Abstract:
A beverage cooling system for an ice and beverage dispenser is characterized by a cold plate for mounting a carbonator tank. The cold plate is provided with carbonator tank supports for mounting the carbonator tank in intimate heat exchange contact with the cold plate, with the carbonator tank being mounted sufficiently far away from heat exchange surfaces of the cold plate that it does not interfere with ice contacting the heat exchange surfaces. The arrangement is such that there is substantially no diminution of a surface area of the cold plate that is available to receive ice. At the same time, the carbonator is effectively cooled through direct heat exchange contact with the cold plate.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates generally to beverage cooling systems, and in particular to cold plates as used in beverage dispensers in combination with internal carbonators. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   It is known in the beverage dispensing art to use cold plates to provide heat exchange cooling of various drinks. The cold plate itself is cooled by a volume of ice placed in contact with it, and in turn provides for cooling of beverage liquids circulated through tubes embedded in the cold plate. In situations where a cold plate is used in conjunction with a post-mix beverage dispenser, sources of carbonated water and beverage syrup flavoring are connected to the cold plate to be cooled as they are passed through the cold plate. A carbonated drink is then produced when the cooled carbonated water and syrup flavoring constituents are subsequently mixed together and dispensed from a post mix valve. 
   A carbonator tank is generally used to produce the carbonated water through the mixture therein of water and carbon dioxide gas. A problem concerns placement of the carbonator tank. Locating the carbonator to the exterior of a dispenser is known, but ambient warming of the carbonator and its contents then becomes a problem in terms of dispenser performance and added ice usage. It is known to have an internal carbonator that is placed within the dispenser in heat exchange contact with the cold plate, but such efforts have heretofore added cost and complexity to the dispenser and/or resulted in reducing the amount of cold plate surface area available to contact ice and, therefore, in a reduction in the capacity of the cold plate to cool beverages. Accordingly, it would be very desirable to have an internal carbonator that is cooled by the cold plate without substantially reducing the surface area of the cold plate that is available for heat exchange contact with ice. 
   OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
   A primary object of the present invention is to provide a cold plate adapted to support a carbonator within a beverage dispenser and in heat exchange contact with the cold plate, wherein the cold plate is configured so that support of the carbonator does not result in a substantial reduction in the surface area of the cold plate that is available for heat exchange contact with ice. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is a beverage cooling system that includes a cold plate having a carbonator support structure formed as an integral part thereof. The support structure is designed to receive a carbonator tank in close heat exchange contact therewith. The carbonator is advantageously cylindrical and is held by the cold plate support structure in a substantially horizontal orientation along one edge of the cold plate, which desirably results in essentially no diminution of the surface area of the cold plate that is available to retain ice. At the same time, the carbonator is provided with effective cooling thereof through direct contact with the cold plate. 
   In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the beverage cooling system comprises a cold plate for receiving ice. The cold plate has integral support means for supporting a carbonator both in heat exchange relationship with the cold plate and in spaced relationship from the remainder of the cold plate. The arrangement is such that support of the carbonator by the cold plate support means does not result in a substantial reduction in the surface area of the cold plate that is available to receive ice. 
   In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the beverage cooling system comprises the combination of a cold plate and a carbonator. The cold plate receives and retains ice on surfaces thereof and includes integral support means having a support surface. The carbonator is supported in heat exchange relationship with and on the support surfaces of the cold plate support means and is held in spaced relationship from the remainder of the cold plate surfaces. The arrangement again is such that support of the carbonator by the cold plate does not result in a substantial reduction in the areas of the cold plate surfaces that are available to receive and retain ice, so that supporting the carbonator with the cold plate does not result in a substantial reduction in the effectiveness of the cold plate in cooling beverages flowed therethrough. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a combination beverage and ice dispenser of a type with which a cold plate and carbonator combination of the present invention may be used; 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the cold plate and carbonator combination in the context of the dispenser of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is an assembled view of the dispenser and cold plate and carbonator combination, and 
       FIG. 4  shows a cross-sectional view side elevation view of the carbonator as supported in heat exchange contact on the cold plate. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   The present invention is advantageous for use in the context of a combined beverage and ice dispensing machine of a general type as seen in  FIG. 1  and indicated generally at  10 . As is customary, the dispenser  10  includes an outer housing  12 , a merchandising cover  14  and a removable ice bin cover  16 . A plurality of beverage dispensing valves  18  is secured to a front surface of the dispenser above a drip tray  20  and adjacent a splash panel  22 . An ice dispensing chute  23  is also secured to the front surface of the dispenser centrally of the valves  18  and above the drip tray  20 . As is customary and as seen in  FIG. 2 , the dispenser  10  has an ice retaining bin  24 , a cold plate  26  and a cold plate cover  28 . The cover  28  has an ice drop hole  30  that is secured in sealed relationship to a corresponding ice drop hole (not shown) in the bottom of the ice bin  24 . The ice bin  24  is formed to have an angled front surface  32  for receiving an agitator motor that drives an agitator (neither shown) that resides within the ice bin  24 . The ice bin has an ice outlet opening  33  through which ice to be dispensed exits the bin for flow into, through and out of the chute  23  into a cup. 
