US2692616A - Beverage dispensing valve - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 26, 1954' A. GLASSENHART 2,692,616

BEVERAGE DISPENSING VALVE Filed Nov. 26, 1951 gg; 3 a

1 1 INVENTOR.

? 6L FONS 64 ASSE/W/fl/QZ' ATTORIVEK Patented Oct. 26, 1954 UNlTED STAES T OFFICE BEVERAGE DISPENSING VALVE Phoenix, Ariz.

Application November 26, 1951, Serial No. 258,136

4 Claims.

This invention pertains to improvements in beverage dispensing valves, and is particularly directed to valves and valve head structures for soft drink mixing and dispensing apparatus.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an improved beverage dispensing valve which is highly efficient in operation and rapid in action and which requires a minimum amount of skill and eilort upon the part of the operator to provide a properly mixed drink.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved beverage dispensing valve head structure in which a plurality of flavors may be readily placed under individual lever control around a central dispensing nozzle area including soda water and plain water dispensing facilities.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved beverage dispensing valve having a plurality of control levers interlocked and inter-related with one another so as to provide proper proportions of water, flavoring and charged soda water under instant push button control.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved control valve structure for accurately metering predetermined proportions of flavoring and water without skill and attention upon the part of the operator.

Further features and advantages of this invention will appear from a detailed description of the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the improved beverage dispensing valve incorporating the features of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section through one of the metering valve structures on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, showing the valve in closed position.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the valve in opened position.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 66 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 1-1 of Fig. 3.

As illustrative of one form of this invention there is shown a beverage dispensing valve comprising a main housing I which is secured to a supporting portion l I which in turn has a mounting flange l2 and reduced end portion l3 terminating in a threaded end M which in turn is secured to the front wall l of a suitable cooling tank by means of the clamp nut IS on the threaded portion I4. Fixed in the housing memher I0 is the support plate I! in which there is provided a series of bores 8 which receive the reduced end portions I9 of the various dispensing valves Fl, F2, F3, F4, WI, W2 and S each comprising the sleeve portion 20 terminating at its lower end in a discharge conduit 2| The valves Fl, F2, F3 and F4 are flavor or syrup dispensing valves and their discharge conduits 2| are preferably of a small capillary tube type arrangement 22, as best seen in Fig. 4, so that when fluid to the valve is cut oil the capillary action of the tube 22 will be such as to retain the flavoring in the tube and will not allow an extra drainage or drip from the discharge tube 2|. The valves WI and W2 may have larger discharge conduits 2| such as the conduits 23 as the thin liquid will immediately drain out of the discharge tube as shown in Fig. 3. A high pressure or fizz dispensing valve S may preferably have the capillary type tube 22 shown in Fig. 4 to give the necessary accelerated velocity of the soda water to be injected into the glass containing the carbonated drink for making soda or fizz drinks.

Each valve comprises the sleeve member 20 forming the supply chamber 24 to which are connected the various supply lines 25 coming from the water supply, the carbonated water supply, and the flavoring supply tanks through the cooling cabinet in a well known manner and enter through the hollow portion 26 of the valve head to be connected to the various chambers 24. Slidingly mounted in the chamber 24 is the valve plunger for each valve indicated generally at 26 and is sealed at its upper portion by suitable seal 21 and has a reduced diameter portion 28 on the lower end of which is fixed a suitable composition valve seat member 29 which engages the valve seat 30 of the member 20 of the valve. Below the valve seat member 29 is a downwardly projecting end portion 3| having a diametrically disposed slot 32, the latter downwardly depending portion nicely sliding in the reduced bore 33 in the valve sleeve member 20. When the valve is in closed position as shown in Fig. 4 the seat member 29 is sealed tightly against the valve seat 30 and the diametral slot 32 is completely enclosed in the bore 33 of the valve. When the valve plunger 26 is pulled upwardly to discharge position as shown in Fig. 5 it will be noted that the diametral slot 32 forms with the valve seat 30 a rectangular opening 34 of very accurate cross section for very accurate dispensing and discharge of liquid from the chamber 24 into the discharge conduit 2|. The area or amount of discharge through the opening 34 is accurately obtained by careful adjustment of the upper stopping position of the valve plunger 26 by engagement of its upper end with a suitable stop screw 36 carried in the stop screw plate 31 supported by a central supporting screw 38 having a head with an abutment surface 39 engaging the top surface 40 of the plate 31, the screw 38 in turn being threadedly mounted at M in the plate H, as best seen in Fig. 2.

