Cabinet and supporting frame for liquid dispensing system with removable reservoir and hot tank

• US 5,695,094 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 12/09/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sunroc Corporation (Oasis Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Elkay Manufacturing Company (Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corp.)
• Inventors: Saar, Robin R., Wendt, David W., Alstad, Knute, Donselman, Edward H., Burnham, Lowell C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kashnikow, Andres
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bomberg, Kenneth
• Application Number:
  US08/472,814
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• Field of Search: 222/609, 222/146.1, 222/146.5, 222/146.6, 222/185, 62/389, 62/390, 62/394, 62/395, 312/264
• US Class Current: 222/146.1
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 3/00 Apparatus or devices for controlling flow of liquids under gravity from storage containers for dispensing purposes separating and dispensing metered quantities of liquids G01F
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 3/0009 provided with cooling arrangements cooling perse F25
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 3/0032 the bottle or container being held upside down and provided with a closure, e.g. a cap, adapted to cooperate with a feed tube

Abstract

A readily disassemblable cabinet for a liquid dispensing system includes a supporting frame assembly having a base plate and a shelf, and further includes readily removable front, rear, and side panels and a separately removable top support and top panel. Readily removable metal rods are provided to secure individual base, shelf and top support components to the frame assembly. Such rods permit the quick removal of the system components and thus facilitate routine maintenance of the liquid dispensing system while minimizing the number of tools required to service the unit. The upper surface of the shelf supports a readily removable reservoir and the underside of the shelf is formed with brackets for receiving cross pins which removably support a hot tank for pivotal and translational movement toward and away from a valved waterway suspended below the reservoir.

Claims

1. A liquid dispensing device including a cabinet housing a liquid reservoir and valve means for dispensing liquid from the reservoir, said cabinet comprising, in combination,

a base, a top support, a back member having lower and upper ends, and a front panel having lower and upper ends,

means for securing the base and top support to the lower and upper ends, respectively, of the back member and the front panel to form a substantially rigid, open sided, rectangular structure, wherein the means for securing the base to the lower end of the front panel and the means for securing the top support to the upper ends of the back member and the front panel each includes a slidably removable cross pin dimensioned for insertion in openings formed at the respective corners of said rectangular structure,

said back member and said front panel each having side edges and first connecting means disposed on said side edges,

at least one side panel having second connecting means disposed and dimensioned for cooperation with said first connecting means for detachably connecting said side panel to said structure to close at least one of said open sides,

and means within said cabinet for removably supporting said reservoir.

2. A liquid dispensing device as defined in claim 1 wherein the means for removably supporting said reservoir includes an intermediate support shelf molded of plastic material, and means for securing the support shelf to the back member.

3. A liquid dispensing device as defined in claim 2 including a plurality of interfitting dovetail elements molded respectively into the plastic material of the shelf and the back member.

4. A liquid dispensing device as defined in claim 3 wherein the means for securing the shelf to the back member includes a pair of opposite-side gussets having snap-fitting connector elements, and the side edges of the shelf and the back member are formed with means for receiving said snap-fitting connector elements.

5. A liquid dispensing device as defined in claim 3 including means for securing the shelf to the front panel including a slidably removable cross pin dimensioned for insertion in openings formed in the shelf and the front panel.

6. A liquid dispensing device as defined in claim 2 wherein said reservoir is removably mounted on and supported by the upper surface of said shelf and said reservoir includes a plurality of outlet fittings and said valve means includes a plurality of inlet coupling portions dimensioned for slidably receiving and sealingly engaging said respective reservoir outlet fittings in press-fit connecting relation.

7. A liquid dispensing device as defined in claim 6 including a removable hot tank disposed below said reservoir, said shelf and said valve means, said hot tank having inlet and outlet fittings at the top thereof, and said valve means including cooperating coupling portions dimensioned for slidably receiving and sealingly engaging said inlet and outlet fittings of said hot tank in press-fit connecting relation.

8. A liquid dispensing device as defined in claim 7 including means for pivotally mounting said hot tank in said cabinet so that said inlet and outlet fittings of said hot tank may be selectively swung into and out of sealing engagement with said cooperating coupling portions of said valve means.

9. A liquid dispensing device as defined in claim 8 wherein said pivotal mounting means for said hot tank also defines means for permitting limited translational movement of said hot tank toward and away from said valve means in order to facilitate removal of said valve means when said hot tank is pivoted down and moved away from said valve means.

10. A liquid dispensing device as defined in claim 7 wherein said hot tank includes mounting arms and including means for removably mounting said hot tank on said shelf below said reservoir and said valve means, said removable mounting means including at least one slidably removable cross pin dimensioned for insertion in openings formed in said shelf and said hot tank mounting arms.

11. A liquid dispensing device as defined in claim 10 including a plurality of slidably removable cross pins, one of said cross pins forming a pivotal mounting for swinging said hot tank toward and away from said valve means and another of said cross pins being operative to hold said hot tank with said inlet and outlet fittings in engagement with said cooperating coupling portions of said valve means.

12. A liquid dispensing device as defined in claim 11 wherein said shelf is provided with means for permitting translational movement as well as pivotal movement of said one cross pin to permit said hot tank to be pivoted down and moved away from said valve means.