US1822117A - Beverage dispensing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 8, 1931. J. M. TRAVIS 1,822,117

BEVERAGE D I SPENS ING APPARATUS 7 Filed March 14. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l I //v VE/VTOR JOHN m km W5.

QTToRA/m:

Sept 8, 1931. v s 1,822,117

BEVERAGE DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed March 14, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 //v vs/vroe JOHN M. TRA v/a QTTOEA/Er Patented Sept. 8, 1931 UNITED STATES JOHN M. TRAVIS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI BEVERAGE DISPENSING APPARATUS Application filed March 14, 1929. Serial No. 346,945.

My invention has relation to improvements in beverage dispensing apparatus and consists in the novel features of construction more fully set forth in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

Briefly the invention comprises a faucet connected with several sources of syrup supply, and a source of carbonated water supply, the faucet being provided with valve controlled passageways and a valve operating handle, which may be moved to a given position to dispense a drink consisting of'a mixture of syrup from one source and carbonated water, the handle also being movable in a different direction to dispense a drink of a mixture of syrup from another source and carbonated water. 7

The objects of the invention are to combine with a single faucet a supply of different syrups so that different beverages may be drawn from the same faucet; to provide a plurality of syrup measuring receptacles leading to the faucet, whereby the quantity of syrup is accurately proportioned, and to withdraw thecontents of said measuring receptacles by different movements of the faucet handle; to provide means for automatically replenishing the supply in each measuring receptacle after having exhausted the contents thereof; and to provide a faucet that is certain in its operation and embodies other advantages that will be better apparent from a detailed description of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved beverage dispensing apparatus with parts broken away and only a portion of the cooler wall shown; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the apparatus; Fig. 3 is a plan of the faucet handle looking at the under side to show the cam for operating the valves; Fig. 4 is a top plan of the faucet body with the measuring receptacles cut off; Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section on line 55 of Fig. 4 of the faucet body with parts in elevation and the position of the port leading from the carbonated water pipe to the valve chamber indicated by dotted lines, as this port is in front of the plane of the section; Fig. 6 is a vertical longitudinal section through the valve body taken on irregular line 66 of Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is a horizontal cross-section through the valvev in Fig. 7 showing a modified form of the.

invention wherein both syrup valve chamhere have communication with acommon syrup pipe.

Referring to the drawings, W represents the wall of a cooler traversed by a pipe 1, having my improved faucet 2 mounted on its outer end. Within the pipe 1 are syrup pipes 3, 3 and a water pipe 4, the inner ends of the pipes 8 receiving risers 5 which carry the syrup receptacles 6. The inner end of pipe 4 leads to a source of carbonated water, not shown. In the present instance, there are formed within the faucet two valve chambers 7, 7 each of which communicates by means of a port 8, with one of the syrup pipes 3 so that the valve chambers 7 are normally in communication with the source of syrup supply. Two elbows 9, 9 are connected into the valve body 2 near the top thereof, each of which carries a measuring,

receptacle 10, comprising tubes 11, 11 and the receptacle proper 10, the tube 11 being extended slightly above the top of the syrup container 6 and being open at the top so that The elbows I it may also serve as a vent. 9, 9 are connected by vertical passageways l2, 12 with valve chambers 7, 7, the passageways 12, 12 being eccentric to the valve chamhers 7, 7 and adjacent to passageways 13, 13, the axes of which are coincident with the valve chambers 7, 7 respectively, with which said passageways communicate. Syrup discharge ports 14, 14 are provided for the measuring receptacles, each of said discharge ports communicating with the adjacent passageway 13 by a transverse port 15 and the upper end of each passageway 14 is threaded to receive a plug 16 which may be screwed up or down to adjust the amount of the port 15 that is in communication with passageway 14.

A valve 17 is disposed in chamber 7 and is normally held by a spring .9 against a shoulder 18 between passageway 13 and chamber 7, said shoulder 18 serving as a seat for the valve. The inner wall of chamber 7 is provided with threads 19 and a spring seat 20, having a. central opening 21, is screwed into the chamber 7 to a position above the port 8, said seat 20 serving as an abutment for the spring .9, whereby the spring exerts its tension to hold the valve 17 against its seat 18. Projecting upwardly from the valve 17 and into the passageway 13 is a stem 22 of reduced diameter, said stem having upper and lower conical shoulders 23 and 24 respectively. A gasket 25 is disposed on shoulder 23 and a tip 26 adapted to slide in passageway 13 serves to confine the gasket 25 in place. Since both of the syrup valves are similarly constructed, the foregoing description applies with equal force to the other valve. A closure plug 39 is screwed into the lower end of each chamber 7.

