초록 ▼

A cup conveyor and holder device (1) for a beverage dispensing machine comprises a body (2) into which cups (C1-C3) are vertically dropped for filling with a drink and/or being delivered to the user; the internal surface of the body (2) is provided with at least two steps (3, 4, 8) transversal to th

A cup conveyor and holder device (1) for a beverage dispensing machine comprises a body (2) into which cups (C1-C3) are vertically dropped for filling with a drink and/or being delivered to the user; the internal surface of the body (2) is provided with at least two steps (3, 4, 8) transversal to the cup dropping direction (X), at different heights of said body (2) with respect to the same direction (X), for vertically supporting said cups (C1, C2, C3) at different diameters.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A cup conveyor and holder device (1) for a beverage dispensing machine, comprising funnel shaped conveyor means (7, 8) for guiding cups (C1, C2, C3) dropped into the conveyor means and a cup holding body (2) into which the cups (C1, C2, C3) dropped into the conveyor means are directed to be held

1. A cup conveyor and holder device (1) for a beverage dispensing machine, comprising funnel shaped conveyor means (7, 8) for guiding cups (C1, C2, C3) dropped into the conveyor means and a cup holding body (2) into which the cups (C1, C2, C3) dropped into the conveyor means are directed to be held for filling with a beverage and delivering to the user, wherein an internal surface of said cup holding body (2) is provided with at least two steps (3, 4, 8), positioned at different heights of said cup holding body (2) with respect to a cup dropping direction (X) and being spaced from each other so that each cup housed in the holder is supported at its upper edge in suspended position that is raised from any surface of said beverage dispensing machine or base of said holder thereby avoiding the bottom of said cups (C1, C2, C3) from touching said any surface of said beverage dispensing machine or base of said holder, said body (2) wall being provided with a lateral aperture (11) extending vertically along said cup holding body and having a width at each step sufficient for withdrawal of cups (C1, C2) by the user through sliding of the cups on respective ones of the steps (3, 4). 2. A cup conveyor and holder device (1) for a beverage dispensing machine, comprising a cup holding body (2) into which cups (C1, C2, C3) of different diameters are dropped for filling with a beverage and delivering to the user, characterized in that an internal surface of said cup holding body (2) is provided with at least two steps (3, 4, 8), positioned at different heights of said cup holding body (2) with respect to the cup dropping direction (X), for supporting said cups (C1, C2, C3) in a suspended position raised from any surface of the beverage dispensing machine or base of the holder device thereby avoiding a bottom of said cups (C1, C2, C3) from touching said any surface of the beverage dispensing machine or base of the holder device, said cup holding body (2) having a wall provided with a lateral aperture (11) extending vertically along said cup holding body and having a width at each step sufficient for withdrawal of the cups (C1, C2) by the user through sliding of the cups on respective ones of the steps (3, 4), said steps (3, 4, 8) being positioned relative to each other so that the cups (C1, C2, C3) are held only one cup at any one time by respective ones of said steps (3, 4, 8) and so that for an arrangement in which one of the cups is supported by an uppermost one of the steps, an immediately lower one of the steps is positioned at an elevation lower than that of the uppermost one of the steps, the widths at the respective steps being dimensioned so that for the arrangement in which the one of the cups is supported by the uppermost one of the step, the immediately lower one of the steps avoids interfering with withdrawal of the one of the cups in a horizontal direction from the uppermost one of the steps even though the width at the immediately lower one of the steps is smaller in dimension than the width at the uppermost one of the steps. 3. The device according to claim 2, wherein said cups (C1, C2, C3) are differently sized and in that the number of steps (3, 4, 8) corresponds to the number of cup sizes, each of said steps (3, 4, 8) supporting one of said differently sized cups (C1, C2, C3) at its upper portion. 4. The device according to claim 2, wherein said cup holding body (2) is funnel shaped. 5. The device according to claim 2, wherein each of said steps (3, 4, 8) supports a related cup (C1, C2, C3) at its upper edge (5, 6, 9). 6. The device according to claim 2, wherein one of said steps at least (3, 4) is formed by a narrowing of the internal surface of the cup holding body (2). 7. The device according to claim 2, wherein one of the at least two steps (3, 4) runs continuously on said internal surface of the cup holding body (2). 8. The device according to claim 7, wherein said internal surface of the cup holding body (2) has a circular cross section and the one of said at least two steps (3, 4) runs along a circumference of the same. 9. The device according to claim 2, wherein said cup holding body (2) is coupled to at least one chute (7, 8) for guiding a cup (C1, C2) dropped into said body (2). 10. A beverage dispensing machine comprising at least a dropping unit for a given size cups, characterized in that it comprises the conveyor and holder device according to claim 2. 11. The beverage dispensing machine according to claim 10, further comprising at least one chute (7, 8) to collect dropped cups (C1, C2) from the respective dropping unit and guiding the same into said body (2). 12. The beverage dispensing machine according to claim 10, wherein said conveyor and holder (1) is located over a horizontal surface (10) and the height of each of said steps (3, 4, 8) with respect to said surface (10) is greater than the height of the larger size cup (C1, C2, C3). 13. A method of delivering a beverage from a beverage dispensing machine, the method comprising the steps of dropping one of a plurality of cups (C1, C2, C3) of different diameters into at least one beverage dispensing area of said machine in a cup dropping direction (X);filling the said one of said plurality of cups (C1, C2) with said beverage for delivery to the user;holding suspended said one of said plurality of cups (C1, C2) at a height with respect to the cup dropping direction (X) with a cup holding body (2) so as to prevent a bottom of said one of said plurality of cups (C1, C2) from touching any surface of said beverage dispensing machine, an internal surface of said cup holding body (2) being provided with at least two steps (3, 4, 8), positioned at different heights of said cup holding body (2) with respect to the cup dropping direction (X), for supporting said cups (C1, C2, C3) in a suspended position raised from any surface of the dispensing machine or base of the cup holding body thereby avoiding the bottom of said cups (C1, C2, C3) from touching said any surface of the dispensing machine or base of the cup holding body, said cup holding body (2) having a wall provided with a lateral aperture (11) extending vertically along said cup holding body and having a width at each step sufficient for withdrawal of the cups (C1, C2) by the user through sliding of the cups on respective ones of the steps (3, 4), said steps (3, 4, 8) being positioned relative to each other so that the cups (C1, C2, C3) are held only one cup at any one time by respective ones of said steps (3, 4, 8);supporting one of the cups by an uppermost one of the steps; andpositioning an immediately lower one of the steps at an elevation lower than that of the uppermost one of the steps, the widths at the respective steps being dimensioned so that, with the one of the plurality of cups supported by the uppermost one of the step, the immediately lower one of the steps avoids interfering with withdrawal of the one of the cups in a horizontal direction from the uppermost one of the steps even though the width at the immediately lower one of the steps is smaller in dimension than the width at the uppermost one of the steps.