IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
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국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
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출원번호 |
UP-0118535
(2005-04-29)
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등록번호 |
US-7828175
(2010-11-25)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Bethuy, Timothy W.
- Black, William J.
- Cahill, Brian T.
- Schilling, Ronald
- Novotny, Paul
- Nebbia, Fabio
- Perucca, Giovanni
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출원인 / 주소 |
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대리인 / 주소 |
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
13 인용 특허 :
13 |
초록
▼
A beverage dispensing system with a base to which a dispensing head is removably attached without additional fasteners, wherein beverage forming liquids are supplied through a plurality of separate conduits in the base. Each base conduit has a normally closed valve that normally blocks fluid flow. T
A beverage dispensing system with a base to which a dispensing head is removably attached without additional fasteners, wherein beverage forming liquids are supplied through a plurality of separate conduits in the base. Each base conduit has a normally closed valve that normally blocks fluid flow. The dispensing head has at least one passageway that receives liquid from an associated one of the base conduits. A projection associated with each dispensing head passageway opens the associated conduit valve to allow fluid flow from the base to the head. Dispensing valves in the dispensing head are independently accountable to regulate the dispensing of the beverage. In one version of the invention, four liquids are supplied to the dispensing head through the conduits, namely two liquid concentrates; carbonated water; and non-carbonated water. By selective opening of the dispensing valves, a plurality of beverages are formed from combinations of one or more of the liquids. A dispensing head for dispensing at least one carbonated fluid includes an inlet opening and an outlet opening at each end of a passage extending through a body, the inlet opening having a smaller cross-sectional area than the outlet opening.
대표청구항
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What is claimed is: 1. A beverage dispensing system, said system comprising: a base, said base having a plurality of fluid flow conduits through which separate fluid streams are able to flow out of said base; a plurality of valves, each said valve being seated in a separate one of the base conduits
What is claimed is: 1. A beverage dispensing system, said system comprising: a base, said base having a plurality of fluid flow conduits through which separate fluid streams are able to flow out of said base; a plurality of valves, each said valve being seated in a separate one of the base conduits and being positioned to normally prevent fluid flow out of the conduit in which said valve is mounted; a selectively detachable dispensing head, configured for removable attachment to said base, said dispensing head comprising: a body having at least one passageway positioned to receive a fluid stream from a single one of the base conduits when said dispensing head is attached to said base; a valve actuating member connected to said dispensing head body, said valve member positioned, upon attachment of the dispensing head to said base, to engage said base valve of the base conduit with which the at least one dispensing head passageway is in fluid communication to open said base valve; a discharge valve attached to said body for regulating fluid flow through the passageway; and a nozzle connected to said body configured to discharge the fluid from the at least one passageway; a locking member moveably attached to one of said base or said dispensing head body for releasably engaging the other of said dispensing head body or said base; and wherein the body is removably securable to the base such that when secured the nozzle remains fixed with respect to the base. 2. The beverage dispensing system of claim 1, wherein: said dispensing head body is further configured to have a plurality of separate passageways, each passageway being positioned to be in fluid communication with a separate one of the base conduits when said dispensing head is attached to said base and wherein the fluid discharged from each of the passageways is discharged through said nozzle; a plurality of said dispensing valves are attached to said dispensing head body, said dispensing valves being positioned to control fluid flow through separate ones of the dispensing head body passageways; and a plurality of said valve actuating members are attached to said dispensing head body, each said valve actuating member being associated with a separate one of said dispensing head body passageways and being positioned to, upon attachment of said dispensing head, engage said base valve integral with the base conduit with which the associated dispensing head body passageway is in communication to open said base valve. 3. The dispensing system of claim 2, wherein said valve body is formed with a plurality of bosses, each said boss being shaped to define an inlet opening into a separate one of the passageways and each said boss is positioned to extend into the base conduit with which the passageway is in fluid communication and said boss abuts said base valve in the base conduit to function as said valve actuating member. 