JP7482513B2 - Beverage dispensing valve device - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a device that dispenses carbonated water and beverage concentrates such as shochu or whiskey that are diluted with carbonated water, either separately or mixed together, and to a valve device that dispenses three different types of beverages with a simple operation.

Carbonated drinks have long been one of the most popular luxury beverages. Restaurants and other establishments use beverage servers to mix and serve carbonated water with whiskey, shochu, juice (syrup), or other beverage concentrates.

JP 2018-188207 A JP 2018-20804 A JP 2018-30599 A

The invention described in Patent Document 1, which is the invention of the present applicant, produces a carbonated beverage by mixing liquids provided from two flow paths, carbonated water and beverage concentrate. With this configuration, the only beverage provided is a carbonated beverage obtained by diluting the concentrate with carbonated water.

Incidentally, when serving beverages at restaurants and the like, in addition to serving beverages in which the concentrate is diluted with carbonated water as in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, there are also cases where only carbonated water or only the concentrate, such as straight whiskey, is served, and it is preferable for this type of server to be able to selectively serve these three types of beverages with one device. The inventions described in Patent Documents 2 and 3 respond to such demands, and enable three modes in which the liquid provided from the two flow paths can be discharged independently or in combination. To achieve this, the configuration allows the type of liquid to be dispensed, i.e., the concentrate, carbonated water, or a mixture of the two, to be selected by operating the operating lever to select the first, second, or intermediate position of the slide hole.

However, in the means for selecting the liquid to be dispensed in Patent Documents 2 and 3, the mechanical distance between the first position, the intermediate position, and the second position is narrow, and it is necessary to visually confirm the correct position when operating the operating lever. Otherwise, it may lead to erroneous operation, and a mixed liquid may be dispensed by mistake when only carbonated water is intended to be dispensed.

The present invention aims to solve the problems inherent in these conventional structures, and its purpose is to provide a beverage dispensing valve device that allows the user to reliably select the desired liquid with a simple operation.

In order to achieve the above object, the device of the present invention is a beverage dispensing valve device provided with a first valve for opening and closing a supply path for a first beverage such as carbonated water, and a second valve for opening and closing a supply path for a second beverage such as syrup, and is provided with three levers: a first lever for opening and closing the first valve alone, a second lever for opening and closing the second valve alone, and a third lever for opening and closing both the first and second valves simultaneously, and the three levers operate in parallel and linearly. With this means, the first and second beverages can be dispensed individually by the first and second levers, and both the first and second beverages can be dispensed simultaneously by the third lever. Since three levers are provided for each beverage to be dispensed in this way, operation is simpler than using a single lever to dispense different beverages. The first and second beverages are not limited to carbonated water and syrup, and may be other beverages.

While the three levers are normally biased in the valve closing direction, it is preferable to provide a locking means capable of fixing the levers in the valve open position. The presence of the locking means makes it possible to maintain the valve open (beverage dispensing state) hands-free. Of course, after a predetermined amount of beverage has been dispensed, the locking means can be released by operating the levers in the valve closing direction.

It is also preferable to arrange the three levers in parallel on the top surface of the device with the third lever in the center. This is because opening and closing is easier than arranging all the levers hanging down on the bottom surface of the device as there is no interference with the dispensing nozzle or glass, and the position is easy for the operator to see. Also, by arranging the third lever in the center, it is possible to emphasize that the third lever is the main lever in a post-mix type carbonated beverage server that mainly dispenses carbonated water and syrup simultaneously to provide carbonated beverages.

For this reason, it is further preferable to provide the third lever with a knob that is distinguishable from the other two levers.

The means for identifying the knob provided on the third lever can be a different color, but by making it longer than the other two levers, it also contributes to improved operability.

Furthermore, the three levers can be opened by tilting them towards you, providing the same operability as the tap-type dispensing devices often used in beer servers, making it easier to dispense beverages.

