Abstract:
A flow splitter for use with a dispensing nozzle. The dispensing nozzle dispenses a first fluid and a second fluid. The flow splitter may include an inner chamber for collecting the first fluid and an outer chamber for collecting the second fluid. The inner chamber may include an internal vent so as to vent air into the inner chamber.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
   The present application relates generally to nozzles for beverage dispensers and more particularly relates to a flow splitter so as to split the fluid flow from a nozzle between syrup and water so as to determine the existing flow ratio. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Current post-mix beverage dispenser nozzles generally mix a stream of syrup, concentrate, bonus flavor, or other type of flavoring ingredient with water or other type of diluent. The streams may be mixed by shooting the syrup stream down the center of the nozzle with the water stream flowing around the outside of the syrup stream. The syrup stream is directed downward with the water stream as the streams drop into the cup. One known dispensing nozzle system is shown in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,651 to Whigham, et al., entitled “Nozzle For Post Mix Beverage Dispenser”, incorporated herein by reference. 
   Recent developments have led to a modular dispensing nozzle in which the water stream travels down a central structure while a syrup stream is shot at the water stream and the central structure. An example of this configuration is shown in commonly owned U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2004/0040983 A1 to Ziesel, entitled “Dispensing Nozzle”, incorporated herein by reference. 
   Regardless of the configuration of the nozzle, the final beverage produced by the beverage dispenser generally may be tested so as to ensure that the proper ratio of syrup or concentrate to water or diluent is flowing through the nozzle. This testing generally involves splitting the fluid flow from the nozzle between the syrup and the concentrate streams and the water or the diluent streams. 
   What is desired, therefore, is a device to split the flow of a beverage as it exits the nozzle between the syrup and the concentrate streams and the water or the diluent streams. The device preferably can adapt to the modular dispenser nozzle configuration described above or any other type of beverage dispenser nozzle. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present application thus describes a flow splitter for use with a dispensing nozzle. The dispensing nozzle dispenses a first fluid and a second fluid. The flow splitter may include an inner chamber for collecting the first fluid and an outer chamber for collecting the second fluid. The inner chamber may include an internal vent so as to vent air into the inner chamber. 
   The inner chamber may include means to connect the flow splitter to the dispensing nozzle. The inner chamber may include an angled floor and one or more outlet holes so as to drain the inner chamber. The outlet holes may lead to an extended drain. The vent may include a lid. The outer chamber may include an angled floor. The angle may be about a forty-five degree angle (45°). The outer chamber may include one or more outlet holes so as to drain the outer chamber. The outlet holes may lead to an extended drain. 
   The present application further may describe a flow splitter for use with a dispensing nozzle that dispenses a syrup flow and a water flow. The flow splitter may include an inner chamber for collecting the water flow. The inner chamber may include an inner drain so as to drain the inner chamber and an internal vent so as to vent air into the inner chamber. The flow splitter further may include an outer chamber for collecting the syrup flow. The outer chamber may include an angled floor and a drain so as to drain the outer chamber. 
   The inner chamber may include means to connect the flow splitter to the dispensing nozzle. The inner chamber also may include an inner angled floor. The vent may include a lid. The angled floor of the outer chamber may include about a forty-five degree angle (45°). 
   The present application also may describe a method for splitting a water stream and a syrup stream with a flow splitter from a modular dispenser nozzle having a main body, a water module, and a number of syrup modules. The method may include the steps of removing the water module from the main base, connecting the flow splitter to the main base, flowing the water stream from the main body into an inner compartment of the flow splitter, draining the inner compartment of the flow splitter, flowing the syrup stream from one of the syrup modules into an outer compartment of the flow splitter, and draining the outer compartment of the flow splitter. The method further may include the step of venting the inner compartment while draining the inner compartment and the step of comparing the ratio of the water stream and the syrup stream. 
   These and other features of the current invention will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings and the appended claims. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a modular dispensing nozzle that may be used with the flow splitter described herein. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a water module of the modular dispensing nozzle of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a flow splitter as is described herein. 
       FIG. 4  is a side plan view of the flow splitter of  FIG. 3   
       FIG. 5  is a top plan view of the flow splitter of  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 6  is a side cross-sectional view of the flow splitter of  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 7  is a bottom plan view of the flow splitter of  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 8  is a side plan view of the flow splitter as described herein attached to the base of a modular dispensing nozzle. 