4. The dispensing system of claim 1, wherein said valve body is formed with a boss, said boss being shaped to define the inlet opening into the passageway and being positioned to extend into the base conduit with which the dispensing head passageway is in communication to contact and open the base valve in the base conduit. 5. The dispensing system of claim 1, wherein said locking member is moveably attached to said base to hold said dispensing head to said base without supplemental fastening members. 6. The dispensing system of claim 1, wherein: said locking member is slidably moveable relative to the one of said base or said dispensing head body to which said locking member is attached; and said locking member has a plurality of surfaces for engaging the other of said dispensing head body or said base at a plurality of separate locations without supplemental fastening members. 7. The dispensing system of claim 1, wherein said locking member has spaced apart legs that are slidably moveable to the one of said base or said dispensing head body to which said locking member is attached; and each said locking member leg has at least one surface for engaging the other of said dispensing head body or said base. 8. The dispensing system of claim 1, wherein said base valves are poppet valves. 9. A beverage dispensing system comprising: a plurality of mounting blocks, each said mounting block having: a plurality of conduits including first and second conduits; and a plurality of block valves, each said block valve being associated with a separate one of the conduits and positioned to normally prevent fluid flow out of the associated conduit; a first supply line connected to the first conduits of said mounting blocks to provide a first beverage-forming liquid to the mounting block first conduits; a second supply line connected to the second conduits of said mounting blocks to provide a second beverage-forming liquid to the mounting block second conduits; and a plurality of dispensing heads, each said dispensing head being releasably attached to a separate one of said mounting blocks and having: a body defining a set of passageways, each passageway being positioned to be in fluid communication with a separate one of the conduits of said mounting block to which said dispensing head is attached; a set of dispensing valves, each said dispensing valve being attached to said body to regulate fluid flow through a separate one of the passageways; and a set of valve actuators, each said valve actuator being associated with a separate one of the passageways and positioned to engage said block valve integral with the mounting block conduit with which the passageway is in fluid communication to open said block valve, wherein at least two said dispensing heads are different from each other so that: a first one of said dispensing heads has a passageway in fluid communication with the first conduit of said associated mounting block and said first dispensing head does not have a passageway in fluid communication with the second conduit of said associated mounting block; and a second one of said dispensing heads has a passageway positioned to be in fluid communication with the second conduit of said associated mounting block. 10. The beverage dispensing system of claim 9, wherein: each said mounting block contains at least three passageways; said body of said first or said second dispensing head is formed with at least two passageways, one of said passageways being positioned to be in fluid communication with the third conduit of the said mounting block to which said dispensing head is attached; and said dispensing valves attached to said dispensing head having at least two passageways able to open simultaneously. 11. The beverage dispensing system of claim 9, wherein either said mounting blocks or said dispensing heads are provided with locking members that releasably hold said dispensing heads to said mounting blocks without supplemental fasteners. 12. The beverage dispensing system of claim 9, wherein either said mounting blocks or said dispensing heads are provided with slidably moveable locking plates, each locking plate shaped to hold the associated said dispensing head to the associated mounting block. 13. The beverage dispensing system of claim 9, wherein each said dispensing head body is formed with a projection, each said projection defining an opening into a separate one of the passageways of the set of passageways integral with said dispensing head and wherein said projections are positioned to extend into said mounting block to which said dispensing head is attached to function as the valve actuators. 14. The beverage dispensing system of claim 9, further comprising a third dispensing head having: a first passageway positioned to be in fluid communication with the first conduit of a mounting block to which said third dispensing head is attached and a second passageway positioned to be in fluid communication with the second conduit of said mounting block; and said dispensing valves of said third dispensing head independently being able to regulate fluid flow through the first and second passageways. 15. The beverage dispensing system of claim 9, wherein: at least one of said mounting blocks is formed with four conduits; said dispensing head attached to said four-conduit mounting block has: a body formed with a set of four passageways, each passageway being positioned to receive fluid from a separate one of said mounting block conduits; and four dispensing valves, said dispensing valves each being independently operable to selectively dispense a beverage formed from a combination of liquids discharged through the respective mounting block conduits.
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