A water discharge port 27 is longitudinally disposed in the faucet body 2 at the center thereof and a water valve chamber 28 is positioned between the port 27 and the periphery of said faucet body. The chamber 28 extends approximately half way through the body 2 and communicates with a passageway 29 in axial alinement with the chamber, said passageway 29 being connected by cross-ports 30, 30 with discharge port 27. The passageway 29 is of smaller diam eter than chamber 28 so that a shoulder 31 is formed where they meet, and below this shoulder a transverse passageway 32 leads into chamber 28 from the water supply pipe 4. A water valve 33 is disposed in chamber 28 and normally held against shoulder 31, which serves as a valve seat, by a spring confined between said valve and a plug 35 screwed into the lower end of chamber 28. A stem 36 of reduced diameter projects upwardly from valve 33 into passageway 29, and a gasket 37 and tip 38 are positioned on the upper end of the stem 36. The crossports 30, 3O communicate with that part of passageway 29 in which the stem 36 operates so that these ports remain open even when the valve is operated.

A stud 39 is fixed in the faucet body 2 at the center thereof and a handle 40 having an operating disk 41 is rotatably mounted on said stud, said disk having a central opening 42 through which the stud passes and the end of the stud having threads 43 to receive a nut 44. A plurality of cam formations, comprising diverging inclined surfaces 45, 45 and oppositely disposed inclined surfaces 46, 46 are formed within the disk 41, said formations being symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal axis a: of the handle. That is, on each side of said axis is a cam 45 and a cam 46 separated by a depression 47. The cams 45, 45 also meet in a depression 45. The disk 41 is also provided with an arcuate slot 48 which receives a pin 49 projecting upwardly from the faucet body and limits the amount of movement in either direction of the handle 40.

When the handle is in its inoperative position, that is straight to the front, the tips 26, 26 for syrup valves 17, 17 and tip 38 for water valve 33 are resting respectively in depressions 47, 47 and depression 45. Thus the tips are in their highest positions and the valves 17, 17 and 33 are closed. In this closed position of the syrup valves no syrup may pass from discharge ports 14, 14, although syrup may flow from each pipe 3 through opening 21 in spring seat 20 into the upper part of chamber 7 to the measuring tube 11 and receptacle 10 until the syrup stands in tube 11. at the same level as in the tank 6. Thus normally there is always a supply of syrup in the measuring receptacle. Of course, when the water valve 33 is closed, no water can flow from discharge port 27. If the dispenser wishes to draw a drink from the faucet he moves the handle 40 to one side or the other (depending on the kind of drink desired) as far as it will go. This movement depresses the tip 38 and the water valve to open posi tion (see Figs. 8 and 5) and one of the tips 26 and syrup valve connected to it (see Fig. 6) opening said syrup valve. The tip actuating the other syrup valve rides idly in depression 47. When the syrup valve is depressed to open position the depending stem 17 enters the opening 21 in spring seat 20 and thus prevents the syrup from the supply from entering the measuring receptacle, (see dotted position Fig. 6) and at the same time allows that which is in said receptacle t0 flow through passageway 13 into discharge port 14 mixing in the nozzle 50 from which the beverage discharges. If now a beverage is dispensed by moving the handle to the opposite position, the exhausted measuring receptacle will be refilled while drawing the second drink. Therefore, at busy fountains, it is preferable to fill both the tanks 6 with the same kind of syrup so that many drinks of the same kind may be rapidly dispensed from one faucet by merely swinging the handle from one side to the other.

In Fig. 9 I show a modification of the invention wherein the ports 8, 8 connecting the syrup valve chambers with the source of supply converge and lead to a single syrup pipe 3 so that but a single syrup tank is necessary. Of course, this modification cannot be employed when the faucet is required to dispense more than one kind of beverage.

Having described my invention I claim:

1. A dispensing apparatus comprising in combination with a source of beverage supply, a faucet having a body portion and a handle movably mounted thereon, said body portion having a plurality of beverage valve chambers in communication with the beverage supply, a beverage discharge port leading from each chamber, a measuring receptacle adapted for communication with each of said chambers, and a spring-pressed valve in each chamber between the measuring receptacle and the source of supply, a stem depending from said valve, a perforated spring abutment below the valve adapted to be closed by said stem when the valve is depressed, and means on the handle for depressing the valves and simultaneously therewith opening the discharge ports.

2. A dispensing apparatus comprising in combination with a source of syrup supply and a source of water supply, a faucet having a body portion and a handle movably mounted thereon, said body portion having a syrup valve chamber in communication with the syrup supply and a syrup discharge port leading from said chamber and the body portion having a water valve chamber in communication with the water supply, a measuring receptacle adapted for communication with the syrup valve chamber, a valve in said chamber normally closing said discharge port, a valve in the water valve chamber, and means adapted to be actuated by the handle for operating the valves to open the syrup discharge port and the water valve and simultaneously therewith closing communication between the syrup valve chamber and the source of supply thereto.

3. A beverage dispensing apparatus comprising in combination with a plurality of syrup containers and a source of water supply, a faucet having a body portion and a handle, a measuring receptacle normall having communication through the body portion with each of said containers, said body portion having discharge ports adapted for communication with the respective receptacles, and a discharge port adapted for communication with the source of water supply, means operable by a movement of said handle to a given position for opening the discharge port of one of said receptacles and simultaneously closing the supply thereto, means operable by movement of the handle to a second position for opening the discharge port of a second receptacle and simultaneously closing the supply thereto, and means for opening the water discharge port with a movement of the handle to either of said positions.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

JOHN M. TRAVIS.

Images