US3907167A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus for dispensing and mixing liquid substances in metered volumes
Assignee: IND A AZNUSSI SpA
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Filing: 1974-09-20
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Granted: 1975-09-23
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Expires: 1994-09-20
Abstract
Abstract A device is disclosed for dispensing and blending liquid substances, for example beverages, in metered amounts. The device is of the kind in which a blending tray receives a first liquid from a tube, the tray being swingable between an empty position and a filled position, and having a perforation through its bottom wall, and a hermetically closed container placed above the tray and containing the second liquid component of the blend, the improvement consisting in that at least a portion of the container is deformable between an expanded and a compressed position, these positions corresponding to the empty position of the tray and to the filled position of the tray, respectively.
Inventors
- 👤 Giacinto Zanardo
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 16:34
CPC Classifications
G; G05; G05D; G05D11/00; G05D11/02; G05D11/035; G05D11/04; B; B01; B01F; B01F35/00; B01F35/80; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T137/00; Y10T137/8593; Y10T137/86493; Y10T137/86718; Y10T137/86743; Y10T137/86751
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
235 words
An apparatus for dispensing and blending liquid substances in metered quantities, comprising in a housing a duct for feeding-in a predetermined amount of a first liquid in a foraminous-bottom tray swingable between a first position corresponding to an empty condition and a second position corresponding to conditions of substantial filling with said first liquid, the perforation through said bottom wall having an output less than that of said duct, a hermetically sealed container, arranged above said tray, for a second liquid to be admixed with the first, and a blending tank adapted to receive the liquids issuing from said hole, characterized in that at least one portion of said hermetically sealed container is elastically deformable between an expanded position and a compressed position, and vice versa, said portion being equipped with at least an opening on the bottom wall and being mechanically connected in a linkable manner to said tray, so that when the latter is switched from said first to said second position the deformable portion of the container is in an expanded position, so that through said opening a certain volume of atmospherical air enters said container and when the tray is switched in the reverse direction, the deformable portion of the container is under compression conditions, so that through said opening there emerges and drops in said tray a volume of said second liquid which is equal to said volume of air.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
235 words
An apparatus for dispensing and blending liquid substances in metered quantities, comprising in a housing a duct for feeding-in a predetermined amount of a first liquid in a foraminous-bottom tray swingable between a first position corresponding to an empty condition and a second position corresponding to conditions of substantial filling with said first liquid, the perforation through said bottom wall having an output less than that of said duct, a hermetically sealed container, arranged above said tray, for a second liquid to be admixed with the first, and a blending tank adapted to receive the liquids issuing from said hole, characterized in that at least one portion of said hermetically sealed container is elastically deformable between an expanded position and a compressed position, and vice versa, said portion being equipped with at least an opening on the bottom wall and being mechanically connected in a linkable manner to said tray, so that when the latter is switched from said first to said second position the deformable portion of the container is in an expanded position, so that through said opening a certain volume of atmospherical air enters said container and when the tray is switched in the reverse direction, the deformable portion of the container is under compression conditions, so that through said opening there emerges and drops in said tray a volume of said second liquid which is equal to said volume of air.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
66 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises in addition at least two devices, known per se, adapted to define said first and said second position, respectively, of said tray having a foraminous bottom wall, at least one of said abutments being equipped with adjustment means adapted to vary their mutual distance and thus to vary said volume of the second dispensed liquid.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
45 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said deformable portion of the container is housed in a fixed manner in the apparatus and the remaining rigid portion of the container is removable and is connected to the deformable portion by hermetic sealing means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
55 words
An apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that said deformable portion is formed by a metering bellows unit whose bottom wall is formed by a rigid bell through which said opening is formed and to which there is pivoted either end of a rod which is pivoted at the opposite end to said tray.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
52 words
An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the removable portion of the container is shaped substantially in the form of a bottle having a single mouth, characterized in that said removable portion is adapted to be connected to said deformable portion in an inverted posture, that is with said mouth pointing downwards.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
48 words
An apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the mouth of said removable portion in the form of a bottle is equipped with a shutter device capable of giving a tight seal and to be rotated from a closing position to an opening position, and vice versa.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
136 words
An apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that said shutter comprises a substantially cylindrical body in whose interior there are formed a first and a second upper duct and a first and a second lower duct, each duct being connected wIth the ambient air outside said body by corresponding holes formed through the side surface of said body, the latter being inserted in a sealtight manner, at least along the axial length within which said holes are contained, into a ring provided in its inside with two hollow spaces through which, in said opening position, said first and said second upper ducts a communicate with said first and said second lower duct, respectively, by means of their respective holes, whereas in said closure position said holes are closed by the inner walls of the ring.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
42 words
An apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that said first lower duct of the cylindrical body axially projects with respect to said second lower duct and, preferably, said second upper duct is likewise protruding with respect to said first upper duct.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
52 words
An apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the inner hollow spaces of said ring are symmetrical and opposed, as diametrically opposite are said holes of the first upper duct and the first lower duct with respect to the holes of said second upper duct and said second lower duct, respectively.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
52 words
An apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that said cylindrical body is equipped, on a side of said ring, with an enlarged portion and, on the other side, with a detent tooth so as to prevent any axial displacement between the body and the ring while permitting a relative rotation therebetween.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
41 words
An apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the outer surface of said ring is equipped with a projection which is locked in a sealtight manner in a conventional way to the mouth of said removable portion of the container.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
94 words
An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said first and said second lower duct of the shutter project along a second at the outside of said rigid portion of the container, characterized in that at least the end portion of said second is shaped with a noncylindrical cross-sectional shape and is inserted into a similar fixed seating formed in said deformable portion of the container, so as to allow the displacement from said closure position to said opening position of the shutter, and vice versa, when the removable portion of the container is rotated.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-09-22 | 1979-03-24 | 1979-09-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-09-22 | 1983-03-24 | 1983-09-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-09-22 | 1987-03-24 | 1987-09-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |