Fluid dose-measuring device

• US 8,881,958 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2010
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intelligent Coffee Company, LLC, IPN IP B.V.
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Coffee Company, LLC
• Inventors: Hoonaard, Paul van den
• Primary Examiner(s): Buechner, Patrick M
• Application Number:
  US13/501,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20120261441A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,427 Days
• Field of Search: 222/129.3, 222/325, 222/333, 222/504, 222/509, 251/129.15, 251/129.21
• US Class Current: 222/504
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 11/021 of the piston type G01F11/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 11/029 provided with electric controlling means G01F11/022 and G01F11/024 take precedence

Abstract

A fluid dose-measuring device adapted to be releasably received in a dispensing apparatus having an electromagnetic coil includes a housing with an outlet passage and a connector part defining an inlet passage, the housing forming an internal chamber which is in fluid communication with the inlet passage and the outlet passage, and the connector part being connectable to a fluid container; a piston moveably arranged in the chamber of the housing for reciprocating motion between a closed position in which a flow from the inlet passage to the outlet passage is prevented and an open position in which a flow from the inlet passage to the outlet passage is allowed, the piston comprising a ferromagnetic actuation part for electromagnetic actuation of the piston by the electromagnetic coil, where the actuation part is arranged in an outer body.

Claims

1. A fluid dose-measuring device adapted to be releasably received in a dispensing apparatus having an electromagnetic coil, the device comprising:

a housing with an outlet passage and a connector part defining an inlet passage, said housing forming an internal chamber that is in fluid communication with the inlet passage and the outlet passage, and said connector part being connectable to a fluid container;

a piston moveably arranged in the internal chamber of the housing for reciprocating motion between a closed position in which a fluid flow from the inlet passage to the outlet passage is prevented and an open position in which a fluid flow from the inlet passage to the outlet passage is allowed, said piston comprising a ferromagnetic actuation part for electromagnetic actuation of the piston by the electromagnetic coil,

the piston further comprises an outer body made of plastic, the outer body comprising a protrusion to sealingly engage with the outlet passage in the closed position, and said ferromagnetic actuation part is arranged in the outer body such that the outer body encapsulates said ferromagnetic actuation part and prevents contact between said ferromagnetic actuation part and said fluid flow through the internal chamber of the housing, wherein the outer body and the outlet passage have respective sealing surfaces engaging with each other in the closed position, and the sealing surface of the outlet passage extends to an exterior surface of the housing.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a peripheral wall, a bottom wall, and a top wall, said outlet passage being situated in the bottom wall, and said connector part being attached to the top wall, wherein the inlet passage extends from the top wall to a free end of the connector part.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the peripheral wall forms a tubular housing, and wherein the inlet passage and outlet passage are aligned with a longitudinal axis of the tubular housing.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the plastic outer body has an internal passage to allow fluid to flow from an inlet side of the piston proximal to the inlet passage to an outlet side of the piston proximal to the outlet passage.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the outer body has one or more non-return valves in the internal passage that only allow fluid flow only from the inlet side of the piston to the outlet side of the piston.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the outer body of the piston is composed of two plastic outer body parts that in an assembled state encapsulate the actuation part.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein one plastic outer body part of the two plastic outer body parts has a cup shape with a cavity to receive the ferromagnetic actuation part, and the other plastic outer body part is configured to close off the cavity.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the housing is composed of two housing parts, one housing part comprising the outlet passage and the other housing part comprising the inlet passage.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the piston is spring loaded by a spring element urging the piston towards the closed position.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the spring element is a compression spring.

11. The device according to claim 9, wherein the spring element is a coil spring.

12. The device according to claim 9, wherein the plastic outer body of the piston comprises a stem extending into the inlet passage, and wherein the spring element is provided around the stem.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein the housing is composed of two housing parts, one housing part comprising the outlet passage and the other housing part comprising the inlet passage, the housing part comprising the outlet passage is composed of the peripheral wall and the bottom wall, and the other housing part is composed of the top wall and connector part.

