Abstract:
A beverage dispensing apparatus including a lever assembly where the lever assembly has a base and a at least one elongated arm. The base has a bottom configured to mate with a beverage dispensing device, a top side opposite the bottom and apertures penetrating the base from top to bottom configured to align with buttons on the beverage dispensing apparatus. The at least one elongated lever has a top surface, a bottom surface, a first end and a second end configured to extend away from the centerline of the beverage dispensing apparatus. When the lever assembly is installed on a beverage dispensing device, buttons extending from the top of the beverage dispensing device extend up through the apertures and pressed against the bottom surface of the at least one elongated lever, biasing the at least one lever upward and the when the lever is pressed, it pushes against the button of the beverage dispensing apparatus to dispense a beverage.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    The invention relates to a lever assembly for a beverage dispensing system. Particularly, the invention relates to a lever assembly that can be installed on a tower beverage dispensing system or a hand-held beverage dispenser, also known as a bar gun, to provide greater control and leverage in operating valves utilized by the beverage dispensing system for controlling the dispensing of a beverage. 
         [0002]    Beverage dispensing systems are commonly used in a wide variety of locales, including restaurants, snack bars, convenience stores, movie theaters, and any business where beverages are served. These beverage dispensing systems often dispense a variety of beverages of differing types and flavors, such as flavored carbonated sodas, iced tea, water, or even alcoholic beverages. These devices dispense the variety of beverages either by dispensing a single component beverage or by utilizing a dispensing array, also referred to as a diffuser, through which a single beverage may pass or a base beverage and a beverage additive, flow to a dispense point that facilitates discharge of beverages or beverage additives. The beverage components are then dispensed through a dispensing nozzle into a beverage container. 
         [0003]    Some beverage dispensing systems are in the form of a beverage tower while others use a hand-held beverage dispensing handle, commonly referred to as a bar gun. 
         [0004]    The bar gun uses a single nozzle for dispensing multiple different beverages depending on the needs of the end user. A tower system can have a single nozzle or multiple nozzles for dispensing a beverage. When a single nozzle tower is used, it can be configured to dispense a variety of different beverages using valves in connection with a manifold and system of fluid lines connected to beverage sources for distributing a mixed or single component beverage through a nozzle. Buttons can be used to activate the valves to control the flow of the beverage from the system. The same concept is used with bar guns except that the buttons and valves are located in the bar gun itself rather than in the beverage tower dispenser. The beverage dispensers utilizing this concept have at least one button, and often numerous buttons, for controlling the dispensing of a single beverage component or a mixed beverage into a container. 
         [0005]    Some perceive the buttons used on the described beverage dispensers to have some disadvantages because the buttons mechanically activate the valves of the beverage dispensing system. According to some operators, the buttons seem small and may fill with overspray from the beverage itself, causing them to get sticky and harder to depress with prolonged use. Some operators consider the buttons to lack any mechanical advantage because the force needed to open the valves is the same force required to operate the button. With prolonged use, some operators find operating the bar gun or tower assembly more difficult. 
         [0006]    Accordingly, it is desirable to develop an assembly that can easily be installed on a bar gun or tower beverage dispensing device to make dispensing beverages easier. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention is related to beverage dispensing lever assemblies, and more specifically to beverage dispensing lever assemblies that are configured to be installed on a bar gun or tower beverage dispensing device, providing levers that depress buttons that exist on the bar gun and beverage dispensing tower for activating valves for dispensing a beverage. 
         [0008]    One embodiment is related to a beverage dispensing apparatus including a lever assembly where the lever assembly has a base and at least one elongated arm. The base has a bottom configured to mate with a beverage dispensing device, a top side opposite the bottom and apertures penetrating the base from top to bottom configured to align with buttons on the beverage dispensing apparatus. The at least one elongated lever has a top surface, a bottom surface, a first end and a second end configured to extend away from the centerline of the beverage dispensing apparatus. When the lever assembly is installed on a beverage dispensing apparatus, buttons extending from the top of the beverage dispensing apparatus extend up through the apertures, pressing against the bottom surface of the at least one elongated lever, biasing the at least one lever upward and the when the lever is pressed, the lever pushes against the button of the beverage dispensing apparatus to dispense a beverage. 
         [0009]    In some aspects the lever assembly can have two pin mounts and in some aspects can have a pin extending between the two pin mounts. In some embodiments the second end of the lever is configured to mate with and rotate about a pin. 
         [0010]    In some embodiments the lever assembly can comprise a rotation stop arm extending from the top surface at the second end of the lever. The lever assembly can also have a stop surface aligned across from and coordinating with the rotation stop arm, wherein the biasing of the lever upward and about the pin is limited by the rotation stop arm contacting the stop surface. The at least one elongated lever may also be configured at its second end to coordinate and mate with one additional elongated lever and where the stop surface of each elongated lever is the top surface of the other elongated lever. 
         [0011]    In some aspects the levers are configured to extend transverse to the length of the bar gun. In other embodiments the levers are configured to extend parallel to the length of the bar gun. 
