JP3144686B2 - Beverage production or release equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus for producing carbonation flavoured drinks has a number of features. Water introduced to a water break from the mains supply holds a value open whilst the carbonation chamber is being filled. A concentrate supply includes a metering chamber into which concentrate flows under gravity and from which concentrate is discharged by gas pressure. The concentrate containers include means to indicate the type of concentrate therein and the degree of carbonation of water is controlled by detecting this indication. Change-over from one gas supply bottle to another is achieved utilising the pressure of the gas in the bottle to displace an element which effects the change-over. Concentrate in supply containers thereof is cooled by coolant used from cooling the carbonation chamber.

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing or discharging carbonated beverages.

The carbonated beverage discharge device disclosed in British Patent No. 2,161,089 of the applicant's earlier application is primarily intended for home use. The water container of this device is periodically filled with water as needed. The number of soda releases during the night is significantly lower than devices installed in social clubs and pubs.

Accordingly, Applicants have designed a new carbonation device that is particularly useful, but not limited to, such a situation. Based on this design, various aspects of the devices disclosed herein have been developed.

In earlier systems, the concentrate (which is used to flavor the beverage) was released by pressurizing the concentrate in the concentrate bottle, so that the concentrate passed through a measuring rod and a valve device was turned on. It was flowing to the equipped dispenser. The valve device was activated mechanically when the user pushed the cup into the discharge compartment. The means for actuating the valve device comprised a mechanical selector, which selected the concentrate of the desired taste. The user releases the concentrate (seasoning material) by mechanical operation of the valve device.
Before placing in the discharge compartment, the selector had to be fitted to the valve arrangement for the desired concentrate.

Such a device is completely satisfactory for its intended use and environment. Applicants provide herein an apparatus that, in one aspect of the invention, allows for more rapid release of beverages for use in large quantities (in terms of frequency of use).

Another object is, in one embodiment, to provide a concentrate selection means for obtaining the taste desired by the user without mechanically resetting the selector.

However, the present invention has many features and aspects as described below.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a carbonated device that discharges a carbonated beverage has a carbonation chamber and a gas supply unit, and discharges a certain amount of the concentrated solution flavoring the carbonated water. The means of release that makes the beverage
Activated by carbonated gas. In this embodiment, there is provided a means for operating the discharge means using carbonated gas from the upper space of the carbonation chamber to discharge the concentrated liquid. The discharge means is filled by the free flow of the concentrate from the concentrate container in a first step and releases in a subsequent second step.

In one embodiment, the release means releases a metered amount of the concentrate. Note that this is done with a single dose of carbonated gas, not with a mechanically actuated valve. In some embodiments, the amount of concentrate to be released can be different depending on the type of concentrate. The release means may be configured to release a taste related amount of the concentrate. This (as described further below) allows the ratio of concentrate to carbonated water to be
It can be changed to suit the chosen taste.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a discharge mechanism for discharging a carbonated beverage includes a concentrate chamber into which concentrate flows from an concentrate container via an opening thereof. Inlet valve mechanism for single doses of carbonated gas. This carbonated gas activates the release mechanism to release the above amount of concentrate. The outlet mechanism releases the above amount of the concentrated liquid according to the pressure by the carbonation gas.

In a preferred embodiment, the discharge mechanism includes a diaphragm means in the concentrate chamber, and the carbonated gas acts on the diaphragm means to push the above amount of concentrate.

According to another aspect of the invention, the carbonator comprises a discharge means operated by carbonation gas, wherein the inflow of the carbonation gas into the concentrate discharge means comprises a concentration selecting the concentrate of the discharge mechanism. Controlled by the liquid selection mechanism. In one embodiment, the carbonation gas from the release means is vented to the atmosphere by a selection mechanism, thereby refilling the release mechanism with the concentrate.

The selection mechanism can cause the carbonated chamber to start releasing carbonated water and cause the selected discharging means or a selected discharging means to release the concentrated liquid at a certain timing.

"Inexpensive syrup weighing unit" It is an object of one aspect of the present invention to provide an inexpensive syrup weighing unit, preferably a low cost unit that is disposable.

According to one aspect of the invention, a device for discharging a liquid comprises a housing, which forms a metering chamber into which the liquid flows, at least a part of the housing being deformable by pressure, whereby an outlet is provided. To discharge the fluid in the metering chamber.

According to another aspect of the invention, an apparatus for discharging a metered amount of fluid comprises a housing forming a metering chamber,
The metering chamber has opposing wall means which are movable under pressure to move away from each other, thereby opening an outlet and discharging fluid from the chamber.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a concentrate container containing a flavored concentrate for carbonated beverages, and a weighing device attached to the container and configured to discharge the concentrate by a measured amount, Provided between the measuring chamber and the concentrated liquid container,
First valve means for allowing the concentrated liquid to flow from the container into the measuring chamber by the action of gravity when the container is installed such that the measuring chamber is located below the container; and A second valve configured to open when the means is open, and to allow air to flow into the container and rise through the concentrate in the container as the concentrate flows out of the container and into the metering chamber. Means are provided.

In another aspect of the invention, the container containing the concentrate or other liquid to be released comprises first and second valves, the first and second valves being the lowest of the container at the time of liquid discharge. In some areas, the first valve is open to allow liquid to flow out of the container under the effect of gravity, and the second valve is located higher (when the part is at the lowest) than the first valve. ,
Thereby, the valve is opened according to the pressure drop in the container when the liquid flows out of the container, and the inflow of air into the container is permitted.

In still another aspect of the present invention, a valve includes a valve seat forming a passage through which a fluid flows, and a valve engageable with the seat to close the passage, and the valve is opened from the seat to open the passage. A valve head movably movable away from the valve head; a band connected to the valve head and extending through the passage; and a band attached to the band at an opposite side of the passage relative to the valve head; A laterally extending stopper member engaging the receiving surface to limit the amount of movement away from the valve seat. Preferably, the valve head and the stopper member are integrally formed of a synthetic plastic material.

The various aspects of the invention described above have the advantage that the discharge unit, the concentrate supply and the valve device can be manufactured as inexpensively as disposable. Preferably, the priced discharge unit is box-shaped or bag-in-box.
-The-box), the purchaser of the replacement syrup container will obtain a new dispensing unit and discard both the syrup container and the dispensing unit after use.

"Syrup flow control" According to another aspect of the present invention, a concentrated liquid discharging device that discharges a concentrated liquid in response to application of gas pressure includes an outlet means,
The outlet means creates a relatively large outlet when the applied gas pressure is relatively small and a relatively small outlet when the gas pressure is relatively large. In this way, differences in the amount of concentrate discharged due to the application of different gas pressures can be reduced or eliminated.

"Filling the carbonated chamber" When the carbonated device is used in a situation where the beverage is frequently used, it is desirable that the supply of water to the carbonated chamber is continuous.

Therefore, according to another aspect of the present invention, a carbonated device that discharges a carbonated beverage includes a carbonated chamber, a water supply unit that fills the carbonated room with water, and a water supply unit that supplies the carbonated room with the carbonated room. A water passage leading to the carbonated chamber through a space as it discharges from the water supply. Prevent backflow to the water supply means.

In one embodiment, the space is formed by a water cutoff chamber, and a passage from the water cutoff chamber to the carbonation chamber is controlled by a valve, and the valve is composed of a ball and a cage, and the water level is set. The passage can be closed when a predetermined level is reached. The ball and cage structure has the following advantages. That is, when water is required to flow, the water pushes down the ball to allow the flow, but when the water supply is cut off, the ball seals the passage. Such a configuration is particularly simple, reliable and inexpensive.

"Switching of carbonation gas" In a carbonation device intended for mass use, it is desirable to be able to quickly switch from one gas supply to another without downtime during operation of the carbonation device.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a switching mechanism for use with a gas supply and for replacing a gas supply is provided with a first and second gas flow control means each configured to connect to a first gas supply. First and second coupling means, first and second operating members operable to allow the gas flow to flow through the first and second gas flow control means, respectively, and switching means, The switching mechanism is configured to operate in one of two states, whereby in each of the two states, the first and second gas actuating members are repeatedly actuated, and the switching means is actuated last. After detecting that the gas supply associated with the actuating member has reached a low pressure, the operation is switched from one of the two states to the other.

The switching mechanism (one embodiment of which is shown) facilitates continuous operation of the carbonator and allows empty gas bottles to be replaced when the carbonator is not in use.

"Variation of Carbonation" As will be described later in detail with reference to an embodiment, the period during which water is carbonated in the carbonation chamber can be changed according to the characteristics of the concentrate. For this purpose, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a carbonation apparatus including a carbonation chamber for performing carbonation and a stirring unit, and a control unit for determining a carbonation period during which the stirring unit is operating. Means for determining the carbonation period according to the properties of the discharged concentrate are provided, respectively, and the concentrate is mixed with the carbonated water in the discharged beverage.

Another aspect of variable carbonation and its mode of operation are described in certain embodiments. In this particular embodiment, the concentrate container is further provided with a self-other identification indicator, whereby a suitably configured device is provided next to the select button to indicate that the desired taste can be used. You can also.

"Cooling of Concentrate" Cooling of the concentrate is performed in a particularly effective manner in the examples. That is, according to another aspect of the present invention, a carbonated device that discharges a flavored concentrate is provided with a carbonated chamber surrounded by a cooling jacket through which a refrigerant flows, and a concentrated solution container for a concentrate container juxtaposed with the cooling jacket. A compartment is provided, and both cooling of the carbonation chamber and cooling of the concentrate container are performed by heat transfer to the refrigerant.

In the device described above, the cooling device also cools the concentrate using a coolant for carbonated water cooling, making use of the efficient housing design and the efficient arrangement of this design, so that the cooling of the concentrate is particularly important. Useful. This configuration improves both the productivity and reliability of the device.

Another aspect of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Further, various alternative embodiments will be apparent from the appended claims.

In the following, some embodiments of the present invention will be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

 FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an apparatus for carbonating water.

 FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the carbonation device of FIG.

3A, 3B and 3C are cross-sectional views showing the concentrated liquid selection mechanism before selection, during selection operation, and after selection operation.

4A and 4B are cross-sectional views showing the concentrate discharge mechanism before and after filling with the concentrate.

5A, 5B, and 5C are cross-sectional views illustrating another embodiment of the concentrated liquid discharging mechanism in a state where the concentrated liquid is full, an empty state of the concentrated liquid, and a state where the concentrated liquid is being filled with the concentrated liquid.

6A and 6 are cross-sectional views showing the automatic discharge valve mechanism with the valve member in two operating positions.

 FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the relief valve mechanism.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a carbonation device similar to FIG. 2, but showing the cooling means and the concentrate chamber (the chamber is empty).

9A and 9B are cross-sectional views showing the carbonation chamber in FIG. 8 when there are two water levels in the carbonation chamber, that is, when the water is being filled and when the water is being filled.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a water pressure adjusting mechanism of the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view showing a carbonation device provided with a switching means for switching a carbonation gas between two gas cylinders.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the switching mechanism of FIG. 11 when the cover plate is removed.

13A to 13H, 13I to 13P, and 13Q to 13X respectively show three operation stages of the switching mechanism, that is, continuous operation using one gas cylinder, operation of replacing one gas cylinder with the other gas cylinder, and operation of the other. And the continuous operation using the gas cylinder.

FIG. 14A is a perspective view showing a part of a switching mechanism for reciprocating an actuator pin.

 FIG. 14B is a side view showing parts of the mechanism of FIG. 14A.

FIG. 14C is a perspective view showing the above components of the mechanism shown in FIG. 14B.

FIG. 15 is another perspective view showing the upper portion of the carbonation apparatus with the concentrate container shifted to illustrate the sensor means for detecting different concentrate carbonation requirements.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a part of the carbonation device of FIG. 1 depicting a compartment for a concentrate container.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a circuit provided in the carbonation device of FIG.

18 to 21 are schematic cross-sectional views of a discharge device according to another embodiment of the present invention, each showing four different states of the device.

 FIG. 22 is a sectional view taken along line VV shown in FIG.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing a part of the apparatus shown in FIGS.

FIG. 24 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the apparatus shown in FIGS.

FIG. 25 is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of the device as shown in FIG.

FIGS. 26 and 27 show another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG.

FIG. 28 is an enlarged sectional view showing a part of the device shown in FIGS. 26 and 27.

"General description of the apparatus (FIG. 1)" FIG. 1 shows a carbonated water apparatus 10 for producing a beverage in which an extract or a seasoning is mixed with carbonated water. The lower part of the housing 12 is substantially rectangular, the upper part of which has a central upper part 13A, which extends forward from the rear upper part 13B, which rear upper part 13B is the rear wall of the housing. Extends along. The upper portions 13A and 13B form two compartments which are laterally spaced on opposite sides of the upper portion 13A.
Both compartments have a compartment cover 13C and a container 1 for the concentrate.
4A to 14D (these are shown schematically). The concentrate is mixed with carbonated water to make a beverage. The compartment cover 13C is made of a material having heat insulating properties (or is lined with a heat insulating material), and thereby insulates the container 14 and the concentrated liquid therein from the surrounding state. container
14A to 14D can be a back-in-box structure (see FIGS. 4A and 5A), in which the outer container is made of a rigid membrane such as paperboard, and the inner container is It is composed of a material foil that can be crushed small when released via an outlet connection member (not shown).
These containers 14 have pairs 14A, 14B and 14C, 14D as shown.
It is arranged in the form of

The upper part 13A of the housing has a selection panel 16 on its front panel, which has selection buttons 18A-18F.
The buttons 18A-18D select a beverage flavored with a particular concentrate, and the buttons 18E, 18F select non-effervescent or carbonated water (no flavor).
Each of the containers 14A to 14D is connected to a concentrate discharge mechanism 20A to 20D (shown by a broken line), respectively. When the user needs a certain beverage, he places a cup or cup 22 under the mixing chamber 24 in the form of a nozzle. The mixing chamber 24 communicates with the concentrated liquid discharging mechanisms 20A to 20D of the carbonation chamber 26 (shown by broken lines).
The cup 22 has a discharge compartment opened at the front of the housing 12.
It must be placed in 28. A detection mechanism is provided for detecting whether the cup 22 is present in the compartment 28 before the beverage is discharged.

