JP4726540B2 - Beverage dispenser - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a beverage dispensing apparatus that provides beverages and the like, and more particularly to a structure that seals a tank that stores water and the like disposed inside a beverage dispensing apparatus and a lid of the tank.

  Conventionally, there has been known a beverage dispensing apparatus that can dilute a concentrated stock solution with cold water and / or hot water and appropriately select and supply a cooled beverage and / or a heated beverage. As an example of this type of beverage dispensing apparatus, the basic structure of a beverage dispensing apparatus that dispenses a heated beverage will be briefly described. Such a beverage dispensing apparatus stores a container in which a concentrated stock solution is stored. Concentrated raw material from the concentrated stock solution container, a raw material storage chamber, a hot water storage tank that retains the required amount of hot water by appropriately heating water supplied from an external supply source, a pouring nozzle connected to the concentrated stock solution container, and a concentrated stock solution container A suction pump for sucking and pouring into the pouring nozzle is provided, and the hot water storage tank is connected to the pouring nozzle through a supply pipe (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  The operation of the beverage dispensing apparatus configured in this manner will be described. By supplying hot water kept in a hot water storage tank to the dispensing nozzle to which the concentrated concentrate is supplied from the concentrated concentrate container by the suction pump, The concentrated stock solution is diluted with warm water and the heated beverage is poured out.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the hot water storage tank 100 has a structure in which a lid 102 is covered on an opening on an upper surface of a cylindrical tank body 101 in which a heat insulating material 105 is wound around a circumferential surface. As a structure for sealing and fixing 102 to the opening edge of the tank body 101, a mounting flange 103 is formed inwardly on the opening edge of the tank body 101, and the lid 102 is placed on the flange 103 protruding inwardly. Then, a plurality of places were fastened and fixed with screws 104. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2 and FIG. 9).

  Further, the hot water storage tank 110 as shown in FIG. 5 includes a cylindrical tank body 111 having a heat insulating material 120 wound around a peripheral surface thereof, and a disc-shaped lid 112 covering the opening on the upper surface. However, as a structure for sealing and fixing these, the outer peripheral portion 115 of the lid 112 is placed on the outward flange 113 formed on the upper edge of the tank body 111 via the packing 114, and the lid 112 A heat insulating material 117 formed in the shape of a thick disc is inserted into a circular recess 116 formed in the central portion, and a top plate 119 is placed on the body 118 of the beverage dispensing device and fixed as appropriate, thereby insulating the heat. The outer peripheral portion 115 of the lid 112 is pressed against the flange 113 of the tank body 111 via the material 117, and the lid 112 is hermetically fixed so as to cover the opening on the upper surface of the tank body 111 (for example, Patent Document 2, FIG. 5). Irradiation).

JP 2004-248914 A JP 2000-014557 A

  However, as shown in FIG. 4, in the structure in which the lid 102 is fastened and fixed to the tank body 101 with the screws 104 and the both are sealed, the screws 104 come into contact with the diluted water for beverage stored in the hot water storage tank 100. There is a possibility that rust is generated on the screw 104 and mixed into the beverage dilution water. In addition, when the lid 102 is fixed to the tank main body 101 with screws, there is a possibility that chips or the like are generated and foreign matters are mixed into the diluted water for beverages.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the heat insulating material 117 is inserted into the recessed portion 116 at the center of the cover 112, and the top plate 119 is covered from above so that the cover 112 is pressed against the tank body 111 via the heat insulating material 117. In the case of a closed structure, it is considered that the heat insulating material 117 may be deformed with the passage of time and cannot be completely sealed. In addition, the position where the pressing force of the top plate 119 acts is the bottom surface of the recessed portion 116 of the lid 112, and it does not act directly on the outer peripheral portion 115 and the flange 113 which are the contact portions between the lid 112 and the tank body 111. It is also conceivable that the force for crushing the packing 114 becomes weak, and as a result, it cannot be reliably sealed.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and provides a beverage dispensing device having a structure that can securely seal a lid to a tank body without using screws. The main purpose is to do.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention according to claim 1 includes a tank main body having an upper surface opened, and a tank for storing water or the like provided with a tank lid that covers the upper surface of the tank main body. A beverage dispensing device comprising: a device body disposed on the device body; and a top plate that closes an upper surface opening of the device body. When the top plate is assembled to the device body, A metal pressing spacer is provided on the top plate so as to press the contact portion directly from above and hermetically fix the tank lid to the tank body.

