CA2259835A1 - Valve for frozen dessert dispensing - Google Patents

Abstract

Described is a valve for a dispensing apparatus which includes a source of a fluid product. The valve includes a main body engaging the source of the fluid product, and means in the main body defining a cylindrical chamber. An aperture provides communication between the cylindrical chamber, and a draw valve reciprocates within the cylindrical chamber, and has a convex first end adapted for selective engagement with a first end inner wall of the cylindrical chamber. A fluid product pay-out aperture is formed through the concave first end inner wall surface of the cylindrical chamber, for paying out fluid product from the main body, thepaying out aperture being located at an angle offset from the central longitudinal axis. The draw valve includes a biasing mean for limiting the force that can be applied by the draw valve to the convex first inner end wall surface. The draw valve further includes a first component that defines the first end and the second component toward and away from the convex first end wall surface of the cylindrical chamber. The biasing means is a compression spring located within the draw valve.

Description

CA 022~983~ 1999-02-10 VALVE FOR FROZEN DESSERT DISPENSING

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

S This is a divisional of C~n~ n patent application S.N. 2,140,489, filed January 18, 1995, and entitled "Method and Apparatus for Frozen Dessert Dispensing" .

BACKGOUND OF THE INVENTION
This application pertains to the art of dispensing frozen dessert products and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for vending frozen dessert products in consumer selectable quantities.
The invention is particularly applicable to vending apparatus for llnm~nn~l sale of refreshments to consumers in malls, places of business, public places or the like and will be described with particular reference thereto although it will beappreciated that the invention has broader applications such as chemical mixing operations such as blending predetermined portions of different paint colours or any other procedures which require automatic fluid dispensing in user-settable quantities.
Frozen dessert dispensing apparatus have heretofore required a full time on-site operator or sales person to manipulate the apparatus in order to dispense various quantities of the dessert into a separate carton or edible cone. This human resource burden is largely due to the primitive valving mech~ni.cm~ typically employed in soft ice cream and yogurt dispensers. Those valves are in reality a simple gate mechanism operable in a first position to block the flow of the froze dessert product from a bulk supply and in a second position to permit said flow through a conduit and toward a dispensing head. As illustrated in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,711,376 and 3,698,206, handles are typically connected directly to the grating mechanisms toprovide a rather uncomplicated primitive dessert dispensing apparatus.

CA 022~983~ 1999-02-10 Devices of the type described above have become popular over the years but present two (2) major problems from a business perspective. First, an amount of human error is involved in determining the actual serving size. Although variousplastic and waxed containers used in connection with frozen dessert products of this 5 type generally define a serving size, the actual precise amount of product served may vary. Oftentimes, product waste is involved or customers are over-served in the aggregate resulting in a business loss. Further, the costs associated with an on-site employee may be prohibitive. In certain settings, it is conceivable that insufficient demand exists for the soft frozen dessert products to warrant the 10 expenditure of an operator's salary. In areas where sufficient demand exists, such as where a wide variety of products are sold at a common vending area such as a food court for example, the operator's time may be better served tending to the customer's other needs rather than portioning frozen dessert products m~nll~lly.One solution is an automatic vending apparatus. These have been used in the 15 past wherein a plurality of pre-packaged frozen dessert products such as ice cream bars or ice cream sandwiches are sold directly to consumers. One downside of this approach is that the consumers are presented only with predetermined quantity choices.
U.S. Patent No. 2,559,840 describes an ice cream dispensing device which 20 is capable of issuing various selectable quantities of the frozen dessert product from a bulk storage container. However, the apparatus described in that patent is somewhat limited in that only multiples of a predetermined minimllm quantity maybe served. This is due to the fact that a fixed measuring chamber is repeatedly completely filled then completely emptied into a cup or the like to portion out ice 25 cream from the bulk supply. Desired portions which are not multiples of the complete chamber volume are not serviceable.
Another apparatus for dispensing measured quantities of a frozen dessert product is described in UK Patent Application 2,230,057. There, a complicated mechanism including a ram, valve and cylinder cooperate with a duct to divide a 30 bulk supply of frozen dessert product into predetermined portion. One drawback CA 022~983~ 1999-02-10 with this system is its complicated nature and resultant disassembly and cleaning difficulties. In addition, spoilage may result because a considerable amount of product residue remains in the ram, cylinder and duct mechanism between uses.
Accordingly, it is clear that a need exists for a frozen dessert dispensing apparatus which is easy to use, simple to clean and m~int:~in and which is capable of dispensing selectable quantities of the dessert product from a bulk source. The prevent invention contemplates new and improved methods and apparatus for frozendessert dispensing which overcomes all of the above-referred problems and othersand provides an apparatus and control method for use therewith which is simple, 10 economical and profitable.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present development there is provided a free-standing 15 self-contained soft frozen dessert dispensing apparatus capable of dividing bulk dessert into infinitely variable user-definable quantities over a continuous range.
In accordance with a more limited aspect of this development, the frozen dessert dispensing apparatus includes a refrigerated main enclosure adapted to receive bulk frozen dessert product refill cartridges onto a dispensing head. The 20 dispensing head is easily m~nll~lly removable from the apparatus for easy cleaning.
A piston within the enclosure engages the product cartridge on a first open end to apply a slight constant pressure thereto. The second end of the cartridge is adapted to be positioned on the dispensing head substantially within the refrigerated enclosure.
According to a still further aspect of this development, the dispensing head includes an outlet nozzle, a cavity or product queue having a predetermined volume and a reciprocal plunger mechanism operable in the chamber. In a first position, the plunger permits frozen product to flow from the refill product cartridge and into the measuring chamber through an opening therebetween. The second position of the CA 022~983~ 1999-02-10 - plunger substantially blocks the opening preventing further product flow from the bulk source.
In accordance with a still further aspect of this development, plunger travel beyond that which blocks the flow of frozen dessert product from the bulk source5 induces an extrusion of the dessert product from the measuring chamber through the dispensing opening thus substantially completely evacuating the chamber of product.
In accordance with yet a further aspect of this development, a method of frozen dessert product dispensing includes timing the interval required to fill the measuring chamber, permitting the frozen dessert product to flow from the bulk 10 source and through the measuring chamber for a second time period and lastly completely purging the measuring chamber of the dessert product after the secondpredetermined time period in order to dispense a user-settable product quantity.A principle aim of this development is to dispense user-definable quantities of a frozen dessert product to achieve portion control in an apparatus which is 15 uncomplicated, easy to clean and m:~int~in, and operates inexpensively.
Another aim of the present development is to provide a method of operating a soft frozen dessert dispensing apparatus which facilitates easy control thereover.
The method includes sensing that the measuring chamber is completely full, determining a second time period for con~inued flow of frozen dessert product 20 through the chamber from a bulk source and operating a plunger to substantially completely purge the measuring chamber. The step of determining the time period required to fill the chamber can be elimin:~ted when the chamber defines the desired quantity of dessert.
More particularly, this invention provides a valve for use with an operatively 25 associated dispensing apparatus including a source of a fluid product, the valve compnslng:
a main body adapted on a first side for engagement with said source of fluid product;
means, in the main body, defining a substantially cylindrical chamber having 30 a concave first end inner wall surface and an open second end;

