Abstract:
The invention provides a concentrate dispensing unit. The concentrate dispensing unit comprises a disposable concentrate package. The disposable concentrate package may be mounted on one or more brackets and may include a container for storing a concentrate fluid and a pump. The pump is a disposable impeller pump that may be coupled to the container and may be utilized to draw concentrate fluid from the container. The concentrate fluid may then be intermixed with another fluid, such as water, to form a homogeneous beverage.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/690,648, filed Jun. 14, 2005. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The invention pertains to concentrate dispensing units, and more specifically, concentrate dispensing units including disposable concentrate packages having impeller pumps for drawing concentrate fluid from containers.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Liquid dispensing systems for concentrated liquid, such as juice concentrate, have typically consisted of two types of technology.  
         [0004]     Air or liquid pressurized systems have been used by some companies as a reliable method for dispensing and mixing concentrate. However, these systems require additional devices for controlling the pressure. A pressurized system, without the use of a pump, requires an increase in the strength and size of the container. Using a pressurized system with a high viscosity concentrate further increases the demands on the container strength. When a pressurized system is being used in conjunction with a progressive pump (See U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,615,801 and 6,651,849) additional elements are provided as part of the package to be disposed, thus increasing the cost of the unit.  
         [0005]     Disposable diaphragm pumps were introduced to eliminate the maintenance issue found in the pressurized systems, but these pumps also required check valves and have additional drawbacks such as pulsating flow, uneven mixture, and noise. These disposable pump systems have questionable interconnect components and methods that also need to be improved. These pumps are not suited for fluids that might have solid components that may obstruct the valves in open or closed position. Other drawbacks to these systems are performance and quality of the dispensing of the liquids. See U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,773.  
         [0006]     Gear pumps have been tried in lieu of the disposable pump technology in U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,773, but gear pumps also have drawbacks in terms of flow rates, uneven flows, and requiring check valves. Similar to diaphragm pumps, these pumps do not perform well when solid immersions are present in the fluid because gears can jam or be difficult to start.  
         [0007]     Therefore, there is a need for an improved dispensing system.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     The invention provides a concentrate dispensing unit. The concentrate dispensing unit comprises a disposable concentrate package. The disposable concentrate package may be mounted on one or more brackets and may include a container for storing a concentrate fluid and a pump. The pump is a disposable impeller pump that may be coupled to the container and may be utilized to draw concentrate fluid from the container. The concentrate fluid may then be intermixed with another fluid, such as water, to form a homogeneous beverage. Listed below are some of the objects of the invention:  
         [0009]     An object of the invention is to provide a pump for a consumable fluid that is disposable and does not require to be re-used and maintained (cleaning and/or flushing).  
         [0010]     Another object of the invention is to provide a pump that is readily connected or attached to the container of the liquid.  
         [0011]     Another object of the invention is to provide a simple adapter from the container of the liquid to the pump.  
         [0012]     Another object of the invention is to provide a pump that has improved performance compared to diaphragm and/or gear pumps.  
         [0013]     Another object of the invention is to provide a pump that does not require use of check valves at the inlet or outlet of the pump.  
         [0014]     Another object of the invention is to provide a pump that does not cause pulsing of fluid and provides an even flow of fluid.  
         [0015]     Another object of the invention is to provide a pump that provides an adequate flow of fluid concentrate in relation to the water pressure and flow.  
         [0016]     Another object of the invention is to provide a pump that reduces/eliminates pressurization or vacuum pressure in the system.  
         [0017]     Another object of the invention is to provide a mixer that is easily and simply connected/attached to the pump.  
         [0018]     Another object of the invention is to provide a motor to operate the pump that is easily and simply connected/attached to the pump.  
         [0019]     Another object of the invention is to provide a motor that operates with reasonable torque and speed levels to reduce the power and control components needed to operate, start and stop the pump.  
         [0020]     Another object of the invention is to provide a pump that is not susceptible to stalling and/or jamming.  
         [0021]     Another object of the invention is to provide a motor that is not required to operate in a reverse direction.  
         [0022]     Another object of the invention is to provide a motor and control that have reduced operation, control steps, and hardware.  
         [0023]     Another object of the invention is to provide low-cost materials to construct the pump and the interconnects.  
         [0024]     Another object of the invention is to provide a reduced connection process to connect the components to reduce the errors associated with installation and maintenance.  
         [0025]     Another object of the invention is to provide improved alignment of the components to reduce the errors associated with installation and maintenance.  
         [0026]     Another object of the invention is to provide a pump that will operate with reduced/reasonable number of revolutions per minute to reduce pressure build-up and reduce seal leakage.  
         [0027]     Another object of the invention is to provide a simple air intake breather system.  
