Patent Description:
The present invention relates to a cold plate for a beverage dispenser with a prechill circuit for plain and carbonated water, as defined in appended claim <NUM>.

There is a consumer preference for cold beverages as opposed to room-temperature beverages. Beverage dispensing machines often incorporate an ice dispensing system from which the consumer cup may be partially filled with ice and partially filled with beverage, whereby the beverage is cooled by the ice. Customer experience is improved with the dispensed beverage itself being chilled, thereby being sub-ambient temperature if presented without ice, providing lower temperature differential between the beverage and the ice, and promoting ice longevity, and lengthening the time for dilution of the beverage from melted ice.

Cold plates within a beverage dispensing system passively cool the carbonated and/or still water subsequently used to create the beverage by the mixing of one or more syrups with the diluent (carbonated or plain water). The cold plate is typically made of copper or aluminum and contains a series of lines run through the cold plate. The cold plate is positioned at the bottom of a hopper of the ice dispensing system. The ice for the ice dispensing system cools the cold plate. Carbonated water, plain water, and/or syrup flow through these lines to cool the individual components prior to combination into the final beverage.

<CIT> discloses an ice cooled cold plate and carbonator. A beverage cooling system includes a cold plate. The cold plate is provided with carbonator tank supports for mounting the carbonator tank in intimate heat exchange contact with the cold plate, with the carbonator tank being mounted sufficiently far away from heat exchange surface of the cold plate that it does not interfere with ice contacting the heat exchange surfaces. The arrangement is such that there is substantially no diminution a surface area of the cold palate that is available to receive ice. At the same time, the carbonator is effectively cooled through direct heat exchange contact with the cold plate. <CIT> discloses a cold plate having an in-built carbonator and a two pre-carbonation circuits and two post-carbonation circuits.

According to the invention, a cold plate includes a cold plate body. A tubing system is embedded within the cold plate body. The tubing system includes a prechill circuit, a plain water postchill circuit fluidly connected to the prechill circuit, and a carbonated water postchill circuit fluidly connected to the prechill circuit as defined in appended claim <NUM>.

The tubing system may extend externally of the cold plate body between the prechill circuit and the plain water postchill circuit. The tubing system may extend externally of the cold plate body between the prechill circuit and the carbonated water postchill circuit. The cold plate body forms a top surface with a perimeter edge configured to retain ice on the top surface of cold plate body. The cold plate body supports are integrated to the cold plate body and is configured for thermal engagement with a carbonator. The cold plate body further includes a shoulder interior of the perimeter edge. The cold plate body is cast aluminum.

In examples, the total length of the plain water postchill circuit is longer than a total length of the carbonated water postchill circuit. The total length of the plain water postchill circuit may be about the same as a total length of the prechill circuit. The total length of the carbonated water postchill circuit may be about one half of the total length of the plain water postchill circuit. The plain water postchill circuit may be coplanar with the carbonated water postchill circuit. The tubing system may include a first layer within the cold plate body and include the prechill circuit. A second layer may be within the cold plate body and include the plain water postchill circuit and the carbonated water postchill circuit. The first layer is above the second layer in a vertical dimension. The tubing system may include a third layer within the cold plate body, the third layer includes flavoring tubes wherein the third layer is below the second layer in the vertical dimension. The prechill circuit includes a plurality of switchbacks extending across a width dimension of the tubing system, each switchback of the plurality extending a first distance in a length dimension of the tubing system. The plain water postchill circuit includes at least a first switchback extending a second distance in the length dimension of the tubing system and at least a second switchback extending a third distance in the length dimension. The first distance is greater than the second distance and the first distance is less than the third distance. The carbonated water postchill is a parallel offset from the at least one switchback of the plain water postchill circuit.

An example of a beverage dispenser includes a cold plate according to appended claim <NUM>, having a cold plate body and a tubing system embedded within the cold plate body. The tubing system includes a prechill circuit, a plain water postchill circuit fluidly connected to the prechill circuit, and a carbonated water postchill circuit fluidly connected to the prechill circuit. An ice hopper is arranged above the cold plate. The ice hopper is configured to deposit ice from the ice hopper onto the top surface of the cold plate. A carbonator is in thermal engagement with the cold plate. A three-way fitting is fludily connected between the prechill circuit, the carbonator, and the plain water postchill circuit.

