Beverage reservoir with overflow passageway in the handle

A beverage reservoir from which beverage is dispensed in a coin-operated beverage making machine. The reservoir has a handle which incorporates an overflow passageway preventing beverage from otherwise overflowing the reservoir. The overflow passageway discharges into a drain tube which in turn discharges in the area in which beverage is normally dispensed into consumers' cups.

This invention relates to beverage reservoirs having handles with overflow 
passageways which prevent the reservoirs from overflowing except through 
the handles. More particularly, the invention relates to open-top 
reservoirs or containers which are normally housed within coffee-making 
machines and which are equipped with sidewall handles incorporating 
overflow passageways allowing beverage to escape through the handles 
rather than otherwise overflow. Further, the invention relates to such 
beverage reservoirs in combination with the beverage-making machines in 
which they are confined. 
Certain coin-operated coffee machines are equipped for brewing fresh 
batches of coffee so as to maintain a supply of beverage in a reservoir 
confined within a machine and from which it may be dispensed by a 
coin-operated mechanism. Usually, such beverage-making machines are 
equipped with sight-glasses which permit the levels of beverage in the 
reservoirs to be readily observed (i.e. "read") from the exterior. When 
properly operated, a new batch of coffee will not be brewed and allowed to 
discharge into a reservoir until and unless there is room for the batch in 
the reservoir. However, due to improper or inadvertent operation, a faulty 
or plugged sight-glass, or otherwise, a batch of brewed beverage may be 
allowed to discharge into the reservoir housed within a beverage making 
and dispensing machine when there is not sufficient room in the reservoir 
to accommodate additional beverage. Unless some overflow-preventing means 
or escape is provided, the excess will overflow around the top of the 
reservoir and spillage will result which cannot be readily contained. 
Usually, the relatively large and heavy coffee-making machines will have 
to be moved in order to take care of the spillage and clean-up. In 
addition, the interior of the machine will need to be cleaned and dried. 
In accordance with the present invention, the problem of overflow and 
resulting spillage of beverage from reservoirs in a coffee making machine 
is minimized and satisfactorily solved by incorporating in the handles 
with which such ordinarily confined reservoirs are provided, overflow or 
escape passageways having inlets communicating with the reservoir 
interiors at their safe high liquid levels and having outlets in the 
handle bottoms discharging into drain tubes allowing the overflowing 
beverage to be readily caught. 
Accordingly, the object of the invention, generally stated, is the 
provision of beverage reservoirs which, in use, will normally be confined 
within beverage making machines and which are equipped with handles having 
built-in beverage overflow passageways in communication with the interiors 
of the respective reservoirs. 
A further and important object of the invention is the provision in a 
coin-operated coffee-making machine having a built-in beverage brewer, of 
a reservoir confined in the machine in position to receive beverage from 
the beverage brewer and having a handle which incorporates an overflow 
passageway leading from the high liquid level in the reservoir to an 
escape drain which discharges in the same area in which beverage is 
normally dispensed and thereby allowing a container to be placed so as to 
collect the overflowing beverage.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a coin-operated coffee-making and 
dispensing machine is indicated generally at 5 which incorporates a 
combination automatic/pour-in coffee brewing machine of known type such as 
the ones disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,464,981 granted Aug. 14, 1984 to 
Kenneth W. Stover and 4,478,139 granted Oct. 23, 1984 to John D. 
Zimmerman, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein. 
As is known and as described in these patents, a brewing funnel 6 is 
provided into which a disposable paper filter is inserted and on top of 
which a charge of coffee is placed. A batch of cold water is then 
introduced into a cold water basin 7 (FIG. 4) either automatically from a 
pressurized source (e.g. the water distribution system of a building) or 
manually through a screened opening 8 provided with a removable cover 10. 
The cold or cool water drains from the basin 7 through a fill tube (not 
shown) into the bottom of a hot water tank 11 from which it upwardly 
displaces an equal amount of hot water through the hot water tube 12 from 
which it discharges through a spray nozzle 13 and sprays onto the coffee 
within the funnel 6. The resulting fresh-brewed coffee discharges from the 
funnel 6 through the bottom outlet 14 which is centered over an opening 15 
in the hinged cover 16 of a reservoir or container 17. 
The front sidewall of the reservoir 17 is equipped with a handle indicated 
generally at 18 which forms a key element of the present invention and 
which may be used to manually insert and remove the reservoir 17 into and 
from the space or compartment it occupies within the machine 5. The bottom 
of the reservoir 17 is provided with a discharge nipple 20 which is 
insertable and removable with a liquid-tight fit into and from the top of 
a sump 21 mounted on a support bracket 22. 
The sump 21 has a bottom opening and the bottom is equipped with an outlet 
fitting 23 from which a connection 19 can be made to a beverage dispensing 
valve 24 (FIG. 1) which is solenoid-controlled and which has a bottom 
discharge spout 25. It will be apparent that when the valve 24 is actuated 
to its open position, beverage from the interior of the reservoir 17 will 
flow by gravity from the sump 21 through right-angle fitting 23 and 
connection 19 to valve 24 and discharge from the spout 25 (FIG. 1) into a 
cup or other container such as indicated in broken line at 26 in FIG. 4. 
Preferably, a wire cup locator 29 is provided to facilitate proper 
placement of cups under the spout 25. 
