GB2066796A - Beverage dispensing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A dispensing device for use in a beverage dispensing machine includes a chute 13 from a cup dispensing device 10 to a cup filling station. A cup arrestor, e.g. a solenoid operated finger 16, is provided to selectively arrest cups. An ingredient, e.g. sugar, is fed from a hopper 21 by a worm feed 20 driven by a motor 19 into the arrested cup. Below the cup filling station, and a perforated shelf 14 is an overflow tray 15 having a level sensing float 27 to trigger a micro-switch 30 to override operation of the dispensing machine. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Beverage dispensing machine This invention relates to a dispensing device for use in beverage dispensing machines, particularly for adding sugar to cups used for in-cup dispensing of beverages.

Our British Patent No. 1357757 discloses a cup magazine for a beverage dispensing machine which allows plastics cups to be released in turn from the bottom of each of a plurality of columns on a rotatable turntable to be presented at a filling station for a beverage to be poured into the cup.

Our co-pending application No. 8000192 (Serial No. ) Case I, discloses an improved cup magazine capable of selecting from which column a cup should be released so that a choice may be made of various different beverages, cups in each column being precharged with a quantity of appropriate powdered ingredient (such as coffee powder, or soup powder etc.) and a cup being released from an appropriate column in accordance with the customers selection.

An object of this invention is to provide a device whereby an optional additional ingredient can be added to a cup after release, but before the cup is filled with hot water; as an example it may be desired to provide a beverage such as coffee with or without sugar, and in order not to restrict choice and for economy in prepacking it is desirable to provide only one series of pre-charged cups for each of coffee, tea, cocoa etc. It is the object of the invention to enable a dose of an additive such for example as sugar to be added from the same storage source to any of a selected range of cups pre-charged with a range of ingredients such as mentioned immediately above.This invention provides a dispensing device, for use in a beverage dispensing machine, comprising a magazine arranged to release one cup at a time from one or more columns of cups and a filling station whereat the cups are arranged to receive a quantity of liquid, and means between the magazine and the filling station for selectively arresting a cup and dispensing into the cup a predetermined quantity of an ingredient.

Preferably a chute extends from magazine to filling station and the means for selectively arresting a cup in the chute preferably comprises a sblenoid operated detent or claw which is operated by the solenoid to arrest a cup when a customer has selected a beverage containing the ingredient The ingredient dispensing means may comprise a hopper or container for the ingredient with a worm feed at the bottom thereof which when a drive is initiated feeds the ingredient over a weir onto a slide extending in a configuration to ensure that the ingredient enters the arrested cup.

The purpose of such a weir is to ensure that no leakage of ingredient occurs between dispensing operations so that traces of the ingredient do not contaminate beverages in which it is not required.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is an overall view of a preferred vending machine of the invention; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic elevation of part of the beverage dispensing machine of Fig. 1 including an ingredient dispensing device; and Fig. 3 is an elevation of part of the ingredient dispensing device viewed on arrows Il-lI in Fig. 1.

A preferred machine 1 Oa of the invention is shown in Fig. 1 with its front doors 1 lea open. The machine 10 has a carousel-type cup store 1 2a holding a plurality of cup stacks 12. Cups from store 12 can be dispensed at a station indicated at 14 to arrive at a filling station 1 5a via a chute 16a.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a rotary cup dispenser 10, from which cups 11 are released one at a time from any of a plurality of columns 12 of cups 11. This cup dispenser 10 may accord to that described in our previous British Patent No.

1357757, or to that described in our co-pending application No. (Serial No.

(Case I).

In the patent, empty cups are released in turn from the columns, and directed to a filling station where a beverage or other liquid is charged into them. In the application, the cups are pre-charged with a quantity of a powered ingredient for making a beverage by dissolving or diffusing when water is added. Each column of cups has the same precharged ingredient, and the columns may be loaded with cups containing different ingredients so that it is necessary to supply a cup 11 for a specific column 12.

In either case, the release cup 11 falls by gravity down an S-shaped tubular chute 13, having vertical or near vertical end parts 13a, 13e and an inclined intermediate portion 1 3b. The released cup finally alights on a perforated shelf 14 over an overflow spill tray 15.

