NL1041985A - Distribution and DOSING DEVICE FOR DISTRIBUTING LIQUIDS - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention relates to a device suitable for distributing and dosing liquids. According to this invention, the device comprises one or more packages or containers, each containing a liquid. Each package or container is connected to a pump that carries the desired dose of the liquid to an outflow opening of a tap tube or to a nozzle of a flexible hand distributor.

Description

DIVIDING AND DOSING DEVICE FOR DIVIDING LIQUIDS

The present patent application relates to a device which is suitable for distributing and dosing liquids.

In this application and the appended claims, liquids are understood to mean all substances that are well-liquid but also viscous or viscous substances, thick-liquid or pulpy substances, sauces, oils, fats, mayonnaises, etc. Liquids containing small solid particles also fall within the term liquids.

State of the art.

Such liquids are often distributed and dosed with a hand pump. A well-known example of this is the bottles or buckets on which a hand pump is mounted on or on which are operated by the pressure of the hand. A disadvantage of such hand pumps is that the quantity of liquid supplied depends on the pressure exerted on the hand pump: the deeper the pump is pressed, the greater the quantity of liquid supplied. A further disadvantage is that the container is never pumped completely empty, but that a residual amount always remains in the bottles or buckets. This disadvantage can occur in a commercial environment, for example in fast restaurants, establishments, industrial kitchens, etc.

These pumps also use an immersion tube that is immersed in the substance / liquid in order to be able to suck it up. The length of this suction pipe therefore determines the amount of substance / liquid that remains in the package / container as soon as the pump starts to suck in air. In practice, the diverse variety of packages / containers ensures that in practice a suction tube that is too short is always used, and as a result of which a large residual quantity of substance remains in the package.

The used manual pumps, with all their associated components (such as immersion tube and pressure disk lying on the surface of the sauce to "push it down") must be cleaned internally and externally at regular intervals. With existing systems, this means manual cleaning, which of course is time-consuming.

Replacing an empty package / container with a new one means that the manual pump, with all its associated components such as dip tube, pressure plate, etc. is often not cleaned and is transferred from one package / container to another.

A thick layer of substance / liquid remains attached to the pump and its components - due to its sticky property - so that dripping occurs when changing the package / container.

The aforementioned drawbacks are partially overcome by devices that work with compressed air. Compressed air, however, is an expensive solution and compressed air is normally not available in locations where sauces are dosed and distributed, and therefore must be provided extra.

Another solution is described in NL patent N ° 1007880. According to this patent, the container containing a liquid substance consists of a bag to which, by means of a coupling system, a pump with a flexible rotor (= flexible impeller pump) is coupled. However, the device according to the NL patent has the disadvantage that it is not suitable for different types of containers (bottles or containers in glass, plastic, etc.) and that the flow rate delivered is not precisely adjustable, inter alia because the dripping of the liquid after stopping of the pump is not prevented.

Object of the invention

The object of the invention is to provide a device which is suitable for distributing and dosing liquids and which does not have the above-mentioned disadvantages.

This object is achieved by providing a dispensing and dispensing device for distributing liquids which comprises one or more packages or containers that each contain a specific liquid, wherein at least one of the packages or containers is coupled to a pump.

The dispensing and dosing device further comprises an operating and control device which controls the at least one pump, the control device controlling the at least one pump such that this pump makes a number of revolutions in a certain direction or that this pump during a certain time in a direction, and wherein the control device then controls the pump so that this pump makes a number of revolutions in the opposite direction or that this pump rotates in an opposite direction for a certain time.

The dispensing and dosing device for distributing liquids can furthermore comprise a quick coupling for connecting a package or container to the at least one pump.

The dispensing and dosing device for distributing liquids can further comprise at least one tap housing.

The dispensing and dosing device for distributing liquids can comprise at least one flexible hand dispenser.

The flexible hand distributor can be provided with a nozzle with several openings.

The dispensing and dosing device for distributing liquids can further comprise a special cleaning program.

The dispensing and dosing device for distributing liquids can further comprise a cooling device.

Short description of the. figures

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a device according to the invention provided with fixed tapping housings (front view).

FIG. 2 is a perspective rear view of the device according to the invention. · ·

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a device according to the invention provided with flexible hand dividers.

FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of the interior of the device according to FIG. 1 at the height of one container with associated tap house.

FIG. 5 also shows an "exploded view", but now from the interior of the device according to FIG. 3 at the height of one container with accompanying flexible hand distributor.

FIG. 6 shows a distribution device with fixed tapping housings provided with a lid and provided with a cooling.

Detailed description Definition: in this description and the appended claims, liquids are understood to mean all substances that are liquid including viscous or viscous substances, thick-liquid or pulpy substances, sauces, oils, fats, mayonnaises, etc. Liquids containing small solid particles also include liquids.

