JPH04359774A - Cooled beverage supplying apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a cooled beverage supplying apparatus in which maintenance such as cleaning of a beverage dispencing system is simple, invasion of dusts, various bacteria, etc., can be prevented, and further the running cost and the size can be reduced. CONSTITUTION:A door 4 is opened, and a beverage vessel 3 can be contained in a heat insulation box 1 to be cooled by a cooler. A self-suction type pump 24 is provided at the door 4, and a liquid supply tube 40 to be inserted at its end into the vessel 3, communicates with the suction side of the pump 24. A spout 26 disposed at its end out of the box 1, communicates with the discharge side of the pump 24, and the pump 24 is operated to supply beverage from a spout 26 to a fractional vessel 49. In order to clean a beverage dispencing system, the tube 40 is drawn from the vessel 3, then introduced into warm water, and the pump 24 may be operated in this state.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cold beverage dispensing device for dispensing beverages in a cooled state.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art An example of this type of device is a water cooler that has been conventionally attached to a refrigerator. The general structure is, for example, as described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 51-51506, a cooling tank is placed inside the refrigerator, a pump is provided to suck up the water in the cooling tank, and the outside of the refrigerator door is The structure is such that a liquid supply nozzle is arranged and a discharge port of a pump is connected to the liquid supply nozzle. In this case, the pump is generally of a spiral type with an impeller installed inside the casing, and the suction section including the impeller is submerged in the water of the cooling tank.

0003

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The device having the above structure has become common as a device for supplying cold drinking water. However, if you try to use this device as a cooling and supply device for beverages such as juice, sake, or mineral water, which are distributed in special containers and are easily perishable, the following problems occur. cause problems.

[0004] That is, when this is used, for example, as a supply device for chilled sake that is distributed in bottles,
First, you transfer the sake from the bottle to a cooling tank, set it in a predetermined position in the refrigerator, insert the suction part of the pump into the cooling tank, and close the lid. However, as mentioned above, the work of transferring the beverage to the cooling tank and pumping it into the cooling tank is not only troublesome, but also makes it easy for dirt, dust, germs, etc. to get into the drink. There's a problem. In particular, with delicate drinks such as sake, bacteria can easily grow inside the drink.
As a result, the taste deteriorates significantly or becomes cloudy, making it impossible to drink. In addition, with these beverages, precipitates tend to adhere to the inner walls of cooling tanks, pumps, or dispensing pipes, and if left untreated, they will gradually accumulate in layers.
Eventually, this may flake off and get mixed into drinks.

[0005] In order to prevent the proliferation of germs and the contamination of precipitates, it is necessary to thoroughly and frequently clean the interior of the beverage dispensing system, such as the cooling tank and pump. However, with conventionally structured equipment, such work is extremely troublesome.
In particular, it is actually not easy to sufficiently clean the inside of a spiral pump, which has a complicated structure in which an impeller is disposed within a spouting pipe or a casing. Moreover, even if the hot water can be sufficiently washed with hot water, the hot water adhering to the inner wall of the beverage dispensing system must be sufficiently removed to prevent it from being mixed into the beverage. However, such drying work is not easy. Therefore, it is not practical at all from the viewpoint of maintenance and hygiene to use the above-mentioned cold drinking water supply apparatus as a supply apparatus for drinks that are easily deteriorated, such as Japanese sake.

[0006] On the other hand, in the case of large-scale cold beverage dispensing equipment used especially for commercial purposes, the cooling tank is constructed in a closed type, and carbon dioxide gas or nitrogen gas is supplied into the tank under pressure. Arrangements have also been considered in which the cooled beverage can be dispensed without the use of a pump.

[0007] However, even with such a configuration, the beverage still has to be transferred to the cooling tank, which is cumbersome and there is still the risk of intrusion of dirt and germs. No, cleaning the beverage dispensing system is extremely troublesome. Moreover, since a special gas for pressurization is required, there is a problem in that running costs are also high.

