WO2018117225A1

WO2018117225A1 - Foaming beverage pouring device

Info

Publication number: WO2018117225A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/045960
Authority: WO
Inventors: 謙二郎山口
Original assignee: 株式会社タカラトミーアーツ
Priority date: 2016-12-22
Filing date: 2017-12-21
Publication date: 2018-06-28
Also published as: JP2018103994A; JP6800735B2

Abstract

A foaming beverage pouring device is provided with a liquid pouring pipe (61) to pour a liquid, a foam pouring pipe (62) to pour foam of the liquid, and a valve device (50) to selectively introduce the liquid into the liquid pouring pipe (61) and the foam pouring pipe (62). The foam pouring pipe (62) is provided with a stirring blade (70) that forms the foam by mixing and stirring the liquid and air by motor power. A communication section (65) is formed in the liquid pouring pipe (61) and the foam pouring pipe (62) so as to communicate with each other at a position upstream of the stirring blade (70) or at a position more distant from a discharge port of the foam pouring pipe (62) than the stirring blade (70).

Description

Foamed beverage dispensing device

The present invention relates to a foamed beverage dispensing apparatus.

Conventionally, a beer pouring device is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). This beer pouring device, after pouring out beer without foam with a single pouring pipe, generates foam by rotating a stirring blade installed in the beverage flow path, or by an ultrasonic vibrator Bubbles are generated by generating bubbles.

JP 2001-72075 A

In the technique described in Patent Document 1, bubbles are generated by ultrasonic vibration using carbon dioxide originally contained in a large amount of beer.
In recent years, so-called draft coffee in which a coffee beverage is foamed has gained popularity. However, it is difficult to apply the technique described in Patent Document 1 to such a beverage that does not have effervescence. This is because, in the case of a beverage that does not have foaming properties, it is difficult to foam the beverage simply by stirring with a stirring blade or applying ultrasonic vibration. For example, in order to generate bubbles by the stirring blade, it is necessary to take in sufficient air, but since there is only one extraction pipe, the outlet of the extraction pipe that has been blocked by the already formed bubbles It is difficult to get enough air from.
Therefore, when making draft coffee, it foams using nitrogen (for example, refer nonpatent literature 1). In this case, there is a problem that the foamed beverage dispensing apparatus becomes large and the apparatus becomes large and complicated.
This invention is made | formed in view of such a problem, and it aims at providing the frothed drink extraction apparatus which contributes to size reduction and simplification.

The first means is
A liquid pouring pipe for pouring liquid, a foam pouring pipe for pouring the liquid bubbles, and a valve device for selectively introducing the liquid into the liquid pouring pipe and the foam pouring pipe. The foam extraction pipe is provided with a stirring blade that mixes and stirs the liquid and air by motor power to form the foam, and the liquid extraction pipe and the foam extraction pipe include the stirring It is characterized in that a communication part is formed that allows the bubbles to be communicated with each other at a position farther from the discharge port of the bubble extraction pipe than the blade.

The second means is the first means, wherein a stopper plate for narrowing the outlet of the foam pouring pipe at a position downstream of the stirring blade of the foam pouring pipe and retaining the foam is provided. It is characterized by being.

The third means is characterized in that, in the second means, one end of the shaft of the stirring blade is pivotally supported by the retaining plate.

According to the first means, when liquid flows into the bubble extraction pipe, air enters from the liquid extraction pipe and is introduced into the bubble extraction pipe via the communicating portion, so that bubbles can be formed effectively. . As a result, the foamed beverage can be poured out without using nitrogen gas or the like.

According to the second means, since the retaining plate for narrowing the discharge port of the foam extraction pipe and retaining the foam is provided at a position downstream of the stirring blade of the foam extraction pipe, it is possible to sufficiently agitate and finely adjust. Bubbles can be formed.

According to the third means, since one end of the shaft of the stirring blade is pivotally supported on the retaining plate, the stirring blade can be stably attached.