   As is known, the agitator motor rotates the agitator in the ice retaining bin  24  to agitate and mix particles ice retained within the bin to prevent congealing and agglomeration of the ice particles into a mass of ice, to move and direct ice to and out of the bin outlet opening  33  and into the chute  23  for dispensing of the ice, and to maintain the ice particles in discrete free flowing form. Rotation of the agitator also causes some of the ice within the bin  24  to fall through the bin bottom opening and the opening  30  in the cold plate cover  28  onto a generally rectangular heat exchange top surface  34  of the cold plate  26 . The cold plate is typically positioned at an angle within the dispenser  10  to facilitate draining of ice melt water from its top surface  34  to and through cold plate drains  36 . The cold plate heat exchange top surface  34  is defined within an upstanding perimeter edge  38  of the cold plate  26  and the cover  28  is secured to the cold plate along a perimeter shoulder  40  formed in the perimeter edge  38 . The cover  28  encloses the cold plate and defines therewithin a cold plate compartment that resides beneath the ice retaining bin  24  and forms a protected ice retaining space above the cold plate heat exchange top surface  34 . The cover is provided with an access hole  42  to facilitate access to the cold plate for cleaning of its drains  36 . As is understood, the cold plate  26  includes a plurality of beverage fluid inlets  43   a  and outlets  43   b.    
   The novel configuration of the cold plate  24  that permits heat exchange mounting of a carbonator to the cold plate with essentially no diminution in the surface area of the cold plate that is available to contact, retain and be cooled by ice may be understood by reference to  FIGS. 2–4 . As seen, a cylindrical carbonator  44  is comprised of a central cylinder  44   a  and two end caps  44   b  and  44   c  secured to opposite ends of the central cylinder at annular seams  45 . The cold plate  26  is of a unitary structure and is configured to have forward and rearward carbonator saddles or supports  46   a  and  46   b  that are formed as an integral part of the cold plate and extend vertically upward from front and rear corners of the cold plate above and partially along one side of the perimeter edge  38 . Areas of the cold plate supports  46   a  and  46   b  are adapted for heat exchange contact with the carbonator  44  include a concave arcuate heat exchange upper surface  48  of each support and an arcuate recess  49  formed in each heat exchange surface  48 . The heat exchange arcuate surfaces  48  are of a radius to be complementary to and match the arcuate profile of the cylindrical convex outer surface of the carbonator tank  44 , so that when the carbonator is supported on the surfaces  48  of the supports  46   a  and  46   b , the seams  45  are received in the arcuate recesses  49  to enable the surfaces  48  to receive the carbonator  44  in intimate direct heat exchange contact. With the carbonator  44  supported on the surfaces  48 , the recesses  49  serve to receive and accommodate the annular seams  45 , to enable close heat exchange contact between the carbonator and the support surfaces  48 . As is known, various spaces to the interior of the dispenser  10  and around the carbonator  44 , cold plate  26  and cover  28  are insulated by foamed in place insulating material. In practice of the present invention, the insulating material can serve to hold the carbonator  44  in place, although the insulating material is not shown in order to facilitate a clear description and viewing of the invention. 
   The carbonator  44  produces carbonated water in a manner known in the art, wherein water and carbon dioxide gas are mixed in intimate contact within a pressurized container. As is conventional, the carbonator  44  has a water inlet  50  for connection to a source of potable water, a carbonated water outlet  52  for providing fluid connection to the valves  18 , a carbon dioxide gas inlet  54  for connection to a source of pressurized carbon dioxide gas, a liquid level sensor  56  connected to a control mechanism for controlling delivery of water into the carbonator  44  through the water inlet  50  as a function of the withdrawal of carbonated water through the outlet  52 , and a pressure safety valve  58 . Internally of the carbonator  44 , the water inlet  50  connects to a water tube  60  that is angled to direct water to flow out of an outlet  62  into an upper interior zone of the carbonator that is filled with pressurized carbon dioxide gas and against an upper inner surface of the cylinder  44   a . The outlet  62  is designed to atomize the water to improve take-up of pressurized carbon dioxide gas into the water within the zone, and thereby to enhance the efficient carbonation of the water. A flat plate  64  extends along and within the carbonator  44  and has a plurality of holes extending therethrough. The flat plate  64  serves to define a relatively quiescent lower area of the carbonator  44  beneath it, so that only carbonated water, as opposed to volumes of gas, is taken up through an outlet tube  66  for flow out of the outlet  52  to the beverage valves  18 . 
