WO2003042091A1

WO2003042091A1 - Beverage dispenser

Info

Publication number: WO2003042091A1
Application number: PCT/EP2002/012706
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter Lazar
Original assignee: Peter Lazar
Priority date: 2001-11-16
Filing date: 2002-11-13
Publication date: 2003-05-22
Also published as: DE20118605U1

Abstract

The invention concerns a beverage dispenser (1) comprising a dispensing unit (2), including at least a dispensing tap (20 to 23), and a bottle (3) containing drinking water, arranged upside down on the dispensing unit (2). The neck (30) of said bottle (3) is inserted in a connecting tube (4) located in the dispensing unit (2) and connected to the dispensing tap(s) (21 to 24) via pipe elements (5, 6). The dispensing unit (2) has a cooling device (9, 14, 16) for cooling the liquid. Said beverage dispenser is characterized in that the connecting tube (4) is enclosed by a cooling collar (9) whereon is supported at least a shoulder (29) of the bottle (3) and forming part of the cooling device (9, 14, 16).

Description

Getrankeausgabegerat

The invention relates to a beverage dispenser with an output unit which has at least one dispensing tap and with a bottle with a drinkable liquid placed upside down on the dispensing unit, the bottle neck being inserted in a coupling nozzle in the dispensing unit, which is connected to the dispensing tap via line elements or the dispensing taps, and wherein the dispensing unit has a cooling device for cooling the liquid.

More recently, beverage dispensers have become established which have a column-like dispensing unit which has at least one, usually two dispensing taps in a recess in the housing of the dispensing unit (cf. DE 299 02 967 U; EP 0 581 491; EP 0 581 492; DE 698 00 615 T2). In the area of the upper side of the dispensing unit there is a coupling socket which has an upstanding mandrel in the center. The bottleneck of a bottle containing a drinkable liquid, usually water, can be inserted upside down in this coupling neck. During the insertion process, the removal mandrel pushes a closure in the bottle neck of the bottle, so that the liquid contained therein can flow into the dispensing unit via the coupling nozzle. There are line elements through which the liquid is guided to the dispensing tap or taps.

The dispensing unit generally contains a beverage preparation device with one or two liquid reservoirs, which can be provided with a cooling device and / or a heating device in order to produce cooled or warm liquid. Addition devices can also be provided via which the liquid can be mixed with additives, for example in the form of carbon dioxide or flavorings or other beverage concentrates.

In the known beverage dispensers, the bottles used for such beverage dispensers are formed in one piece from a transparent plastic. They have a bottle shape with a bottle bottom, a cylindrical or cubic bottle jacket, an adjoining conical or cambered bottle shoulder and an essentially cylindrical bottle neck in which the closure is arranged. The bottles are exchanged by a delivery service at the installation locations of the dispensing units, the empty bottles being taken along and filled with liquid at a central location.

A major problem is the susceptibility of the liquid to germs and the parts of the dispensing unit that come into contact with it, especially if the liquid is is pure water without carbon dioxide or other germ-inhibiting additives or if water is mixed with flavor additives. This means that the parts of the dispensing unit that come into contact with the liquid must be cleaned regularly. To do this, these parts must be removed from the dispenser and cleaned with special cleaners. This requires trained, healthy personnel with appropriate protective clothing. It is understood that the cost of this is considerable.

Efforts have therefore been made to make those parts that come into contact with the liquid in the dispensing unit easily replaceable (cf. EP 0 581 491 B1; EP 0 581 492 B1, DE 698 00 615 T2). These efforts even went so far as to design the parts to be replaced in such a way that they are discarded after the replacement, so that the cleaning process is eliminated. Nevertheless, there is still a considerable amount of assembly and material involved.

