Juice dispenser
First Claim
1. A juice dispenser to provide a known quantity of juice for each dispensing cycle, comprising:
- a supply of juice concentrate;
a hose;
a dispensing head connected to said supply of juice concentrate by said hose;
a pressure transducer connected to one of said hose and said dispensing head to provide pressure readings throughout a dispense cycle; and
controller means fora) receiving the pressure readings of the concentrate from said pressure transducer during a first despense cycle,b) summing the pressure readings from the first dispense cycle to provide a reference count,c) receiving a pressure reading from said pressure transducer during a subsequent dispense cycle to determine a viscosity of the concentrate,d) adjusting the reference count to an adjusted count value based upon the viscosity of the concentrate,e) receiving the pressure readings of the concentrate from said pressure transducer during the subsequent dispense cycle, andf) terminating the flow of concentrate when the summation of the pressure readings of the subsequent dispense cycle equals the adjusted count value.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A juice dispenser for providing a known quantity of juice at each dispensing cycle, wherein a supply of juice concentrate is transferred by a hose to a dispensing head and wherein a controller monitors a pressure transducer connected to one of the hose and a dispensing head so that the controller can determine a viscosity value of the juice concentrate based on readings of the pressure transducer and accordingly determine a count indicative of the volume of the juice concentrate dispensed in such a manner that the controller can adjust the count depending upon the viscosity value determined at each dispense cycle. The juice dispenser dispenses juice concentrate and water into cups supported by a thermally insulated tray wherein the tray has at least one cavity for receiving thermal material and which supports an insulation plate that carries the group of cups in such a manner that temperature variation is minimized so as to maintain the temperature of the juice within a desired range. The tray is constructed with nesting members so that multiple trays can be stacked upon one another.
46 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A juice dispenser to provide a known quantity of juice for each dispensing cycle, comprising:
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a supply of juice concentrate; a hose; a dispensing head connected to said supply of juice concentrate by said hose; a pressure transducer connected to one of said hose and said dispensing head to provide pressure readings throughout a dispense cycle; and controller means for a) receiving the pressure readings of the concentrate from said pressure transducer during a first despense cycle, b) summing the pressure readings from the first dispense cycle to provide a reference count, c) receiving a pressure reading from said pressure transducer during a subsequent dispense cycle to determine a viscosity of the concentrate, d) adjusting the reference count to an adjusted count value based upon the viscosity of the concentrate, e) receiving the pressure readings of the concentrate from said pressure transducer during the subsequent dispense cycle, and f) terminating the flow of concentrate when the summation of the pressure readings of the subsequent dispense cycle equals the adjusted count value. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. In combination, a juice dispenser to repeatedly provide a known quantity of juice concentrate at a predetermined range of temperature for each dispense cycle and a thermally insulated tray for carrying a group of cups filled with juice from the known quantity juice dispenser, comprising:
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a juice dispenser having a supply of juice concentrate and a supply of water; a dispensing head for dispensing said supply of juice to any number of cups; a chiller, connected between said supply of juice concentrate and said dispensing head, for lowering the temperature of said supply of juice concentrate to a predetermined range of temperature; a pressure transducer connected to said dispensing head to provide pressure readings throughout a dispense cycle; and controller means for a) receiving the pressure readings of the concentrate from said pressure transducer during a first dispense cycle, b) summing the pressure readings from the first dispense cycle to provide a reference count, c) receiving a pressure reading from said pressure transducer during a subsequent dispense cycle to determine a viscosity of the concentrate, d) adjusting the reference count to an adjusted count value based upon the viscosity of the concentrate, e) receiving the pressure readings of the concentrate from said pressure transducer during the subsequent dispense cycle, and f) terminating the flow of concentrate when the summation of the pressure readings of the subsequent dispense cycle equals the adjusted count value; and a thermally insulated tray having a stackable tray with at least one cavity for receiving a thermally conductive material, an insulation plate received within said stackable tray, said insulation plate having holes for receiving the cups, and a cover received on the top of said stackable tray to enclose and thermally insulate the group of juice filled cups. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A tray for thermally insulating a group of cups filled with juice from a juice dispenser, comprising:
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a stackable tray with at least one cavity for receiving a temperature conductive material, said stackable tray having a shoulder; an insulation plate detachably received within said stackable tray and resting upon just said shoulder, said insulation plate having a pluarity of holes where at least one of said holes receives a cup supported by said insulation plate; and a cover received on the top of said stackable tray to enclose and thermally insulate the group of cups. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A juice dispenser to provide a known quantity of juice at each dispensing cycle, comprising:
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a supply of juice concentrate; a hose; a dispensing head connected to said supply of juice concentrate by said hose; a pressure transducer connected to one of said hose and said dispensing head to provide pressure readings throughout a dispense cycle; and controller means for a) receiving the pressure readings of the concentrate from said pressure transducer during a first dispense cycle, b) summing the pressure readings from the first dispense cycle to provide a reference count, c) receiving the pressure readings of the concentrate from said pressure transducer during the subsequent dispense cycle, and d) terminating the flow of concentrate when the summation of the pressure readings of the subsequent dispense cycle equals the reference count. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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Specification