   The front carbonator support  46   a  of the cold plate  26  is longer front to back than is the rear carbonator support  46   b . The front support  46   a  also extends farther vertically above the heat exchange cold plate surface  34  than does the rear support  46   b , as a result of which the supports  46   a  and  46   b , when holding the carbonator  44 , compensate for the downward angle from rear to front at which the cold plate  26  is positioned to facilitate ice melt water drainage off of its heat exchange surface  34 , so that the carbonator  44  is then supported substantially horizontal. The carbonated water within the carbonator  44  therefore resides along the length of the carbonator at a substantially uniform depth and in full contact with the portions of the carbonator that are in contact with the heat exchange surfaces  48  of the cold plate supports  46   a  and  46   b . The horizontal orientation of the carbonator  44  thus ensures maximum, efficient and improved heat exchange cooling of the carbonated water resulting from the heat exchange contact of the carbonator with both cold plate support surfaces  48 . In addition, by virtue of the cold plate saddle supports  48   a  and  48   b  holding the carbonator  44  in substantial horizontal orientation, the height difference within the carbonator between the liquid/gas interface level and the top of the carbonator does not change as much along the length of the carbonator as would otherwise be the case if carbonator were supported in a non-horizontal orientation, so that the level control sensor  56  need only sense level differences over a relatively short distance. 
   Ice from the ice retaining bin  24  that drops through the cold plate cover opening  30  onto the heat exchange surface  34  of the cold plate  26  provides for cooling of the various beverage fluid conveying tubes embedded in the cold plate, as well as for cooling of the carbonator  44  through heat exchange contact of the cold plate saddle supports  46   a  and  46   b  with the carbonator. The positioning of the carbonator  44  along an edge of the cold plate  26  and the location of the supports  46   a  and  46   b  at corners of the cold plate serve to space the carbonator sufficiently far from the cold plate heat exchange surface  34  so as to minimize any diminution of the area of the heat exchange surface that ice can contact as a result of support of the carbonator by the cold plate, whereby the cooling efficiency of the cold plate is not degraded by virtue of the presence of the carbonator. It may be appreciated that the carbonator and cold plate combination is compact in both horizontal and vertical directions, thereby desirably providing for an efficient use of space. Moreover, the particular cold plate structure utilized in practice of the invention is relatively easy and inexpensive to mold as a unitary integral structure. If desired or required, the carbonator  44  could be held at an angle if the height of the support  46   a  were less than shown, in which case the carbonator  44  could approach or be retained at the same angle as is the cold plate  26 . Should the carbonator  44  be held at an angle, the fluid contents thereof will flow by gravity to a “bottom” end of the carbonator adjacent the end cap  44   b , so that a majority of the fluid contents of the carbonator will then be in close contact with the support  46   a , thereby providing for enhanced heat exchange contact therewith. In this case, the support  46   a  could he increased in size so as to increase the contact area of its heat exchange surface  48  with the carbonator  44 , and hence increase the heat exchange ability of its surface  48  in order to offset a possible concomitant reduction in the heat exchange ability of the surface  48  of the support  46   b . Supporting the carbonator  44  on an incline would also allow utilization of a significant percentage of the internal volume thereof for containing carbonated water. 
   Those of skill will appreciate that various changes can be made to the present invention without exceeding the scope and spirit thereof. Thus, it will be apparent that the cold plate  26  could have a single carbonator support, or more than two carbonator supports, instead of the two supports  46   a  and  46   b . Alternatively, carbonator supports could be provided on opposite edges of the cold plate instead of on just one edge, such that the carbonator would then span over and extend above and across the heat exchange surface  34  of the cold plate. It also is contemplated that depending upon the configuration of an external surface of a carbonator to be supported by the cold plate  26 , the heat exchange surfaces  48  of the supports  46   a  and  46   b  can be formed to have other than the arcuate shape shown, thereby to enable to the surfaces  48  receive, support, conform to and uniformly contact supported surface portions of a variety of carbonators having other than cylindrical shaped exterior surfaces.