606,497. Coin-freed beverage dispensing apparatus. COCA-COLA CO. Feb. 13, 1943, No. 2399. Convention date, Jan 15, 1942. [Class 27] Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing beverages, allowing selection from a plurality of flavours, is constructed so that the flavour can be changed during the course of a dispensing operation so that the constituent proportions of a fixed total amount of mixed beverage can be varied. A tank 30, filled with a chilling liquid F kept chilled by a coil 11 from a refrigerator 10 and circulated by rotating vanes 36, has supported from its cover 32 a tank 35 where water is carbonated and a number of tanks 50, 51, 52 with different flavouring syrups. Water is drawn from a supply tank 20 by a pump 25, driven by a motor 26, through a filter 203 coils 204 and a control valve 205 to a spraying nozzle 360. A high capacity pump 25 is used and the amount discharged by the nozzle is regulated by a bypass return pipe 208 and valve 209. The carbonating chamber 35 is of glass or ceramic material supported in a metal casing flanged and bolted to the cover 32 with a sealing gasket, and resting on a rubber or like cushion in the bottom of the casing. The water is directed in a fine spray against the tank walls near the top, the space above the liquid being charged with carbon dioxide from a tank 1 through a reducing valve 368 and a control valve 366. Carbonation is assisted by agitating the water by vanes on a rotating shaft 375 eccentrically mounted in the tank to cause swirling of the liquid making the level highest at the rotating shaft and lowest at a control chamber 408 perforated at the bottom and having inside it a pair of non-corrosive electrodes 400, 401 of unequal length mounted in an insulating block in the cover 32 and about “ in. apart. The electrodes are connected to the 110 volt mains in circuit with a lowvoltage relay 415, which, when the liquid level drops too low, makes a contact 416, 417 to start the motor 26 to pump in more water. A thermostat 440 controls through the refrigerator 10 the temperature of the cooling tank 30. The tank 20 has a float 430 sliding on a rod 431 so that when the level falls too low, the float riding on a cross bar 432 at the end of the rod pulls it down overcoming a spring 434 and breaks a contact 435 in the main line conductor and cuts out all units except the refrigerator. Instead of the electrolytic circuit control of supply to the tank 35 described above a float 450 may be employed having a rod 455, Fig. 13, extending upwards with a projection 463 to engage, when the water level falls too low, the end 457 of a switch lever 458 and break the circuit between the two members 459, 460 attached to the conductors 412, 413 thus causing the solenoid 415, Fig. 2, to drop switch arm 416 and start the motor 26. The container for each flavouring syrup is a cylindrical jar 501 of glass or the like supported on a rubber or like cushion 506, Fig. 4, on a plate 505 bolted on rods 503 secured to the cover 32 against which the container is sealed by a gasket. A cover 509 with a gasket is secured by wing nuts over the opening 508 and a pipe 535 applies gas from a pipe line 536 supplied at about 5 lbs. per square inch through a reducing valve 537. The delivery tube 515 from near the bottom is sealed in the cover 32 and when a minimum level is reached the delivery valve for that container is cut out of circuit by a float 520 with central guiding tube engaging a stop 524 on a rod 521 to pull it down against the action of a spring 525 and open a switch 530. Carbon dioxide is fed to the tank 35 through a reducing valve 366 at 40 lbs. per square inch and water is drawn therefrom by a pipe 385 through cooling coils 386. A beverage is delivered through timer - regulated solenoid-actuating measuring valves 60, Fig. 1, for each of the flavour syrups and a set of similar valves 70 for the carbonated water and through a mixing nozzle 80 with chilling means. The flavours are independently delivered each with a draught of the appropriate amount of carbonated water, the flavour being partly mixed with the water as they flow together into the cup, the pressure on the water being partly relieved some distance from the delivery point to reduce foaming. and the terminal part of the syrup tube is washed in the flow of water during delivery to prevent mixture of residual syrups. Each syrup tube 802, Fig. 7, passes through a T-piece 812 and down inside a wider tube 804 supplied with carbonated water from the side' inlet 810 to the T- piece, the tube 802 having a small aperture 819 facing the water inlet so that the greater pressure on the water forces some to mix with the syrup in the tube 802 and the outer water tube 804 is prolonged beyond the end of the syrup tube which is thus washed clear. All three such delivery sets are built into an outer housing 80 filled with chilled liquid from the tank 30 through a large pipe 820 the cooling being further ensured by a bar 822 of heat conducting metal extending through the pipe 820 well in to the tank 30. In a modification the conductor bar 822 may be omitted and a chilling coil fitted in the housing 80 with or without chilling liquid in the housing. In a further modification a single water tube 830, Fig. 8, may surround the flavour tubes ending above in a cap fitting 831 with a single water inlet 832 requiring only one solenoid valve 70. The valves 60, Fig. 1, are of a known poppet type the upwardly extending stem of which forms the core of a solenoid 602, so that the quantity delivered is directly measured by the time the solenoid is energized to raise the stem. A modified form of valve has the stem 616, Fig. 15, pressed down by a spring 620 to hold the cap 618 on the valve seat but can be raised by a lever 634 having a ball fulcrum 645 working in complementary recesses in the side of the valve chamber and a bracket plate 640 sealed with a gasket 641 and pivoted to the core 631 of a solenoid 630. The carbonator is that described in Specification 606,531, [Group XXXV]. Syrup selection, coin-action and general operation.-To operate the apparatus, a coin is inserted into a chute 1001 and comes to rest on a detent 1005 at the upper end of a lower chute 1003. One of three push-buttons 1100-1-2, corresponding to the three available syrups, is then depressed and this bridges contact 1122 to 1130 momentarily, and contact 1130 to 1121, the push-button being held-in to maintain the latter contacts bridged by a vertically sliding locking plate 1110 engaging over a cam abutment 1113 on the push-button. Contacts 1122 and 1130 close the circuit through the syrup container contacts 530 to a magnet 1008 which pivots detent 1005 to release the coin to a lower detent 1021. Contacts 1130 and 1121 prepare a .circuit from the secondary of a transformer 1133 to the corresponding one of three relays 1132 controlling the dispensing valves, the transformer primary being not yet energized. At the lower detent 1021 the coin actuates by weight a switch 1022 to energize a solenoid 906 operating the cup-delivery mechanism 90 which is constructed as described in Specification 606,530. When the mechanism 90 has delivered a cup beneath the dispensing nozzle 80, it rocks detent 1021 through linkage 991, 992, 994 to release the coin to actuate momentarily a further switch 1051 before finally passing to the till. Switch 1051 closes the circuit of a timer relay 1056, which holds at contact 1059 and closes at contact 1060 the circuit to the transformer 1133 primary so that the selected dispensing relay 1132 is energized. Contacts 1160 of relay 1132 close a circuit, prepared at contact 1060 of the timer relay, to one of the carbonated-water valves 70 and the selected syrup valve 60 so that delivery commences. A synchronous motor M is connected across the valve circuits so that, after a predetermined period, a switch arm 1175 driven by the motor closes onto an arm 1176 to short-circuit the timer relay 1056 which consequently reverts to normal and delivery ceases. Arm 1176 is adjustable over a scale 1178 so that the delivery period can be varied. The operator can, at any time during the delivery period, change the syrup by depressing another push-button, that previously depressed being released by the locking plate 1110 which is momentarily lifted whenever a push-button is operated. If the supply of the selected syrup is exhausted, the corresponding contacts 530 open, and the magnet 1008 is not energized to release the coin for effecting operation of the apparatus, and the operator must therefore operate a push-button for which a supply of syrup is available.