Examples of the beverage dispenser may further include a carb pump fluidly connected upstream of the prechill circuit. A level sensor is positioned within the carbonator. The carb pump is configured to operate in response to an output from the level sensor. A bypass line fluidly bypasses the carb pump and the bypass line includes a shut off valve. The shut off valve is configured to operate in response to the output from the level sensor such that the shut off valve operates in a closed position when the carb pump is operating. The shut off valve may be configured to operate in an open condition in response to a dispense of plain water.

In other examples, a total length of the plain water postchill circuit is longer than a total length of the carbonated water postchill circuit. The tubing system may include a first layer within the cold plate body and includes the prechill circuit. The tubing system may include a second layer within the cold plate body and includes the plain water postchill circuit and the carbonated water postchill circuit. The plain water postchill circuit is coplanar with the carbonated water postchill circuit. The first layer is above the second layer in a vertical dimension. The first layer may be below the top surface of the cold plate. The tubing system includes a third layer within the cold plate body. The third layer includes flavoring tubes wherein the third layer is below the second layer in the vertical dimension. The prechill circuit may include a plurality of switchbacks extending across a width dimension of the tubing system. Each switchback of the plurality extends a first distance in a length dimension of the tubing system. The plain water postchill circuit includes at least a first switchback extends a second distance in the length dimension of the tubing system and at least a second switchback extending a third distance in the length dimension. The first distance is greater than the second distance and the first distance is less than the third distance.

An example of a combined beverage and ice dispenser <NUM> is presented in <FIG>. The dispenser <NUM> includes an outer housing <NUM>, a merchandising cover or graphical display <NUM> and a removable ice bin cover <NUM>. One or more beverage dispensing valves <NUM> are secured to a front surface of the dispenser above a drip tray <NUM> and adjacent a splash panel <NUM>. An ice dispensing chute <NUM> is also secured to the front surface of the dispenser centrally of the valves <NUM> and above the drip tray <NUM>.

<FIG> is a partial exploded view of an example of the interior of a dispenser <NUM>, for example with a merchandising cover or graphical display <NUM>, outer housing <NUM>, and ice bin cover <NUM> removed. The dispenser <NUM> has an ice retaining bin <NUM>, a cold plate <NUM> and a cold plate cover <NUM>. The cover <NUM> has an ice drop opening <NUM> that is secured in sealed relationship to a corresponding ice drop hole (not shown) in the bottom of the ice bin <NUM>. The ice bin <NUM> is formed to have an angled front surface <NUM> for receiving an agitator motor that drives an agitator (neither shown) that resides within the ice bin <NUM>. The ice bin <NUM> has an ice outlet opening <NUM> through which ice to be dispensed exits the bin for flow into, through and out of the chute <NUM> into a cup.

In operation, the ice bin <NUM> is filled with cubed ice by an operator. The agitator motor rotates the agitator in the ice retaining bin <NUM> to agitate and mix pieces of ice retained within the bin to prevent congealing and agglomeration of the ice into a mass of ice, to move and direct ice to and out of the bin outlet opening <NUM> and into the chute <NUM> for dispensing of the ice, and to maintain the ice in discrete free flowing form. Rotation of the agitator also causes some of the ice within the bin <NUM> to fall through to opening in the bottom of the ice bin <NUM> and through the corresponding opening <NUM> in the cold plate cover <NUM> onto a generally rectangular heat exchange top surface <NUM> of the cold plate <NUM>. The cold plate <NUM> is typically positioned at an angle within the dispenser <NUM> to facilitate draining of ice melt water from the top surface <NUM> to and through cold plate drains <NUM>. The cold plate heat exchange top surface <NUM> is defined within an upstanding perimeter edge <NUM> of the cold plate <NUM> and the cover <NUM> is secured to the cold plate along a perimeter shoulder <NUM> formed in the perimeter edge <NUM>. The cover <NUM> encloses the cold plate and defines therewithin a cold plate compartment that resides beneath the ice retaining bin <NUM> and forms a protected ice retaining space above the cold plate heat exchange top surface <NUM>.