  It is also preferable that a downward hanging flange is formed on the tank lid so as to cover an upper portion of the side wall of the tank body, and an open edge of the hanging flange is directed inward toward the side wall of the tank body.

  Since the pressing spacer provided on the top plate presses the contact part between the tank lid and the tank main body so that they are both hermetically fixed, no screws are required to hermetically fix the tank lid and the tank main body. Rust, swarf and foreign matter are not mixed in the tank, and the tank lid and the tank body can be reliably sealed by directly pressing the contact portion.

  Next, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals denote the same or corresponding parts.

  In the following, the present invention comprises a concentrated stock solution pack for storing a concentrated stock solution, a hot water storage tank for storing heat by appropriately heating water supplied from an external supply source, and a dispensing nozzle connected to the concentrated stock solution pack. An example in which the concentrated stock solution is diluted with warm water from a hot water storage tank and used in a beverage pouring device that supplies a heated beverage in the pouring nozzle will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway side view of a beverage dispensing device. In this figure, a beverage dispensing device 1 includes a device main body 2 having an upper surface opened and a top plate that closes the upper surface opening of the device main body 2. 3 is provided. The apparatus main body 2 is formed in a box shape that opens to the front, and includes a casing 4 that includes a rear panel 5, a side panel 6, and a base 7, and a substantially rectangular plate-shaped front panel 8 that closes the front opening of the casing 4. And an opening / closing cover 9 rotatably disposed on the front side of the front panel 8. The open / close cover 9 is formed in a substantially box shape that opens on the front panel 8 side, and in the storage chamber 10 defined between the front panel 8 and the transparent concentrated raw material pack 11 for storing the concentrated raw material, A dispensing mechanism 12 for dispensing the concentrated material from the concentrated material pack 11, a display unit for displaying various information such as the temperature of the diluted water in the hot water storage tank 13, which will be described later, and the amount to be dispensed, and a setting switch are provided. Main components such as a display panel and a power switch (not shown) are arranged.

  Various parts are assembled to the base 7 of the housing 4, and one of them is a hot water storage tank 13 having a heat insulating structure that communicates with an external water system and stores diluted water (beverage). Yes. The hot water storage tank 13 is provided with an electric heater (not shown), and the diluted water in the hot water storage tank 13 can be heated to a predetermined temperature by energizing the electric heater. The hot water storage tank 13 communicates with the dispensing nozzle 17 via a supply pipe 16 and a pump motor (not shown). On the other hand, in the vicinity of the front opening of the housing 4 on the front side (front panel 8 side) of the hot water storage tank 13, there is an electric heater in the hot water storage tank 13, and a pump motor that sends dilution water from the hot water storage tank 13 to the pouring mechanism 12. (Not shown), and an electrical box 14 for performing energization control of each member constituting the beverage dispensing apparatus 1 is attached.

  The dispensing mechanism unit 12 is connected to a concentrated raw material pack 11, a positive displacement pump 18 connected to the joint 15, a lower portion of the positive displacement pump 18, and a supply pipe 16. It comprises a dispensing nozzle 17 that is in fluid communication with the hot water storage tank 13. That is, the pouring nozzle 17 is in fluid communication with each of the concentrated raw material pack 11 and the hot water storage tank 13. In addition, a tray 20 on which a beverage container 19 such as a bowl or a cup to which a high-temperature diluted beverage obtained by mixing concentrated raw material and dilution water is supplied is placed on the front side of the bottom of the housing 4. It is attached to a position facing below 17.

  In the beverage dispensing apparatus 1 configured in this way, the positive displacement pump 18 is driven by selecting and pushing a dispensing switch (not shown) disposed on the front panel 8, and the concentrated raw material pack 11. The concentrated raw material is sucked into the positive displacement pump 18 through the joint 15 and supplied to the pouring nozzle 17, and high-temperature diluted water is poured from the hot water storage tank 13 through the supply pipe 16. In the pouring nozzle 17, the concentrated raw material and the diluted water are mixed to produce a heated beverage, and the heated beverage is poured into the beverage container 19 placed on the tray 20.

  Next, a structure for sealing and fixing the tank main body 30 and the tank lid 40 of the hot water storage tank 13 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. The hot water storage tank 13 includes a tank body 30 having a bottomed rectangle, and a rectangular tank lid 40 that covers the opening 31 on the upper surface of the tank body 30. A flange 32 that protrudes inward is formed on the upper edge of the tank body 30. A heat insulating material 33 is attached to the outer surface of the tank body 30. In addition, since necessary components such as a water supply port connected to the external water system, a delivery port to the supply pipe 16, and a heater for heating the diluted water in the hot water storage tank 13 to a predetermined temperature are known structures, It is omitted in the drawing.