         [0028]     Another object of the invention is to provide a system capable of pumping fluids in a large variety of viscosities and with accidental or purposeful solid suspension such as orange pulp, peel, etc. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)  
       [0029]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the concentrate dispensing unit of the present invention.  
         [0030]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the disposable package.  
         [0031]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the disposable package.  
         [0032]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the pump.  
         [0033]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the pump.  
         [0034]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the motor bracket.  
         [0035]      FIG. 6B  is another perspective view of the motor bracket taken from the side of the electrical motor.  
         [0036]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the pump retention and release mechanism.  
         [0037]      FIG. 8  is another perspective view of the pump retention and release mechanism taken from the mounting side.  
         [0038]      FIG. 9  is an elevational side view of the container.  
         [0039]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the posterior bracket.  
         [0040]      FIG. 11  is an exploded view of the disposable package before being assembled into the dispensing unit.  
         [0041]      FIG. 11B  is an elevational side view of the disposable package before being assembled into the dispensing unit.  
         [0042]      FIG. 12  is an enlarged fragmentary view of the disposable package and motor bracket prior to assembly.  
         [0043]      FIG. 12B  is an enlarged fragmentary view of the disposable package and motor bracket after assembly. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0044]     Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals indicate like elements through several views,  FIGS. 1-12B , a concentrate dispensing unit  1  is shown in  FIG. 1 . The concentrate dispensing unit  1  may comprise a disposable concentrate package  2 , a motor assembly bracket  3 , and a posterior support bracket  4 . The concentrate dispensing unit  1  as a whole may be secured within a dispenser cabinet (not shown). As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the disposable concentrate package  2  may include a container  5 , a pump adapter  6 , a pump  7  and a spigot  8 .  
         [0045]     It will be appreciated that the container  5  may be of any suitable conventional design and may be constructed of any suitable material, including but not limited to, conventional thermoplastics or similar materials. Further, the container  5  may be rigid or flexible. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the container may include an aperture  9  defined by a neck portion  10 . The container  5  may also include a retaining groove  11  and a seal ring  12 .  
         [0046]     Turning to  FIGS. 9, 11 , and  11 B, for the purpose of easy transportation and convenient storage, the container  5  may also contain recessed areas (such as  54 ,  56 , and  58 ) that will retain pump adapter  6 , pump  7 , and mixer  8 . The container  5  may be disposable or reusable.  
         [0047]     Referring again to  FIG. 3 , the adapter  6  may be a substantially tubular structure with a container port  14  and a pump port  13 . The adapter container port  14  may be sized to accommodate the neck portion  10  of the concentrate container  5 . The adapter port  13  may be sized to accommodate the pump input port  15 . The adapter may also contain two lateral locking notches  43 .  
         [0048]     Turning to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the pump  7  may include a pump input port  15  and an output port  16 . The pump components may include a pump body  17 , an impeller  18 , a cover  19 , and a pump shaft  25 .  
         [0049]     The impeller  18  is housed in the pump chamber  20 . The impeller  18  is secured in chamber  20  by the pump cover  19 . Pump cover tabs  44  are engaged with pump body  17  retaining elements  45 . The rotation direction of the impeller  18  coincides with the direction that will maintain the cover  19  securely locked. It will be appreciated that the pump cover  19  may be coupled to the pump body  17  in any suitable manner.  
         [0050]     Referring to  FIGS. 4-6 , the pump cover  19  may be configured to include a tubular surface  21  that will concentrically engage surface  24  of the motor flange  23  in order to ensure a concentric engagement of the motor shaft  26  with the pump shaft  25 .  
         [0051]     The pump cover  19  may also include a notch  22  that will engage the lever tooth  33  when the pump is inserted into the motor flange  23 .  
         [0052]     During pump insertion into the motor flange  23 , aligning surfaces  48  and  49  of the pump shaft  25  will engage surface  46  of the motor shaft  26  thus aligning motor shaft  26  and pump shaft  25  such that the driving surface  49  of the pump shaft  25  fully engages with the driving surface  47  of the motor shaft  26 . The impeller  18  may be constructed of silicone rubber to allow the blades of the impeller  18  to follow the side walls of the pump chamber  20  and carry between the connective blades the concentrate and the solid suspension. It will be appreciated that the impeller may be constructed of any suitable material.  
         [0053]     Turning again to  FIG. 3 , the mixing element or spigot  8  may include pump port  27 , a water port  28 , and delivery port  29 . Pump port  27  may be sized to accommodate pump output port  16 . Water port  28  may be sized to accommodate the water intake  41 , shown in  FIG. 6 .  
