Patents Examined by L. Alexander
  • Patent number: 9687108
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for opening and closing a cartridge holder of a beverage forming machine. The cartridge holder may have an opening arranged to receive and hold a cartridge with the cartridge holder in an open position, e.g., the opening may face a front of the beverage forming machine and be in an upwardly inclined position in the open position. A cam and cam follower may cause the cartridge holder to pivot and move to a closed position, e.g., in which the opening of the cartridge holder is in a downwardly inclined orientation. Rotation of the cartridge holder may be damped in at least a portion of movement between the open and closed positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Keurig Green Mountain, Inc.
    Inventor: Joel Swerchesky
  • Patent number: 9675198
    Abstract: An outdoor food frying apparatus includes a frame having a pot support, a burner element supported upon the frame, and a pot that removably fits the frame. The pot has end walls, a rear wall, a front edge portion, and a bottom wall that gradually increases in curvature from said rear wall to said front edge portion. A basket is pivotally attached to the pot rear wall with one or more hinges. The basket is correspondingly sized and shaped to fit the pot interior. The basket is movable about the hinge between cooking and food discharge positions. The lid is pivotally attached to the pot. The lid is movable between a cooking position wherein the lid covers the pot upper opening and food discharge position wherein the lid rotates at least 180 degrees from said cooking position, forming a tray for receiving food discharged from the basket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: METAL FUSION, INC.
    Inventor: Norman Bourgeois
  • Patent number: 9675207
    Abstract: A doner kebab rotisserie enables the meat of chicken or doner kebab to be formed, cooked and sliced, and where the formed meats are positioned, a circular knife located in the cutting unit and enabling the doner kebab to be sliced by rotating, and a doner kebab burner including a burner wing used while cooking the kebab and providing heat for the desired area of doner kebab. Specifically, an automatic doner kebab slicing machine disclosed includes a doner kebab follow-up apparatus, the position of the upper section of which does not change when it performs rotating motion in accordance with the circular knife and which enables slicing of the doner kebab at fixed thickness and enables the angular change to be construed by an electronic system by transferring angular change to the bearing during the doner kebab surface follow-up via doner kebab follow-up apparatus bearing where it is positioned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Inventors: O{hacek over (g)}uz Atalay, Yakup Altun, U{hacek over (g)}ur Atalay
  • Patent number: 9669992
    Abstract: A mold includes a forming insert that includes an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion includes a sidewall segment and a heel segment extending from a bottom of the sidewall segment. The sidewall segment has a sidewall radius, and the heel segment has a heel radius that is less than the sidewall radius. The lower portion extends axially downward from the upper portion to define a base cavity. A forming base is positionable within the base cavity. The rim has a rim radius that is less than the heel radius and the step has a step radius that is less than the rim radius.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: Polyone Designed Structures and Solutions LLC
    Inventors: Loren F. Temple, Jr., Pranabes K. Pramanik
  • Patent number: 9668606
    Abstract: A beverage preparation machine for dispensing beverages comprising: a housing; a first reservoir station; a first reservoir for containing an aqueous medium, the first reservoir being connectable to said first reservoir station; an auxiliary module station for receiving an auxiliary module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: Koninklijke Douwe Egberts B.V.