The cold plate <NUM> includes a body <NUM> which is typically a cast material (e.g. aluminum) that surrounds tubing system <NUM> that includes a plurality of beverage lines that extend generally between fluid inlets 43A and fluid outlets 43B. The ice on the top surface <NUM> cools the cold plate <NUM> and the cold plate <NUM> is used in turn to cool fluid systems of the dispenser <NUM>. The cold plate <NUM> cools beverage fluids flowing through the beverage lines <NUM> as described in further detail herein. The cold plate <NUM> is further used to cool a cylindrical carbonator <NUM>. The carbonator <NUM> includes a central cylinder 102A and two end caps 102B and 102C secured to opposite ends of the central cylinder 102A. The cold plate <NUM> includes forward and rearward carbonator supports 46A and 46B that are formed as an integral part of the body of the cold plate and extend vertically upward from front and rear corners of the cold plate above and partially along one side of the perimeter edge <NUM>. Being integral to the cold plate and of the same material of the cold plate, the carbonator supports 46A, 46B promote conductive thermal transfer between the cold plate and the carbonator, cooling the carbonator <NUM> and any liquid therein. In examples, the supports 46A, 46B may extend outside of the cold plate cover <NUM> and support the carbonator exterior of the cold plate cover <NUM>, while in other examples, the cold plate cover <NUM> extends over the supports 46A, 46B, and the carbonator <NUM> is supported internal to the cold plate cover <NUM>, with the carbonator <NUM> within the cold plate compartment. The cold plate supports 46A, 46B are further adapted for heat exchange contact with the carbonator <NUM> including but not limited to a concave arcuate heat exchange upper surface <NUM> exemplarily configured to correspond to a curved exterior of the central cylinder 102A of the carbonator <NUM>.

The carbonator <NUM> produces carbonated water by mixing of water and carbon dioxide gas in intimate contact within the pressurized interior of the carbonator <NUM>. The carbonator <NUM> has a water inlet <NUM> for connection to a source of potable water, a carbonated water outlet <NUM> for providing fluid connection to the valves <NUM>, a carbon dioxide gas inlet <NUM> for connection to a source of pressurized carbon dioxide gas, a liquid level sensor connected to a control mechanism for controlling delivery of water into the carbonator <NUM> through the water inlet <NUM> as a function of the withdrawal of carbonated water through the outlet <NUM>, and a pressure safety valve <NUM>. Internally of the carbonator <NUM>, the water inlet <NUM> connects to a water tube that is angled to direct water to flow out of an outlet into an upper interior zone of the carbonator that is filled with pressurized carbon dioxide gas and against an upper inner surface of the cylinder 102A. The outlet is designed to atomize the water to improve take-up of pressurized carbon dioxide gas into the water within the zone, and thereby to enhance the efficient carbonation of the water.

The inventors have observed that when the dispenser is configured to dispense both carbonated water and plain water (or beverages based on carbonated and/or plain water), the temperature of the carbonated water is lower than the temperature of the plain water, in part because of the chilling before and during the carbonation process. Beverage customers may prefer colder beverage temperatures. Additionally, customers may perceive a quality difference if temperature variation between plain water and carbonated water based beverages is noticed. The inventors have arrived at a cold plate arrangement with improved cooling of plain water and more consistent temperature performance between plain and carbonated water outputs.

<FIG> is a perspective view of an example of the tubing system <NUM> according to the invention. Said tubing system <NUM> is embedded within the body <NUM> of the cold plate <NUM> (see <FIG>), which as previously noted may be a monolithic casting of material, for example aluminum. The tubing system <NUM> includes a plurality of stacked layers of fluid lines between inlets and outlets thereof as explained herein. In addition to the tubing system <NUM>, the carbonator <NUM> is provided that receives plain water as described in further detail herein and operates as described above to carbonate the plain water with carbon dioxide gas to produce carbonated water.

Plain water enters the tubing system <NUM> at water inlet <NUM> and flows through a prechill circuit 100A, exemplarily in the direction of arrow <NUM>, before leaving a prechill outlet <NUM>. The prechill outlet <NUM> is connected to a three-way fitting <NUM>. One branch of the three-way fitting <NUM> is a carbonator supply line <NUM> connected to the water inlet <NUM> of the carbonator <NUM>. A check valve <NUM> is positioned in the carbonator supply line <NUM> prior to the water inlet <NUM>. The check valve <NUM> retains the pressure in the carbonator <NUM> and prevents pressure loss and equalization back into the prechill circuit 100A, as will be explained in further detail herein. The remaining branch of the three-way fitting <NUM> is a plain water supply line <NUM> connected to the inlet <NUM> of a plain water postchill circuit 100B, exemplarily in the direction of arrow <NUM>. Plain water is chilled by conduction as it flows through the prechill circuit 100A, and subsequently chilled further by conduction as it flows through the plain water postchill circuit 100B. When a dispense of plain water, or a beverage that includes plain water, is initiated, the plain water, having been chilled by both the prechill circuit 100A and the postchill circuit 100B is dispensed through plain water outlet line 124A. As described above, the carbonator <NUM> operates to entrain carbon dioxide into plain water to produce carbonated water. Carbonated water exits an outlet <NUM> of the carbonator <NUM> into a carbonated water supply line <NUM>. The carbonated water supply line <NUM> is connected to an inlet <NUM> of a carbonated water postchill circuit 100C.

