Foods and beverages: apparatus – Beverage – With gas treating means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-03
2001-10-23
Alexander, Reginald L. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Beverage
With gas treating means
C099S275000, C222S459000, C366S165100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06305269
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to beverage dispensing apparatus. More particularly the invention concerns a novel apparatus for preparing and dispensing whipped beverages.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Typically, restaurants, including fast food restaurants, offer a variety of soft drinks with their meal services. The soft drinks generally comprise a combination of syrup, carbonated water, or tap water. Certain types of soft drinks are dispensed in a whipped condition. In the prior art, the whipping step was typically accomplished using mechanical whipping means such as one or more propeller like blades which are rotated at a relatively high rate of speed to whip the mixture of syrup and water. Exemplary of this type of apparatus is that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,401 issued to Fox et al.
The rotating blade type of whipping apparatus is undesirable for several reasons. In the first place, if the mechanical portions of the apparatus are not continuously cleaned, the apparatus may jam and fail. Additionally, the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) makes mandatory at least daily cleaning of the prior art whipping apparatus and such cleaning is costly and time consuming. Further, the prior art mechanical mixing devices are typically quite expensive, are somewhat unreliable and generally require continual maintenance. During washing and maintenance, the apparatus is, of course, out of service and cannot be used to accomplish beverage dispensing thus causing costly downtime.
The thrust of the present invention is to provide a novel apparatus for producing and dispensing whipped soft drinks, hot chocolate and like beverages that do not require the use of a mechanical whipping mechanism. More particularly, the apparatus of the present invention efficiently accomplishes the whipping and mixing step by directing a collimated stream of water toward an intersection point within a vented mixing chamber to which a stream of syrup is also strategically directed.
In one embodiment of the invention, the mixing chamber is formed interiorly of a mixing block and the collimated streams of water and syrup are directed toward the intersection point at a velocity sufficient to effectively accomplish the desired whipping action. Simultaneously, air drawn into the mixing chamber through a strategically located air passageway prevents a vacuum buildup within the chamber.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel apparatus for producing and dispensing whipped soft drinks, hot chocolate and like beverages which do not use mechanical whipping means such as rotating blades, but rather uniquely accomplishes the mixing and whipping of the syrup and water by causing collimated steams of the syrup and water to intersect at a mixing point located within a strategically shaped, vented mixing chamber.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the aforementioned character, in which air is drawn into the mixing chamber through a strategically located air passageway to prevent a vacuum buildup within the chamber.
Another object of the invention is to provide a mixing apparatus which requires little maintenance and one which is easy to operate and is highly reliable in continuous use.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the character described in the preceding paragraphs, which is of a simple construction and embodies a minimum number of moving parts.
Another object of the invention and apparatus for producing and dispensing whipped soft drinks that can be inexpensively produced and easily maintained in a clean and operable condition.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus as described in the preceding paragraphs which embodies highly reliable solenoid valves to control the flow of syrup and water into the mixing chamber of the apparatus.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the description which follows:
REFERENCES:
patent: 4922810 (1990-05-01), Siccardi
patent: 5000351 (1991-03-01), Rudick
patent: 5570822 (1996-11-01), LeMarbe et al.
patent: 5938327 (1999-08-01), Benskin et al.
patent: 5980969 (1999-11-01), Mordini et al.
Alexander Reginald L.
Brunton, Esq James E.
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