It is the perspective view which showed the usage example of one Embodiment of the foamed beverage extraction apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is the front view which showed the state which opened the door of the frothed drink extraction apparatus of FIG. It is the perspective view which showed the screwing part of the frothing drink extraction apparatus of FIG. It is the perspective view which showed the state which looked at the screwing parts of the frothed drink extraction apparatus of FIG. 1 from another angle. It is the perspective view which showed the movable part of the frothed drink extraction apparatus of FIG. A to C are schematic views for explaining a joint part mounting structure. It is the perspective view which showed the chamber and its periphery of the frothed drink extraction apparatus of FIG. A and B are the figures which showed the extraction | pipe pipe and chamber of the frothed drink extraction apparatus of FIG. 1, and its periphery. It is the figure which showed the state which looked at the chamber and its periphery of the frothed drink extraction apparatus of FIG. 1 from the downward direction. It is the perspective view which showed the cock, chamber, spout, and its periphery of the whipped drink extraction apparatus of FIG. It is the perspective view which showed the spout of the frothed drink extraction apparatus of FIG. It is the perspective view which showed the cock, chamber, spout, and its periphery of the whipped drink extraction apparatus of FIG. It is the perspective view which showed the removal structure of the plastic bottle of the frothing drink extraction apparatus of FIG.

Hereinafter, the foamed beverage dispensing apparatus according to the present invention will be described based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. Note that front and rear, left and right, and top and bottom refer to the directions shown in FIG.

(overall structure)
This foamed beverage pouring device 1 is a tower-type device, and the front surface of the upper half is slightly inclined backward. On the other hand, the lower half is formed with recesses 2 that open to the front and side surfaces. The concave portion 2 constitutes a cup housing portion, and a cup receiver 3 is disposed below the concave portion 2.
In the foamed beverage dispensing apparatus 1, a cock 4 is provided immediately above the recess 2. The cock 4 is formed so as to be tiltable back and forth from a standing state.
Moreover, the door 5 of the one side opening is provided in the front surface of the upper half part of this whipped drink extraction apparatus 1. FIG. The door 5 is attached to the apparatus main body via a hinge (not shown) on the left side when viewed from the front. FIG. 2 shows the foamed beverage dispensing apparatus 1 with the door 5 opened.
In the foamed beverage dispensing apparatus 1, a plastic bottle container 6 is formed behind the door 5. And the plastic bottle 7 can be attached to the plastic bottle container 6 in an inverted state. In this case, the plastic bottle 7 is attached in a state where the joint part 8 is attached to the drinking mouth 7a of the plastic bottle 7.
The foamed beverage dispensing apparatus 1 configured as described above is used as follows.
First, for example, a plastic bottle 7 containing a coffee drink is prepared, the cap of the drinking port 7a of the upright plastic bottle 7 is removed, and the joint part 8 is attached instead. The door 5 of the whipped beverage pouring device 1 is opened, the PET bottle 7 is turned upside down and attached to the whipped beverage pouring device 1, and the door 5 is closed. Further, the cup 9 is placed on the cup receiver 3.
In this state, when the cock 4 is tilted forward, a coffee beverage without foam is poured into the cup 9. Further, when the cock 4 is tilted rearward, the coffee beverage foam is poured into the cup 9.

(About joint parts 8)
The joint part 8 is shown in FIG. 3 that is screwed into the drinking mouth 7a of the plastic bottle 7, and the screw part 20 that is attached to the screwing part 20 and is operable in the axial direction of the screwing part 20. The movable part 30 is comprised.

1. Threaded part 20 As shown in FIG. 3, a female thread 21 is formed on the inner periphery of the threaded part 20. The screwing part 20 is attached to the plastic bottle 7 by screwing the female screw 21 with a male screw (not shown) on the outer periphery of the drinking mouth 7 a of the plastic bottle 7.
The threaded part 20 includes a large-diameter portion 22 in which the female screw 21 is formed, and an intermediate-diameter portion 23 and a small-diameter portion 24 to which the movable part 30 is externally fitted.

Grooves

23a and 23b for mounting O-

rings

25a and 25b (see FIG. 6A) are formed on the outer periphery of the medium diameter portion 23 at a predetermined distance in the axial direction. Each

groove

23a, 23b is defined by a pair of flanges. Further, a circular vent hole 25 c is formed between the

grooves

23 a and 23 b in the medium diameter portion 23.
A groove 24a for mounting an O-ring 25d (see FIG. 6A) is formed on the outer periphery of the small diameter portion 24. The groove 24a is defined by a pair of collars.
As shown in FIG. 4, two-stage countersunk holes are formed on the inner side of the screwed part 20 so as to correspond to the large diameter portion 22, the medium diameter portion 23, and the small diameter portion 24. A cylindrical air passage 27 is formed in the first step countersink portion 20a located at the boundary between the large diameter portion 22 and the medium diameter portion 23 at a position deviated from the axial center. One end of the pipe 10 to be inserted into the plastic bottle 7 can be fitted into the entrance of the air passage 27. The ventilation path 27 communicates with the ventilation hole 25c.