CA 022~983~ 1999-02-10 a first aperture in the main body for fluid communication between the substantially cylindrical chamber and the source of fluid product;
a draw valve reciprocal within said substantially cylindrical chamber along a central longitudinal axis defined by said substantially cylindrical chamber, the draw 5 valve having a convex first end adapted for selective engagement with said concave first end inner wall surface of the substantially cylindrical chamber;
a fluid product pay out aperture formed through the concave first end inner wall surface of the substantially cylindrical chamber for paying out fluid product from the main body, said pay out aperture being located at an angle offset from said~0 central longitudinal axis;
wherein the draw valve includes a biasing means carried therein for limiting the force that can be applied by the draw valve to the convex first end inner wall surface of the substantially cylindrical chamber; and, further wherein the draw valve includes a first component that defines the 15 first end and a second component toward and away from the concave first end inner wall surface of the substantially cylindrical chamber with said biasing means comprising a compression spring located within said draw valve between said first and second components.

Furthermore, this invention provides a valve for use with an operatively associated dispensing apparatus including a source of a fluid product, the valvecomprising:
a main body adapted on a first side for engagement with said source of fluid product;
means, in the main body, defining a substantially cylindrical chamber having a concave first end inner wall surface and an open second end;
a first aperture in the main body for fluid communication between the substantially cylindrical chamber and the source of fluid product;
a draw valve reciprocal within said substantially cylindrical chamber along a central longitudinal axis defined by said substantially cylindrical chamber, the draw valve having a convex first end adapted for selective engagement with said concave first end inner wall surface of the substantially cylindrical chamber;
a fluid product pay out aperture formed through the concave first end inner wall surface of the substantially cylindrical chamber for paying out fluid product 5 from the main body, said pay out aperture being located at an angle offset from said central longitudinal axis;
wherein the draw valve includes a biasing means carried therein for limiting the force that can be applied by the draw valve to the convex first end inner wall surface of the substantially cylindrical chamber; and, wherein the fluid draw valve further includes:
a first member defining said convex first end of said draw valve;
a second member adapted for connection to the operatively associated dispensing apparatus; and, said biasing means comprising a compressible member positioned 15 between the first member and the second member, the compressible member controlling the movement of a one of the first and second members relative to the other first and second members.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangements of parts, preferred embodiments of which will be described in detail in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing~ which rOrm a part hereor and wherein Fig 1 i~ a per-pe¢tiv vi-w o~ a frozen dessert disp-n~ing apparatu- e~bodying th- ~L 2 ~qnt inventlon;
Fig 2 i~ a rront ~l-vational view, partially broken away, Or th- disp~n~ing apparatu~ illu~trated in Fig l;
Fig 3 i~ a view o~ th- brok-n away portion Or Fig 2 in partial cro~ soction;
Fig 4 i~ a cro~ -¢tional view Or the dispensing apparatu~ t~ken along lin- 4-4 Or Fig 3;
Fig 5 i~ a cro~--sectlon-l view Or the dispen~ing apparatu~ taken along lin S-5 Or Fig 3;
Fig 6 i~ an ~l-¢tri¢al block diagram illustrating the logic and co ~ol ~l-mQnts Or the dispQnsing apparatu~;
Fig~ 7a-7- illu~trat- a sequence Or operating the apparatu- Or Fig~ 1-5 to di~p n~- rrozen dessert portions in variabl- predet-r~ined guantities; and, Fig 8 i~ a rlow chart ~-tting rorth a pr-~-rred m-thod o~ di~p n~ing variabl- pred-t-rmined quantities rrom th- apparatu~ o~ Fig ~ D~r~ tlo~ o~ tl-- nr~
2s Reforring now to tho drawing~ wherein the CA 022~983~ 1999-02-10 showings are for the purposeg of illustrating the preferred embodimentg of the invention only and not for the purpose~ of limiting game, the figure~ show a frozen dessert dispen~ing apparatug 10 including a dispensing station 12, a bulk product section 14 and an interface and control section 16.
With reference first to Figure 1, the frozen dessert dispen~ing apparatus 10 includes a sub~tantially rectangular refrigerated cabinet 18 which sits atop a reinforced pedestal 20. The refrigerated cabinet 18 include~ a front face surface 22 which may be lettered, brightly illustrated or provide about it~ periphery with suitable channel member~ for supporting replaceable cardboard or plastic product advertisements, operator instruction~ or the like. In the preferred embodiment, a plurality of thumb screw~ are used to secure the panels to the cabinet. At least one of th- flat panels illustrated in th- figure comprising the cabinet 18 are adapted to provide ea~y acce~ into the cabinet by authorized personnel for purposes such as to replace depleted frozen dessert stock. In the preferred embodiment, the front panel facing the operator pivots on hinges (not shown) and is optionally equipped with a lock to prohibit unauthorized acces~. An edge of the front panel closes normally open magnetic safety interlock switch (not shown) when the panel is pivoted into a closed CA 022~983~ 1999-02-10 position sealing the cabinet 18. All power is removed from the device when the door is opened.
The pedest~l 20 of the dispensing station 12 includes a substantially square bottom portion defining a solid base 24. The apparatus 10 i8 thereby suitable for placement onto a support table or countertop in a store or the like. A work surfacQ 2~ is defined by the general "L" shape of the pedestal 20 and may include a drip tray (not shown) such as i~ typical in the dispensing apparatus art.
The various hardware necessary to accomplish the refrigeration of the cabinet 18 including a compressor, condenser and condenser fan are all housed within the pedestal 20. Since these components are heavy, their location within the pedestal adds to the overall stability of the apparatus 10. To provide ventilation thereof, a plurality of vent openings 28 are suitably arranged on the face of the pedestal 20 while a second set of vent opening~ 30 are arranged on first and second (not shown) sides of the base as well. One or mor- groups of the~e vent opening~ may be combined to cooperate providing flow through ventilation for the air-conditioning hardware hou~ed within the base 2~. Vents may also be added to the rear panel of the pedestal (not shown). since it is undesirable that heat may migrate upward from the base 2~ toward~ the refrigerated cabinet 18, proper heat management, such as through use of fans and vents, is critical.