Each valve stem 26 has an enlarged diameter portion 42 having an upper abutment surface 43 which is engaged by a spring 44 which spring in turn engages the under surface 45 of the plate 3! around the set screw 36 so as to normally bias or hold the valve plunger 26 in closed condition with its valve seat member 29 engaging the valve seat 36 of the sleeve 20 of the valve. Thus by very careful adjustment of the screws26 precise discharge from each of the valves at the desired quantities may be readily obtained. Further spacing members and supporting pins may be providedat 46 as shown in Fig. 3 to rigidly secure the plate .31 at a predetermined spaced position relative to the mounting plate I! so that the screw 38 functions as the final locking device to secure the plates together to the pin'membersf46.

The low pressure soda valve WI and the high pressure soda water valve S are controlled from the single control lever key 47- which is :mounted on the rod 48 which is pivotally mounted at its end at the point 49 on the enlarged portion 42 of the valve plunger 26 of the'valve S. The rod 48 also passes through the diametral opening 50 in the enlarged portion 42 of the valve plunger 26 of the valve WI as best seen in Fig. 2. When the key 41 is pressed downwardly to the position la the rod 48 rocks about the point 56 to cause its rear end at 49 to rise upwardly and. thereby raise the plunger 26 and open the valve S to allow discharge through the discharge tube 5I-. When in the neutral position 41 both the valves S and WI are closed. If desired, the key may be pulled upwardly to the position 47b whereupon the rod 48 will pivot around the point 49 and cause the plunger 26 of the valve WI to be raised to open discharge of conduit 23. Thus .by the manipulation of the control. key 41 to the positions above described, either higlrpressure'or low pressure carbonated water or none at all maybe obtained readily from the two valves WI and S. The valve S may be connected to'a plain water supply if desired so that depressing lever-to position 41a will dispense plain water.

Associated with this valve arrangement are the flavor or syrup control valves FI andFZr. each of which is connected through a common .cross piece 52 having semi-circular recesses '53 formed in their outer ends which nicely engage around the reduced end portions 54 of the respective valve plungers and also engage up underneath the abutment surface 55 of the enlarged portion 42 of the respective valve stems. Intermediate the ends of the pieces 52 is provided anropening 56 through which passes the clevis screw 5! having a suitable universally mounted head 58 for engaging the member 52 for pulling'it upwardly toward the surfaces 55 of the valve plungers. The screws 51 are suitably secured to the inner ends of the'valve operating'rods159 and 66 having the respective flavor control valve keys BI and 62 at their outer ends, the rods 59 and 66 projecting outwardly through slots 63 forme'd in the housing I0 as best seen in Fig. 6. Thus in this arrangement when a key such as Si is pressed downwardly the piece 52 will be pulled upwardly against the abutment surfaces55 'of the valve plungers of the valves FI and WI so that both of these valves are opened simultaneously to give a discharge of water and flavoring at the same time into the receptacle placed at a point 59' in Fig. 2. Similarly when key 62 is pressed both the valve WI and the flavor valve F2 plungers are raised for simultaneous discharge of their contents to automatically provide mixed carbonated drinks. As soon as one or the other of the flavor valves 6| or 62 has been operated long enough to give the proper amount of mixed carbonated drink in the glass, the operator may move over and press the key 41 down to position lla to apply high pressure carbonated water thereto. Thus there has been provided in combination with three keys two of which provide a mixed drink or carbonated water and flavoring and a third key which functions to apply fizz carbonation to the mixed drinks is thus obtained in this unique valve structure. It will be further noted that the common control key 41 is adapted-t0 giving high pressure and low pressure soda independent of the flavor keys BI and 62.