[0008] Furthermore, as a configuration in which the pump can be omitted, a type in which a cooling tank is disposed above and a beverage spout is disposed below it to utilize the head difference has been considered. However, this increases the possibility of liquid leakage and is not practical.Also, the positional relationship between the cooling tank and the beverage spout is fixed, which reduces the degree of freedom in design and increases the overall size of the device. The problem is that it cannot be avoided.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems of conventional devices all at once. Therefore, the present invention provides a cold beverage supply device that allows easy maintenance such as cleaning of the beverage dispensing system, prevents dirt and germs from entering the beverage, has low running costs, and can be downsized. The purpose is to provide

0010

[Means for Solving the Problems] The cold beverage supply device of the present invention includes an insulating box body in which a beverage container can be stored inside by opening the door, and a cooling device for cooling the inside of this insulating box body. The door is equipped with a self-priming pump, and the suction side of the pump is connected with a liquid supply pipe whose tip is inserted into the beverage container, and the discharge side of the pump is connected with a liquid supply pipe whose tip is inserted into the beverage container. This is a configuration in which a spout body located outside the heat insulating box body is provided in communication with the spout body.

[0011]

[Operation] To cool the beverage, open the door, store the beverage container inside, insert the liquid supply pipe connected to the pump into the mouth of the beverage container, and close the door. The fact that the beverage can be cooled in its original container, rather than transferring it to a separate container, means that there are fewer opportunities for dirt, dust, germs, etc. to enter the beverage.

[0012] Furthermore, in order to dispense the cooled beverage, a separate container may be placed below the spout body located outside the heat insulating box and the pump may be operated. Since the pump is a self-priming type, even if there is air in the suction path, it can first suck out the air by itself to suck out the beverage in the beverage container, and then supply the required amount from the spout body into the cup. can.

Furthermore, in order to clean the beverage dispensing system, the liquid supply pipe connected to the pump may be immersed in a cleaning liquid such as warm water, and the pump may be operated for a necessary period of time. With this,
Since the cleaning liquid flows through the liquid supply pipe, the pump, and the discharge port in this order, even if beverage precipitates adhere to the inner wall surfaces thereof, it can be removed. In addition, after such cleaning is completed, if the liquid supply pipe is removed from the cleaning liquid while the pump is still operating, the air sucked into the self-priming pump will flow through the liquid supply pipe, the pump, and the discharge port body in this order. As a result, the hot water adhering to the inner wall of the beverage dispensing system is gradually removed. The device can then be reused by opening the door and reinserting the cleaned and dried liquid supply tube into the beverage container.

[0014]

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, there is no need to transfer the beverage to a cooling tank, so the chances of intrusion of dirt and germs are significantly reduced, and the beverage can be maintained at high quality for a long period of time. Can be done.

Furthermore, since a self-priming pump is used, the structure is extremely simple and the running cost is reduced compared to the conventional configuration in which a high-pressure special gas is pumped into a closed beverage container to dispense the beverage. It will also be cheaper. In addition, compared to a configuration in which drinks are poured out of a cooling tank using a head difference, there are fewer problems with liquid leakage, and there is a greater degree of freedom in design regarding the placement of the beverage container and pouring spout, resulting in a smaller overall size. etc. can be easily achieved.

Furthermore, since the beverage dispensing system can be easily cleaned using a beverage dispensing pump, maintenance is extremely easy, and deposits tend to adhere to the inner walls of the beverage dispensing system. Coupled with the above-mentioned situation that there is little chance of the intrusion of various bacteria, even if the beverage is of a different nature, it has the excellent effect of enabling high-quality preservation.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention as an apparatus for cooling and supplying cold sake will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

FIG. 1 shows the overall structure in longitudinal section. As shown here, the insulating box 1 has a square shape with an open front, and the cooling chamber 2 inside has a beverage container 3 for sake (Japanese sake).
It is large enough to store a 1 sho bottle (1 sho bottle) in an upright position. A heat insulating door 4 is pivotally attached to the front side of the heat insulating box 1 so that it can be opened and closed laterally, and a gasket is placed between the door 4 and the front edge of the heat insulating box 1 when the door 4 is closed. It is sealed at 5.

The heat insulating box 1 is constructed by filling a heat insulating material 8 such as urethane foam between an outer box 6 made of a steel plate and an inner box 7 made of plastic, and the cooling chamber 2 is located at the back. A thermally insulated machine room 9 is provided. Inside this machine room 9, a compressor 10, a condenser 11, etc. for constructing a known compression type refrigeration cycle are disposed, and a cooling fan 12 for cooling these is installed.

The bottom of the inner part of the cooling chamber 2 is stepped and raised to form the machine room 9, and a cover 13 is attached here to form a cooler chamber 14. A cooler 1 constituting a part of the refrigeration cycle in 14
5 is placed. A circulation fan 16 is provided above the cooler 15, which sucks the air in the cooling chamber 2 through a suction port 13a formed at the bottom of the cover 13 and circulates it in contact with the cooler 15. Cold air can be discharged into the cooling chamber 2 from a cold air discharge port 13b formed at the top of the cooling chamber 13.

