Drink dispenser

Abstract: There is described a single vending machine having a first drink supply system for supplying drinks from a disposable container (2) and a second drink supply system for supplying drinks by mixing a diluent with a concentrate drawn from a syrup tank (17) to reduce the required installation space and installation costs, and to maintain syrup, chilled water, and carbonated water at appropriate temperatures until they reach the nozzle. The vending machine includes a drink supply system that supplies drinks from a disposable container (1) and a drink supply system that supplies drinks by mixing a diluent with a concentrate drawn from a syrup tank (17) housed in a single vending machine, and a syrup solenoid valve (19), tube (20), three-way chilled water solenoid valve (25), tube (16a), carbonated water solenoid valve (24), and tube (16b) are installed in a cooling chamber (8) together with the disposable container (2).

Description: The present invention relates to a drink supply apparatus used for cup-type automatic vending machines as dispensers. EP-A-0 152 283 describes a beverage dispensing apparatus in which a beverage is formed from a concentrate which is diluted with a diluent, a container for the concentrate being mounted in a reservoir for the beverage. The apparatus also includes a fluid circuit comprising a flow pipe and a return pipe, pump means for continuously circulating the beverage around the fluid circuit, cooling means for cooling the beverage, and an outlet in the fluid circuit through which the beverage is dispensed. A conventional drink supply system for supplying drinks from a disposable container is shown in the block diagram at Figure 7. In this figure, a disposable container 1 comprises a plastic container 2 with a drink (for example, syrup of oolong tea or orange juice) outlet port and a shipping box 3 that retains the plastic container. This drink supply means is convenient for transport and is very hygienic because it requires no cleaning when drinks are supplied thereto. When a customer presses a button (not shown) to purchase a drink, a controller (not shown) activates a rotary pump 5 and a drink solenoid valve 6. A specified amount of the drink in the drink container 1 starts to flow through a solenoid switch 4 and the rotary pump 5. The drink is cooled by a drink cooling coil 26 when it passes through a water tank 12, and is then poured into a cup 23a via the drink solenoid valve 6, a tube 7, and a nozzle 10a. The water in the water tank 12 is maintained at a constant temperature by a cooler (not shown). Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional drink supply system for supplying syrup and a diluent. In this figure, the syrup in a syrup tank 17 is ready for discharge to a nozzle under gas pressure applied thereto by carbon dioxide supplied from a carbon dioxide gas cylinder 21. When a customer presses a button (not shown) to purchase a drink a controller (not shown) activates a syrup solenoid valve 19, and syrup is supplied to the nozzle 10b through a syrup cooling coil 18, the syrup solenoid valve 19, and a tube 20. The syrup is diluted with chilled or carbonated water, depending on the type of the syrup. If chilled water is to be used, then on receiving a syrup supply instruction, a water pump 14 and a three-way chilled water solenoid valve 25 are activated to supply water from a water reservoir 13 to the nozzle 10b through a water pump 14, a water cooing coil 15, a three-way chilled water solenoid valve 25, and a tube 16a. The water is then mixed in the nozzle 10b with syrup supplied almost simultaneously with the water, and the mixture is then poured into a cup 23b. If the syrup is to be diluted with carbonated water, carbonated water prepared by dissipating carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide gas cylinder 21 into water is drawn from a carbonator 22 for discharge to the nozzle under the pressure of the undissolved carbon dioxide gas in carbonator 22. On receiving a syrup supply instruction, a carbonated water solenoid valve 24 is activated to supply carbonated water to the nozzle 10b through a tube 16b. The carbonated water is then mixed in the nozzle 10b with syrup supplied almost simultaneously with the water, and the mixture is then poured into the cup 23b. Demand for drink supply apparatus that supply drinks from disposable containers is increasing because the disposable container is hygienic and easy to handle. Drink supply apparatus of the 'post-mix' type that supply drinks by mixing a concentrate from a syrup tank with water are still in demand, however, and not all of these apparatus have been replaced with drink supply apparatus that supply ready mixed drinks from a disposable container. A large installation space is, however, required if a 'ready-mixed' type of drink supply apparatus and a 'post-mix' type are to be placed side by side at the same location. This method also requires large installation costs because the same coin mechanism, cup supply mechanism, mains water supply, and cup outlet port must be provided in each of the respective vending machines. It is thus an objective of this invention to house in a single vending machine a drink supply apparatus that supplies ready mixed drinks from a disposable container and a drink supply apparatus that supplies drinks from a syrup tank, the two drink supply apparatus sharing a common coin mechanism, cup supply mechanism, mains water supply, and cup outlet port which would otherwise have to be provided separately in the respective apparatus, thereby reducing the required installation space and installation costs. It is another objective of this invention to provide a drink supply apparatus capable of maintaining syrup, chilled water, and carbonated water at appropriate temperatures. According to the present invention there is provided a drink supply apparatus comprising a first drink supply system for supplying drinks, comprising a syrup supply line for discharging syrup from a syrup tank and supplying said syrup, a solenoid