Abstract: A cooking apparatus and a cooking grate assembly therefor. The cooking grate assembly includes a food support grate which is positionable on a contoured emitter tray. The contoured emitter tray preferably has either a concave or a convex longitudinal shape. The food support grate is formed of a plurality of side-by-side food support ribs having bottoms which are shaped in a manner corresponding to the contoured shape of the emitter tray so that the bottoms of the ribs run longitudinally along the contoured upper surface of the emitter tray.

Abstract: A process for growing a substrate (24) as a melt pool (28) solidifies beneath a molten slag layer (30). An energy beam (36) is used to melt a powder (32) or a hollow feed wire (42) with a powdered alloy core (44) under the slag layer. The slag layer is at least partially transparent (37) to the energy beam, and it may be partially optically absorbent or translucent to the energy beam to absorb enough energy to remain molten. As with a conventional ESW process, the slag layer insulates the molten material and shields it from reaction with air. A composition of the powder may be changed across a solidification axis (A) of the resulting component (60) to provide a functionally graded directionally solidified product.

Abstract: A system and method for testing a beverage apparatus such as a beverage maker and/or dispenser before shipment. The beverage apparatus includes at least one component that can produce monitorable and/or measurable characteristic. The measurable characteristic may be compared against a threshold value and may include an acceptable tolerance range. In response to an out-of tolerance condition, a fail condition is displayed, otherwise a pass condition is displayed. Also disclosed is a system for storing the measurable characteristic so that the beverage apparatus can be analyzed by comparing its current state versus the baseline state measured before the beverage apparatus was shipped.

Abstract: A beverage brewer having a cartridge for placement of a disposable single use filter basket filled with beverage grounds. The filter basket includes a plastic frame having a bottom, a plurality of ribs, and a top rim that define a plurality of openings covered by a non-woven or woven plastic filter material. The basket filled with beverage grounds is enclosed with a film cover. The inlet probe of the brewer pierces the cover and admits a heated liquid into the beverage grounds, and creates a brewed beverage that flows through the filter material and exits an opening in a bottom portion of the cartridge.

Abstract: A power supply system for wire electric discharge machining includes a first power supply circuit and a second power supply circuit. The first power supply circuit applies, to the machining gap, a voltage that induces a discharge. The second power supply circuit, which includes a low inductance line, supplies a current, which contributes to the machining, to the machining gap,. A blocking diode is series-connected between the low inductance line and the machining gap. A container, which has a contact surface contacting with the blocking diode and contains a cooling liquid, is provided.

Abstract: A matchbox oven is disclosed. The matchbox oven includes a housing, a slider, a mover, a heat source and a blower. The housing includes a cavity having two openings. The mover moves the slider in and out of the cavity through the two openings. The heat source provides heat to the cavity for heating up any food item placed within the cavity. The slider includes multiple stoppers to serve as oven covers for preventing heat within the cavity from escaping through the two openings. The slider can also be utilized as a heat sink for lowering the cavity's temperature during oven operation. When a new cook temperature is substantially lower than the temperature of the cavity, the blower forces heated air within the cavity to exit through the two openings before the starting of and/or during the initial portion of a new cook cycle.

Abstract: A capsule to form a closed interior filled with an extraction product or extract can be perforated in a known manner by perforation elements of an injection device or a discharge device in order to introduce an extraction liquid and to discharge an extraction product produced in the interior of the capsule following an extraction process. The capsule has the shape of a cuboid or a die.

Abstract: A matchbox oven is disclosed. The matchbox oven includes a housing, a slider, a mover and a heat source. The housing includes a cavity having a first and second openings. The mover moves the slider in and out of the cavity through the first and second openings. The heat source provides heat to the cavity for heating up any food item placed on a portion of the slider located within the cavity. The slider, which is configured to receive food items, includes multiple stoppers to serve as oven covers for preventing heat within the cavity from escaping through the first and second openings. When necessary, a portion of the slider can also be utilized as a heat sink for lowering the temperature of the cavity during oven operation.

Abstract: Apparatus and related methods for brewing or making individual servings of a brewed beverage with a manual pump brewer. The manual pump brewer can include a pump assembly and a brew chamber assembly, whereby user manipulation of the pump assembly directs a heated liquid through a brewing media to form a serving of a freshly brewed beverage. The manual pump brewer can include a filter assembly for directly brewing a beverage from a brewing media provided by a user. Alternatively, the manual pump brewer can receive individual pods having a single serving of a brewing media such that the pump assembly directs the heated liquid through the individual pod to brew each serving of the brewed beverage.

Abstract: The present application relates to a heater (6) for heating food received in a container (2) to prevent overheating and/or scorching of the food. The heater (6) has a heating element (9) and a control unit configured to initially operate the heating element (9) at a higher initial temperature setting so that, when a container (2) is disposed adjacent to the heating element (9), the temperature of the container is increased rapidly, and to reduce the temperature setting of the heating element (9) to the operating temperature setting when the higher initial temperature setting is reached. The present application also relates to an apparatus for heating food and a method of operating a heater (6) for heating food.

Abstract: An electric spot welding head for a multi-axis industrial robot that has a compact configuration, particularly in a longitudinal direction that goes from the end of the head for the attachment to the robot wrist towards the welding electrodes. This result is achieved primarily by the fact that the electrical transformer mounted on the head has its output connected to the electrode-holding arms arranged, respectively, on a front wall of the body of the transformer and on an end wall of the body of the transformer, for the connection to the electrode-holding arms of the head. The structure of the welding head is completely covered by a casing having a rear opening for connection to the robot wrist and a front opening from which the electrode arms of the welding head protrude.