In a similar manner the flavor keys 64 and 65 are interconnected with a water control key 66, but in this arrangement there is provided no soda valve S or WI in conjunction with the water valve W2 so that whenever the water valve key 66 is pressed downwardly, pure water is provided. When either the key 64 or 65 is pressed both the syrup and water in combination issue from the respective valves F3, F4 and W2.

Thus in the unique beverage dispensing head there is provided a series of key controlled valves such that a combination of flavor and water may be readily applied from a plurality of difierent types of syrups and flavorings to a receptacle and then one key may be utilized for applying soda water and another key utilized for applying plain water. Further, there is provided means for interlocking the operation of the soda and plain water keys with the flavor control keys of the dispensing valve.

While the apparatus herein disclosed and described constitutes a preferred form of the invention, it is also to be understood that the apparatus is capable of mechanical alteration without departing from the spirit of the invention and that such mechanicalarrangement and commercial adaptation as fall within the scope of the appendent claims are intended to be included herein.

Having thus fully set forth and describedthis invention what is claimed is:

1. In a beverage dispensing valve structure having, a water valve, a soda water valve, and a plurality of flavor dispensing valves, a common operating lever providing the sole means for alternately opening one or the other of said water or soda valves, a ingle control lever directly connected to actuate each of said flavor valves, and means interconnecting said flavor valve control levers with said soda water valve control lever so that whenever a flavor valve lever is actuated said soda valve lever is also actuated.

2. In a beverage dispensing valve structure having a water valve, a soda water valve, a plunger in said water valve, an operating plunger in said soda water valve, a common operating rod interconnected with both of said plungers providing the sole means for conditioning and actuating said plungers, and a manually operated key connected to said rod, whereby movement of said key effects alternate operation of said plungers in said Water and soda valves respectively, a plurality of flavor dispensing valves, plungers in each of said valves, a manually operated control lever connected to directly actuate each of said flavor dispensing valve plungers, through means interconnecting one of said flavor valve plungers and said plunger of said Water valve to one of said flavor control levers, and further means for connecting the plunger of another flavor dispensing valve with the plunger of said water valve and connected to be actuated from another of said flavor operating valve levers.

3. In a beverage dispensing valve having a first valve and a second valve, a plunger in each of said valves, a common control key mechanism providing the sole means for alternately opening one or the other of said valves, a plurality of flavor dispensing valves, a plunger in each of said flavor dispensing valves, means interconnecting each of said flavor selecting valve plungers with said first Valve plunger, and lever operating means, one for each of said flavor selecting valves connected to each of said means interconnecting a flavor selecting valve plunger and said first valve plunger operable simultaneously with said common control key mechanism.

4. In a beverage dispensing valve, a first low pressure carbonated water valve, a second high pressure carbonated soda water valve, a plunger in each of said valves, a common control key 6 means comprising a rod member pivotally mounted in each of said plungers providing the sole means for conditioning and actuating said low and high pressure valve plungers, a key on the outer end of said rod member, a flavor selecting valve, a plunger in said flavor selecting valve, a cross bar interconnecting said flavor selecting valve plunger and said first low pressure valve plunger, and a flavor selecting lever connected intermediate the ends of said interconnecting member between said flavor and first valve plungers, and key means associated with said last mentioned member operable to simultaneously operate said flavor and first valve plungers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 660,735 Ormerod Oct. 30, 1900 1,603,082 Jacobs Oct. 12, 1926 1,942,426 Hunter Jan. 9, 1934 2,132,030 Hunt Oct. 4, 1938 2,346,290 Carlson Apr. 11, 1944 2,371,432 Di Pietro Mar. 13, 1945 2,495,210 Copping Jan. 24, 1950 2,556,448 Schaal June 17, 1951 2,573,888 Benjamin Nov. 6, 1951 2,585,247 Hudson Feb. 12, 1952

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