_ g _ CA 022~983~ 1999-02-10 With continued reference to Figure 1, the dispensing station 12 includes a product discharge ~0 disposed on an interface surface 42 between the refrigerated cabinet 18 and the pedestal 20. Thi~
surface is set at an angle to the front face surface as illustrated in order to provide easy operator access to the product discharge 40. The interface surface 42 cooperate~ with the work surface 26 to provide a handy area within which to po~ition and fill a product container such as a cup, edible cone or dish. During a product dispensing operating mode Or the apparatus, the frozen dessert product exits the refrigerated cabinet 18 through an opening 44 provided in an outlet nozzle ~6. A
plurality of teeth or serration~ 48 are arranged about the periphery of the generally circular opening ~. This is best illustrated in Figure~ 3 and 4. A suitable escutcheon 50 is provided primarily for aesthetics although ~ome in~ulation and support for the outlet nozzle 46 i~ thereby provided. The e~cutcheon S0 also provides support for an infrared transmitter and receiver pair for sensing the dessert product flowing out from the opening 44. In the preferred embodiment, the infrared sensor pair are completely encased by the escutcheon 50 in order to protect the sensor pair from contamination due to contact with the dessert product. The escutcheon So is made of a plastic material having suitable infrared -transmi~sive propertiQs to enable the sensor pair to cooperatively ~ens~, through the pla~tic, dessert product rlowing between the p_ir A pair Or illu~inat-d puJh button~ 58 ar-di~ on th- p-de~tal and ~l-ctrically co~nQctQd to controller apparatu~ housed within th- lnterrace _nd control s-ction 1~ Th- l-ft pu~h button a~ viewed in the Figur- select~ a ~regular~ ~iz- or portion Or dQs~Qrt ~ G~Ct while the right pu~h button i- used to select a lo "large" portion In addltion to th- ~ront rac- surface 22 and the product discharge ar-a 40, th- rrozen ~e-~6rt dispensing apparatu- ~0 includ-- an operator command region S2 including a control pan-l 54 and a keyed acce~q closure S6 In th- prererred ~mh~A~m~nt, the cG ~Lol panel 54 is hinged to the interrace and col-~ol section 16 u~ing ~uitabl- hinge~ and t-chniqu-J w ll known in the art A pair o~ pu~h buttons 53 are di~ on the control panel and electrically connected to the control apparatu~ hou~d within th- int rrac- and CG..~rOl ~ection 16 as will b- ~ r-Qd in great r detail below The pu~h button~ 53 orrer cycl- initiation optlon~ to an operator ror changing ~pent product rerill cont~iners with full container~ Th- left pu~h button of the pair 2S S3 initiate~ a MANUA~ RETRACr operation which retract~ a piston used to pre~urize the rerill cartridge The rlght push button Or the pair 53 initiate~ a ~u~E READY
operation Thi~ operation ~irQt drive~ the pi~ton into the full r~lll cartridge, then pressurize~ the cartridge to a sllght standby oper_tlng pres~ure The pres~ure i8 increased when the de~ert ia b ing dispen~ed Three ~n~cator llght- and a numeri¢ display 5S
are also disposed on the great-r command region S2 o the interrace and ~o ~ol section 1~ Fro~ the le~t as viowed in th- Figur-, th- light- 57 indicate a DEFROST
1o cycle, a SOLD OUT condltlon ~nd a LOAD TUBE condition respectively Th- numeric dl-play ~5 18 a two (2) dlglt segmented display ~or pr-s-ntlng th- temp~rature withln ths re~rigerated cabinet 18 derived ~ro~ a thermocouple signal to an operator The display ~5 also ~unctlons to alert th~ operator ln th- ~v nt o~ a plurality o~
~ailures or error condltion~ dlscu~ed in greater detail below The indlcator llght- 57 are illuminated to provide co ~elient vlsual ~nA~a O~ the operating cycle or mode o~ the di~pon~lng apparatu~
The re~rigeratod cah~net 18 include~ a cooled region ~0 as best und-rstood wlth re~erence to Figure~ 2 and 3 The wall- 62 o~ th- r-~rlg-rat-d cabin-t 18 ar-~uitably provided with adequat- ln~ulation to di~courage migration Or heat into th- bulk ~v~uct section 9~
2s A horizontal ~po~ m~ber 6~ provide~ a rigid mount ~or a rigid dispensing h-ad member 70 shown in Figures 2-5 but best lllustratQd in Figur- 4 The horizontal ~u~o~ member 64 and manually removable dispen~ing head 70 ~orm th- bottom portion o~ a rrame structure 72 adapted to rec-ive ~rozen ~s~-s~t product s re~ill cartridge~ 74 thereon The diJp~n~ing head 70 include shoulder portions 71 shaped to mat- with or otherwis- engage a pair o~ ~lidable lock member~ 76 as be~t ~hown in Figure The lock m-mber~ ar- adapt d to ~lld- v-rtically on a 10 COL.eeL~On~ng pair Or guid- m ~b r- 78 (~igur- 3) Although only two (2) guld- ~ ~b~r~ and ~Y~ r~ are lllustrated in the pre~erred arrangement, obvlously thre~
(3) or more Or each may b us-d to accompli~h th- sam-result which will b- descrlbQd below In the positlon illustrated, th- lock memb-rs hold the dlspensing head ln place Th- top Or th- rram ~tructure 72 lncludes a horizontal cap meiber 80 adapted to sll~tn~ly engage the guide member~ 78 ror vertical movement Or the cap movement theL~ov~ The vertical gulde mQmbers 78 are ~lightly enlarged at their top portions to de~ine rrictlon grlp portion~ 79 whlch engag- and ~ictionally hold the cap member 80 at th- top Or the cooled reg~on 60 to facilitat- removal o~ th- h-ad m~mker 70 A pair o~
substantlally circular ~LoG~eJ 82, 8~ de~ined ln the cap member 80 and di~pen~ing head 70 re~pectively, cooperate to receive and support a substanti lly cylindricAl rigid sleeve or pocket member 86 therebetween The pocket member 86 is o~ ~u~rlcient diameter to clo~ely rec-iv a bulk deJJ rt rerlll cartridge 90 ther-ln Th- re~ill c~rtrldg- 90 may b a waxed cardboard or ~la~tia cylinder con~a~n~n~ a ~resh supply o~ a ~rozen des~ rt ~lV~Uct ~4 th r-in In the pre~erred emhoA~ment, the r-~ill c_rtridq 90 hold~ about 1 5 gallons o~ frozen yc~uL~ A ~luid tight inter~ace between the cartrldg- 90 and th- dlspenslng head 70 is maintained by a pla~tic end cap 88 at~ar~Qd to the pocket member 86 The end c~ 88 ha~ an openlng ~or the flow o~
product into the head Thl~ i~ best illustrated in Figure~ 3 and 4 With con~nl~d but p~rticular re~erQnce to Figure 3, the cap member 80 8l~Aahly engages not only the guid- memb~rs 78 but _l-o ~ r-ciprocating plunger assembly 100 Mor- particularly, an opening i~ defined in the c_p member 80, th op ning being large ~nong~ to permit th- ~re- travel o~ a l-ad screw 102 o~ the plunger assembly 100 to rotat- and ~lide therein The lead screw 102 is connected to a piston head 104 through a be_ring block 10~ The bearing block 106 permits ~ree rotation of the lead screw 102 without ~n~l~cing a COL ~ e_l~OI~ ~ ng rotation at th- piston head 10~ Th- piston head 104 i~
~ormed o~ a semi-rigld com~o~ d such a~ a hard rubber so a~ to engage the inner wall~ 92 Or the refill cartridge so As the pi~ton 104 engage~ th- inner wall 92 and i~
~orced downward a- vlswed in Figure 3, th- frozen ~e~ert product 94 within th- rerill 90 1~ urg-d fro~ the contain-r through an op ning ~ provid-d in the dispensing head 70 Alternately, th- rerill cartridge 90 may be formed with an integral pi~ton adapted to slidably engage the walls Or the cartridge a~ well a~ moving piston 104 Other co~bination- w ll known in th- art ar~
lo al~o pos~ible The upp~r end- Or th- guld- members 78 are fixed to and held ~paced apart by ~ ~-cond horizontal rrame member 6~ which al~o provide~ o~L rOr a pillow block 108 comprising part Or the plunger a~sembly 100 The pillow block ~ngage- th- l-ad ~cr-w at a threA~e~
interface 110 and i- held in a sp~tially fixed location by the second fra~ m~mber ~ Accordingly, as the lead screw 102 i~ rotat-d by an el-ctric torgu- motor (not shown), th- lead ~cr-w and pi-ton 10~ att~c~od thereto iB
advAn~-~ downwardly a~ illustrated in Figure 3 The rrozen dessert product 94 is thereby compres~ed within the rerill ca~ett- 90 con~train-d to ~xpand only a~ far a~ permitted by the rigid t~ Ar pocket memb~r 8~ The electric torque motor (not ~hown) driving the lead screw 2s 102 iJ operated in th- pr-~erred ~mbodiment only when there is a need to ~1~pon~o the product The rrozen dessert product 9~ i~ maintained within the frozen dessert dispen~ing apparatu~ 10 under normal atmospheric pressure until a con-tant and pred-~ined prQ~sure ~or ready dispen~ing theroo~ i- n-ce~ary In the preferred S emhcA~m-nt discu~sed b-low, th- product i~ urized two (2) ~conA~ a~ter a draw valv i~ commanded to retract Further, a look up tabl- i- u~ed to tailor the pressure on the ~Gduct b~ed on th- guantity o~ product remaining in the cyl~nA~
lo The d-tail~ o~ th- rroz-n deJ~ert di~p-n~ing head 70 will next b ~ ~d with p~rt~ ar re~erence to Figure~ 3-S A- indlcat-d abov , the t~h~lAr pocket me~ber 86 along with a ~ ponding ~nd cap 88 i~
received into an ann~-l a~ ~ o~o 84 0~ the dispen~ing head 70 providing a ~luid tight coupling thereLe.J~en A
centralized opening 9~ in th- h-ad p-r~it~ the ~ree ~low o~ frozen ~c~-rt ~v~u¢t 9~ ~ro~ th re~ill cartridge 90 when the draw val~- 120 i~ in th- ~ully retracted position The disp-n~lng head 70 include~ a dlsh contour 98 ~ormed between th- opqn~n~ 9- and th- Ann~lAr ~Loove 8~ to enco~rag- th- ~low o~ rrozen d-~sert product 94 toward the centralized opening 9~ A plurality Or rein~orcement ribJ 66 ext-nd radially ~rom the open~ng 96 to increa~o the rigidity o~ th- di~pen~ing head in the 2s di~h portion 98 An interstitial void or airspace 68 i~
created by the s-paration betwe-n th- r-in~orcement ribs 66 and the ~tructur- ~upporting the dr_w valv- 120 This void or air~pace i~ advantageou~ly u~ed in the ~rozen dessert dispensing apparatu~ 10 to provid- additional insulation to th- rrozen ~o~--rt ~ ~uct 9~ within the re~ill cartridg- 90 Th- di~p-n-ing h-ad may b- formed Or a unitary solid con~truction Fing r grip detents 77 are di~posed in th- head to ~acilitat- easy manual remov_l thsreor ror cl~A~n~ or th- liX-As best illustrat-d in Figure 4, the draw valve lo 120 is slidably r-c-ived within an ~lonqate cylinder 122 ex*en~n~ fro~ a fir~t open end 12~ to a secon~ end compri~ing th- outlet nozzle 4~ Wh-n in a fully retracted po~ition, a~ sch~m~t~c~lly reprQsented in Figure 7b, the draw valve ~ ~e~ the opening 96 permitting the rro~-n deJ~-rt product 9~ to rreely rlow therethrough and lnto a m tering cavity 130 derined by the portion Or th- cyllnder 122 rorward Or the plunger end 126 Or th- draw valv- 1~0 Th ~ tering cavity acts a8 a type Or product queue in a manner to b~ described in groater detail below At th- other e~.eme end o~
trav-l, that i~ in the rully ext-nd-d po~ition, th-plung-r end 126 Or th- draw valve 120 engage~ the inner ~urrace Or the outl-t nozzle ~ Thi~ i8 schematically ~ e_ented in Figur- 70 Motion Or the draw valve 120 in the ~orward dir-ction or to the lert a~ viewed in Figure 4 from the fully retracted po~ition extrude~