       FIG. 9  is a side cross-sectional view of the flow splitter of  FIG. 8  and the modular nozzle. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals refer to like elements throughout the several views,  FIGS. 1 and 2  show a modular dispenser nozzle  10  that may be used with a flow splitter  100  as will be described herein. As described above, an example of the modular dispensing nozzle  10  is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2004/0040983 and is incorporated herein by reference. Similar types of dispensing nozzles also may be used. Likewise, any type of beverage dispenser also may be used herein. 
   Briefly described, the modular dispensing nozzle  10  may include a main body  20 . The main body  20  may be directly connected to the water circuit of a conventional beverage dispenser. The main body  20  may define one or more water pathways  25  therethrough. For example, one pathway  25  may be used for soda water (carbonated water) while one pathway  25  may be used for still water. We use the term “water” herein to refer to either or both still and soda water. 
   The main body  20  also may have one or more flanges  30  attached thereto. The flanges  30  may be used to attach the main body  20  to the beverage dispenser via screws or other types of connection means. The main body  20  also may have a number of grooves  35  positioned therein. The grooves  35  will permit the attachment of the syrup modules as will be described in more detail below. The grooves  35  can take any convenient shape. The main body  20  also may include a number of protrusions  40 . The protrusions  40  are largely button shaped, although any convenient shape may be used. The protrusions  40  permit the attachment of a water module as will be described in more detail below and/or the attachment of the flow splitter  100  as also will be described in more detail below. 
   The modular dispensing nozzle  10  further may include a water module  50 . The water module  50  may be attachable to the main body  20 . The water module  50  may include a number of internal pathways  55  in communication with the water pathways  25  of the main body  20 . The water module  50  further may include a series of ribs  60  that may extend below the internal pathways  55 . The ribs  60  are positioned such that the water may flow out of the water module  50  via the internal pathways  55  and travel down along and between the ribs  60 . The water module  50  also may have a number of indentations  65  formed therein so as to mate with the protrusions  40  of the main body  20 . Other joinder means also may be used. 
   The modular dispensing nozzle  10  further may include a number of syrup modules  70 . The syrup modules  70  may be attachable to the main body  20  via the grooves  35  therein. Other joinder means also may be used. Any number of syrup modules  70  may be used. The syrup modules  70  each may have a number of outlet holes  75  formed therein. The outlet holes  75  and each of the syrup modules  70  may accommodate fluids with differing flow characteristics. The modular dispensing nozzle  10  as a whole thus may be able to accommodate a number of beverages with different viscosities and other types of flow characteristics. 
   The modular dispensing nozzle  10  described herein is for the purpose of example only. Other types of dispensing nozzles  10  also may be used with the flow splitter  100  as is described herein. 
     FIGS. 3 through 7  show an example of the flow splitter  100  described herein. The flow splitter  100  generally may be a single piece element. Alternatively, the flow splitter  100  may be made of individual elements that are fixably attached to each other. The flow splitter  100  may be manufactured in an injection molding process or via similar types of manufacturing processes. The flow splitter  100  may be made out of ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), polycarbonate, or similar types of plastic materials. Alternatively, non-corrosive metals or other types of substantially rigid materials also may be used. 
   The flow splitter  100  may have two chambers, an inner chamber  110  and an outside chamber  120 . The inside chamber  110  may be defined by an inner chamber wall  115 . The inner chamber wall  115  may be substantially circular in shape and may be sized so as to accommodate the main body  20  of the modular dispensing nozzle  10  or a similar type of structure. 
   The inner chamber  110  may have a number of indentations  130  or other type of connection element positioned thereon. Similar to the indentations  65  of the water module  50  of the modular dispensing nozzle  10  described above, these indentations  130  may be sized to accommodate the protrusions  40  of the main body  20  of the modular dispensing nozzle  10  or a similar type of structure. Other types of joinder means may be used herein. 
   The inner chamber  110  may have a lower floor  140  formed therein. The lower floor  140  may be angled slightly towards one end of the inner chamber  110 . As defined by the lower floor  140 , the inner chamber  110  may have a suitable depth so as to permit soda water to expand somewhat as it emerges from the water circuit of the beverage dispenser. 
