewing bag (not shown) inside of the cup 102. The flexible plunger 110 may be removed from the stored position and inserted into the cup 102, thereby allowing the brewing bag to be extended into brewing liquid within the cup 102. When the brewing process is complete, the flexible plunger 110 may be retracted and placed back into the stored position as shown in Figure Ia. Figure Ib illustrates a French brewing system 100 with the flexible plunger 110 removed from the stored position and inserted into the cup 102 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Optionally, the exterior of the cup 102 may be provided with a sleeve (not shown). The sleeve may include markings, such as identifying the type of beverage, marketing information, nutritional information, or the like, and be made of plastic, paper, Styrofoam, or the like. In an embodiment, the sleeve may provide additional insulation to not only protect the user from hot contents, but to also keep the contents warm longer.

Figure 2 is a cross-section view of the French brewing system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that Figure 2 illustrates the French brewing system 100 as it would be configured prior to brewing or after brewing (ready to drink). Accordingly, the cross-section view of Figure 2 illustrates a brewing bag 210 compressed and suspended from the lid 104 by the flexible plunger 110.

Figure 3 is a cross-section view of the French brewing system 100 as illustrated in Figure 2, except that the brewing bag 210 is extended in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The cup 102 is configured to hold a brewing liquid 310, such as water. The flexible plunger 110 is attached to the bottom of the brewing bag 210. Accordingly, once the cup 102 is filled to the appropriate level with the brewing liquid 310, the flexible plunger 110 is straightened and a downward force may be applied thereto, thereby extending the brewing bag 210 from the compressed position illustrated in Figure 2 into the brewing liquid 310 as illustrated in Figure 3.

The brewing bag 210 encloses a brewing material (not shown), such as coffee, tea, or the like, that is to be used in the brewing process. As such, the brewing bag preferably comprises paper or other material sufficiently porous to allow the brewing liquid 310 to flow through the brewing bag 210 to absorb the flavoring and oils of the brewing material.

After the brewing process is complete, the flexible plunger 110 is retracted from within the cup 102, thereby compressing the brewing bag 210 back into a compressed state such as is illustrated in Figure 2. It should be appreciated that in doing so, the brewing material is removed from the brewing liquid, thereby stopping the brewing process. The flexible plunger 110 may be replaced in lid 104 for storage.

Figures 4 and 5 illustrate an assembly of the lid 104 and the brewing bag 210 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The brewing bag 210 preferably includes a fastener 410. The flexible plunger 110 extends through the fastener 410 and is attached to the lower section of the brewing bag 210. The flexible plunger 110 is placed through a hole 510 (see Figure 5). In this manner, with the flexible plunger 110 attached to the bottom of the brewing bag 210, as the flexible plunger 110 is pulled through the hole 510 from the exterior, the brewing bag 210 is compacted against the lid 104, and as the flexible plunger 110 is pushed though the hole 510 from the exterior, the brewing bag 210 is expanded or straightened.

Figure 5 represents the position of the brewing bag 210 in the storage position, either prior to brewing or after brewing. In this storage position, the flexible plunger 110 is preferably secured in the lid by the use of one or more clips or snaps, such as clips 512. In an embodiment, the clips 512 comprise portions of the lid 104 extending over a recessed section on top of the lid 104. The flexible plunger 110 may then be held in place by wedging the flexible plunger 110 under the clips 512.

Figure 6 illustrates an embodiment of the fastener 410 that may be used to secure the brewing bag 210 to the lid 104. In this embodiment, the fastener comprises two opposing sections 610 shaped and sized to fit along the exterior perimeter of the hole 510. Along the exterior portion of the two opposing sections 610 are wedged shaped locking mechanisms 612, wherein a width of the outermost portion of the wedged shaped locking mechanisms 612 (e.g., the diameter in this case) is greater than a width of the hole 510.

To lock the brewing bag 210 in place, force is applied to the fastener 410 as indicated by arrows 614. Due to the wedge shape of the locking mechanisms 612, this force may be the result of simply pushing the fastener 410 into the hole 510. When the fastener 410 is inserted past the edge of the wedged shaped locking mechanisms 612, the fastener 410 preferably springs back to the original position, wherein the wedged shaped locking mechanism 612 retains the fastener 410. To remove the fastener 410, the opposing sections 610 may be pinched together, thereby allowing the wedged shaped locking mechanisms 612 to slip through the perimeter of the hole 510.

Figure 7 shows a dry package 700 that may be used for distribution in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The dry package 700 is preferably packaged such that the top surface is hermetically sealed by a first seal 710 that covers the drinking hole 106 and the flexible plunger 110 for protection during shipping and display. In an embodiment, the dry package 700 is also provided with a brewing bag 210 that is protected by a second seal 714 placed along a bottom of the lid 104 to further seal the brewing bag 210 to help maintain freshness. Furthermore, it is preferred that the joint between the lid 104 and cup 102 is also sealed with a seal (not shown), such as a shrink wrap along the exterior, to prevent tampering with the contents. The first seal 710 and the second seal 714 may comprise foil, plastic, or other covering, and in an embodiment, the first seal 710 may be integrated into a single seal that covers the joint between the lid 104 and the cup 102 as well as the drinking hole 106 and the flexible plunger 110.