me~sured amounts o~ ~rozen de~ert product from the m-tering c vity 130 and through th- op n t ng 44 in tho outlet nozzle 4~ Th- ~orration- 48 ~h~o~ tng th-op~ntng 44 giv the xtrud-d rroz-n product a rancirul de~ign app-aranc- A plurality o circu~rerential O-ringJ 132 ar~ ~eat-d in ~roo~-~ and provid- a ~luid-tight seal be~Jaen th- draw valv 120 and the cylt~Ar 122 Sinc- it i~ po~ibl- that an operator may inadvertently in~-rt a body p~rt, ~uch aJ a ring~r, into lo tho s-rrated op~ning 44 during rorward motion Or the draw valve 120, a compr-s~ion ~pring 140 having a predetermined spring con-tant corcunicat-~ the rorward motivating rorc- rrO~ a pri~ ~ov r 160 to the draw valve 120 Th- ~pring con~tant i~ s-l-cted 80 a~ to preclude a ptnc~1ng Orr Or th- body part which ~ay com- to bc squeezed betw en th- plung r ~2~ and outl-t nozzle 46 With continu-d r-r ~ ~nc- to Figure 4, tho compression ~pring 140 i~ held ~lightly compres~ed ~c~een a ~pring p~rki~ 142 ror~ d in th- draw valve 120 and a rorward rac~ 144 Or a draw valve -~o~ r 146 ~ormed on a draw valv plunger 138 A r-arward rac- ~48 Or the draw valv- ~ho~ er 14~ engag-~ a draw valv- cap ~50 which threadedly engago~ int rnal thread~ 152 rormed in the draw valvo 120 Th- draw valv- cap 150 ha~ a central opening th-rethrough o~ surricient diameter to accommodate an elongate ronn~cting portion lS4 o~ th-draw valv- plunger 138 S~milarly, the draw valve shoulder 146 ha~ an outer diameter surriciently sizQd to loosely ~it within the draw v_lv 120 80 _g to axially ~lide th-rein Agaln~t th- ~orc- of th- compression spring 140 A spring guide m~ber 156 engages the compression spring 140 to maintain th- spring centered within the draw vAlve 120 and in squar- contact with th~ forward ~ace 144 o~ tho draw valve ~ho~ 3er 146 The connecting portlon Or the dr_w valve mates lo with _ prim- mov r at a conn-ction coupling 200 When the head 70 i~ manually plac-d on th- fr mo member 64, a circumferential ~lOO~re 202 on tha connection por~ion lS4 eng_ge~ A rork connector 204 Th- rork connector move~
with the prime movor in a mann-r discu~s~ below Lastly, with re~pect to tho dispen~ing head 70 Or Figure 4, an infrared transmltter and receiver sensor 162, 163 is provid d on th- e~cutc~on S0 near the op~n~ng 44 rOr sen~ing the pr~r-~ o~ rrozen ~ crt ~o~llct flowing through the opQning An indication of th- ~lesenc Or product at th- sen~or in the position illustrated indicate~ that tho metering cavity 130 i~
completely full of dessert product The re~-or pair 162, 163 i~ cted to th- prim mover 160 on an electrical ~ignal wire 164 in order to coD~unicat- power and logical signal~ therebetween Figure 6 illu~trate~ a rir~t pre~erred emho~ment the prime mover and di~pen~ing head ass~mhly ~chematically In general, th- prime mov-r 160 compri~e~
an electronic controller 166 which include~ a mi~Lo~.oce~Qr, memory, and burr ~ lng in order to perrorm th- variou~ logical and mot~vational ta~k~ d~cribed in greater det~il bolow El-ctronic ~G L~oll0r~ are rQadily available, ~ully conrigured to 8U~G~L a wide range o~
application-, the only cu~tomization ~ce~--ry being the generation o~ appropriat- co LLol so~twarQ to ~ollow the pLG~e-7~ et rorth b~low Tn th- prererred emho~ment, th- controller ~nc~ a univ~r-al co.-Loller manufactured by Taylor and i- identi~ied by their part number X47575 Th- int-r~ace board i8 al80 manUraCtUred by Taylor a~ part nu~ber X47573-12 The electronic c~ Loll-r 166 i~ connected to the sensor pair 162, 16~ via a ~n-l wire 164 In addition, th- controller 166 i- ~urther ~o~n~cted to the p~)~hh~tton- 53 on th- ~o L.ol pan-l 54 and the illuminated pu~h button~ 5~ on th- pede~tal 20 via a ~o.~lol pan-l wir~ n~l- 168 A ~tepp-r motor 170 i- dir-ctly co~nected to a ~tepper motor drive circuit 17~ within th- el~-LG,ic controller ~66 A ~uitabl- arrang~ment o~ ~tepper motor drive wires 171 carrlo~ th- loglcal powor signals rrOm th~ drive clrcuit to th- ~topp-r motor A gear box ~80 ampli~ies the torque generated in the stepper motor in order to actuate a pillow block 182 which thre~e~ly engage~ a lead screw 18~ The draw valve plunger 138 is connected to the pillow block 182 and move~ therewith according to the rot tion Or the stepper motor under the direction of th~ oller 16~
A nc_ol~d prererred emhcAl~ent of the prime mover include~ a D C motor connQ~ted to the lead scrow 184 through a dog clutch re~pon~iv to changes $n the direction Or rotat$on Or th- l-ad screw The comFQnents Or this ~econA pr-rerred embod$m nt perform the same ba~ic functions a~ the component~ $11u~trated $n Figure 6 and, therefore, no Jeparat- Figur- will b- referred to or ented The dog clutch 1~ annl~ 1 ar in ~hApe and $ncludes threads on the inn-r circular ~urfac- thereof adapted ~or engagement with th- th~ o~ th- le~ ew 184 The outer circular ~ur~ac- o~ th- dog clutch defines a radially exten~g key member which i~ adapted to slidably engage a ~LLe_lo l~ng keyway ~LooVG dispo~ed in the di~pensing lead 70 Th- keyway ~.oo~ extend~
longit~ n~lly gen-rally along th- axi~ Or the metering cavity 130 and draw valv travel Using the abov- ~pecified component~, the draw valve 120 i~ caused to move along the axi~ Or the metering cavity until reAc~ng the extreme end~ Or travel in either the ~dvance o~ retract po~ition~ At tho~e extremes, the rot~tion Or the D e motor no longer cause~
motion Or tho valve due to tho "snap Orr" aetion Or the eluteh The lead serew turn~ rreoly within the eluteh Upon rever~ing rotational dir-etion Or th- motor, the eluteh oneo again ~ 6nq~gQ- thu- co v-rting rotation of the lead serQw into linear motion Or the draw valve A rirst pr-rerred method Or operating the frozen dessert di~p-n~ing apparatu- aeeording to the present invention will next b di~eu~ed with referenee to Figures 7a-7e and 8 and ba~-d upon the apparatus set forth in Figure~ 1-6 abov- ineluding th- rirst preferred prime mover devie-Initially, the draw valvo ~20 i~ held in theposition (~tep 200) illu~trated in Figur- 7a ~hi~ is re~erred to as th- GAT~ position bQeause the flow of frozen des~ert produet F i~ bloeked by virtue o~ the draw valve eovering th- op~n~n~ 9~ With the valve in the GATE po~ition, th- co - oll r 6~ ro~d~ tho volume eommand from the pushbutton~ S8 on th- pede~tal 20 ( tep 202) The inputted eommand will be rererred to a~ VO~cmd Although tho prororred embodiment ineludes a pair Or pushbutton~ 58 to set a eommand volume, through simple moditieation, a thumbwhoel switeh or dial may be used as an input d-vie- to eommand volume- of variou~
sizes from a range Or valves Next, a retraet eommand is issued from the electronic controller to the stepper motor 170 to withdraw the v~lve ~nd pres~uriz- the product refill cylindor p~rmitting th- m~tering c-vity 130 to fill with the frozen dessert ~ uct (step 204) The po~ltion illu~tratod in Figur- 7b i- referr d to ae tho REIRACT
po ition A~ oon a~ th- valv r~-c~o~ the RETRACT
position, a timer i- ~t~rted to count from zero (step 206) The counter i- permitted to incroment while tho electronic -on-Qr pair 162, ~63 i- continuou~ly monitored by the electronic ce,~oller 166 in order to detect as quick as possible th- ~L ~enc- Or th- frozen ~os-~rt product at the open~n~ Dt-p 208) Figure 7b illustrates tho flow G Or ~ Qrt product through tho opening and toward the ~en~or Once th- ~ensor detect~ th- pre enco of des~ert product at th- op~n~, th- tim r value i~ road (stop 210) Th- tlm to compl-t-ly till th- metering cavity 130 i~ T~c~
Sinc- the metering cavity is of a predetormined volume, the time required to fill that volume with frozen ~e~-e~t ~lod~ct i~ used ~dvantageously to lndirectly calculat- a r-l~tiv- vi~co~ity ind-x Or th- de~sert More preci~ely, the flow rate through tho oFen~nq 96 is known glvon the volume VOlm~t~r o~ the motering cavity 130 and the tlme T~C~rd~ l,e:~a-ry to fill that volume In tho speclal case that tho volume of tho metQring cavity is selQctQd to mateh the minimum command volums, or "small" serving ~iZQ, no flow rate ealeulation is nere~--ry At this point in th- eyele, th- valve i~
maintained in the ~FRACT po~ition whil- the rrOzen de~sert produet i~ permitt~d to rlow ~ through the metering eavity and openlnq into ~ suitably po~itioned eup or eont~iner below the outlet nozzle ~6 The timer is immediately re--t and permitted to one- again eount up The time that the draw valv- i- to b- held in the RETRACT position 1~ ealeulat-d (~t-~ 212) aeeording to T
~ ~ (VOL~"- vor t ) ~ n1v-When th~ time reaehe~ the ealeulated remaining time T,~ -~n~ (step 2~4), th- draw valve 120 is eommandod to travers- it~ entir- ~trok- (stop 216) by the lS eleetronie eontroller to rlr~t pineh Orr the open~nq 96 bloc~ng flow I rrom the buIk supply a~ shown in Figure 7d to a fully ext~nAeA position extruding the product in the meterinq eavity eomplet-ly a~ ~hown in Figure 7e In the event that th- opon1 nq 4~ adversely affect~ the overall flow rat- th~ouy~ the eh~mber, a delay time period must be ~AAeA to the ealeulated remaining valve The delay time period i~ empirically derived and programmed into the controller ~66 The delay is h~ on the physical construction and size o~
the oren~nt ~ and the sesultant rlow rate therethrough The draw valve 120 ~know~ when to stop slnce the stepper motor 170 und~ oi~ ~ngular displacQmQnt responsive to the number o~ p -l ~q~ e~ by the drive circuit 17~ within the oo,LLollQr 16~ The electronic controller is ~ mmed to i88uo only th- amount of pulses nec~~ry to ~ully strok- tho draw valv~ Also, the controller i~ p.Gy.ammed to 188ue the p~ r- in the proper logic 1 ~egu-nce in ord-r to obtain le~t and right actuation o~ th- draw valv through tho stepper motor and lead screw combination A~ter th- draw valve has reached it~ ~ully ext-nd-d po~ition, a- be~t ~hown in Figure 7e, blocking the flow J of bulk frozen ~e~Qrt product, a RETRACT command is issued fro~ th- drive circuit 174 to the stepper motor to withd-~w th- draw valvo (step 218) to the GATE po-ition ~hown in Figur- 7a When th- s-cond pr-f rr-d prim- mover sy~tem is implemented to p-r~orm the aL~. lescribed method, the D C motor i~ command to rotat~ for predetermined time poriods cau-ing th- draw valv- to ~imilarly roact or extend The timQ period~ are selected to b~ long enough to en~ure that ~ull trav l i~ re~lized A~ described above, tho draw valve i~ o~octivoly dlv~L~ed rrom tho lead screw at the extreme ends o~ travel through the action of the dog clutch oo-rat~o~a~ D-~r~t~o~
The extruder colLLol con~i~t~ Or a control, an interrace, a di~play board, and a motor pow-r supply All of these board- ar- reguired to control the rerrigeration, dispen~ing, and retracting system~

