Dispensing – Jarring and/or vibrating – Supply container wall flexing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-30
2002-05-07
Jacyna, J. Casimer (Department: 3751)
Dispensing
Jarring and/or vibrating
Supply container wall flexing
C222S196000, C222S200000, C222S226000, C222S233000, C222S235000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06382470
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to food dispensers that include delivering powder systems. More specifically, the food dispensers are beverage dispensers which utilize soluble powders for the reconstitution of beverages such as in vending machines.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various automated beverage dispensers for making hot or cold beverage products are known in the art. In a conventional beverage dispenser, a metered amount of water-soluble beverage powder, stored in a powder storage chamber, and a complementary metered amount of hot or cold water supplied from a water source, are mixed to produce a beverage product, which is dispensed into a cup or glass. In more sophisticated beverage dispensers, a number of different types of beverage products are stored in a storage chamber to produce different types of hot or cold beverages, e.g., coffee, tea, hot chocolate, soup or exotic tropical drinks, at a user's choice. Because these beverage dispensers conveniently produce different types of beverage products with consistently high quality, these types of beverage dispensers are finding increasing acceptance with household, restaurants and the vending machinery industry.
In the above described beverage dispensers, the vending powders stored inside the chambers, generally known as the hoppers, are hygroscopic and have a tendency to easily absorb the moisture which may come both from the vapor of hot water during cupping and from the humid environment, especially when the dispensers are placed in countries of tropical climates. The moisture increases the powder inter-particle friction and sticky point which may cause the powder to form loose and/or hard clumps, cakes, cliff-building or bridges within the chamber that may consequently cause serious flow and dosing problems. One of the main problems in humid conditions comes from the macro-structures such as bridges crossing transversally the hopper and whose foundations sit along the walls of the hopper. Bridging causes serious flow problems as the powder does no longer reach the lower delivery part of the dispenser. Cliff-building is also known in hopper systems using an auger dosing mechanism to dose the powder before preparing the beverage. Indeed, the auger dosing mechanism has a tendency to empty the hopper in a non-homogeneous manner; i.e., the rear part before the front part of the hopper, thus causing the formation of cliffs along the sidewall of the hopper which is located closer to the outlet with respect to the opposite sidewall of the auger.
Vibrating or agitating devices are known to favor discharge of granular or powdered material from supply bags. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,381,967 relates to a hopper which is vibrated so as to dispense product. The vibrating systems are efficient to break up the large lumps in the powder mass.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,718 also relates to a container vibrator mechanism for use in a vending machine. The vibrating mechanism includes a pivotally mounted spring-biased arm actuatable to a locked position by the movement of a slide mechanism and releasable to apply a blow to the container's walls which is effective to vibrate the container and loosen the powdered content.
Although these devices might successfully reduce the problems of “bridging” of the powder, they also have serious drawbacks, especially, when they are used in dispenser machines in which agglomerated powder such as agglomerated instant coffee powder is treated. In particular, we found that the coffee agglomeration structure was damaged during the vibrating operation.
Indeed, the vibrating operation of the prior art imparts a continuous or discontinuous input of energy to the powder at a relatively high frequency (more generally around 5-50 Hz or higher) which causes crumbling of the agglomerated structure of the powder and, consequently, which causes an undesirable increase of the powder density. As a result on the powder density variation, the concentration of the beverage during reconstitution in water increases accordingly. Such a phenomenon is undesirable as it affects the quality and reproducibility of the beverage which is served by the dispenser machine.
In addition to this undesirable loosening effect of the powder structure, the vibrations applied on the hopper also cause the powder to progressively compact and form a denser powder mass inside the hopper. The powder compaction can be obtained with agglomerated powder but also with non-agglomerated powder such as creamer powder or soup powder. The powder compaction also affects the density of the powder and therefore causes accuracy problems in the dosage of the beverage.
Therefore, there is a need for a system that can efficiently reduce the flow problems of the powder in the dispensers and that can consequently ensure a precise and reliable dosing of the powder in such devices. In particular, there is a need to provide with a dispensing device which is effective in reducing the flow problems while preserving the benefits of the characteristics of the powder during the storage; i.e., preventing the powder from compacting and also more specifically agglomerated powder from loosening attrition.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for delivering powder in a beverage dispenser comprising a hopper for containing a mass of beverage powder, the hopper comprising at least one flexible body member wherein actuating means are coupled with the flexible body member of the hopper, and wherein the dispenser also comprises drive means which are coupled to the actuating means to actuate the actuating means and wherein the drive means are arranged with the actuating means so that the actuating means impart a motion to the flexible body member at a frequency that is sufficiently low to pertains to a non-vibrating mode when the drive means are activated in an active mode.
More specifically, the frequency, at which the actuating means of the invention may be considered as being actuated to impart such a motion within a range of non-vibrating modes, is less than 1 shock motion cycle per 2 seconds. Advantageously, the frequency should be even less than one cycle per 20 seconds and preferably, the frequency should preferably range from one motion cycle per 100 to 1000 seconds, and more preferably one motion cycle per 300 to 600 seconds. Within that range of very low frequency mode, the hopper is still moved frequently enough to prevent the powder from sitting along the side of the hopper and from forming bridges and rat holes but it is also moved sufficiently gently and slowly to preserve the intrinsic structure of the powder without risking the compaction of the powder mass and, consequently, a precise and constant powder delivery flow can be ensured. As also resulting from the flexibility of the hopper member, no resonance modes are created upon actuating on the hopper and the shocks are sufficiently dampened by the structure of the hopper to prevent the powder from loosening attrition and/or from compacting.
As a result of both the low frequency driven motion and the absence of resonance mode of the hopper, the density of the powder can remain constant within the hopper ensuring a reproducible dosing and preventing variation of concentration over time.
A shock motion cycle is defined as the period during which the hopper is moved in a non-repeated and individually identifiable path which may encompass, for instance, a full reciprocating motion in at least one determined direction. A shock motion may be, for instance, a motion in which active pushing and/or pulling forces are imparted with a return to an origin by passive means such as spring biased means and/or active means such as actuating means. It may also be a combination of active pulling and pushing forces in one direction to form a reciprocating movement. Finally, it may also be a combination of pushing and/or pulling forces applied in different directions onto the hopper member which makes the hopper member deform partially or totally in a more comp
Gutierrez Antonio
Hu Ruguo
Jacyna J. Casimer
Nestec S.A.
Winston & Strawn
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