JP2013085665A - Beverage production device and cup holder used for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a beverage production device in which a cup is easily detached a from a cup holder and a beverage inside the cup is hardly spilled, and to provided the cup holder used for the beverage production device.SOLUTION: The beverage production device includes: a cup holder 13 for holding a cup 15; a cap 31 for covering the cup 15 held by the cup holder 13; a rotary shaft 19 passing through the cap 31 and having a rotary blade below the cap 31; and a motor 17 for rotating the rotary shaft 19. The cup holder 13 is in a bottomless cylindrical shape, a part of the outer peripheral surface of the cup 15 is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cup holder 13, the cup 13 is held while projected downwards from the lower end of the cup holder 13, and the inner diameter of the part in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cup 15, of the cup holder 13 is increased upwards.

Description

  The present invention relates to a beverage production apparatus capable of producing only one cup of a different beverage each time and a cup holder used therefor.

  Conventionally, beverage liquids such as water and concentrated juice, and beverage solids such as vegetables, fruits and ice are put in a cup, placed on a cup holder, and further mixed and ground with a cutting blade in a state of covering with a cap. A beverage production apparatus is known (for example, Patent Document 1). In this type of beverage production apparatus, since the beverage is produced in the cup without using a special container, there is an advantage that the cup can be removed from the cup holder after production and used for drinking as it is.

  FIG. 8 is a specific example of the beverage production apparatus described above, and includes a cup holder 101 that holds the cup 100, a cap 102 that covers the cup 100 held by the cup holder 101, and passes through the cap 102 and rotates to the lower end. A rotating shaft 104 having a blade 103 and a motor (not shown) that rotates the rotating shaft 104 are provided.

  When a beverage is produced by this apparatus, a solid beverage material such as ice, vegetables or fruits and a beverage liquid such as water or concentrated juice are placed in a cup 100 and held in a cup holder 101, and rotated. The cap 102 is put on the cup 100 while the blade 103 is inserted into the cup 100. Then, the rotary blade 103 is rotated by driving the motor. Thereby, the beverage solids are finely cut by the rotary blade 103 and mixed with the beverage liquid to produce beverages such as juice and soft ice drink. For this reason, according to a customer's liking, a different drink can be provided one by one. In addition, since the cup 100 is held in close contact with the cup holder 101 during manufacture, the cup 100 can be prevented from being crushed. For this reason, it is possible to use a disposable cup having a low mechanical strength, and it is possible to save the trouble of washing the cup.

JP 2008-301919 A

  However, in the above-described conventional beverage production apparatus, when the cup is removed from the cup holder after the beverage is produced, there is a possibility that the beverage is difficult to remove or the beverage is spilled with momentum.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described conventional problems, and it is desirable to provide a beverage production apparatus that can easily remove a cup from a cup holder and that hardly spills a beverage in the cup, and a cup holder used therefor. Let it be an issue.

The beverage production apparatus of the present invention is
A cup holder for holding the cup, a cap for covering the cup held by the cup holder, a rotating shaft that passes through the cap and has a rotary blade below the cap, and a rotation for rotating the rotating shaft A beverage production apparatus comprising a mechanism,
The cup holder has a bottomless cylindrical shape, and is held such that at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the cup is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cup holder and the cup protrudes downward from the lower end of the cup holder. The inner diameter of the portion of the cup holder that is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cup is increased in diameter upward.

