JPH0525759B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION a. Field of Industrial Application The invention relates to a post-mix type of beverage dispensing device, i.e. a type of beverage dispensing device in which the concentrate and diluent to form the beverage are mixed during dispensing. Regarding equipment.

b. Prior Art A post-mix type beverage dispensing method and device is such that, for example, in a filling department that is a manufacturing factory for concentrated syrup such as cola or juice, concentrated syrup is filled into a steel container and then transported to the above-mentioned device. However, it is known that in this apparatus, the concentrated syrup is discharged under pressure and mixed with a diluent, such as carbonated water.

In conventional beverage dispensing methods and devices of this type, the dispensing device includes, for example, a 3-gallon to 5-gallon steel syrup container filled with concentrated syrup. The feed controller dispenses a predetermined amount of concentrated syrup for one cup (e.g., about 33 ml) and a predetermined amount of diluent for one cup (e.g., about 33 ml).
167ml of carbonated water).

c. Problems to be Solved by the Invention As mentioned above, in conventional beverage dispensing methods and devices of this type, relatively large capacity containers, such as 3 gallons (approx. 11.4) to 5 gallons (approx.
18.9) syrup containers were used. Therefore, the following problems occurred.

The first problem is that concentrated syrup may remain in the syrup container in the beverage dispensing device for a relatively long period of time after the syrup container has been opened and connected to the appropriate connection tube of the beverage dispensing device. It is. Beverage dispensing devices typically dispense several types of beverages. In one beverage dispensing device, one type of beverage may be sold in large quantities and another type of beverage may be sold in small quantities. On the other hand, syrup containers for beverages sold in small quantities will be held in the beverage dispensing device for a relatively long period of time before being emptied. If the syrup container is opened and kept for a long period of time, the flavor of the concentrated syrup will deteriorate.

A second problem is the inability to hold multiple types of syrup containers within the beverage dispensing device. As mentioned above, given the large volume of the syrup containers, it is common that only a few types, for example five or six types, of syrup containers can be held within the beverage dispensing device. That is, it is not possible to hold many types of syrup containers, for example, 10 to 20 types, in the beverage dispensing device.

A third problem is that the construction and maintenance of beverage dispensing devices is relatively complex. In the beverage dispensing device described above, it is necessary to dispense a predetermined amount of concentrated syrup and a predetermined amount of diluent. Therefore, metering control means for each is required. Furthermore, in conventional devices, the syrup containers are connected to a carbon dioxide cylinder and to respective syrup supply pipes so that the syrup is supplied to the cup under the pressure of carbon dioxide gas. Therefore, it is relatively troublesome to connect the pipes when replacing the syrup container.

d.Object of the present invention The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a beverage dispensing device in which, after opening a container containing a concentrate for producing a beverage, this concentrate is immediately diluted to produce a beverage.

Another object of the invention is to provide a beverage dispensing device that is capable of holding multiple containers containing various types of concentrates within the beverage dispensing device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a beverage dispensing device that is relatively simple to construct and maintain.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a beverage dispensing device in which the container containing the concentrate is hygienically treated.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a beverage dispensing device capable of providing a beverage of precisely constant consistency.

e Means for solving the problems According to the present invention, the above problems are solved by adopting the following technical means, and the above objects are achieved by using the following technical means. This is achieved by adopting practical means.

According to the invention, a diluent source for supplying a diluent and a container disposed through the container containing the concentrate and in communication with the diluent source and for supplying the diluent from the diluent source to the diluent are provided. a piercing nozzle for dispensing into a container and discharging the diluent and the concentrate from within the container and out of the container, the piercing nozzle being in communication with the source of the diluent; an inlet opening through which a diluent is supplied from the diluent source; and an outlet communicating with the inlet opening and supplying the diluent supplied from the diluent source to the inlet opening into the container. and a discharge path for discharging the diluent supplied in the container and the concentrate contained in the container from inside the container to the outside of the container. Equipment is provided.

f Effect According to the invention, a drink cup of concentrate is filled into a container and diluted in a diluent. Therefore, the concentrate is diluted immediately after the container is opened, and the concentrate is not retained in the container for a long period of time after the container is opened.

According to the invention, one cup of concentrate is contained within the container. For this reason, the container containing the concentrate is small and therefore a large variety of containers containing the concentrate can be held within the beverage dispensing device.

