Beverage dispenser valve assembly system for use with pulpy citrus concentrate

A beverage dispenser valve assembly for dispensing a beverage mixed from a pressurized citrus concentrate containing pulp and a diluent. The valve assembly includes a body having a concentrate passageway with a valving chamber having a flexible diaphragm therein for controlling concentrate flow therethrough. The diaphragm sealingly separates the concentrate valving chamber into an air pressure region and a concentrate region. A compressed air line is connected to the fluid pressure region through a solenoid controlled three-way, valve which valve can maintain pressure on the diaphragm to hold it closed or alternatively vent the pressure to atmosphere, allowing the diaphragm to open under the pressure of the concentrate.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to a valve assembly for a beverage dispenser in 
which a concentrate is mixed with a diluent, and more specifically to such 
a beverage dispenser valve assembly for use with a concentrate containing 
pulp. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Beverage dispenser valve assemblies are well-known for dispensing, for 
example, a mixture of syrup and carbonated water, and a mixture of fruit 
juice and water. Such beverage dispenser valve assemblies include a 
separate valving chamber for controlling the flow of the diluent from a 
pressure source, and a separate valving chamber for controlling the flow 
of the concentrate from either a gravity supply tank or from a pressurized 
tank. Such beverage dispenser valve assemblies are found in the well-known 
soda fountain beverage dispensers employed for the automatic post-mixing 
and dispensing of carbonated beverages. However, when it is desired to use 
a citrus concentrate that contains pulp, problems arise as a result of the 
existence of the pulp in the concentrate. The pulp tends to accumulate and 
block the orifices and it also interferes with the operation of the 
springs in the concentrate valving chamber. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,270,673 and 
4,267,947 show beverage dispensing valve assemblies for use with a 
concentrate containing pulp. 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a beverage dispenser 
valve assembly system for use with pulpy citrus concentrate, which valve 
assembly overcomes the problems in the prior art valve assemblies. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a beverage 
dispenser valve assembly system in which the concentrate valve is operated 
solely by fluid pressure, without the use or assistance of a solenoid. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a valve assembly 
nozzle which reduces or prevents the spiralling of the fluid as it is 
dispensed. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A beverage dispenser valve assembly system for use with a pulpy citrus 
concentrate and a diluent, wherein the valve assembly includes a body 
having a concentrate valving chamber, a diluent valving chamber, a mixing 
chamber and a nozzle for dispensing the mixed beverage. A conventional 
solenoid operated diluent valve controls the flow through the diluent 
valving chamber, however, the flow through the concentrate valving chamber 
is controlled solely by fluid pressure on a diaphragm in the concentrate 
valving chamber. The diaphragm sealingly separates the concentrate valving 
chamber into a concentrate region below the diaphragm and a fluid pressure 
region above the diaphragm. A source of fluid (preferably air) under 
pressure is connected to the fluid pressure region through a three-way 
valve which is operated by a solenoid simultaneously with the operation of 
the solenoid that controls the diluent valve. Fluid pressure is maintained 
above the diaphragm to hold the concentrate valve closed when the valve 
assembly is not being used to dispense a beverage. When it is desired to 
operate the valve assembly to dispense a mixture of the concentrate and 
the diluent, the actuating handle of the valve assembly is operated which 
energizes a microswitch to simultaneously energize both solenoids. When 
the three-way valve solenoid is energized, it vents the fluid in the fluid 
pressure region to atmosphere, whereby the concentrate valve opens under 
the pressure exerted on the diaphragm by the concentrate in the 
concentrate region. 
The nozzle of the valve assembly includes a flat transverse surface against 
which at least a portion of the fluid impinges and splashes back into 
oncoming fluid to provide good mixing, and also includes a flat 
longitudinal plate centrally positioned in the discharge passageway to 
reduce spiralling of the discharged beverage to reduce any splashing when 
the fluid with its pulp enters the cup.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
With reference now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a valve assembly 10 for a 
beverage dispenser, according to the present invention, which valve 
assembly 10 is a modification of the valve assembly shown in U.S. Pat. No. 
4,266,726. The valve assembly 10 includes a body 12 having a concentrate 
passageway 14 extending therethrough, a concentrate valving chamber 16 in 
said body in fluid communication with said concentrate passageway 14, a 
valve seat 18 in said valving chamber 16 through which valve seat all 
fluid in said passageway 14 must flow, a flexible diaphragm 20 extending 
across said chamber 16 and sealingly separating said chamber 16 into a 
fluid pressure region 22 and a concentrate region 24. The opening defined 
by the valve seat 18 preferably has a diameter of 5/16 inch. The diaphragm 
20 is movable, under fluid pressure exerted thereon, from a closed 
position (as shown in FIG. 1) in which it is in contact with said valve 
seat 18 and closes said passageway 14, to an open position (not shown) in 
which it is spaced apart from said valve seat and opens said passageway. 