   The inner chamber  110  further may have a vent  150  positioned therein. The vent  150  may be a tubular structure or a similar structure that extends along most of the length of the inner chamber  110  and continues past the lower floor  140 . The vent  150  may have a lid  160  positioned partially across the top thereof. The lid  160  may serve to deflect soda water as it emerges from the water module  50  of the modular dispensing nozzle  10  or a similar type of structure and may force the water into the inner chamber  110 . The lid  160  may only partially cover the vent  150  so as to define an aperture  165  positioned therein so as to allow air to vent. Some water also may travel through the aperture  165  and the vent  150 . 
   Positioned on either side of the vent  150  may be a pair of outlet holes  170 . The outlet holes  170  may be positioned within the lower floor  140  of the inner chamber  110  and continue downward along side the vent  150 . The outlet holes  170  and the vent  150  may form a drain  180  that extends down below the lower floor  140  and out of the inner chamber  110 . 
   The inner chamber wall  115  and an outer chamber wall  125  may define the outer chamber  120 . The outer chamber wall  125  may be substantially circular in shape and may be sized so as to accommodate the syrup modules  70  of the modular dispensing nozzle  10  or a similar type of structure. The outer wall  125  may have a number of ribs  200  or other types of protrusions thereon so as to assist in applying the flow splitter  100  to the modular dispensing nozzle  10  or a similar type of structure. 
   The outer chamber  120  also may have a lower floor  210 . The lower floor  210  may be angled at about forty-five degrees (45°) or at any other acceptable angle. The angle of the lower floor  210  assists in draining the syrup out of the outer chamber  120 . The lower floor  210  may lead to an outlet hole  220 . The outlet hole  220  also may lead to a drain  230  that extends downward below the lower floor  210  and out of the outer chamber  120 . 
   In use as is shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the water module  50  of the modular dispensing nozzle  10  or any similar type of structure may be removed from the main body  20  by rotating the water module  50  such that the indentations  65  clear the protrusions  40  of the main body  20 . The flow splitter  100  then may be attached to the main body  20  of the modular dispensing nozzle  10  in the same manner. Namely, the indentations  130  of the flow splitter  100  may be attached to the protrusions  40  of the main body  20 . Other joinder means also may be used. When so positioned, the water pathways  25  of the main body  20  of the modular dispensing nozzle  10  are positioned within the inner chamber  110  of the flow splitter  100 . Likewise, either the syrup pathways or the syrup modules  70  of the modular dispensing nozzle  10  align with the outer chamber  120 . 
   The water and syrup circuits of the beverage dispenser thus then may be activated. The water flows into the inner chamber  110  of the flow splitter  100 . The water does not flow directly through the vent  150  because of the lid  160 . The inner chamber  110  has a sufficient depth such that the soda water may expand and reduce in volume rather than shooting out of the inner chamber  110 . The water may then flow through the outlet holes  170  of the lower floor  140  and into the drain  180 . The vent  150  allows air to be pulled into the inner chamber  110  thereby allowing the water to drain out quickly. Likewise, the angled lower floor  140  also allows the water to drain freely. 
   The syrup also may flow into the outer chamber  120 , down the angled lower floor  210 , into the outlet hole  220 , and through the drain  230 . The steep forty-five degree angle (45°) or so of the lower floor  210  of the outer chamber  120  ensures that the syrup drains out quickly. The flows thus are separated and may be gathered into two discrete containers, a ratio cup, or otherwise. The syrup to water ratio may be determined via conventional means. 
   The flow splitter  100  described herein thus provides complete water drainage via the angled lower floor  140  and the use of the vent  150  in the inner chamber  110 . Likewise, the flow splitter  100  provides complete syrup drainage via the use of the angled lower floor  210  in the outer chamber  120 . Complete drainage should provide for more accurate and faster ratio measurements. The outer and inner chambers  110 ,  120  also can take different configurations than as shown in the examples herein. 
   The flow splitter  100  described herein also provides for single placement testing on a multi-flavor nozzle  10 . In other words, even if the nozzle  10  has multiple syrup modules  70 , each ratio can be tested without removing the flow splitter  100 . 
   It should be apparent that the foregoing relates only to the preferred embodiments of the present invention and that numerous modifications and changes may be made herein without departing from the general spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims and the equivalents thereof.