  When using the beverage production apparatus of the present invention, first put solids such as ice, fruit and vegetables and beverage liquids such as juice and water into the cup and hold the upper end of the cup while holding it in the cup holder. Cover with a cap and seal. At this time, although the cup receives pressure from the cap, since at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the cup is held in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cup holder, the cup can be prevented from being crushed. For this reason, disposable cups with small mechanical strength such as paper or thin polyethylene can also be used. Then, the rotary blade is rotated by the rotation mechanism. As a result, ice hitting the cutting blade is cut. In this way, solid matter such as ice is cut to become fine and mixed with the beverage liquid by the rotational movement of the rotary blade to become a beverage in the cup. Then, the cup containing the beverage is taken out together with the cup holder and placed on a flat work desk. Since the cup protrudes downward from the lower end of the cup holder, the lower end of the cup is in contact with the work desk, and a certain distance is opened between the lower end of the cup holder and the work desk. Here, since the inner diameter of the portion of the cup holder that is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cup is increased upward, in this state, if the cup holder is held in hand and pushed downward, the cup holder and the cup A gap is formed between the two, and the close contact state is easily eliminated. Thus, the cup is separated from the cup holder, and the lower end of the cup holder hits the work desk and stops. For this reason, it becomes easy to remove the cup from the cup holder. At that time, the impact applied to the cup is small, and the risk of spilling the beverage in the cup is reduced.

  The cup holder includes a cylindrical cylindrical portion and a diameter-enlarged portion that expands upward from the cylindrical portion, and the inner peripheral surface of the enlarged-diameter portion and the outer peripheral surface of the cup may be in close contact with each other. Good. If it is like this, since a cylindrical part does not stick to a cup, it becomes easier to remove a cup from a cup holder.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the fixing jig which fixes the cup holder holding a cup in a predetermined position is provided. If it is like this, since a cup is more stably hold | maintained at the time of drink manufacture, accidents, such as a cup falling down, can be prevented and manufacturing operation can be performed more safely.

  Further, the cup holder of the present invention is a cup holder used in the beverage production apparatus of the present invention and has a bottomless cylindrical shape, and at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the cup is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cup holder. However, the cup is held in a state where the cup protrudes downward from the lower end, and the inner diameter of the portion in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cup is increased upward.

As described in the description of the beverage production apparatus of the present invention, the cup holder of the present invention has a bottomless cylindrical shape, and at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the cup is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cup holder. Since it hold | maintains, it can prevent that a cup is crushed and can also use the disposable cup with small mechanical strength.
In addition, the cup is held in a state where the cup protrudes downward from the lower end, and further, the inner diameter of the portion that is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cup is increased upward, so that the cup after beverage production If the cup holder is taken out together with the cup holder, placed on a work desk, and the cup holder is held in a hand and pushed downward, the contact state is easily eliminated and there is little risk of spilling.

It is a perspective view of the beverage manufacturing apparatus of Example 1. It is a partial cross section figure which shows the cup and cup holder periphery of the drink manufacturing apparatus of Example 1. It is a perspective view of the cup holder in the beverage manufacturing apparatus of Example 1. It is a top view of the fixing jig for fixing the cup holder in the beverage manufacturing apparatus of Example 1. It is sectional drawing of the drink manufacturing apparatus of Example 1. FIG. It is a perspective view of the cap which concerns on the drink manufacturing apparatus of Example 1. FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state in each situation in use of the drink manufacturing apparatus of Example 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a process of pulling out a cup from a cup holder in Example 1. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the conventional drink manufacturing apparatus.

