Patent ID: 8210396
Filing Date: 2012-07-03
Classification: A47J,A47L,Y10T

Abstract:
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.