Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – Miscellaneous
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-31
2001-12-04
Maust, Timothy L. (Department: 3751)
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
Miscellaneous
C141S369000, C141S370000, C222S129100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06325117
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to a dispenser spout for a beverage machine, and particularly to a dispenser spout with structure minimizing spilling of a beverage resident in a cup when removing the cup from beneath the spout.
The use of countertop-type beverage dispensers for dispensing individual cups or glasses of beverages is well known. These dispensers are commonly used in the food service industry for dispensing hot coffee, cappuccino, hot chocolate, soups, cold soft drinks, and other beverages. In recent years, many of these countertop-type beverage dispensers have been relocated from behind the service counter where only employees could reach the dispensers to areas within the food service center that allow the individual consumer to dispense the desired beverage. While this arrangement allows the consumer greater flexibility in selecting the beverage desired, including selection of additives such as sugar, cream level, and the like, allowing the individual consumer direct access to the beverage dispenser also increases the probability that the consumer will use the equipment incorrectly. For example, the consumer may be tempted to use a cup that is too tall to properly fit under the dispenser spout. The customer then tilts the cup in order for the cup to pass beneath the spout, resulting in the cup being positioned upright beneath the spout but with the spout actually projecting downwardly into the cup volume below the cup rim. When the cup is filled, the consumer is forced again to tilt the cup in order to remove it from under the spout, with the attendant risks of spilling the hot beverage in the process.
Clearly, the simple remedy to this problem would be to encourage the consumer to use the proper size cup. Typically, however, there are several different types of beverage dispensers that are available and many customers will invariable always select the largest available cup for use. Thus, it is a paramount objective of the present invention to provide for structure that would make it difficult to position cups of improper dimensions beneath the exit port of the beverage dispenser spout.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a beverage dispenser has a spout spaced outwardly a first predetermined distance from the dispenser housing and projecting downwardly a second predetermined distance from the beverage making components of the dispenser. The resulting beverage is then dispensed through the spout to an underlying cup positioned on a cup base of the dispenser. A structural member in the form of a rib or a similar component is secured to the dispenser in a position between the housing and the spout. The width of the rib is slightly less than the second predetermined distance, thus defining a gap between said spout and the component. The rib has an effective depth essentially the same as said first predetermined distance so as to present an essentially planar surface coinciding with the end of the spout thereby effectively preventing cups of a height greater than the distance between a lower end of said spout and the base from being positioned on the base beneath said spout.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3896977 (1975-07-01), Bergstrom
patent: 4236553 (1980-12-01), Reichenberger
Burke Michael Joe
Kowalewski Eckhard-Uwe
Grindmaster Cratheo Systems, Inc.
Maust Timothy L.
Smith Vance A.
Stites & Harbison
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