JP2002321795A - Beverage dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate checking of a level of water inside a beverage storage container. SOLUTION: A pot stage 33, on which a pot 1 is placed, is formed in a recessed manner in a front-side lower part of a tea dispenser body 10, and a pour-out opening 35 for tea or hot water is provided in a ceiling surface of the pot stage 33. A lighting lamp 50 is provided in the back of a ceiling part of the pot stage 33 in such a manner as to be covered with a translucent cover 53. The lighting lamp 50 is turned on while the tea or the hot water is poured out by a pressing operation of a switch. A vicinity of an opening of the pot 1 is illuminated to grow light so that the inside of the pot 1 can be well seen to enable the checking of the water level of the pot 1 by peeping through a gap between a lid 2 and the pot 1 as indicated by an arrow X. When the tea or the hot water is stored up to a desired amount, elimination of pressing of the switch makes a pour-out operation stopped and makes the lighting lamp 50 turned off after a lapse of prescribed delay time. During this time, drops completely fall out of the opening 35. Extinguishment of the lighting lamp 50 is taken as a cue for completion of the pour-out operation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a beverage dispenser used for pouring a beverage into a large beverage container such as a pot.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an example of a tea machine, a so-called pot-taking machine has been known. This is so that a pot stage is provided at the lower front part of the tea dispenser body, a spout is formed on the ceiling surface, and tea or hot water is poured from the spout to the pot placed on the pot stage. It has become. Here, in order to make the depth direction of the tea dispenser as compact as possible, the pot stage is formed to be recessed on the back side so that the pot can be inserted inside to some extent.

[0003]

On the other hand, the dispensing mode of this type of pot picking and dispensing machine is generally such that tea or hot water is dispensed while the dispensing switch is pressed. When the pot is placed in the pot stage as described above, it is difficult to check the water level in the pot, and it is difficult to know the timing for stopping the pouring. In extreme cases, you may find that the pot is full only after tea or hot water overflows.
Especially in a tall pot whose opening reaches very close to the spout, or when an open lid is attached obliquely and covers the inside, the area near the opening of the pot becomes even darker and the water level becomes lower. The situation is difficult to understand.

[0004] When a dispensing switch is pressed, a certain amount of tea or hot water is dispensed. Some devices have a so-called fixed-rate dispensing function. It is necessary to stop the pouring by operating the stop switch on the way, and in this case also, the stop switch cannot be operated properly unless the water level in the pot is known. The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to make it easy to confirm the water level in a beverage container.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a dispensing stage on which a beverage container is placed is formed in the front of a dispenser main body. In a beverage dispenser in which a beverage outlet is provided on a ceiling surface of a dispensing stage, the dispensing stage is characterized in that an illumination lamp capable of irradiating an opening of the beverage container is provided. .
A second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, a lamp control means for turning on the illumination lamp at the start of dispensing the beverage and turning off the light at the end of the dispensing is provided.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the lamp control means includes a delay means for delaying a turn-off timing of the illumination lamp by a predetermined time from the end of the dispensing. However, it has features. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the illumination lamp is covered with a cover. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects,
It is characterized in that the illumination lamp is provided at an upper position on the inner surface of the pouring stage.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the opening of the beverage container is brightly illuminated by the illumination lamp,
It is easy to check the water level inside the container, and it is possible to stop pouring accurately. <Invention of Claim 2> The lighting of the illumination lamp can be notified to the user as a signal during the pouring. <Invention of claim 3> After the end of the pouring, the illumination lamp is turned off after waiting for the drop to drop completely. It is more convenient to notify the timing of taking out the beverage container.

