JP2003206000A - Water server - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a water server for supplying cold water, etc., for beverage use in an office, etc., which facilitates maintenance work in terms of hygienics, reduces the number of components, and brings about cost savings and miniaturization. <P>SOLUTION: A drinking water bag 30, which is formed of a flexible material in a bag shape, and equipped with an openable/closable water injection stopper 31, is applied to the water server for being replaceably housed in a bag storage chamber 2. The chamber 2 is provided with a water injection stopper take-out part, such as a groove 12 and a notch 11, which makes the stopper 31 exposed so as to be operable for opening/closing from the outside of the chamber 2; and a heat exchanger such as a cooling plate 15 for directly cooling the bag 30 is provided on a bottom wall 5 of the chamber 2 or a peripheral wall thereof. An inclined plane is formed on the bottom wall 5 so that the water injection stopper take-out part can be located at a lowermost end of the bottom wall 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a water server installed in a factory, an office, a school or the like so that cold water for drinking can be freely drunk.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 5 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a conventional water server. A bag storage chamber 101 is formed at an upper end of an outer casing 100, and a tank cooler 103 and a tank are provided below the bag storage chamber 101. A heater 104 is arranged. A connection pipe 110 for taking out drinking water is provided on the bottom wall of the bag storage chamber 101, and a pipe 111 for a cooler and a pipe 112 for a heater are connected to the connection pipe 110, and each pipe 111, 112 is a tank-type cooler. 103 and a tank heater 104. A stationary cold water faucet 115 is connected to the cooler 103 via a pipe 117,
Stationary hot and cold tap 1 for heater 104 via piping 118
16 are connected. Above the cup stand (virtual line) 119 provided in the front part of the case, a stationary cold water faucet 115 and a hot water faucet 116 are provided in an outwardly projecting manner.
Reference numeral 116 is connected to the tank-type cooler 103 and the tank-type heater 104 via pipes 117 and 118, respectively.

The drinking water bag 120 is formed of a flexible resin material into a bag shape and integrally has a water injection plug 121. The drinking water bag 120 is stored in the bag storage chamber 101 in a state of being contained in a cardboard outer box 120a. Water tap 121
Are connected to the connection pipe 110.

In such a water server,
The water in the drinking water bag 120 is temporarily supplied to the tank cooler 103 and the tank heater 104 via the pipes 111 and 112.
To the pipes 117, 118 after being cooled or heated.
Is supplied to each water faucet 115, 116 via. For example, if you want to drink cold water, put a cup C under the cold water faucet 115.
, And the cold water faucet 115 is opened to supply cold water to the cup C. When the drinking water bag 120 is empty, it is replaced with a new drinking water bag.

[0005]

Since the drinking water bag 120 itself is manufactured and shipped in a sterile factory, there is no concern that bacteria or the like will propagate, but since the water server itself is always installed, Hygiene maintenance is required.

However, like the water server of FIG. 5, drinking water is once taken out from the drinking water bag 120 through the pipes 111 and 112, heat-exchanged in the tank cooler 103 or the tank heater 104, and the pipe 117 or Stationary cold water tap 115 or hot water tap 11 via 118
In the structure for supplying to 6, the pipes 11, 112, 117, 1
18, a tank type cooler 103 and a tank type heater 10
4, the drinking water will always be collected in the cold water faucet 115 and the hot water faucet 116. Then, the pipes 11, 112, 117, 118, the tank cooler 103, the tank heater 104, the cold water faucet 115, and the hot water faucet 116 must be frequently washed so that bacteria and the like do not propagate. Maintenance work is very troublesome.

If a heat exchanger such as a tank cooler 103 is arranged outside the bag storage chamber 101 via a pipe 111 and a stationary cold water faucet 115 is provided, the water server itself. The number of parts is increased, which causes cost increase and inevitably increases in size.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to facilitate maintenance work in terms of hygiene management, reduce the number of parts, and reduce cost and size.

[0009]

In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application provides a drinking water bag which is formed of a flexible material into a bag shape and which is provided with an openable and closable water tap. In a water server that can be exchangeably stored in a bag storage chamber, the bag storage chamber is provided with a water injection plug take-out portion that exposes the water injection plug so that it can be opened and closed from outside the bag storage chamber, and a bottom wall of the bag storage chamber or It is characterized in that the peripheral wall is provided with a heat exchanger for directly cooling or heating the drinking water bag.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the water server according to the first aspect, the bottom wall of the bag storage chamber is
An inclined surface is formed so that the water tap removal part is located at the lowermost end of the bottom wall.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the water server according to the first or second aspect, a recessed portion that drops downward is formed in the bottom wall of the bag storage chamber, and the water injection tap takeout portion is provided in the recessed portion.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a water server for cold water to which the present invention is applied, in which an outer case 1 is a vertically long and slender rectangular parallelepiped, and a bag storage chamber 2 is formed in the upper part. The bag storage chamber 2 includes a bottom wall 5, left and right side walls 6 and 7, and a rear wall 8. A lid 10 having an L-shaped cross section is detachably attached to the front and upper surfaces in an open state. ing. At the lower end of the front wall of the lid 10, a notch 11 for protruding the water injection plug is formed.