Hereinafter, a beverage production apparatus embodying the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
Example 1
FIG. 1 shows an appearance of a beverage production apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. The beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 is installed in a coffee shop, a convenience store, or the like, and serves to provide a favorite soft iced beverage in accordance with customer demands, and includes a housing 3 that is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped container. A power switch 7 for driving a motor 17 described later is provided on the front panel 5 of the housing 3, and an opening 9 is provided below the front panel 5. A fixing jig base 11 extends toward the back at the lower end of the opening 9. A cup 15 is accommodated in a cup holder 13 at the front center of the fixture table 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cup holder 13 has a bottomless cylindrical shape, a cylindrical portion 13 a extending in a cylindrical shape upward from the lower end, and a diameter increasing upward from the upper end of the cylindrical portion 13 a. It consists of the extended diameter part 13b. The cup 15 is held so as to be in close contact with the inner surface of the enlarged diameter portion 13b. The bottom of the cup 15 is provided with a pedestal 15 a that protrudes in a cylindrical shape with a bottom, and the pedestal 15 a protrudes below the lower end of the cup holder 13, but there is a slight gap from the fixing jig base 11. It is in a state. In addition, if the shape of the enlarged diameter part 13b closely_contact | adheres according to the shape of the cup 15 and expands upwards so that the cup 15 may be pulled out from the cup holder 13 after drink manufacture, especially There is no limit.
Further, the lower end of the cup holder 13 is provided with convex portions 13c and 13d projecting radially outward at two positions facing each other (see FIG. 3). Is fitted into a ring-shaped fixing jig 14. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the fixing jig 14 is provided with recesses 14a and 14b at positions aligned with the protrusions 13c and 13d of the cup holder 13, and further clockwise from the recesses 14a and 14b. Guide grooves 14c and 14d are provided in the direction. Then, the convex portions 13c and 13d of the cup holder 13 are inserted into the concave portions 14a and 14b and turned rightward so that the convex portions 13c and 13d are fitted into the guide grooves 14c and 14d and fixed.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1. Above the cup holder 13, a motor 17, a rotary shaft 19 connected to the motor shaft, and a rotary blade 21 attached to the lower end of the rotary shaft by a screw 22 are provided. The motor 17 is fixed to one end of a rack 23 whose upper end is bent in an L shape, and is movable in the vertical direction by the rack 23 and the pinion 25. One end of the shaft 25a of the pinion 25 protrudes from the side surface of the housing 3, and an operation lever 27 is attached.
A cap support member 29 is screwed to the rotary shaft 19 at a position above the rotary blade 21. The cap 31 is held by the cap support member 29. As shown in FIG. 6, a cylindrical portion 31a is provided at the lower end of the cap 31, and a body portion 31b extends upward from the cylindrical portion 31a. The cylindrical portion 31a is adapted to fit into the opening portion of the cup 15 (see FIG. 2). Moreover, the upper end of the trunk | drum 31b is covered with the cover part 31c, and the hole 31d by which the rotating shaft 19 (refer FIG. 5) is penetrated is formed in the center of the cover part 31c. Further, between the cylindrical portion 31a and the body portion 31b, a flange portion 31e that protrudes in a ring shape in the radially outward direction is formed.
A spring holder 33 is disposed on the cap 31. The spring holder 33 has a recess 33a, and the coil spring 35 is held in the recess 33a. The rotary shaft 19 passes through the axial center of the coil spring 35 and further passes through the cap 31 and the spring holder 33. The rotating shaft 19 extends through the center of the cap 31. A spring pressing member 37 is attached to the upper end of the rotating shaft 19.

<How to use>
The usage method of the drink manufacturing apparatus of Example 1 comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated.
As shown in FIG. 7A, by manually pulling up the operation lever 27, the pinion 25 rotates and pushes up the rack 23, whereby the motor 17, the rotating shaft 19, the coil spring 35, the spring holder 33, and the cap 31 are moved. It is arranged at the upper standby position. Then, with the cup 15 containing a predetermined amount of concentrated beverage, water and block ice inserted into the cup holder 13, the convex portions 13c and 13d of the cup holder 13 shown in FIG. 3 are inserted into the concave portions 14a and 14b shown in FIG. Then, the convex portions 13c and 13d are fitted and fixed in the guide grooves 14c and 14d by turning rightward (see FIG. 2). Then, the operation button 7 shown in FIG.

  Next, the operation lever 27 is manually lowered. 7B, the motor 17, the rotary shaft 19, the coil spring 35, the spring holder 33, and the cap 31 are lowered, and the flange 31e of the cap 31 is in contact with the upper end of the cup 15. At this time, the coil spring 35 is not compressed.