"Description of FIG. 2" FIG. The water supply section 30 communicates with the carbonation chamber 26 by a water supply line 32. Similarly,
A gas supply tank or main storage tank 34 containing a carbon dioxide gas such as carbon dioxide gas communicates with a carbonation chamber 26 via a gas supply line 36. These lines 32 and 36 are both controlled by valves (not shown) (for example, solenoid operated valves). Room 26
Inside, carbonation of water takes place. The device can be configured such that the chamber 26 is refilled with water immediately after the beverage is discharged, such that the chamber 26 is normally fully filled with water. After the carbonation step, the carbonated gas remaining in the room passes through discharge lines 38,39. This discharge line 38 is controlled by a solenoid valve S1, which allows gas to flow into the automatic discharge valve V1, and the carbonated gas passes through this automatic discharge valve V1 and passes through the check valve V2. The storage tanks 40A to 40D are filled through the discharge line 39 provided. Typically, the carbonation gas pressure in gas supply 34 is about 6-7 bar.
(About 100 psig), while the required pressure in reservoirs 40A-40D will be about 2-3 bar (about 40 psig). 4 storage tanks 40A-40D
Is about four times the headspace inside the carbonated chamber when the carbonated water is full. The storage tank pressure after filling the storage tank 40 is slightly higher than the level due to the carbonation of the water itself because the carbonated gas in the water tends to maintain the pressure in the upper space. The storage tanks 40A to 40D are connected to a pressure relief valve V3 by a filling line 42, and the pressure relief valve V3
To select buttons 18A-18D (these buttons are provided on panel 16 and select the taste corresponding to the concentrates in containers 14A-14D of FIG. 1). Additional fill lines 44 extend from each of the select buttons 18 to each of the concentrate release mechanisms 20A-20D. As shown, the concentrate discharge mechanism 20A communicates with each concentrate container 14A. The illustrated cup 22 is disposed below the outlet of the concentrate discharge mechanism 20A and the valve V4 of the carbonation chamber 26.

The valve V4 is connected to an arm 46, which is pivotally connected to an operating member 48 for the pressure relief valve V3 and an operating solenoid S2.

[Operation of Apparatus in FIG. 2] Each of the selection buttons 18A to 18D selects one of the concentrated liquid containers 14A to 14D for specific flavoring of the beverage. Select button 18A-1
Each of the 8Ds is associated with a respective selection mechanism 50 (this is
3A to 3C will be described later). Chamber 26 is already filled with water. Each concentrate discharge mechanism 20A is filled with a concentrate. The cup 22 is located at a predetermined position (that is, the compartment 2 in FIG. 1).
Assuming that the button 18A is mounted, the operation of the button 18A becomes possible. This operation initiates one cycle of the carbonator (this is described below). During this cycle, the discharge of the concentrate and carbonated water takes place as follows. In order to discharge the concentrate, carbonated gas is supplied from storage tank 40 to filling line 42.
, Pressure relief valve V3 (when actuated by solenoid S2), fill line 43, and concentrate selection mechanism 50 associated with button 18A.
(FIG. 3) and another filling line 44, flows into the concentrated liquid discharging mechanism 20A, and discharges a concentrated amount of the concentrated liquid from the discharging mechanism 20C filled with the concentrated liquid container 14A. Similarly,
During the above cycle, solenoid S2 is activated, thereby opening valve V4 and discharging carbonated water from carbonation chamber 26. The two liquids respectively discharged from the valve V4 of the chamber 26 and the outlet mechanism 82 of the concentrate discharge mechanism 20, namely carbonated water and the concentrate,
They are mixed as they flow into the cup 22 (see mixing chamber 24 in FIG. 1). Details of the device shown in FIG. 2 will become clear from the following description of FIGS.

One of the concentrate selection mechanisms 50 associated with the "Concentrate Selection Mechanism 50" selection buttons 18A-81D is shown in FIGS. 3A-3C, and these FIGS. 3A-3C
Represents different operating states. The concentrate selection mechanism 50 is provided with a selection button 18A held by a shaft 52 (FIGS. 1 and 2).
The shaft 52 has a collar 52A.
The collar 52A is displaceable between a position in contact with the front panel member 16 (see FIG. 1) and a position in contact with the panel member 56, and the panel member 56 has an opening 56A for the shaft 52. The locking plate 54 is used to hold the cup / cup in the discharge compartment 28.
When not present (FIG. 1), the collar 52A locks the button 18A adjacent the panel 16. The locking plate 52 is displaced (eg, by a solenoid) when the cup 22 is detected, thereby enabling actuation of the button 18A.
Note that the above detection can be performed by a detection mechanism that detects a reflected light beam.

The panel member 56 constitutes a front plate of the valve chamber 60, and the valve chamber 60 is formed by the first valve chamber housing 58.

A movable cylinder 62 is provided in the valve chamber 60, and the movable cylinder 62 has a main portion 62a. The diameter of the main portion 62a is determined so that the main portion 62a fits tightly into the cylindrical chamber 60 and is sealed by the O-ring seal 62D. The cylinder 62 further has a cam portion 62B and a small diameter portion 62C. The cam portion 62B is formed as a conical reduced portion between the outer main portion 62a and the inner small diameter portion 62C. The cylinder 62 has an insertion hole 62E for the piston member 62. This piston member 64
Is an extension of the shaft 52 and has a smaller diameter than the shaft. The piston member 64 penetrates the hole 62E of the cylinder 62, and has a piston head 64A at the tip. This head 64A is in the backward direction (with respect to the forward running direction of the head 64A and the selection button 18A).
Holds an O-ring seal 64C. The O-ring seal 64C allows the cylinder 62 and the piston 64 at the position where the cylinder 62 is in contact with the panel member 56 (FIG. 3A).
A hermetic seal is formed between the two.

Above the first valve chamber housing 58, a second upper valve chamber housing 66 is mounted, and the upper valve chamber housing 66 forms an upper valve chamber 68 in which the valve member 70 is housed. The chambers 60 and 68 communicate via a passage 58B in the housing 58. The valve member 70 has a collar 70a, a hanging bar 70b, and an upright shaft 70c, and the tip of the upright shaft 70c is formed as a conical cam 70d. In the valve chamber 68, the valve member 70 is urged toward the closed position by a spring 72, and holds the diaphragm 74 in the closed position in the closed position. The valve member 70 is displaceable and the microswitch actuator 76a is displaced by the conical cam 70d to actuate the microswitch 76 as shown in FIG. 3B.

The chamber housing 58 has an inlet passage 58B.
8B communicates with the filling line 43. The chamber 68 has an outlet 68a, which communicates with a hole 58c passing through the housing 58 and into the filling line 44. As mentioned in FIG.
The filling lines 42 and 43 communicate with the storage tank 40, and the filling line 44
Communicates from the selection mechanism 50 to an appropriate concentrate release mechanism 20.

“Operation of the concentrate selection mechanism 50 (FIGS. 3A to 3C)” The concentrate selection mechanism 50 shown in FIG. 3A is in a rest position, in which position the button 18A protrudes through the selection panel 16 and the cylinder 62 is Touching panel 56. Depending on the position of the piston 64 at this time, the piston head 64A is adjacent to the cylinder 62 so that the O-ring seal 64C is interposed between the piston head 64A and the cylinder 62 and seals between them. In this state, the hanging protrusion 70b of the valve member 70
Penetrates the passage 58B of the housing 58 and contacts the cam portion 62B of the cylinder 62. Diaphragm 74 is in the relaxed position and is held in that position by collar 70a of valve member 70. Since the area of the diaphragm 74 is much larger than the area of the passage 58B, the gas pressure in the chamber 60 cannot normally lift the diaphragm 74. The valve member 70 is biased to the above position by a spring 72 acting between the collar and the upper wall of the housing 66 of the valve chamber 68. In this way, the diaphragm 74 allows the carbonated gas from the chamber 60 to pass through.
Since the gas is prevented from flowing to the upper chamber outlet 68a via 58B, the carbonated gas in the chamber 60 does not flow to the concentrated liquid discharging mechanism 20 via the passage 58c and the filling line 44. Similarly, gas from the discharge mechanism 20 is supplied to the piston hole 62 through the chamber 60.
From E (at the position of piston 64A in FIG. 3B) or FIG.
Prevents exhaust from the filling line and escape V3 to the atmosphere.

If the user has not actuated the select button 18A and the cup 22 is not present in the discharge compartment 28 (see FIG. 1), the locking plate 54 is in the position shown in FIG. 3A. Cup 22 is a compartment
28, the locking plate 54 is the collar 52A of the shaft 52.
From the aisle, which causes the selection button 18A
Can be displaced.

In FIG. 3B, selection 18A has been displaced to its selected position. This causes the shaft 52 to be displaced first. Axis 52 is a wall
After running freely by the thickness of 56, it contacts the cylinder 62 and displaces it. Further, the forward displacement of the shaft 52 also displaces the piston 64, thereby moving the piston head 64A away from the cylinder end 62C. This cylinder 62
, The valve member 70 is displaced in the upper chamber 68.
That is, the cam portion 62B of the cylinder 62 displaces the hanging projection member 70b of the valve member 70 upward against the bias of the spring 72. This depending projection member 70b is held until the supply of the carbonated gas by the main part 62a (of the cylinder) acting as holding means. With the displacement of the valve member, the diaphragm 74 moves, and the upright shaft 70c moves upward.

As the carbonated gas flows into chamber 60 (from reservoir 40) and then through passageway 58B to chamber 68 below diaphragm 74, the pressure from this gas causes spring 72 to move due to the area of diaphragm 74. The diaphragm 74 can be held in the lift position against the bias.

When the shaft 70C of the valve member 70 moves upward, the microswitch 76 is operated by the microswitch actuator 76a. The operation of the microswitch 76 operates a control circuit (not shown) to operate various solenoids and solenoid operated valves at a certain timing.

When the user releases the selection button 18A, the selection button 18A returns to the initial position shown in FIG. This pressure is due to the carbonation gas flowing into the chamber 60 via the filling line 43 and the inlet passage 58B.
This carbonated gas then flows into chamber 68 below diaphragm 74 via passage 58B, flows into fill line 44 via passages 68a and 58c, and is a concentrate discharge mechanism associated with concentrate selection mechanism 50. Reaches 20. As described above, even after the button 18A and the cylinder 62 return to their original positions and the cylinder 62 comes into contact with the panel 56 and the portion 62a of the cylinder 62 no longer holds the lift of the projection 70b, the diaphragm 74 is still held. Ascending position (Fig. 3C
Is shown).

“Concentrate discharge mechanism 20 (FIGS. 4A and 4B)” The structure and operation of the concentrate discharge mechanism 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B. Note that these four mechanisms 20A-20D are schematically shown in FIG.

The shape of the upper surface of the lower housing part 12 is
It is specified that 20 can be detachably mounted. These mechanisms 20, when stored in predetermined positions within the housing, couple each concentrate container 14 to a mixing chamber 24 (see FIG. 1).

In FIG. 4A, only a part of the concentrate container 14 is shown, and a connection means with the concentrate discharge mechanism 20 is not shown.
As described with reference to FIG. 1, the container 14 may be of a box-and-bag type having an outer wall 15a, a liner 15b, and an opening 15c. This bag-in-box type concentrate container
14 has a removable strip on its lower surface, and a pierceable strip exists below the removable strip, and the pierceable strip has a concentrated liquid discharging mechanism. A connecting member (not shown) to be connected to 20 is inserted. This operation is performed by the release mechanism 2
And when the concentrate reservoir 14 is external to the device 10. A concentrate discharge mechanism 20 is attached to the container 14,
After this, the assembly thus formed is placed in the concentrate discharge mechanism 20.
Are located in corresponding recesses of the housing (not shown),
Placed in the housing 12, whereby the discharge outlet mechanism 82 coincides with the mixing chamber 24 (FIGS. 1 and 2). By positioning the mechanism 20 in the corresponding concave portion in this manner, the container 14 can be reliably placed.

The concentrate discharge mechanism 20 includes a housing 78 forming a concentrate chamber 80, and an outlet mechanism housing 82 communicating with the concentrate chamber. The housing 78 has an inlet passage 78a leading from the concentrate container 14 to the chamber 80, and the inlet passage 78a has a valve mechanism at the tip.
The valve mechanism 78b is formed from the concentrate container 14
Control the concentrate flow to 80. The valve mechanism 78b is a cage 78c
In the basket 78c, a ball 78d is provided with an outlet 78e.
Has been captured between. Exit 78e has a cage 7
The area is smaller than the area of the upper level seat 78f and the passage 78a of 8c. The seat 78f is formed by an O-ring seal.

The ball 78D is placed on the outlet 78e to open the passage 78a when no concentrate is present in the chamber 80. This outlet 78e constitutes a seat for this purpose. When chamber 80 is filled with the required amount of concentrate, ball 78b sits on valve seat 78f.