Furthermore, to more reliably distinguish the third lever from the other two levers, it is preferable to set the tiltable area of the third lever required for the valve opening operation closer to the front than the other two levers. This not only emphasizes the third lever, but also tilts it toward the valve opening operation by being closer to the front, so that the first and second valves can be reliably opened simultaneously with a small force.

To achieve this more specifically, it is preferable to attach a cover case to the top side of the device, which has three parallel guide long holes that correspond to the tiltable areas of the three levers.

In this invention, three levers are provided for each beverage to be dispensed, which reduces operational errors and allows the desired beverage to be dispensed more reliably than if a single lever were used to dispense different beverages.

1 is a perspective view of a valve device for dispensing beverages according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the third lever when the valve is opened. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the first lever when the valve is opened. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the second lever when the valve is opened. FIG. FIG. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the main part of the first embodiment. Cross-sectional view of the valve in a closed state FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the valve in an open state. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the movement of the locking means during the valve opening operation. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a locked state in the open position of the valve. FIG.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a beverage dispensing valve device according to one embodiment of the present invention, showing the initial closed valve state. The device has a cover case C attached to the top side of the device, and is equipped with a main lever ML (corresponding to the third lever described in the claims) as a manual operator (actuator) for dispensing beverages, with two sub-levers SL1 (corresponding to the first lever described in the claims) and SL2 (corresponding to the second lever described in the claims) arranged in parallel on the left and right sides of the main lever ML. The bottom side of the device is equipped with a first nozzle N1 for dispensing carbonated water (corresponding to the first beverage described in the claims) and a second nozzle N2 for dispensing syrup (corresponding to the second beverage described in the claims).

The main lever ML and the two sub-levers SL1 and SL2 are tilted toward the front of the device along three guide long holes C1, C2, and C3 arranged in parallel in the cover case C to open the valve. By tilting the main lever ML in the direction of the arrow in the figure, carbonated water and syrup are simultaneously dispensed from the first nozzle N1 and the second nozzle N2 as shown in FIG. 2. On the other hand, by tilting the sub-lever SL1, only carbonated water is dispensed from the first nozzle N1 alone as shown in FIG. 3, and by tilting the other sub-lever SL2, only syrup is dispensed from the nozzle N2 alone. Therefore, this device can dispense three types of beverages, syrup and carbonated water, carbonated water only, and syrup only, depending on the customer's order. Depending on the order, it is also possible to provide carbonated water with a higher concentration of syrup in one glass by sequentially operating the main lever ML and the sub-lever SL2.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the device fully disassembled, and it is roughly divided into a flow control block BR1 that controls the flow path of the beverage, a pouring block BR2 that actually dispenses the beverage, and a cover block BR3. Of these, the pouring block BR2 can adopt the known structure shown in Patent Document 1, which is the subject of an application by the present applicant, but in this embodiment, the pouring base B is provided with an inflow channel B1 for carbonated water, which corresponds to a conventional mixing channel, and an inflow channel B2 for syrup, which are independent of each other, and a first nozzle N1 and a second nozzle N2 are connected to the inflow channels B1 and B2, respectively. The cover block BR3 is composed of the cover case C mentioned above, and three knobs K1 to K3 corresponding to the three levers ML, SL1, and SL3.

On the other hand, the flow control block BR1 is a part that embodies the features of the present invention, and is mainly composed of a flow control base 1 on which the carbonated water supply path 1a and the syrup supply path 1b are arranged independently and in parallel, linearly from the primary side (upstream side) to the secondary side (downstream side), three lever bodies 2-4, three sets of locking means 5-7 corresponding to the lever bodies 2-4, two sets of first valves 8 and second valves 9 arranged on the secondary side of the carbonated water and syrup supply paths 1a and 1b, a bifurcated return spring 10 with leaf spring portions 10a and 10b on the left and right that bias the first valve 8 and second valve 9 in the valve closing direction, and two sets of orifice caps 11 and 12 that have orifices on which the first valve 8 and second valve 9 are seated and are assembled to the secondary side of the flow control base 1.