According to the invention, a cup of concentrate is contained within the container. Therefore, when diluting this concentrate, it is not necessary to measure the amount of the concentrate, but only the amount of the diluent. This simplifies the structure of the beverage dispensing device and allows beverages to be provided at accurate dilution rates. Further, according to the present invention, since the diluent is supplied into the container containing the concentrate for dilution, there is no need to pressurize the container with a carbon dioxide gas cylinder, pump, etc. and connect it to a supply pipe.

A preferred container for use in the device according to the invention has at one end an opening for filling the concentrate and a seal formed of a material which can be penetrated by a piercing nozzle, sealing said opening. a member is provided, and the other end is provided with a penetration formed of a material through which a piercing nozzle can pass, such that a straight line passing through the opening and the penetration extends through the container. The piercing nozzle extends through the container through the opening and the penetration.

According to the invention, the piercing nozzle is flushed with a diluent, for example carbonated water, so that it can be kept clean at all times.

g. Embodiment Next, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

This example is an example of dispensing carbonated beverages. Therefore, liquid concentrated syrup for cola is used as the concentrate, and carbonated water is used as the diluent.

The present invention is not limited to this example, but can also be applied to other beverages such as juice, soup, coffee, and hot chocolate. The form of the concentrate is not limited to a liquid concentrated syrup, but may also be a powdered or granular concentrate, or even a liquid concentrate containing solids. Generally, when a concentrate is in powder form, when it is removed from a container, a portion of it may remain in the container due to static electricity or the like. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the diluent is poured into a container containing the concentrate. This allows the concentrate to be completely drained from the container. Alternatively, as a diluent, not only carbonated water but also cold water, hot water, etc. can be used.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be explained in the order of filling process, conveying process, and dilution process.

(Filling process) First, in the filling process, for example, in a filling department (not shown) that is a manufacturing factory for concentrated syrup,
One cup of concentrated syrup is filled into container 10 (FIG. 2).

The container 10 is made of plastic, for example.
It is constructed as shown in FIG. That is, the container 10 is generally cylindrical and has an opening 12 for filling the concentrated syrup. This opening 12 is
After the concentrated syrup is injected, it is sealed with a sealing film 14. The lower portion 16 of the container 10 has a generally semi-circular iris to make the container easier to hold and to conveniently transport during filling and adjust the container capacity. A tapered hub 18 is provided at the bottom of the container 10, and the top surface of the hub 18 is
It is made of thin film plastic and constitutes the penetration part 20. After the container is filled with concentrated syrup as described above and the opening 12 is sealed with a sealing film 14, a plastic cap 22 is preferably attached as shown in FIG. 2 to protect the sealing film 14.

The amount of concentrated syrup contained in container 10 depends on the amount of beverage to be served and the dilution ratio. For example, if the amount of beverage to be served is 200 ml and the dilution ratio is 1:5.1, the amount of concentrated syrup contained in container 10 will be approximately 33 ml.

The container 10 is not limited to the above-mentioned form, but other types of forms can be used. For example, container 1
For example, the main body may be made of metal or glass, and the opening 12 may be sealed with a sealing film 14. Moreover, the container 10 can also be formed from a film such as aluminum foil.

In addition, as described below, the capacity inside the container 10 is made larger than the amount of concentrated syrup to be accommodated, and the container 10 is
Preferably, the container 10 is constructed so that some gas, such as air or nitrogen, remains in the container 10 when the concentrated syrup is contained therein.

(Transportation Step) In the transportation step, the container filled with concentrated syrup as described above is transported from the filling section to the dilution section, which is, for example, a conventional beverage dispensing device.

(Dilution step) In the dilution step, the concentrated syrup conveyed to the dilution section is diluted.

Structure of Beverage Dispensing Device The diluting section is constituted by a beverage dispensing device 24 as shown in FIG. 1, for example.

Beverage dispensing device 24 includes a carbonator 26, a cooling bath 28, a carbon dioxide cylinder 30, and a piercing nozzle 40.

The carbonator 26 is connected to a water source 32 and a carbon dioxide gas cylinder 30 via a pressure reducing valve 34, and produces carbonated water. The cooling tank 28 cools the carbonated water produced by the carbonator 26 , and the cooled carbonated water is sent to the piercing nozzle 40 via the check valve 36 and the first electromagnetic valve 38 . Therefore, these members constitute a source of carbonated water which is a diluent.