<FIG> and <FIG> provide detailed perspective views of the region surrounding the carbonator <NUM>, including portions of the tubing system <NUM> as described above. It is recognized that references numbers as described above reference the same components in these views as well. <FIG> is a detailed version of that shown in <FIG>, while <FIG> depicts the tubing system <NUM> embedded within the cold plate <NUM> and further surrounded by foam insulation <NUM>. Therefore, only portions of the tubing system <NUM>, as indicated in <FIG>, are exposed.

Returning to <FIG>, the plain water postchill circuit 100B is positioned in a layer below, in a vertical dimension V, from the prechill circuit 100A. The carbonated water postchill circuit 100C is exemplarily positioned in a layer below the prechill circuit 100A in the vertical dimension V. In the example depicted herein, the pain water postchill circuit 100B and the carbonated water postchill circuit 100C are coplanar and within the same plane.

<FIG>, which is a schematic view of the system as shown in <FIG>, exemplarily depicts a first layer of the tubing system represented by the prechill circuit 100A and a second layer of the tubing system <NUM> represented by the both the plain water postchill circuit 100B and the carbonated water postchill circuit 100C. This represents features of the tubing system <NUM> which may be obscured in the perspective view of <FIG>. Exemplarily, the prechill circuit 100A includes a series of switchbacks S<NUM> between the width dimension W of the tubing system <NUM> and extending along the length dimension L of the tubing system <NUM>. Exemplarily, the prechill circuit 100A exemplarily includes seven switchbacks S<NUM> with even lengths in the length dimension L. It will be recognized that other variations and arrangements of the prechill circuit 100A may be used while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure.

The second layer of the tubing system <NUM>, represented by the combined plain water postchill circuit 100B and the carbonated water prechill circuit 100C in a coplanar relationship. The second layer occupies a similar footprint as the first layer, extending for a length L in the length dimension and a width W in the width dimension. The plain water postchill circuit 100B, similar to the prechill circuit 100A, includes seven switchbacks, however, the plain water postchill circuit 100B exemplarly includes two switchback arrangements. Switchbacks S<NUM> have a length L<NUM>. In an example, the switchbacks S<NUM> are shorter in the L dimension than the switchbacks S<NUM> of the prechill circuit 100A, and shorter than switchbacks S<NUM> as will be described in further detail herein. The plain water postchill circuit 100B further includes switchbacks S<NUM> which have a length L<NUM>. Length L<NUM> of switchbacks S<NUM> is longer than either of Switchbacks S<NUM> or S<NUM>. However, the smaller length of switchbacks S<NUM> and greater length of switchbacks S<NUM> roughly balance so that the total length of the tubing of the plain water postchill circuit 100B may exemplarily be about the same (e.g. +/- <NUM>%) length as the prechill circuit 100A.

The greater distance L<NUM> provided by switchbacks S<NUM> creates space for the switchbacks S<NUM> of the carbonated water postchill circuit 100C to fit in a parallel offset relationship to switchbacks S<NUM> of the plain water postchill circuit 100B. It will be recognized that alternating ends of switchbacks S<NUM>/S<NUM> are internal to one another. In an example, a total length of the carbonated water postchill circuit 100C is about (e.g. +/- <NUM>%) one half the total length of the plain water postchill circuit 100B.

