Dispensing – Plural sources – compartment – containers and/or spaced jacket – Cabinet-type dispenser for single mixed drinks
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-14
2001-07-03
Derakshani, Philippe (Department: 3754)
Dispensing
Plural sources, compartment, containers and/or spaced jacket
Cabinet-type dispenser for single mixed drinks
C239S423000, C239S428000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06253963
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART STATEMENT
The present invention relates to a syrup drink supply nozzle assembly installed in a drink dispenser or a cup drink vending machine for business use, to mix a syrup selected based on an instruction with cold water or carbonated water, and then to supply the mixture to a cup.
First, a drink dispenser such as that described above is taken as an example, with its drink system shown in FIG.
11
. In this figure, numeral
1
is a drink dispenser,
2
is a drink supply nozzle provided in a vend stage
1
a
of the drink dispenser
1
,
3
is a cooling-water bath built in the drink dispenser
1
,
3
a
is an agitator for agitating the cooling water,
4
is a cooling unit for the cooling-water bath
3
,
5
is a carbonator for producing carbonated water,
6
is a water supply pump connected to a water service pipe,
7
A to
7
D are syrup tanks for accommodating corresponding syrups of various flavors and colors, and
8
is a carbon-dioxide bomb.
Syrup lines
9
, a carbonated-water line
10
, and a cold-water line
11
are disposed between the drink supply nozzle
2
and each of the syrup tanks
7
A to
7
D, between the drink supply nozzle
2
and the carbonator
5
, and between the drink supply nozzle
2
and the supply pump
6
, respectively, via the cooling-water bath
3
of the drink dispenser
1
. A cooling coil is interposed in each of the syrup lines
9
A to
9
D and cold water line
11
and immersed in water of the cooling-water bath
3
, and the cold-water line
10
branches on its way to feed water to the carbonator
5
immersed in the cooling-water bath. Each line has corresponding syrup solenoid valves
12
, carbonated-water solenoid valve
13
, cold-water solenoid valve
14
, and carbonator-water supply solenoid valve
15
. In addition, pressurized carbon dioxide is supplied from the carbon-dioxide bomb
8
to each syrup tank
7
A to
7
D and the carbonator
5
through carbon-dioxide lines
16
.
A drink dispenser of such a structure is well known. When an operator presses a drink selection button (not shown) with a cup
17
set on the vend stage
1
a
of the drink dispenser
1
, a solenoid valve corresponding to the selected drink is opened according to an instruction from a control section in order to feed the drink supply nozzle
2
with the selected type of syrup and a diluent, that is, cold water (for a non-carbonated drink) or carbonated water (for a carbonated drink). The syrup and the diluent are mixed inside the nozzle and then ejected and supplied to the cup
17
.
Next,
FIG. 12
shows the construction proposed by the applicant in Japanese Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 7-309398, as a conventional example of the drink supply nozzle
2
provided in the above drink dispenser. The syrup supply nozzle
2
is formed of an assembly of a nozzle head
2
a
and a cylindrical spout nozzle
2
c
installed on the outer periphery of the nozzle head
2
a
via an O-ring
2
b.
The nozzle head
2
a
has multiple syrup nozzles
2
d
formed therein so as to project downward from its tip and corresponding to the syrups, syrup introduction passages
2
d
-
1
formed therein so as to lead to the corresponding syrup nozzles
2
d,
and a diluent passage
2
e.
The diluent passage
2
e
is formed of a combination of a vertical hole
2
e
-
1
formed in the center of a top portion of the nozzle head
2
a
and horizontal holes
2
e
-
2
radially branching from the terminal of a vertical hole
2
e
-
1
and opened at a peripheral surface of the nozzle head. On the other hand, the spout nozzle
2
c
has a tip portion in the form of a circular arc, and has a drink ejection port
2
c
-
1
formed in its center. In this drink supply nozzle
2
, the syrup lines
9
corresponding to the various syrups as shown in
FIG. 11
are connected to the inlets of the corresponding syrup introduction passages
2
d
-
1
leading to the corresponding syrup nozzles
2
d.