The valve assembly 10 also includes means for maintaining the diaphragm 20 
in its closed position when the valve assembly is not being operated to 
dispense a beverage and means for moving the diaphragm 20 to its open 
position when it is desired to operate the valve assembly to dispense a 
beverage therefrom. 
The means for maintaining the diaphragm in its closed position and the 
means for moving the diaphragm to its open position will now be described 
also with reference to FIG. 1. The valve assembly system of the present 
invention as shown in FIG. 1 includes a pressurized air tank 30, an air 
line 32 (preferably 3/16 inch tubing) connected from the air tank 30 to 
the fluid pressure region 22, an air pressure regulator 34 located in the 
air line 32 and a three-way valve 36 located in the air line 32 between 
the regulator 34 and the fluid pressure region 22. The air pressure 
regulator 34 is preferably adjusted to provide an air pressure in the 
range of from about 25-35 psig. The air pressure is adjusted at each 
installation and the actual air pressure used depends on several factors 
such as the length of the air line 32 from the air tank 30. After a 
particular installation is made, a drink is dispensed and checked for 
correct ratio of diluent to concentrate and also for the desired flow 
rate, and then the air pressure regulator 34 is adjusted as necessary, and 
this process is repeated until the desired ratio and flow rate are 
achieved, as will be understood by one skilled in this art. 
The three-way valve 36 includes three ports A, B and C. Port A is connected 
to the air line 32 coming from the pressure regulator 34 and port B is 
connected to the air line 32 going to the fluid pressure region 22. Port C 
is open to atmosphere. The three-way valve is solenoid operated by means 
of a solenoid 38. The three-way valve 36 has a first condition in which it 
establishes fluid communication between ports A and B and closes port C 
and has a second condition closing port A and establishing fluid 
communication between ports B and C. The three-way valve 36 is in its 
first condition when the solenoid 38 is unenergized. When the solenoid 38 
is energized, it moves the three-way valve from its first condition to its 
second condition closing the line to the air tank 30 and venting the air 
from the fluid pressure region 22 to atmosphere. 
The valve assembly system of the present invention also includes a 
refrigerated pressurizable container 40 for holding a quantity of 
concentrate 42. The container 40 is connected to the air line 32 by a 
pressurizing air line 44 which is connected to the air line 32 between the 
pressure regulator of 34 and the three-way valve 36. Thus, the pressure in 
the container 40 is at the same pressure as the air in the fluid pressure 
region 22. A conduit 46 is provided for feeding concentrate from the 
container 40 to the concentrate passageway 14 in any manner well-known in 
this art. 
The body 10 includes an armature housing 50 having an elongated armature 52 
mounted therein for vertical sliding or reciprocating movement. The 
armature 52 includes a lower end 54 connected to a valve member portion 56 
of the diaphragm 20. The armature 52 aids in guiding the valve member 
portion 56 of the diaphragm 20 toward and away from the valve seat 18 as 
the diaphragm moves between its closed and open positions, respectively. 
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view through the diaphragm 20 showing the valve 
member portion 56 which is thicker and stiffer than the remainder of the 
flexible diaphragm 20. The diaphragm 20 also includes a peripheral edge 58 
that is sealingly clamped in a stationary position in said body 10, in 
particular between the armature housing 50 and the main body portion of 
the body 10. The lower end 54 of the armature 52 has an enlarged disk 
adapted to fit in the enlarged recess in the valve member portion of the 
diaphragm as shown in FIG. 3. 
The diaphragm 20 thus sealingly separates the concentrate valving chamber 
16 into the fluid pressure region 22 which is above the diaphragm and tree 
of concentrate, and the concentrate region 24 which is below the 
diaphragm. Because the air pressure in the fluid pressure region 22 above 
the diaphragm 20 operates against the diaphragm over a larger area than 
the does the concentrate in the concentrate region 24 below the diaphragm, 
the force exerted by the air pressure in the fluid pressure region 22 on 
the diaphragm is sufficient to maintain the diaphragm closed when the 
three-way valve is in its first condition. It is the difference in area 
between the upper and lower sides of the diaphragm that allows the air 
pressure in the fluid pressure region 22 to close the valve member portion 
56. However, when it is desired to dispense a beverage from the valve 
assembly 10, the solenoid 38 is energized to move the three-way valve to 
its second condition which closes the air line 32 to the air tank 30 and 
vents the air in the fluid pressure region 22 to atmosphere. At this time, 
the force exerted on the diaphragm 20 from the concentrate in the 
concentrate region 24 is substantially greater than the force exerted by 
atmospheric pressure in the fluid pressure region 22 above the diaphragm 
20, whereby the diaphragm immediately moves to its open position allowing 
concentrate to flow through the concentrate passageway 14 and past the 
valve seat 18. A compression spring 60 is preferably positioned in the 
fluid pressure region 22 to assist in biasing the diaphragm 20 to its 
closed position. It is preferred to have the three-way valve 36 located as 
close as possible to the valve assembly 10 and in the present invention 
the air line 32 from the three-way valve 36 to the fluid pressure region 
22 is preferably eight to ten inches in length. In this way the diaphragm 
20 opens substantially simultaneously with the energization of the 
solenoid 38. 