Abstract: A method provides a rubber-elastic sealing member onto a capsule intended for producing a beverage in a beverage production device. The capsule has a body portion having a side wall and a flange-like rim portion. The rim portion extends from the side wall of the body portion. The method includes the steps of applying an uncured sealing composition in a liquid or viscous state onto the rim portion of the capsule, heating said applied sealing composition such that the sealing composition at least partially migrates towards the side wall until the sealing composition reaches the side wall, and curing the sealing composition after the migration towards the side wall.

Abstract: A motorised citrus press has a reamer and an actuating arm. The arm supports a fruit dome. The movement of the arm causes the activation of a first switch and the reamer is associated with a second switch. The motor receives electrical power only when both the first and second switches cooperate.

Abstract: A steam cooker having a lower part, which has raised side walls, wherein the sides walls include two long and two short sides, and which has handles attached to the opposite long side walls so as to be diametrically offset relative to each other, and including a lid, which has a frame, a lid body, a lid handle, and a plurality of openings for pressure equalization, and at least one steam cooking insert to be inserted into the lower part, wherein the steam cooking insert is provided with through-holes for steam to flow through and with handles arranged at an offset.

Abstract: A heated air popcorn popper and related methods of popping popcorn in which unpopped kernels are retained in a heating zone and are prevented from being expelled before they have been exposed to a heated air stream for sufficient time to result in popping of the kernels. The popcorn popper can have a popping portion including a retention mechanism capable of moving in response to physical contact with popped kernels that experience a dramatic volumetric increase in size following popping. As the number of popped kernels within the popping portion increases, the level of the popped kernels rises until they physically contact the retention mechanism, whereby the retention mechanism is forced to transition from a covering disposition to an open disposition in which popped kernels are allowed to exit the heating zone.

Abstract: A serving tray configured to hold fresh baked pizza and hot-served food items in a prolonged hot and crispy state. The tray comprises a circular ventilated platform made of a perforated inner region surrounded by a solid rim. Stand-off dividers form a plurality of segregated breathing chambers below the ventilated platform. The stand-off dividers guide moisture vapor from the hot baked food item through the ventilated platform and toward a cool remote surface where the water vapors condense. External air drafts are obstructed by the stand-off dividers. The stand-off dividers include one annular riser divider and two internal cross-brace dividers that together form four sector-shaped breathing chambers. A flat handle extends between the two cross-brace dividers inside the annular riser divider. As slices of pizza are removed, the remaining portions of pizza on the tray stay hot and crispy as radiated heat is reflected within the still breathing chambers.

Abstract: At a plurality of welding positions in an overlap portion of a plurality of members including a high-tensile steel sheet whose carbon content is 0.07 weight % or more, first beads (31 to 36) in a closed loop shape or a closed loop-like shape and second beads (41 to 46) in a closed loop shape or a closed loop-like shape on inner sides of the first bead (31 to 36) are formed by remote laser welding for joining. At this time, there are a procedure for successively forming the plural first beads (31 to 36) and a procedure for successively forming the plural second beads (41 to 46) for the plural formed first beads (31 to 36), and in both of the cases, the beads are each formed at a position except the closest welding position among the plural welding positions. Consequently, it is possible to enhance strength of a weld zone and to suppress welding deformation.

Abstract: The inventive concept presents a device and method to better provide cooking options to a user of an outdoor cooking grill. The disclosed “Plate Setter” is a reversible, circular plate-like structure having three legs integral to, and spaced symmetrically about, the circumference of the Plate Setter. The reversible structure is characterized by two integral, back-to-back cooking surfaces. Disclosed is a first cooking surface consisting of a plurality of parallel, raised ribs elevated above a walled, circular plate bed. The second cooking surface comprises a flat cooking surface reversible from, and precisely opposite to the first cooking surface. The second cooking surface further consists of three raised beams which intersect at a common point on the surface of the second cooking surface. The raised beams provide structural strength and also partition the second cooking surface into three equal cooking sections.

Abstract: A disposable single-use beverage filter basket filled with beverage grounds, and a beverage brewer having a cartridge for placement of the beverage filter basket. A permeable filter basket has a rigid frame having a bottom, a plurality of ribs, and a top rim that define side openings, and a non-woven filter medium that is bonded thermally to the material of the frame to cover the side openings. The non-woven filter medium is made of recyclable or compostable plastic or bio-polymer, and frame is made of the material of the non-woven filter medium. The permeable filter basket is filled with beverage grounds and enclosed with a film cover. The inlet probe of the brewer pierces the cover and admits a heated liquid into the beverage grounds, and creates a brewed beverage that flows through the filter material and exits an opening in a bottom portion of the cartridge.

Abstract: An apparatus including a container (2); a removable cover (3); a rotating stirrer (6) which extends inside the container (2) and is provided with an end impeller (8); an electric motor (22), for driving the stirrer (6) via a coupling joint (9, 10, 23, 26); and a hot steam dispensing wand (13) extending inside the container (2) and connectable to the steam source (52) of a coffee machine (CM) via a connection union (12) associated with the cover (3). The electric motor (22) is contained in a housing (21) which is separate and distinct from the cover (3) and is connected or able to be connected to power supply terminals (49, 50) with which the coffee machine (CM) is provided. The cover (3) supports the stirrer (6) rotatably and the inlet fluid connector (12) thereof is directly connected to a steam dispensing fluid union (48) of the coffee machine (CM).