Patents by Inventor Walter Hufnagl

Walter Hufnagl 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: 5526733
    Abstract: The brewing device is composed of a housing part including a piston, vertically slidable in the housing part. On the housing part, a filter basket holder is mounted which is pivoted horizontally about the tilting axis and is provided with a filter basket to be filled with ground coffee. When the piston is lowered and reaches into the filter basket (i.e., its working position), the filter basket forms with it a pressure chamber, in which the ground coffee is enclosed, into which, on the piston side, hot water under pressure is urged through a conduit, and from which, on the filter basket holder side, the prepared espresso coffee beverage is discharged through at least one outlet opening. When the piston is lifted, the filter basket holder with the filter basket can be swung about a vertically extending tilting axis out of the range of effect of the piston.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 18, 1996
    Assignee: Braun Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Manfred Klawuhn, Walter Hufnagl, Roland Muller, Gerhard Schafer
  • Patent number: 5509348
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a coffee maker for the preheating and keeping warm of cups, including a support surface (3) for cups (7, 8) and a heat source (2) delivering heat also to the cups (7, 8) resting on the support surface (3), wherein water held in a water reservoir (1) is heatable by means of the heat source (2) to a temperature such that vapors and/or steam are formed. Discharge orifices (9, 10) are provided in the support surface (3) for passage of the vapors and/or steam therethrough to circulate around the cups (7, 8) resting on the support surface (3), thereby heating them. In this manner, the cups are preheated readily and kept warm durably. In addition, the discharge orifices (9, 10) in the support surface may be closable by a spring-loaded flap structure (19) or a valve, a flap structure (19) or a valve being movable to an open position by the weight of a cup (7, 8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 23, 1996
    Assignee: Braun Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Manfred Klawuhn, Walter Hufnagl, Roland Muller, Gerhard Schafer, Andreas Peter
  • Patent number: 5392694
    Abstract: A coffee maker having a heating device for heating water to the temperature necessary for producing a coffee drink. The coffee maker is equipped with an electrically powered pump for the delivery of water, with a bore being provided in the pump casing. Within the bore, a working piston reciprocates, its stroke determining a working chamber. The coffee maker is provided with a suction valve and a discharge valve, each including a valve closure body spring-loaded in the closing direction. The suction valve is opened by pressure below atmospheric and the discharge valve by pressure above atmospheric in the working chamber. The preparation of the coffee drink is accomplished by the pump drawing water through the suction valve and delivering it under pressure through the discharge valve to a brewing chamber adapted to be filled with coffee grinds from which it escapes following extraction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 28, 1995
    Assignee: Braun Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Roland Muller, Walter Hufnagl
  • Patent number: 5388502
    Abstract: An espresso coffee machine including an electrically heatable water heater, a filter basket holder, and a filter basket holding device which can be sealingly closed by introducing therein the filter basket holder. The filter basket holder is subdividable by a filter into a brewing chamber that can be filled with coffee grounds and into a pouring device arranged at its bottom. The coffee machine further includes a first duct and a second duct having a steam outlet. The first duct opens into the filter basket holding device so as to connect the brewing chamber to the water heater and it includes a throughflow controlling valve arranged therein which is always closed when the filter basket holder is not inserted. After the filter basket holder is inserted into the machine, the filter basket holder causes the valve to move from its closed into an open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 14, 1995
    Assignee: Braun Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Walter Hufnagl
  • Patent number: 5367607
    Abstract: An espresso coffee making system includes an unpressurized boiler vessel with an electric heating element arranged outside the boiler vessel for heating water in the boiler vessel for delivery to a perforated filter holder of the espresso coffee maker. A tube is provided between the electric heating element and the boiler vessel that is in thermal contact with both the heating element and the boiler vessel. A valve allows water from the boiler vessel to be recirculated by a pump through the tube to generate steam, without overheating the water contained in the boiler vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1994
    Assignee: Braun Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Walter Hufnagl, Stefan Schamberg, Gerhard Schafer, Roland Muller, Manfred Klawuhn
  • Patent number: 4752041
    Abstract: The invention is directed to an electric food processing apparatus including a working vessel 1 and a cutting and blending tool 3 which is adapted to rotate therein near the vessel bottom and is provided with a central hub 4 adapted to be coupled to a drive shaft and connecting two blades 10, 11 positioned in different planes of rotation. The curved leading edges of the blades 10, 11 form the cutting edges 14, 15. The cutting edges 14, 15 of the blades 10, 11 are of different curvatures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1986
    Date of Patent: June 21, 1988
    Assignee: Braun Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Wolfgang Franke, Walter Hufnagl
  • Patent number: 4333419
    Abstract: A method of cladding a wire with a powdered metal includes feeding the wire in its axial direction, applying powdered metal around its surface, compacting the applied powdered layer on the surface and subsequently continuously rolling-over the applied layer on a helical path to provide a helical zone of metallurgically bonded powdered material. The device of this invention has a storage container for powdered material, a rotary shaft defining at its center a forwardly tapering passage with an internal thread acting as a worm conveyor, the shaft being terminated with an exchangeable outlet nozzle, the nozzle supporting a set of cladding rollers, the axes of rotation of which are inclined at an acute angle to the axis of the passage. The driving arrangement for the rollers is preferably driven by a separate motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 1978
    Date of Patent: June 8, 1982
    Inventors: Walter Hufnagl, Peter Kotauczek
  • Patent number: 4308705
    Abstract: A reinforcing rod or wire is formed with a plurality of helical and longitudinally continuous grooves. At least one of these grooves is of varying width and/or depth, and similarly may have a varying cross-sectional shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 1979
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1982
    Inventor: Walter Hufnagl
  • Patent number: 4294870
    Abstract: A method of cladding a wire with a powdered metal includes feeding the wire in its axial direction, applying powdered metal around its surface, compacting the applied powdered layer on the surface and subsequently continuously rolling-over the applied layer on a helical path to provide a helical zone of metallurgically bonded powdered material. The device of this invention has a storage container for powdered material, a rotary shaft defining at its center a forwardly tapering passage with an internal thread acting as a worm conveyor, the shaft being terminated with an exchangeable outlet nozzle, the nozzle supporting a set of cladding rollers, the axes of rotation of which are inclined at an acute angle to the axis of the passage. The driving arrangement for the rollers is preferably driven by a separate motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1980
    Date of Patent: October 13, 1981
    Inventors: Walter Hufnagl, Peter Kotaucaek