The compressor 10, condenser 11, and cooler 15 described above function as a cooling device for cooling the inside of the heat insulating box 1, and have a general configuration as shown in FIG. 3 as a refrigeration cycle. In addition, in the figure, 17 is a dryer, 18 is a capillary tube as a throttle valve,
A defrosting valve 19 is opened to supply hot gas into the cooler 15 when the cooler 15 is defrosted.

On the other hand, the door 4 has a back plate 22 on the main body frame 21.
are combined, and a heat insulating material 23 is filled between the two. There is a pump 2 at the top of the front of door 4.
4 is fixed with a screw 25, and the spout body 2 is inserted downward here.
6 is installed. The pump 24 is a bellows type self-priming type, and its internal structure is shown in detail in FIG. 4.

That is, a motor (not shown) is disposed within the motor case 30, and the rotary plate 31 is rotationally driven by this motor. A crank pin 32 is provided upright at an eccentric position of the rotating plate 31, and one end portion of a connecting rod 33 is connected to the crank pin 32. Further, a bellows 34 that is vertically expandable and retractable is attached to the motor case 30, and the upper end of the connecting rod 33 is fixed to the lower part of the bellows 34. Inside the bellows 34 is an inlet body 35
A suction valve 37 and a discharge valve 38 are provided at the base of each of the mouth bodies 35 and 36 so as to be connected to the discharge port body 36 . Therefore, when the motor is energized and the rotary plate 31 is rotated, the connecting rod 33 reciprocates up and down and the bellows 3
4 expands and contracts, and as a result, gas or liquid flows into the inlet body 35.
The fluid is sucked in from the air and discharged from the discharge port body 36. Note that the discharge port body 36 is connected to the above-mentioned spout body 26 by a tube (not shown).

Now, as shown in FIG. 1, a liquid supply pipe 40 is connected to the suction port 35 of the pump 24. This liquid supply pipe 40 includes a flexible liquid supply tube 41 and a hard liquid supply pipe body 4.
2, both of which are made of materials that are difficult to dissolve into beverages; for example, the liquid supply tube 41 is made of silicone resin, and the liquid supply pipe body 42 is made of Duracon resin. One end of the liquid supply tube 41 is connected to the inlet body 35 of the pump 24, and the other end is connected to the cooling chamber 2 through a pipe 43 provided through the door 4. A liquid supply pipe body 42 is connected. And the liquid supply pipe body 42
The proximal end side is bent at an almost right angle, and a substitute stopper 44 is fitted in the middle part, and by fitting the substitute stopper 44 into the opening of the beverage container 3, the tip of the liquid supply pipe 42 is bent into the beverage container 3. It will be inserted inside. Note that the beverage container 3 is placed on a container holder 45 attached to the back side of the door 4.

On the other hand, below the spout body 26 located on the front side of the door 4, a stand 46 is attached to the door 4 with screws 47 so that its vertical position can be adjusted, and a tray 48 is fixed below the stand 46. has been done. On the stand 46,
As shown in FIG. 1, a subdividing container 49 can be placed to receive the cold sake poured out from the spout body 26.

A rectangular cover 50 that covers the pump 24 is attached to the front surface of the door 4. This cover 50 is attached to the door 4 by hooking its upper edge onto a hook 51 fixed to the top of the door 4 and fixing its lower end flange to the door 4 with screws 52, and has a control unit inside. 53 are provided. This control unit 53 has a function of controlling the operation of the compressor 10 based on a signal from a temperature sensor 54 installed in the cooling chamber 2 when the door 4 is closed, and also controlling the operation of the pump 24. and a knob 55 on the front surface of the cover 50 as shown in FIG.
, 56, push button switches 57, 58, and a display 59 for displaying the temperature inside the cooling chamber 2. When the push button switch 57 is pressed, the pump 24 operates only while the push button switch 57 is pressed, and the desired amount of chilled sake can be poured out, and when the push button switch 58 is pressed,
The pump 24 operates for a preset time to dispense a certain amount of cold sake. Also, by operating the knob 55, the temperature inside the cooling chamber 2 can be set to a desired value, and by operating the knob 56, the temperature of the pump 2 can be set to a desired value when the push button switch 58 is operated.
4 can be set to a desired value.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

