Dual compartment beverage dispenser

• US 5,779,102 A
• Filed: 02/12/1997
• Issued: 07/14/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dennis Smith
• Original Assignee: Dennis Smith
• Inventors: Smith, Dennis
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaver, Kevin P.
• Application Number:
  US08/799,583
• Time in Patent Office: 517 Days
• Field of Search: 222/129, 222/144.5, 222/472, 222/473, 222/475.1, 222/484
• US Class Current: 222/144.5
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 19/12 Vessels or pots for table use
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 2019/122 for holding and dispensing a plurality of different liquids

Abstract

A beverage dispenser includes a beverage container assembly combined by two single chamber containers, in which each single chamber container has an internal chamber and a predetermined access opening on a top, whereby the access openings are concealed and enclosed by a top closure cap assembly. The top closure cap assembly provides each single chamber container with a spout opening and at least one air holes. The top closure cap assembly further installed with at least one air tight shut off device for selectively shutting off at least one spout opening and one air hole. Whereby the improved beverage dispenser has relatively simple and low cost structure for enabling the user to selectively serve two kinds of beverage received within the two single chamber containers respectively at a time by a single hand operation for bringing great conveniences for standard households or businesses.

Claims

1. A dual compartment beverage dispenser, comprising:

a first single chamber container having a first internal chamber and a second single chamber container having a second internal chamber, wherein said first and second single chamber containers are combined to form a beverage container assembly which has a top securing neck having a first and a second access opening for said first and second internal chambers respectively;

a top closure cap assembly, which is secured to said top securing neck of said beverage container assembly in air tight manner to seal off said first and second single chamber containers, comprising a U-shaped bottom cover with an inner threaded portion for screwing with an outer threaded portion of said top securing neck so as to secure said top closure cap assembly with said beverage container assembly, a conical top spout having a periphery lip wall upwardly and inclinedly extended from said bottom cover, and a horizontal cover wall integrally formed between said bottom cover and said top spout for covering said first and second access openings of said first and second internal chambers of said first and second single chamber containers respectively, so as to provide an air tight concealing between said first single chamber container, said second single chamber container and said top closure cap assembly, in which said cover wall has a first and a second spout opening and a first and a second air hole, wherein said first spout opening and said first air hole are respectively formed in a front and a rear position of a first half of said cover wall above said first access opening of said first single chamber container, and that said second spout opening and said second air hole are respectively formed in a front and a rear position of a second half of said cover wall above said second access opening of said second single chamber container, said top closure cap assembly further comprising a L-shaped handle which is composed of a handle support bar integrally extended upwardly and inclinedly from an edge of said bottom cover and a grip handle integrally extended downwardly and perpendicularly from said handle support bar; and

a shut off device which comprises a switching arm having a horizontal front cap arm portion and an inclined rear operating arm portion extended rearwardly from said front cap arm portion, said top spout providing an operation slot which has a width larger than a width of said switching arm and is formed on said lip wall at an intersection position of said lip wall and said handle support bar, said cap arm portion being extended through said operation slot to locate on said cover wall while said operating arm portion is extended along said handle support bar, in which said switching arm is incorporated with said top closure cap assembly by pivotally connecting said operating arm portion with said handle support bar of said handle by means of an axle pin, so that said cap arm portion is able to be actuated to move between a first position and a second position on said cover wall by switching said operating arm portion to left and right respectively, an enlarged shutting head being provided at a front end of said cap arm portion, wherein said cap arm portion and said shutting head which has a size slightly larger than said spout openings is adapted to be positioned between said first position, for overlapping and shutting off said first spout opening and said first air hole, and said second position, for overlapping and shutting off second spout opening and said second air hole, when said operating arm portion is driven to left and right alternatively.

2. A beverage dispenser, as recited in claim 1, in which a rear end of said operating arm portion of said switching arm further connects with an actuator head which is exteriorly positioned on said handle support rod.