In order for the machine 5 to have the ability to provide hot water for 
customers desiring to make tea, hot chocolate, soup or some other 
beverage, a hot water discharge line 30 (FIG. 4) is provided which leads 
from a discharge opening in the upper portion of the hot water reservoir 
11 downwardly and thence to the front of the machine 5 where it connects 
with a second solenoid-operated valve 31 having a discharge spout 32 
The machine 5 is provided on one side with a coin-operated mechanism of 
known commercial type indicated generally at 33 in FIG. 1. The details of 
this type of mechanism and the manner in which it functions to control the 
solenoid valves 24 and 31 are known and do not form a feature of the 
present invention. Briefly, it permits a consumer upon depositing the 
required coin or coins, to selectively obtain a cup of coffee or hot 
water. 
Normally, the door for the opening to the interior of the coin-operated 
mechanism 33 is locked as is also a downwardly opening door 34 which leads 
to the compartment in which the reservoir 17 is confined. The door 34 is 
hinged at the bottom as indicated at 35 (FIG. 1) and is provided with a 
vertical slot-like opening 36 through which a sight glass or tube may be 
viewed which measures the height of liquid within the reservoir 17. The 
lock mechanism for the door 34 is such that it also locks the hinged cover 
16 in its downward position and by interlocking the door 34 and the cover 
16 neither of these can be moved until the lock 37 is manipulated. 
The support for the inner or back end of the reservoir 17 within the 
housing of the machine 5 is an electric heater 40 at the back of the 
reservoir compartment. The front or handle-end of the reservoir 17 is 
supported by a bracket 39 provided with resilient pads 29 at the front. On 
opening the lock 37 and raising the cover 16 and lowering the door 34, the 
handle 18 may be grasped and used to tilt the reservoir upwardly thereby 
lifting it off the pads 29 at the front while at the back it continues to 
rest on the heater 40. When the reservoir 17 has been tilted sufficiently 
to fully withdraw the nipple 20 from the sump 21 it can be removed from 
its compartment through the front access side of the machine 5. 
The handle 18 is of special design in that it incorporates an overflow or 
escape tube 41 of inverted L-shape having a top inlet at 42 (FIG. 4) and a 
bottom discharge outlet nipple 43 (FIGS. 2 and 4). When the reservoir 17 
is formed of metal, the tube 41 may also be formed of metal allowing it to 
be welded or soldered at the top to the sidewall of the reservoir and at 
the bottom to a bracket 49 which in turn is welded to the reservoir. The 
three welds are indicated by the letter W. It will be understood that the 
reservoir 17 and tube 41 may be formed of other materials such as 
plastics, in which case known techniques will be used in place of welds or 
soldering. 
The handle 18 has two mating halves 45 and 46 secured together along a 
vertical parting plane so as to enclose or incorporate therebetween the 
overflow tube 41. Three nut and bolt fasteners 47 extending through the 
halves with their heads and nuts recessed serve to secure the handle 18 in 
its assembled condition. Preferably, the halves 45 and 46 are molded from 
low heat conductive plastic of known type. The vertical mating faces of 
the halves 45 and 46 are each provided with a mating groove so as to 
receive therein one half of the tube 41. It will be apparent that only one 
of the halves 45 or 46 could have a single deep enough groove so as to 
accept the tube 41 entirely therein while the other half has no groove. 
Preferably, the halves 45 and 46 include inner connecting sections 44 (FIG. 
2) which fit the sidewall so that the users hand on gripping the handle 
will not engage the hot reservoir. 
The upper end of the tube 41 communicates with the interior of the 
reservoir 17 at 42 through an opening 48 (FIG. 3) which is placed at the 
high liquid level for the reservoir 17 with sufficient free board space 
above the opening 48 so as to prevent an accumulation of liquid in the 
reservoir 17 in excess of that which will normally overflow and discharge 
through the overflow tube 41 in the handle 18. 
The nipple 43 at the bottom of the handle 18 fits within an opening 50 
(FIG. 4) in a horizontal shelf 51 which forms a part of the machine 
interior and is equipped with a downwardly extending drain tube 52. The 
bottom end 53 (FIGS. 2 and 4) of the drain tube 52 projects through an 
opening 54 in the horizontal section 55 of the housing through which the 
nozzles or spouts 25 or 32 also project. 
It will be apparent from the foregoing that if an operator inadvertently or 
otherwise brews coffee when the reservoir 17 is already filled or nearly 
filled so that the capacity thereof (e.g. one gallon) will be exceeded, 
when the liquid level within the reservoir reaches the outlet port 48 it 
will start to overflow through the overflow tube 41 in the handle 18. The 
overflowing beverage will then discharge through the drain tube 52 and may 
be caught in a container 26 placed in the regular or normal position 
underneath the spouts 25 and 32. If such an overflow passage through 
handle 18 were not provided, the excess beverage would overflow the top 
rim of the reservoir 17 and then run down the sides or drip into the 
bottom of the machine and leak out onto the counter or other support on 
which the machine 5 rests. Not only would the relatively heavy machine 5 
have to be moved so as to allow the beverage on the countertop or other 
surface to be wiped up but also portions of the housing would have to be 
removed to allow excess into the interior of the machine so that it could 
also be dried and wiped clean. Since the machine 5 will ordinarily connect 
to a water supply, moving or tilting the machine is not easy or possible 
without disconnecting and reconnecting. 
It will be seen that the overflow tube served to provide strength to the 
handle 18 as well as a convenient means of attaching the handle to the 
sidewall of the reservoir 17. However, it will be apparent, that by 
molding the handle 18 in one piece from suitable material with an outlet 
or overflow passage formed therein, the separate overflow tube can be 
eliminated.