  The tank lid 40 includes a flat portion 41 that is formed in a rectangular shape, and a drooping flange 42 that hangs downward from each side portion of the flat portion 41 so as to cover the top of each side wall 34 of the tank body 30. Are formed. A heat insulating material 43 is attached to the outer surface of the flat portion 41 and the hanging flange 42. In addition, since necessary components such as a float switch for detecting the level of hot water stored in the tank main body 30 and a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the hot water have a known structure, they are omitted in the drawings as in the case of the tank main body. Has been.

  The lower surface of the flat portion 41 of the tank lid 40 described above is placed on the upper surface of the flange 32 of the tank body 30. That is, the lower surface of the flat portion 41 and the upper surface of the flange 32 constitute a contact portion between the tank body 30 and the tank lid 40. Further, in order to ensure sealing between the tank body 30 and the tank lid 40, a seal member 50 such as packing is sandwiched between the contact portions between the tank body 30 and the tank lid 40.

  As is apparent from FIG. 3, the hanging flange 42 formed on the tank lid 40 is configured such that the open edge 44 of the hanging flange 42 is directed inward toward the side wall 34 of the tank body 30. . In other words, the angle α sandwiched between the flat portion 41 and the hanging flange 42 is an acute angle. Moreover, the open edge 44 of the drooping flange 42 is rounded by providing a folded portion 45 that folds its end inward. The length between the opposing open edges 44 (in FIG. 3, only the left-side hanging flange is disclosed) is formed to be slightly shorter than the length of one side of the side wall 34 of the tank body 30. With such a structure, when the tank lid 40 is put on the tank body 30, the open edge 44 of the drooping flange 42 contacts the upper end of the side wall 34 and opens outwardly so that the tank lid 40 contacts the outside of the side wall 34. Even when vibrations or rolls occur, the tank lid 40 is not displaced from front to back and left and right with respect to the tank body 30, and vibrations can be prevented with a simple structure without mounting many parts. The hot water storage tank can be reliably sealed. Further, even when variations occur in the dimensions of the tank body and the tank lid, the variation can be permitted by forming the drooping flange 42 at an acute angle. The tank lid 40 can be easily inserted into the tank main body 30 by providing the folded portion 45 on the open edge 44 of the hanging flange 42 and rounding the end portion.

  Four pressing spacers 60 made of metal having a substantially U-shaped cross section are attached to the lower surface of the top plate 3 that closes the upper surface opening of the apparatus body 2. The pressing spacer 60 includes a mounting portion 61 for mounting on the top plate 3, a pressing portion 62 that is formed substantially parallel to the mounting portion 61 and presses the tank lid 40 toward the tank body 30, and the mounting portion 61 and the pressing portion. The leg part 63 which couple | bonds with 62 is formed. The length of the leg portion 63 is slightly longer than the length between the lower side surface of the top plate 3 attached to the apparatus main body 2 and the upper side surface of the flat portion 41 of the tank lid 40 attached to the tank main body 30. When the top plate 3 is mounted on the apparatus main body 2, the pressing portion 62 can press the upper surface of the flat portion 41 of the tank lid 40 mounted on the tank main body 30 from above. .

  Further, the pressing spacer 60 is attached at a position where the pressing portion 62 can press the contact portion between the tank main body 30 and the tank lid 40 described above when the top plate 3 is attached to the apparatus main body 2. That is, it is a position where the flange 32 of the tank body 30 is formed. Further, since the sealing member 50 is sandwiched between the contact portions, the sealing between the tank lid 40 and the tank main body 30 can be further ensured by crushing the sealing member 50 with the pressing portion 62. . As described above, the heat insulating material 43 is attached to the outer surface of the tank lid 40, but as shown in FIG. 3, the upper portion of the flat portion 41 into which the pressing portion 62 is inserted has a heat insulating material. An escape portion 46 in which the material 43 does not exist is provided.