    Inventors: Andrew Charles Bentley, Adam Martyn Lloyd
  • Patent number: 9663288
    Abstract: The invention relates to a pouch for preparing a beverage such as coffee, including a space intended to contain a concentrated dose, for example of ground coffee, and an inlet opening and an outlet opening, both of which are communicated with the space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: PSR PROFITABLE STRATEGIC REDEPLOYMENT SÀRL
    Inventor: Alain Mariller
  • Patent number: 9661949
    Abstract: The present system provides a French Press that comprises a carafe with a removable bottom member. The bottom member is threaded onto the man body of the carafe and forms a watertight seal during use of the carafe. During the preparation of the coffee using the French Press, normal operation is possible. The spent grounds collect naturally in the bottom member during use, and are in fact urged there by depression of the plunger during operation. After use, the bottom member can be easily removed from the main body of the carafe and the spent grounds can be easily cleaned from the bottom member, along with any stray grounds that might have remained in the main body of the carafe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Inventor: Sargam Patel
  • Patent number: 9655470
    Abstract: The invention relates to an injection unit (1) for an espresso coffee machine including a stationary mechanical upper block (2) having a central projection (4) which forms a hot-water dispenser (7) and to which a removable portion, referred to as the group head (8), is attached, the inner surface of the group head having a cavity (22) in which the portafilter (9) is mounted, said portafilter comprising an operating handle (10) and a recess for holding a basket (11) containing the coffee grounds for preparing espresso coffee, characterized in that the group head (8) is attached to the mechanical block (2) of the injection unit (1) via a linking device having a resilient effect, and in that the seal (23) surrounding the dispenser (7) engages with the inner periphery of the basket (11). The invention is useful for manufacturers of espresso coffee machines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: RENEKA INTERNATIONAL
    Inventor: Christian Ruhl
  • Patent number: 9655380
    Abstract: An assembly and method are provided for storing and dispensing a soluble substance, such as a flavoring, into a liquid. A useful application of the subject invention includes the case where lime-flavored liquid is contained in a foam artificial lime stored in the neck of a beer bottle, attached to a beer bottle or can, or attached to the 6-pack or 12-pack carton. The artificial lime may be retrieved from the neck or a protective covering and acted upon so it diffuses the lime-flavored liquid into the beer when it is inserted into the beer bottle. Alternately, juice from the artificial lime may be squeezed into the beer, or the artificial lime may be simply retrieved and discarded. Rather than needing to buy a natural lime, cut it up and push a wedge into a beer bottle, an artificial lime, or a packaged natural lime, may be stored directly in or with the beer bottle and placed in functional contact with the beer at time of consumption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Inventor: James F. Kramer
  • Patent number: 9648978
    Abstract: A coffee dispensing device is provided with a transport device that couples various components for the processing of unroasted coffee beans together. For example a roaster may be coupled to a grinding and brewing device to enable the transfer of roasted coffee beans between the roaster and grinder/brewer. Also, the transport device may transfer the roasted coffee beans from a roaster to an output port so that roasted coffee beans may be obtained. An automated coffee transaction device (ACTD) is also provided to automate aspects of the purchasing of coffee. A service delay projection calculator is also provided to estimate the expected wait time of a customer entering a queue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: ROASTING PLANT, INC.
    Inventor: Michael R. Caswell
  • Patent number: 9648979
    Abstract: Enables a coffee making apparatus with a froth spoon and at least one impeller configured to enable users to make a cup of coffee, agitate the coffee grounds with the at least one impeller, for example before or after as the plunger is pushed to the bottom of the carafe. Embodiments thus enable a user to make additional froth, pour out the coffee into a cup, and after the cup is filled to the desired level, spoon out froth over the coffee with the froth spoon without pouring excess coffee into the cup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: RYAN BROTHERS COFFEE OF SAN DIEGO, INC.