The intermediate inclined portion 1 3b of chute 1 3 serves temporarily to slow the descent of a cup 11, and a finger 16 is provided, operable by a solenoid 1 7 which can be selectively either extended into the chute 13 through an aperture 18 to arrest a cup 11 shown in broken lines at 11 a, or retracted so as not to interfere with the descent of the cup. The solenoid 1 7 is controlled in accordance with the customer's ingredient selection. The selection of the solenoid 1 7 to the energy state required to protrude the finger 1 6 to halt the cup 11, also starts a motor 19 which drives a feed worm 20 in the bottom of an ingredient hopper 21 containing a supply of the ingredient, which may for example be sugar.The worm 20 feeds the ingredient into a space 22 bounded by a weir 23 over which the ingredient falls into a chute intect 24 and down a chute or slide 25 which terminates adjacent the upper rim of an arrested cup in position 118. The ingredient falls from the ends of the slide 25 onto the lower wall of the cup and thus to the bottom of the cup.

When a required dose of the ingredient is dispensed by the worm (in practice when the motor 1 9 has been run for a predetermined time) motor 19 is stopped, and then after a delay to allow the last of the ingredient to run down the slide 25, the solenoid 17 is retracted to retract the finger 16 and the cup 11 now charged with the ingredient descends to 11 b for addition of liquid, e.g. hot water through a feed conduit 26.

Spillage or overflow from the liquid fed into the cup 11 at 11 b drains through the perforated shelf 14 and into the tray 15, wherein a float 27 senses the level of the water and operates by a rod 28 on a switch arm 29 of a micro switch 30 to override operation of the dispensing machine when the tray is filled to a predetermined level, so that the machine cannot be operated until the spillage tray 15 has been emptied. A steam vent aperture 31 is provided in the bend of the chute adjacent the slide 25.

Typically, a dispensing machine may offer a choice of beverages, for example.

Tea, tea with sugar, coffee, black coffee, coffee or black coffee with sugar, chocolate with or without sugar, a proprietory malted drink, and one or more soups. in the dispensing machine according to our co-pending application mentioned above, a dose of powdered material for making a respective drink is charged, for example in a permeable or perforated sachet of the tea bag type, in each cup, and the cups loaded in columns of cups having the same pre-charged ingredient.

In order to increase the available selection sugar is omitted from all the pre-charged tea, coffee and chocolate cups, but selection buttons are provided for either of these drinks with sugar.

The ingredient dispenser according to the invention is operated when a customer selects a drink with sugar, a cup with a sachet of the basic powdered ingredient (or tea leaves) being released just as would be the case for the same drink without sugar. The solenoid 17 is however operated to position finger 16 to halt the cup 11 and motor 9 to feed the sugar.

The device is also usable in a machine to dispense a single beverage such as tea or coffee to add the option of with or without sugar.

The device is capable ot modification within the scope of the invention particularly in the details of the solenoid and finger arrangement where the plunger of the solenoid is extensible directly to form the finger and of the ingredient feed which may be adapted to feed sugar in cube form rather than in granular form. The ingredient is not necessarily sugar, and a series of such dispenses could be used for dispensing coffee, chocolate; soup powder or the like.

Claims (8)

1. A dispensing device, for use in a beverage dispensing machine, comprising a magazine arranged to release one cup at a time from one or more columns of cups and a filling station whereat the cups are arranged to receive a quantity of liquid, and means between the magazine and the filling station for selectively arresting a cup and dispensing into the cup a predetermined quantity of an ingredient.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a chute extends between the magazine and the filling station and said means is operative to arrest said selected cups whilst in the chute.

3. A device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said arresting means comprises a solenoid operated finger extensible into the chute and retractable therefrom.

4. A device according to claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein the ingredient is fed down a slide to the top of a cup arrested by the arresting means from a hopper by means of a worm feed, over a weir.

5. A beverage dispensing machine including one or more dispensing devices according to any of claims 1 to 4.

6. A beverage dispensing machine according to claim 5 having, below a perforated shelf above which a cup is positioned to be charged with liquid, an overflow tray, and a float in the overflow tray arranged to trip a microswitch when the level of liquid in the overflow tray reaches a predetermined level to over-ride operation of the dispensing machine.

7. A dispensing device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

8. A beverage dispensing machine partially substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.