valve, and connection tubes between a nozzle and each piece of equipment, and a chilled water supply line for supplying chilled water from a water reservoir, a solenoid valve, and connection tubes between a nozzle and each piece of equipment wherein syrup is discharged from the syrup tank under gas pressure and supplied via a syrup cooling coil and a syrup solenoid valve, in that chilled water is supplied via a water cooling coil and a chilled water solenoid valve, and in that a second drink supply system is provided comprising a disposable drink container, a pump for discharging a specified amount of drink from the disposable drink container, and a drink solenoid valve. In a preferred embodiment, means are provided for discharging syrup from the syrup tank under carbon dioxide gas pressure, a carbonated water supply line being provided to supply carbonated water via a carbonated water solenoid valve and connection tubes between the nozzle and each piece of equipment, said carbonated water being made by a carbonator that mixes water and carbon dioxide supplied thereto. The disposable drink container, the syrup solenoid valve, the chilled water solenoid valve, and the tubes between each of the solenoid valves and the nozzle may be installed in a cooling chamber. Alternatively, the disposable drink container, the syrup solenoid valve, the chilled water solenoid valve, the tubes between each of the solenoid valves and the nozzle, and a nozzle chamber may be installed in a cooling chamber. According to this invention, a first drink supply system that supplies drinks from a syrup tank and a first drink supply system that supplies drinks from a disposable drink container are accommodated in a single vending machine. A syrup solenoid valve, a chilled water solenoid valve, and a tube connected thereto are installed within a cooling chamber. Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of this invention. Figure 2 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of this invention. Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of an example of the integral part of the embodiment in Figure 2. Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of a further example of the integral part of the embodiment in Figure 2. Figure 5 is a block diagram of a third embodiment of this invention. Figure 6 is a block diagram of a fourth embodiment of this invention. Figure 7 is a block diagram of a conventional drink supply apparatus that supplies ready mixed drinks from a disposable drink container. Figure 8 is a block diagram of a conventional drink supply apparatus that supplies drinks from a syrup tank and a water supply. Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of this invention. In this figure, the components with the same reference numerals as in Figures 7 and 8, which show a conventional drink supply apparatus, have the same functions as the corresponding components in these latter figures. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, a first drink supply system comprises a syrup supply line consisting of a syrup tank 17, a carbon dioxide gas cylinder 21, a syrup-cooling coil 18, a syrup solenoid valve 19, and a tube 20 connecting the syrup solenoid valve 19 to a nozzle 10b. A chilled water supply line consisting of a water reservoir 13, a water pump 14, a water cooling coil 15, a three-way chilled water solenoid valve 25, and a tube 16a, and a carbonated water supply line that supplies carbonated water, consisting of a three-way chilled water solenoid valve 25, carbonator 22, carbonated water solenoid valve 24, and tube 16b, deliver these respective diluents to the nozzle 10b. A second drink supply system comprises a rotary pump 5 that discharges a specified amount of drink from a disposable container 1, via a drink solenoid valve 6, to a nozzle 10a. The first and the second drink supply systems are housed in a single automatic vending machine or dispenser, arranged so that nozzles 10a and 10b both deliver the drink into a cup 23 at a common serving point. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, a disposable drink container 1 and a drink solenoid switch 4 are housed in a cooling chamber 8 cooled by a cooler 9. A syrup tank 17, syrup cooling coil 18, syrup solenoid valve 19, and tube 20 are provided for each type of syrup, although only one of them is shown. Even if only one flavour of drink is offered by the vending machine, more than one drink container 1 and various solenoid switches 4 may be housed in the cooling chamber 8, said switches being operated by a selector valve (not shown). Furthermore, various types of drink containers may be housed in the cooling chamber 8. Whether two or more drink containers of the same type or different types are used, a solenoid switch is provided for each of the drink containers, and a rotary pump is provided for each of the selector valves (not shown) or for each of the drink containers if the selector valves are not used. Another embodiment of this invention is shown schematically in Figure 2, with like reference numerals designating corresponding parts to those of Figure 1. Figures 3 and 4 are schematic perspective views showing different examples of the integral part of the embodiment in Figure 2. In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, in addition to a disposable container 1 and the drink solenoid switch 4, the cooling chamber 8 also encloses the syrup solenoid valve 19 and the tube 20 forming part of the syrup supply line, the three-way chilled water solenoid valve 25 and a tube 16a forming part of the chilled water line, and the carbonated water solenoid valve 24 and the tube 16b forming part of the carbonated water line, as shown in Figure 3. As in the embodiment in Figure 1, the first and the second drink supply systems of the embodiment in Figure 2 are housed in a single automatic vending machine or dispenser. The embodiment shown in Figure 4 differs from the embodiment shown in Figure 3 in that a nozzle chamber 11 is also installed in the cooling chamber 8. Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an installation corresponding to the embodiment shown in Figure 1, except that a carbonator 22 and carbonated water solenoid valve 24 are not provided in the embodiment in Figure 5. The first drink supply system of this embodiment thus comprises a syrup supply line consisting of a syrup tank 17, carbon dioxide gas cylinder 21, syrup cooling coil 18, syrup solenoid valve 19, and a tube 20 connecting the syrup solenoid valve 19 to a nozzle 10b, and a chilled water supply line consisting of a water reservoir 13, water pump 14, water cooling coil 15, chilled water solenoid valve 30, and tube 16a connecting the chilled water solenoid valve 30 to the nozzle 10b. In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the disposable drink container 1 and drink solenoid switch 4 are also housed in the cooling chamber 8 cooled by the cooler 9. The first and the second drink supply systems of the embodiment shown in Figure 5 are also housed in a single automatic vending machine or dispenser. Figure 6 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of this invention. The embodiment shown in Figure 6 corresponds to the embodiment shown in Figure 2 except that a carbonator 22 and carbonated water solenoid valve 24 are not provided in the embodiment in Figure 6. Thus, the first drink supply system of this embodiment comprises a syrup supply line consisting of a syrup tank 17, a carbon dioxide gas cylinder 21, a syrup cooling coil 18, and syrup solenoid valve 19 connected to a nozzle 10b by a tube 20, and a chilled water supply line consisting of a water reservoir 13, a water pump 14, a water cooling coil 15, and a chilled water solenoid valve 30 connected to the nozzle 10b by a tube 16a. In the embodiment shown in Figure 6, the cooling chamber 8 contains the disposable drink container 1, drink solenoid switch 4, syrup solenoid valve 19 and tube 20 in the syrup supply line, and a chilled water solenoid valve 30 and tube 16a in the chilled water line, as shown in the Figure. The embodiment shown in Figure 6 may also have a nozzle chamber 11 housed in the cooling chamber 8, as shown in Figure 4. As in the embodiment in Figure 2, the first and the second drink supply systems of the embodiment in Figure 6 are housed in a single automatic vending machine or dispenser. This invention houses in a single vending machine a first drink supply system that supplies post-mixed drinks from a syrup tank and a second drink supply system that supplies ready mixed drinks from a disposable container. This allows the two drink supply systems to share a coin mechanism, cup supply mechanism, mains water supply, and cup outlet port, which would otherwise have to be provided for each system, thereby reducing a required installation space. Installation costs can also be reduced because the two systems in this invention share the same coin mechanism, cup supply mechanism, mains water tap, and cup outlet port, which would otherwise have to be provided for each system. The syrup solenoid valve, chilled water solenoid valve, and tubes between each of the solenoid valves and the nozzle to maintain syrup at an appropriate temperature, are installed within the cooling chamber with the disposable container for ready-mixed drink, thereby enabling the syrup to be delivered at that appropriate temperature, and thereby preventing the dripping of syrup due to its expansion as well as its deterioration due to air sucked into the syrup. The nozzles 10a and 10b may also be installed within the cooling chamber with the disposable container for ready-mixed drink, thereby enabling the syrup to be kept cold in the nozzle, avoiding expansion which causes dripping.

Claims: A drink supply apparatus comprising a first drink supply system for supplying drinks, comprising a syrup supply line for discharging syrup from a syrup tank (17) and supplying said syrup, a solenoid valve (19, 25), and connection tubes (20) between a nozzle (10b) and each piece of equipment, and a chilled water supply line for supplying chilled water from a water reservoir (13), a solenoid valve (19, 25), and connection tubes (16a) between a nozzle (10b) and each piece of equipment characterised in that syrup is discharged from the syrup tank (17) under gas pressure (21) and supplied via a syrup cooling coil (18) and a syrup solenoid valve (19), in that chilled water is supplied via a water cooling coil (15) and a chilled water solenoid valve (25, 30), and in that a second drink supply system is provided comprising a disposable drink container (1), a pump (5) for discharging a specified amount of drink from the disposable drink container, and a drink solenoid valve (6). A drink supply apparatus according to Claim 1, characterised in that means are provided for discharging syrup from the syrup tank (17) under carbon dioxide gas pressure (21) and in that a carbonated water supply line is provided to supply carbonated water via a carbonated water solenoid valve (24) and connection tubes (16a) between the nozzle (16b) and each piece of equipment, said carbonated water being made by a carbonator (22) that mixes water and carbon dioxide supplied thereto. A drink supply apparatus according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterised in that the disposable drink container (1), the syrup solenoid valve (19), the chilled water solenoid valve (25), and the tubes (20, 16a) between each of the solenoid valves and the nozzle (16b) are installed in a cooling chamber (8). A drink supply apparatus according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterised in that the disposable drink container (1), the syrup solenoid valve (19), the chilled water solenoid valve (25), the tubes (20, 16a) between each of the solenoid valves and the nozzle (16b), and a nozzle chamber (11) are installed in a cooling chamber (8).

Inventors: SANO SHIGEKI, SANO, SHIGEKI, SANO, SHIGEKI, C/O FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
Applicants: FUJI ELECTRIC CO LTD, FUJI ELECTRIC CO. LTD.
Application year: 1995
Main classification: G07F13
IPC codes: G07F13, B67D1