US 2,003,066,431 · Filed 2002-09-30

The Peristaltic Pump Patent Behind Single-Serve Pod Coffee

A coffee maker that uses a special pump to push hot water through a sealed pod of ground coffee, kind of like a heart pumping blood but for brewing your morning cup. The water heats up, gets squeezed through the grounds, and out comes fresh coffee without any mess or complicated steps.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a coffee machine built around four key parts working together: a frame that holds everything, a water tank, a peristaltic pump (a pump that squeezes liquid through a tube in waves), and a heater. Specifically, what's protected is the combination of these components where the pump receives hot water from the heater and forces it through a removable pod filled with ground coffee, allowing the brewed liquid to drain out the bottom. Anyone making a pod-based coffee maker using this exact pump-and-heat sequence would be stepping on this patent's territory.

Why it matters

This patent captures the core mechanics of single-serve pod coffee makers, a category that grew explosively in the early 2000s. The use of a peristaltic pump—a gentler, more controllable way to move water than traditional drip systems—was a technical innovation that allowed manufacturers to build compact, reliable machines that could heat water and brew in seconds. This design approach became foundational to the entire pod-coffee industry and influenced how competitors engineered their own machines.

Real-world use

Every time someone pops a coffee pod into their machine and a cup of hot coffee appears in under two minutes, that peristaltic pump is silently squeezing hot water through the grounds behind the scenes.

Original USPTO abstract

A coffee maker including a frame; a water reservoir connected to the frame; a peristaltic pump connected to the water reservoir; and a heater connected to the peristaltic pump. The frame comprises a coffee pod holder for removably holding a coffee grounds containing pod. Hot water can be received from the heater into the coffee grounds containing pod and liquid coffee can pass out of the coffee grounds containing pod.

Patent details

Publication number: US 2,003,066,431
Filing date: 2002-09-30
Grant date: Application — not yet granted
Assignee: Attention: Mr. John Garniewski
Inventor(s): FANZUTTI ROBERT F., GARNEAU PAUL F., GELB JOSEPH, HOHLFELD PETER, MITCHELL BRADFORD, ORTINS MARC P., DUPLANTIS SCOTT J., HECKER STEVEN L.
CPC class: A47J31/545

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