US2774393A - Fruit juice dispenser - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 18, 1956 w. s. SWAN FRUIT JUICE DISPENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 20, 1955 JNVENTOR. William 3511mm BY ATTORNEY Dec. 18, 1956 w. s. SWAN 2,774,393

FRUIT JUICE DISPENSER Filed Oct. 20, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 43 INVENTOR.

Wzllz'amSSwan ATTORNEY FRUIT JUICE DISPENSER William S. Swan, New York, N. Y. i 7 Application October 20,1955, Serial No. 541,710 3 Claims. (Cl. 141-18) The present invention relates to fluid dispensers and more particularly to fluid dispensers vending a large variety of fluids simultaneously when contained in a dispensing structure and also relates to a novel wire rack construction which may be readily cleaned.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-variety juice dispenser with novel wire rack construction which may be easily removed from the housing and cleaned without being disassembled completely.

Another object of this invention is to provide a multi ple variety dispenser for liquids in which liquid storage containers and supply containers may be removed from the wire rack without disassembling the rack.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a wire rack suitable for supporting a large number of supply containers directly over the fluid storage containers so that upon depletion of the storagecontainer supply, an additional liquid supply may be added to the storage container without disassembling theunit, merely by inserting a full liquid supply can and puncturing it in position over the storage container. v

Anotherrobject of the present invention is to provide United States Patent a wire rack suitable for supporting a number of funnel containers having can puncturing means therein which will permit fluid flow upon forcing a liquid supply can on'the can puncturing elements.

For other objects and a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following de- 5 tailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 7 V 3.

Figure l is a perspective view of a multiple uice dispenser of the present invention;

A Fig.2 is a top plan view illustrating the disposition of the containers on a wire rack;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the plane of line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlargedvertical partial sectional view illustrating a supplycan having been punctured by the can puncturing device and the liquid flowing into the storage container below;

Pig. 5 is a perspective view of the wire rack contained within the container housing and illustrating in dash lines the containers positioned on the top rack;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the can puncturing dev1ce;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged top plan view of one element of the can puncturing device; and

Fig. 8 is a side elevational view of the can puncturing device, as illustrated in Fig. 7

Referring now more particularly to the drawings in which there is illustrated in Fig. l a multi-variety juice dispenser housing 10 having a cover member 11 and a plurality of individual spigot members 12 at the front of the housing. At the front of the housing 10 beneath the spigots 12 is a drawer 13 which is slidably retained within the base of the housing and may be supplied with the refrigerating medium or, as illustrated in Fig. 3, by the ice 14 contained on the bottom of the drawer tainer brace member 22. laterally spaced'from each other and retained in vertical parallel alignment by the front lower horizontal con- Patented Dec. 18, 1956 "ice of the dispenser. The walls and cover of the container may be insulated with a suitable material to maintain the container liquids at the desired temperature.

A removable wire rack structure 16 which is slidable verticallyinto the outer container 10 is a unitary structure made from a plurality of wire sections. End members 17 include vertical legs 18 and top and bottom cross brace members 19 and 20 respectively as well as intermediate horizontal tray brace member 21 and end con- The end members 17 are tainer recess brace 23 at the front of the rack and spaced vertically above the bottom end member 20, top horizontal members 24 and 25, at the top front and top rear ends respectively of the end members 17, the horizontal limit brace 26 spaced vertically above the lower container recess brace 23 to position a container on the rack, and the back lower horizontal container recess brace 27, which is on the same level as the front lower brace member 23. The distance between the front and rear lower braces 23 and 27 is spanned by a plurality of storage container supporting members 23, one for each storage container recess, and in addition a'plurality of L-shaped dividing compartment members 29, a short leg portion 30 of which extends vertically from the fastening position on the front recess brace 23 and is bent to reach horizontally to the rear limit brace member at right angles to which the other end is fastened.

Vertically spaced from the horizontal portion of the dividing compartment members 29 is a horizontal wire tray 31 so spaced to retain fluid supply container members 32, each of which reaches across the length of the rack between the end members 17 to be fastened to the horizontal tray-brace members 21 on each end member. When in the assembled position, the rack'forms a unitary structure which is suitable for supporting a plurality of liquid storage'co'ntainers 33, eachrhaving a width for being slidably retained in the recesses or compartments34 formed by the L-shaped dividing compartment-members 29. The front bottom of each container 33 is provided with a nipple 34 fastened to the container and communicating with the interior so that fluid contained therein may flow outwardly to be dispensed. When in the assembled position, as illustrated in Fig. 3, a threaded spigot 12 is fastened to the end of the nipple 34 whereby upon filling the container 33, a selected fluid may be dispensed from the spigot as desired.

A plurality of poured can receivers, or compartments 35, one of which 36 is illustrated as being larger than the others, are supported on the horizontal tray 31 and are retained in position on the tray by use of the rubber grommets 37,'or other suitable restraining means, each of which grommets has a circumferentially split section 38, which will engage with adjacent Wire tray elements 32 and the central portion of each of said grommets is removed to provide central recesses 39 to receive a down pour spout or funnel 40, from each of the pour can re-;

ceivers 35.