Another housing 82 forms an outlet mechanism, which allows the concentrate to flow from the chamber 80 to the mixing chamber 24 (see FIG. 1). The main body of the housing 82 forms a first passage 82a having an enlarged hole 82L at one end. The first passage 82a communicates with the chamber 80 and also communicates with a valve seat 82b in the housing 82.
The valve seat 82b communicates with an outlet passage 82c (which is horizontally inclined in the present embodiment), and the outlet passage 82c allows the concentrated liquid to pass through its outlet opening 82d (which in the present embodiment is in a vertical direction). (Which is inclined) into the mixing chamber 24. The horizontal and vertical inclinations can be changed according to the relative positional relationship between the discharge mechanism and the mixing chamber.
The outlet passage 82c communicates with the inside of the chamber 82b by an annular passage 82e. This annular passage 82e is connected to the chamber 82b through the passage 82a.
All of the concentrated liquid flowing into the passage 82c is discharged to the passage 82c. Valve seat 82b
Within, the valve mechanism comprises a diaphragm 82f and an associated valve member 82, which is biased by a spring 82i disposed between the top of the housing 82 and the valve collar 82j of the member 82g. ing. The housing has an opening 82k, and the valve member 82g projects through the opening 82k when ascending. The opening 82k allows the air above the chamber 82b to be discharged when the diaphragm 82f is displaced by the pressure in the chamber 80. The sole purpose of such venting of chamber 82b is to allow for expansion of diaphragm 82f.

The chamber 80 communicates with the carbonated gas supply from the storage tanks 40a to 20D via the filling line 44 connected to the inlet valve mechanism 84. The inlet valve mechanism 84 includes an inlet connecting portion 84a and a flow passage 8.
4b and an outlet valve 84c. The outlet valve 84c has a cage 84d, in which the ball 84e
However, in FIG. 4A, it sits on the lower seat 84f, and in FIG. 4B, it sits on the upper seat 84g.

As described with reference to FIG. 2, the carbonated gas from the storage tank 40 is used to discharge a single concentrate from the chamber 80. A certain amount of carbonated gas is supplied from the filling line 44 to the valve mechanism 84.
, The concentrated liquid in the chamber 80 is discharged from the outlet mechanism 82. At the same time, the ball 78d is pressed against the seat 78f, thereby preventing gas from flowing into the container 14.

When chamber 80 is emptied (or substantially emptied) and vented to atmosphere through mechanism 84 and fill line 44 and / or associated concentrate selection mechanism 50, the concentrate is concentrated under the action of gravity.
From 14 flows into the room 80. The chamber 80 is at a predetermined level,
Fill with concentrate to the level shown in 4B. In the inlet valve mechanism 84, the ball 84e is displaced to the upper seat 84g, thereby preventing the concentrate from flowing out through the mechanism 84 and the filling line 44 (FIG. 2). Similarly, from container 14 to chamber 80
The ball 78d of the valve 78b that controls the flow of concentrate to the valve seat
Sit at 78f. Valve member 82 of outlet mechanism 82 and diaphragm 8
2f is also in the closed position.

Thereafter, a metered amount of concentrate is pumped from chamber 80 via outlet mechanism 82 to mixing chamber 24 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) by a single carbonation gas from line 44. Valve 82
g is released by the pressure of the concentrated liquid pressurized by the gas passing through the valve mechanism 84.

The release of the concentrate from the chamber 80 is synchronized with the release of carbonated water from the carbonated chamber 26 by the operation of the solenoid S2 in FIG.

"Alternative Concentrate Release Mechanism 20 '(FIGS. 5A-5C)" Another embodiment of the concentrate release mechanism 20' is shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C, which are FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C. Indicates the chamber 80 in a state filled with the concentrated liquid, an empty state of the concentrated liquid, and a state in the middle of the filling with the concentrated liquid, respectively.

5A to 5C, the same reference numerals are used for the same parts as those in FIGS. 4A and 4B. In particular, the container 14 of this example also has an outer wall 15
a, liner 15b, and opening 15c, which is formed by a portion of the container as shown, in a bag-in-box configuration.

One of the deformation points is that the chamber 80 of the present embodiment has a diaphragm 86. Due to this deformation, the means for controlling the gas passing through the inlet valve mechanism 84 is also changed. Also, the valve 78 for filling the concentrate from the concentrate container 14 is changed. Since the valve outlet mechanism 82 is the same, reference numerals 82, 82a-82k will not be described further.

In this embodiment, the inlet mechanism 84 'has an inlet flow passage 84i which communicates at an inner end with the chamber 80 and has an enlarged diameter outlet 84j at this communication point. The inlet flow passage 84i communicates at its outer end with the filling line 44. Inlet flow passage
84i has a radially extending flow passage 84L sealed at its axial end 84kB and disposed between two O-ring seals 84m.
Having. Since the end 84k of the inlet valve mechanism 84 is configured as described above, the mechanism 84 can perform a press fit into the filling line 44. The pressure balance created by the O-ring seal 84m is determined so that the valve mechanism 84 'is not separated from the filling line 44.

The communication between the container 14 and the chamber 80 for the concentrate is
a (this is similar to the embodiment of FIG. 4). In the present embodiment, a tubular member 78g is provided in the inlet passage 78a, and the tubular member 78g is sealed by an O-ring seal 78h and holds a flange 78j extending radially outward at the lower end thereof. A skirt member 78i hangs from the flange 78j. The tubular member 78g is threadably connected to the housing 78 in the flow passage 78a by a threaded connection 78k. The flow passage having such a configuration has an O-ring seal 78f as in the embodiment of FIG. 4, and the O-ring seal 78f forms a seat for the ball 78d. The ball 78d acts as a valve member for controlling the flow of the concentrate flowing from the container 14 into the chamber 80.

The tubular member 78g has a hole through which the concentrate flows from the concentrate container 14 into the chamber 80. Hanging skirt member 78i
Determines the volume of the chamber 80 extending radially outward. This volume is established when the carbonated gas flows into the chamber 80 above the diaphragm 86 via the inlet flow passage 84i.
The volume of concentrate discharged via g.

The diaphragm 86 has an inner periphery fixed between the flange 78j and the housing 78, and an outer periphery fixed between parts of the housing 78 at a position 78l.

When the chamber 80 is filled with the concentrate as shown in FIG. 5A, the diaphragm 86 is shaped along the upper and side walls of the chamber 80. After the discharge of the concentrate (FIG. 5B), the gas in the chamber 80 is discharged through the filling line 44 and the flow passage 84i. Thereafter, chamber 80 begins to refill with the concentrate (FIG. 5C).

Since the passage 84i communicates with the filling line 44, when the filling line is evacuated, the gas in the chamber 80 above the diaphragm 86 is exhausted to the atmosphere, thereby
86 can occupy the position shown in FIGS. 5A and 5C.

In FIG. 5C, the pressure in the chamber 80 becomes ambient pressure, and the concentrated liquid flows into the chamber 80 by gravity through the passage 78a (the diameter of which is reduced by the member 78g). Thereafter, when the chamber is filled to the position shown in FIG.
The chamber 80 is closed in contact with 8f. This valve 78b also prevents the concentrate from flowing back into the container 14.

When a single dose of carbonated gas flows in through the valve mechanism 84, the inflow of this gas causes the diaphragm 86 to be depressed downward and discharge the concentrate from the chamber 80. When the diaphragm reaches the position shown in FIG. 5B, the chamber is emptied.

While the chamber is empty, the outlet mechanism 82 is actuated by the pressure of the concentrate, which is determined by the pressure of the gas flowing into the upper part of the chamber, ie, above the diaphragm 86.

The advantage of this diaphragm is that the chamber 80
The point is that the carbonated gas flowing into the chamber 80 can be separated from the concentrated liquid in the chamber 80. This separation prevents the carbonated gas from flowing out of the outlet 82d in the embodiment of FIG. Furthermore, the above separation can eliminate the possibility that the concentrated liquid flows into the inlet flow passage 84i at the enlarged diameter outlet 84j. Also, due to the above separation, the outlet passage 82a
Are closed (FIGS. 5A and 5B, respectively).

The configuration shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C has the advantage that the capacity of the chamber 80 can be changed by appropriately selecting the hanging member 78i. Thus, for the various concentrates, by changing the volume of the chamber, the ratio of the concentrate to the carbonated water can be changed and discharged to the cup 22 (see FIG. 1) via the mixing chamber 24.

"Automatic discharge valve V1 (FIGS. 6A and 6B)" The structure of the automatic discharge valve V1 in FIG. 2 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B. The automatic relief valve V1 includes a housing 90, which has an inlet passage 90a, an outlet passage 90b, and a discharge passage 90c. The housing 90 is constituted by an inner cylindrical casing 90d and an outer cylindrical casing 90e,
These are connected at one end by a first end plate 90f. The outer shape of the first end plate 90f has an outlet passage 90b and a discharge passage 90c. The second end plate 90g connects the inner and outer cylindrical casings 90d and 90e at their other ends and forms the inlet end 90Q of the inlet flow passage 90a. The inner cylindrical casing 90d has a first opening 90h, which is located near the inlet end 90q of the passage 90a, which communicates the passage 90a with the interior of the housing. The interior of this housing is referred to as a chamber 90m. Similarly, an opening 90i is provided at an inner end of the passage 90a, and the opening 90i connects the passage 90a to the chamber 90m. Housing 9
0, the closed cylindrical valve member 90j has an inner cylindrical casing 90.
Installed on top of d. This valve member 90j has a spring 90k
The opening 90i is urged to close the opening 90i. The spring 90k is disposed between the housing and the flange 90n, and the flange 90n extends outward from the open lower end 90r of the valve member 90j. The spring 90k is arranged concentrically with the O-ring seal 901 and the discharge passage 90c inside the first end plate 90f.

The inlet passage 90a is arranged to communicate with the gas supply line 28 (FIG. 2) of the carbonation chamber 26, and the outlet passage 90b is arranged to communicate with the gas supply line 39 extending from the automatic discharge valve V1 to the storage tank 40. Have been. By the discharge passage 90c, the automatic discharge valve V1 allows the excess carbonated gas from the chamber 26 to escape to the atmosphere after filling the storage tank 40.

“Operation of Automatic Discharge Valve V1” The main function of the automatic discharge valve V1 is to discharge excess carbonated gas from the carbonation chamber 26 after filling the storage tank 40. Gas from the carbonation chamber 26 is controlled by a solenoid valve S1 (FIG. 2). This gas flows into the passage 90a, flows into the chamber 90m through the opening 90i, and displaces the valve member 90j. The gas also flows into the chamber 90M through the opening 90H. Due to the pressure drop generated at the opening 90H, a pressure difference is generated between the valve members 90j, whereby the valve member 90j is displaced. In this case, it is necessary that the valve member 90j is sufficiently tightly fitted to the cylindrical casing 90d so that the differential pressure is maintained and does not disappear due to leakage.

As shown in FIG. 6A, valve member 90j initially seals opening 90i. At this time, the discharge passage 90c is open,
Carbonated gas flows from the flow passage 90a to the chamber 90m through the opening 90h.
And flows into the passage 90c and can flow out into the atmosphere.

The valve member 90j is displaced by the pressure of the carbonated gas,
When the discharge passage 90c is closed, the gas fills the storage tank 40 via the line 39 through the passage 90b. The valve member 90j is temporarily held at a position (the position in FIG. 6B) that closes the discharge passage 90c. In this position, the differential pressure between the openings 90 is
The process is continued until the displacement of the valve member 90j against the action of k drops below a level that can be maintained. This drop to this level occurs when the pressure of the excess (extra) carbonation gas from the carbonation chamber 26 is reduced, for example, to about 3-4 bar (about 50 psig). When the storage tank 40 is filled, the excess carbonated gas is discharged immediately after the valve member 90j separates from the valve seat 901.
Effluent through 90c.

"Multifunctional pressure relief valve V3 (FIG. 7)" The pressure relief valve V3 has a housing 100, which forms a chamber 100a. The upper wall 100b forms a discharge and valve flow passage 100c in which the valve shaft 100d can reciprocate. The valve shaft 100d is connected to the solenoid S2 in FIG.
(In this example, in the form of a closed eyelet) at the upper end. The valve shaft 100d holds a valve member 100f and a valve collar 100g, and has a lower end 100i formed at its tip. The lower end 100i can hang down in the flow passage 100j at one position of the valve shaft 100d. This flow passage 100j is formed by a housing and penetrates the protruding connector 100k. The projecting connector 100k is connected to a filling line 42 (see FIG. 2) extending from the storage tank 40. Another flow passage 100m penetrates the projecting connector 100n and this projecting connector 100n
Is a concentrate selection mechanism having a button 18 from the pressure relief valve V3
It is connected to a filling line 43 extending to 50 (see FIG. 2). The valve stem 100d is associated with a seal ring 100p that surrounds the lower end 100i of the valve shaft 100d and is concentric with the chamber outlet flow passage 100j. Other seals
The ring 100q is disposed around the valve shaft 100d immediately above and in contact with the valve member 100f. The housing further includes an outer extension 100r of the valve flow passage 100c and a valve flow passage 10c.
0c inward extension 100s. The inner extension 100s has a recess 100t at the lower end. A valve spring 100h is disposed between the inner surface 100u of the upper wall 100 and the collar 100g, and urges the valve shaft 100d downward in the room toward the inner surface 100v of the bottom wall 100w. The flow passage 100m penetrates the side wall 100x, and the side wall 100x is located on the opposite side of the side wall 100y as shown in FIG. Room
Since 100a itself is cylindrical, the facing side walls described above are as viewed in cross section. Spring 100h is flow passage 100c
, A valve shaft 100d, a valve member 100f, a valve collar 100g, and an inwardly extending extension 100s.

