Liquid handling and dispensing apparatus

Claim 1

An improved tank for heating and dispensing heated liquid, the tank being sealed except for the provision for liquid inlet and discharge and including: an upper portion including an upper wall; a lower portion including a lower wall; the tank during operation including an entrapped air cushion between the upper wall of the upper portion and the heated liquid to partially control movement of the liquid during operation and to allow for expansion of the liquid by further compression of the air cushion if the liquid becomes frozen; heating means in the lower portion of the tank; temperature sensing means in the tank electrically connected with the heating meAns to control the heating means as a function of liquid temperature in the tank; means to introduce liquid into the tank; and liquid discharge means to discharge heated liquid from the tank; the improvement comprising, in combination: a first liquid carrying conduit connected through a wall of the tank to introduce liquid into the tank; a. the first conduit enclosed within the tank and extending into the upper portion and then into the lower portion and terminating in a first conduit outlet within the tank generally directed toward and in spaced relationship with the lower wall of the lower portion; b. the first conduit having pumping means including a first conduit port means positioned in that portion of the first conduit located in the upper portion of the tank to draw heated water from the upper portion of the tank into the first conduit; a second liquid carrying conduit enclosed within the tank; a. the second conduit including a second conduit inlet in the lower portion of the tank in spaced relationship with the lower wall of the lower portion; b. the second conduit extending within the tank from its inlet in the lower portion into the upper portion of the tank and discharging into a final mixing chamber; c. the second conduit extending vertically higher into the upper portion than the first conduit port means and including a liquid minimum level control vent through a wall of the second conduit and located vertically higher than the first conduit port means to maintain the level of the liquid in the tank above the level of the first conduit port means; and a final mixing chamber located within the tank in the upper portion; a. the mixing chamber connected with the second liquid carrying conduit to receive liquid from the conduit and connected with the liquid discharge means; and b. the mixing chamber including a heated liquid inlet port communicating with the upper portion of the tank to allow passage of the heated liquid from the tank into the mixing chamber to mix with cooler liquid from the second conduit prior to passage of liquid through the liquid discharge means.