The invention has for its object to provide in a beverage dispenser of the type mentioned that the dispensing unit is designed much simpler and the maintenance can be significantly reduced.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that the coupling connector of the dispensing unit is surrounded by a cooling collar on which the bottle is at least with its The bottle shoulder rests and is part of the cooling device. The basic idea of the invention is therefore to no longer cool the liquid in a reservoir within the dispensing unit, ie after leaving the bottle, but rather already in the bottle itself. In this way, a reservoir with a cooling device inside the dispensing unit can be dispensed with. It is sufficient to connect the coupling socket to the dispensing tap or taps only via pipes or hoses. The parts that come into contact with the liquid are thus reduced to a minimum. The risk of a germ supply is also significantly reduced. The maintenance effort can be kept correspondingly low. Even if parts are replaced, the material required for this is low.

The cooling collar can have, for example, a Peltier element that generates a cooling effect by applying current due to the Peltier effect. Instead, however, a cooling unit with a coolant circuit can also be provided, which also includes the cooling collar, for example in the form of a compressor or absorber cooling unit.

It is advantageous, if not necessary, if the cooling collar completely surrounds the coupling socket. The cooling collar does not have to be limited to the area of the bottle shoulder. It can also extend over at least a portion of the bottle shell. This creates a temperature gradient in the bottle, which where the cold and therefore heavier water strives down. Since water is a poor heat conductor, the water cools only in the lower area, ie in the area of the cooling collar, so that the cold losses remain limited. This can also be supported in that the bottle is at least partially double-walled and / or provided with a heat insulation layer, in particular in the area of the bottle jacket and bottle bottom. Instead of this or in combination with it, the bottle can also be at least partially surrounded by a heat-insulating wall, for example in the form of a cover hood made of heat-insulating material that is easy to remove and re-attach.

So that the bottle shoulder lies flat on the cooling collar in a heat-conducting manner, it should be provided with a soft, adaptable pad, which is preferably provided with a liquid or a gel with good thermal conductivity, for example in the form of a cushion filled with it.

In a further embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the line element or one of the line elements passes through a water heater. In this way it is possible to heat the liquid if necessary. The instantaneous water heater can be operated electrically, for example in the form of a heating coil surrounding the line element in question. As an alternative or in combination with this, the instantaneous water heater can also be used in the hot part of the coolant circuit of a cooling unit sit, which also includes the cooling collar. These can be compressor or evaporator cooling units, the instantaneous water heater being the condenser in the former case.

Alternatively or additionally, a liquid reservoir can also be provided, which is provided with a heating device. This is harmless for hygienic reasons, since the high temperatures of the liquid in the liquid reservoir counteract nucleation. Here, too, the heating device can be operated electrically in a manner known per se or sit in the hot part of the coolant circuit of a cooling unit, which also includes the cooling collar.

In a further embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the line element or at least one of the line elements passes through a cooler in order in this way to keep the liquid present in the line element cold. The cooler can be operated electrically and can have, for example, a Peltier element. Instead, the cooler can also have a cooling unit in the cold part of the coolant circuit, which also includes the cooling collar, i.e. The cooling collar and cooler are arranged in a row.

According to a further feature of the invention, it is provided that the cooling collar has a collecting device for, for example, condensation water coming from the bottle or the cooling collar or liquid overflowing from the bottle. The collecting device can have a collecting container in the dispensing unit, the collecting container preferably being provided with a heating device for evaporating the condensate water or the liquid. Here, too, the heating device can be designed electrically, for example as a resistance heater, but can also sit in the hot part of the coolant circuit of a cooling unit, which also includes the cooling collar.

In the drawing, the invention is illustrated in more detail using exemplary embodiments. Show it:

Figure 1 shows the most important parts of the beverage dispenser according to the invention with the omission of the housing of the dispensing unit and

FIG. 2 shows a variant of the dispensing unit of the beverage dispenser according to FIG. 1.

Figure 1 shows a beverage dispenser generally designated 1 with an dispensing unit 2 and a bottle 3 which contains a drinkable liquid, e.g. Contains water. In the output unit 2, the columnar housing surrounding the parts shown is omitted. In this respect, DE 299 02 967 U shows a typical embodiment.