In Figure 5, 13 and 14 are flow rate adjustment screws that screw into the two supply channels 1a and 1b of the flow control base 1 from below at right angles, and by adjusting the amount of screwing, the amount of protrusion of the head of the screw into the supply channels 1a and 1b is changed, thereby adjusting the amount of fluid passing through. Meanwhile, 15 and 16 are fittings that are connected to the two supply channels 1a and 1b on the back side of the flow control base 1.

As shown in Figures 6 to 8, the flow control block BR1 and each of its components are detailed below. The three lever bodies 2 to 4 have a pair of legs 2c to 4c attached to the underside of the male-threaded shafts 2a to 4a, to which the knobs K1 to K3 are attached by screwing, via arc-shaped cover parts 2b to 4b. A pin 17 that penetrates the flow control base 1 from side to side is inserted into the legs 2c to 4c, and the three lever bodies 2 to 4 are supported in an upright position so that they can rotate in parallel to each other. Reference numeral 18 denotes a tension spring that biases the lever bodies 2 to 4 in the valve-closing direction to maintain the initial position.

The lever bodies 2-4 also have pressing parts 2d-4d formed at the bases of the legs 2c-4c on the backsides of the covers 2b-4b that bulge in the valve opening direction, i.e., in the tilting direction.

The pressing portions 2d-4d press the first valve 8 and second valve 9 in the valve opening direction when the lever bodies 2-4 are tilted (during the valve opening operation). Specifically, the first valve 8 and second valve 9 are provided with valve bodies 8b-9b that seat on the orifice caps 11-12 of the orifice caps 11-12 at the center of the annular seal portions 8a-9a, and the tips of leaf spring portions 8c-9c are embedded in the valve bodies 8b-9b with the other ends protruding above the seal portions 8a-9a; these are so-called paddle valves, and this type of valve has long been used in this type of post-mix valve device. By positioning the pressing portions 2d-4d of the lever bodies 2-4 in positions where they can come into contact with the protruding portions of the leaf spring portions 8c and 9c, the pressing portions 2d-4d press the leaf spring portions 8c and 9c against the biasing force of the return spring 10 during the tilting motion, causing the valve bodies 8b and 9b to deform so as to move away from the orifices (see Figure 9).

The lever bodies 2-4 have different shapes of the pressing parts 2d-4d between the central lever body 2, which corresponds to the main lever ML, and the lever bodies 3 and 4, which are arranged on the left and right and correspond to the sub-levers SL1 and SL2. In other words, the central lever body 2 has pressing parts 2d formed on the front of both shoulder parts 2e that protrude to the left and right, while the left and right lever bodies 3 and 4 have shoulder parts 3e and 4e formed on the left and right sides adjacent to the central lever body 2, and pressing parts 3d and 4d are formed on the front of the shoulder parts 3e and 4e. As a result, when the lever bodies 3 and 4 are tilted, the pressing parts 3d and 4d come into contact with the leaf spring parts 8c and 9c, respectively, to open the first valve 8 and the second valve 9 individually, and when the lever 2 is tilted, the left and right pressing parts 2d press the leaf spring parts 8c and 9c simultaneously, to open the first valve 8 and the second valve 9 simultaneously.

Next, we will explain the locking means 5-7 that fix the three levers in the open position. Each locking means consists of an engagement recess 5a-7a with an arc-shaped upper surface and a coil spring 5b-7b that urges it upward from below, and is stored in three storage compartments arranged in parallel on the upper surface of the flow control base 1 with the engagement recesses 5a-7a exposed.

In response to this, the lever bodies 2-4 have arc-shaped engagement protrusions 2f-4f on the back side of the cover parts 2b-4b, which can engage with the upper surfaces of the engagement recesses 5a-7a, in addition to the pressing parts 2d-4d described above. These engagement protrusions 2f-4f also protrude in the valve opening direction, i.e., the tilting direction, like the pressing parts 2d-4d, but do not come into contact with the leaf spring parts 8c and 9c of the first valve 8 and second valve 9. Note that the relationship between the engagement recesses and engagement protrusions may be reversed between the locking means and the lever body.