~Ah~net Tem~eratl1re Tho rerrlg ration co ~ol Or the control sy~tem maintain~ cabin-t temperatur- between 5 and 15~F by lo monitoring the cabinet th-rmistor Wh-n th- cabinet temperature reach-~ 15 ~, the compres~or i~ turned on until the cabinet temp-ratur~ drop~ to 5 P A heater is selectively used in combination with th- rerrigeration compressor to aid in tempering th- cabin-t should the temperature drop b low S F Th- evaporator ~an~ remain on at all time- except when th- cabinet door is open or during a derro~t cycl- Th- cabin~t t-mp~rature i~
continuously displayed on a two-digit, 8~ve~ ment di~play 55 in an abs-nc- Or sy~t~ ~.o.~ A ~ailed thermi~tor, motor c~ nt railur-, or s-n~or ~ailur~
constitute~ a system error Tho con~;r-~r ran~ aro hard-wired to line voltag- and remain on at all times An operator acce~ibl- potentiometer (not ~hown) on the unit determine~ what temperature range th- cabinet will be controlled in I~ the potentlometer is turned to the far left, cabinet temperatur- i~ controlled between 20 and 30~F Ir the potentiom-ter 1~ turned complet-ly right, the cabinet temp-rature i- co ~olled between O and 10~F