14. In combination a fluid dose-measuring device and a fluid container, wherein

the fluid dose-measuring device is adapted to be releasably received in a dispensing apparatus having an electromagnetic coil and comprises:

a housing with an outlet passage and a connector part defining an inlet passage, and said housing forming an internal chamber that is in fluid communication with the inlet passage and the outlet passage;

a piston moveably arranged in the internal chamber of the housing for reciprocating motion between a closed position in which a fluid flow from the inlet passage to the outlet passage is prevented and an open position in which a fluid flow from the inlet passage to the outlet passage is allowed, said piston comprising a ferromagnetic actuation part for electromagnetic actuation of the piston by the electromagnetic coil and an outer body made of plastic, said ferromagnetic actuation part is arranged in the plastic outer body such that the plastic outer body encapsulates said ferromagnetic actuation part and prevents contact between said ferromagnetic actuation part and said fluid flow through the internal chamber of the housing; and

said connector part is connected to the fluid container and the connector part has a first connection position and second connection position relative to the fluid container, in the first connection position the connector part is pre-assembled to the fluid container and fluid communication between the fluid container and the device is blocked, and in the second connection position the connector part is in fluid communication with the device, and the connector part is configured to move between the first connection position and the second connection position by a relative rotation with respect to the fluid container about an axis parallel to a longitudinal direction of the connector part.

15. The combination according to claim 14, wherein the connector part is a male connector part and the fluid container comprises a female connector part, and wherein the dose-measuring device is connected to the fluid container by introduction of the male connector part into the female connector part.

16. A dispensing system comprising:

an electromagnetic coil;

a controller to drive the coil;

a dose-measuring device receivable by the solenoid coil;

and a fluid container connected to the dose-measuring device,

the dose-measuring device comprising;

a housing with an outlet passage and a connector part defining an inlet passage, said housing forming an internal chamber that is in fluid communication with the inlet passage and the outlet passage, and said connector part being connectable to a fluid container;

a piston moveably arranged in the internal chamber of the housing for reciprocating motion between a closed position in which a fluid flow from the inlet passage to the outlet passage is prevented and an open position in which a fluid flow from the inlet passage to the outlet passage is allowed, said piston comprising a ferromagnetic actuation part for electromagnetic actuation of the piston by the coil,

the piston further comprises an outer body made of plastic, the outer body comprising a protrusion to sealingly engage with the outlet passage in the closed position, and said ferromagnetic actuation part is arranged in the outer body such that the outer body encapsulates said ferromagnetic actuation part and prevents contact between said ferromagnetic actuation part and said fluid flow through the internal chamber of the housing, wherein the outer body and the outlet passage have respective sealing surfaces engaging with each other in the closed position, and the sealing surface of the outlet passage extends to an exterior surface of the housing.

17. A dispensing system comprising:

an electromagnetic coil;

a controller to drive the coil;

a dose-measuring device receivable by the solenoid coil;

and a fluid container connected to the dose-measuring device,

the dose-measuring device comprising a housing with an outlet passage and a connector part defining an inlet passage, and said housing forming an internal chamber that is in fluid communication with the inlet passage and the outlet passage;

a piston moveably arranged in the internal chamber of the housing for reciprocating motion between a closed position in which a fluid flow from the inlet passage to the outlet passage is prevented and an open position in which a fluid flow from the inlet passage to the outlet passage is allowed, said piston comprising a ferromagnetic actuation part for electromagnetic actuation of the piston by the electromagnetic coil and an outer body made of plastic, said ferromagnetic actuation part is arranged in the outer body such that the outer body encapsulates said ferromagnetic actuation part and prevents contact between said ferromagnetic actuation part and said fluid flow through the internal chamber of the housing; and

said connector part has a first connection position and second connection position relative to the fluid container, in the first connection position the connector part is pre-assembled to the fluid container and fluid communication between the fluid container and the device is blocked, and in the second connection position the connector part is in fluid communication with the device, and the connector part is configured to move between the first connection position and the second connection position by a relative rotation with respect to the fluid container about an axis parallel to a longitudinal direction of the connector part.