<Invention of Claim 4> Deterioration of the illumination lamp due to steam or the like when the beverage is poured is prevented. <Invention of Claim 5> The illumination lamp does not hinder the taking in and out of the beverage container, and the degree of freedom of the size of the beverage container that can be used is increased.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. The present embodiment exemplifies a pot removing tea machine, and first, an overall structure thereof will be described with reference to FIGS. The main body 10 of the tea dispenser is formed in a vertically long box shape, is supported by legs 11 provided at four corners on the bottom surface, and a door 12 is mounted on the front surface thereof so as to be openable and closable. In the main body 10, a panel 13 is provided at an intermediate position in the depth direction, and a back side thereof is a machine room. A hot water storage tank 15 is provided in the machine room 14 so that fresh water supplied from a water supply pipe 16 can be heated to a predetermined temperature and stored as hot water.

A canister 18 for storing tea leaves is provided at an upper position on the front surface of the panel 13, and a tea leaf supply section 19 having a built-in quantitative drum capable of scooping and dropping a predetermined amount of tea leaves is provided below the canister 18. On the lower surface, a tea leaf supply port 20 with an opening / closing shutter is formed. From the hot-water storage tank 15, the hot-water supply pipe 2 with an injection valve 22 interposed
3 is pulled out and protrudes to the front side of the panel 13, and a shower-type hot water supply port 24 is attached to the protruding end thereof, and is disposed alongside the tea leaf supply port 20. Panel 1
A funnel 27 containing a tea strainer 26 for storing tea leaves is provided at a position below the tea leaf supply port 20 and the hot water supply port 24 on the front surface of the front panel 3 so as to be able to be inverted and driven on the left side of FIG. .

A drain pan 30 is provided below the funnel 27, and a scaly mounting table 31 is stretched on its upper surface. A pot stage 33 is placed on the mounting table 31.
Is equipped so that it can be put in and out. As shown in FIG. 1, the pot stage 33 has a height that opens to the front and reaches the outlet 28 of the funnel 27. Inside the pot stage 33, for example, a pot 1 having a capacity of 2.2 liters is provided. It can be accommodated. Pot stage 33
The upper surface plate 34 is provided with a spout 35 at the front edge thereof.
The exit 28 of the 7 is facing. An auxiliary hot water supply pipe 36 for discharging hot water drawn from the hot water storage tank 15 protrudes from the side of the outlet 28 of the funnel 27, and also faces the discharge port 35 of the pot stage 33.

An opening 37 for opening the pot stage 33 accommodated when the door is closed to the front side is formed at the lower side of the door 12, and a mounting table is also provided at the lower edge thereof when the door is closed. An auxiliary mounting table 38 that is flush with the base 31 and protrudes toward the near side is provided. On the left side of the pot stage 33, a tea container 40 is placed on a shelf 41.
It is received and installed. Then, as will be described in detail later, when the tea switch 61A is operated, hot water is discharged from the hot water supply port 24 toward the tea strainer 26 containing the tea leaves,
The tea is poured from the outlet 28 of the funnel 27 as tea.
When replacing tea leaves, the funnel 27 is placed in the tea container 4
It is inverted to the 0 side (reference numeral 27A in FIG. 2), and the tea strainer 2
6 is discarded in the tea container 40. Thereafter, the funnel 27 is driven toward the original position, and in the middle thereof, stops in an oblique posture immediately below the tea leaf supply port 20 (reference numeral 27B in FIG. 2), and a predetermined amount of new tea leaves is passed through the tea strainer 2.
6. After that, it returns to the original position, and the next tea can be poured.

An illumination lamp 50 is mounted on the pot stage 33 at the back of the ceiling. Therefore, as shown in FIG.
A lamp socket 51 is attached to 3, and an illumination lamp 50 is screwed into the socket 51. This illumination lamp 50 is described in detail below.
Lighting is controlled based on the opening and closing operation of the dispensing valve 22 for dispensing tea or hot water.

The illumination lamp 50 is covered by a cover 53. The cover 53 is formed of a transparent or translucent synthetic resin material, and has a shape in which a flat mounting plate 55 is provided around a bulged housing portion 54 as shown in FIG. The mounting plate 55 is applied to the surface of the panel 13 while the illumination lamp 50 is housed in the housing 54, and is fixed by screws 56. Further, at the corner on the back side of the ceiling surface of the pot stage 33, there is provided an escape hole 5 into which the housing portion 54 of the cover 53 is fitted and escaped.
7 is open.