The bottom wall 5 of the bag storage chamber 2 is formed in an inverted V shape (V-shape) when viewed from the front, and a groove 12 having a U-shaped cross section is formed in the center of the left and right widths at the lowest position. There is. The groove 12 is formed from the front end to the rear end of the bottom wall 5, and the groove bottom is inclined downward. The front end of the groove 12 is open toward the front, and the notch 11 of the lid 10 constitutes a water injection plug take-out portion for allowing the water injection plug 31 of the drinking water bag 30 to project to the outside.

On the surface of the bottom wall 5, a cooling plate 15 made of copper or another plate material having a high thermal conductivity is laid over the entire surface of the bottom wall 5, and a drinking water bag 30 is placed on the cooling plate 15. Can be placed directly.

Below the cooling plate 15, a refrigerant passage 17 is formed in a meandering shape over substantially the entire surface of the cooling plate 15, while a compressor 19 for cooling the refrigerant is arranged in the lower half of the outer case 1. The refrigerant passage 17 is connected to the pipe 1
It connects to the compressor 19 via 8 etc., and comprises the refrigerant circulation path. That is, the cooling medium cooled by the compressor 19 is supplied to the cooling medium passage 17, and the cooling plate 1
After cooling 5, the compressor 5 is returned to the compressor 19.

The drinking water bag 30 is a flexible bag made of polyethylene or the like, and the above-mentioned water injection plug 31 is provided at the lower end of the front surface, and the water injection plug 31 is made of a relatively hard resin. The drinking water bag 30 is filled with drinking water such as "... Natural water" in a sterile factory, sealed, and shipped in a rectangular box-shaped cardboard outer box 32. Although the shape of the drinking water bag 30 is substantially a rectangular parallelepiped in a state where it is filled with drinking water, the shape of the drinking water bag 30 can be freely changed according to the shape of the chamber in which the drinking water bag 30 is accommodated.

On the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls 6 and 7 of the bag storage chamber 2, there are formed stoppers 9 extending substantially horizontally and in the front-rear direction so as to hold the cardboard outer box 32 when the drinking water bag is replaced. It has become.

FIG. 2 shows the water tap tap removal portion (arrow II portion) of FIG.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical side view of the water injection plug 31. The water injection plug 31 is composed of a tubular body portion 35 and a cock portion 36. Body 35
The rear end brim is liquid-tightly fixed to the drinking water bag 30 by thermocompression bonding, and the cock 36 is liquid-tightly fitted to the front end of the main body 35. A water injection port 38 that opens downward is formed at the lower end of the cock portion 36, and a bowl-shaped flexible valve portion 3 that protrudes rearward is formed on the front surface of the cock portion 36.
9 is integrally formed, and the water injection port 38 is closed by the valve portion 39. The valve portion 39 is integrally formed with a ring-shaped handle 40. By hooking the handle 40 on a finger and pulling the handle 40 forward, the valve portion 39 is elastically deformed forward, and the water injection port 3
It is designed to open 8.

[0019]

In FIG. 1, when setting the drinking water bag 30, the lid 10 is opened, the drinking water bag 30 is inserted into the bag storage chamber 2 from above, and the lateral center portion of the drinking water bag 30 is grooved 12. While being pushed in, the water injection plug 31 is arranged at the front end opening of the groove 12 and protrudes forward from the bag storage chamber 2.

When the drinking water bag 30 is set as described above, if it is taken out from the corrugated cardboard outer box 32 in advance, it is very difficult to grasp and handling is poor. However, by using the stopper 9, the bag can be inserted. Work can be done easily. That is, the drinking water bag 30 stored in the cardboard outer box 32 is inserted into the bag storage chamber 2 from above, the left and right lower corners of the cardboard outer box 32 are locked to the left and right stoppers 9, and the corrugated cardboard outer box 32 is locked. The lower surface of the box 32 is opened and only the drinking water bag 30 is pulled out onto the bottom wall 5.

After the drinking water bag 30 is stored in the bag storage chamber 2, the lid 10 is covered and the water injection plug 31 is projected forward from the notch 11 to complete the mounting of the drinking water bag.

Since the drinking water bag 30 is placed directly on the cooling plate 15, the drinking water is supplied to the drinking water bag 3.
It is directly cooled in the state of being housed in 0 and is supplied to a cup or the like from a water injection plug 31 attached to a drinking water bag 30.

When it is desired to drink cold water, the cup C is placed on the cup base 13 shown in FIG. 1 and the water tap 31 is opened.
Cold water is poured directly into the cup C from inside the drinking water bag 30.