“Operation of the pressure relief valve V3” A relief valve that sends carbonated gas to the release mechanism 20 (see FIG. 2)
The operation of V3 is controlled by the displacement of shaft 100d by solenoid S2 (FIG. 2). It also exhausts the release mechanism and functions as a pressure relief valve as described below.

As shown in FIG. 7, the valve shaft 100d is at a lower position where the lower end 100i is about to enter the flow passage 100j, and the valve collar 100g seals the flow passage with an O-ring 100p. When one of the concentrate selection mechanisms 50 of FIGS. 3A-3C is operated to drain and discharge carbonated gas from the discharge mechanism 20, that gas passes through line 43 to the pressure relief valve chamber 100a. Inflow and outflow through the discharge passage 100c.

When the solenoid S2 is actuated to send a single amount of carbonated gas to the discharge mechanism 20 to discharge a predetermined amount of the concentrated liquid, the solenoid S2 moves the valve shaft 100d upward. As a result, the valve member 100f is brought to a position juxtaposed with the inner extension 100s, and the O-ring seal 100q is compressed in the recess 100t to seal the discharge passage 100c. Then, the carbonated gas is stored in the tank
From 40, it flows into the flow path 100j through the filling line 42, flows through the filling line 43 through the flow path 100m, flows into the discharge mechanism 20 through the selection mechanism 50, and releases a predetermined amount of the concentrated liquid. I do. After a predetermined time, the solenoid S2 returns the shaft 100d to its lower position, whereby the passage 100j is closed again.

The failure caused the pressure in the fill line 42 (and the flow passage 100j) to become excessively high, for example, by filling the reservoir 40 to a pressure level much greater than that required to drive the release mechanism 20. If the above valve V3
Also acts as a pressure relief valve. In this case, the valve member 100f
The gas pressure acting on the collar 100g of the valve displaces the valve member 100f, whereby the gas flows out to the atmosphere through the exhaust flow passage 100c. The gas flow flowing out of the flow passage 100c continues until the gas pressure in the filling line 42 decreases to its desired level, and when the gas pressure decreases to this desired level, the valve flows.
100f comes into close contact with the seat 100p by the urging force of the spring 100h.

"Carbonation apparatus of Figs. 8, 9A and 9B" Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of a carbonation apparatus (a figure almost similar to Fig. 1).
Is shown. The carbonation chamber 110 is surrounded by a cooling jacket 120. Both the carbonation chamber 110 and the cooling jacket 120 have water 126 from the cooling tank 130.
Is supplied. The tank 130 is cooled by the refrigerant compressor 140. Refrigerant circulates in coil 142, which cooperates with coil 144 in tank 130 to cool the water supply. The tank 130 contains water, which is supplied via a supply line 134 and a pump 136 to a cooling jacket.
Circulated to 120 and returned via return line 132. Room 11
Water supplied to 0 is supplied from the main supply unit 150 to the flow controller
Coil 1 in tank 130 via 152 and solenoid 154
It passes through 44 and flows through supply line 156. This supply line 156
Flows into the upper chamber 112 of the carbonation chamber 110 through the water inlet 158. The upper chamber 113 forms a water supply dividing section between the main water supply section 150 and the stirring chamber 114.
Further, the upper chamber 112 is ventilated to the atmosphere through the vent hole 116. The upper chamber 112 has a baffle plate 118, and the baffle plate 11
8 shields the detecting means 160 from water flowing from the inlet 158. In the stirring chamber 114, an inlet conduit 162 is provided, and a valve 164 is provided in the inlet conduit 162.
And a cage 168, and controls the flow of water flowing into the chamber 114. Further provided in chamber 114 is a stirrer means 170, which facilitates carbonation of the water by mechanically pumping the carbonated gas from the upper space above the water surface to the water below. This stirrer means 170 has a horizontal shaft 170a
And a stirring bar 170b, and is driven by a motor (not shown) controlled by a control circuit (not shown). Weighing means
180 measures the water level in the chamber 114. The metering means 180 comprises a float valve 182, which is guided in the pipe 184 as the water level rises, and finally the seal 186.
Contact At the same time, the upper end 188 of the float valve 182 comes into contact with the detection means 160. The detecting means 160 is electrically connected to a control circuit for performing sequence control of the operation of the present apparatus. The valve means 190 controls the flow of carbonated water from the stirring chamber 114. This valve means 190 is connected to a beam 192 pivotally supported by pivots 194 and 196 and is controlled by a solenoid 200. When the valve means 190 moves upward, carbonated water flows from the chamber 114 into the cup 22. The storage tank 210 for supplying carbon dioxide gas is connected to an inlet 216 of the stirring chamber 114 by supply lines 212 and 214. Supply line 212 (and storage tank 21
Another line 218 from 0) connects to a concentrate release mechanism 20 associated with a concentrate container 220, which concentrates the carbonated water from the tank 114 at the same time Measure a predetermined amount of liquid (flavored material or syrup)
It is arranged so that it can be injected into. Illustrated release mechanism 20
Is connected to the concentrate container 220 by the concentrate supply line 22. Since these relationships are schematic, reference can also be made to FIGS. 4A, 4B and 5A-C for the apparatus of FIG.

The apparatus of FIG. 9A includes the carbonation chamber 110 of FIG. The components described above have the same reference numerals. In FIG. 9A, water is flowing in through inlet 158 and the ball of valve 164
166 normally floats and is pushed into the water by the water supply. If the supply of water continues through the upper chamber 112, the ball 166 will remain in a depressed state, and cannot seat on the O-ring seal 167. The advantage of this configuration is that the ball 16
6 and the cage 168 constitute a very efficient and inexpensive valve for supplying and controlling water to the stirring chamber 114. Upper room 11
The flow of water into the chamber 114 via 2 ends when the float valve 182 comes into contact with the seal 186 (shown in FIG. 9B), and at the same time, the upper end 186 of the float valve 182 activates the detecting means 160. The detecting means 160 operates the solenoid 154 (FIG. 8) to cut off the supply of water from the water inlet 158. During this filling operation, the lower chamber 114 is opened by the upper
Through 6 is constantly ventilated into the atmosphere. Upper room 112
Cuts off the water supply between the inlet 158 and the water in the chamber 114. When the water supply from the inlet 158 stops, the upper chamber 112
The communication between the chamber 114 and the atmosphere via the ventilation hole 116 is also stopped. Then, the apparatus is operated in the next operation stage, that is, the stirring chamber 11.
Ready for the water carbonation step at 4.
This is because the carbon dioxide gas flows from the container 216 to the carbon dioxide gas line 21.
Done when fed through 2, 214 and inlet 216,
The agitator means 170 is rotated for a period of time. Thereafter, the carbonated water is injected into the cup 22 through the valve means 190 under the control of the solenoid 200.

FIG. 10 shows the flow controller 152 of FIG. 8 in which water supplied to the inlet 224 is flowed through a regulator member 226 having flow passages 228 and 230. Flow into 152. The flow passage 228 extends in the axial direction of the adjuster member 226 along a part of the entire length of the adjuster member 226, and intersects with the radially extending passage 230 so as to flow out to both opposing side surfaces. are doing. The adjuster member 226 is biased by a spring 232 disposed coaxially therewith. The chamber 234 in the housing 236 is filled with water, which flows out through an outlet 238 concentric with the spring 232. The end 236a of the adjuster member 226 has a small diameter and forms a seat for the spring 232.

The operation of the flow controller 152 is as follows. That is, when the pressure at the inlet 224 rises, the regulator member 226 becomes
The inside of 234 moves toward the outlet 238 against the urging force of the spring 232 (to the right in the figure). This movement of the regulator member 226 reduces the flow rate of water flowing out of the outlet 238 because the gap between the regulator member 226 and the outlet 238 is thereby reduced. Conversely, when the inlet water pressure at the inlet 224 decreases,
The spring 232 displaces the regulator member 226 in a direction away from the outlet 238 (to the left), whereby the regulator member 226 and the outlet 2 are displaced.
Increase the gap between 38 and. This latter action is called exit 23
Increase the flow rate of water through 8 and the flow from chamber 234. Thus, the flow controller 152 can regulate the supply of water to the chamber 110.

[Gas Supply Switching Mechanism] FIG. 11 shows the housing 12 of the carbonation device 10 of FIG. 1, and a part of the housing casing is removed in this rear view. The upper rear portion as shown in FIG. 1 has a central portion 13a and a rear portion 13B, and a switching mechanism 300 is housed in a part thereof. In this figure, a switching mechanism 300 communicates with gas supply bottles 302 and 304 for supplying carbon dioxide gas (carbon dioxide gas).
And 304 are respective bottle holders / supports on the inner base 310
306, 308. The switching mechanism 300 includes a lower housing 312 hanging from the upper housing 320.

In FIG. 13, the cover plate of the switching mechanism is removed so that one side of the switching mechanism 300 in the housing 320 can be seen. In this housing 320, a pair of bolt connector housings 330 and 332 are provided. Each housing 33
Reference numerals 0 and 332 denote gas flow coupling members 330a and 332a and fastener means 33.
0b, 330b, and hose means 330c, 332c for sending the carbonated gas to the carbonated chamber (26, FIG. 2). Upper housing 320 has molded openings 334 and 336 for bottles 302 and 304 (FIG. 11). Each housing 330, 332 has an associated actuator lever 338, 340 that, when actuated, opens a respective valve (not shown) in the housing 330, 332, Bottle
Gas flows from one of the 302 and 304 through the coupling members 330a and 332a, and flows out of the hoses 330c and 332c through this valve.

A solenoid 342 for driving the switching mechanism 300 is provided. The solenoid 342 extends into the lower housing 312 (also shown in FIG. 11), and a spring 342b acting upward on the collar 342a.
Powered by Solenoid 342 is transfer member 344
The transfer member 344 is connected to both actuators
It determines which of the levers 338, 340 is depressed, and therefore which of the two bottles 302, 304 will supply gas to the carbonation chamber.

The transfer member 344 comprises a yoke member having a lower protrusion 344a, each of which has a boss 344b for cooperating with the guide pin 344c for toggle movement about the guide pin 344c. . Guide pin 344c is guided in guide slot 346 of housing 320 having slot wall 346a. The transfer member 344 further comprises an upper protrusion 344d, which supports a toggle member 348, which has toggle arms 348a, 348b and a central boss 348c, which is attached to the boss 348c. Is the pivot pin 34
8d penetrates and the toggle member is pivotable about this pivot 348d. Each of the toggle arms 348a, 348b
It has a pair of wings, and the distance between the wings is set wider than the width of each operating lever 338, 340. Toggle member
348 cooperates with toggle actuators 368, 372 (described below), which are held (or formed integrally) by actuation levers 338, 340. Also, the toggle actuators 368, 372 extend so as to be abutted by the toggle member 348 when the arm 348a or 348b passes below the respective operating lever 338 or 340.

Guide pin 344c is constrained to follow slot 346 in housing 320. Another slot 352 is slot wall 3
It is constituted by an opening surrounded by 52A. The housing 320 supports a toggle guide 350 integral therewith, and the toggle guide 350 has a substantially inverted V-shape formed by protrusions 350a and 350b, and the lower end of each end has a boss 350c. 350d, these bosses 350c, 350d have central openings 350e, 350f. These central openings 350e, 350f
The actuator pin 360 reciprocates inside. The means for reciprocating these actuator pins 360 will be described below in connection with a separate actuator mechanism on the other side of the switching mechanism located behind the wall 370.

The biasing member 362 is elastically deformable and is associated with the toggle member 348. The biasing member 362 has a lower boss 362a, which is attached to the transfer member 344 and is displaceable therewith. The upper end of the biasing member 362 has an upper boss 362B, and the upper boss 362B
A central boss 348c, which allows the biasing member to pivot when the toggle member pivots about its pivot pin 348d.
362 is elastically deformed as shown separately.

The torgue member 348 cooperates with stoppers 364 and 366 integral with the back plate 370 of the housing 330.

"Operation of the switching mechanism (FIGS. 13A to 13X)" The operation of the switching mechanism, particularly the operation of the related parts of the transfer member 344 and the toggle member 348, is shown in FIGS. This will be described with reference to 13P and 13Q to 13XB.

13A-13H show continuous operation using an actuator lever 338, which activates a valve (FIG. 12) in the housing 330, thereby using gas from the cylinder 302 (FIG. 11).

In FIG. 13A, the switching mechanism 300 is in the initial position, in which position the toggle member 348 has its central boss 348c located at the top of the slot 352 (the slot 352 is best shown in FIG. 13D). I have. The toggle 348 is urged such that the protrusion 348a hangs down toward the protrusion 348b due to the position of the urging member 362 bent toward the protrusion 348b. When the solenoid 342 pulls the transfer member 344 downward (see FIG. 13B), the protrusion 348a of the toggle member 348 comes into contact with the toggle actuator 368 serving as a cam floor. The lower surfaces of the protrusions 348 and 348b are configured to form a cam surface. That is, the central boss at the center of the toggle member
It is inclined upward toward 348c. As shown in FIG. 13C, the boss 348c of the toggle member contacts the downwardly inclined protrusion 350a of the toggle guide 350. 13B and 13C, the transfer member 344 is guided toward the lever 338 by the cam action of the toggle arm 348a on the stopper 368 and the cam action of the central boss 348c on the toggle guide 350. Toggle member 348 will actuate actuator lever 338 in the position shown in FIG. 13D. In 13D, the underside of boss 348c (which is part of toggle member 348) actually contacts toggle actuator 368 of actuator lever 338. Because both arms 334
8a, because the distance is wider than lever 338, lever 338
Is not in contact with At the same stage, toggle actuator 348a continues to descend to a position where toggle actuator 368 is centered between toggle arms 348a, 348b. In FIG.13E, the solenoid 342 reaches the lower limit, and the toggle member 348
After contacting the stopper 364 at 70 (FIG. 12), its orientation is changing. This causes the toggle member to pivot about the pin 348d and rotate clockwise. During this clockwise movement, the biasing member 362 is caused by the toggle member 348 to move the projecting portion 34.
From the position (FIG. 13D) b where the elastic deformation was extended toward 8b,
The position suddenly changes to the position shown in FIG. 13E where the elastic deformation is performed toward the protrusion 348a.