3. A beverage dispenser, as recited in claim 2, in which said handle support rod of said handle further provides an arm receiving chamber extending rearwardly from said operation slot and an actuator slot thereon, so that said operating arm portion is received inside said receiving chamber and connected with said actuator head through said actuator slot.

4. A beverage dispenser, as recited in claim 1, in which, respective to the locations of said first and second spout openings and said first and second air holes, an opening sealing rubber and a hole sealing rubber are firmly attached to a bottom surface of said shutting head and a bottom surface of a predetermined position of said cap arm portion respectively for selectively shutting off said first and second spout openings and said first and second air holes in air tight sealing manner.

5. A beverage dispenser, as recited in claim 2, in which, respective to the locations of said first and second spout openings and said first and second air holes, an opening sealing rubber and a hole sealing rubber are firmly attached to a bottom surface of said shutting head and a bottom surface of a predetermined position of said cap arm portion respectively for selectively shutting off said first and second spout openings and said first and second air holes in air tight sealing manner.

6. A beverage dispenser, as recited in claim 3, in which, respective to the locations of said first and second spout openings and said first and second air holes, an opening sealing rubber and a hole sealing rubber are firmly attached to a bottom surface of said shutting head and a bottom surface of a predetermined position of said cap arm portion respectively for selectively shutting off said first and second spout openings and said first and second air holes in air tight sealing manner.

7. A beverage dispenser, as recited in claim 1, in which each of said first and second single chamber containers has an identical semi-circular cross section, on top of each of said first and second single chamber containers, a top neck portion being provided thereon, wherein a planar back wall is formed at a back side of each said first and said second single chamber container, so that said beverage container assembly is formed by colliding said two back walls of said first and second single chamber containers, in which said two top neck portions of said first and second single chamber containers are combined to form said top securing neck for securing with said top closure cap assembly.

8. A beverage dispenser, as recited in claim 2, in which each of said first and second single chamber containers has an identical semi-circular cross section, on top of each of said first and second single chamber containers, a top neck portion being provided thereon, wherein a planar back wall is formed at a back side of each said first and second single chamber container, so that said beverage container assembly is formed by colliding said two back walls of said first and second single chamber containers, in which said two top neck portions of said first and second single chamber containers are combined to form said top securing neck for securing with said top closure cap assembly.

9. A beverage dispenser, as recited in claim 3, in which each of said first and second single chamber containers has an identical semi-circular cross section, on top of each of said first and second single chamber containers, a top neck portion being provided thereon, wherein a planar back wall is formed at a back side of each said first and second single chamber container, so that said beverage container assembly is formed by colliding said two back walls of said first and second single chamber containers, in which said two top neck portions of said first and second single chamber containers are combined to form said top securing neck for securing with said top closure cap assembly.

10. A beverage dispenser, as recited in claim 4, in which each of said first and second single chamber containers has an identical semi-circular cross section, on top of each of said first and second single chamber containers, a top neck portion being provided thereon, wherein a planar back wall is formed at a back side of each said first and second single chamber container, so that said beverage container assembly is formed by colliding said two back walls of said first and second single chamber containers, in which said two top neck portions of said first and second single chamber containers are combined to form said top securing neck for securing with said top closure cap assembly.

11. A beverage dispenser, as recited in claim 5, in which each of said first and second single chamber containers has an identical semi-circular cross section, on top of each of said first and second single chamber containers, a top neck portion being provided thereon, wherein a planar back wall is formed at a back side of each said first and second single chamber container, so that said beverage container assembly is formed by colliding said two back walls of said first and second single chamber containers, in which said two top neck portions of said first and second single chamber containers are combined to form said top securing neck for securing with said top closure cap assembly.

12. A beverage dispenser, as recited in claim 7, in which a metal made base closure cap is firmly secured to a base portion constituted by two semi base portions of said first and second single chamber containers of said beverage container assembly for providing a secure holding of said two single chamber containers together.