    Inventor: Harry Ryan
  • Patent number: 9643037
    Abstract: An oven appliance with features for dissipating pressure increases in the cooking chamber of the oven without forcing open the oven door is provided. Such features include a flame arrester that dissipates pressure increases and quenches flames from the cooking chamber of an oven appliance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Catherine Alice Vermeersch, Darren Allen Turner
  • Patent number: 9642493
    Abstract: A hot oil fryer for continuous frying duty in continuous food process lines has a frame, a cooking channel carried by the frame, a conveyor through the cooking channel having an upper food product carrying-run and a lower return runs, a bed of elongated heat exchanger tubes inside the cooking channel for circulating a thermal fluid, and a combustion-fired thermal oil heater supported by the frame off the floor for heating the thermal fluid which is circulated through the bed of elongated heat exchanger tubes. Preferably the cooking channel is elongated, as also preferably is the combustion-fired thermal oil heater carried, which is laid down to extend along a horizontal axis underneath the cooking channel. The combustion-fired thermal oil heater is fed either fuel-oil or a fuel-gas for combusting therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Inventor: Robert G. Nothum, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9642488
    Abstract: A beverage producing system includes a beverage producing machine and a jug. The machine is provided with a steam nozzle and the jug is provided with a steam duct having a steam inlet end configured to connect to the steam nozzle to establish a connection between the steam nozzle and the steam duct. The steam nozzle is housed in a recess having an entry aperture, a bottom wall and an upper ceiling. The steam nozzle is arranged at the bottom wall of the recess and is oriented towards the upper ceiling. The steam inlet end projects from the jug, where the connection between the steam nozzle and the steam duct is configured to be established by introducing the steam inlet end in the recess and by lowering the jug until a fluid connection is established between the steam nozzle and the steam inlet end of the steam duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Andrea Ferraro, Marco Santini
  • Patent number: 9636618
    Abstract: A cooking appliance includes a lower housing having a lower heating surface, an upper housing operatively connected to the lower housing and having an upper heating surface, and a smoke exhaust system. The smoke exhaust system includes an air inlet in a lower surface of the upper housing adjacent to the upper heating surface, an exhaust vent formed in the upper housing, and a fan disposed in the upper housing. The fan is configured to draw air through the inlet, into the upper housing, and expel the air through the exhaust vent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Conair Corporation
    Inventors: Kam Fai Fung, Kin Man Lai
  • Patent number: 9629498
    Abstract: A professional coffee machine for bars, adapted to provide for the measured filling of cups according to the specific preference of the customer for a normal, a short or a long coffee.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: NUOVA SIMONELLI S.P.A.
    Inventor: Francesco Merelli
  • Patent number: 9629496
    Abstract: A steaming pitcher comprising a flow receiving surface adapted to receive an incoming flow of steam at a substantially oblique angle provides enhanced control of fluid flow inside the steaming pitcher to enhance mixing and heating of the fluid by the incoming steam. The steaming pitcher may also comprise flow directing and launching surfaces to assist in control of fluid flow patterns. A flow control kit with a flow receiving surface may be installed in an existing flat-bottom steaming pitcher to provide aspects of fluid flow control. The flow receiving, flow directing and launching surfaces of the steaming pitcher may be substantially smooth, faceted, or a combination thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: ESPRO, INC.
    Inventors: Bruce Constantine, Christopher R. McLean
  • Patent number: 9619958
    Abstract: A computationally implemented system and method that is designed to, but is not limited to: electronically directing control of at least partial treatment of the one or more portions of the one or more ingestible substrate structures according to the treatment instructional information regarding the one or more subsequent ingestible substrate structure duct operations including flowing one or more fluids through one or more ducts to treat at least in part the one or more portions of the one or more ingestible substrate structures to form at least in part the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the electronically receiving the user status information and the electronically receiving the selection information. In addition to the foregoing, other method aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Elwha LLC
    Inventors: Paul Holman, Royce A. Levien, Mark A. Malamud, Neal Stephenson, Christopher Charles Young
  • Patent number: 9609981
    Abstract: A conveyor oven includes a controller configured to change the operation of a first set of burners and a second set of burners from a cooking mode to an energy saving mode based at least in part upon detection of the absence of food in the oven chamber. The first set of burners operating at a first intensity during the cooking mode and are off during the energy saving mode. The second set of burners operating at a first intensity during the cooking mode and being adjustable to a different intensity during the energy saving mode, where the second set of burners produce heat during the different intensity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: THE MIDDLEBY CORPORATION
    Inventors: William S. Schjerven, Sr., John H. Wiker, Richard H. Van Camp, Theodore James Chmiola, Mark A. Sieron
  • Patent number: 9609980
    Abstract: The invention relates to a demountable electric rotating spit grill, which is designed to be installed and flexibly adjusted over any heating source, and at the same time, is suitable for installation on any type of surface in which the heating source can be generated. The purpose of the inventive electric rotating spit grill has been focused on satisfying the basic needs of the user when cooking any type of food on the grill or barbeque; therefore it is especially attractive for its transportability and portability, as it is completely demountable and easily of assembling at any place where it will be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Inventor: Jorge Eduardo Prieto Dominguez