De~rost Cycle The unit s-lectiv-ly enters a dofro~t cyclo every 6 hours Th- de~rost cycle~ occur at 3 00 a m , 9 00 a m , 3 00 p m , and 9 00 p m Once in derrost, the defrost indic_tor illuminate- and the unit enters the heating phase o~ th- cycle In thi~ pha~- the compressor and evaporator ~ans turn o~ and the he_ter turns on When the de~rost thermistor r-aches 50 F or the heater safety timor expiros, th- heat-r i~ turned O~r and the soak out timer starts When this timer times out the compressor is turned on AgA ~n When the de~rost thermistor dotectJ a temp-rature below 30 F, the evaporator rans are turned on and th- derrost cycle is then complete Th- de~rost indicator turns Orr at this point Th- compre~sor remains on until the cabinet thermi~tor regi~ter~ a tempQratur- Or 5~F, provided the cabinet thermi~tor ha~ not rail-d The ~G L~ol once again starts cycling th- compre~or, hA~e~ on th- cabinet thermistor rea~1ng~ to ~o ~Lol the temperature between 5 and 15~F The displ_y register~ the temperature o~ the cabinet based on the de~rost thermistor re~ngs During regular refrigeration, the cabinet temperatur~ displayed is that of the cabinet thermistor reading~.

