GB2079248A - Beverage mixing and dispense nozzle - Google Patents

Abstract

A beverage mixing and dispense nozzle, the nozzle includes a mixing chamber (16), means defining an annular inlet flow passage for diluent entering an upper end of said mixing chamber, and respective inlet tubes (14) for the concentrates of the available beverages opening into the upper end of said mixing chamber (16) and being out of alignment with outlet ports (38) which open from the bottom of the mixing chamber. The outlet ports (38) for the flow of mixed beverage from the lower end of the mixing chamber (16), may be formed in a flange portion (30) of a plug (28) at least the upper surface of the flange portion (30) preferably being of concave shape. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Beverage mixing and dispense nozzle The invention relates to beverage mixing and dispense nozzles and has for its object to provide an improvement therein. More particularly, it relates to dispense nozzles for fitment in beverage dispensing apparatus of the kind providing a selection of mixed beverages and including a container for a quantity of a diluent, means for feeding the diluent to the dispense nozzle, respective containers for concentrates of the available beverages, and means for feeding a selected one of said concentrates to said dispense nozzle to be mixed with the diluent and to be dispensed into a glass or the like.

Various constructions of dispense nozzle for fitment in beverage dispensing apparatus of the kind referred to have previously been proposed but have usually been prone to various drawbacks. For example, since the same nozzle is to dispense any one of several different available beverages it has sometimes been found that a particular beverage has been tainted with the flavour of a previously dispensed beverage despite attempts to flush the nozzle with a quantity of the diluent at the completion of each serving. Furthermore, it has sometimes been found that all the available beverages are not capable of being fully mixed with the diluent, that is to say that whilst some of the available concentrates become fully mixed with the diluent as and when selected by a user other selected beverages are not adequately mixed and are dispensed from the nozzle in a less than fully mixed condition.Some constructions have in addition been unduly complicated and have not been capable of being readily dismantled and subsequently re-assembled when cleaning has been required. The invention seeks to provide a mixing and dispense nozzle which will at least alleviate the disadvantages referred to.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a beverage mixing and dispense nozzle for fitment in a beverage dispensing apparatus of the kind referred to, the nozzle including a mixing chamber, means defining an annular inlet flow passage for diluent entering an upper end of said mixing chamber, respective inlet tubes for the concentrates of the available beverages opening into the upper end of said mixing chamber at equally spaced locations radially within said annular inlet flow passage, and a plurality of outlet ports for the flow of mixed beverage from the lower end of said mixing chamber, said outlet ports being equally spaced at locations radially within the annular diluent flow inlet passage but located in such a way with respect to the inlet tubes for the concentrates of the available beverages that a flow of any one of the concentrates is wholly out of alignment with any one of the outlet ports opening from the region beneath it. The mixing chamber will preferably be of cylindrical shape. At the lower end of the mixing chamber there is preferably located an element in the nature of a circumferentially flanged plug a radially outer part of the flange of which is spaced from an angled annular shoulder portion at the lower end of the mixing chamber, said shoulder portion tapering down to an outlet passage, the outlet ports for the flow of mixed beverage from the lower end of the mixing chamber being formed in a radially inner part of said flange.At least the upper surface of the flange of the plug element will preferably be of concave shape and said plug element will preferably be formed with a central spigot portion. The means defining an annular inlet flow passage for diluent entering the upper end of the mixing chamber will preferably be constituted by an element with a rounded peripheral edge closely spaced from the wall of the mixing chamber, an upper part of said element preferably being of conical shape and projecting into a lower end of a central diluent flow passage, the arrangement being such that the diluent flow is equally distributed around the conical surface of said element to flow into the mixing chamber in the form of a cylindrical curtain with non-turbulent flow until mixing with concentrate takes place.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided beverage dispensing apparatus of the kind referred to, the apparatus being fitted with a beverage mixing and dispense nozzle as described above.

In order that the invention may be fully understood and readily carried into effect, the same will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Fig. 1 is a part-sectional side view of a part of a beverage dispensing apparatus of the kind referred to, and Fig. 2 is an exploded view of a number of component parts visible in Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, the part of the beverage dispensing apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1 is a beverage dispensing head. Other parts of the apparatus include a container (not shown) for a quantity of diluent; means for feeding the diluent to a beverage mixing and dispense nozzle generally indicated 10, said means including a diluent flow passage 1 2 extending vertically through the dispensing head; respective containers (not shown) for concentrates of the available beverages; and means for feeding a selected one of said concentrates to said dispense nozzle to be mixed with the diluent and to be dispensed into a glass or the like, said means including respective inlet tubes 14 extending through the dispensing head to emerge at its underside within the dispense nozzle 10.Although only two of the inlet tubes 14 are visible in Fig. 1, there are in fact four such tubes for the feeding of four different available concentrates, selectively, to the dispense nozzle, the downwardly extending discharge ends of said tubes being equally spaced around the discharge end of the diluent flow passage 12.

The beverage mixing and dispense nozzle 10 includes a cylindrical mixing chamber 1 6 formed within a removable element 18 which can be press fitted on an annular spigot portion 20 beneath a body part 22 through which the diluent flow passage 12 and the inlet tubes 14 extend.

The nozzle also includes an element 24 with four equally spaced holes 26 whereby it is a press fit on the downwardly extending discharge ends of the inlet tubes 14, an upper end of said element being of conical shape and projecting into the lower end of the central diluent flow passage 12, and the lower portion of said element having a rounded peripheral edge closely spaced from the wall of the mixing chamber, the arrangement being such that the diluent flow is equally distributed around the conical surface of said element and flows into the mixing chamber in the form of a cylindrical curtain through the annular inlet flow passage formed by the space between the rounded edge of said element and the wall of the chamber.