The actuator pin 360, which can protrude through the bosses 350c and 350 of the toggle guide 350, is retracted in FIG. 13A. When the solenoid 342 is actuated and moves down as shown in FIGS. 13B-13D, the pin 360 remains retracted. The pin 360 also remains retracted when the solenoid 342 begins to lift (FIG. 13F). The actuator mechanism for the actuator pin 360 returns the pin 360 only when an appropriate gas bottle (in this case, the bottle 302) is supplying gas.

In FIG. 13F, the pin 360 returns and projects through the bosses 350c and 350d. Thus, the solenoid 342 and the transfer member 3
When 44 rises, toggle member 348 contacts one of pins 360. In FIG. 13F, the arm 348a contacts the pin 360. This causes the toggle member 348 to again move counterclockwise, causing the biasing member 362 to quickly return to its initial position as shown in FIG. 13G. The transfer member 344 continues its upward movement to reach the position shown in FIG. 13H. This position is shown in Figure 13A
Corresponds to the start position. Actuator pin 360 moves actuator lever 338 to its initial position.
Return shuts off the gas supply through the hose 330c,
Pull in again.

The operation when the switching mechanism 300 changes from one gas cylinder 302 to the other gas cylinder 304 (FIG. 11) will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described below with reference to P. The sequence of the operations of FIGS. 13I to 13M is similar to FIGS. 13A to 13E. But Figure 13
At N, there is a significant difference that the actuator pin 360 is not present on the boss 350c of the toggle guide 350 when the solenoid 342 begins to ascend. As a result, toggle member 348 is driven by actuator pin 360 in FIGS. 13F and 13G.
When the transfer member 344 rises without performing the counterclockwise movement shown in FIG. 7, the toggle member 348 (FIGS. 13N and 130) keeps substantially the same posture, and the biasing member 362 is also biased toward the protrusion 348a. Remains intact. As a result, when the switching mechanism 300 completes its cycle as shown in FIG.
Is located below the protrusion 348a and the biasing member 362 is
Takes a posture extended toward 48a.

The operation of the switching mechanism 300 in the case of continuous operation using the gas cylinder 304 will be described below with reference to FIGS.
In this cycle, the operating lever 340 is pushed down.
The toggle member 348 is biased in a clockwise posture in which the protrusion 348b is lower than the protrusion 348a. In the initial position of FIG. 13Q, the biasing member 362 has been deformed toward the toggle arm 348a. Due to the initial tilt described above, the toggle member 348 will actuate the actuator lever 340, thereby opening the valve in the housing 332 associated with the bottle 304 (FIG. 12), and FIGS. Switching mechanism 30 shown in 13U
13A-13E (or FIGS. 12I-
13M), but is different in the following respects. That is, in this example, the toggle arm 34
8B activates lever 340 and toggle actuator 372
The gas in cylinder 304 is used in cooperation with.

The main difference appears in FIG. 13V, where the actuator pin 360 is again present when the transfer member 344a is raised. However, at this time the toggle member
Cooperating with arm 348b is an actuator pin 360 that extends through boss 350d. 13W to 13W, the toggle member 348 is rotated clockwise, which causes the biasing member 362 to once again toggle arm 3
Toggle arm from position biased towards 48b (Figure 13V)
It suddenly changes to the position biased toward 348a (FIG. 13W).
The transfer member 344 continues to rise to the position in FIG. 13X where the pin 360 is extended.

In the above-described operation sequence of the toggle member 348 and the transfer member 344, the toggle arm 348a contacts the toggle actuator 368 to operate the actuator lever 338 to supply from the bottle 302, or the toggle arm 348a.
It is actuator pin 360 that determines whether 48b contacts toggle actuator 372 to actuate actuator lever 340 and dispense from bottle 304. The mechanism for retracting and extending the actuator pin 360 will now be described.

“Reciprocating mechanism (FIGS. 14A to 14C)” FIGS. 14A to 14C show a mechanism for reciprocating the actuator pin 360 of the switching mechanism 300.

FIG. 14A shows the opposite side of the upper housing 320 of the switching mechanism 300. Here, the cover plate has been removed to show the internal mechanism for reciprocating the actuator pin 360. Note that this mechanism is separated from the mechanism shown in FIG. In this figure, gas bottles 302 and 304
Hose 330c and 332c (shown in FIG. 12) for (shown in FIG. 11)
Extends from the shuttle valve 380. Gas bottle 302 and
Openings 334 and 336 for 304 are also shown.

To mount the reciprocating mechanism for the actuator pin 360, the back plate 370 has the following components. That is, the back plate 370
Are a pair of bosses 370a, 37 for fixing a cover plate (not shown).
It has 0b. The back plate 370 has a support 370c for mounting the shuttle valve 380, a support 370d for mounting the actuator means 386, and supports 370e, 370f for the toggle mechanism 390.
Having. The back plate 370 has openings 370g (FIG. 14C) that allow the actuator pins 360 to reciprocate.
70g is positionally aligned with openings 350e, 350f of bosses 350c, 350d in FIG. The back plate 370 further has a support 370h for the toggle mechanism 390.

The shuttle valve has hoses 330c and 332c and another hose 382 and 384. This hose 382 connects the shuttle valve 380 to the carbonation device of FIG. 1 or FIG.
84 connects the shuttle valve 380 to the actuator means 386.

Actuator means 386 is responsive to the pressure signal from shuttle valve 380. The actuator means 38 includes a plunger 386a which reciprocates against the biasing force of an internal spring. This actuator means 38
Actuation 6 occurs when the gas pressure from hose 384 is large enough to overcome the bias of the spring. The plunger 386a is connected to a yoke 386b, which supports a shaft 386d and is connected to the toggle mechanism 390 by the shaft 386d. The hose 384 from the shuttle valve 380 is inserted into the hose connector 386c.

The toggle mechanism 390 comprises a first toggle member 390a, which is connected to the axis 386d of the actuator means 386.
(FIG. 14B) and pivotally connected to and secured to shaft 390b. The shaft 390b is supported by a support 370e extending from the back plate 370.
And 370f. The toggle shaft 390b has a pair of separate toggle members formed integrally therewith, that is, a crank 390c.
Having. Each of the toggle members 390c has a toggle shaft 390d, and the toggle shaft 390d is pivotally supported by the toggle member 390c. The toggle shaft 390d has a small diameter end 390f (FIG. 14C),
The end 390f is pivotally supported by the toggle member 390c. These end members 390f are a pair of spaced toggle members 390e.
And these toggle members 390e hold the actuator pins 360.

“Operation of Reciprocating Mechanism (FIGS. 14A to 14C)” The operation of the mechanism shown in FIGS. 14A to 14C will be described below. Shuttle valve 380 is pneumatically switched only when the state of one of gas bottles 302, 304 changes. Shuttle valve 380
A reciprocating valve member is built in the housing.
Now, assuming that the gas bottle 302 is in use and is supplying pressurized carbonated gas, so that the carbonated gas can flow into the shuttle valve 380 through the hose 330c and out of the hose 382, The shuttle valve will be switched.
At this time, the shuttle valve in the housing 389 is in a position to prevent communication between the hose 332c for the gas bottle 304 and the outlet hose 382 for sending the carbonated gas to the carbonated device, and to seal it. Since carbonated gas is present in the shuttle valve 380, the gas flowing in through the hose 330c generates a pressure signal through the hose 384 to activate the actuator means 386. This actuator means 386
It operates when the carbonated gas from the hose 384 is large enough to overcome the biasing force of the internal spring. Note that the biasing force of this internal spring is such that the plunger 386a
Is held in the retracted state. The actuator means 386 of FIG.
When not large enough to extend 386a, be sure to retract actuator pin 360. Thus, the actuator
13A to 13D in which the pin 360 is retracted. When the actuator means 386 detects the pressurized gas from the hose 384, as shown in FIG.
86 extends its plunger 386a upward. This activates toggle mechanism 390, causing actuator pin 3
60 is returned to the position where it penetrates and projects the bosses 350a and 350b in FIG. This causes the switching mechanism 300 to be in the state of FIGS. 13E and 13F where the actuator pin 360 has again protruded.

Actuator lever 338 is in its initial position (Figure 13F)
, The gas flow flowing through the hose 330c (FIG. 12) and the hose 384 ends. As a result, the actuator means
386 retracts actuator pin 360 as shown in FIGS. 13G and 13H.

If the actuator means 386 does not receive a pressure signal from the hose 384, the actuator mechanism will not extend the plunger 386a upward. At this time, a situation occurs in which the actuator pin 360 does not extend and switching may occur, as shown in FIG. 13M (and therefore FIG. 13N). When the changeover occurs, one of the previously active hoses 330c, 332c drops to a very low pressure state, while the other of the previously inactive hoses 330c, 332c becomes the pressure medium (ie, , Carbonated gas)
The position of the shuttle valve within the shuttle valve housing 380 will be automatically switched. This causes the shuttle within shuttle valve housing 380 to change position.

The operation of the actuator means 386 and the toggle mechanism 390 is illustrated in FIG.
Specified in 14B and 14C. These figures show that the pin 360 retracts and extends with respect to the opening 370g of FIG. 14C when the actuator means 386 extends and retracts its plunger 386a. Accordingly, the actuator pin 360 also has a boss 350 having openings 350c and 350d in FIG.
Reciprocates with respect to a and 350b.

If both gas bottles 302, 304 are not filled with carbonation gas, the actuator pins 360 will not extend and will be retracted forever. The switching mechanism repeats the switching of the gas supply and continues the search. in this case,
It goes without saying that the indicator indicating the state of the gas bottle can be turned on to warn the user that each gas bottle 302, 304 is empty.

"Variation of Carbonation" The device shown in FIG. 15 is a schematic representation of the device of FIG. 1 with the concentrate containers 14A and 14B shifted (to the left in the figure). The purpose of this shift is to
The carbonation time for carbonation of water in the vessel 14A-14D
This is to show a means for changing according to the nature of the concentrated liquid in the inside. In FIG. 15, members equivalent to those in FIGS. 1 and 8 are given the same reference numerals. Therefore, in this figure, the description of the components having the same reference numbers will not be made. Since FIG. 15 is a schematic view, the housing 12 is shown with a flat supporting surface 12a for accommodating the release mechanisms 20A to 20D, but in reality the support surface 12a is a recess for the release mechanisms 20A to 20D. Is formed by molding. Similarly, the central upper portion 13A of the housing is shown, but the rear upper portion 13B of FIG. 1 is not shown. Furthermore, the carbonation chamber 26 is shown somewhat schematically and the valve means 190 is shown as a drooping outlet.

The degree of carbonation of the water in the
It is desirable to vary depending on the properties of the concentrate selected for the beverage to be injected into (FIG. 1). Stirrer means 170
The operation period of FIG. 8 can be changed without changing the period during which the drive motor of the stirrer means 170 is driven according to the control circuit. In order to change the duration of the carbonation step, or at least the duration of operation of the stirrer means, it is necessary to inform the control circuit about the characteristics of the concentrate to be discharged.

To this end, the device of FIG. 15 uses sensors 400a, 400b, 40
0c, 400d and information carriers 410a, 410b, 410c, 410d. The purpose of these sensors is to create a signal that is input to a control circuit that activates the motor for the stirrer means 170. This signal indicates whether the carbonation time corresponds to a predetermined carbonation level, and may indicate a band such as "low", "medium", or "high". Sensors 400a to 400d are connected to the upper housing central part 13A.
The above-described signals can be obtained by installing the information carriers 410a to 410d, which are provided at appropriate positions on the side walls 13C and 13d of the first and second containers 13a and 13d, and are provided in the containers 14A to 14D.

It is important that the information carriers 410a-410d be sized and positioned to match the sensors 400a-400d. There are various physical phenomena affected by this detection operation, but the main condition is that the information carrier is data, for example, "low", "medium", or "high".
That can be accurately reproduced with a small label attached to the container. Obviously, a laminate can be used as such a label. The laminate includes, for example, a surface carrier layer for holding information and a base layer for holding an impact adhesive or the like attached to the container 14. It should be noted that this base layer can be covered with a removable mask layer before the deposition. The information layer can carry data in the form of a coded magnetic strip, a bar code, a conductive strip or a light reflecting surface.
Therefore, the sensors 400a to 400d are connected to such an information carrier 41.
It is configured to be able to “read” 0a-410d.

Again, there are two possibilities. That is, the sensor 400a
~ 400d can discriminate between a plurality of information carriers with coded information and indicate one of a plurality of carbonation levels (e.g., "low", "medium", "high", etc. as described above) Do you or information carriers 410a-41
The position of 0d is changed according to the required degree of carbonation, and a plurality of sensors, for example, each of the plurality of sensors 400a are arranged at discrete positions corresponding to the position of the information carrier representing a predetermined degree of carbonation. Is also good.

