Nozzle assembly for cold drink merchandiser

• US 4,392,588 A
• Filed: 01/22/1981
• Issued: 07/12/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/1981
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rowe International Corporation (AMI Entertainment Network, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Rowe International Corporation (AMI Entertainment Network, LLC)
• Inventors: Scalera, Frank T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tollberg, Stanley H.
• Application Number:
  US06/227,482
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: 222/129.1, 222/129.2, 222/129.3, 222/129.4, 222/173, 222/186, 222/566, 222/330, 239/433, 239/422, 239/423, 239/418, 239/600, 239/428, 312/35, 312/45, 248/75
• US Class Current: 222/129.4
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/10 with associated dispensing of containers, e.g. cups or other articles

Abstract

A nozzle assembly for use with a cold drink machine for selectively delivering a plurality of drinks each having a beverage principal component and a beverage flavoring component to a cup positioned at a delivery location accessible to a customer in which a unitary body of molded synthetic resin is formed with a base having an upwardly extending centrally located guide provided with a bore for receiving a beverage principal component delivery fitting having a discharge flow axis and with a wall extending upwardly around the guide from said base to a rim and with the inner surface inclined inwardly from the rim to the base. A plurality of grooves spaced around said guide and extending along said inner wall surface into holes in said base are adapted to receive and position respective flavoring nozzles with the flow axes thereof intersecting said fitting flow axis at a predetermined point.

Claims

1. In a drink machine for selectively delivering one of a plurality of beverages each having a principal constituent and a selected flavoring constituent to a cup positioned at a delivery location at which the cup is accessible to a customer, apparatus including a unitary body formed with a base and a centrally located guide extending upwardly from said base, said guide formed with a bore having a longitudinal axis extending generally perpendicular to said base, said base having a plurality of holes therethrough outside said guide and circumferentially spaced around said axis, said body being formed with a wall extending upwardly from said base in the region of said holes to an upper rim, the inner surface of said wall inclined outwardly from said base toward said rim, a plurality of grooves in said inner surface extending from said rim respectively into said holes, a plurality of elongated syrup nozzles, each of said nozzles having a central passage with a longitudinal axis, an external surface with a generally circular cross-sectional shape and a positioning shoulder formed along the length thereof, each of said grooves having a generally semicircular cross-sectional shape whereby each of said grooves is adapted to receive one of said nozzles with the shoulder thereof in engagement with said rim to position said nozzle along the length of said groove, a plurality of retainers, means for releaseably securing said retainers to said body with the retainers in engagement with parts of said nozzles outside said grooves to retain said nozzles in said grooves, a beverage principal constituent supply fitting having a passage with a longitudinal axis and a shoulder and adapted to be received in said guide with the guide axis generally coincidental with the fitting axis and with said shoulder in engagement with the upper end of said guide, said body being formed with an ice chute support and means mounting said body in said machine at a position adjacent to said delivery location with said nozzle axes intersecting said fitting axis at a predetermined point above a cup at said delivery location.

2. In a drink machine for selectively delivering one of a plurality of beverages, each having a principal constituent and a selected flavoring constituent to a cup positioned at a delivery location at which the cup is accessible to a customer, apparatus including a unitary body formed with a base and a centrally located guide extending upwardly from said base, said guide formed with a bore having a longitudinal axis extending generally perpendicular to said base, said base having a plurality of holes therethrough outside said guide and circumferentially spaced around said axis, said body being formed with a wall extending upwardly from said base in the region of said holes to an upper rim, the inner surface of said wall inclined outwardly from said base toward said rim, a plurality of grooves in said inner surface extending from said rim respectively into said holes, a plurality of elongated syrup nozzles, each of said nozzles having a central passage with a longitudinal axis, an external surface with a generally circular cross-sectional shape and a positioning shoulder formed along the length thereof, each of said grooves having a generally semicircular cross-sectional shape whereby each of said grooves is adapted to receive one of said nozzles with the shoulder thereof in engagement with said rim to position said nozzle along the length of said groove, means for releaseably securing said nozzles in said grooves, a beverage principal constituent supply fitting having a passage with a longitudinal axis and a shoulder and adapted to be received in said guide with the guide axis generally coincident with the fitting axis and with said shoulder in engagement with the upper end of said guide, and means mounting said body in said machine at a position adjacent to said delivery location with said nozzle axes intersecting said fitting axis at a predetermined angle and at a predetermined point above a cup at said delivery location.