Heater Sarety T1 m~r A fi~teen (15) minute timer begins whenever the heater is turned on and i~ reset when the heater is turned Orr. Ir thi~ timer time~ out, the heater is turned off immediately to ~e~nt an un~a~e condition.
No error code~ are di~played and tho unit enters the "soak out" phase Or the derrost cycle.

Fail~ Cabinet Ther~ S~nr The co..~.ol has the abllity to detect a bad thermistor. Ir the cabin-t thermlstor appears to be opened or ~horted, the control cycle~ the compressor at a ~ixed rate and ~ heq an error code "88" on the display 55. In the event Or a railed cabinot thermistor, the operator remains abl- to disp-n~e the remainder of the ~oduct in the tube. Whon the tubo i8 sold out or if the pi~ton is manually retracted the piston retract~ as usual. Howeve~, once the pi~ton i~ rully retracted, the actuator is locked out until th- th-rmi~tor i~ replaced or repsired and cabinet temperature can be monitored again. This allow~ the cu~tomer to sell product while waiting ~or servic-, but ~ovent~ the operator from continually using a mal~unctioning unit. The unit still goes through defrost cycles a~ ln normal oporation Failed Defrost Thorm~stor I~ the do~ro~t th~rmi~tor appoar~ to bo opened or shorted, the unit continuo~ re~rigoratlng as u~ual and an error code ~77 n flashe~ on th- di~play 55 The unit skips defrost cyclo~ until th- th~rmi~tor i8 replacod or rep~ired As with a fAil-d cAbin-t th-r~istor, th-operator remains abl- to di-F-n~- th- r~mainder o~ the product in the tu~ When th tub i- sold out or if the lo piston i~ manually rotracted, the actuator i~ locked out until the problom is solved Door Switch When the door of the cAh~nst i~ opened all OU~ 9, including th- door light ar- ~hut off or ~ bled oxcept for th defro~t h-at-r If the unit i8 going through the heating ~has- Or the derrost cycle and the door i~ op-nod, th- h-at r r~main~ on I~ th-cabinet is re~rigorating and th- door i~ opened, the comp~a~30r and the evaporator fan~ shut Orr until the door is closed As a saf-ty ~-atur~ the dispensing motor and/or the draw valve ar- running whon the door is opened, operation 1~ su~p-ndod untll the cablnet door is closed Ir the door 1~ openod durlng a draw cycle, the portion size will not b- within a specification The draw should be terminated when the door is opened and closed.

Actl~Ator Control SERV~, ~FTRA~T and PRR~an are the three mode~
of actuator operation are de~cribed above. The SERVE
mode is used ror maint~n~ng ~nd dispen~ing servable product. The RETRACT mode i~ u~d for ~eL~.-.ing the actuator to the HOM~ position to permit ~ Ct tube replacement and doe~ not allow y~G~UCt delivery. The PRELOAD mode i8 u~-d for automatically placing th- piston in the appropriate location for y~uct dispensing in the SERVE mode.

D~s~ensing Product In the ~erve mode, when the small ~or large) draw switch 58 i~ pre~Jed, th- draw valv- ~lide motor is activated opon. After a 2 second delay, (called the actuator on delay) th- di~pen~ing motor i~ turned on at dispen~ing speed to pressurize the y~G~UCt in the refill cartridge. It will remain on until the control ha~
determined that enough product ha- ~en dispen~ed (see "PORTION COl. .~0~" for further information). Then the draw valve slide motor i~ activated in the closed direction. If during a draw, the full extension switch is hit and the dispensing motor current overloads, the eontrol presumes the produet tube is empty and enter~ the Retraet mode However, i~ th- motor eurrent overload~, and the ~ull extension ~witch i8 not active, the eontrol assumes there i~ an overload, ~ he~ th- sold out light, and enter~ the Retract mod-Port~on Control The portion eol-~ol ~ensors 162, 163 are loeated inside th- spout guido co~er 50 When the produet passes through the sensor path, a signal is sent to the eontrol ~n~1cating ~duct ha~ been sent For a 5 oz portion, when th- sensor ~8--a~ uct, the draw is terminated For any oth-r 8iZ~ portion (large), the universal eontrol run~ a calculation, ha~cA on the time it take~ to sense th- ~ uct, to determine how mueh longer the draw ~ho~ld continuo Sensor Failure For any size draw, i~ no product i5 rQn-~~l ~i~teen (15) ~Q~onA~ after th- draw switeh is pressed, th- draw should automatically b~ terminated An error cod- "55" will ~lash at ~s-cond int-rval- on the display S5 I~ the ~en~or~ 162, 163 d-tect ~o~ct two (2) seconds a~ter th- draw switch 58 i8 ~ Q'a (a~ter actuator on delay), the draw i~ terminated and the error code "55" is displayed I~ there is a -qn~or ~ailure, serving will still be permitted and there is no actuator lockout when the product tube i8 sold out or the pi~ton retract~ A ~ensor railure co~ OC~L i~ the sensor area on the spout i- dirty Whon a succe~sful draw is completed, a draw ln which th- ~ n-or detects product within the a~G~lat- tim- ~r~m-, th- display will once again indicate cabinet temperatur-Retract Mode Ir the product tube i~ presumed empty, the manual retract switch i~ pre-~ed, or a sy~tem error occurs, the control enter~ the Retract mode Once this mode i~ entered, th- CO~LO1 r-verse~ th- pi~ton direction at rull ~pood until tho pi~ton i~ rully retracted At thi~ point the cG -~ol waits ror the door switch to open and clo~e again, and the preload switch to be pressed to indicato that a tub ha- b4en replaced Once this oc~ and there are no system error~ present, the Preload mode i- entered Prel ~A~ M~e This mod- i8 used to ext-nd the dispen~lng actuator at rull speed until it reachq~ a preset load When the preload modo i9 initiated tho load tube light shuts Or~ The sold out light remain~ lit during preload When the preload current i~ reached, the actuator motor is shut off The motor current is a function of the pressure on th- actuator Th~ control is now in the serve mode, and the actuator i~ in position to deliver product This ~eatur- p~rmit~ immediate product dlspensing on th- ~ir~t draw ot~ a n-w tube If for some reason a tube i9 remov-d but anoth-r i8 not put in, the motor continu~s moving forward at full speed until the full exten~ion ~witch i~ reached Th- Retract mod- i~
then entered The draw switch i~ inactiv in the Preload mode of operation Motor ~rrent The control mea~ures the actuator motor current to estimate the pre~ure on the actuator When the full Qxtension switch i8 open in th- Serv- mode, if tho current e~ce t~ the speci~iQd overload current the control should fla~h the sold out light and switch modes to the Retract mod- Th- actuator ~hould reverse down until the full retraction switch i~ closed To removQ
the error, replace the ~ Gduct tub~ with plG~arly tempered ~o~ct Note that ther- ~hould b- no nuisance ovQrloads because the O~ LO1 do-~ not rely on a fuse If no motor current i~ mea~ured at any time when the actuator ~hould be operating, the actuator i~ ~hut of~
and an error code "66" i~ fl~ on the sQvQn-segmQnt display Sol~ Out ~ght In the Serve mode, when the ~ull ext~n~ion switch on the actuator clo~e~ and a current overload occur~, the sold out light illuminate~. This light will remain on untll retraction, and preload are completed.
I~ there is a motor current overload, th- sold out light should flash. The light will flash during retraction and until the preload mode i~ entered. When the preload mode i~ entered, the light will ~tay on ~olid. In general, any time thi~ llght is on or rla-h1ng~ ~Gduct can not be disp~n~

