Beverage dispensing heads with lighting modules

• US 10,077,180 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2017
• Issued: 09/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marmon Foodservice Technologies Incorporated (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cornelius Inc. (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Inventors: Novelle, Anthony, Miller, Steven, Zoellick, Kurt
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, Nicholas J
• Application Number:
  US15/403,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20170349424A1
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• Field of Search: 222113
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0021 the components being mixed at the time of dispensing, i.e. post-mix dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0044 for mixing inside the dispensing nozzle
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0085 electro-mechanical
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0872 Aesthetics, advertising
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0875 Means for illuminating the beverage to be dispensed
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0888 Means comprising electronic circuitry (e.g. control panels, switching or controlling means)
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/16 Devices for collecting spilled beverages
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2001/0089 operated by lever means
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/04 the elements being switches safety devices F21V25/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/00 Structural combinations of lighting devices with other articles, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0021 for housing at least a part of the light source, e.g. by forming holes or recesses
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0033 Means for improving the coupling-out of light from the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0051 Diffusing sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0055 Reflecting element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/0422 Reflectors

Abstract

A beverage dispensing head includes a housing having a front, a rear, and a base that extends between the front and the rear. A mixing nozzle is configured to dispense a flow of beverage via the base. A valve is configured to control the flow of beverage via the mixing nozzle, and a switch is movable into and between a closed position in which the valve opens the flow of beverage via the mixing nozzle and an open position in which the valve closes the flow of beverage via the mixing nozzle. A lighting module disposed in the housing is configured to illuminate the front of the housing and the base of the housing when the switch is moved into the closed position.

Claims

1. A beverage dispensing head comprising:

a housing having a front with a display window, a rear, and a base with a lighting opening, wherein the base extends between the front and the rear and wherein the housing defines a cavity;

a mixing nozzle coupled to the base and configured to dispense a flow of beverage via the base;

a valve disposed in the cavity and configured to control the flow of beverage via the mixing nozzle;

a switch movable to open the valve to thereby open the flow of beverage via the mixing nozzle and close the valve to thereby close the flow of beverage via the mixing nozzle; and

a lighting module disposed in the cavity and configured to illuminate the display window, the lighting opening, and the flow of beverage via the mixing nozzle when the switch is moved to open the valve, the lighting module having a first light source that emits light toward the display window, a light guide that vertically upwardly guides light from the first light source alongside the display window, a second light source that emits light toward the lighting opening, and a reflective rear surface that reflects light emitted from the first light source toward the display window and has a reflective property that increases as the reflective rear surface extends away from the first light source.

2. The beverage dispensing head according to claim 1, wherein the display window is separated from the lighting opening.

3. The beverage dispensing head according to claim 2, wherein the display window is curved so as to form a lens for focusing light from the lighting module.

4. The beverage dispensing head according to claim 2, wherein the light guide forms a cavity for receiving the light and for vertically upwardly guiding the light from the first light source;

and wherein the light guide further comprises a front surface for dispersing the light towards the display window.

5. The beverage dispensing head according to claim 4, wherein light guide extends alongside a majority of the display window.

6. The beverage dispensing head according to claim 2, further comprising a lever coupled to and extending from the base of the housing and wherein the lighting opening is oriented towards a point of dispense for the flow of beverage so that via the lighting opening the lighting module illuminates a beverage receptacle as the beverage receptacle is pressed against the lever and receives the flow of beverage.

7. The beverage dispensing head according to claim 1, wherein the lighting module is removably attached to the housing by a manually operable mating connection and to the valve by a manually operable electrical connection.

8. The beverage dispensing head according to claim 7, wherein the manually operable mating connection comprises a boss on one of the lighting module and housing and a channel on the other of the lighting module and housing.

9. The beverage dispensing head according to claim 7, wherein the manually operable electrical connection comprises a wire harness.

10. The beverage dispensing head according to claim 1, wherein the housing, mixing nozzle, valve, switch, and lighting module form a dispensing head combination that is one of a plurality of identical dispensing head combinations for dispensing different beverages, wherein the plurality of identical dispensing head combinations together form a beverage dispensing station.

11. The beverage dispensing head according to claim 1, further comprising a rear lighting module disposed in the cavity and configured to illuminate the rear of the housing when the switch is moved into the closed position.

12. The beverage dispensing head according to claim 11, wherein the rear of the housing comprises a rear display window;

and wherein the rear lighting module is configured to illuminate the rear display window.

13. A discrete beverage dispensing head comprising:

a housing defining a cavity and having a front, a rear opposite the front, and a base extending between the front and the rear;

a mixing nozzle coupled to the base and configured to dispense a flow of beverage via the base;

a valve disposed in the cavity and configured to control the flow of beverage via the mixing nozzle;

a switch movable to open the valve to thereby open the flow of beverage via the mixing nozzle and close the valve to thereby close the flow of beverage via the mixing nozzle; and

a lighting module disposed in the cavity and configured to illuminate the front and the base when the switch is moved into the closed position, the lighting module having a first light source that emits light toward the front, a second light source that emits light toward the base, and a casing defining a casing cavity in which the first light source and the second light source are received and hermetically sealed;

wherein the front is removable such that the lighting module can be received in the cavity and the casing coupled to the housing.

14. The discrete beverage dispensing head according to claim 13, wherein the casing has a front casing panel and an opposite, rear casing panel, and wherein the lighting module has a wire harness that extends away from the rear casing panel to thereby electrically couple the lighting module to the discrete beverage dispensing head.

15. The discrete beverage dispensing head according to claim 14, wherein the lighting module has a boss configured to contact the housing as the lighting module is received into the cavity.

16. The discrete beverage dispensing head according to claim 13, wherein the lighting module has a light guide that vertically upwardly guides light from the first light source alongside the display window, and a reflective rear surface that reflects light emitted from the first light source toward the display window and has a reflective property that increases as the reflective rear surface extends away from the first light source.