The bottom wall 5 of the bag storage chamber 2 is formed in a V shape, and the bottom of the groove 12 formed in the center portion of the left and right width is inclined downward so that water is poured into the bottom end portion of the bottom wall 5. Since the plug extraction portion is located, it is possible to reduce the residual water in the drinking water bag 30 when the bag is replaced.

Further, since the drinking water bag 30 having flexibility is directly filled with water into the cup through the water tap 31, the drinking water bag 30 can be flexibly reduced in volume as the drinking water decreases, and air can be supplied. There is no reverse intrusion into the drinking water bag 30, and drinking water can be supplied in a hygienic condition.

[0026]

[Other Embodiments of the Invention] (1) FIG. 3 shows a modified example of the bottom wall 5 of the bag storage chamber 2, in which a recess 50 is formed at the front end portion of the center portion of the left and right width and which is downwardly dropped as a water tap removal portion. The bottom wall 5 is formed from the recess 50 to the left and right side walls 6, 7
And the rear wall 9 is inclined so as to be higher. That is, it has a shape in which a quadrangular pyramid-shaped hopper is divided into two pieces in a pool, and a recess 50 is formed at the lowermost position. The recess 50 has an open front surface and a top surface.
Other structures are the same as those in FIG. 1, and the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals. Although not shown, the compressor and the refrigerant passage are naturally provided.

(2) In each of the above embodiments, a water server dedicated to cold water is provided, and a cooling plate is laid on the bottom wall of the bag storage chamber. However, the drinking water bag is made of a heat-resistant material, A heating plate may be laid on the bottom wall instead of the cooling plate to supply hot water.

(3) In each of the above embodiments, an example in which a cooling plate is laid on the bottom wall of the bag storage chamber is shown.
A cooling plate or a heating plate may be installed on the left and right side walls or the rear wall. Of course, it is also possible to install cooling plates or heating plates on all of the bottom wall, the left and right side walls, and the rear wall.

(4) FIG. 4 shows a water server in which the lid 10 is rotatably attached to the rear wall 8 by a hinge 60. Other structures are the same as those in FIG. 1, and the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, a drinking water bag, which is formed of a flexible material into a bag shape and has an openable / closable water filling plug, is replaceably stored in a bag storage chamber. The water server has the following advantages.

(1) The bag storage chamber is provided with a water injection plug take-out portion which exposes the water injection plug from the outside of the bag storage chamber so that it can be opened and closed, and the drinking water bag is cooled directly on the bottom wall or the peripheral wall of the bag storage chamber. Since a heat exchanger for heating is provided, the drinking water in the drinking water bag can be cooled or heated without taking it out of the drinking water bag, and it can be poured directly from the water tap into the cup, and the external pipe through which the drinking water passes. Also, it is not necessary to provide a tank type cooler, etc., and there is no concern that bacteria or the like will propagate in the external piping, and maintenance in terms of hygiene management is simplified.

(2) Since external pipes for passing drinking water, a tank type cooler, etc. are not required, the number of parts of the water server can be reduced, and the cost and size can be reduced.

(3) Since the drinking water is directly supplied from the flexible drinking water bag to the cup or the like through the water tap, the drinking water volume is reduced and the volume of the drinking water is reduced. It does not flow back into the bag and is hygienic in this respect as well.

(3) If the inclined surface is formed on the bottom wall of the bag storage chamber so that the water injection tap takeout portion is located at the lowermost end of the bottom wall, the remaining amount in the drinking water bag can be kept low. You can
The drinking water in the drinking water bag can be efficiently used.

(4) If the bottom wall of the bag storage chamber is formed with a recess that drops downward and the recess is provided with a water injection tap take-out portion, the remaining amount in the drinking water bag can be further reduced, and the beverage can be drunk. The drinking water in the water bag can be efficiently used.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a water server to which the present invention is applied, with a drinking water bag removed.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical side view of a portion indicated by an arrow II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional front view of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 bag storage room 5 bottom wall 6 left side wall 7 Right side wall 8 rear wall 10 lid 11 Notches (part of tapping tap removal part) 12 grooves (an example of recesses and water tap removal parts) 15 Cooling plate 30 drinking water bags 31 Water tap 50 recesses (an example of water tap removal part)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A drinking water bag, which is formed of a flexible material into a bag shape and has a water injection plug that can be opened and closed,
In a water server that can be exchangeably stored in a bag storage chamber, the bag storage chamber is provided with a water injection plug take-out portion that exposes the water injection plug so that it can be opened and closed from the outside of the bag storage chamber,
A water server characterized in that a heat exchanger for directly cooling or heating a drinking water bag is provided on a bottom wall or a peripheral wall of a bag storage chamber. 2. The water server according to claim 1, wherein an inclined surface is formed on the bottom wall of the bag storage chamber so that the water injection tap takeout portion is located at the lowermost end of the bottom wall. 3. The water server according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a concave portion that drops downward is formed on the bottom wall of the bag storage chamber, and the concave portion serves as a water tap removal portion.