         [0054]     The container  5 , the adapter  6 , the pump  7 , and the spigot  8  may join to form a single component as in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0055]     The adapter  6 , the pump body  17  and the spigot  8  may be made in an injection molding process or other suitable manufacturing process as separate parts or as a single body thus eliminating the need for separate assembly at the time of replacing the disposable concentrate package.  
         [0056]     As shown in  FIGS. 6-8 , the motor assembly bracket  3  may contain an electric motor  30  fastened to the bracket  31  and a motor flange  23  fastened to the bracket, while the motor shaft  26  outside diameter will retain concentricity with the surface  42  of the motor flange  23 . Motor flange  23  will also retain within recess  35  the lever  33  while the flange  23  is fastened to the bracket  31 .  
         [0057]     The lever  33  may contain a spring element  34  to ensure a positive lock of surface  36  with the notch  22  of the pump cover  19 , and an angled surface  37  to move the lever  33  radially out when pump  7  is inserted. The motor assembly bracket may also contain an elastic element  32 , nested at the bottom of surface  24 , that will push pump  7  and facilitate the eject when lever  33  is pressed.  
         [0058]     The motor assembly bracket  3  may also contain a locking surface  38  that will engage a neck groove in the container, thus creating a secure location for container retaining groove  11  in relation to motor shaft  26  and water intake  41 .  
         [0059]     As shown in  FIG. 10 , the posterior bracket  4  may contain two tabs  39  with the purpose of laterally locating container  5  at the time of inserting the disposable package  2 . The posterior bracket  4  also contains horizontal surface  40  for container  5  support. The posterior bracket  4  may be made of injection molding process, stamped and formed material, can be a single body with the motor bracket  31  or, along with described features, may be part of the dispenser cabinet (not shown). It will be appreciated that the posterior bracket  4  may be formed in any suitable manner.  
         [0060]     In another embodiment of this invention ( FIGS. 12-12B ) adapter  6  may have two lateral slots  43  that, at the time of coupling to container  5 , will match the top surface of the container retaining groove  11 .  
         [0061]     At the time of inserting the disposable package  2  into the dispensing unit  1 , adapter  6  and container  5  may be locked together by the edge  38  of the motor bracket  31 .  
         [0062]     Replacing the empty disposable package may include the following steps. Used disposable package  2  is removed by pressing lever  33  and sliding backwards disposable package  2  until it is completely disconnected from motor flange  23  and the water intake  41 .  
         [0063]     From a new disposable package, the pump adapter  6 , the pump  7 , and the spigot  8  are connected together such as shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0064]     The new assembly just created will be inserted into the concentrate dispensing unit  1  with surface  43  of the adapter  6  engaging surface  38  of the motor bracket  31  until the lever  33  latches the pump  7  securely in place. Upon insertion of the disposable package  2  into the dispensing unit, the container  5  may be punctured in the topside by a breather punch (not shown) thus creating an air intake. When the pump is activated, air will enter the container  5  via a breather punch in order to avoid creating a vacuum in the container  5 .  
         [0065]     In an alternate embodiment of this invention, adapter  6 , pump  7  and the spigot  8  may be a single component that can be directly assembled to container  5 .  
         [0066]     Upon completion of the assembly, the concentrate unit is ready to dispense the mixed drink. On user selection activation (not shown), the water valve will open (may be electrically activated). Simultaneously, voltage will be applied to the electrical motor  30 .  
         [0067]     This action will initiate the rotation of the impeller  18  and the concentrate will start passing from the container  5  into spigot  8 . The voltage applied to the motor may be of a constant value, or may vary by a function related to the water pressure and/or flow, in order to maintain a proper mixture ratio of concentrate to water. The flow of concentrate from pump  7  and the flow of water from water intake  41  will blend inside the body of the spigot  8  to deliver a homogenous drink at the delivery port  29 .  
         [0068]     The present invention includes a disposable concentrate package that will provide a smooth flow of the concentrate without the use of additional valves required to stop the flow of the concentrate while the pump is not activated.  
         [0069]     The disposable package does not require qualified personel to assemble, disassemble, and operate. Because the packaging is disposable, no cleaning or water flushing of the concentrate dispensing unit is required when using perishable food concentrates.  
         [0070]     Although the compatibility of the materials within the disposable package with the products to be dispensed should be considered, the pump  7  may be used with a wide variety of concentrates and liquids of various temperatures, viscosities, and other properties.  
         [0071]     Although the concentrate is described as intermixing with water, it will be appreciated that the concentrate may be intermixed with any suitable liquid.  
         [0072]     Further, because all or most of the components may be manufactured out of thermoplastics, the disposable package  2  can be relatively inexpensively mass-produced.  
         [0073]     Any references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.  
         [0074]     The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.  
         [0075]     Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventor(s) for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventor(s) expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventor(s) intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.