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

  • US 8,210,396 B2
  • Filed: 05/02/2008
  • Issued: 07/03/2012
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2005
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An appliance including a dispenser for a liquid and comprising:

  • a housing including a dispensing area for dispensing a fluid;

    a cartridge receiving area in the housing;

    an electromagnetic dispensing actuator located in the housing;

    a concentrate/extract cartridge removably insertable into the cartridge receiving area in a position to be actuated by the dispensing actuator, the concentrate/extract cartridge adapted to hold a fluid to be dispensed into the dispensing area after placement into the cartridge receiving area, the concentrate/extract cartridge comprising;

    a hollow body adapted to contain the fluid to be dispensed;

    a dispensing tube connected to the hollow body;

    a piston located in the dispensing tube; and

    a valve having a first end connected to the piston or extending through an opening in the piston, a valve stem that passes through a port of a valve seat connected to the dispensing tube, the port defining a flow passage through the dispensing tube, and a valve body located at a second end of the valve stem in removable contact with the valve seat, for alternately opening and closing the port; and

    a controller located in the housing to control the actuator to discharge the fluid to be dispensed from the cartridge;

    wherein the piston has a piston flow through area, corresponding to a flow area of through apertures in the piston added to a flow area through an annular gap between the outer perimeter of the piston and an interior surface of the dispensing tube, of between 20% to 40% of a flow area defined by the interior surface of the dispensing tube, and the through apertures have a depth which is three to five times their respective width.

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