With the door 4 open, as shown in FIG. 1, a one-sho bottle (beverage container 3) with the stopper opened is placed on the container holder 45, and a substitute stopper with the liquid supply pipe 42 inserted therein is placed. Fit the body 44 and seal it. As a result, the liquid supply pipe body 42 is inserted into the cold sake in the beverage container 3, and preparation for dispensing is completed. In this way, the beverage can be used as is in the one-sho bottle without having to be transferred to a separate container exclusively for cooling, so the chance of contamination with dirt and germs is greatly reduced compared to the conventional structure. In addition, in the extra space at the back of the cooling room 2,
As shown in Figure 1, an unopened one-sho bottle (beverage container 3)
It is a good idea to store it in advance.

[0029] When the door 4 is closed and the power is turned on, the compressor 10 is operated, and the chilled sake in the cooling chamber 2 and, in turn, in the beverage container 3 is cooled. When the inside of the cooling chamber 2 is cooled to the set temperature, the operation of the compressor 10 is stopped based on a signal from the temperature sensor 54, and the following steps are performed.
The control unit 53 controls the operation of the compressor 10 so as to maintain the inside of the cooling chamber 2 at a set temperature.

[0030] To pour out cold sake, place the subdivided container 49 on the stand 46 and press, for example, the push button switch 58 of the control unit 53. Then, the pump 24 is operated for a certain period of time, and the cold sake in the beverage container 3 is sucked through the liquid supply pipe 40, so that the cold sake, which has been cooled to a drinkable temperature, is delivered from the pouring spout body 26 to the subdivided container. 49. Here, even if there is air in the liquid supply pipe 40, since the pump 24 is a self-priming type, it will first suck air from inside the liquid supply pipe 40, and as a result, the cold sake in the beverage container 3 will also be sucked out. Can be inhaled. Therefore, the beverage can be reliably supplied to the subdividing containers 49 at all times without being affected by the remaining amount of the beverage.

When the cold sake in the beverage container 3 becomes empty due to repeated pouring as described above, the liquid supply pipe 42 is pulled out from the empty beverage container 3 and a new beverage container is inserted. You can replace it within 3. To do this, first open the door 4 and take out the spare beverage container 3, open the stopper and replace it with the empty beverage container 3 on the container holder 45, and then replace the empty beverage container 3 with the new beverage container 3. Insert the liquid supply pipe body 42 pulled out from 3. In this case as well, there is no need to transfer cold sake from a 1-sho bottle to another container, and the liquid supply pipe 42
Not only is the work easy as all you have to do is replace the
The chances of contamination with dirt and germs are extremely low.

[0032] In addition, especially when storing and dispensing a beverage that is easily deteriorated, such as Japanese sake, it is preferable to clean the beverage dispensing system as frequently as possible in order to maintain quality. Therefore,
The device of this example can be easily cleaned as follows.

First, open the door 4, take out the liquid supply pipe 42 from the beverage container 3, and insert the liquid supply pipe 42 into the liquid supply tube 41.
Separate it, take it out, and close door 4. By rubbing the removed liquid supply pipe 42 with a brush or the like in warm water, for example, the precipitated components of Japanese sake adhering to the outer wall of the liquid supply pipe 42 can be completely removed.

Furthermore, remove the screws 52 on the front surface of the door 4, lift the cover 50 slightly upwards, and remove its upper edge from the hook portion 51. Since the cover 50 is thereby separated from the door 4, it is placed on the heat insulating box 1, for example, as shown in FIG. Then, with the door 4 closed, open the liquid supply tube 4.
1 to the front and pull it out from the pipe 43 of the door 4, attach the liquid supply pipe body 42 again to its tip, and as shown in the same figure, put the tip into hot water for cleaning stored in a bucket 60 or the like. I'll keep it. On the other hand, a drain tube 61 is connected to the spout body 26 of the pump 24, and the tip of the drain tube 61 is placed in, for example, a bucket 62 for receiving drain water.

In this state, when the push button switch 58 of the control unit 53 is turned on, the pump 24 is operated, and the hot water for cleaning in the bucket 60 passes through the liquid supply pipe body 42 and the liquid supply tube 41 and is supplied to the pump 24. It is sucked into the bellows 34 and further flows from the spout body 26 through the drain tube 61 into the bucket 62. If the hot water flows in this way, the deposits attached to the inner walls of the beverage dispensing system, such as the liquid supply pipe body 42, the liquid supply tube 41, or the bellows 34, will be gradually washed away, and even if this device is used for a long period of time, the deposits will not be deposited. There is no risk of material buildup.