As described above, the carbon dioxide cylinder 30 is connected to the carbonator 26 via the pressure reducing valve 34, and is also connected to the piercing nozzle 40 via the pressure reducing valve 34 and the second electromagnetic valve 42.

Beverage dispensing device 24 is constructed as described above so that first solenoid valve 38 and second solenoid valve 4
2, a desired amount of carbonated water and carbon dioxide is delivered to the piercing nozzle 4 at a desired timing.
Can be supplied to 0.

Piercing Nozzle The piercing nozzle included in the beverage dispensing device 24
The nozzle 40 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, and 4. 1 and 3, the piercing nozzle 40 is shown penetrating the container 10 containing concentrated syrup, and the piercing nozzle 40 is shown penetrating the container 10 containing concentrated syrup.
The figure is a sectional view taken along the line - in FIG. 3.

The piercing nozzle 40 includes a nozzle body 44,
It is composed of a gasket 46 and a retaining ring 48.

The nozzle body 44 has a first solenoid valve 38 and a second solenoid valve 38 .
an upper inlet opening 50 that is connected to the electromagnetic valve 42 and is supplied with carbonated water or carbon dioxide, an upper passage 52 that communicates with the upper inlet opening 50, and an upper passage 52.
a plurality of outlet ports 54 communicating with the upper passage 52;
A lower passage 56 separated from the lower passage 56, an inlet 58 communicating with the lower passage 56, and an outlet 60 provided at the lower end of the nozzle body 44 and communicating with the lower passage 56.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the outflow ports 54 are provided in three sets of four each.
each at an angle to the radial direction, e.g.
placed at a 45° angle. Therefore, when carbonated water is supplied through the upper inlet opening 50 and the upper passage 52 and flows out into the container 10 from these outlet ports 54, the carbonated water flows into the container 10.
Proceed in a spiral manner.

As shown in FIG. 4, four inlets 58 are provided at equal angular intervals. When the carbonated water is allowed to flow out of the outlet 54, the concentrated syrup and carbonated water are discharged from the interior of the container 10 through the inlet 58, the lower passage 56, and the outlet 60.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the nozzle body 44 has a distal end 61 provided with a discharge port 60 and other parts connected by a threaded part 62. This makes it possible to easily change the shape of the tip 61 and therefore the outlet 60 depending on the type of concentrated syrup.

The nozzle body 44 includes a flange 63 on the outer periphery at an upper position. The retaining ring 4 is attached to this flange 63.
8 is fixed, and this retaining ring 48 supports an elastic gasket 46. gasket 46
is the hub 18 of the container 10, as shown clearly in FIG.
contact the inner surface of the area to prevent fluid from flowing out of this area.

In this embodiment, concentrated syrup and diluent are discharged from the interior of the container 10 to the exterior via the inlet 58, the lower passage 56, and the outlet 60. Alternatively, or in addition to this, an uneven portion (not shown) is provided on the outer periphery of the tip of the piercing nozzle 40, and a hole formed by the recess of the uneven portion and the inner surface of the container provides a discharge path. The container 10 can also be constructed so that the concentrated syrup and diluent are discharged from the interior of the container 10 to the outside.

Operation of the Beverage Dispensing Device The beverage dispensing device as described above operates as follows.

First, a container 10 in which concentrated syrup is stored.
is stored in a cooled state within the beverage dispensing device 24 or in a suitable refrigeration device.

Manually or automatically, the container 10 filled with concentrated syrup is placed under the piercing nozzle 40 with the sealing film 14 facing down, and the cup 64 is placed underneath. The piercing nozzle 40 is pushed down and the first piercing nozzle 40 penetrates the penetration part 20 and the sealing film 14.
The state is set as shown in the figure and FIG. In this state, the gasket 46 is attached to the hub 1 of the container 10.
8 to prevent fluid from flowing out from above the container 10. In the lower part, the tip of the piercing nozzle 40 protrudes from the sealing film 14 of the container 10, and the outlet 60 is connected to the container 10.
It is located outside of.

In this state, the first solenoid valve 38 and the second solenoid valve 42 of the beverage dispensing device 24 are controlled to supply a predetermined amount of carbonated water to the piercing nozzle 40 . For example, if the amount of concentrated syrup stored in container 10 is 33 ml and the dilution ratio is 1:5.1, approximately
Supplying 167ml of carbonated water will provide approximately 200ml of beverage.