In the former case described above, ie, when the information carrier 410 is coded to represent different levels of carbonation conditions, the control circuitry associated with the sensor 400 needs to discriminate different signals. In the latter case, that is, when using a plurality of sensors 400 for each concentrated solution container 14,
The control circuit is configured to be able to identify which of the sensors 400a1, 400a2, 400a3 has received the signal from the respective information carrier 410.

A further development of the use of the sensor 400 and the information carrier 410 is that a specially positioned concentrate container, e.g., a concentrate container 14A, may indicate that the concentrate container 14A contains a concentrate associated with the label on the select button 18A. Other means for indicating whether or not there is a specific information carrier 410a 'can be provided in the control circuit. For example, if the concentrate container 14A emits an orange-flavored beverage and the select button 18A indicates that the beverage released by that button is orange-flavored, a secondary sensor and information The indicator associated with the select button 18A could be illuminated using the combination with the carrier to indicate that the user is available with an orange beverage.

The Applicant has found that, for example, the quality of the beverage released varies according to the carbonation time and the concentrate used, so that, for example, a beverage with a "cola" taste and a drink with an "orange" taste have different levels of carbonation in water. I found what I had to do. Thus, the associated control circuit will be adjusted at the factory to predetermine the carbonation time according to the taste of the concentrate to be released at the special location indicated for containers 14A-14D. Will.

“Cooling of Concentrate Liquid Container” This will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 1, the container 14 is located in the compartment cover 13C.
3c isolates container 14 from ambient conditions. In FIG. 8, the carbonation chamber 110, in particular the stirring chamber 114, is surrounded by a cooling jacket 120 containing cooled water 126. Cooled water is introduced into the cooling jacket 120 from the cooling tank 130. The cooling jacket 120 not only cools the water in the carbonation chamber 110 because the outer wall is made of a highly conductive material, but also cools the concentrate in the concentrate containers 14A to 14D. To this end, the container 14 is in close contact with the outer wall of the cooling jacket 120.

In FIG. 15, the wall shape of the upper central portion 13A of the housing 12a is a container 14A-1 having a correspondingly shaped wall surface.
4D (shown in FIGS. 4A and 5A), in the compartment described with reference to FIG.
This arrangement (and the placement of the release mechanism connected to this container 14 in the aforementioned recess) helps to maintain the required relationship described above. By making the outer wall of the cooling jacket 120 from a material having high heat conductivity, the concentrate in the container 14A is cooled very effectively by the same medium that cools the carbonated water. Such a design is particularly efficient and does not require the cooling system used in other concentrate dispensers. It should be noted that the other concentrate dispensers described above require a complicated conduit system for cooled air circulation. The above features reduce the cost of cooling the concentrate in the concentrate container and improve the operability of the carbonation device.

FIG. 16 is a concentrate container which is a part of the carbonation apparatus 10 of FIG.
It shows a compartment 13d for 14A, 14B (FIG. 1). The compartment 13d is provided with a groove 13e provided in the rear portion 13B of the housing for determining the position of the upper wall cover 13C (FIG. 1) and the rear of the housing for determining the position of the edge of the side wall of the cover 13C. Grooves 13f, 13g provided in the part 13B and the main housing 12
And the housing 12 to determine the position of the front wall of the cover 13C.
And a groove 13h provided on the front surface of

The grooves 13g and 13h are bordered by receiving surfaces (or ridges) 17a and 17b. Another receiving surface is provided between the receiving surface (or ridge portion) 17a and the wall 121 of the cooling jacket 120 (FIG. 8).
17c and 17d extend. Receiving surface 17c connects compartment 13d with container 14.
Divide into two subcompartments for A and 14B. Receiving surfaces 17a and 17b
Are illustrated as extending along the entire length of each portion of the housing 12, and similarly, the receiving surfaces 17c, 17d are illustrated as extending continuously between the groove 13g and the wall 121. ing. Of course, these receiving surfaces need not be continuous and may be interrupted (with regular or irregular gaps).

The receiving surfaces 17a to 17d are provided for reliably positioning the containers 14A and 14B. For reliable positioning of containers 14C and 14D,
The other compartment 13d on the opposite side of the upper central part 13A of the housing
Is also provided with a similar receiving surface.

Further, FIG. 16 shows recesses 19a, 19b which house the release mechanisms 20A, 20B (these are shown schematically in FIG. 1). The other compartment 13d is also provided with similar recesses 19c, 19d (not shown) for the release mechanisms 20C, 20D.

"Control Circuit 500" The control circuit 500 is shown in the block diagram of FIG. 17, where a number of input means are connected to the control unit 510 (which includes a microprocessor) and a number of active Controls output to parts.

The first input component is a start switch 76, which is shown in FIG. 3A and which allows the user to press one button on the front panel 16 (FIG. 1) to select a concentrate selector mechanism 18A-A. When one of the 18Ds is activated,
Activated. Microswitch 76 sends a signal to control unit 510 indicating that a carbonation cycle should be initiated. The next input component is a sensor located in the discharge compartment. As described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3A, the user needs to place the cup 22 in the discharge compartment 28 and the sensor sends a signal to the control unit indicating the presence of the cup 22, As a result, the locking plate 54 is actuated by a solenoid (not shown) and displaced from the position of FIG. 3A to allow operation of a selected one of the selection buttons 18A to 18F.

The next input component is a sensor 160 associated with the water metering means 180 of FIG. When the metering means 180 is in the position shown in FIG. 8, a signal from the sensor 160 instructs the control unit to start supplying water by the pump 154. When the metering means 180 is at the position shown in FIG. 9B, the signal from the sensor 160 instructs the control unit to stop the water supply, and the control unit 510 stops the pump 154.

The next input component is the switching mechanism 300. As described in the description of the switching mechanism, the switching mechanism 300 sends a signal to the control unit when the state of the switching mechanism changes (described above) in response to the low pressure level of one of the gas bottles.
Send to 510. In response to the signal sent to control unit 510, a display (not shown) on panel 16 in FIG. 1 is turned on to indicate that gas bottle 302 or 304 needs to be replaced.

The next input component is the sensors 400a-400d in FIG.
These sensors detect the degree of carbonation required by the concentrate containers in each compartment 13d. Control unit 51
0 comprises a plurality of timer circuits, which output the carbonation time to the stirring means 170 according to the selection. This will cause the stirring means 170 to be driven by the motor for the time required to achieve the desired carbonation level.

Next, output components from control unit 510 will be described. Solenoid S1 is shown in FIG. 2 and controls the flow of excess carbonation gas through line 38. The surplus carbonation gas flows into the storage tanks 40a to 40d from the carbonation chamber 26 via the line 38, and thereafter, the concentrated liquid discharge mechanism 20A
Used to release concentrate from a selected one of ~ 20D. Further, the control unit 510 is provided with a timer circuit that opens the solenoid S1 for a certain time.

The output to the locking plate 54 is actually an output to a solenoid, which, after the sensor in the compartment 28 detects the presence of the cup or cup 22, displaces the locking plate 54 and selects the selection button. Allows 18A-18F operation.

The output to the solenoid S2 controls the solenoid S2 in FIG. 2, thereby controlling the pressure relief valve V3 and the carbonated water discharge valve V4. When the solenoid S2 is activated, the carbonated gas is released from the storage tanks 40a-40d via the pressure relief valve V3 and the selection mechanism 50 (which includes selection buttons 18A-18D).
2A to 20D, and discharges a predetermined amount of the concentrated liquid into the cup 22 through the outlet 82 in FIG. Above solenoid S2
Also opens the carbonated water discharge valve V4 so that a certain amount of carbonated water can be
Released on 22.

The output to the pump 154 activates the water pump 154 of FIG.
As a result, water is pumped from the water supply unit 150 into the carbonation chamber 110, specifically, into the water cutoff chamber 112. As described above, the pumping of the water is controlled by the metering means 180 and the sensor 160.

The next output from control unit 510 is an output to a gas supply indicator lamp (not shown) on panel 16, which responds to a signal from switching mechanism 300 to one of the gas bottles 302.
Or, it indicates that 304 needs to be replaced.

The next output is the output of the stirring means 170 to the motor in FIG. As described above, the motor is driven for a period of time depending on the desired time of the carbonation cycle in carbonation chamber 110. This time is controlled by the control unit 510, which can also be controlled according to the input signal of the sensor 400 as described above.

The next output is an output to a concentrate indicator (not shown) on panel 16 which indicates that container 14 is empty. The input to the control unit 510 for this purpose can be obtained from sensors associated with the release mechanism 20.

Another output signal is sent to the pump 136 of FIG. 8, which pumps water for the cooling jacket 120. The control unit 510 controls the cooling jacket 1 according to a predetermined program.
Control the pumping of chilled water to 20. It goes without saying that a sensor for inputting a signal regarding the temperature parameter to the control unit 510 may be provided.

The next output signal is the output to the solenoid controlling the supply of carbonated gas in line 36 of FIG. 2, which signal is generated after the carbonation chamber 114 of FIG. 8 has been filled with water. Is charged with carbonation gas.

The control unit 510 controls the sequence of the operation cycle of the carbonator 10. This will first be the discharge compartment 28
The input from the sensor inside is monitored to confirm the presence of the cup 22. When this cup is present, the control unit:
A signal is output to a solenoid that controls the position of the locking plate 54 (FIG. 3A), which allows the user to activate one of the select buttons 18A-18F. Actuation of select button 18 causes microswitch 76 (FIG. 3A) to initiate a carbonation cycle. If water has reached the required level in the carbonated chamber 114 (FIG. 8), the first step required at this time is to fill the upper space with carbonated gas from the supply 34 (FIG. 2). is there. This filling is accomplished by outputting a signal to a solenoid in line 36 to supply gas to the carbonation chamber. After the carbonation chamber has been filled with gas, the solenoid in line 36 is closed. On the other hand, the discharge mechanism 20A (FIG. 4A) is vented to the atmosphere, so that the chamber of the discharge mechanism 20A is
Is filled by the concentrated liquid which flows in by gravity. When the carbonation chamber is filled with gas, the control unit initiates a carbonation cycle of the agitator means 170 by sending a signal to the motor of the agitator means 17 for a predetermined time. After the elapse of this time, the control unit sends a signal to the solenoid S2, whereby a single excess carbonation gas is released from the storage tanks 40a to 40d via the pressure relief valve V3 to the selection mechanism 50 of the selected selection button. Through the discharge mechanism 20,
The metered amount of the concentrated liquid is discharged from the outlet 82 in FIG.
In synchronization with this operation, the valve V4 is opened, and the carbonated water flows into the cup 22 from the carbonated chamber. In this embodiment, the solenoid S2 constitutes a means for releasing both the concentrate and the carbonated water at a certain timing. The control unit opens the solenoid S1 before discharging the carbonated water, thereby filling the storage tanks 40a to 40d with excess gas in the upper space of the carbonation chamber 26 (FIG. 2).

"Disposable syrup dispenser" Fig. 18-
See Figure 28. These disposable syrup dispensers can be used in place of the units shown in FIGS.

A concentrated liquid supply device 2 'shown in FIGS. 18 to 25 comprises a concentrated liquid container 4' such as a liquid-tight box, and a concentrated liquid discharging unit 6 fixed to the container 4 'and measuring and discharging the concentrated liquid therefrom. '. The container 4 'is initially filled with the concentrate 8', although the concentrate 8 'is already partially reduced in FIGS.

The discharge unit 6 'has a cylindrical side wall 10', which is fixed to a disc-shaped upper wall 12 'by welding or the like, and the upper wall 12' has an outwardly extending flange 14 '. The unit 6 'is fixed to the wall 16' of the container 4 'again by welding or the like at the flange 14'. The lower wall 18 'of the unit 6' is supported by a cylindrical wall 10 ',
It has a central circular opening 20 '. A stem 22 ′ having a circular cross section projects through the opening 20 ′.
Held by 2 '. Within the unit 6 'is provided a flexible plastic diaphragm 24' made of a relatively fragile material. This diaphragm 24 'is shown in FIG.
As best shown in FIG. 19, it is a bag-like structure whose dimensions and shape are defined to conform to the interior of walls 10 'and 18' as shown in FIG. The diaphragm is open at the upper end and its upper edge 26 'is fixed between the walls 10' and 12 '. The diaphragm 24 'has an opening 28' at the lower end, around which the wall surrounding the opening 20 '
It is fixed to the 18 'portion by welding or the like. Thus, the diaphragm 24 'divides the interior of the unit 6' into two chambers.
It is divided into 30 'and 32'. This chamber 30 'communicates with the interior of the container 4' via a passage 34 ', which can be closed by a one-way valve 36'. A pressurized gas is introduced into the chamber 32 'from a gas supply unit (not shown) through a nipple 38', and a gas supply pipe 40 '
The end of this (corresponding to the pipe 44 in FIG. 2) is inserted. Preferably, the wall 12 ', the flange 14' and the stem 22 'are constructed as a first plastic monolith, and the wall 10'
, The wall 18 'and the nipple 38' are constructed as a second plastic integral molding, both of which are molded. It is fixed together with the upper edge 26 'of the diaphragm 24' clamped between them.

The stem 22 'is hollow and forms a passage 42', which is
Communicates with the atmosphere at the lower end, the upper end of the passage 42 'communicates with the inside of the container 4' through the passage 44 ', and the passage 44' is a one-way valve.
Closed by 46 '.