2. About the movable part 30 As shown in FIG. 5, the movable part 30 includes a large-diameter portion 31 that fits into the middle-diameter portion 23 of the screw-in part 20 and a small-diameter that screws into the small-diameter portion 24 of the screw-in part 20. And a medium-diameter cylindrical portion 33 that surrounds the small-diameter portion 32 and fits into a liquid inlet 41 of the chamber 40 described later.
A single-stage counterbore hole is formed inside the movable part 30. A plurality of arc-shaped holes 34 a centering on the axis of the movable part 30 are formed in the counterbore portion 30 a in the circumferential direction. Further, a groove 33a for mounting an O-ring 34 (see FIG. 6A) is formed on the outer periphery of the medium diameter cylindrical portion 33. The groove 33a is defined by a pair of collars.
In addition, projecting pieces 35 are formed on the outer periphery of the movable part 30 at two locations facing each other across the axis.

(Attaching the joint part 8 to the plastic bottle 7)
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the joint part 8 and the plastic bottle 7. As shown in FIG. 6C, the screwing part 20 is attached to the plastic bottle 7 with the drinking mouth 7a facing up. In this case, attachment is made to the plastic bottle 7 by screwing the female screw 21 of the large-diameter portion 22 of the screwing part 20 with the male screw (not shown) of the drinking mouth 7a of the plastic bottle 7.
On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the movable part 30 is fitted to the screwed part 20 before or after the screwed part 20 is attached to the PET bottle 7. The pipe 10 may be attached to the screwing part 20 at least before the screwing part 20 is attached to the plastic bottle 7.
When the movable part 30 is fitted deeply into the screwed part 20, the O-

rings

25a and 25b are in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the large-diameter portion 31 of the movable part 30, and the vent hole 25c is not exposed to the outside air. Become. Further, the O-ring 25d comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the small diameter portion 32 of the movable part 30, and the arc-shaped hole 34a is not in communication with the PET bottle 7. Therefore, even if the plastic bottle 7 is turned upside down in this state, the beverage in the plastic bottle 7 does not spill.
On the other hand, when the movable part 30 is separated from the screw part 20 in the axial direction with the PET bottle 7 turned upside down, the vent hole 25c is exposed to the outside air and the outside air is introduced into the PET bottle 7 from the pipe 10. At the same time, since the arc-shaped hole 34 a communicates with the plastic bottle 7, the beverage in the plastic bottle 7 spills out of the plastic bottle 7.

(About the chamber 40)
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the chamber 40 and its surroundings. The chamber 40 is formed with a cylindrical liquid inflow port 41 that opens upward. The chamber 40 is formed with a first liquid outlet 42a and a second liquid outlet 42b communicating with the fluid inlet 41 (see FIGS. 8A and 8B).

(Attaching the PET bottle 7 to the chamber 40)
By fitting the middle-diameter cylindrical portion 33 of the movable part 30 into the liquid inlet 41 of the chamber 40, the PET bottle 7 is attached to the chamber 40. At that time, the O-ring 34 of the medium diameter cylindrical portion 33 is brought into contact with the liquid inlet 41 of the chamber 40. In this mounting, the plastic bottle 7 may be pulled up while pressing the protruding piece 35 after the medium diameter cylindrical portion 33 of the movable part 30 is fitted in the liquid inlet 41 of the chamber 40. Further, the plastic bottle 7 may be held in a predetermined height position in advance, and only the movable part 30 may be pushed down using the protruding piece 35.
FIG. 13 shows the structure for removing the plastic bottle 7. A lever 95 is provided next to the liquid inlet 41 of the chamber 40. The lever 95 is configured to be rotatable about a shaft 95a. Then, by operating the lever 95 while pressing the plastic bottle 7, the projecting piece 35 is pushed upward, and the movable part 30 is deeply fitted into the screwed part 20.

