Importance

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Abstract

A beverage maker system for installation and use in automotive vehicles including an improved beverage-brewing chamber. The beverage-brewing chamber has an upper brewing chamber area for receiving heated water from a water heater and a lower brewing chamber area for receiving a disposable brew basket. The brew basket holds a filter-like pouch containing powdered or granular beverage making material and the brew basket includes a central top opening for receiving heated water from the upper chamber area, an annular side wall, and a bottom wall having a multiplicity of fluid flow perforations. The bottom wall of the brew basket also includes a central depressed closure portion for seating in and closing a bottom aperture of the beverage-brewing chamber. Shape-memory members of initially reduced height are located within the lower brewing chamber area below the brew basket and are positioned around the closure portion of the bottom wall of the basket. The shape-memory members are expandable in height upon being heated to a predetermined temperature by hot beverage flowing from the fluid flow perforations in the bottom wall of the brew basket whereby the bottom wall is lifted by the expanding shape-memory members and the closure portion of the bottom wall is unseated from the aperture of the beverage-brewing chamber thereby permitting the flow of hot beverage from such chamber to a beverage drinking cup.

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First Claim