Foods and beverages: apparatus – Beverage – Infusors
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-27
2001-05-29
Brouillette, Gabrielle (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Beverage
Infusors
C099S28900D, C099S290000, C099S323300, C222S129300, C222S129400, C366S139000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06237468
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a vapor-exhausting mechanism of a drink supply appliance, and especially to a vapor-exhausting mechanism of a drink supply appliance which prevents a deterioration of a vapor-exhausting capability thereof caused by adhesion of powdery material attendant upon absorption of vapor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Hitherto, a drink supply appliance which mixes powdery or granular material with hot or cold water and supplies a mixed drink to a cup is known.
A drink supply appliance is provided with a mixing bowl for mixing powdery or granular material with hot or cold water. The mixing bowl mixes powdery material supplied from a material storage container via a powdery material shoot in accordance with a selected drink with hot or cold water supplied from a hot or cold water supply unit using a mixing blade connected with a motor, and supplies a mixed drink to a cup.
A conventional drink supply appliance partially shown in
FIG. 1
comprises a powdery material storage section
1
for storing powdery material suited for drinks of various kinds, a powdery material supply section
2
for supplying powdery material stored in the powdery material storage section
1
, a rotational axis
3
for driving a powdery material-extruding mechanism (not shown) provided for the powdery material supply section
2
, a reduction gear
4
for reducing a rotational speed of a rotational speed to be transmitted to the rotational axis
3
with a predetermined reduction ratio, a supporting plate
5
for fixing the reduction gear
4
, a motor
6
for generating the rotational power to be transmitted to the rotational axis
3
, and a mixing bowl assembly
9
for mixing powdery material supplied from the powdery material supply section
2
via a powdery material shoot assembly
8
with hot or cold water.
The powdery material storage section
1
is divided into storage containers
1
A,
1
B,
1
C,
1
D,
1
E,
1
F, and
1
G. The powdery material supply section
2
is provided with powdery material supply outlets
2
A,
2
B,
2
C,
2
D,
2
E,
2
F, and
2
G for respectively supplying powdery material supplied from the storage containers
1
A,
1
B,
1
C,
1
D,
1
E,
1
F, and
1
G. The powdery material shoot assembly
8
situated under the powdery material supply section
2
is provided with shoots
8
A,
8
B,
8
C,
8
D and
8
E for receiving powdery material supplied from the powdery material supply section
2
. The shoots
8
A,
8
B,
8
C, and
8
D respectively receive powdery material supplied from the powdery material supply outlets
2
A,
2
B,
2
C, and
2
D, and the shoot E receives powdery material supplied from the powdery material supply outlets
2
E,
2
F, and
2
G. Moreover, the shoots
8
A,
8
B,
8
C,
8
D, and
8
E are respectively supported in accordance with the insertion of fitting pieces
8
a
into openings
5
A by the supporting plate
5
. A mixing bowl assembly
9
mixes powdery material supplied to mixing bowls
9
A,
9
B,
9
C,
9
D, and
9
E via the shoots
8
A,
8
B,
8
C,
8
D, and
8
E with hot or cold water, and supplies mixed drinks to cups via drink supply pipes
9
a
. Powdery material and hot or cold water are mixed in the mixing bowls
9
A,
9
B,
9
C,
9
D and
9
E by means of mixing motors
10
A,
10
B,
10
C,
10
D, and
10
E respectively fixed to bases
10
a
. Although only the mixing motor
10
E provided for the mixing bowl
9
E is shown in
FIG. 1
, the other mixing bowls
9
A,
9
B,
9
C, and
9
D are respectively provided with the other mixing motors similarly to the case of the mixing bowl
9
E.
A vapor-exhausting mechanism of the mixing bowl assembly
9
is shown in
FIG. 2
, and comprises hose-joining portions
9
b
respectively situated behind the mixing bowls
9
B,
9
C,
9
D, and
9
E, motor-fixing members
10
b
for respectively fixing the mixing motors
10
B,
10
C,
10
D, and
10
E to predetermined portions of the mixing bowls
9
B,
9
C,
9
D and
9
E, hoses
11
B,
11
C,
11
D and
11
E jointed to the hose-joining portions
9
b
of the respective fixing bowls, and an exhaust fan unit
12
having the hose-joining portions
12
B,
12
C,
12
D and
12
E for respectively joining the hoses
11
B,
11
C,
11
D and
11
E to the exhaust fan unit
12
. The exhaust fan unit
12
absorbs vapor evaporated from the mixing bowls
9
B,
9
C,
9
D, and
9
E by a rotation of a built-in fan (not shown) through the hoses
11
B,
11
C,
11
D, and
11
E, and exhausts vapor to the outside of the drink supply appliance. Although a mixing bowl
9
A is omitted in
FIG. 2
, the mixing bowl
9
A is connected with the exhaust fan unit
12
by a hose
11
A (not shown) also similarly to the other mixing bowls.
According to the aforementioned structure, since vapor evaporated from the mixing bowl section
9
at the time of mixing powdery material with hot water is exhausted not to make the powdery material shoot assembly
8
damp, a situation that the powdery material shoot assembly
8
is bunged by adhesion of powdery material can be prevented.
However, according to the conventional vapor-exhausting mechanism of the drink supply appliance, since powdery material is sometimes exhausted together with vapor when vapor is exhausted from the mixing bowl assembly, in the mixing bowl assembly of the drink supply appliance which frequently repeats operation for sale, it sometimes occurs that vapor-exhausting capability deteriorates because of adhesion of powdery material to a vapor-exhausting path, the vapor-exhausting path is bunged by deposit of powdery material, and the exhaust of vapor is stopped. Moreover, since the drink supply appliance having the plural mixing bowls is provided with the plural hoses serving as the vapor-exhausting paths, the drink supply appliance is large-sized and magnified.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a vapor-exhausting mechanism of a drink supply appliance in which deterioration of vapor-exhausting capability caused by adhesion of powdery material does not occur, and a vapor-exhausting path is not bunged and can be made small sized.
According to the feature of the invention, a vapor-exhausting mechanism of a drink supply appliance comprises:
plural mixers for mixing powdery material with hot or cold water,
means for generating negative pressure, the negative pressure absorbing and exhausting vapor evaporated from the plural mixers,
a negative pressure chamber which is situated between the plural mixers and the means for generating the negative pressure and maintains a negative pressure condition caused by the means for generating the negative pressure therein, and
a panel which is provided with plural through-holes, situated in an inside of the negative pressure chamber, and uniformly applies the negative pressure to the plural mixers.
In the aforementioned vapor-exhausting mechanism of the drink supply appliance, it is desirable that the negative pressure chamber is connected with the plural mixers and formed of separable casings so that the inside thereof is accessible. Moreover, it is desirable that the panel provided with the plural through-holes is fitted to one of the casings so that clearances are formed between one of the casings and both side ends of the panel, and the clearances function as bypasses for vapor in case that the through-holes are bunged by deposit of powdery material.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5192002 (1993-03-01), Reese et al.
patent: 5344050 (1994-09-01), Ficken
patent: 5839610 (1998-11-01), Reese et al.
patent: 0 316 169 A1 (1989-05-01), None
Brouillette Gabrielle
Madsen Robert
McDermott & Will & Emery
Sanyo Electric Co,. Ltd.
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