  When the operation lever 27 is further lowered, the rotary shaft 19 continues to descend, but the cap 31 and the spring holder 33 are held on the cup 15. Then, as the rotary shaft 19 is lowered, the spring pressing member 37 is also lowered. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7C, the distance between the spring holder 33 and the spring pressing member 37 is shortened, and the coil spring 35 is compressed. The spring holder 33 is pressed downward by the force. Further, the cap 31 is pressed against the upper end of the cup 15 by the pressing force, and the cup 15 is sealed, and a micro switch (not shown) is turned on so that the motor 17 is automatically driven to rotate the rotating shaft. 19 and the rotary blade 21 rotate, and the liquid in the cup 15 rotates together with the ice, and the ice hitting the cutting blade is cut. In this way, the ice is cut to become fine, and is mixed with the concentrated beverage by the rotational movement of the rotary blade, thereby producing a soft ice beverage.

Then, the operation lever 27 is raised. As a result, the motor 17, the rotary shaft 19, the coil spring 35, the spring holder 33, and the cap 31 are raised, the flange 31a of the cap 31 is separated from the upper end of the cup 15, the micro switch is turned off, and the motor 17, the rotary shaft 19 and the rotary blade 21 stop.
Then, the cup holder 13 is held with the cup 15 by hand and rotated counterclockwise so that the convex portions 13c and 13d of the cup holder 13 are aligned with the concave portions 14a and 14b of the fixing jig 14 and pulled upward. Is taken out together with the cup holder 13.

<Pulling out the cup 15 from the cup holder 13>
The cup 15 and the cup holder 13 taken out as described above are placed on the work desk 40 as shown in FIG. 8A. Thereby, the pedestal 15a at the lower end of the cup 15 comes into contact with the base 40, but a gap is generated between the cup holder 13 and the work desk 40. And it pushes downward, grasping the outer peripheral surface of the cup holder 13 with a hand. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8B, only the cup holder 13 is lowered while the cup 15 stays in the position, and stops when it hits the work table 40. Thereby, the contact | adherence state between the cup 15 and the cup holder 13 is eliminated, and a slight gap is formed. Then, the cup 15 containing the beverage is taken out and provided to the customer. Thus, if this cup holder 13 is used, the cup 15 can be easily removed from the cup holder 13. Moreover, when taking out, since the cup holder 13 hits the work desk 40 and forcibly stops, the impact given to the cup is small, and the possibility of spilling the beverage in the cup is reduced.

  The present invention is not limited to the description of the embodiment of the invention. Various modifications may be included in the present invention as long as those skilled in the art can easily conceive without departing from the description of the scope of claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Beverage manufacturing apparatus 15 ... Cup 13 ... Cup holder 13a ... Cylindrical part 13b ... Diameter-expanding part 14 ... Fixing jig 19 ... Rotating shaft 21 ... Rotary blade 31 ... Cap 17 ... Motor (rotation mechanism)

Claims (4)

A cup holder for holding the cup, a cap for covering the cup held by the cup holder, a rotating shaft that passes through the cap and has a rotary blade below the cap, and a rotation for rotating the rotating shaft A beverage production apparatus comprising a mechanism,
The cup holder has a bottomless cylindrical shape, and is held such that at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the cup is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cup holder and the cup protrudes downward from the lower end of the cup holder. The beverage manufacturing apparatus, wherein an inner diameter of a portion of the cup holder that is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cup is expanded upward.   The cup holder includes a cylindrical cylindrical portion and a diameter-enlarged portion that expands upward from the cylindrical portion, and the inner peripheral surface of the expanded-diameter portion and the outer peripheral surface of the cup are in close contact with each other. The beverage production apparatus according to claim 1.   The beverage manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a fixing jig for fixing the cup holder holding the cup in a predetermined position is provided. A cup holder used in the beverage production apparatus according to claim 1,
It has a bottomless cylindrical shape, and holds the cup in a state where the cup protrudes downward from the lower end while at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the cup is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cup holder, and the outer peripheral surface of the cup The cup holder is characterized in that the inner diameter of the portion in close contact with the diameter is increased upward.

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