GB2160502A - Drink supply system for postmixed drinks - Google Patents

Abstract

A drink supply system includes a water supply line 14 extending in a cooling coil 18 through an ice-water bath 13, or through cooling plates, to a dispensing unit 30. The dispensing unit 30 includes a plurality of concentrate containers 32 in which different beverage concentrates are stored. The concentrate containers 32 are cooled by cooling means connected in a circuit 41, 36, 37, 42 with the ice-water container 13. As a result, the dispensing unit 30 and the concentrated containers are kept cool without the need of additional refrigeration means. Unit 30, in this embodiment, is supplementary to conventional dispenser 12 wherein concentrate from 20 passes through the cooling bath via pipe 26; the dispenser 12, unlike 30, is not cooled directly. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Drink supply system for postmixed drinks The invention relates to a drink supply system for postmixed drinks comprising at least one concentrate container the outlet of which is connected to a dispensing unit including a mixing device, and a diluent supply line extending through an ice-water bath or other cooling means connected to the dispensing unit. Postmixed drinks are beverages which are prepared almost directly before being dispensed and which consist of a drink concentrate mixed with water or other liquid. For example said concentrate may be a syrup or a fruit concentrate which, when diluted, provides a drink.

There have been known devices for restaurants, bars, lunchrooms, snack bars etc. where the dispensing device in the form of a tapping means is mounted on the counter while all other accessories located under the counter or in a side room or cellar are line-connected to the dispensing unit. To ensure that the dispensed drinks are served in cool condition, water and concentrate on their way to the dispenser are conducted through an ice-water bath or through cooling plates so as to be cooled.

Thus, both of the two components to be mixed are cooled. The ice-water bath is formed by a refrigerator including a cooling assembly and a water basin. The water contained in the latter is kept at a temperature of about 09 C. Cooling coils adapted to pass therethrough potable water and concentrate are disposed in the water basin. Thus the water and concentrate are cooled to 2 to 5 C.

In case of cooling plates, water and concentrate are cooled within coils to about 2-5 C. Desirably tapping means should be adapted to dispense various postmixed drinks, e.g. Cola drinks, lemonades, fruit juices etc. A tapping device which could be used to this end, would require a respective number of concentrate containers and a respective number of cooling coils (one for each drink concentrate) which are located in the ice-water bath or adjacent cooling plates. Generally, equipment already installed cannot be enlarged to supply additional drinks because no space for additional cooling coils is available in the ice-water bath. Further, known tapping means only operate successfully in case of a constant, high supply rate of drinks. Only if drinks are steadily tapped, is it ensured that the dispensed drinks have the desired temperature.Thus, if there is a long interruption in the lines leading from the ice-water bath to the dispenser, the liquids in the lines warm up. Furthermore concentrate containers which are not cooled, may give rise to the risk of microbial growth.

It is the object of the invention to provide a drink supply system of the above mentioned type, which enables a drink to be dispensed at lower temperatures, even when small supply rates of the drink are demanded.

According to the invention there is provided a drink supply system for postmixed drinks comprising a concentrate container having an outlet connected to a dispensing unit, such unit comprising a mixing device which additionally receives diluent from a supply line extending through a cooling unit of the system, wherein the dispensing unit is provided with cooling means connected in a circuit with the cooling unit so as to receive cooling fluid therefrom.

According to the invention, the dispensing unit is cooled thus ensuring that the components contained therein from which the postmixed drink is prepared, are kept cool. The dispensing unit need not include a refrigerator of its own nor need it require any electric connections or driven cooling assembly. Low temperatures required to keep the dispenser cool are derived from the cooling unit, e.g. an ice-water bath or cooling plates normally disposed under the counter. Hence, with small additional expenditure, the components are kept cool effectively. Drinks are also cooler when dispensed in small amounts and tapped at longer intervals.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the concentrate container is mounted in the dispensing unit. Whils concentrate containers are disposed traditionally either under the counter or in a side room or cellar, the dispensing unit of the invention may itself house at least one concentrate container. By gravity and through a manually operable valve, the concentrate may flow from the container to the mixing device to which potable water is fed simultaneously. Thus, the concentrate container is constantly kept cool by the cooling device, and microbial growth is decelerated accordingly. Moreover, the path from the concentrate container to the mixing device is short thus excluding long lines for the transport of the viscous concentrate.