  The attachment of the hot water storage tank 13 configured as described above will be described below. First, in a state where the top plate 3 of the apparatus main body 2 of the beverage dispensing apparatus 1 is opened, the seal member 50 is placed on the flange 32 of the tank main body 30, and then the tank lid 40 is covered from above the tank main body 30. . At this time, due to the acute angle structure of the drooping flange 42 of the tank lid 40 and the rounding of the open edge 44, the open edge 44 opens outward while abutting the upper end of the side wall 34 and closely contacts the outside of the side wall 34. The flat portion 41 of the tank lid 40 is placed on the sealing member 50 placed on the flange 32 of the tank body 30. As a result, the tank lid 40 is not displaced from front to back and left and right with respect to the tank body 30, and the hot water storage tank can be reliably sealed. Next, when the top plate 3 is put on the device main body 2 of the beverage dispensing device 1 and screwed to the upper edges of the rear panel 5 and the side panel 6, the pressing portion 62 of the pressing spacer 60 attached to the top plate 3. Is inserted into the relief portion 46 of the heat insulating material 43 of the tank lid 40, presses the tank lid 40 toward the tank body 30 while abutting against the flat portion 41 of the tank lid 40, and is sandwiched between the abutting portions. The tank lid 40 is hermetically fixed to the tank body 30 in a hermetically sealed state.

  By using the pressing spacer 60 fixed to the top plate 3 in this manner, the tank main body 30 and the tank lid 40 are hermetically fixed, so that a conventional fixing screw is unnecessary. As a result, rust, chips and foreign matters are not mixed into the diluted water for beverage stored in the hot water storage tank 13.

  Further, in the conventional example shown in FIG. 5, since the tank lid is pressed using a heat insulating material, there is a fear that the tank lid may be deformed due to changes with time and cannot be completely sealed. Since the tank lid is pressed against the tank main body using the made pressing spacer 60, it can be reliably sealed without being deformed due to aging. In addition, unlike the conventional example shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, a pressing spacer is provided at the contact portion between the flange 32 of the tank body 30 and the flat portion 41 of the tank lid 40 that are in contact with each other via the seal member 50. Since 60 acts directly, the sealing member 50 can be crushed appropriately and a reliable sealing is obtained.

  In the present embodiment, the number of the pressing spacers 60 attached is four. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and when the top plate 3 is attached to the apparatus main body 2, the pressing spacer 60 is attached to the tank main body 30. If the seal member 50 sandwiched between the contact portion between the tank and the tank lid 40 can be crushed and hermetically fixed, it can be mounted over the entire contact portion, or more than four at predetermined intervals. It can be increased or decreased. Further, the shape of the pressing portion 62 of the pressing spacer 60 is not limited to a rectangular shape, and may be any shape such as a semicircular shape. You may press by a part. Furthermore, although the pressing spacer is separated from the top plate, it can be integrally formed. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the shape of the hot water storage tank is a rectangular parallelepiped, but it may be a cylindrical shape. In this case, for example, when the flange of the tank body is formed in an annular shape and the corresponding seal member is also formed in an annular shape, three pressing spacers can be arranged, for example, every 120 degrees.

  As mentioned above, although the case where the present invention was carried out to the hot water storage tank of the beverage pouring device which pours the heated beverage was explained, the present invention is not limited to this, and the cooled beverage and the heated beverage are The present invention can be similarly applied to a beverage dispensing apparatus that can be appropriately selected and supplied.

It is a partially cutaway side view of a beverage dispensing apparatus. It is the figure which decomposed | disassembled the structure for sealing the hot water storage tank which concerns on this invention into each structural member. It is a partial cross section figure which shows the state which sealed the hot water storage tank. It is a partially broken sectional view which shows the sealing structure of the conventional hot water storage tank. It is a partially abbreviated sectional view showing another sealed structure of the conventional oil storage tank.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Beverage extraction apparatus 2 Apparatus main body 3 Top plate 13 Hot water storage tank 30 Tank main body 32 Flange 34 Side wall 40 Tank lid 41 Flat part 42 Drooping flange 44 Open edge 50 Seal member 60 Press spacer 62 Press part

Claims (2)

An apparatus main body in which a tank main body having an upper surface opened, and a tank for storing water or the like provided with a tank lid that covers the upper surface of the tank main body are disposed;
In a beverage dispensing device comprising: a top plate that closes an upper surface opening of the device body;
When the top plate is assembled to the apparatus main body, a metal pressing spacer that directly presses a contact portion between the tank main body and the tank lid from above and hermetically fixes the tank lid to the tank main body. Is disposed on the top plate. The tank lid is formed with a downward hanging flange that covers the upper side wall of the tank body,
The beverage dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein an open edge of the drooping flange is directed inward toward the side wall of the tank body.

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