By examining Fig. 2, it will be observed that the disposition of each of the down pour spouts 46 within the compartments 35, as illustrated in the back portion of lfront elongated container 36 has a central opening therein. r

' Therefore; it becomes readily apparent that downpour v spouts or funnels in each of the receivers communicate witha'separatezfluid storage containerthelovv V t 111 each of the receivers 35, -.a can puncturing-device 7 is inserted and positioned at the bottom of;-.th'e receiver. 1 The can puncturing device comprises a =wirexstand 543 formed from 'bent wires which extend-"radially lfromwa; r

I central point and then are folded 'backwardly and "up-J x vardly' as at 44'and 45 to receive a ,floated onical' puncturing element 46. The heated conical puncturing' element 4 6 B provided uith sharp .cuttingfknife edges o 7 ,47land :fluid flow channels g positioned between two ot knife cutting edgesi Is clearly shown infig's. 3 ahd34,}as a supply icon- Ttainer 47 which is filled -with the'-rdesired .fiuid to be dislpensed is inserted into the receiving container 35 and.

e forced downwardly;thepuncturing elerriznts46-willpene tam n the can and the-liquid contained-therein will t fiow through the'channels {is downwardly into the pour- -spout tl provided 'in the reeciver 35 and be directed in flow into the receiver-or storage chamber 33 below. The height of the receivers 35 are such that'it would be v permissible to leave the-containers 47 withintthe unit so a that flow may continue fronrthe container '47 downwardly into the storage receivers 33 afterthe lid which is hingedly attached to thebase 10 is placed over-the unit covering same 7 7 it Will become readily apparent vthat upon exhausting the supply of fluid from any of the chambers .it will be necessary only to remove one iof the fiuid containers 4'7 zandiinsert; another container intopositionto make a supt 4 V V 1 ing elements reaching between the end elements at the front and rear of the rack to support the dividingelements, storage container supporting elements positioned substantially intermediate the Width of the recesses to I retain a storage'container in position, a'fiuid'supply containerrack spaced vertically above the top of thedividing I elements and intermediate the height of said end members to provide support fora number of fluid supply containers thereon. e

Y 2 A multiple variety liquid dispensercomprising a container housing hav in' support containers thereon, the lower'tray being spaced" tray, apluralit-y of individual spigots projecting outwardly from said container housing and communicating each with an individual fiuid storage container through the housing, 'fiu'id supply receiving containers having bottom 7 lid thereon, a removable wire 7 rack divided vertically in'to oontainer.receiving-trays to pour spouts selectively positioned in the containers 'so' 7 7 that each ,pour spout communicates with anindividual storage container ttherebelow, said fluid supply receiving containers beingvsupportedon said horizontal tray area 1 above the'fluid storage container recesses'and fluidstor-l; 'age containers, liquid supply can puhcturing means posi- V 'tioned within the fluid supply-receiving'containers -where- V V by .upon depressing a fluid filled c'ajn onto the puncturing I I r-ineans, fiuid will flo w into a fluid supply receiving .cong 7 ply" o f ithe 'desiredrfluid'available tobe'dispensed by the V: '1'

spigot 12. all will also be" clear metro; cleaning ipu'r V-poses it will be necessary only toirernove the entire rack as La unit-and; the co'mponent'ipar'tssuch as the storage containen the receiver the puucturing element, and so individually. Cleaningtof the rack is facilitated by re- 1 moving the various co rnponent'p'arts' and the wire-rack may be; cleaned without? disassembling and be :made ready 'for use;

' Whilefvarious 'changes'i-maybe inade in the: detail; j

V forthvugill be removed simultaneously andmay be cleaned a V V V l -ment ibetwe'enuthe bottom and rtop of the endmembersff top supporting wire elements parallel stoieach 'otherand V I v reaching between thetop corners of said endls upport-j 1 ing elements,-storage'container;supporting elementsspaced '1 ver'tically abovethe bottom of ethe end-timernbers '1 1' container supportingelemeutsrlying in thesarne horizontal V -construction it shall "be understood that sueh changes rlhall bewithin thespirit andscope or the prese'ntinvention' as defined by the appended claims," -Whatisi'claimedis:

t .1. In cornbination'with multiples variety" dis I wlpenser, a removable wire; rackcomprising endisupporting wire members spaced laterally from each other, up-

' wardly and rearwardly projecting wire dividing elements" forminga plurality of laterally spaced horizontallfluid' storage container recesses betweensaid end supporting members; said recesses spaced vertically from the 'bottaine i and; through the pour s'pout and then into the" i storage container below} 3.;ln combination Withia multiple varietyaliquididisfpenser, a wire framej rac k comprising'gopen wire vframe end supporting members spaced laterally fromeachother and having intermediate verticallyspaced horizontal ele-j aid No re'ferences cited.

plane-at theflfront and rear'of said endfrne mbers 1 V t ea he t smher zen al' t ra i rs tl I elements reaching between the c'o ntai ner{sup p li l "elementgwire 'dividing elements extending upwardly;asliort 7 7 distance and rearwardly to the-rear of said rack, thehori-i Zontal cross member reaching between-said end sup-f porting members to engage'the' ends .of said dividing ele-- ments' at the rear of the rack,

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