The carbonated water supplied to the piercing nozzle 40 is forced to flow into the container 10 via the upper inlet opening 50, the upper passageway 52 and the outlet 54.
Since the outlet 54 is arranged at an angle to the radial direction as described above, the carbonated water flows into the container 10.
The concentrated syrup descends in a spiral manner and is discharged to the outside of the container 10 together with the concentrated syrup via the inlet 58, the lower passage 56 and the outlet 60, and is received in a cup 64 disposed below. This piercing
In the nozzle 40, the concentrated syrup and carbonated water are discharged from the inside of the container 10 to the outside through an inlet 58,
This is done through a discharge path consisting of a lower passage 56 and a discharge port 60. Alternatively, the tip of the piercing nozzle may have an uneven outer periphery so that the concentrated syrup and carbonated water are discharged between this outer periphery and the inner periphery of the opening 12 of the container 10. can.

As mentioned above, the amount of carbonated water is considerably larger than the amount of concentrated syrup, and since the carbonated water is supplied into the container 10 and the concentrated syrup is pushed out, the mixed liquid of carbonated water and concentrated syrup is Carbonated water, which is discharged and substantially free of concentrated syrup, is discharged from the container 10 and is supplied to the cup 64. That is, by doing this, the inside of the container 10 containing the concentrated syrup is cleaned by the carbonated water which is the diluent. Moreover, by doing this, the pier cylinder nozzle 40 is also cleaned by the carbonated water. This allows containers containing concentrated syrups of different flavors to be discharged using a single piercing nozzle without mixing the flavors.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, carbonated water is supplied through an outlet 54 located above, and concentrated syrup and carbonated water are discharged through an inlet 58 located below. Therefore, the carbonated water sequentially moves inside the container 10 from the top to the bottom. Therefore, most of the concentrated syrup in the container 10 is first discharged from the container 10, and then carbonated water substantially free of concentrated syrup is discharged. Therefore, by arranging the container 10 in this way,
The inside can be effectively cleaned with carbonated water. In addition, cup 6
4, a mixture of concentrated syrup and carbonated water is first supplied, and then carbonated water containing substantially no concentrated syrup is supplied, but these are supplied to cup 64 at a certain flow rate. In order to be
The concentrated syrup and carbonated water are rapidly mixed, and the concentration of the beverage in the cup is uniform within a short period of time. It is also possible to supply carbon dioxide gas to the upper part of the container at the same time as the supply of carbonated water, so that the mixed liquid of concentrated syrup and carbonated water can be discharged more quickly.

Further, according to this embodiment, the outlet 54 is arranged at an angle, that is, inclined, with respect to the radial direction, as shown in FIG. For this reason,
The carbonated water spouted from the spout 54 spirals inside the container and moves along the inner wall of the container 10. Therefore, the inner wall of the container 10 can be effectively cleaned with carbonated water.

After supplying a predetermined amount of carbonated water as described above,
If necessary, the first solenoid valve 38 is controlled to stop the supply of carbonated water, and the second solenoid valve 42 is controlled to supply a predetermined amount of carbon dioxide gas to the piercing nozzle 40. As a result, the carbonated water remaining in the container 10 is forcibly discharged to the outside. The gas that forces the carbonated water remaining in the container 10 to be discharged to the outside does not need to be carbon dioxide gas, and other gases such as air may be supplied. However, when diluting with carbonated water, carbon dioxide gas may naturally separate from the carbonated water, so if the pressure is above a certain level, the final gas push can be omitted.

Preferably, as described above, when the volume of the container 10 is larger than the amount of concentrated syrup to be stored, and the concentrated syrup is stored in the container 10,
The container 10 is configured such that some gas remains in the container 10, for example air or nitrogen. With this structure, as described above, the container is placed with the sealing film 14 facing down, and the piercing nozzle 40 is passed through the container 10 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. For example, when carbonated water is spouted from the outlet 54, the pressure inside the container 10 increases. For this purpose, a penetration 20 inside the hub 18 of the container 10 is provided.
There is a risk that some substance in the container 10 may be discharged to the outside through the gap between the piercing nozzle 40 and the piercing nozzle 40. If the substance discharged from here is concentrated syrup, this concentrated syrup will contaminate the outer periphery of the nozzle body 44, the gasket 46, the hub 18 of the container 10, etc. on the outside of the container 10, which is undesirable. On the other hand, as described above, if some gas is present in the container 10, even if the pressure inside the container 10 increases, this gas will not be discharged from between the top surface of the container 10 and the piercing nozzle 40. This can prevent the concentrated syrup from being discharged.

In addition to the configuration of the above embodiment, a mixing nozzle can be provided. This mixing nozzle is located between the container 10 and the piercing nozzle 40 and the cup 64. This mixing nozzle is connected to the outlet 60 of the piercing nozzle 40 and supplies mixed concentrated syrup and carbonated water to the cup. Carbonated water and carbonated gas are supplied to this mixing nozzle from the cooling tank 28 and the carbonated gas cylinder 30 via respective electromagnetic valves. These solenoid valves supply carbonated water to the cup 64 via the mixing nozzle shortly before the concentrated syrup and carbonated water are supplied to the cup,
After that, the control is performed to supply carbon dioxide gas. By using this mixing nozzle, more uniformly mixed concentrated syrup and carbonated water can be supplied to the cup 10.

h Effects of the Invention The present invention has excellent effects such as the concentrated syrup being diluted within a short time after opening the syrup container and a large number of syrup containers being able to be held in the beverage dispensing device.

Further, according to the present invention, since the inside of the container filled with the concentrate is washed with the diluent, all of the concentrate can be reliably discharged from the container to the outside. Furthermore, since no concentrate remains in the container from which the concentrate has been discharged, these insects will not gather and cause unsanitary conditions.

Also, the piercing nozzle is cleaned, so
A single piercing nozzle can be used for multiple concentrated syrups in sequence without resulting in flavor mixing.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a beverage dispensing device according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a container containing concentrated syrup used in the apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG. Third
1 is an enlarged view of the portion of the container of FIG. 1 being pierced by a piercing nozzle; FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line - in FIG. 3. 10... Container, 14... Sealing film, 18
... hub, 20 ... penetration part, 24 ... beverage dispensing device, 26 ... carbonator, 28 ... cooling tank, 3
0... Carbon dioxide cylinder, 36... Check valve, 3
8... First solenoid valve, 40... Piercing nozzle, 42... Second solenoid valve, 44... Nozzle body, 46... Gasket, 50... Upper inlet opening, 54... Outlet, 56 ...Lower passage, 58...
...Inlet, 60...Outlet, 64...Cup.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A diluent source for supplying a diluent, and a diluent disposed through a container containing a concentrate and communicating with the diluent source; a piercing nozzle for dispensing into the container and discharging the diluent and the concentrate from within the container and out of the container, the piercing nozzle communicating with the source of diluent; an inlet opening through which a diluent is supplied from the diluent source; and an inlet opening that is in communication with the inlet opening and supplies the diluent supplied from the diluent source to the inlet opening into the container. It is characterized by comprising an outlet and a discharge path for discharging the diluent supplied into the container and the concentrate contained in the container from inside the container to the outside of the container. Beverage dispensing equipment. 2. A beverage dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the outlet is located above the outlet. 3. A beverage dispensing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the outlet is arranged at an angle to the radial direction of the piercing nozzle. 4. The discharge passage is constituted by a passage provided in the piercing nozzle, an inlet that communicates the passage with the inside of the container, and an outlet that communicates the passage with the outside of the container. A beverage dispensing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 5. The beverage dispensing device according to claim 4, wherein the outlet is provided at the tip of the piercing nozzle, and the tip is removably connected to other parts of the piercing nozzle. . 6. The piercing nozzle has an uneven portion formed at its tip, and the discharge passage is constituted by a hole formed by the recessed portion of the uneven portion and the inner surface of the container. The beverage dispensing device according to any one of the ranges 1 to 3. 7. One end of the container is provided with an opening for filling the concentrate and a sealing member formed of a material that can be penetrated by the piercing nozzle, sealing the opening. , the other end of the container is provided with a penetration formed of a material that can be penetrated by the piercing nozzle, and a straight line passing through the opening and the penetration extends through the interior of the container. With this, the piercing
7. A beverage dispensing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the nozzle is able to penetrate the container through the opening and the penetration. 8. The beverage dispensing device according to claim 7, wherein the sealing member of the container is constituted by a sealing film.