Abstract: An improved liquid mixing device or mixer can be constructed so as to utilize a disk having flat upper and lower surfaces as a boundary layer type rotor for causing fluid movement. This disk is mounted on a shaft which is supported and coupled to a motor in such a manner that vibration is not transmitted to the shaft as the motor is operated so as to turn the shaft. Such a liquid mixing device is considered to be primarily valuable for use in mixing a wide variety of various types of beverages.

Abstract: An apparatus for preparing infusions such as any of several forms of the beverage coffee can be constructed so as to include an enclosed container in which water is adapted to be heated so as to be utilized either as hot water or as steam. An electric heating element is associated with the container for heating the contents of the container. A bottom outlet from the container is adapted to convey hot water and is connected to a line or conduit to the inlet of an infuser or brewing basket, the outlet of which is adapted to convey a complete beverage or infusion to an appropriate container. A top outlet from the container is adapted to convey steam from the container through an appropriate conduit or line containing at least one valve to another container where such steam may be used in preparing a beverage such as cappuccino or may be employed for generalized heating purposes.

Abstract: An infuser which is primarily intended for use in making coffee can be constructed utilizing a container having a bottom inlet. A filter element is located within the interior of the container in such a manner that the position of the filter element relative to the bottom of the container can be adjusted. The outlet for the container comprises a tube slidably mounted in the bottom of the container and spring biased upwardly so that the upper end of the tube is in communication with an opening through the filter at all times that the filter is in place within the interior of the container. The container preferably includes a lid which seals off the interior of the container and which carries a threaded shaft and a nut type structure for linearly moving the shaft. The shaft is secured to the filter so that as the nut is rotated the position of the filter within the container can be varied.

Abstract: The movement of material being ground and/or to be ground within a grinding apparatus having opposed grinding wheels can be employed in order to promote the flow of the material to generally between the grinding wheels. A grinding apparatus to utilize such movement for this purpose has in addition to the grinding wheels a structure for causing relative rotation between the wheels, an inlet opening leading through the center of one of the wheels to generally between the wheels, and a hopper for conveying material through this opening to generally between the wheels. In addition, such an apparatus includes a shaft rotatably mounted on a bearing between the hopper and a finger or agitator extending from the shaft generally toward and preferably to within the opening in the grinding wheel, at least a portion of this finger or agitator being spaced from the axis of the shaft.

Abstract: A set of grinding disks primarily intended for use in grinding nuts such as peanuts in making nut butter can be constructed so as to have adjacent peripheral ring-shaped grinding surfaces located internally of the peripheral walls of such disks. The interiors of such disks within these grinding surfaces are recessed through the use of internally sloping walls to be spaced from one another. The surfaces are each provided with a plurality of spaced grooves leading from the interiors of these surfaces to the exteriors of these surfaces. Projections extend toward the interiors of the disks from the interiors of the grinding surfaces. These projections are constructed so as to convey material which is centrally located between these disks toward the grooves and the grinding surfaces and for comminuting such material as it is conveyed.

Abstract: A grinding apparatus intended for domestic use in making nut butter from nuts such as peanuts can be constructed so as to utilize a housing containing a motor. The motor shaft is used to support a lower assembly and to drive a lower grinding disk forming a part of this assembly. An upper assembly is movably mounted on the lower assembly in such a manner that the relative position of an upper grinding disk relative to the lower grinding disk can be adjusted or varied in order to obtain what may be referred to as a "smoothly ground" product or what may be referred to as a "chunky ground" product consisting of particles ground to various different sizes. An actuator is provided for moving the upper assembly so as to obtain either of these types of products. A hopper structure is used to convey nuts or other material to be ground through the upper assembly to a space between the two grinding disks.