Beverage dispensing apparatus having a valve actuator control system

• US 20050133532A1
• Filed: 01/25/2005
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beverage Works, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Beverage Works, Inc.
• Inventors: Crisp, Harry Lee III, Duff, Todd Erik
• Granted Patent: US 7,611,031 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 222/129.100
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0021 the components being mixed at the time of dispensing, i.e. post-mix dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0057 Carbonators
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0858 using compression systems
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2001/082 arranged in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2210/00036 for use with or in refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2210/0006 Manifolds
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/126 Water cooler
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2323/023 Door in door constructions
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2331/803 Bottles
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/06 Refrigerators with a vertical mullion
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A beverage dispensing apparatus for a residential refrigerator. The beverage dispensing apparatus includes a drink supplier including a drink supply canister holder for holding a plurality of drink supply canisters, a plurality of valve actuators for causing the drink supply to be selectively released from the drink supply canisters, a water supplier for selectively supplying carbonated water and non-carbonated water for producing the beverages, a gas supplier for supplying CO₂ gas to carbonate the carbonated water provided by the water supplier and for supplying CO₂ gas or other gas for pressurizing the drink supply canisters to provide a consistent flow rate of the drink supply from the drink supply canisters, a fluid director for facilitating the mixing of the drink supply from one of the drink supply canisters and the carbonated or non-carbonated water from the water supplier and one or more beverage requesters for enabling users to request one of a plurality of beverages.

Claims

1. A beverage dispensing apparatus for a refrigerator, the beverage dispensing apparatus comprising:

a drink supply container holder connectable to the refrigerator, the drink supply container holder configured to hold a plurality of drink supply containers, each of the drink supply containers having a drink supply outlet valve, wherein each of the drink supply containers can contain a drink syrup of a different flavor, each of said drink syrups associated with a different beverage;

at least one drink supply outlet valve actuator connectable to the refrigerator;

a water supply apparatus connectable to the refrigerator, the water supply apparatus including a carbonated water line, at least one carbonated water valve connected to the carbonated water line, and a water dispenser connected to the carbonated water valve, the water dispenser operable to dispense carbonated water;

at least one water valve actuator connectable to the refrigerator, the water valve actuator positioned adjacent to the carbonated water valve;

a gas supply apparatus connectable to the refrigerator, the gas supply apparatus fluidly connected to the water supply apparatus;

a processor operatively coupled to the drink supply outlet valve actuator and the water valve actuator; and

a memory device accessible by the processor, the memory device storing a plurality of instructions executable by the processor to;

(a) determine an event associated with one of the beverages;

(b) determine which one of the drink supply containers is associated with said beverage;

(c) cause actuation of the drink supply outlet valve actuator, thereby causing the drink supply outlet valve of said drink supply container to open;

(d) cause actuation of the water valve actuator, thereby causing the carbonated water valve to open for a period of time during which the drink supply outlet valve is open;

(e) cause actuation of the drink supply outlet valve actuator, thereby enabling the opened drink supply outlet valve to close; and

(f) cause actuation of the water valve actuator to enable the opened carbonated water valve to close.

2. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drink supply outlet valve actuator and the water valve actuator each include a valve engager.

3. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drink supply outlet valve actuator and the water valve actuator each include a motor or a solenoid.

4. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory device stores at least one instruction executable by the processor to cause simultaneous actuation of the drink supply outlet valve actuator and the water valve actuator, thereby causing the carbonated water valve and one of the drink supply outlet valves to open simultaneously.

5. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 1, which includes a designated ratio of drink syrup to carbonated water associated with each one of the beverages, wherein, for each of said beverages, said ratio is controlled, at least in part, by:

(a) the actuation of the drink supply outlet valve actuator and the water valve actuator;

(b) a flow rate of the drink syrup used to produce said beverage; and

(c) a flow rate of the carbonated water used to produce said beverage.

6. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 1, which includes a plurality of drink supply outlet valve actuators connectable to the refrigerator, each one of the drink supply outlet valve actuators positioned adjacent to the drink supply outlet valve of one of the drink supply containers.

7. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the memory device stores a plurality of instructions executable by the processor to:

(i) determine an event associated with one of the beverages;

(ii) determine which one of the drink supply containers is associated with said beverage;

(iii) cause actuation of the drink supply outlet valve actuator positioned adjacent to the drink supply outlet valve of the determined drink supply container, thereby causing said drink supply outlet valve to open;

(iv) cause actuation of the water valve actuator, thereby causing the carbonated water valve to open for a period of time during which said drink supply outlet valve is open;

(v) cause actuation of the drink supply outlet valve actuator actuated in step (iii), thereby enabling the opened drink supply outlet valve to close;

(vi) cause actuation of the water valve actuator to enable the opened carbonated water valve to close; and

(vii) cause a repeat of steps (i) through (vi) for another event associated with another one of the beverages.

