Beverage dispenser

• US 10,438,438 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2017
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Grupos Gallegos, Co.
• Original Assignee: Grupo Gallegos
• Inventors: Lucker, Paul, Chozas, Domingo, Escobar, Saul
• Primary Examiner(s): Scott, Jacob S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ojofeitimi, Ayodeji T
• Application Number:
  US15/617,519
• Publication Number:
  US 20170358167A1
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: 221261, 221307, 221235, 221150 R, 221150 HC, 221192, 221 24
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/0409 the dispensing means being adapted for delivering one article, or a single dose, upon each actuation B65D83/0445 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2303/08222 Shape of the element
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2331/805 Cans
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 3/06 Movable containers
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 31/007 Bottles or cans
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/10 with associated dispensing of containers, e.g. cups or other articles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0071 Food articles which need to be processed for dispensing in a cold condition, e.g. ice and ice cream
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/105 Heating or cooling means, for temperature and humidity control, for the conditioning of articles and their storage dispensers for food articles requiring a processing by temperature treatment or conditioning before they are ready for dispensing G07F17/0064

Abstract

A beverage dispenser for dispensing beverage containers includes an outer shell with an internal track that dispense rolling beverage containers from the track and one or more internal ice liners that retain ice to keep the beverage containers chilled.

Claims

1. A beverage dispenser comprising an outer shell having a beer keg-type shape with a top and bottom, a water-resistant ice liner with a liner opening providing a hollow ice-holding space in a portion of and extending unobstructed from the top to the bottom of the outer shell, an internal track assembly comprising a descending and inclined ramp inside the outer shell and adjacent to the ice liner and a beverage container open dispensing area at a bottom end of the track assembly, wherein said ramp is spiral-shaped or shaped with multiple direction-reversing bends that avoids traversing the hollow ice-holding space.

2. The beverage dispenser of claim of claim 1, wherein the outer shell is constructed of at least one of styrene and metal.

3. The beverage dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of water-resistant liners and liner openings providing a plurality of hollow ice-holding spaces in multiple portions of and extending unobstructed from the top to the bottom of the outer shell and wherein said ramp is shaped with multiple direction-reversing bends that avoids traversing all of the hollow ice-holding spaces.

4. The beverage dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a rotatable roller coupled to container escapement holder at the open dispensing area.

5. The beverage dispenser of claim 4, further comprising handles at the top of the dispenser.

6. The beverage dispenser of claim of claim 5, wherein the outer shell is constructed of at least one of styrene and metal.

7. A beverage dispenser comprising an outer shell with a top and bottom, a water-resistant ice liner with a liner opening providing a hollow ice-holding space in a portion of and extending unobstructed from the top to the bottom of the outer shell, an internal track assembly comprising a descending and inclined ramp inside the outer shell and adjacent to the ice liner and a beverage container open dispensing area at a bottom end of the track assembly, wherein said ramp is spiral-shaped that avoids traversing the hollow ice-holding space, and wherein the ice-holding hollow space is centrally-located in the outer shell and surrounded by the spiral-shaped ramp.

8. A beverage dispenser comprising an outer shell with a top and bottom, one or more water-resistant ice liners with one or more liner openings providing one or more hollow ice-holding spaces in one or more separate portions of and extending unobstructed from the top to the bottom of the outer shell adjacent to one or more internal track assemblies inside the outer shell, and one or more movable plungers adjacent to the one or more internal track assemblies and configured to lift beverage containers from near a bottom portion of the dispenser to one or more dispensing areas adjacent to a top portion of the dispenser, wherein said one or more internal track assemblies comprise one or more ramps that are spiral-shaped that avoid traversing the one or more hollow ice-holding spaces, wherein the one or more water-resistant ice liners comprise a central hollow ice-holding space with a central opening at a top portion of the dispenser and wherein the central hollow ice-holding space is surrounded by the one or more spiral-shaped ramps.

9. The beverage dispenser of claim 8, further comprising one or more springs beneath the one or more plungers.

10. The beverage dispenser of claim 8, further comprising from 24 to 60 beverage container arranged to roll down the one or more track assemblies.

11. The beverage dispenser of claim 8, further comprising one or more container hoppers at the one or more dispensing areas.

12. The beverage dispenser of claim 11, further comprising one or more springs beneath the one or more plungers.

13. A beverage dispenser comprising an outer shell with a top and bottom, one or more water-resistant ice liners with one or more liner openings providing one or more hollow ice-holding spaces in one or more separate portions of and extending unobstructed from the top to the bottom of the outer shell adjacent to one or more internal track assemblies inside the outer shell, and one or more movable plungers adjacent to the one or more internal track assemblies and configured to lift beverage containers from near a bottom portion of the dispenser to one or more dispensing areas adjacent to a top portion of the dispenser, wherein said one or more internal track assemblies comprise one or more ramps that are spiral-shaped or shaped with multiple direction-reversing bends that avoid traversing the one or more hollow ice-holding spaces, and wherein the outer shell comprises a beer-keg type shape.