With this locking mechanism, when the lever bodies 2 to 4 are tilted, the engaging protrusions 2f to 4f push down the engaging recesses 5a to 7a against the coil springs 5b to 7b (see FIG. 10). When the lever bodies 2 to 4 are tilted further and reach the open position, the engaging protrusions 2f to 4f engage with the upper surfaces of the engaging recesses 5a to 7a, and the lever bodies 2 to 4 are fixed in this position (see FIG. 11). Therefore, the beverage can be dispensed without touching the lever bodies 2 to 4. When the dispense is completed, the lever bodies 2 to 4 can be returned to their original initial positions by the biasing force of the tension spring 18 by lightly pushing them upward in the valve closing direction. Furthermore, when the lever bodies 2 to 4 return to their initial positions, the first valve 8 and the second valve 9 also return to their normal closed state by the biasing force of the return spring 10.

In this way, in the above embodiment, the three levers that can be operated individually for each beverage are provided as the operating elements for dispensing beverages, so the desired beverage can be reliably dispensed with simpler operations. In addition, the locking means allows for hands-free dispensing, making dispensing easy and allowing other tasks to be performed during the dispensing process.

In this embodiment, the main lever ML is placed in the center as a means to more reliably prevent erroneous lever operation, and a knob N1 that is longer than the other two sub-levers SL1 and SL2 is attached to it.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 12, the cover case C has a central long guide hole C1 that corresponds to the main lever ML, which is positioned closer to the front than the left and right long guide holes C2 and C3. This increases the discrimination between the main lever ML and the other sub-levers SL1 and SL2, more reliably preventing erroneous operation and eliminating interference between the levers when dispensing beverages.

C Cover case C1-C3 Long guide hole ML Main lever SL1, SL2 Sub lever N1 First nozzle N2 Second nozzle K1-K3 Knob BR1 Flow control block BR2 Spout block BR3 Cover block 1 Flow control base 1a Carbonated water supply path 1b Syrup supply path 2-4 Lever body 2d-4d Pressing portion 2f-4f Engaging protrusions 5-7 Locking means 5a-7a Engaging recesses 5b-7b Coil spring 8 First valve 9 Second valve 10 Return springs 11, 12 Orifice cap 17 Pin 18 Tension spring

Claims (8)

A beverage dispensing valve device provided with a first valve for opening and closing a supply path for a first beverage , and a second valve for opening and closing a supply path for a second beverage, the beverage dispensing valve device comprising three levers: a first lever for opening and closing the first valve alone, a second lever for opening and closing the second valve alone, and a third lever for opening and closing both the first valve and the second valve simultaneously , the three levers rotating in parallel with each other, and the three levers being arranged in parallel on the top side of the device with the third lever in the middle . The beverage dispensing valve device according to claim 1, wherein the three levers are normally biased in the valve closing direction, but are provided with a locking means capable of fixing the levers in the valve open position. A beverage dispensing valve device provided with a first valve for opening and closing a supply path for a first beverage, and a second valve for opening and closing a supply path for a second beverage, the beverage dispensing valve device comprising three levers: a first lever for opening and closing the first valve alone, a second lever for opening and closing the second valve alone, and a third lever for opening and closing both the first valve and the second valve simultaneously, the three levers rotating in parallel with each other, and the third lever being provided with a knob that can be distinguished from the other two levers. 4. A beverage dispensing valve device according to claim 3, further comprising a locking means for locking said levers in a valve-open position while said three levers are normally biased in a valve-closing direction. 5. The beverage dispensing valve device according to claim 3 , wherein the knob on the third lever is longer than the knobs on the other two levers. A beverage dispensing valve device as described in claim 3, 4 or 5, in which the three levers are tilted forward to open the valve. 7. The beverage dispensing valve device according to claim 6, wherein the third lever has a tiltable region required for a valve opening operation that is shifted toward the front side from the other two levers. 8. The beverage dispensing valve device according to claim 7, further comprising a cover case attached to an upper surface of the device , the cover case having three parallel long guide holes respectively corresponding to the tiltable regions of the three levers.

Images