3. In a drink machine for selectively delivering one of a plurality of beverages each having a principal constituent and a selected flavoring constituent to a cup positioned at a delivery location at which the cup is accessible to a customer, apparatus including a unitary body formed with a base and a centrally located guide extending upwardly from said base, said guide formed with a bore having a longitudinal axis extending generally perpendicular to said base, said base having a plurality of holes therethrough outside said guide and circumferentially spaced around said axis, said body being formed with a wall extending upwardly from said base in the region of said holes to an upper rim, the inner surface of said wall inclined outwardly from said base toward said rim, a plurality of grooves in said inner surface extending from said rim respectively into said holes, a plurality of elongated syrup nozzles, each of said nozzles having a central passage with a longitudinal axis, an external surface with a generally circular cross-sectional shape and a positioning shoulder formed along the length thereof, each of said grooves having a generally semicircular cross-sectional shape whereby each of said grooves is adapted to receive one of said nozzles with the shoulder thereof in engagement with said rim to position said nozzle along the length of said groove, means for releasably securing said nozzles in said grooves, and means mounting said body in said machine at a position adjacent to said delivery location with said nozzle axes intersecting said guide axis at a predetermined angle and at a predetermined point above a cup at said delivery location.

4. In a drink machine for selectively delivering one of a plurality of beverages each having a principal constituent and a selected flavoring constituent to a cup positioned at a delivery location at which the cup is accessible to a customer, apparatus including a unitary body formed with a base and a centrally located guide extending upwardly from said base, said guide formed with a bore having a longitudinal axis extending generally perpendicular to said base, said base having a plurality of holes therethrough outside said guide and circumferentially spaced around said axis, said body being formed with a wall extending upwardly from said base in the region of said holes to an upper rim, the inner surface of said wall inclined inwardly from said rim toward said base, a plurality of grooves in said inner surface extending from said rim respectively into said holes, a plurality of elongated syrup nozzles, each of said nozzles having a central passage with a longitudinal axis and an external surface with a generally circular cross-sectional shape, each of said grooves having a generally semicircular cross-sectional shape whereby each of said grooves is adapted to receive one of said nozzles, means for releasably securing said nozzles in said grooves, and means mounting said body in said machine at a position adjacent to said delivery location with said nozzle axes intersecting said guide axis at a predetermined angle and at a predetermined point above a cup at said delivery location.

5. In a drink machine for selectively delivering one of a plurality of beverages, each having a principal constituent and a selected flavoring constituent to a cup positioned at a delivery location at which the cup is accessible to a customer, apparatus including a unitary body formed with a base having a plurality of circumferentially spaced holes therethrough, said body being formed with a wall extending upwardly from said base in the region of said holes to an upper rim, the inner surface of said wall inclined inwardly from said rim toward said base, a plurality of grooves in said inner surface extending from said rim respectively into said holes, a plurality of elongated syrup nozzles, each of said nozzles having a central passage with a longitudinal axis and an external surface with a generally circular cross-sectional shape, each of said grooves having a generally semi-circular cross-sectional shape whereby each of said grooves is adapted to receive one of said nozzles, means for releasably securing said nozzles in said grooves, and means mounting said body in said machine at a position adjacent to said delivery location with said nozzle axes intersecting at a predetermined angle and at a predetermined point above a cup at said delivery location.

