Patents by Inventor Brent R. Friedrich

Brent R. Friedrich has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5511465
    Abstract: A beverage brewing apparatus which includes a substance dispensing device and a brewing device. The brewing apparatus includes a receptacle for receiving a brewing substance from the substance dispensing device, a movable chute positioned between the substance dispensing device and the receptacle, and a water dispensing system operatively associated with the brewing device and selectively communicating with the receptacle for delivering water to a brewing substance retained therein. Additionally, a drive assembly is provided to operatively displace the water dispensing device relative to the receptacle. When the water dispensing device is positioned in communication with the receptacle, the chute is moved out of communication with the receptacle. When the water dispensing device is removed from communication with the receptacle, the chute is placed in communication with the receptacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 30, 1996
    Assignee: Bunn-O-Matic Corporation
    Inventors: Brent R. Friedrich, John T. Knepler
  • Patent number: 5465650
    Abstract: A beverage brewing apparatus which includes a substance dispensing device and a brewing device. The brewing apparatus includes a receptacle for receiving a brewing substance from the substance dispensing device, a movable chute positioned between the substance dispensing device and the receptacle, and a water dispensing system operatively associated with the brewing device and selectively communicating with the receptacle for delivering water to a brewing substance retained therein. Additionally, a drive assembly is provided to operatively displace the water dispensing device relative to the receptacle. When the water dispensing device is positioned in communication with the receptacle, the chute is moved out of communication with the receptacle. When the water dispensing device is removed from communication with the receptacle, the chute is placed in communication with the receptacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 14, 1995
    Assignee: Bunn-O-Matic Corporation
    Inventors: Brent R. Friedrich, John T. Knepler
  • Patent number: 4920871
    Abstract: A beverage (tea and coffee) making appliance of the type having a reservoir wherein a supply of hot water for brewing is maintained and from which a volume of the hot water is displaced by an equal volume of a batch of cold water discharged by gravity from a cold water basin through a fill tube into the bottom of the reservoir. The displaced hot water is discharged into a brewing funnel lined with a filter on which the beverage forming material (ground coffee or tea leaves) is placed. The cold water basin is equipped with a removable standpipe-like fitting on the upper end of the fill tube through which cold water enters as long as the level of water in the cold water basin is above the upper end or entrance opening in the fill tube. The fill basin has a second drain opening to which is connected one end of a tube the other end of which discharges into a portion of the brewing funnel which is partitioned off from the filter lined portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1990
    Assignee: Bunn-O-Matic Corporation
    Inventors: James H. Anson, James L. Kates, Alan W. Brewer, Brent R. Friedrich