The output unit 2 has a coupling socket 4 of conventional design in the middle. Typical coupling sockets can be found in FIG. 1 of EP 0 581 491 B1 and FIGS. 1 and 2 in DE 698 00 615 T2. The coupling socket 4 is Pot-shaped and has - which is not shown here in more detail - a vertically upstanding mandrel in the middle, which has an opening on the top and to which two sampling tubes 5, 6 are connected on the underside. A ventilation line 7, which ends in a filter 8, is also connected to the removal mandrel.

In the area of its upper end, the coupling stub 4 is surrounded by a cooling collar 9, which is constructed from a spirally wound cooling line 10 and has a conical section 11 starting from the coupling stub 4 and a short, cylindrical section 12 adjoining it. On the cooling collar 9, an adapted compensation pad 13 is placed (drawn upwards in FIG. 1 for better clarity), which can be designed, for example, as a water-filled or gel-filled cushion.

A compressor 14, from which a feed line 15 goes to a condenser 16, is arranged in the lower region of the output unit 2. An initially gaseous refrigerant is fed into the condenser 16 via the feed line 15 and liquefied there. The refrigerant passes through a connecting line 17 to a throttle body, not shown here, which ensures such a pressure drop that the coolant evaporates. The evaporated coolant then flows into the cooling line 10, which first begins with a helical section 18 which surrounds the removal hose 5 and ensures its cooling. Then the coolant gets into the coolant collar 9, where it cools in particular the compensation pads 13 and the bottle 3 resting thereon. The coolant is returned to the compressor 14 via a return line 19. It goes without saying that the connecting line 17 can also initially go to the cooling collar 9 and the cooling line 10 is only then guided to the helical section 18, from the lower end of which the return line 19 then branches off.

The second extraction hose 6 is surrounded by a heating coil 20, which is a continuous-flow heater and can be supplied with electrical current. Both extraction hoses 5, 6 have, in the region of their tapping openings 21, 22, tapping valves 23, 24 which have springs which normally press the extraction hoses 5, 6 together in such a way that no liquid can escape through the tapping openings 21, 22. The dispensing valves 23, 24 can be opened independently of one another by actuating elements on the outside of the housing of the dispensing unit 2, which are not shown here.

Connected to the bottom of the coupling stub 4 is a collecting line 25 which opens into a collecting container 26 which is arranged in the immediate vicinity of the condenser 17. The heat emanating from the condenser 16 heats up the collecting container 26. The collecting container 26 receives liquid that has collected on the bottom of the coupling connector 4 due to leaks or other circumstances. Above the dispensing unit 2, a typical bottle 3, as is used for such beverage dispensing devices 1, is shown - lifted off the latter. The bottle 3 is formed in one piece and consists of transparent plastic. It has a bottle base 27, a cylindrical bottle jacket 28, an adjoining bottle shoulder 29 which is in the form of a cone and an in turn adjoining cylindrical bottle neck 30. The bottle 3 is normally transported standing on the bottle base 27. For the connection to the dispensing unit 2, the bottle 3 is placed upside down, as shown, and then inserted with the bottle neck 30 into the coupling neck 4. The removal mandrel, which stands up in the coupling socket 4, moves into the bottle neck 30 and opens the closure used there for the transport purposes. At the same time, the bottle shoulder 29 and a small part of the bottle jacket 28 come into contact with the compensation pads 13, ie the bottle 3 is supported by the compensation pads 13 and thus also the cooling collar 9. Via the cooling collar 9, the liquid in the bottle 3 is cooled to a certain temperature during operation of the dispensing unit 2, the cooling being essentially limited to the liquid portion in the lower region of the bottle 3, since the liquids used here, in particular water, are poor heat conductors and, due to the fact that cold water is heavier than warm, a stable temperature stratification occurs. By actuating the dispensing valves 23, 24, the liquid contained in the bottle 3 can be removed via the extraction mandrel and the extraction hoses 5, 6, air being able to flow into the bottle 3 via the filter 8, the ventilation line 7 and the extraction mandrel. In this way, a vacuum above the liquid level in the bottle 3 is avoided. Cooled liquid can be withdrawn via the removal hose 5 and liquid heated via the removal hose 6 by the heating coil 20, in a direct way without the interposition of liquid reservoirs.

