Abstract: A robust hot beverage level display system and method for use in a hot beverage dispenser (12) having a sensing element (105), a level display (28), a controller (50) and an elongate probe carrying at least one elongate electrically conductive trace (202) made from annealed rolled copper with a macrocrystalline structure with elongate, metal, granule-like, cohered metal elements that are aligned with each other in parallel relationship (FIGS. 25 and 28), and an electronics module housing (108), for protectively surrounding the controller (50), formed from a pair of housing sections (109, 110) with a pair of mating connective surfaces (220, 224), potting material with adhesive properties (226) filling the housing (108) and protectively enveloping the controller (218, FIG. 39) and display (217, FIG. 3), and a gapless, voidless adhesive layer made of a contiguous, comingling of cured adhesive and cured potting material interposed between the mating surfaces (220,224).

Abstract: A method of brewing hot beverage with an electric hot beverage brewer (20) with a duty cycle modulated DC voltage dispense pump (44) with an inlet (46) connected to a de-aerator (24) and beneath a lower limit and an outlet (48) located above an upper limit the surface a hot water tank (22) is finely controlled by a high frequency pulse-width, modulated, square power input voltage (FIG. 2) with a duty cycle controlled in accordance with predetermined profiles stored within a controller (28) to selectively change the flow rate out of the pump onto a distribution dome (50) during a dispense period of a brew cycle to achieve optimum brewing of different types of beverage ingredients and varieties of the different types and to selectively change the spray pattern of hot water onto the ingredient (53) within the basket assembly (52) between vertical and acute angles including acute angles that pass hot water into a bypass gap (56).

Abstract: An electric hot beverage brewer (20) with a duty cycle modulated DC voltage dispense pump (44) with an inlet (46) connected to a de-aerator (24) and beneath a lower limit and an outlet (48) located above an upper limit the surface a hot water tank (22) is finely controlled by a high frequency pulse-width, modulated, square power input voltage (FIG. 2) with a duty cycle controlled in accordance with predetermined profiles stored within a controller (28) to selectively change the flow rate out of the pump onto a distribution dome (50) during a dispense period of a brew cycle to achieve optimum brewing of different types of beverage ingredients and varieties of the different types and to selectively change the spray pattern of hot water onto the ingredient (53) within the basket assembly (52) between vertical and acute angles including acute angles that pass hot water into a bypass gap (56).

Abstract: A portable, insulated, opaque, hot beverage dispenser (40) with a sensor (50), such as a level sensor, and an electronic display (48) is provided with a portable thermoelectric recharging power source (50), a portable photovoltaic recharging source (54), or both, to provide recharging power to a rechargeable power supply (42) which, in turn, provides electrical power to the display (48), a display controller (44) and the sensor power to the level sensor. A thermoelectric generator is mounted within a funnel 51 with a cold side (158) in thermal communication with ambient air outside of the interior (64) of the container body (52) of the dispenser (40) and a hot side (160) in thermal communication with the interior air within the interior (64) is mounted within a funnel (51) fitted into the open top (66) of the container body (52).

Abstract: A beverage dispenser (10) having a hollow, insulated dispenser body (12), a removable cover (16) with an inlet opening (24) for receipt of freshly brewed beverage to an interior of the dispenser body (12), a closed bottom (18) and a faucet (22) for dispensing beverage from the body (12) has a level display system including an elongate, relatively flexible, probe body, or down tube (40) with a flexible probe circuit and having a bottom and a top with a plurality of electrically conductive sensors (43, 45, 47 and 49) mounted within an elongate mounting groove (182, FIGS. 21-23) formed in, and extending along, the elongate relatively rigid probe body (36). The flexible probe assembly (40) is secured within the groove by non-adhesive means, either by a thermal fusion joint 183) formed during injection molding (FIG. 20) of the rigid probe body (36) or by mechanical tabs (178, 180).

Abstract: An on-demand hot water dispenser (10, 90) with a source of hotter water (30) at a preselected relatively elevated temperature (36, 40, 42) and a source of cooler water at a relatively non-elevated temperature compared to the hotter water (17, 52) has an outlet dispense valve (18, 92) connected with both the hotter water source and the cooler water source through a common mixing chamber (74) to selectively vary the temperature of the mixed water being dispensed. The cooler water source (17, 52) is connected to the outlet dispense valve (18, 92) through an electrically controlled proportional valve (72) with a variable flow rate that is controlled during dispensing and mixing in accordance with a comparison between a selected one of a plurality preselected temperatures stored in a controller (34) and a sensed temperature (60, 62) of the mixed water in the mixing chamber (74) to maintain the mixed temperature of the water being dispensed at a preselected temperature on a real-time basis.

Abstract: A beverage dispenser (20) has a double-walled tubular, preferably cylindrical, sensor (22) that is immersed in liquid (23), such as coffee or tea, within an opaque, stainless steel container, or beverage dispenser (25) has a double-walled tubular sensor connected via two conductive paths (24, 26) to two inputs (28, 30), respectively, of a resistance measuring circuit (32) that measures the resistance between the two inputs (28, 30) to produce an electrical, direct current, resistance output signal that varies with changes in the instantaneous resistance between the two inputs (28, 30) The resistance output signal is connected to an input (34) of an electronic controller (40) The electronic controller (40) calculates the depth of the liquid (23) based on the magnitude of the resistance output signal applied to the input (34).

Abstract: A beverage dispenser (20) has a double-walled tubular, preferably cylindrical, sensor (22) that is immersed in liquid (23), such as coffee or tea, within an opaque, stainless steel container, or beverage dispenser (25) has a double-walled tubular sensor connected via two conductive paths (24, 26) to two inputs (28, 30), respectively, of a resistance measuring circuit (32) that measures the resistance between the two inputs (28, 30) to produce an electrical, direct current, resistance output signal that varies with changes in the instantaneous resistance between the two inputs (28, 30) The resistance output signal is connected to an input (34) of an electronic controller (40) The electronic controller (40) calculates the depth of the liquid (23) based on the magnitude of the resistance output signal applied to the input (34).

Abstract: A coffee grinder assembly with a housing containing a pair of hoppers for containing coffee beans with a pair of hopper outlet chutes, or grinding chamber inlet chutes for feeding beans into a grinding chamber where the beans are ground by powered grinding discs or blades and then passed to a removable brew basket via an outlet chute with an outlet end that is in communication with a negative ion generator that ionizes the air in the outlet chute through which the ground coffee and chaff pass on their way to the brew basket to electrically neutralize the chaff to reduce chaff dispersion due to electrostatic repulsion of positively charged chaff.

Abstract: A coffee grinder assembly (10) with a housing (12) containing a pair of hoppers (16, 18) for containing coffee beans with a pair of hopper outlet chutes, or grinding chamber inlet chutes, (24, 26) for feeding beans into grinding chamber (30) where the beans are ground by means of powered grinding discs or blades and then passed to a removable brew basket via an outlet chute (36) with an outlet end that is in communication with a negative ion generator (40) that ionizes the air in the outlet chute (36) through which the ground coffee and chaff pass on their way to the brew basket to electrically neutralize the chaff to reduce chaff dispersion due to electrostatic repulsion of positively charged chaff.