×

Liquid concentrate/extract beverage dispenser with replaceable concentrate/extract cartridge

  • US 7,614,524 B2
  • Filed: 02/11/2005
  • Issued: 11/10/2009
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2004
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
Patent Images

1. A beverage dispenser comprising:

  • a housing including a dispensing area for dispensing a beverage into a container;

    at least one of a pump and a control valve in communication with a source of diluent which is to be dispensed into the dispensing area;

    a cartridge receiving area in the housing;

    an electromagnetic dispensing actuator located in the cartridge receiving area in the housing;

    a concentrate/extract cartridge comprising a collapsible hollow body for containing liquid concentrate/extract that is connected to a cartridge dispensing tube having an internal pumping device located therein, the internal pumping device including a piston located in the tube that moves via a non-contact, electromagnetic drive from the dispensing actuator between a top position and a bottom position to pump a metered amount of a liquid concentrate/extract from the collapsible hollow body per piston stroke, the concentrate/extract cartridge being removably insertable into the cartridge receiving area in a position to be actuated by the dispensing actuator, and the dispensing tube includes a dispensing aperture positioned to dispense the concentrate/extract into the dispensing area upon placement of the concentrate/extract cartridge in the cartridge receiving area; and

    a controller located in the housing to control the actuator to discharge concentrate/extract from the cartridge by externally actuating the internal pumping device for a determined number of strokes per unit volume of diluent based on a user input for a desired beverage strength and to control the at least one of the pump and the control valve to discharge diluent so that the concentrate/extract and diluent are dispensed into the dispensing area to form the beverage with the desired strength.

View all claims
  • 2 Assignments
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×