         [0012]    Further understanding of the nature and the advantages of the embodiments disclosed and suggested herein may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification and the attached drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a hand held beverage dispenser in accordance with the prior art. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a hand held beverage dispenser with a lever assembly. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the assembly of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a top view of the assembly of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  illustrates two sectional views, A-A and B-B as Shown in  FIG. 2 , where one lever of the lever assembly is shown in an non-depressed state in A-A and in a depressed state in B-B. 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an additional embodiment of a beverage dispenser with a lever assembly. 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of beverage dispensing tower with a lever assembly. 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of an additional embodiment of a hand held beverage dispenser with a lever assembly showing a stop arm spacer. 
           [0021]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an additional embodiment of a beverage dispenser tower with a lever assembly showing a stop arm spacer. 
           [0022]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of an additional embodiment of a hand held beverage dispenser handle with a lever assembly where the levers align parallel with the length of the handle. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0023]    Embodiments of the invention are generally directed to beverage dispenser lever assemblies, and more specifically to lever assemblies that engage and depress buttons on a bar gun or tower beverage dispensing device. 
         [0024]    Embodiments of the lever assembly in accordance with the present invention are configured so that the lever assembly can be installed as part of the original beverage dispensing tower or hand held beverage dispenser or the level assembly can be installed on a pre-existing bar gun or tower beverage dispenser as a retro fit kit. In a circumstance such as upgrading with a retrofit kit, the button plate assembly, described herein, is removed and can be replaced by the lever assembly using the existing screw positions of the hand held beverage dispenser. 
         [0025]    Hand held beverage dispensers, which allow an operator to dispense a number of different beverages by merely pressing an appropriate button on the dispenser, have been around for many years. One exemplary bar gun is as described in Assignees pioneering patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,449 to Valiyee, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. An exemplary tower is described in Assignees patent application, U.S. Application No. US2011/0315711 A1 to Hecht. Other similar bar guns and towers are commercially available from Automatic Bar Controls at www.wunderbar.com. 
         [0026]    Regarding a bar gun, as seen in Valiyee and illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the bar gun  1  has a handle  3  that has a nozzle  5  at one end for dispensing the beverage. At the other end, the handle  3  is connected to a flexible line  7  that connects to a brixing device  9  that contains shut off and flow valves for controlling the flow of beverage components to the bar gun. The brixing device  9  is in turn connected to a beverage source (not shown). The bar gun, also has buttons  11  on the handle  3  that activate valves for dispensing a single beverage component or a mixed beverage solution depending on the button  11  pushed by the operator and the configuration of the bar gun  1 . Beverage dispensing towers can be configured similarly with a nozzle, a tower, dispensing and flow control valves and buttons for dispensing the beverage, except the buttons are installed on the fixed tower assembly rather than on the handle of a hand held bar gun. 
         [0027]    The buttons on a bar gun handle or a tower beverage dispenser allow an operator to select particular beverage components and/or dispense the beverage components in predetermined or customizable flow rates and volumes. These buttons can be numerous, or merely be a single button, depending on the intend use of the operator or establishment utilizing the bar gun or tower. In use, the lever assembly according the present invention can be installed on a tower beverage dispensing device or a bar gun, which is connected to a beverage dispensing system, such as the one described above. 
         [0028]    The above aspects of the invention can be further understood with reference to the exemplary devices shown in  FIGS. 2-10 , although the invention is not limited to the depicted embodiments and may include many variations in accordance with the principles and aspects described herein. 
         [0029]      FIG. 2  shows one embodiment of the lever assembly  2  having a base  4  that extends along the length of a bar gun  6 . Pin mounts  8  are formed in the base  4  and hold a pin  10  that extends along the base  4 . In this particular embodiment the pin mounts  8  extend upward from the base  4  to suspend the pin above the top surface of the base  4 . The pin  10  generally runs along the center line of the base  4 . The pin  10  can be surrounded by a spacer  11  for aligning the levers along the pin  10  as see in  FIGS. 1-5 . The pin  10  can be seen penetrating the spacer  11  in  FIG. 6 . Elongated levers  12  each have a top surface  14 , a bottom surface  16 , a first end  18  and a second end  20 . The second end  20  has a pin aperture  22  that extends through the lever  12  transverse with the length of the lever  12  that is sized and configured to mate with the pin  10  such that the lever  12  can rotate about the pin  10 . 
         [0030]    As can be seen in this embodiment, the pin  10  extends generally parallel with the length of the bar gun  6 . The levers  12  however extend transverse to the length of the bar gun and outward so a user presses on the first end  18  of the levers  12  toward the outer edges of the bar gun  6 . Other embodiments, discussed below and better seen in  FIG. 10 , show the pin  10  extending transverse to the bar gun length with the levers  12  extending generally parallel to the bar gun length in a direction such that when a bar gun  6  is being held in by a user the levers  12  extend back toward the users arm. 
