WO1998020783A1

WO1998020783A1 - Package handling

Info

Publication number: WO1998020783A1
Application number: PCT/GB1997/003119
Authority: WO
Inventors: John Charles Cooke; Michael Ian Wright; Alan Michael George Meeks
Original assignee: Mars U.K. Limited
Priority date: 1996-11-13
Filing date: 1997-11-12
Publication date: 1998-05-22
Also published as: AU4957497A; GB9623620D0

Abstract

A beverage dispensing apparatus, for receiving a generally planar filter pack (18) with a flanged nozzle (16). The nozzle is supported in a channel (14) of a pack carrier (12) mounted on a support bar (8). After the beverage has been dispensed, a threaded rod (4) is rotated to cause the carrier (12) to move leftwards towards a bulkhead (2) having a thrust arm (10) extending therefrom. The arm (10) enters the channel (14) to contact the flanged nozzle and push the filter pack off the carrier. The spent filter pack drops into a waste bin.

Description

PACKAGE HANDLING This invention relates to package handling in beverage dispensing machines and in particular to the equipment for enabling spent beverage-producing filter packs to be discarded.

A known commercial beverage dispensing system is based on a generally-planar beverage-producing filter pack provided with a flanged nozzle extending from one edge thereof. A filter sheet within the filter pack supports a beverage-producing product such as ground coffee or leaf tea. Such a filter pack is placed in a suitable machine, suspended by the nozzle flange. A hollow injector descends to pierce the nozzle and hot water is injected into the pack. The beverage exits through a lower edge of the filter pack, the lower edge having been opened by cutting, or self-opening under the pressure of the liquid injected therein. Such filter packs are described in GB-A-2121762 , EP-A-0179641, and EP-A-0247841. Once the beverage has been dispensed the spent filter pack must be discarded into a waste bin in the machine. The present invention is concerned with apparatus for automatically discarding such packs accurately. According to the present invention there is provided a beverage dispensing apparatus as specified in the claims hereinafter.

Preferred features of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows schematically the discarding equipment for a spent filter pack in a beverage dispensing apparatus according to the invention, and Figure 2 is a plan view of a filter pack carrier employed in the discarding equipment. Referring to the drawings, the apparatus comprises a bulkhead 2 from which extends a rotatable threaded rod 4 driven by an electric motor 6. A cylindrical support bar 8 and a thrust arm 10 also extend from bulkhead 2. Mounted on the rod 4 and bar 8 is a filter pack carrier 12. The carrier 12 has a channel 14 which, in use, supports the nozzle flange 16 of a filter pack 18. The channel 14 extends leftwardly to open at position 20, in line with the thrust arm 10. The carrier 12 retains a nut 22, which has a thread complementary to that of rod 4, and through which the threaded rod 4 passes. When the motor drives the rod to rotate, the carrier 12 moves along the rod 4 supported on support bar 8.

Referring to Figure 2 the end of channel 14 remote from position 20 is formed by a pair of jaws 24. The outer end of jaws 24 is sized to be slightly less than the diameter of the neck of the pack nozzle. Within the mouth of jaws 24 is a widened portion 26 sized to receive the neck of the pack nozzle exactly. Carrier 12 is formed of plastics material and in consequence the jaws 24 are slightly resilient. This allows the jaws 24 to part slightly as a filter pack is engaged with the channel 14 of carrier 12. The neck of the pack nozzle is then received in, and retained in, portion 26. In use, the motor initially drives the carrier 12 rightwards to rest at a beverage dispensing station (not shown) . A filter pack is introduced into the apparatus so that the nozzle flange is supported on channel 14, with the nozzle directly below a hollow water injector. After the beverage has been dispensed as described above, the motor is actuated to drive the carrier leftwards towards the bulkhead 2. When the carrier approaches the bulkhead, the thrust arm 10 enters position 20 of the channel and eventually (Contacts the nozzle flange to push the latter off the end of the channel in which it is retained. The spent pack drops into a spent filter pack holding bin. The motor then reverses to drive the carrier 12 back to the beverage dispensing station for the next cycle to begin.

Claims

CLAIMS : -

1. A beverage dispensing apparatus for receiving a generally planar filter pack, said apparatus having a spent filter pack discarding means which comprises: a filter pack carrier movable between a beverage dispensing station and a spent filter pack discarding position, said carrier having means to support a generally planar filter pack, means to move the carrier between the dispensing station and the discarding position, and means to disengage the carrier support for the filter pack at the discarding position.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the moving means comprises a rotatable rod threadingly engaged to the carrier.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2 which additionally comprises a support bar extending between the dispensing station and the discarding position and having the carrier mounted thereon.

4. An apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 3 wherein the carrier comprises a channel for receiving and supporting a flanged nozzle of the filter pack.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the disengaging means includes a thrust arm which enters the channel of the carrier when the carrier is at the discarding position.