8. A beverage dispensing apparatus for a refrigerator, the beverage dispensing apparatus comprising:

a drink supply container holder connectable to the refrigerator, the drink supply container holder configured to hold a plurality of drink supply containers, each of the drink supply containers having a drink supply outlet valve, wherein each of the drink supply containers can contain a drink syrup of a different flavor, said drink syrups associated with different beverages, the beverages including at least one carbonated beverage and at least one non-carbonated beverage;

a plurality of drink supply outlet valve actuators connectable to the refrigerator, each of the drink supply outlet valve actuators positioned adjacent to the drink supply outlet valve of one of the drink supply containers;

a water supply apparatus connectable to the refrigerator, the water supply apparatus including a non-carbonated water line, a carbonated water line, at least one non-carbonated water valve connected to the non-carbonated water line, at least one carbonated water valve connected to the carbonated water line, and at least one water dispenser connected to the non-carbonated water valve and the carbonated water valve, the water dispenser operable to dispense non-carbonated water and carbonated water;

at least one non-carbonated water valve actuator connectable to the refrigerator, the non-carbonated water valve actuator positioned adjacent to the non-carbonated water valve;

at least one carbonated water valve actuator connectable to the refrigerator, the carbonated water valve actuator positioned adjacent to the carbonated water valve;

a gas supply apparatus connectable to the refrigerator, the gas supply apparatus fluidly connected to the water supply apparatus;

a processor operatively coupled to the drink supply outlet valve actuators, the non-carbonated water valve actuator and the carbonated water valve actuator; and

a memory device accessible by the processor, the memory device storing a plurality of instructions executable by the processor to;

(a) determine an event associated with one of the beverages;

(b) determine which one of the drink supply containers is associated with said beverage;

(c) cause actuation of the drink supply outlet valve actuator positioned adjacent to the drink supply outlet valve of the determined drink supply container, thereby causing said drink supply outlet valve to open;

(d) if said beverage is a non-carbonated beverage, cause actuation of the non-carbonated water valve actuator, thereby causing the non-carbonated water valve to open for a period of time during which the drink supply outlet valve is open;

(e) if said beverage is a carbonated beverage, cause actuation of the carbonated water valve actuator, thereby causing the carbonated water valve to open for a period of time during which the drink supply outlet valve is open;

(f) cause actuation of the drink supply outlet valve actuator actuated in step (c), thereby enabling the opened drink supply outlet valve to close;

(g) if said beverage is a non-carbonated beverage, cause actuation of the non-carbonated water valve actuator to enable the non-carbonated water valve to close;

(h) if said beverage is a carbonated beverage, cause actuation of the carbonated water valve actuator to enable the carbonated water valve to close; and

(i) cause a repeat of steps (a) through (h) for another event associated with another one of the beverages.

9. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 8, wherein each of the drink supply outlet valve actuators includes a valve engager, the non-carbonated water valve actuator includes a valve engager, and the carbonated water valve actuator includes a valve engager.

10. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 8, wherein each of the drink supply outlet valve actuators includes a motor or a solenoid, the non-carbonated water valve actuator includes a motor or a solenoid and the carbonated water valve actuator includes a motor or a solenoid.

11. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 8, wherein the memory device stores at least one instruction executable by the processor to cause simultaneous actuation of one of the drink supply outlet valve actuators and the carbonated water valve actuator if the beverage being produced is carbonated, thereby causing the carbonated water valve and one of the drink supply outlet valves to open simultaneously.

12. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 8, wherein the memory device stores at least one instruction executable by the processor to cause simultaneous actuation of one of the drink supply outlet valve actuators and the non-carbonated water valve actuator if the beverage being produced is non-carbonated thereby causing the non-carbonated water valve and one of the drink supply outlet valves to open simultaneously.

13. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 8, which includes a designated ratio of drink syrup to non-carbonated water associated with each of the non-carbonated beverages, wherein, for each of the non-carbonated beverages, said ratio is controlled, at least in part, by:

(a) the actuation of one of the drink supply outlet valve actuators and the non-carbonated water valve actuator;

(b) a flow rate of the drink syrup used to produce said non-carbonated beverage; and

(c) a flow rate of the non-carbonated water used to produce said non-carbonated beverage.

14. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 8, which includes a designated ratio of drink syrup to carbonated water associated with each of the carbonated beverages, wherein, for each of said carbonated beverages, said ratio is controlled, at least in part, by:

(a) the actuation of one of the drink supply outlet valve actuators and the carbonated water valve actuator;

(b) a flow rate of the drink syrup used to produce said carbonated beverage; and

(c) a flow rate of the carbonated water used to produce said carbonated beverage.