In addition, the carbonated-water line
10
and the cold-water line
11
converge at the diluent passage
2
e.
With such a construction, when a syrup drink is supplied, a syrup flowing from the syrup nozzle
2
d
and cold water or carbonated water ejected into the spout nozzle
2
c
through the diluent passage
2
e
are mixed together and then ejected from the drink ejection port
2
c
-l of the spout nozzle
2
c
toward the cup
17
(see
FIG. 11
) for supply.
In the conventional drink supply nozzle
2
, the opening of the drink ejection port
2
c
-
1
of the spout nozzle
2
c
is larger than the diameter of the circle enclosing all the syrup nozzles
2
d
so as to prevent the syrup dripping from the tip of the syrup nozzle
2
d
following the drink supply from adhering to an inner wall surface of the spout nozzle
2
c,
thereby preventing the syrup from mixing into the next drink sold. In addition, as shown in
FIG. 13
, the multiple syrup nozzles projecting from a lower end surface of the head
2
a
have their tips bent inward toward the center of the head
2
a
so that the locus of the syrup ejected from each syrup nozzle
2
d
generally passes the center of the drink ejection port
2
c
-
1
formed in the tip of the spout nozzle
2
c
in order to prevent the syrup from adhering to the spout nozzle
2
c,
as is well known from Japanese Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 10-72099.
Further, if carbonated water fed from the carbonator
5
following pressurization in the carbonated-gas bomb
8
as described in
FIG. 12
is ejected, with its pressure maintained, into an inward space at the ambient atmospheric pressure in the spout nozzle
2
c
from the diluent passage
2
e
formed in the head
2
a
of the drink supply nozzle
2
, the pressure then fluctuates rapidly to cause carbon dioxide dissolved in the carbonated water to substantially separate from water, thereby reducing the gas volume of the carbonated water to be mixed with the concentrated syrup. This degrades the quality of the carbonated drink. Thus, a pressure-reducing valve
18
is connected to a carbonated-water inlet extended from the drink supply nozzle
2
as shown in
FIG. 12
, so that the pressure of the carbonated water supplied from the carbonator through the carbon-dioxide line can be reduced to some degree before being introduced into the drink supply nozzle
2
, as is well known from Japanese Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 10-81398. The pressure-reducing valve
18
is structured so as to have a resistance piece
18
a
accommodated in a case
18
b,
and the resistance piece
18
a
has multiple pressure-reducing grooves formed on its outer peripheral surface, the grooves having an angular cross section.
The syrup drink supply nozzle assembly installed in a drink dispenser to selectively supply various syrup drinks of different flavors into a cup, as described above, is required to have the structures and functions specified below.
(a) Since the drink dispensers for business use in restaurants or the like must have their drink systems washed as a part of daily maintenance work for sanitation purposes, the drink supply nozzle has a structure that enables it to be simply disassembled and reassembled, and that can be washed easily by the user.
(b) In order to obtain high-quality drinks, a syrup and a diluent such as cold water or carbonated water supplied to the drink supply nozzle can be sufficiently mixed together inside the spout nozzle before the mixture is supplied to a cup, thereby allowing the diluent ejected into the spout nozzle to flow thoroughly and evenly over the entire periphery, without local mixture.
(c) In supplying a carbonated drink, the level of gas separation can be minimized while the carbonated water is passing through the drink supply nozzle, thereby maximizing the gas content in the carbonated water and enabling the supply of high-quality carbonated drink.
(d) During supply, drink is prevented from remaining in the spout nozzle due to the surface tension of the liquid, and thus flows out smoothly from the nozzle.
Analysis of the conventional drink supply nozzle
2
shown in
FIG. 12
in view of the above poi
Derakshani Philippe
Fuji Electric & Co., Ltd.
Kanesaka & Takeuchi
LandOfFree
Syrup drink supply nozzle assembly does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Syrup drink supply nozzle assembly, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Syrup drink supply nozzle assembly will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2485840