A preferred system offers the additional advantages that existing installations may be enlarged by simple means to permit the dispensing of a plurality of different postmixed drinks. To enlarge an existing station, it is not necessary to enlarge the cooling plates or the ice-water container or to incorporate additional dispenser only need be connected e.g. to the ice-water container, the cooling means of the dispensing unit being connected to the ice-water container, while the drinking-water line of the dispenser may be affixed to the existing drinking-water line at the output of the ice-water container. The additional dispensing unit need not be installed necessarily on the counter, and may instead be mounted at another place, for example by suspending it on a wall.

Preferably, the cooling means comprises a heat exchanger disposed in the dispensing unit behind the concentrate container and having cooling plates provided laterally of the concentrate container. Thus, on part of its circumference, the concentrate container is surrounded by cooling elements. However, the cooling means does not only cool the dispensing unit but also the mixing device and the lines in the dispensing unit as far as to the tapping point for drinks. The preferred drink supply system is particularly suitable for small installations having a relatively low tapping volume.

Irrespective of the tapping frequency or of the dispensed amount of drinks, it is ensured that the quality of cool drinks is maintained safely. Preferably, the concentrate container is in direct contact with the heat exchanger or with the cooling plates thereof.

In a manner known per se, a carbonator connected to a CO2-container may be assembled in the water line to enrich potable water with carbonic acid (CO2).

With reference to the drawings, certain embodiments of the invention will be explained hereinafter by way of example. In the drawings, Figure 1 is a schematic view of the drink supply station, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the dispensing unit, Figure 3 is a view of the upper portion of the dispenser, the hood being withdrawn, Figure 4 is a schematic vertical section of the dispenser, Figure 5 is a section of the cooling means along line V-V of Figure 4., and Figure 6 is a modified embodiment of the drink supply station.

The drink supply station of Figure 1 includes a conventional dispensing unit 11 mounted on a counter 10 and having four separate taps 12 to dispense four different postmixed drinks. A contact cooling plate or, as illustrated, an ice-water tank is located under the counter, the ice water tank 13 being a water basin that is cooled by a (non-illustrated) refrigerator and filled with water.

A drinking-water line 14 is conducted through an electric motor-driven high pressure pump 15 to a carbonator 17 in which drinking water is enriched with CO2. From the carbonator 17, the drinkingwater line 14 extends to a cooling coil 18 mounted in the ice-water bath 13 to lead from there, via a waterline 19, to the dispensing device 11.

The concentrate, e.g. a syrup, is provided in a concentrate container 20 whose pressure connection 21 is joined via a pressure reducer 22 to a CO2 container 23, while its outlet 24 is connected via line 25 to another cooling coil 26 mounted in the ice-water bath 13, the outlet of said cooling coil 26 being joined via the concentrate line 27 to the dispenser.

The outlet of the CO2-container 23 is connected via another pressure reducer 28 and a CO2-line 29 to an inlet of the carbonator 17.

The installation described so far is known. It operates as follows: The CO2-container 23 serving as a pressure source expels the concentrate out of the container 20. Due to said pressure, the liquid concentrate is conveyed through the cooling coil 26 to the dispenser 11. In addition, CO2 passes via line 29 to the carbonator 17 to enrich the potable water which, as now blended, is supplied via the cooling coil 18 to the dispenser 11. Upon actuation of the respective tap 12 at the dispensing unit, predetermined amounts of drink concentrate and of drinking water are fed into the (non-illustrated) mixing device to be mixed and filled into a glass held under the tap.

