Multiple flavor post-mix beverage dispensing head

• US 4,932,564 A
• Filed: 05/20/1988
• Issued: 06/12/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cornelius Co. (Minnesota) (IMI PLC)
• Original Assignee: Cornelius Co. (Minnesota) (IMI PLC)
• Inventors: Long, Jerry A., Willard, executrix, Austin, deceased, Forrest L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huppert, Michael S.
• Application Number:
  US07/196,413
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 222/129.1-129.4, 222/132, 222/144.5, 222/145, 222/504, 234/461, 234/468, 234/469-470, 234/398, 234/407, 234/432
• US Class Current: 222/129.1
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0044 for mixing inside the dispensing nozzle
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0085 electro-mechanical

Abstract

A two flavor post-mix carbonated beverage dispensing head has a mounting block and valve body with a treble quick disconnect for water and two syrups, three flow controls in a first triangular structure, three valves and solenoids in a second triangular structure, sonic welded thermoplastic syrup tubes from the flow controls to the valves, and a unique mixing nozzle structure that brings either of the syrups and water convergently together.

Claims

1. A multiple flavor post-mix beverage dispensing head comprising

(a) a valve body having a water inlet, a pair of discrete syrup inlets, a water port from the water inlet to a water outlet, a pair of discrete syrup ports which discretely lead to a pair of discrete and spaced apart syrup outlets, and a valve seat in each port;

(b) a normally closed valve element on each valve seat and a discrete solenoid for each valve element, each solenoid being mounted on top of the body;

(c) a single mixing nozzle under the water outlet and both of the syrup outlets;

with

(d) said water and syrup outlets, said water and syrup valve seats, said water and syrup valves, and said solenoids all being in a triangular structure above the nozzle.

2. The beverage dispensing head of claim 1, including:

a water flow rate control mounted in the body and fluidly in the water port,

a pair of discrete syrup flow rate controls mounted in the body and one each fluidly in a respective syrup port,

said flow rate controls being mounted on the top of said body immediately behind the solenoids, and being in a triangular structure nested into the triangular structure of the solenoids.

3. The beverage dispensing head of claim 2, in which the water solenoid and the water flow rate control are at the front of their respective triangular structures.

4. The beverage dispensing head of claim 2, in which the water valve, the water solenoid and the water flow control are in a fore-aft center-line of the body;

in which the syrup valves, the syrup solenoids and the syrup flow controls are split one each on each transverse side of the body;

in which the water port extends for and aft in the body, between the syrup flow controls with the syrup ports being spaced transversely from the water ports; and

including a quick disconnect mounting block having self closing water and syrup disconnect valves sealed to the water and syrup inlets respectfully, said syrup inlets and disconnect valves being on a common horizontal plane and said water inlet and disconnect valve being vertically offset from said plane.

5. A multiple flavor post-mix beverage dispensing head comprising of:

(a) a valve body having a water inlet, at least two discrete syrup inlets, a water port from the water inlet to a water outlet, discrete syrup ports which lead from the syrup inlets to respective syrup outlets, and a valve seat in each port;

(b) a single nozzle underneath the water and syrup outlets; and

(c) at least two of said ports being on the outside of said body and being enclosed and defined in port by initially discrete covers permanently welded to and made an integral part of the body.

6. The dispensing head of claim 5, in which the water port is transversely in between the covers.

7. The dispensing head of claim 6, in which the covers are on opposite sides of the valve body.

8. The dispensing head of claim 5, in which each cover extends from a body housing for a syrup flow rate control to a body housing for the respective syrup valve seat.

9. The dispensing head of claim 8, in which a portion of the body surrounding an elongate and fore-aft length of the water port forms a central fore-aft structural element of the valve body, and syrup port base plates and the covers jointly form side fore-aft structural elements of the valve body.

10. A multiple flavor post-mix beverage dispensing head, comprising:

(a) a valve body having a water inlet, a pair of discrete syrup inlets, a water port from the water inlet to a water outlet, and a pair of discrete syrup ports which discretely lead to a pair of discrete and spaced apart syrup outlets;

(b) a normally closed valve in each port, said valves being on top of said outlets;

(c) a bottom cover mounted to said body, said cover having

(1) a generally planar bottom skirt covering an underside of the body,

(2) generally vertical discrete water and syrup outlet ports fluidly connected to the respective water and syrup outlets of the body, and

(3) nozzle securing structure;

(d) outlet seals fluid tightly sealing the cover outlet ports to the body outlets;

(e) a mixing nozzle secured to said bottom cover by said securing structures, said water and syrup outlet ports converging from the body to the nozzle; and

(f) outlet journals in said body accepting cover outlet tubes of said cover therein, said outlet tubes having a cover portion of the outlet ports and said outlet seals therein, and in which said body has an uppermost portion of said outlet ports, said outlet journals and said cover outlet tubes and said cover portion of the outlet ports being convergently eccentric from the uppermost portions of said outlet ports.