After this, if the pump 24 continues to operate without hot water in the bucket 60, air will flow through the entire beverage dispensing system such as the liquid supply pipe body 42 and the liquid supply tube 41. The hot water adhering to the inner wall is thereby evaporated, and the entire beverage dispensing system can be sufficiently dried without particularly using a hot air dryer or the like. and,
The beverage dispensing system has been sufficiently cleaned by the above operations, so connect the liquid supply pipe body 42 to the liquid supply tube 41, insert it into the beverage container 3, close the door 4, and the cleaning process begins. will all end. Incidentally, since such cleaning work can be performed with the door 4 closed, there is no risk that the temperature inside the cooling chamber 2 will rise during that time.

[0037] In this way, when using the device of this example, a one-sho bottle, which is commonly distributed as a special container for Japanese sake, can be used as is, and there is no need to transfer the drink. Since this type of container is fully sterilized and filled with beverage, the amount of bacteria inside is extremely small, and it is extremely rational to use it for storage. Moreover, as mentioned above, the fact that there is no need to transfer drinks is not only convenient for handling, but also
This means that there is no chance for dirt, germs, etc. to enter the beverage due to this process, so the quality of the beverage (chilled sake in this example) can be maintained at a high level for a long period of time. .

Furthermore, since the self-priming pump 24 is used to suck the beverage, the beverage container 3 can be placed in any position, and the height of the entire device can be reduced. Unlike systems that use a head to supply beverages, there is no risk of liquid leakage, and unlike systems that use special gas to feed beverages under pressure, running costs can be reduced.

In addition, since the self-priming pump 24 is used, cleaning can be easily performed by forcing hot water or the like into the beverage dispensing system using the pump 24. For this reason, even if a beverage that is likely to have precipitates attached to the inner walls of the beverage dispensing system is supplied, it is possible to prevent the precipitates from accumulating through periodic cleaning, for example. This allows it to be used hygienically for a long period of time.

Furthermore, after cleaning the beverage dispensing system as described above, the interior can be dried using the self-priming pump 24, so that the water used for cleaning will not mix with the beverage. You can easily prevent things that would make the food taste bad.

[0041] In the above embodiment, a case was explained in which a one-sho bottle was used as the drinking container 3, but the shape of the drinking container is not limited to this, and various special containers that are generally filled with beverages and distributed can be used. can do. for example,
Currently, sake is sometimes supplied in large paper packages called cubitina. When using this, as shown in FIG.
All you have to do is store it.

Further, the self-priming pump is not limited to the bellows type shown in the above embodiment, but may also be a diaphragm type. Furthermore, the number of pouring pumps 24 is not limited to one as in the above embodiment, but a plurality of such pumps may be provided to create a multiple cold beverage with a plurality of spout bodies 26 as shown in FIG. It may also be used as a supply device. In this case, 1
Of course, the two cooling chambers can be cooled with one cooling device.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to chilled alcoholic beverages, but can be widely used to supply beverages that are chilled for drinking, such as wine, juice, mineral water, coffee, tea, soup, etc. Various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

[Fig. 1] A longitudinal cross-sectional side view showing one embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 2] Front view

[Figure 3] Configuration diagram of refrigeration cycle

[Figure 4] Partial sectional view of the pump

[Figure 5] Partial longitudinal cross-sectional view to show the cleaning method

[Figure 6] Vertical side view when storing a large beverage container

[Fig. 7] Front view showing different embodiments

[Explanation of symbols]

1...Insulating box body 2...Cooling room 3...Beverage container 4...door 10...Compressor 11...Condenser 15...Cooler 24...Pump 26... Outlet body 40...Liquid supply pipe 41...Liquid supply tube 42...Liquid supply pipe body

Claims (1)

[Claims] [Claim 1] An insulating box that can store a beverage container inside by opening the door, a cooling device for cooling the inside of the insulating box, and a self-priming pump provided on the door. a liquid supply pipe that is connected to the suction side of the pump and whose tip is inserted into the beverage container and whose tip is located inside the insulation box; and a liquid supply pipe that is connected to the discharge side of the pump and whose tip is inserted into the insulation box. A cold beverage supply device comprising a spout body located outside the body.