A circumferential groove 48 'is formed on the outside of the stem 22', near but at a distance from the lower end thereof.
The dimensions of the opening 20 'in the wall 18' are such that the wall 18 'can enter the groove 48' and normally seal at point 50 'to the stem 20'. Four axial grooves 52 'extend along the outer surface of stem 20' located below circumferential groove 48 '. Since the wall 18 'is elastic and flexible, the seal at point 50' is broken and the point 56 'near the upper end of the groove 52' is broken from the solid line position in FIG. 24 where the seal is formed at point 50 '. It can bend to the dashed-dotted position 54 'in FIG. 24 that contacts the stem. The wall 18 'is sufficiently resilient to allow the lower portion of the stem 22' to be pushed through the opening 20 'during assembly.

The valve 36 'is a one-piece molded product of a synthetic plastic material, and has a ball 60' constituting a valve head, a band 62 'penetrating the passage 34', and a valve 60 'located on the opposite side of the passage 36' with respect to the head 60 '. And a horizontal bar 64 'serving as a stopper for limiting the downward movement of the head 60'. The band 62 'is highly flexible and can flex sufficiently so that the bar 64' can be parallel to the band and passed through the band-bar opening 34 'during valve manufacture. The structure of valve 46 'is valve 3.
Same as 6 ', head 70', band 72 'and cross bar 74'
And

The apparatus shown in FIGS. 18 to 25 is usually delivered to the customer with the container 4 'filled with concentrate and the metering unit 6' empty. A cap 76 ', shown in phantom only in FIG. 18, is attached to unit 6', preferably by a frangible seal (not shown), and covers the lower end of stem 22 'and nipple 38'. The customer must use the cap 7 when using this device.
Remove 6 'and insert the device into the carbonator.
Although not described in detail in this specification, the carbonation apparatus is designed to be able to accommodate the apparatus 2 '. Apparatus 2 'is shown in FIGS.
Inserted into the carbonation device in the upside-down state shown in
The pipe 40 'which is a part of this carbonation device
Inserted into 8 'to make an airtight seal. At this point, room 3
2 'is not pressurized, so that liquid flows from the interior of the container 4' into the chamber 30 'by the action of gravity. At this time, the valve 36 'is open as shown in FIG. As the liquid flows out of the container 4 'and into the chamber 30',
As the pressure in the container 4 'decreases, the atmospheric pressure acting on the valve head 70' causes the valve 46 'to open and the air 78' in FIG.
As shown in the figure, the bubbles are circulated in the liquid in the container 4 '.
Of course, if the chamber 30 'was filled with air at the beginning of use of the device, as the liquid flows into the chamber 30', the air in this chamber 30 'will first be dissipated via the passage 34' to the container 4 '. Move in. In this case, the opening of the valve 46 'will be delayed.

As shown in FIG. 19, after chamber 30 'is filled with the concentrate from container 4', valve 46 'closes. The unit 6 'thus contains a metered amount of liquid to be discharged. Figure
As shown at 20, this metered amount of liquid is discharged from unit 6 'by introducing gas pressure into chamber 32' via pipe 40 '. The introduction of such gas
Preferably, it is controlled by a control and timing system of a carbonator (not shown) used with this device 2 ', for example, as described above. As the pressure in chamber 32 'increases, valve 36' closes as the liquid in chamber 30 'attempts to move upward through passageway 34' (FIG. 20). This pressure also causes the wall 18 'to move as shown in FIG.
At the bottom of the chamber 30 '
The liquid therein is discharged through openings 20 'in wall 18'. Room 3
If the pressure in 2 'is sufficiently high, wall 18' will flex to the dash-dot line position shown in FIG. 24 so that the liquid exiting chamber 30 'will be as shown by arrow 80' in FIG. Flow through a relatively small opening formed by the wall 18 'around the opening 20', the edge and the groove 52 '. If the pressure is slightly lower than that required to achieve the above conditions, no contact occurs at point 56 'between wall 18' and stem 22 ', and
During this process, the outflow of liquid is not restricted by the groove 52 '.
In this way, fluctuations in the outflow of liquid due to pressure fluctuations in chamber 32 'are reduced.

When the pressure in chamber 32 'is held long enough to substantially empty chamber 30', diaphragm 24 'reduces the volume of chamber 30' to approximately zero, as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the pressure in chamber 32 'is released and chamber 30' is refilled with the concentrate as shown in FIGS.

The embodiments shown in FIGS. 26-28 are similar to FIGS.
This is the same as the twenty-fifth embodiment. That is, the difference is that the lower wall 18A 'of the unit 6' is rather rigid, and instead the upper wall 12A '
A 'is elastic and flexible and is slightly thinner than wall 12'. FIG. 26 shows a state in which the chamber is filled with the liquid 30 'to be discharged, and FIG. 27 shows a state in which the chamber 32' is pressurized and discharged. As can be seen, the wall 12A 'flexes upwardly, pulling the stem 22' upwardly against the opening 20 'of the wall 18A', thereby allowing liquid to open from the chamber 30 '.
Released through 20 '. The distance the stem 20 'moves up relative to the wall 18' depends on the pressure in the chamber 32 ',
When the pressure is high, the liquid will pass through the restricted area formed by the edge of the wall 18A 'around the opening 20' and the groove 52 ', while at low pressure the stem 22' will assume an intermediate position, The area from which water can flow out increases.

Various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example,
In the embodiment shown, the container 4 'is made of a relatively rigid material and therefore requires a means for inflowing air as the liquid flows out (this means being a valve 46' in the embodiment shown). However, the invention is also applicable to containers of the so-called "bag-in-box" type, i.e. those in which the liquid is contained in a collapsible bag arranged in the box. In this case, the bag can be crushed by the atmospheric pressure as the liquid flows out, so that the liquid can be released without having to put air in the bag.

The present invention provides a very convenient and inexpensive concentrate discharge device that can be manufactured so inexpensively that it can be discarded after all of the liquid in the container has been used.

A concentrated liquid supply device 2 'shown in FIGS. 18 to 25 comprises a concentrated liquid container 4' such as a liquid-tight box, and a concentrated liquid discharging unit 6 fixed to the container 4 'and measuring and discharging the concentrated liquid therefrom. '. The container 4 'is initially filled with the concentrate 8', although the concentrate 8 'is already partially reduced in FIGS.

The discharge unit 6 'has a cylindrical side wall 10', which is fixed to a disc-shaped upper wall 12 'by welding or the like, and the upper wall 12' has an outwardly extending flange 14 '. The unit 6 is fixed to the wall 16 'of the container 4' again by welding or the like at the flange 14 '. Unit 6 '
The lower wall 18 'is supported by the cylindrical wall 10' and has a central circular opening 20 '. A stem 22 ′ with a circular cross-section projects through this opening 20 ′ and is held by the upper wall 12 ′. Inside the unit 6 'is a flexible plastic diaphragm 24' made of a relatively fragile material.
Is provided. This diaphragm 24 'is a bag-like structure, as best shown in FIG. 23, and its dimensions and shape are defined to conform to the interior of walls 10' and 18 'as shown in FIG. ing. The diaphragm is open at the upper end and its upper edge 26 'is fixed between the walls 10' and 12 '. The diaphragm 24 'has an opening 28' at the lower end,
The periphery of the opening 28 'is fixed to a portion of the wall 18' surrounding the opening 20 'by welding or the like. Thus, the diaphragm 24 'divides the interior of the unit 6' into two chambers 30 'and
It is divided into 32 '. This chamber 30 'communicates with the interior of the container 4' via a passage 34 ', which can be closed by a one-way valve 36'. Nipple 38 'in chamber 32'
A pressurized gas is introduced from a gas supply unit (not shown) through the nipple 38, and the end of a gas supply pipe 40 'is inserted into the nipple 38'. Preferably, the wall 12 ', the flange 16' and the stem 22 'are configured as a first plastic monolith, and the wall 10', the wall 18 'and the nipple 38' are configured as a second plastic monolith. Are fixed together with the upper edge 26 'of the diaphragm 24' clamped between them.

The stem 22 'is hollow and forms a passage 42', which is
Communicates with the atmosphere at the lower end, the upper end of the passage 42 'communicates with the inside of the container 4' through the passage 44 ', and the passage 44' is a one-way valve.
Closed by 46 '.

A circumferential groove 48 'is formed on the outside of the stem 22', near but at a distance from the lower end thereof.
The opening 20 'of the wall 18' is dimensioned such that the wall 18 'penetrates into the groove 48' and can normally seal at point 50 'to the stem 20'. 4 along the outer surface of the stem 20 'located below the circumferential groove 50'.
An axial groove 52 'extends. Since the wall 18 'is resiliently flexible, the seal at point 50' is broken and the point 56 'near the upper end of the groove 52' is broken from the solid line position in FIG. 19 where the seal is formed at point 50 '. The dashed-dotted line position 54 'in FIG. 19 in contact with the stem
Can bend up to. The wall 18 'is sufficiently resilient to allow the lower portion of the stem 22' to be pushed through the opening 20 'during assembly.

The valve 36 'is a one-piece molded product of a synthetic plastic material, and has a ball 60' constituting a valve head, a band 62 'penetrating the passage 34', and a valve 60 'located on the opposite side of the passage 36' with respect to the head 60 '. And a horizontal bar 64 'serving as a stopper for limiting the downward movement of the head 60'. The band 62 'is highly flexible and can flex sufficiently so that during manufacture of the valve the cross bar 64' can be passed parallel to the band and through the opening 34 '. The structure of valve 46 'is valve 36'
And has a head 70 ', a band 72' and a horizontal bar 74 '.

The apparatus shown in FIGS. 18 to 25 is usually delivered to the customer with the container 4 'filled with concentrate and the metering unit 6' empty. A cap 76 ', shown in phantom only in FIG. 18, is attached to unit 6', preferably by a frangible seal (not shown), and covers the lower end of stem 22 'and nipple 38'. The customer must use the cap 7 when using this device.
Remove 6 'and insert the device into the carbonator.
Although this carbonation apparatus is not described in detail in this specification, the apparatus 2 '
It is designed to be able to accommodate. The device 2 'is inserted into the carbonator in the upside-down state shown in FIGS. 19-21, and a pipe 40', which is part of the carbonator, is inserted into the nipple 38 'to create a hermetic seal. At this point, chamber 32 'is not pressurized, so that liquid flows from inside vessel 4' into chamber 30 'by the action of gravity. At this time,
The valve 36 'is open as shown in FIG. As the liquid exits the interior of the container 4 'and enters the chamber 30', the pressure in the container 4 'decreases so that the atmospheric pressure acting on the valve head 70' causes the valve 46 'to open and the air to flow. As shown at 78 'in FIG. 18, bubbles are circulated in the liquid in the container 4'. Of course, if the chamber 30 'was filled with air at the start of use of the device, as the liquid flows into the chamber 30', the air in this chamber 30 'will first be dissipated via the passage 34' to the container 4 '. Move in. In this case, the opening of the valve 46 'will be delayed.

As shown in FIG. 19, after chamber 30 'is filled with the concentrate from container 4', valve 46 'closes. The unit 6 'thus contains a metered amount of liquid to be discharged. Figure
As shown at 20, this metered amount of liquid is discharged from unit 6 'by introducing gas pressure into chamber 32' via pipe 40 '. The introduction of such gas
Preferably, it is controlled by a control and timing system of a carbonator (not shown) used with this device 2 ', for example, as described above. Such a system is described in applicant's co-pending UK application 8914420.8. As the pressure in chamber 32 'increases, the liquid in chamber 30' tends to move upward through passage 34 '
36 'closes (FIG. 20). This pressure also causes the wall 1
8 'deflects downwardly as shown in FIG. 20 and as shown by the dashed line in FIG.
Released through 0 '. If the pressure in chamber 32 'is sufficiently high, wall 18' will flex to the dash-dot line position shown in FIG. 24 so that liquid exiting chamber 32 'will be displaced by arrow 80' in FIG.
As shown in the figure, the edge of the wall 18 'around the opening 20' and the groove 52 '
Flow through a relatively small opening formed by If the pressure is slightly lower than that required to achieve the above conditions, contact at point 56 'between wall 18' and stem 22 'will not occur, so that the outflow of liquid will occur. groove
Not restricted by 52 '. In this way, fluctuations in the outflow of liquid due to pressure fluctuations in chamber 32 'are reduced.

When the pressure in chamber 32 'is held long enough to substantially empty chamber 30', diaphragm 24 'reduces the volume of chamber 30' to approximately zero, as shown in FIG. After this, the pressure in chamber 32 'is released and chamber 30' is refilled with concentrate as shown in FIGS.

The embodiments shown in FIGS. 27-28 are similar to FIGS.
This is the same as the twenty-fifth embodiment. That is, the difference is that the lower wall 18A 'of the unit 6' is fairly stiff, and instead the upper wall 12A 'is elastically flexible and somewhat thinner than the wall 12. FIG. 26 shows a state in which the chamber is filled with the liquid 30 'to be discharged, and FIG. 25 shows a state in which the chamber 32' is pressurized and discharged. As can be seen, the wall 12A 'flexes upwardly, pulling the stem 20' upward against the opening 20 'in the wall 18A', thereby causing liquid to drain from the chamber 30 'through the opening 20'. Is done. The distance that the stem 20 'moves up relative to the wall 18' is due to the pressure in the chamber 32 ', so that when the pressure is high, the liquid will pass through the wall 18' around the opening 20 '.
It will pass through the restricted area formed by the edge of A 'and the groove 52', while at low pressure the stem 20 'will assume an intermediate position and the area through which liquid can flow out will be larger.

