Hot liquid dispenser

Claim 2

A two liquid metering assembly comprising, a housing and a chamber in the housing, a piston movable in the chamber, a first liquid inlet and outlet connected to the chamber on one side of the piston, a primary and secondary liquid flow path through the housing, a valve in the secondary flow path for opening and closing it, and means for simultaneously controlling said valve and said piston.

Claim 3

A two liquid metering assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said piston comprises a movable diaphragm.

Claim 4

A two liquid metering assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for simultaneously controlling said valve and said piston comprises a stem for opening and closing said valve.

Claim 5

A two liquid metering assembly in accordance with claim 3 wherein said stem engages said piston on a second side of said piston to prevent said piston from moving when said valve is open.

Claim 6

A two liquid metering assembly comprising a housing and a chamber in the housing, a piston movable in the chamber, a first liquid inlet and outlet connected to the chamber on one side of the piston, a primary and secondary second liquid flow path through the housing, a valve in the secondary flow path for opening and closing it, and a stem connected to the valve for opening and closing it, said stem engaging the piston to prevent it from moving when the valve is open.

Claim 7

A two liquid metering assembly comprising a housing and a chamber in the housing, a piston movable in the chamber, a first liquid inlet and outlet connected to the chamber on one side of the piston, a primary and secondary second liquid flow path through the housing, a valve in the secondary flow path for opening and closing it, and a stem connected to the valve for opening and closing it, said stem engaging the piston to prevent it from moving when the valve is open.

Claim 8

A two liquid metering assembly in accordance with claim 5 wherein said piston comprises a movable diaphragm.

Claim 9

A two liquid metering assembly as described in claim 5 further characterized by said piston being free to move away from said one side of the piston to enable said chamber to receive said first liquid when said piston is not engaged by the stem, and means in the housing for connecting the inlet and outlet when the piston is engaged by the stem.

Claim 10

A two liquid metering assembly as described in claim 7 further characterized by said primary and secondary flow paths having separate inlets and a common outlet.

Claim 11

A two liquid metering assembly as described in claim 7 further characterized by a spring in the chamber and engaging the piston on one end and the stem on the other for yieldably urging the stem to said one side thereof.

Claim 12

A beverage dispenser as described in claim 9 further characterized by flow regulators in the primary and secondary paths of water circuit to cause each to pass a constant volume flow of water during a set period of time with changes in line pressure.

Claim 13

A bEverage dispenser comprising a housing with a first fluid circuit and a second fluid circuit in the housing, a mixing chamber mounted on said housing and connected to the outlet of the first and second circuits for mixing the first fluid and the second fluid together and directing the mixture to a cup or other container, means forming part of each of said circuits for causing said circuits to direct first and second fluids to the mixing chamber, a diverting chamber in one of the circuits for receiving a portion of the fluid in said circuit directed to the mixing chamber for reducing the quantity of said fluid which reaches the mixing chamber, adjusting means connected to the diverting chamber for changing the amount of fluid that may be received by said diverting chamber, and means forming part of the other of the circuits for changing the amount of fluid that is directed by it to the mixing chamber.

Claim 14

A bEverage dispenser comprising a housing with a first fluid circuit and a second fluid circuit in the housing, a mixing chamber mounted on said housing and connected to the outlet of the first and second circuits for mixing the first fluid and the second fluid together and directing the mixture to a cup or other container, means forming part of each of said circuits for causing said circuits to direct first and second fluids to the mixing chamber, a diverting chamber in one of the circuits for receiving a portion of the fluid in said circuit directed to the mixing chamber for reducing the quantity of said fluid which reaches the mixing chamber, adjusting means connected to the diverting chamber for changing the amount of fluid that may be received by said diverting chamber, and means forming part of the other of the circuits for changing the amount of fluid that is directed by it to the mixing chamber.

Claim 15

A beverage dispenser in accordance with claim 11 wherein said first fluid circuit is a water circuit and said second fluid circuit is a syrup circuit.

Claim 16

A beverage dispenser in accordance with claim 12 and further comprising a liquid dispensing system connected to said syrup circuit and adapted to draw contents from a container opened at one end and comprising, a lid having a closure wall and made of a flexible material designed to fit over the opened end of the container and form a seal about the container end, a nipple connected to the closure wall and extending from the wall away from the container, said nipple being normally closed and remaining closed under the head of the liquid in the container when the container is oriented with its opened end facing down, a rigid backup plate disposed against the inner face of the closure wall of the lid and adapted to lie against the opened end of the container when the lid is mounted on said container, and a fitting for receiving the nipple and forming a seal with its outer surface, said fitting being capable of connecting the nipple to a duct for conveying the liquid to a desired location.