(Valve device 50)
The chamber 40 is provided with a valve device 50 for opening and closing the two

liquid outlets

42a and 42b.
The valve device 50 includes a nipple-shaped first valve body 51a that opens and closes the first liquid outlet 42a, and a nipple-shaped second valve body 51b that opens and closes the second liquid outlet 42b. One end of the first rod 52a is inserted into the first valve body 51a. One end of the second rod 52b is inserted into the second valve body 51b. The first rod 52 a and the second rod 52 b extend to the rod accommodating chamber 53 attached to the chamber 40. The first rod 52a presses the first valve body 51a by the urging force of the first spring 54a to close the first fluid inlet 42a. The second rod 52b presses the second valve body 51b by the urging force of the second spring 54b to close the second fluid inlet 42b.
As shown in FIG. 9, a rod actuating member 55 that performs a seesaw operation is provided below the rod accommodating chamber 53. The rod actuating member 55 is configured to be rotatable about a shaft 55c in the middle portion in the longitudinal direction. One end of the rod operating member 55 is formed with a first engaging portion 55a that engages with a washer at the rear end of the first rod 52a, and the other end of the rod operating member 55 is formed with the second rod 52b. A second engaging portion 55b that engages with the rear end washer is formed (see FIGS. 8A and 8B).

(Cock 4)
The cock 4 is attached to a slide member storage member 58 that stores a slide member 57 described later so as to be rotatable about a shaft 4a (see FIG. 10). The base end side of the cock 4 extends below the shaft 4a. The distal end of the extending portion 4 b is located inside the slide member storage member 58. A pin (not shown) is attached to the extending portion 4 b, and this pin is engaged with a vertical groove (not shown) of the slide member 57 stored in the slide member storage member 58. The slide member 57 moves rearward when the cock 4 is tilted forward, and conversely moves forward when the cock 4 is tilted rearward.
The slide member 57 is formed with an upright portion 57a at the end opposite to the engaging portion with the cock 4, and the upright portion 57a has an engaging piece 57b engaged with the rod actuating member 55. Is formed. That is, a long hole 57c is formed in the engagement piece 57b, and a pin 55d below the first engagement portion 55a of the rod operating member 55 is inserted into the long hole 57c. Therefore, when the cock 4 is tilted forward, the rod actuating member 55 is rotated in one direction, and the first rod 52a is moved forward against the urging force of the spring 54a. When the outlet 42a is opened and, on the other hand, the cock 4 is tilted backward, the rod actuating member 55 rotates in the other direction and the second rod 52b is directed forward against the biasing force of the spring 54b. To open the second liquid outlet 42b.
A switch (not shown) is provided behind the rod operating member 55. When the cock 4 is tilted rearward, the switch is turned on by being pushed by the rod actuating member 55. This switch is turned off when it is not pushed by the rod actuating member 55. This switch is incorporated in the drive circuit of the motor 81 described later, and operates the motor 81 only when bubbles are created.

(Outlet 60)
As shown in FIG. 11, the spout 60 is composed of a liquid pouring pipe 61 and a foam pouring pipe 62.
The liquid pouring pipe 61 has a cylindrical main body 61a that opens up and down, and a connecting part 61b that has one end communicating with the middle part of the main body 61a in the vertical direction and the other end detachably fitted to the chamber 40. Have. The lower end of the main body 61a is formed obliquely. In addition, the code | symbol 61d of FIG. 8 (A) is the circular hole formed in the board.
The bubble pouring pipe 62 has one end communicating with a main body 62a extending in the vertical direction and opening in a cylindrical shape in the vertical direction, and an intermediate portion extending in the horizontal direction and extending in the horizontal direction, and the other end being in the chamber 40. And a connecting portion 62b that is detachably fitted. The lower end of the main body 62a is formed obliquely. Further, a fastening plate 63 that closes a part of the lower end opening is provided near the lower end of the main body 62a. And the stirring blade 70 is installed in this main-body part 62a. In addition, the code | symbol 62d of FIG. 8 (B) is a hole.
The liquid pouring pipe 61 and the foam pouring pipe 62 are integrally configured. The main body 61a of the liquid pouring pipe 61 is formed in a tongue shape when viewed from above, and the main body 62a of the foam pouring pipe 62 is formed as a circle when viewed from above. A notch (communication portion) 65 is formed at the upper ends of the main body portion 61 a of the liquid pouring pipe 61 and the main body portion 61 a of the foam pouring pipe 62. The communicating part may be a hole not limited to the notch 65 or may be communicated with a pipe. When this communication part is provided in the main body part 61a and the main body part 62a, it is preferable that the connection part 61a, the connection part 62a, and the stirring blade 70 are positioned above.