11. The dispensing head of claim 10, including lower syrup tubes sealed to the bottom of said cover outlet tubes, said syrup tubes and lowermost portions of the syrup outlet ports in said syrup tubes being convergently eccentric from said cover outlet tubes.

12. The dispensing head of claim 10 wherein said bottom cover has a mix chamber roof above the nozzle and the syrup outlets, said water outlet opening into the nozzle at said mix chamber roof.

13. In a multiple flavor post-mix beverage dispensing head having a body, a water valve fluidly connectible to a source of water, at least two discrete syrup valves individually fluidly connectible to discrete sources of discrete syrups, a single mixing nozzle, and a water outlet port from the water valve to the nozzle, the improvement comprising:

(a) a pair of generally vertical syrup outlet ports, said ports extending downwardly into the nozzle and being off center within the nozzle;

(b) a syrup diffuser at the outlet end of each syrup port;

(c) a syrup deflector surface on each diffuser, each deflector surface being focused toward a far side of the nozzle; and

in which

(d) said outlet ports are extended through syrup tubes integrally mounted to a water diffusion disc, said disc and syrup tubes being in an H-shape.

14. The improvement of claim 13, in which said syrup outlets are in a triangular arrangement with a mix chamber water outlet, said syrup outlets being spaced about the chamber water outlet.

15. The improvement of claim 13, in which each deflector surface is focused so that syrup is sprayed below the other deflector surface.

16. The improvement of claim 13, in which each diffuser is generally D-shaped with the flat side of the D-shape being backed up against an inner surface of the nozzle, and with the syrup deflector surface being on the rounded side of the D-shape.

17. In a post-mix beverage dispensing head having a body, a water valve fluidly connectible to a source of water, a syrup valve fluidly connectible to a source of syrup, a mixing nozzle and a water outlet into the nozzle, an improved syrup diffuser within the nozzle and having:

(a) a generally vertical syrup outlet port having downward facing outlet end;

(b) a syrup diffuser plug at the outlet port;

(c) outwardly sloped syrup deflector surfaces on said plug and below the level of the outlet port, said outlet end and said deflector surfaces forming a syrup outlet into the mix nozzle;

wherein

(d) said syrup outlet port is within and through a syrup tube extending through a disc shaped water diffusion disc, said diffuser plug being welded to said syrup tube.

18. The improvement of claim 17, wherein said tube is generally D-shaped, and said diffuser is generally D-shaped and is radially indexed into the syrup tube.

19. A multiple flavor post-mix beverage dispensing head comprising:

(a) a valve body having a water inlet and a water port extending from the inlet to a water outlet, a pair of discrete syrup inlets and a pair of discrete syrup ports extending from the respective syrup inlets to respective syrup outlets;

said syrup inlets being on a common horizontal plane and said water inlet being positioned between said syrup inlets and vertically spaced from said horizontal plane;

(b) a normally closed valve in each of the ports;

(c) a single mixing nozzle under the water and syrup outlets;

(d) a guide pin extending from a back side of the valve body, said pin being above said horizontal plane and having a lock abutment;

(e) a quick disconnect mounting block removably secured to the back side of the body, said block having;

(1) a complementary water outlet and a pair of syrup outlets fluid tightly sealed to the respective water and syrup inlets of the body;

(2) a normally closed disconnect valve in each block outlet, each disconnect valve being held open by an abutment in each respective inlet, and

(3) a lock on the top side of the block engaging the pin abutment and locking the pin to the block; and

(f) means on the undersides of the head and underneath the valve body and the block for latching the body to the block.

20. In a multiple flavor post-mix beverage dispensing head having a body, a water valve fluidly connectible to a source of water, at least two discrete syrup valves individually fluidly connectible to discrete sources of discrete syrups, a single mixing nozzle, and a water outlet port from the water valve to the nozzle, the improvement comprising:

(a) a pair of generally vertical syrup outlet ports, said ports extending downwardly into the nozzle and being off center within the nozzle;

(b) a syrup diffuser at the outlet end of each syrup port;

(c) a syrup deflector surface on each diffuser, each deflector surface being focused toward a far side of the nozzle; and

in which

(d) said diffusers are initially discrete components welded into syrup tubes forming the syrup ports.