Various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example,
In the embodiment shown, the container 4 'is made of a relatively rigid material and therefore requires a means for inflowing air as the liquid flows out (this means being a valve 46' in the embodiment shown). However, the invention is also applicable to containers of the so-called "bag-in-box" type, i.e. those in which the liquid is contained in a collapsible bag arranged in the box. In this case, the bag can be crushed by the atmospheric pressure as the liquid flows out, so that the liquid can be released without having to put air in the bag.

The present invention provides a very convenient and inexpensive concentrate discharge device that can be manufactured so inexpensively that it can be discarded after all of the liquid in the container has been used.

A concentrated liquid supply device 2 'shown in FIGS. 18 to 25 comprises a concentrated liquid container 4' such as a liquid-tight box, and a concentrated liquid discharging unit 6 fixed to the container 4 'and measuring and discharging the concentrated liquid therefrom. '. The container 4 'is initially filled with the concentrate 8', although the concentrate 8 'is already partially reduced in FIGS.

The discharge unit 6 'has a cylindrical side wall 10', which is fixed to a disc-shaped upper wall 12 'by welding or the like, and the upper wall 12' has an outwardly extending flange 14 '. The unit 6 is fixed to the wall 16 'of the container 4' again by welding or the like at the flange 14 '. Unit 6 '
The lower wall 18 'is supported by the cylindrical wall 10' and has a central circular opening 20 '. A stem 22 ′ with a circular cross-section projects through this opening 20 ′ and is held by the upper wall 12 ′. Inside the unit 6 'is a flexible plastic diaphragm 24' made of a relatively fragile material.
Is provided. This diaphragm 24 'is a bag-like structure, as best shown in FIG. 23, and its dimensions and shape are defined to conform to the interior of walls 10' and 18 'as shown in FIG. ing. The diaphragm is open at the upper end and its upper edge 26 'is fixed between the walls 10' and 12 '. The diaphragm 24 'has an opening 28' at the lower end,
The periphery of the opening 28 'is fixed to a portion of the wall 18' surrounding the opening 20 'by welding or the like. Thus, the diaphragm 24 'divides the interior of the unit 6' into two chambers 30 'and
It is divided into 32 '. This chamber 30 'communicates with the interior of the container 4' via a passage 34 ', which can be closed by a one-way valve 36'. Nipple 38 'in chamber 32'
A pressurized gas is introduced from a gas supply unit (not shown) through the nipple 38, and the end of a gas supply pipe 40 'is inserted into the nipple 38'. Preferably, the wall 12 ', the flange 16' and the stem 22 'are configured as a first plastic monolith, and the wall 10', the wall 18 'and the nipple 38' are configured as a second plastic monolith. Are fixed together with the upper edge 26 'of the diaphragm 24' clamped between them.

The stem 22 'is hollow and forms a passage 42', which is
The lower end communicates with the atmosphere, the upper end of the passage 42 'communicates with the inside of the container 4' through the upper end of the passage 44 ', and the passage 44' is a one-way valve.
Closed by 46 '.

A circumferential groove 48 'is formed on the outside of the stem 22', near but at a distance from the lower end thereof.
The opening 20 'of the wall 18' is dimensioned such that the wall 18 'penetrates into the groove 48' and can normally seal at point 50 'to the stem 20'. 4 along the outer surface of the stem 20 'located below the circumferential groove 50'.
An axial groove 52 'extends. Since the wall 18 'is resiliently flexible, the seal at point 50' is broken and the point 56 'near the upper end of the groove 52' is broken from the solid line position in FIG. 19 where the seal is formed at point 50 '. The dashed-dotted line position 54 'in FIG. 19 in contact with the stem
Can bend up to The wall 18 'is sufficiently resilient to allow the lower portion of the stem 22' to be pushed through the opening 20 'during assembly.

The valve 36 'is a one-piece molded product of a synthetic plastic material, and has a ball 60' constituting a valve head, a band 62 'penetrating the passage 34', and a valve 60 'located on the opposite side of the passage 36' with respect to the head 60 '. And a horizontal bar 64 'serving as a stopper for limiting the downward movement of the head 60'. The band 62 'is highly flexible and can flex sufficiently so that during manufacture of the valve the cross bar 64' can be parallel to the band and the band and cross bar can be passed through the opening 34 '. The structure of valve 46 'is valve 3.
Same as 6 ', head 70', band 72 'and cross bar 74'
And

The apparatus shown in FIGS. 18 to 25 is usually delivered to the customer with the container 4 'filled with concentrate and the metering unit 6' empty. A cap 76 ', shown in dashed lines only in FIG. 18, is attached to the unit 6' by a preferred frangible seal (not shown) and covers the lower end of the stem 22 'and the nipple 38'. The customer must use the cap 7 when using this device.
Remove 6 'and insert the device into the carbonator.
Although not described in detail in this specification, the carbonation apparatus is designed to be able to accommodate the apparatus 2 '. Apparatus 2 'is shown in FIGS.
Inserted into the carbonation device in the upside-down state shown in
The pipe 40 'which is a part of this carbonation device
Inserted into 8 'to make an airtight seal. At this point, room 3
2 'is not pressurized, so that liquid flows from the interior of the container 4' into the chamber 30 'by the action of gravity. At this time, the valve 36 'is open as shown in FIG. As the liquid flows out of the container 4 'and into the chamber 30',
As the pressure in the container 4 'decreases, the atmospheric pressure acting on the valve head 70' causes the valve 46 'to open and emptying 78' in FIG.
As shown in the figure, the bubbles are circulated in the liquid in the container 4 '.
Of course, if the chamber 30 'was filled with air at the start of use of the device, as the liquid flows into the chamber 30', the air in this chamber 30 'will first be dissipated via the passage 34' to the container 4 '. Move in. In this case, the opening of the valve 46 'will be delayed.

As shown in FIG. 19, after chamber 30 'is filled with the concentrate from container 4', valve 46 'closes. The unit 6 'thus contains a metered amount of liquid to be discharged. Figure
As shown at 20, this metered amount of liquid is discharged from unit 6 'by introducing gas pressure into chamber 32' via pipe 40 '. The introduction of such gas
Preferably, it is controlled by a control and timing system of a carbonator (not shown) used with this device 21 ', for example, as described above. As the pressure in chamber 32 'increases, valve 36' closes as the liquid in chamber 30 'attempts to move upward through passageway 34' (FIG. 20). This pressure also causes the wall 18 'to move as shown in FIG.
At the bottom of the chamber 30 '
The liquid therein is discharged through openings 20 'in wall 18'. Room 3
If the pressure in 2 'is sufficiently high, wall 18' will flex to the dashed line position shown in FIG. 24, whereby the liquid exiting chamber 32 'will be as shown by arrow 80' in FIG. Flow through a relatively small opening formed by the wall 18 'around the opening 20' and the edge groove 52 '. If the pressure is slightly lower than that required to achieve the above conditions, no contact occurs at point 56 'between wall 18' and stem 22 ', and
As a result, the outflow of liquid is not restricted by the groove 52 '.
In this way, fluctuations in the outflow of liquid due to pressure fluctuations in chamber 32 'are reduced.

When the pressure in chamber 32 'is held long enough to substantially empty chamber 30', diaphragm 24 'reduces the volume of chamber 30' to approximately zero, as shown in FIG. After this, the pressure in chamber 32 'is released and chamber 30' is refilled with concentrate as shown in FIGS.

The embodiments shown in FIGS. 27-28 are similar to FIGS.
This is the same as the twenty-fifth embodiment. That is, the difference is that the lower wall 18A 'of the unit 6' is rather rigid,
2A 'is elastic and flexible and is slightly thinner than wall 12. FIG. 26 shows a state in which the chamber is filled with the liquid 30 'to be discharged, and FIG. 25 shows a state in which the chamber 32' is pressurized and discharged. As can be seen, the wall 12A 'flexes upwardly, pulling the stem' upwardly against the opening 20 'of the wall 18A', thereby causing liquid to exit the chamber 20 'from the opening 20'.
Released through The distance by which the stem 20 'moves up relative to the wall 18' depends on the pressure in the chamber 32 ', so that when the pressure is high, the liquid will pass through the wall 18A' around the opening 20 'and the edge The stem 20 'assumes an intermediate position at low pressure,
The area from which the liquid can flow out increases.

Various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example,
In the embodiment shown, the container 4 'is made of a relatively rigid material and therefore requires a means for inflowing air as the liquid flows out (this means being a valve 46' in the embodiment shown). However, the invention is also applicable to containers of the so-called "bag-in-box" type, i.e. those in which the liquid is contained in a collapsible bag arranged in the box. In this case, the bag can be crushed by the atmospheric pressure as the liquid flows out, so that the liquid can be released without having to put air in the bag.

The present invention provides a very convenient and inexpensive concentrate discharge device that can be manufactured so inexpensively that it can be discarded after all of the liquid in the container has been used.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Collins, James Terrence UK. Peterborough, Yacksley, Primrose Drive 22 (56) References JP-A-50-149471 (JP, A) JP-A-61-232198 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , (DB name) B67D 1/04 A23L 2/00

Claims (12)

(57) [Claims] A device (2 ') for discharging a metered amount of concentrate, said wall means (10', 1) defining a hollow interior (30 ', 32').
2 ', 18'; 12A ', 18A'), made of an elastic material, and a hollow interior (30 ', 32') of the housing in a first chamber (3
0 ') and a flexible member (24') dividing into a second chamber (32 '), and an inlet valve means (36') communicating with the first chamber (30 '). When the inlet valve means (36 ') is open, the flow of the concentrate through the inlet valve means into the first chamber (30') is allowed and the concentration through the inlet valve means is enabled. Outlet valve means having a valve opening (20 ') and a valve head (22'), said outlet valve means being capable of being closed to resist reverse flow of liquid, said valve head (22 '). Is the valve opening (20 ')
The valve opening (20 ') is in communication with the first chamber (30') for discharging the concentrate from the valve opening; Gas inlet means communicating with the chamber (32 ') for supplying gas to the second chamber, wherein the gas deflects the flexible member (24') to displace the concentrate to the first chamber (32 '). Pressurizing the hollow interior (30 ', 32') to discharge from the chamber (30 ') through the outlet valve means (20'22'), wherein the outlet valve means (20 ', 22') are a valve opening (20 ') in a first part (18', 18A ') of the housing wall means and a second part (12'; 12A) of the housing wall means. ') A valve head (22') supported by the first and second portions (1) of the housing wall means.
8 ', 12'; 18A ', 12A') are the closed position where the valve head (22 ') closes the valve opening (20') and the valve head (2
The relative movement of the valve head (22 ') and the valve opening (20') relative to the open position where 2 ') is away from the valve opening (20'). The valve head (22 ') and the valve opening (20') are resiliently biased to a closed position and are movable to an open position in response to said pressurization. And equipment. 2. The first part (18 ') of the wall means of the housing.
Is relatively soft and the second part (12 ') of the wall means of the housing is relatively hard, so that
In response to the pressurization, a first portion (18 ') of the housing wall means is deformed to cause the second portion of the housing wall means to deform.
(12 '), whereby the valve opening (20') is displaced and the outlet valve means (20 ', 22')
2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device is opened. 3. When the pressurization is not performed,
The valve opening (20 ') is biased into engagement with the valve head (22') by the resilience of the first portion (18 ') of the housing wall means so that the outlet valve means (20', 22 '). 3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the device is closed. 4. The first part (18) of the wall means of the housing.
A ′) is relatively rigid and the second part (12A ′) of the wall means of the housing is relatively soft,
Thus, in response to said pressurization, the second part (12A ') of the housing wall means moves relative to the first part (18A') of the housing wall means, whereby the valve head ( Two
2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein 2 ') is separated from the valve opening (20') and opens the outlet valve means (20 ', 22'). 5. When the pressure is not applied,
The valve head (22 ') is biased by the elasticity of the second portion (12A') of the housing wall means into engagement with the valve opening (20 ') and the outlet valve means (20', 22 '). 5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the device is closed. 6. The first part (18 '; 1) of the wall means of the housing.
8A ') and the second part (12'; 12) of the housing wall means.
A device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein A ') are arranged substantially opposite each other. 7. The hollow interior (30 ', 32') is substantially cylindrical and the first and second portions (18 ', 12'; 18A ', 12A') of the wall means of the housing are: A flexible member (24 ') is disposed at each of both ends of the substantially cylindrical hollow interior (30', 32 '), and is generally cup-shaped, 7. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step (30 ', 32') is adapted to substantially coincide with the inner surface of the hollow interior (30 ', 32') when not pressurized. An apparatus according to claim 1. 8. The valve head (22 ') is a stem connected to the second part (12', 12A ') of the housing wall means, passing through the hollow interior (30', 32 '). Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus is in the form of one that extends axially. 9. The second part (12 '; 1) of the wall means of the housing.
2A ') also carries the inlet valve means (36'), the first part (26 ') of the flexible member (24') being connected to the second part (12 ') of the wall means of the housing. 12A ') and the second portion (28') of the flexible member (24 ') is sealed around the periphery of the valve opening (20'). 9. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus is sealed to the first part (18 ', 18A') of the means. 10. A container (4 ') containing a concentrate, which is in fluid communication with said inlet valve means (36'), in combination with a supply of the concentrate through the inlet valve means. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims. 11. An air inlet passageway (42 '), said valve head (22') communicating with an exterior of said housing and an interior of a container (4 ') containing said concentrate. An air inlet valve (46 ') for permitting the flow of gas into the container (4') through the air inlet passage, and an air inlet valve (46 ') through the air inlet passage (42'). (4 ')
Configured to close the air inlet passage to resist the flow of the concentrate from the container.
An apparatus according to claim 1. 12. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said gas inlet means is disposed in a first portion (18 ';18A') of the wall means of the housing.