(Agitating blade 70)
As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the upper end openings of the main body 61 a and the main body 62 a are closed by a lid 71. The stirring blade 70 is pivotally supported by the lid 71 and the retaining plate 63.
The stirring blade 70 is a vertically long strip-shaped blade, and two sides in the width direction of the stirring blade 70 are formed in a waveform so that the arc-shaped portion is continuous along the longitudinal direction. A circular hole 70a is formed inside the isolated portion. The stirring blade 70 thus formed has a shaft 72 at the center in the width direction, the lower end of the shaft 72 is supported by the retaining plate 63, and the upper end is supported by the lid 71. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, a plurality of ridges 73 extending in the direction parallel to the shaft 72 of the stirring blade 70 are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the main body 61a along the circumferential direction. A slight gap is formed between the stirring blade 70 and the ridge 73.
As a result, air and liquid are agitated by the agitating blades 70 and struck against the ridges 73, whereby bubbles are effectively formed. At that time, since the bubbles are held by the retaining plate 63, the residence time becomes longer, and fine bubbles are formed.
Excess foam passes through the notch 65 and enters the main body 62a, and falls along the inner wall of the main body 62a as water droplets and falls into the cup.

(Driving mechanism 80 of stirring blade 70)
As shown in FIG. 12, a motor 81 is installed next to the spout 60 in the whipped beverage dispensing apparatus 1. A pulley 83 is attached to the shaft 82 of the motor 81. A pulley housing (not shown) is fixedly provided on the motor 81. A movable plate 85 urged in a predetermined direction by a spring 85a is provided in the pulley housing. The movable plate 85 is configured to be rotatable about a shaft 82. A pulley 86 is provided on the movable plate 85 via a shaft 87. A rubber 88 is wound between the pulley 83 and the pulley 86. Further, another rubber 89 is wound around the entire circumference of the groove on the outer periphery of the pulley 86. On the other hand, a rotating body 90 is provided on the shaft 72 of the stirring blade 70. A flat knurled is formed on the outer periphery of the rotating body 90, and the outer periphery of the rubber 89 is in contact with the flat knurled by the urging force of the spring 85a.

According to the foamed beverage dispensing apparatus configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained.
First, when liquid flows into the bubble extraction pipe 62, air enters from the liquid extraction pipe 61 and is introduced into the bubble extraction pipe 62 through the notch (communication portion) 65. Bubbles can be formed effectively without using. As a result, the apparatus can be reduced in size and simplified.

Secondly, since the discharge port of the bubble extraction pipe 62 is narrowed at a position downstream of the stirring blade of the bubble extraction pipe 62 and the retaining plate 63 for retaining the bubbles is provided, it is possible to form fine bubbles. Become.

Third, since one end of the shaft 72 of the stirring blade 70 is pivotally supported on the retaining plate 63, the stirring blade 70 can be firmly attached.

(Modification of the invention)
As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, it cannot be overemphasized that a various deformation | transformation is possible for this invention in the range which is not limited to this embodiment and does not deviate from the summary.

The present invention can be suitably used in the field of manufacturing a foamed beverage pouring device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Foamed drink extraction apparatus 4 Cock 5 Door 7 PET bottle 7a Port 8 Joint part 9 Cup 10 Pipe 20 Screwing part 30 Movable part 50 Valve apparatus 60 Outlet 61 Liquid extraction pipe 62 Foam extraction pipe 70 Stirring blade 80 Drive Mechanism 81 Motor

Claims

A liquid pouring pipe for pouring liquid, a foam pouring pipe for pouring the liquid bubbles, and a valve device for selectively introducing the liquid into the liquid pouring pipe and the foam pouring pipe. The foam extraction pipe is provided with a stirring blade that mixes and stirs the liquid and air by motor power to form the foam, and the liquid extraction pipe and the foam extraction pipe include the stirring A frothed beverage pouring device characterized in that a communicating portion is formed to communicate with each other at a position farther from the discharge port of the foam pouring pipe than the blade.
The frothed beverage pouring according to claim 1, wherein a stop plate for narrowing the outlet of the foam pouring pipe and retaining the foam is provided downstream of the stirring blade of the foam pouring pipe. Out device.
The foamed beverage pouring device according to claim 2, wherein one end of the shaft of the stirring blade is pivotally supported on the retaining plate.