The dispenser according to Fig. 1 has two containers (1), each container with, for example, a different liquid (e.g. one mayonnaise, a second cocktail sauce, etc.) and three tapping housings (2), each tapping tube being provided with an outflow opening. In figure 1 one place (11) is provided for accommodating a container in the form of a bag. An operating device (3) comprises the necessary elements to operate the distributing device, for example via a touchscreen on which the various commands (the package / container / container to be used with the associated tapping tube, cleaning cycle, etc.) and setting options (operating time or number of revolutions) of the pump, portion or amount of liquid, etc.) of the device. The dispensing device can in principle comprise fewer or more containers and tapping houses than the number shown in Figure 1, this depending on the number of necessary types of sauces or liquids.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, each container is placed upside down in the dispenser and connected to the input of an impeller pump (4) over a quick coupling (5) to the corresponding container. Via pipe (6) connected to the outlet from the impeller pump, the liquid is further fed to a tap pipe or hand distributor, both provided with an outflow opening.

The speed of the pump can be adjusted according to the desired flow rate. The number of revolutions of the pump or the running time of the pump is set as a function of the desired amount of liquid to be supplied to the outflow opening. The pump has two directions of rotation: a first direction in which the liquid is displaced in the direction of the outflow opening and a second direction in which the liquid is displaced in the direction opposite to the outlet opening. By running the pump, after each command for supplying a certain amount of liquid, a limited number of revolutions or a limited time in the opposite sense, the dripping to the outflow opening is avoided, a control command for supplying a certain amount of liquid actually exists from a double command: a first sub-command to run the motor in a certain sense for a certain time or for a number of revolutions followed by a second sub-command to run the motor in the opposite direction, again for a specific time or during a number of revolutions, in order to avoid dripping.

As can be seen from Figs. 4 and 5, the quick coupling is connected to the container via an adapter (7). In this adapter (7) the male part (5) of a quick coupling is accommodated while the female part is connected to the pump.

By making use of an electrically driven flexible impeller / screw pump with associated electronic control and the necessary instructions and cleaning fluids, it is possible to provide a cleaning program in which the internal cleaning can take place semi-automatically.

For this purpose, a special packaging / container is applied to the device, which is equipped with the universal quick coupling and which contains water with or without a cleaning product. The touchscreen (3) can display the instructions to be followed. For example, the touchscreen may ask the operator to change the package / container and replace it with a container with water with or without a cleaning product. Going through all these steps creates a cleaning cycle that achieves good cleaning. The cleaning process is thus automated, and therefore simplified, so that it will happen more frequently in practice.

Only the very short suction tube contains a small amount of substance / liquid when replacing an empty package / container. This has the further advantage that there is only one part that is easy to clean and that there is virtually no drop of the substance / liquid when changing the container.

Figures 3 and 5 show a variant with flexible hand dividers. The connection to the container is the same as the connection in Figure 4. The impeller pump is also present. However, the tapping tube has been replaced by a flexible hand distributor (9), the nozzle (8) of which is provided with one or more openings, for example three openings. The operation is now done via a lever (10) on the hand distributor that activates a push button. In this way one can, for example, apply three different points of liquid to a product, such as a hamburger or other, with one command. In this way you can divide the amount of sauce nicely, without extra manual work.

It may be important to keep the containers at a certain cooling temperature in order to prevent spoilage. By applying a lid (see, for example, Fig. 6) over the packages or containers, and making an air flow in the space created thereby, a space can be cooled by means of a cooling system (eg mechanical cooling or peltier cooling, etc.) to become. By using a temperature sensor, the temperature can therefore be adjusted to a desired value (eg 8 ° C). By also passing the air flow past the pump and tap, these are also cooled, and thus not only the stock of sauce in the containers is cooled, but also the sauce in the pump and tap is kept at the desired cooling temperature.

The above-mentioned second partial command can be set such that the liquid is sucked back into the cooled zone.

The embodiments shown in the figures and described in the above description are not limitative. Other embodiments are within the reach of the skilled person.

For example, the flexible impeller pump can be replaced by another pump, eg a gear pump, a hose pump, etc.

Claims (8)

A dispensing and dispensing device for distributing liquids which comprises: - one or more packages or containers that each contain a specific liquid; - at least one pump, linked to a package or container; - a control and monitoring device that controls the at least one pump; characterized in that: - the above-mentioned pump is an impeller pump; - the control device controls the at least one impeller pump such that this impeller pump makes a number of revolutions in a certain direction or that this pump rotates for a certain time in a certain direction, and that - the control device then controls the impeller pump such that this pump turns in the opposite direction or that this pump runs in an opposite direction for a certain time. The distribution and dosing device for distributing liquids according to claim 1, wherein the speed of the impeller pump is adjusted according to the desired flow rate of the liquid to be distributed. The dispensing and dispensing device for distributing liquids according to claim 1, further comprising a quick coupling for connecting a package / container to the at least one pump. A dispensing and dispensing device for distributing liquids according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one tap tube. 5. A dispensing and dosing device for distributing liquids! according to one of claims 1 or 2, which further comprises at least one flexible hand divider. A dispensing and dispensing device for distributing liquids according to claim 4, wherein the flexible hand dispenser is provided with a nozzle with several openings. A dispensing and dispensing device for distributing liquids according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a special cleaning program. A dispensing and dosing device for distributing liquids according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a cooling device.