15. A beverage dispensing apparatus for a refrigerator, the beverage dispensing apparatus comprising:

a drink supply container holder connectable to the refrigerator, the drink supply container holder configured to hold a plurality of drink supply containers, each of the drink supply containers having a drink supply outlet valve, wherein each of the drink supply containers can contain a drink syrup of a different flavor, said drink syrups associated with different beverages, the beverages including at least one carbonated beverage and at least one non-carbonated beverage;

a plurality of drink supply outlet valve actuators connectable to the refrigerator, each of the drink supply outlet valve actuators positioned adjacent to the drink supply outlet valve of one of the drink supply containers;

a water supply apparatus connectable to the refrigerator, the water supply apparatus including a non-carbonated water line, a carbonated water line, a plurality of non-carbonated water valves connected to the non-carbonated water line, a plurality of carbonated water valves connected to the carbonated water line, and a plurality of water dispensers, each one of the water dispensers connected to one of the non-carbonated water valves and one of the carbonated water valves, each one of the water dispensers positioned adjacent to one of the drink supply outlet valves, each one of the water dispensers operable to dispense non-carbonated water and carbonated water;

a plurality of non-carbonated water valve actuators connectable to the refrigerator, each one of the non-carbonated water valve actuators positioned adjacent to one of the non-carbonated water valves;

a plurality of carbonated water valve actuators connectable to the refrigerator, each one of the carbonated water valve actuators positioned adjacent to one of the carbonated water valves;

a gas supply apparatus connectable to the refrigerator, the gas supply apparatus fluidly connected to the water supply apparatus;

a processor operatively coupled to the drink supply outlet valve actuators, the non-carbonated water valve actuators and the carbonated water valve actuators;

a memory device accessible by the processor, the memory device storing a plurality of instructions executable by the processor to;

(a) determine an event associated with one of the beverages;

(b) determine which one of the drink supply containers is associated with said beverage;

(c) cause actuation of the drink supply outlet valve actuator positioned adjacent to the drink supply outlet valve of the determined drink supply container, thereby causing said drink supply outlet valve to open;

(d) if said beverage is a non-carbonated beverage, cause actuation of the non-carbonated water valve actuator positioned adjacent to one of the non-carbonated water valves, said non-carbonated water valve positioned adjacent to the opened drink supply outlet valve, thereby causing said non-carbonated water valve to open for a period of time during which the opened drink supply outlet valve is open;

(e) if said beverage is a carbonated beverage, cause actuation of the carbonated water valve actuator positioned adjacent to one of the carbonated water valve actuators, said carbonated water valve actuator positioned adjacent to the opened drink supply outlet valve, thereby causing said carbonated water valve to open for a period of time during which the opened drink supply outlet valve is open;

(f) cause actuation of the drink supply outlet valve actuator actuated in step (c), thereby enabling the opened drink supply outlet valve to close;

(g) if said beverage is a non-carbonated beverage, cause actuation of the non-carbonated water valve actuated in step (d) to enable the opened non-carbonated water valve to close;

(h) if said beverage is a carbonated beverage, cause actuation of the carbonated water valve actuator actuated in step (e) to enable the opened carbonated water valve to close; and

(i) cause a repeat of steps (a) through (h) for another event associated with another one of the beverages.

16. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 15, wherein each of the drink supply outlet valve actuators includes a valve engager, each of the non-carbonated water valve actuators includes a valve engager and each of the carbonated water valve actuators includes a valve engager.

17. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 15, wherein each of the drink supply outlet valve actuators includes a motor, each of the non-carbonated water valve actuators includes a motor, and each of the carbonated water valve actuators includes a motor.

18. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 15, wherein each of the drink supply outlet valve actuators includes a solenoid, each of the non-carbonated water valve actuators includes a solenoid, and each of the carbonated water valve actuators includes a solenoid.

19. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 15, which includes a designated ratio of drink syrup to non-carbonated water associated with each of the non-carbonated beverages, wherein, for each of the non-carbonated beverages, said ratio is controlled, at least in part, by:

(a) the actuation of one of the drink supply outlet valve actuators and one of the non-carbonated water valve actuators;

(b) a flow rate of the drink syrup used to produce said non-carbonated beverage; and

(c) a flow rate of the non-carbonated water used to produce said non-carbonated beverage.

20. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 15, which includes a designated ratio of drink syrup to carbonated water associated with each of the carbonated beverages, wherein, for each of said carbonated beverages, said ratio is controlled, at least in part, by:

(a) the actuation of one of the drink supply outlet valve actuators and one of the carbonated water valve actuators;

(b) a flow rate of the drink syrup used to produce said carbonated beverage; and

(c) a flow rate of the carbonated water used to produce said carbonated beverage.