It may also be desirable to provide one or more items (not shown) within the cup 102. For example, the items may include one or more replacement brewing bags 210 and/or one or more complementary items (not shown), such as sugar, creamer, and the like. The items may be hermetically and/or vacuum sealed. The cup 102 may also be preferably hermetically sealed by a fourth seal (not shown).

Figure 8 shows a wet package 800 that may be used for distribution in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment may be particularly desirable as a vending machine item or a point-of-sale item for immediate use or in situations in which it is desirable to provide the brewing liquid 310 with the product. In this embodiment, the exterior packaging may be similar to that discussed above with reference to the dry package 700 illustrated in Figure 7. Instead of the cup 102 being empty or containing other items as in the dry package 700, however, the cup 102 in the wet package 800 contains the brewing liquid 310. Preferably, the brewing liquid 310 is hermetically sealed by a fifth seal 810 to prevent spillage and/or contamination.

In use, the lid 104 is separated from the cup 102. The brewing liquid 310 of the appropriate temperature is placed in the cup 102. In an embodiment in which a hot beverage, such as hot coffee or tea, is being prepared, hot brewing liquid 310 may be placed into the cup. More preferably, however, the cup 102 with the brewing liquid 310 (that was either placed in the cup 102 by the user as in the dry package 700 or was already present such as in the wet package 800) and the cup 102 with the brewing liquid 310 is placed in a microwave. After heating, the lid 104 is placed onto the cup 102, the flexible plunger 110 is straightened and force is applied to extend the brewing bag 210 into the brewing liquid. The flexible plunger 110 may be pumped several times to completely wet the contents of the brewing bag 210. After a sufficient brewing period, the flexible plunger 110 is retracted and stored in the lid 104 to stop the brewing process. At this point, the brewing liquid is ready to drink.

Optionally, the lid 104 and the brewing bag 210 may remain on the cup 102 during the heating process. In this optional embodiment, the brewing bag 210 may remain either compressed in the lid 104 or extended into the cup 102.

Figures 9 and 10 illustrate yet another embodiment of the present invention in which a lid 910 is provided for use with a user-provided mug 912. Figure 9 illustrates the lid 910 positioned on the user-provided mug 912 with the brewing bag 210 in an extended position, and Figure 10 illustrates the lid 910 with the brewing bag 210 and the flexible plunger 110 in the stored position and without the user-provided mug 912. In this embodiment, the lid 910 may be provided (e.g., sold in a grocery store) separate from the cup 102 (see Figure 1) for use in a home or office environment. The lid 910 is preferably equipped with a flange 914 that allows the lid 910 to sit or rest on the user-provided mug 912, which may be any suitable container. The brewing bag 210 may be attached to the lid 910 in a similar manner as discussed above.

Although embodiments of the present invention and at least some of its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods, and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure of the present invention, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed, that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the present invention. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A beverage brewing system comprising: a lid having a plunger hole and a drinking hole; a flexible plunger having a first end and a second end, the flexible plunger being configured such that the first end extends through the plunger hole; and a brewing bag having a top and a bottom, the bottom being attached to the second end of the flexible plunger and the top having a hole through which the flexible plunger may pass.

2. The beverage brewing system of claim 1 , wherein the lid has one or more retainer clips for securing the flexible plunger.

3. The beverage brewing system of claim 1, further comprising a fastener attached to the brewing bag, the fastener being configured to be removably attached to the lid at the plunger hole.

4. The beverage brewing system of claim 1, further comprising a cup removably attachable to the lid such that a non-leaking seal is formed.

5. The beverage brewing system of claim 3, further comprising a brewing liquid in the cup.

6. The beverage brewing system of claim 3, wherein the cup includes ridges extending outward.

7. The beverage brewing system of claim 1, wherein the lid comprises a flange extending outward to rest on a cup.

8. A brewing bag for a beverage brewing system, the brewing bag comprising: a bag-shaped container having a top and a bottom, the bag-shaped container comprising a flexible, porous material; a fastener affixed to the top of the bag-shaped container, the fastener being configured to be attached to a lid; and a plunger attached to the bottom of the bag-shaped container and extending through the fastener.

9. The brewing bag of claim 8, wherein the bottom of the bag-shaped container comprises a rigid material.

10. The brewing bag of claim 8, wherein the plunger comprises a flexible material.

11. The brewing bag of claim 8, further comprising a brewing substance sealed within the brewing bag.

12. The brewing bag of claim 8, further comprising a lid having a hole therein, the bag- shaped container being removably affixed to the lid by the fastener.

13. The brewing bag of claim 8, wherein the fastener comprises opposing sections having an outer shape of similar size and shape as the hole in the lid, the fastener having a wedge-shaped extension to secure the fastener to the lid.

14. The brewing bag of claim 8, wherein the lid includes retainer clips for holding the flexible plunger in a stored position.

15. The brewing bag of claim 8, wherein the lid comprises a flange extending outward along a perimeter of a bottom of the lid.

16. A method of assembling a beverage brewing system, the method comprising: placing a first end of a flexible plunger through a hole in a lid, a second end of the flexible plunger extending into and attached to a bottom of a brewing bag; attaching a fastener to the lid, the fastener being affixed to a top of the brewing bag; and securing the first end of the flexible plunger on an exterior portion of the lid.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising attaching the lid to a cup.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the cup includes ridges around an exterior surface.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising placing a brewing liquid in the cup and hermetically sealing a portion of the cup holding the brewing liquid.