For the sake of clarity, Figure 1 shows one sole concentrate container 20 only. If four different taps 12 are available, four concentrate containers 20 must be provided and a cooling coil 26 for each of them must be located in the ice-water bath 13.

The installation illustrated in Figure 1 further comprises an additional dispensing unit 30 mounted on the counter 10 and comprising several keys 31 which may be depressed to optionally dis pense one of a number of available drinks. Each key 31 is assigned to a concentrate container 32 of its own which is housed in the upper portion of the dispensing unit 32. If a key 31 is depressed, two (non-illustrated) valves are opened in a mixing device 33 to mix predetermined amounts of potable water and concentrate which are dispensed as a drink from the outlet 34. To this effect, a water line 19' connected to the water line 19 is joined to the mixing device 33; the other inlet of the mixing device 33 is connected to the lower aperture of the concentrate container 32 which is made of plastics to be replaceable by a new one when it is empty.

(Figure 4).

In addition to the concentrate container 32, cooling means 35 is housed in the upper portion of the dispensing unit 30. Said cooling means comprises an upright vessel designed as a heat exchanger and having an inlet 36 and an outlet 37. As shown in Figure 5, between the inlet 36 and the outlet 37, several intermediate walls provide a meandering flow of the cooling water to ensure a uniform cooling of the front face of the cooling means 35. Cooling plates 39 made of a metal having a good thermal conductivity such as copper project from said front face to receive between them concentrate containers 32 arranged in a row. (Figure 3) From the ice-water container 13, a supply line 41 extends via a circulating pump 40 to the inlet 36 of the cooling means 35, while, from the outlet 37 of the latter, a return line 42 is led into the ice-water container.Thus, the circulation of ice water through the cooling means 35 is performed in a closed cycle, ice water being used as a refrigerant for the operation of the cooling means 35 accordingly.

The installation shown in Figure 1 contains in addition to the conventional dispensing unit 11 the dispensing unit 30 and it will be seen that the unit 30 is well suited to be simply added to existing equipment. However, it will also be appreciated that it is possible to provide an arrangement in which the traditional concentrate container 20, and associated cooling coil 26 and the dispensing unit 11 are absent. Such a system is schematically illustrated in Figure 6 in which a box containing the ice-water bath 13 and the carbonator 17 is disposed under the counter. As is evident, the CO2line 29 extends to the carbonator 17, and from the ice-water bath 13, waterlines 19 extend to two different dispensing units 30. For the sake of clarity, supply lines 41 and return lines 42 for the cooling means contained in the dispensers are not shown in the drawing. For the cooling connection of several dispensers 30, one common circuit may be provided in which the cooling means are seriesconnected.

Modifications to the illustrated embodiments and to the broad aspects of the apparatus described herein may be apparent to the skilled man, and this specification is intended to encompass such modifications. The claims presently appended hereto are merely intended to define the scope of protection being sought for the time being.

Claims (8)

1. A drink supply system for postmixed drinks comprising a concentrate container having an outlet connected to a dispensing unit, such unit comprising a mixed device which additionally receives diluent from a supply line extending through a cooling unit of the system, wherein the dispensing unit is provided with cooling means connected in a circuit with the cooling unit so as to receive cooling fluid therefrom.

2. A drink supply system according to claim 1, wherein the concentrate container is housed within the dispensing unit.

3. A drink supply system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cooling means comprises a heat exchanger located in the dispensing unit adjacent to the concentrate container, such heat exchanger having cooling plates arranged either side of the container.

4. A drink supply system according to claim 3, wherein the concentrate container is in direct contact with the heat exchanger or with the cooling plates thereof.

5. A drink supply system according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein a carbonator joined to a C02 - container is connected to the diluent supply line.

6. A drinks supply system as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said cooling unit comprises a cooling fluid bath.

7. A drink supply system as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6 wherein said cooling unit comprises cooling plates.

8. A drink supply system substantially as herein described with reference to any of the accompanying drawings.