Carbonated water from the carbonator <NUM> water flows through the carbonated water postchill circuit 100C upon the initiation of a dispense of carbonated water or a beverage that includes carbonated water, for example by opening a carbonated water dispense valve (not depicted), carbonated water is dispensed through a carbonated water outlet line 124B. The carbonated water, having been cooled by conduction in the prechill circuit 100A, cooled while in the carbonator <NUM>, and further cooled by conduction in the carbonated water postchill circtuit 100C, prior to dispense through the carbonated water outlet line 124B. Syrup inlets <NUM> provide flavoring syrup through tubing in the cold plate, the flavoring tubing, while partially obscured in <FIG> and not included in <FIG> for the sake of simplification, may be arranged in a third layer of tubing within the tubing system <NUM>, exemplarily below in the vertical dimension V both the layer of the prechill circuit 100A and the layer of the combined plain water postchill circuit 100B and the carbonated water postchill circuit 100C. However, it will be recognized that other arrangements of the flavoring syrup tubes may be used, included but not limited to the use of a fourth layer within the cold plate. The flavoring syrup, chilled by conductive contact with the cold plate is subsequently dispensed through syrup outlets <NUM>.

<FIG> also depicts the fluid control components of the dispenser as may be used to achieve the operation of fluid flow within the tubing system <NUM> as described. Water is received to the dispenser from a water source <NUM>. Depending upon the utility water pressure or consistency of the utility water pressure for the water source <NUM> at the location of the dispenser <NUM>, the dispenser <NUM> may include a booster pump <NUM> to provide additional or consistent water pressure into the tubing system <NUM>.

The carbonator <NUM> includes a water level probe <NUM> this probe provides a determination of a threshold level or amount of (carbonated) water in the carbonator <NUM>. When the water level falls below the position of the probe, a control signal is produced. The control signal maybe provided directly to a carb pump <NUM>, while in other examples, the signal from the probe <NUM> is provided to a controller <NUM>. The controller <NUM> is exemplarily, but not limited to: a control circuit, programmable logic, or a microprocessor, and produces the control signal in response to the signal from the probe <NUM>. A carb pump <NUM> receive the control signal and operates in response the control signal to provide additional water pressure to the prechill circuit 100A to maintain a minimum pressure of the water introduced to the carbonator <NUM>. A bypass line <NUM> with a check valve <NUM> and a shut off valve <NUM> operate to selectively bypass the carb pump <NUM>, when the additional system pressure is not needed. In such example, the shut off valve <NUM> is normally open, but is operated to close during operation of the carb pump <NUM> to fill the carbonator <NUM>. When the carbonator is filled to a sufficient level indicated by the probe, the carb pump <NUM> stops operation and the shut off valve <NUM> opens. When system operates to dispense plain water, the pressure of the water in from the water source and/or booster pump by way of the bypass line <NUM> exemplarily meets sufficient operational pressure for plain water dispensing, while water volume is not also being withdrawn from the carbonator and/or carbonated water postchill circuit 100C. Plain water from the carb pump <NUM> and/or through the bypass line <NUM> flows through water inlet <NUM> to the prechill circuit 100A. Operation otherwise proceeds as described above.

<FIG> and <FIG> present examples of temperature measurement graphs for an operational test for the temperature of dispensed carbonated water and plain water. In these graphs the non-SI unit °F is used, which can be converted to the SI-derived unit °C using the following formula: °C = (°F - <NUM>)/<NUM>. <FIG> presents a graph <NUM> of the measured temperatures of carbonated water during a series of dispenses. <FIG> presents a graph <NUM> of measured temperatures of plain water during a series of dispenses through a prior design as well as a graph <NUM> of measured temperatures of plain water during a series of dispenses through the cold plate design as disclosed. A comparison of the graphs shows a decrease in the plain water temperature, and a plain water temperature more consistent with that of the carbonated water temperature.

<CIT>, entitled "Ice Dispensers" includes additional disclosure regarding an ice hopper and dispensing system, with which the presently disclosed cold-plate may exemplarily be used.

Claim 1:
A cold plate (<NUM>) for a beverage dispenser (<NUM>), the cold plate comprising:
a cold plate body (<NUM>);
a tubing system (<NUM>) embedded within the cold plate body, the tubing system comprising:
a prechill circuit (100A) comprising a plain water inlet (<NUM>) configured to receive plain water and a prechill outlet (<NUM>) from which chilled plain water exits the prechill circuit (100A);
a plain water postchill circuit (100B) comprising an inlet (<NUM>) to receive chilled plain water from the prechill circuit (100A); and
a carbonated water postchill circuit (100C) comprising an inlet (<NUM>) configured to receive carbonated water from a carbonator;
and a three-way fitting (<NUM>) connected to the prechill outlet (<NUM>) and configured to direct chilled plain water into the carbonator and into the inlet (<NUM>) of the plain water postchill circuit (100B).