6. In a drink machine for selectively delivering one of a plurality of beverages each having a principal constituent and a selected flavoring constituent to a cup positioned at a delivery location at which the cup is accessible to a customer, apparatus including a unitary body formed with a base, said base having a plurality of circumferentially spaced holes therein and said body being formed with a wall extending upwardly from said base in the region of said holes to an upper rim, the inner surface of said wall inclined inwardly from said rim toward said base, a plurality of grooves in said inner surface extending from said rim respectively into said holes, a plurality of elongated syrup nozzles, each of said nozzles having a central passage with a longitudinal axis, an external surface with a certain cross-sectional shape, each of said grooves having a cross-sectional shape corresponding to a part of the cross-sectional shape of said nozzles whereby each of said grooves is adapted to receive one of said nozzles, means for releasably securing said nozzles in said grooves, and means mounting said body in said machine at a position adjacent to said delivery location with said nozzle axes intersecting at a predetermined angle and at a predetermined point above a cup at said delivery station.

7. In a drink machine for dispensing a beverage having a principal constituent and a flavoring constituent in a cup positioned at a delivery location at which the cup is accessible to a customer, apparatus including a beverage principal component delivery tube having a longitudinal axis, means positioning said tube in said machine adjacent to said delivery location with the axis thereof extending toward the inside of a cup at said location to deliver said principal constituent to said cup, an elongated flavoring constituent nozzle having a central passage with a longitudinal axis and having an exterior cross-sectional shape of a predetermined configuration, said nozzle having a locating shoulder on the outer surface thereof, a nozzle support member, means mounting said support member in said machine adjacent said delivery location, an elongated passage in said support member, said passage having a cross-sectional shape conforming to a portion of that of said nozzle, said passage having a longitudinal axis which intersects said tube axis, said passage adapted to receive said nozzle, said shoulder adapted to engage said support at one end of said passage to locate said nozzle on said support, and means for releasably retaining said nozzle in said passage.

8. In a drink machine for dispensing a beverage having a principal constituent and a flavoring constituent in a cup positioned at a delivery location at which the cup is accessible to a customer, apparatus including an elongated flavoring constituent nozzle having a central passage with a longitudinal axis and having an exterior cross-sectional shape of a predetermined configuration, said nozzle having a locating shoulder on the outer surface thereof, a nozzle support member, means mounting said support member in said machine adjacent said delivery location, an elongated passage in said support member, said passage having a cross-sectional shape conforming to a portion of that of said nozzle, said passage adapted to receive said nozzle, said shoulder adapted to engage said support at one end of said passage to locate said nozzle on said support, and means for releasably retaining said nozzle in said passage.

9. In a drink machine for selectively delivering one of a plurality of beverages, each having a principal constituent and a selected flavoring constituent to a cup which is positioned at a delivery location at which the cup is accessible to a customer, an integrally molded principal constituent supply fitting and syrup constituent supply nozzle support body comprising a base, a centrally located guide extending upwardly from said base, said guide formed with a bore having a longitudinal axis extending generally perpendicular to said base, said base having a plurality of holes therein outside said guide and circumferentially spaced around said axis, said body being formed with a wall extending upwardly from said base in the region of said holes to an upper rim, the inner surface of said wall tapering inwardly from said rim toward said base and a plurality of grooves in said inner surface extending from said rim respectively into said openings, said grooves having longitudinal axes which intersect said guide axis at a predetermined point.

10. In a drink machine for selectively delivering one of a plurality of beverages each having a principal constituent and a selected flavoring constituent to a cup which is positioned at a delivery location at which the cup is accessible to a customer, an integrally molded support body comprising a base, a centrally located opening having an axis generally perpendicular to said base, said base having a plurality of openings therein outside said guide and circumferentially spaced around said axis, said body being formed with a wall extending upwardly from said base in the region of said holes to an upper rim, the inner surface of said wall tapering inwardly from said rim toward said base and a plurality of grooves in said inner surface extending from said rim respectively into said openings, said grooves having longitudinal axes which intersect said opening axis at a predetermined point.

11. In a drink machine for selectively delivering one of a plurality of beverages each having a principal constituent and a selected flavoring constituent to a cup which is positioned at a delivery location at which the cup is accessible to a customer, a support body comprising a base having a plurality of spaced openings therein, said body being formed with a wall extending upwardly from said base in the region of said holes to an upper rim, the inner surface of said wall tapering inwardly from said rim toward said base and a plurality of grooves in said inner surface extending from said rim respectively into said openings, said grooves having longitudinal axes which intersect at a predetermined point with relation to a cup positioned at said delivery location.