In this embodiment, tea or hot water can be dispensed in a manner in which the dispensing is continued while the switch is pressed (hereinafter referred to as a press-dispensing dispensing) or a dispensing method in which a fixed amount is dispensed. It has become. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, a tea switch 61A and a hot water switch 61B for dispensing during pressing, a tea switch 62A for dispensing a fixed amount, a hot water switch 62A, A switch 62B and a stop switch 63 are provided.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. The door 12 is closed when the tea dispenser operates. When pouring tea into the pot 1, as shown by the chain line in FIG.
Is opened, the pot 1 is placed in the pot stage 33 while being placed on the mounting table 31 and the auxiliary mounting table 38, and the upper opening of the pot 1 is brought directly below the spout 35. Next, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the tea switch 61 </ b> A for dispensing while pressing the operation panel 60 is pressed, the dispensing valve 22 is opened, and the hot water in the hot water storage tank 15 flows to the hot water supply pipe 23. hand,
Hot water is discharged from a hot water supply port 24 toward a tea strainer 26 containing tea leaves, and is poured into the pot 1 as tea from an outlet 28 of a funnel 27 facing a spout 35 of a pot stage 33.

When the tea valve 61A is pressed to open the spout valve 22, the illumination lamp 50 is turned on as shown in FIG. Since the illumination lamp 50 is disposed on the deep side of the ceiling of the pot stage 33, the pot 1
The vicinity of the opening of the pot 1 is illuminated and brightened, and as shown by the arrow X in FIG. 3, the inside of the pot 1 can be clearly seen by looking through the gap of the lid 2 of the pot 1, and its water level can be confirmed. When the desired amount of tea has accumulated in the pot 1, the tea switch 6
Remove the 1A pressure. Then, the dispensing valve 22 is closed and the discharge of hot water from the hot water storage tank 15 is stopped, that is, the dispensing of tea is stopped. On the other hand, when the discharge valve 22 is closed, as shown in FIG. 6, a predetermined delay time t (about 5 seconds)
The illumination lamp 50 is turned off after elapse. During this time, the drips from the spout 35 (the outlet 28 of the funnel 27) are completely dropped. When the illumination lamp 50 is turned off, this signals the completion of pouring, and the pot 1 may be taken out of the pot stage 33.

When the hot water switch 61B for pressing is pressed, hot water is discharged from the auxiliary hot water supply pipe 36 into the pot 1 by opening another discharging valve 22, and at the same time, the illumination lamp 50 is turned on.
Lights up. The water level in the pot 1 is checked by relying on the light of the illumination lamp 50, and when it is confirmed that the desired amount has been reached, the pressing of the hot water switch 61B is removed, and the discharge valve 22 closes to stop the supply of hot water. Then, after a predetermined delay time t has elapsed, the illumination lamp 50 is turned off to notify that the pot 1 can be taken out.

In this embodiment, constant-rate pouring can be performed in accordance with the 2.2-liter pot 1. When the pot 1 is put into the pot stage 33 and the tea switch 62A or the hot water switch 62B for fixed quantity is pressed, the corresponding dispensing valve 22 is opened for a predetermined time, and the fixed quantity tea is set. Alternatively, hot water is poured into pot 1. At this time, the illumination lamp 50 is turned on with the pressing operation of the tea switch 62A or the hot water switch 62B, and is turned off after a delay time t after the dispensing is completed.

On the other hand, there is a case where tea or hot water is poured into the pot 1 having a smaller volume than the same volume while using the above-described fixed volume dispensing function. In this case, when the tea switch 62A or the hot water switch 62B for dispensing a fixed amount is pressed, the dispensing valve 22 is opened and the dispensing of tea or hot water is started. When the amount has accumulated, the stop switch 63 is pressed and the dispensing valve 22 is closed to terminate the dispensing. In such a usage, the illumination lamp 50 is turned on when the tea switch 62A or the hot water switch 62B for dispensing a fixed amount is pressed, so that the vicinity of the opening of the pot 1 is similarly illuminated and the water level inside the pot 1 is increased. Can be seen clearly, and the timing of pressing the stop switch 63 to end the pouring can be clearly understood. When the stop switch 63 is pressed, the illumination lamp 50 is turned off after a delay time t.
Turns off, signaling that the pot 1 is to be taken out.