FIG. 2 shows a variant of the beverage dispenser according to FIG. 1, the compressor 14, the compensation pad 13 and the bottle 3 being omitted. The reference numbers from FIG. 1 are used for the same parts, and reference is made to the description of FIG. 1 with regard to these parts.

The only difference is with regard to the extraction hose 6. In this case, it is not surrounded by a heating coil, but instead is guided twice past the condenser 16 starting from the coupling stub 4. The condenser 16 replaces the heating coil for heating the liquid led out through the removal hose 6.

Claims

Claims: Getrankeausgabegerat

1. Beverage dispensing device (1) with an dispensing unit (2) which has at least one dispensing tap (20 to 23), and a bottle (3) with a drinkable liquid placed upside down on the dispensing unit (2), the bottle (3) with its bottle neck (30) is inserted in a coupling piece (4) in the dispensing unit (2), which is connected to the dispensing tap or dispensing taps (21 to 24) via line elements (5, 6), and wherein the dispensing unit (2) is a Cooling device (9, 14, 16) for cooling the liquid, characterized in that the coupling socket (4) is surrounded by a cooling collar (9) on which the bottle (3) rests at least with its bottle shoulder (29) and the part the cooling device (9, 14, 16).

2. Beverage dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the cooling collar (9) has a Peltier element.

3. Beverage dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the cooling device has a cooling unit (9, 14, 16) with a coolant circuit, which also includes the cooling collar (9).

4. Beverage dispenser according to one of claims 1 to

3, characterized in that the coupling socket (4) is connected to the dispensing tap or taps (21 to 24) only via pipe or hose lines (5, 6) without the interposition of a reservoir.

5. Beverage dispenser according to one of claims 1 to

4, characterized in that the cooling collar (9) also extends beyond the area of the bottle shoulder (29) upwards beyond the outside of the bottle (3).

6. beverage dispenser according to one of claims 1 to

5, characterized in that the cooling collar (9) has a soft, with a liquid or a gel compensating pads (13).

7. beverage dispenser according to one of claims 1 to

6, characterized in that the line element (6) or at least one of the line elements passes through a water heater (20).

8. Beverage dispenser according to claim 7, characterized in that the water heater (20) is electrically operated.

9. Beverage dispenser according to claim 7, characterized in that the water heater in the hot Part of the coolant circuit of a cooling unit (9, 14, 16) is seated, which also includes the cooling collar (9).

10. Beverage dispenser according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that a liquid reservoir is provided which is provided with a heating device.

11. Beverage dispenser according to claim 10, characterized in that the heating device is electrically operated.

12. Beverage dispenser according to claim 10, characterized in that the heating device sits in the hot part of the coolant circuit of a cooling unit, which also includes the cooling collar.

13. Beverage dispenser according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the line element (5) or one of the line elements (5, 6) passes through a cooler (18).

14. Beverage dispenser according to claim 13, characterized in that the cooler is electrically operated.

15. A beverage dispenser according to claim 13, characterized in that the cooler (15) sits in the cold part of the coolant circuit of a cooling unit (9, 14, 16), which also includes the cooling collar (9).

16. A beverage dispenser according to one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the cooling collar (9) has a collecting device (4) for condensation water coming from the bottle (3) or liquid overflowing from the bottle (3).

17. A beverage dispenser according to claim 16, characterized in that the collecting device (4) has a collecting container (26).

18. A beverage dispenser according to claim 17, characterized in that the collecting container (26) is provided with a heating device (16) for evaporating the condensed water or the liquid.

19. Beverage dispenser according to claim 18, characterized in that the heating device is electrically operated.

20. Beverage dispenser according to claim 18, characterized in that the heating device (16) in the hot part of the coolant circuit has a cooling unit (9, 14, 16), which also includes the cooling collar (9).

21. Beverage dispenser according to one of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that the bottle (3) is at least partially double-walled.

22. Beverage dispenser according to one of claims 1 to

21, characterized in that the bottle (3) at least partially has a heat insulation layer.

23. Beverage dispenser according to one of claims 1 to

22, characterized in that the bottle (3) is at least partially surrounded by a heat-insulating wall.