r~ Tube right In the Retract mode, thi~ light illuminates when the ~ull retraction ~witch i~ clo~ed. Thi~
indicate~ that th- pi~ton i~ rully retracted. The load tube light however ~ho~ la~h ir therQ i~ a power ~ailure. The light ~hould rlash unit it is reset. The light ~ho~ b- reset when th- cabin-t door i~ opened and closed, and the tube lo~g~ switch i~ activated, indicating that the product tube ha~ been changed.

Power U~
When the system power~ up, the mode it i5 in should depend on how long the sy~tem ha~ been without power. I~ the power has been out ~or le~ than 30 minutes, the power-up mode should be the sam~ as the mode it was in when power when out. If the power has been out ~or longer than 30 mlnute~, the unlt Qhould power up ln the retract mod- (thu~ retracting the piston) and th-sold out LED should flash at ~ sec. interval~ on thedisplay until a new tub~ i~ loaded. Once the full retraction switch i~ activated, the load tube light will also flash at ~ ~ec. interval~ unit a new tube is loaded.
This condition can be distinguished between a current lo overload situation b~caus- both sold out and load tube lights will be fla~hing when ~ully r-tracted. In a current overload situation, th- sold to light will be ~lA~h~ng but the load tub- light will be on continuously when piston is fully retracted.

Clock Set The CO~LO1 i~ ~guipped with a real time clock that is factor ~et and manually ad~u~table. The time is only displayed wh-n manually setting the clock. In order to ~et the clock, the manual retract switch must be ~9-re~ while th- piston i~ in the ~ully retracted position. Not- that the actuator will b~ hled during thi~ function. Once the clock set functlon begins, the double digit sev-n ~egment display will di~play the hour of time. If it i~ p.m., the right decimal point will be illuminated. To change the hour, press the small draw switch button and release, the hour will increment each timo the draw switch i5 pressed. Once the desirQd hour is displayed, press the manual retract switch. The hour i~ now set and the minutes wlll be dlsplayed. To ad~ust the minute~ in th- s_m- m_nner _~ before. When the desired minute~ are displayod pres~ the manual retract switch, the tim will b- set And the control ~hould then oxit the clock set function. When the clock set function i~ usQd, if not actlvity on the switche~
occurs for 20 recond~, the control should exit the clock ~et function with no ch_nges mA d- to th~ re_l time clock.
This feature will help to ~event accidental misu~o of the clock set function.

Program,~ing J~mDer~
lS The extruder interface board allows for y~o~amming ~umper~ to ad~u~t preload and overload current v_lu-~. By placing a shorting t~b (the same a~
used on the ~lush interfac- board) on a p_rticular ~umper location, the preload and overload current setpoints will b~ _d~usted.
The invention has been de~cribed with reference to the pre~erred emhoA~ment. Obviou~ly, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon the reading and understanding of thi~ specification. It is my intention to include all such modification~ and alterations insofar .

as they come within the scope o~ the appended claims or the equivalence thereo~.

Claims (3)

1. A valve for use with an operatively associated dispensing apparatus includinga source of a fluid product, the valve comprising:
a main body adapted on a first side for engagement with said source of fluid product;
means, in the main body, defining a substantially cylindrical chamber having a concave first end inner wall surface and an open second end;
a first aperture in the main body for fluid communication between the substantially cylindrical chamber and the source of fluid product;
a draw valve reciprocal within said substantially cylindrical chamber along a central longitudinal axis defined by said substantially cylindrical chamber, the draw valve having a convex first end adapted for selective engagement with said concave first end inner wall surface of the substantially cylindrical chamber;
a fluid product pay out aperture formed through the concave first end inner wall surface of the substantially cylindrical chamber for paying out fluid product from the main body, said pay out aperture being located at an angle offset from said central longitudinal axis;
wherein the draw valve includes a biasing means carried therein for limiting the force that can be applied by the draw valve to the convex first end inner wall surface of the substantially cylindrical chamber; and, further wherein the draw valve includes a first component that defines the first end and a second component toward and away from the concave first end inner wall surface of the substantially cylindrical chamber with said biasing means comprising a compression spring located within said draw valve between said first and second components.

2. A valve for use with an operatively associated dispensing apparatus includinga source of a fluid product, the valve comprising:

a main body adapted on a first side for engagement with said source of fluid product;
means, in the main body, defining a substantially cylindrical chamber having a concave first end inner wall surface and an open second end;
a first aperture in the main body for fluid communication between the substantially cylindrical chamber and the source of fluid product;
a draw valve reciprocal within said substantially cylindrical chamber along a central longitudinal axis defined by said substantially cylindrical chamber, the draw valve having a convex first end adapted for selective engagement with said concave first end inner wall surface of the substantially cylindrical chamber;
a fluid product pay out aperture formed through the concave first end inner wall surface of the substantially cylindrical chamber for paying out fluid product from the main body, said pay out aperture being located at an angle offset from said central longitudinal axis;
wherein the draw valve includes a biasing means carried therein for limiting the force that can be applied by the draw valve to the convex first end inner wall surface of the substantially cylindrical chamber; and, wherein the fluid draw valve further includes:
a first member defining said convex first end of said draw valve;
a second member adapted for connection to the operatively associated dispensing apparatus; and, said biasing means comprising a compressible member positioned between the first member and the second member, the compressible member controlling the movement of a one of the first and second members relative to the other first and second members.

3. The valve according to claim 2, wherein the compressible member is a spring having a predetermined spring constant.