The valve assembly 10 also includes a mixing chamber 70 and a nozzle 72. 
The mixing chamber 70 is shown in cross-sectional view in FIG. 4 and is 
similar to that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,726 in FIG. 4 thereof. The 
concentrate and the diluent mix are caused to swirl together in the mixing 
chamber 70 as the mixture flows through the larger diameter passageway 74 
toward a flat transverse surface 76 having a centrally positioned smaller 
diameter passageway 78 therein. At least some of the mixture flowing 
through the passageway 74 hits the surface 76 and splashes back into the 
passageway 74 promoting mixing. The nozzle 72 includes an elongated 
straight cylindrical passageway 80 having a flat elongated plate 32 
centrally positioned therein to reduce the swirling of the mixture to 
reduce and preferably prevent any splashing of the beverage in a beverage 
cup positioned below the nozzle, which splashing could otherwise be caused 
by the pulp entering the cup. 
The valve assembly 10 also includes a diluent passageway 90 extending 
therethrough, a diluent valving chamber 92 in the body 12 in fluid 
communication with the diluent passageway 90, a diluent valve seat 94 in 
the diluent valving chamber 92 through which valve seat 94 all diluent in 
said diluent passageway must flow, a diluent valve member 96 and a diluent 
valve member solenoid 98 for opening and closing the valve member 96. The 
solenoid 98 includes an armature 100 connected to the valve member 96. A 
compression spring 102 is located in the diluent valving chamber 92 for 
biasing the diluent valve member 96 into its closed position shown in FIG. 
1. The diluent passageway 90 and the solenoid for controlling the flow 
through the diluent passageway are identical to that in the prior art as 
disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,726. 
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the valve assembly 10 of the present 
invention. The valve assembly 10 includes a well-known flow control 100 
for the diluent, identical to the carbonated water flow control 65 shown 
in U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,726. However, the valve assembly 10 uses no 
separate flow control device for the concentrate. That is, the concentrate 
flow control 51 shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,726 is omitted and the 
opening to the flow control passageway is simply blocked. The flow of the 
concentrate is controlled in the present invention by the concentrate 
orifice size and by the air pressure in the concentrate container 40. 
The flow through the valve assembly 10 is preferably about three ounces per 
second, however, the air pressure and the mechanical water flow control 
can be adjusted to reduce the dispensing rate to about 11/2 ounces per 
second. 
It will thus been seen that the present invention provides a method and 
apparatus for dispensing a beverage mixed from a concentrate containing 
pulp and a diluent which does not require the use of a solenoid to operate 
the concentrate valve in the concentrate valving chamber, but rather 
wherein the concentrate valve is a flexible diaphragm which is operated 
solely by fluid pressure thereon as controlled by a three-way valve 
located very close to the fluid pressure region and preferably operated 
simultaneously with the solenoid that operates the diluent valve. 
It should thus be apparent that various alterations, modifications, and 
changes be made in the preferred embodiment illustrated herein without 
departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in 
the appended claims. For example, while one specific diaphragm is shown, 
other types and shapes and materials can be used. A spring 60 is shown in 
the fluid pressure region, however, it can be omitted, if desired. While 
it is preferred to have guide means for the diaphragm, this is not 
essential. Further, while the guide means shown comprise an armature and 
an armature tube, clearly other types and shapes of guide means can be 
used. One particular three-way valve has been shown, however, other valve 
means can be used to control the air pressure in the chamber 22, 
including, for example, two separate on-off valves. While solenoids are 
shown to operate the three-way valve and the diluent valve, other devices 
can be used. A particular mixing chamber and a particular nozzle have been 
shown, however, other chambers and nozzles can be used. For example, if no 
swirling is caused in the mixing chamber, then the plate 82 can be 
omitted. While the same pressure is used in the chamber 22 as in the 
container 40, different pressures can be used and two pressure regulators 
can be used. While citrus concentrate with pulp is the preferred 
concentrate, others can be used.