13. A beverage dispenser, as recited in claim 9, in which a metal made base closure cap is firmly secured to a base portion constituted by two semi base portions of said first and second single chamber containers of said beverage container assembly for providing a secure holding of said two single chamber containers together.

14. A beverage dispenser, as recited in claim 11, in which a metal made base closure cap is firmly secured to a base portion constituted by two semi base portions of said first and second single chamber containers of said beverage container assembly for providing a secure holding of said two single chamber containers together.

15. A dual compartment beverage dispenser, comprising

a first single chamber container having a first internal chamber and a second single chamber container having a second internal chamber, wherein said first and second single chamber containers are combined to form a beverage container assembly which has a top securing neck having a first and a second top opening for said first and second internal chambers respectively;

a top closure cap assembly, which is secured to said top securing neck of said beverage container assembly in air tight manner to seal off said first and second single chamber containers, comprising a U-shaped bottom cover with an inner threaded portion for screwing with an outer threaded portion of said top securing neck so as to connect said top closure cap assembly with said beverage container assembly, a conical top spout having a periphery lip wall upwardly and inclinedly extended from said bottom cover, and a horizontal cover wall integrally formed between said bottom cover and said top spout for covering said first and second top openings of said first and second internal chambers of said first and second single chamber containers respectively, so as to provide an air tight concealing between said first single chamber container, said second single chamber container and said top closure cap assembly, in which said cover wall has a first and a second spout opening and a first and a second air hole, wherein said first spout opening and said first air hole are respectively formed in a front and a rear position of a first half of said cover wall above said first top opening of said first single chamber container, and that said second spout opening and said second air hole are respectively formed in a front and a rear position of a second half of said cover wall above said second top opening of said second single chamber container, said top closure cap assembly further comprising a handle; and

a shut off device comprising a first and a second sliding arms, in which said first and second sliding arms are able to be mobilized to slide back, each of said first and second sliding arms having a front cap arm portion positioned on said cover wall and a rear operating arm portion extending through an operation slot, which is provided on said top closure cap assembly, to said handle for connecting with a thumb pressing element which is supported by a revolving joint mounted on said handle, a first and a second pair of guider protrusions being provided on said cover wall for holding said first and second sliding arms in position respectively and for guiding a linear backward sliding motion of each of said first and second sliding arms respectively, wherein said backward sliding motion of each of said first and second sliding arms is actuated by a downward pressing force applied to said respective thumb pressing element.

16. A beverage dispenser, as recited in claim 15, said first single chamber container is a large body container having said top securing neck, said second single chamber container being a barrel body having a dimension fitted through said first top opening of said first single chamber container, said second single chamber container having a ring edge adapted for sealedly connecting with a sealing disc, in which said sealing disc, which has a same diameter as said top opening of said first single chamber container, is fittedly and firmly mounted on said first top opening of said top securing neck of said first single chamber container, so that said second single chamber container is disposed within said first single chamber container to form said beverage container assembly, and that said first internal chamber is defined between a wall of said first single chamber container and a wall of said second single chamber container, said second internal chamber being defined inside said second single chamber container, wherein said first top opening and said second access opening are provided on said sealing disc, said second top opening being aligned with said second top opening of said second internal chamber of said second single chamber container, and said first top opening being positioned right above said first top opening of said first internal chamber of said first single chamber container.

17. A beverage dispenser, as recited in claim 15, in which each of said first and second single chamber containers has an identical semi-circular cross section, on top of each of said first and second single chamber containers, a top neck portion being provided thereon, wherein a planar back wall is formed at a back side of each said first and said second single chamber container, so that said beverage container assembly is formed by colliding said two back walls of said first and second single chamber containers, in which said two top neck portions of said first and second single chamber containers are combined to form said top securing neck for securing with said top closure cap assembly.

18. A beverage dispenser, as recited in claim 17, in which a metal made base closure cap is firmly secured to a base portion constituted by two semi base portions of said first and second single chamber containers of said beverage container assembly for providing a secure holding of said two single chamber containers together.