Claim 17

A liquid dispenser in accordance with claim 13 and further comprising, venting means forming a part of the lid for venting the container.

Claim 18

A beverage dispenser in accordance with claim 13 and further comprising a reverse flow sensor in said syrup circuit, said sensor comprising, a chamber, a check valve slider in said chamber, a magnet carried by said slider for movement therewith, said slider defining an opening permitting flow of fluid therethrough in one direction and impeding fluid flow in a second direction so that fluid flow toward said second direction acts to move said slider in said second direction, and magnetic responsive means for reacting to movement of said slider.

Claim 19

A beverage dispenser in accordance with claim 12 and further comprising a reverse flow sensor for detetmining an out-of-syrup condition, said sensor comprising, a chamber, a check valve slider in said chamber, a magnet carried by said slider for movement therewith, said slider defining an opening permitting flow of fluid therethrough in one direction and impeding fluid fow in a second direction so that fluid flow in said second direction acts to move said slider in said first direction, amd magnetic responsive means for reacting to movement of said slider.

Claim 20

A beverage dispenser in accordance with claim 16 wherein said magnetic responsive means is a reed switch responsive to movement of said magnet to make and break an electrical circuit.

Claim 21

A beverage dispenser in accordance with claim 17 wherein said sensor is interconnected with said syrup circuit and said electrical circuit.

Claim 22

A beverage dispenser in accordance with claim 18 and further comprising, means in said electric circuit for permitting cleaning and flushing of said syrup circuit and sensor with a fluid.

Claim 23

A beverage dispenser as described in claiM 12 further characterized by the last recited means being controlled by the adjusting means to simultaneously change the quantities of liquid directed by each circuit to the mixing chamber.

Claim 24

A beverage dispenser as described in claim 20 further characterized by said diverting chamber being disposed in the syrup circuit, a positive displacement pump in said syrup circuit for moving syrup through that circuit under pressure, said adjusting means including a movable partition in said diverting chamber for altering the capacity of said diverting chamber.

Claim 25

A beverage dispenser as described in claim 21 further characterized by said last-recited means including primary and secondary water flow paths in the water circuit, a valve in said secondary flow path for preventing flow through said path so as to limit the water fed to the mixing chamber to that which flows through the primary path, and means including a stem connected to the valve for opening and closing the valve and controlling the position of the partition.

Claim 26

A beverage dispenser as described in claim 22 further characterized by a cylinder in part defining said diverting chamber and said partition being a piston movable in said cylinder, an inlet and outlet fitting in one end of the cylinder and connected in the syrup circuit, a passage provided in the cylinder connecting the fittings together when the piston is disposed adjacent their end of the cylinder so that operation of the pump will cause syrup to flow through the flavor circuit without interruption from the cylinder, the pressure in the syrup circuit created by operation of the pump urging the piston toward the other end of the cylinder so as to enlarge said diverting chamber, said stem preventing movement of the piston in response to that pressure when the valve in the water circuit is open.

Claim 27

A beverage dispenser as described in claim 23 further characterized by a shelf provided in said housing for supporting a container of flavor syrup, and means including a tube forming part of the syrup circuit for detachably connecting a syrup container to the syrup circuit.

Claim 28

A beverage dispenser as described in claim 24 further characterized by a water heating tank mounted in the housing and the water circuit, a solenoid valve in the water circuit for opening and closing the circuit, and a motor in the housing connected to the pump for driving the pump in the syrup circuit.

Claim 29

A beverage dispenser as described in claim 25 further characterized by said positive displacement pump including a pump cylinder and pump piston, a duct connecting the tube to one side of the pump cylinder and another duct connecting that side of the pump cylinder to the inlet fitting on the diverting chamber, and means interconnecting the motor and the pump piston for driving the piston through one cycle during each operation of the motor, said piston first discharging the contents of the pump cylinder and then refilling the pump cylinder from the contents of the syrup container and the diverting chamber, and an electrical control circuit connected to the solenoid and motor for running the motor and opening the valve for a selected interval.

Claim 30

A beverage dispenser as described in claim 26 further characterized by said diverting chamber having a volume which is a preselected proportion of the volume displaced by the pump, whereby the ratio of the volume of the pump to the volume of the combined flow through the primary and secondary paths is equal to the ratio of the volume of the pump minus that of the diverting chamber to the volume of the flow through the primary path.

Claim 31

A beverage dispenser in accordance with claim 26 wherein said electric control circuit provides means for dispensing different size portions in equal time periods.