As described above, according to the present embodiment,
Since the vicinity of the opening of the pot 1 is brightly illuminated by the illumination lamp 50 during the pouring of tea or hot water, the water level inside the pot 1 can be easily checked, and the timing of stopping the pouring can be accurately known. In addition, since the lighting of the illumination lamp 50 can be used as a signal during pouring, and after the pouring is stopped, the illumination lamp 50 is turned off after a delay time t corresponding to the time when the drop falls. It is possible to know a convenient timing to take out the pot 1 after the drops have completely dropped. These are more effective at midnight or when the room is dark.

In this type of tea dispenser, steam rises in the pot stage 33 when tea or hot water is poured out, but the deterioration is suppressed because the illumination lamp 50 is covered with the cover 53 for moisture prevention. . Since the illumination lamp 50 is provided at the back of the ceiling of the pot stage 33 together with the cover 53, the illumination lamp 50 does not hinder the loading and unloading of the pot 1, and the degree of freedom of the size of the pot 1 and other containers that can be used is high. Become.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. (1) Some tea dispensers of the above-described embodiment have a function of automatically replacing tea leaves when a predetermined amount of tea is dispensed, in which case, during the dispensing, In some cases, the pouring is temporarily stopped and tea leaves are exchanged. In such a case, it is desirable that the illumination lamp be continuously turned on even when the pouring is restarted during the tea leaf exchange. (2) The present invention can be widely applied not only to the tea dispenser illustrated in the above embodiment but also to a general beverage dispenser used to pour a beverage into a large beverage container.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tea machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 2] Front view with door removed

FIG. 3 is a side view in which a side plate is removed.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a mounting structure of the illumination lamp.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the operation panel.

FIG. 6 is a time chart showing an operation relationship between the discharge valve and the illumination lamp.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Pot (beverage storage container) 2 ... Lid 10 ... Tea machine main body 12 ... Door 22 ... Discharge valve 23 ... Hot water supply pipe 27 ... Funnel 28 ... Outlet 33 ... Pot stage (pouring stage) 35 ... Spouting outlet 36 ... Auxiliary hot water supply pipe 37 ... Outlet 50 ... Illumination lamp 53 ... Cover 57 ... Escape hole

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Takeshi Shima 3-16 Hoshizaki Electric Co., Ltd., Sakaemachi Minamikan, Toyoake City, Aichi Prefecture (72) Inventor Tomio Suyama 3rd-16 Sakaemachi Minamikan, Toyoake City, Aichi Prefecture Hoshizaki Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Michiya Abe 3-16, Sakaemachi South Building, Toyoake City, Aichi Prefecture H-Shizaki Electric Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 3E082 AA01 BB01 CC08 DD05 EE01 FF09 4B004 AA18 BA50 CA24 CA30

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A dispenser in which a dispensing stage on which a beverage container is placed is formed in a front surface of a dispenser main body, and a beverage outlet is provided on a ceiling surface of the dispensing stage. A beverage dispenser, wherein an illumination lamp capable of irradiating an opening of the beverage container is provided on the stage. 2. The beverage dispenser according to claim 1, further comprising lamp control means for turning on the illumination lamp at the start of the dispensing of the beverage and turning off the lamp at the end of the dispensing. 3. The beverage dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the lamp control means includes a delay means for delaying a turn-off timing of the illumination lamp by a predetermined time from the end of the dispensing. 4. The beverage dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the illumination lamp is covered with a cover. 5. The beverage dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the illumination lamp is provided at an upper position on a back surface of the pouring stage.