A wide variety of coffee brewing devices are well known in the art. One such device comprises a housing for a water tank, the tank having an inlet in the top thereof. The tank is also provided with a siphon extending generally from the top thereof to a position above a coffee brewing pot.
The water tank is also provided with water heating means, preferably a calrod heater positioned within the tank. Additionally, a tube is connected to the water inlet in the top of the tank and extends downwardly towards the bottom thereof.
In operation, water is introduced into a topmost chamber connected to the inlet to the water tank flowing downwardly through the tube toward the bottom of the tank being discharged therewithin. When the water within the receiving chamber rises to a level sufficient to force the water in the tank to the top of the siphon, siphoning action ensues discharging water from the tank equal in volume to the water added to the said chamber. Because the cold make-up water passes downwardly through the internal tube connected to the inlet to the bottom of the tank and because of natural convection, pre-heated water in the tank is siphoned off passing from the end of the siphon into a filter bearing funnel containing coffee passing therethrough into a coffee pot.
Because of the siphon action above described, such coffee brewers are generally adapted only for the discharge of a pot of coffee for fresh brewing. They are not adapted for the discharge of smaller quantities of hot water for use as make-up for tea, soups, hot chocolate or other beverages or liquid foods.
Therefore, there is great need in the art for a coffee brewer which provides means for dispensing relatively small, limited, but controlled quantities of hot water without resort to or accidentally initiating the siphon action above described.
Therefore, it is among the objects and advantages of the present invention to provide a coffee brewer with means for dispensing controlled but limited quantities of hot water.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a coffee brewer which combines the usual siphon for brewing relatively large quantities of coffee with a water supply reservoir for the discharge of lesser but controlled quantities of hot water from a separate discharge conduit.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a coffee brewer with means for dispensing controlled but limited quantities of hot water in which make-up water from a separate reservoir is supplied in the quantity withdrawn without resort to mechanical valves between the reservoir and a water heating tank from which the water is withdrawn.