At the lower end of the mixing chamber there is located an element 28 in the nature of a circumferentially flanged plug, the flange 30 of which is closely spaced from an angled annular shoulder portion 32 at the lower end of the mixing chamber, said shoulder portion tapering down to an outlet passage 34.The flange 30 is angled, as shown, so that its upper surface 36 is of concave shape, and a radially inner part of said flange is formed with a plurality of outlet ports 38 for the flow of mixed beverage from the lower end of the mixing chamber, the outlet ports being equally spaced around an upstanding spigot portion 40 and at locations radially within the annular diluent flow inlet passage but located in such a way with respect to the downwardly projecting portions of the inlet tubes 14 for the concentrates of the available beverages that a flow of any one of the concentrates is wholly out of alignment with any one of the outlet ports opening from the region beneath it, that is to say so that concentrate falling from any one of the tubes 14 cannot fall straight through one of the outlet ports.The central upstanding spigot portion 40 of the plug element 28 is a press fit in a complementary aperture in the underside of the element 24, a co-operating key and groove fitment (not shown) being provided between the two to ensure the ports 38 being out of alignment with the downwardly projecting portions of the inlet tubes 14.

The arrangement is such that when a measure of a required beverage is to be dispensed from the nozzle, a quantity of the concentrate of the selected beverage is discharged from the downwardly projecting portion of the appropriate inlet tube 14 and a quantity of the diluent, which may be carbonated water, is simultaneously admitted under pressure through the diluent flow passage 12 and around the peripheral edge of the element 24 to be thoroughly mixed with the concentrate in the chamber 1 6. The rounded edge of the element 24 ensures non-turbulent flow into the mixing chamber so that the carbon dioxide does not come out of solution in the diluent (to cause frothing) at least until the diluent has entered the chamber 1 6. The mixed beverage then flows through the outlet ports 38 and through the outlet passage 34 to be received in a glass or the like.As is normal practice in beverage dispensing apparatus of the kind referred to, the arrangement is such that the diluent flows for a short time longer than the concentrate in order to act as a flushing medium to clean the interior of the mixing and dispense nozzle in readiness for a subsequent mixing and dispensing operation (which may be of one of the other available beverages). This flushing flow of diluent is divided, that is to say being partly through the mixing chamber and through the outlet ports 38 and partly down the walls of the mixing chamber, through the narrow space beneath the flange 30 of the element 28, and down the walls of the outlet passage 34.

It has been found that the mixing and dispense nozzle described above has overcome to a very substantial degree the drawbacks to which previous constructions of nozzle have been prone.

It has been found that none of the available beverages have been tainted with the flavour of any one of the other beverages. It has also been found that all of the available beverages have been capable of being fully mixed with the diluent. It will also be understood that the construction is very simple and that the nozzle can very simply be stripped down and subsequently re-assembled by the owner of the premises in which the apparatus is installed when the nozzle requires routine cleaning.

Various modifications may of course be made and it will be understood that the number of available beverages is not limited to four, that is to say they could be three in number or a number greater than four.

Claims (9)

1. A beverage mixing and dispense nozzle for fitment in a beverage dispensing apparatus of the kind referred to, the nozzle including a mixing chamber, means defining an annular inlet flow passage for diluent entering an upper end of said mixing chamber, respective inlet tubes for the concentrates of the available beverages opening into the upper end of said mixing chamber at equally spaced locations radially within said annular inlet flow passage, and a plurality of outlet ports for the flow of mixed beverage from the lower end of said mixing chamber, said outlet ports being equally spaced at locations radially within the annular diluent flow inlet passage but located in such a way with respect to the inlet tubes for the concentrates of the available beverages that a flow of any one of the concentrates is wholly out of alignment with any one of the outlet ports opening from the region beneath it.

2. A beverage mixing and dispense nozzle according to claim 1, in which the mixing chamber is of cylindrical shape.

3. A beverage mixing and dispense nozzle according to either one of the preceding claims, in which at the lower end of the mixing chamber there is located an element in the nature of a circumferentially flanged plug a radially outer part of the flange of which is spaced from an angled annular shoulder portion at the lower end of the mixing chamber, said shoulder portion tapering down to an outlet passage, the outlet ports for the flow of mixed beverage from the lower end of the mixing chamber being formed in a radially inner part of said flange.

4. A beverage mixing and dispense nozzle according to claims 3, in which at least the upper surface of the flange of the plug element is of concave shape.

5. A beverage mixing and dispense nozzle according to either one of claims 3 and 4, in which the plug element is formed with a central spigot portion.

6. A beverage mixing and dispense nozzle according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the means defining an annular inlet flow passage for diluent entering the upper end of the mixing chamber are constituted by an element with a rounded peripheral edge closely spaced from the wall of the mixing chamber.

7. A beverage mixing and dispense nozzle according to claim 6, in which an upper part of the element is of conical shape and projects into a lower end of a central diluent flow passage, the arrangement being such that the diluent flow is equally distributed around the conical surface of said element to flow into the mixing chamber in the form of a cylindrical curtain with non-turbulent flow until mixing with concentrate takes place.

8. Beverage dispensing apparatus of the kind referred to the apparatus being fitted with a beverage mixing and dispense nozzle according to any one of the preceding claims.

9. A beverage mixing and dispense nozzle constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.