         [0031]    The base  4  of the lever assembly  2  has at least one aperture  24 , that is shaped to accept a bar gun button  26  extending upward from the bar gun  6 . The bar gun buttons  26  are biased upward by a spring (not shown) in the bar gun  6  when the valve of the bar gun  6  is closed and thus blocking flow of beverage through the fluid beverage lines of the bar gun  6 . In turn the bar gun buttons  26 , bias the levers  12  upward a predetermined distance and rotationally about the pin  10 . The bar gun button is prevented from falling out of the base  4  by the button top. In this case retaining rings (not shown) snap on the tops of the buttons  26 , which fit under the levers  12 . It is also possible for the base  4 , to be an integral part of the bar gun and house the bias springs and other components of the bar gun. 
         [0032]      FIGS. 2-4  show caps  28  installed on the first end  18  of lever  12  to make manipulating the levers  12  easier for a user.  FIG. 3  shows a side view of the lever assembly of  FIG. 2  and illustrates the pin  10  suspended above the base  4  and the levers  12  installed on the pin  10 .  FIG. 4 . shows an additional embodiment of the lever assembly  2  with rotation stop arms  30 . Here, the levers  12  extending transverse to the length of the bar gun  6  with the caps  28  on the first ends  18  of the levers  12 . Also illustrated is the use of one pin  10  for multiple levers  12 . While seven levers  12  are shown here, any number of combinations of levers  12  can be used in the lever assemblies  2 . Rotation stop arms  30  are further shown and illustrated in  FIG. 5 , discussed below. 
         [0033]      FIG. 5  shows an additional embodiment with two cross sectional views of the lever assemblies  2  in accordance with the present invention. Section A-A illustrates the levers  12  of the lever assembly  2  in an non-depressed state where the buttons of the bar gun  6  bias all the levers  12  upward and all the valves of the bar gun  6  prevent fluid from being dispensed from the bar gun  6 . Section B-B illustrates a state where one lever  12  is shown in a depressed state, pushing the respective bar gun button  26  downward against a biasing spring (not shown) and opening a valve inside the bar gun  6  to allow a beverage component to be dispensed from the bar gun  6 . Rotation stop arms  30  extend from the second end  20  of the levers  12 . As seen in section A-A, the rotation stop arm  30  rests against the top surface  14  of a lever  12  located opposite the first lever  12  with respect to the pin  10 . In this non-depressed state, the rotation stop arm  30  prevents the lever  12  from rotating about the pin  10  beyond a predetermined position. Fasteners  15  are used in this embodiment to fasten the base  4  to the gar gun  6  as best illustrated in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0034]    The rotation stop arms  30  can be a separate components or integrated into the lever  12  itself as shown in  FIGS. 4-7 . The rotation stop arm  30  can also be an integrated or a separately attached component to a stop arm spacer  31 , which is not a lever but performs the function of actin like spacer  11  and in conjunction with the stop arm  30 , it prevents the lever  12  opposite the stop arm spacer  31  from rotating beyond a predetermined point. The stop arm spacer  31  is illustrated in  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 9 . 
         [0035]    Section B-B of  FIG. 5  shows a gap between the rotation stop arm  30  and the top surface  14  of the opposite lever  12  , indicating the lever  12  is depressing the bar gun button  26  downward, illustrating a position of when an operator is pushing the lever down to dispense a beverage component. 
         [0036]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the lever assembly  2  of  FIG. 4  and illustrates the rotation stop arms  30 , and the levers  12  in both a depressed state, in the case of one lever  12 , and a non-depressed state, in the case of the remaining levers  12 . 
         [0037]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an additional embodiment of a lever assembly  2  in accordance with the present invention but with the lever assembly  2  installed on a beverage tower assembly rather than a bar gun of the previously described embodiments. The lever assembly  2  is identical to previously described embodiments and can be installed as an original part of a beverage dispensing tower or bar gun or can be supplied as a kit to retrofit pre-existing beverage dispensing towers and bar guns given the configuration of the lever assemblies. 
         [0038]      FIG. 8  and  FIG. 9  respectively show perspective views of an additional embodiment of a hand held beverage dispenser and beverage dispensing tower with a lever assembly showing a stop arm spacer  31  and stop arm  30  in the lever assembly in accordance with many embodiments of the present invention. The fasteners  15  shown in this embodiment are shown outside the extents of pin  10 . In this embodiment, the location of the fasteners allow for quicker removal of the entire lever assembly from the bar gun which depending on the circumstances, may be more desirable to the user, and can make maintenance easier. 
         [0039]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of an additional embodiment of a lever assembly  2  in accordance with the present invention. This embodiment illustrates two levers  12  extending parallel to the bar gun length back towards a bar gun user so the levers  12  are easily manipulated. One lever could be used or more than two levers could also be utilized in the lever assembly. This embodiment also shows the pin mounts  8  being formed down in recesses  32  of the base with the pin being suspended below the upper surface of the base  4 . Instead of caps  28 , the levers  12  have a flared shape at their first end  18  to make manipulating the levers  12  easier. 
         [0040]    The above description is illustrative and is not restrictive. A recitation of “a”, “an” or “the” is intended to mean “one or more” unless specifically indicated to the contrary. Many variations of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the disclosure. One or more features from any embodiment described herein may be combined with one or more features of any other embodiment without departing from the scope of the disclosure. The scope of the disclosure should, therefore, be determined not with reference to the above description, but instead should be determined with reference to the pending claims along with their full scope or equivalents.