Abstract: A spring-biased valve lever on the bottom of a coffee maker brew basket is pivoted to open the brewed liquid outlet of the brew basket in response to the rotation of a valve actuator caused by the placement of a carafe on the warmer plate of the coffee maker. The valve actuator is mounted for rotation about a vertical axis and has two horizontally movable arms, one which is engaged by the carafe and one which engages and presses downwardly on the rearward end of the valve lever.

Abstract: Paper coffee filters are stacked one atop another and packaged within a container, such as a carton or a plastic bag. The paper coffee filters define a cavity within the container in which is placed a water filter device comprising activated carbon. The paper filters are used to filter coffee grounds or the like from a brewed beverage. The water filter device is used to filter impurities from the brewing water before the brewing process. The disclosed packaging arrangement reduces packaging costs and serves to notify users that their existing water filter device has reached the end of its useful life because the coffee filters and the replacement water filter device are provided in a unitary package.

Abstract: A low cost toaster having a metal body and plastic end panels. The end panels have cooling inlet vents near their lower ends and the top wall of the metal body has air outlet vents. Ambient air admitted through the inlet vents flows upwardly through the toaster and outwardly through the outlet vents to provide a cooling effect sufficient to allow the use of inexpensive plastic material for molding the end panels. The toaster has a bread lifter made entirely from a wire rod, a bread lifter extension made entirely from a wire rod, and a toast color cam made entirely from a single piece of sheet metal.

Abstract: A beverage brewing apparatus in which all of the electrical and mechanical components necessary for a brewing operation are contained in a modular tower having a cantilevered head section at the top thereof. The modular tower is mountable directly on a supporting modular base or on a modular riser which is, in turn, mounted on a modular base to thereby allow the apparatus to accommodate a variety of beverage delivery vessels and/or brew cones. Additional supporting modules, such as warming modules, are also disclosed to provide selectable brewing apparatus configurations to meet the many needs of the user. The components of the apparatus are joined together by an interlocking assembly in which a pair of in-turned flanges on opposing sides of the bottom of an upper component are held in corresponding outwardly directed channels in a lower component. A riser plate which forms one side of an upper component is removably attached to an upward flange on a lower component to secure the components in place.

Abstract: A splash guard is provided for a food mixer, such as a hand-held mixer or a stand mixer, comprising a wavy, plate-like member that is adapted to cover the opening of a mixing bowl. The splash guard is secured to the mixer by portions of the splash guard that mate with the sides of the mixer body. More particularly, the splash guard has mutually-opposed flanges that are received in outwardly-open, longitudinally-extending grooves formed in the sides of the mixer body. The grooves in the mixer body can be specially provided for mounting the splash guard or they can be formed in a conventional manner at the junction of two body parts secured together to form the mixer body. The splash guard includes a transverse retainer strap that gives rigidity to the splash guard structure. Snap-fitting and sliding methods of assembling the splash guard onto the mixer body are also disclosed.

Abstract: A cord guard for an electrical power supply cord, such as the power cord of an electric pressing iron, includes a flexible strain relief sleeve having a central passageway therethrough and an outwardly-flared bell at one end of the strain relief sleeve open to the central passageway. The central passageway is adapted to snugly receive an electrical power supply cord along the entire length of the passageway. To this end, the passageway is formed with minimal draft. The strain relief sleeve may be formed by a tubular body having a plurality of parallel, equally spaced, V-shaped grooves extending circumferentially therearound, or the strain relief sleeve may be formed by an open spiral body having a uniform outside diameter along its length. The cord guard permits bending through at least 180 degrees without kinking the power cord, prevents twisting of the power cord within the cord guard, and reduces stress on the power cord at the point at which it exits the cord guard.