There are two basic generic types of single cup coffee and tea brewers: the drippers that have a drip mode, and the infusers that have an infusion mode. FIG. 1A illustrates a generic cone dripper 102 using a Number 2 conical coffee filter 104. To use the cone dripper 102, the cone dripper 102 is placed on top of a coffee cup 106, the conical coffee filter 104 is inserted in the conical container 108, coffee grounds and hot water are then added to the conical coffee filter 104. The coffee brews in the filter paper and the brewed coffee slowly drips through the drainage holes 110 located on the cone dripper base 112. The time it takes for the brewed coffee to complete the dripping is called the drip time. The cone dripper typically has three drainage holes, and the rate of dripping, herein called the drip rate, depends largely on the diameter of the drainage holes. The advantage of the dripper is that it is cheap to produce and easy to use. However, there are several deficiencies of the generic cone dripper:                1) The user has no control of the drip rate;        2) there is no infusion mode, i.e. the time the water and coffee grounds infuse before dripping starts, and        3) The size of the cone dripper is limited by the capacity of the conical filter used.        
FIG. 1B illustrates the most common infuser type coffee brewer: the generic French press 114. It has a French press container 116, typically a glass or plastic beaker. A handle 120 is slidingly attached to a French press lid 118. A French press metallic filter 122 is attached to the bottom of the handle.
FIG. 1C illustrates an opened cone filter. FIG. 1D shows the flattened cone filter as sold commercially (typically a number of them are stacked, one on top of the other). FIG. 1E illustrates a basket filter in the shape it is sold commercially (typically a number of them are stacked, one inside the other). FIG. 1F shows the basket filter opened flat as a filter paper disk. FIG. 1G show cross sections of a cone and cylinder with dimensions as shown. Since the volume of a cone is ⅓ the area of the base multiplied by its height, and the volume of a cylinder is the area of the base multiplied by its height, FIG. 1G illustrates that the profile of a cylinder is much smaller than a cone with the same volume. Both cross sections have a volume of approximately 33 cubic inches.
To use the generic French press 114 for brewing coffee, coffee grounds and hot water are added to the French press container 116, and then the French press lid 118 is placed on the top of the French press container with the French press metallic filter 122 in an up position above the coffee grounds and water. The coffee is infused (infusion mode) in the French press container 116, say for 4 minutes. Then the handle 120 is pressed down, with the metallic filter forcing the grounds to the bottom of the container, thereby leaving the brewed coffee above the metallic filter. The brewed coffee, which remains above the metallic filter, is then poured into a cup. Note that the filter is designed so that the coffee grounds remain below the filter as the filter moves down, but the water and brewed coffee remain above the filter.
There are several deficiencies of the generic French press: 1) some coffee grounds typically get in the brewed coffee after pressing is completed; 2) the grounds remaining in the French press container have to be disposed of, and 3) the press time (similar to the drip time of the dripper) gives the user very little control of the process.
There are several proprietary single cup coffee brewers. Five of the most popular are:                a) Clever™ Coffee Brewer (uses a Number 2 conical coffee filter) and its larger version, the NEW Clever Coffee Brewer (uses a Number 4 conical coffee filter). These are covered by U.S. Pat. No. 6,327,965.        b) Incred 'a Brew™ Coffee Maker: Also covered by U.S. Pat. No. 6,327,965. Uses a metal filter.        c) AeroPress™ Coffee Brewer (uses a proprietary filter paper). Covered by U.S. Pat. No. 7,849,784.        d) Bonavita BV4000ID Porcelain Immersion Coffee Dripper. (Uses a Number 4 conical coffee filter). Flow is turned on or off using a lever.        e) Frieling Coffee for One™: Has drip mode only, uses a metal filterThe first four proprietary coffee brewers listed above all have an infusion mode, however only the AeroPress uses filter paper with a brewing container has a flat bottom. Furthermore, although the first four proprietary coffee brewers have an infusion mode and a drip mode, none can control the drip rate. The AeroPress proprietary coffee or tea brewer uses proprietary filter paper, comes with nine parts, and is difficult to use.        
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds