US2548641A - Apparatus for mixing and dispensing beverages - Google Patents

Description

April 10, 1951 J. v. H. W HIPPLE 2,548,641

APPARATUS FOR MIXING AND DISPENSING'BEVERAGES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 23, 1949 Hill In..

I N VEN TOR.

Jim? in [721% (72174]! April 10, 1951 J. v. H. WHIPPLE 2,543,641

APPARATUS FOR MD (ING AND DISPENSING BEVERAGES Filed Sept. 23, 1949 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

Jar/f Van flora April 1951 J. v. H. WHIPPLE 2,548,641

APPARATUS FOR MIXING AND DISPENSING BEVERAGES Filed Sept. 23, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR.

Patented Apr. 10, 1951 APPARATUS"FOR"MIXING AN DDISPENSING BEVERAGES iJack VanrHorn Whipple,;New York, N. Y., 1- as- .signor to I. Lefkowitz & Sons, Inc., Brooklyn,

N. Y., a corporation of New. York ApplicationSeptember 23,1949, SerialNo. 117,318

;12-.Claims.

The present invention relates to liquid dispensing, and, more particularly, to apparatus forimixa: ingand dispensing beverages.

The presentinve ntionis primarily concerned w ith such apparatus which automatically meas- -ures:a-charge 'ofzcarbonatedwater or the like and a-charge 'of syrup,- fiavoring materialyor the like, wherein the water and sy-rup are thoroughly mixed prior to being dispensed-into -a-drinking receptacle.

Accordingly, an object-of the present invention "'is -to provide improved-mixing means for apparatus of the foregoing character.

-"'Another object is to'provide such mixing means which are simp'le and practical in construction man d do not materially increase the cost of the apparatus.

A f'urther object is to :provide "such mixing meanswhich can readily'be taken apart for cleaning-and can-be replaced with 'a minimum of effort. A still iurther object is toiprovide such mixing 'means wherein the water-and syrup are subject to extreme turbulence to produce -a thoroughly mixed beverage which requires no-turther stirring after being dispensed.

Other'an'd further objects'will be obvious upon 'an un'derstar-i'ding of the illustrative embodiment about to badescri-be'd, or will be indicated in-the --appended claims, and various advantages'not re- -ferred--to herein will'occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

In accordance with the invention, 'the foregoing ebjectsare accomplished by providing a beverage "dispensing apparatus comprising a valve *assembly (including water andsyrup'measuring means) having an outlet-port for the water and an outlet port for the syrup;a housingremovably secured to the valve assembly over the ports having a mixing chamber provided with a dispensing outlet, aridmixing means between'the chamber and the ports havingapair of inlet ports in'fluid "fiovrconnection with the outlet ports and "having "an outlet passage in "fluid flow connection with the inlet ports "which is 'formed'with' an opening 'constructed'and' arranged to direct' a" mixture of water and syrup against "theinner wall oflthe chamber'to' swirl'the mixture'withinthe chamber and'th'oroughly mix thevsame. In order to'fur- "'ther increase the mixing action to which the water and syrup aresubject, means are provided -forproducin'g turbulence .before and/or after. the mixture leaves the opening.

' In a-preferred embo'diment of the invention, the 'valve assembly and the mixing chamber. housing are constructed andarranged tomount a-mixing element 'therebetween. In .this embodiment, a discelike body .comprises the amixing element J having passagesl vforuni'ting the=waterand syrup which change directionto.produce turbulenceand (Cl. 259%) I are provided with;additional means for efiecting .mixing. 7

z'Ajipreierredembodiment of the invention has .beenchosen "for purposes'of illustration. and description and is shown in the accompanying" -.drawing, forming ,a part of the specification, -wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side .elevational view, partly in. section, ofbeverage dispensing apparatusembodying 10 ..thepresent-invention.

Fig.2 is a schematic perspective view of the .car'oonated water .and syrupconduits of the apparatus shown in Fig.1.

Fig.3 is a fragmentary sectional View of the l5x1-nixing chamber and the mixing element which is shownin elevation.

:Fig. ,4..is.-a sectional View taken along the. line -3+i'of Fig. 3.,in the direction of the arrows illustrating theinterior of the-mixing element.

5; .is perspective view of 1 the mixing eleimentras viewedirom the underside thereof.

*R'eferring to:the drawings in detail :andimore particularlyto-Fig. 1 thereof, there, is shown apiparatuszfor measuring, mixing and dispensing beverages which generally comprise a cooling tank it adapted torbeattached to a counter i IV by a clamp [2, a measuring valve assembly I -noontrolledwby ahandle I 5 for operatinga shaft. l3, a :syrupreceptacle it; connected to the valve assein- -:bly and positioned-within the'tank, a cooling, coil -i'l positione'd in the bottom of the tank'having one end connected .to the valve assembly and having. its :'other .end arranged for connectionlto sa sourcezof carbonatedwater :(notshown) and a ;;1nixingrchamber. housing i9 attached to the valve :assembly: for dispensing vthe "beverage into a' rclrinking vesselt 2Q .supportedmbeneath the. chamxberzby; meansr-ofza bracket:2 i

Thexvalve'assembly H3 is. of the typefciisclosed 40 in United States LetterslPatentf2,427, i29;Septemberi16,,19 l7 ,avhich is adapted to measure acharge of carbonated water andta chargecf syrup when rthe'rhandle' is moved into oneoperating position andiisadapted:to 'measure a second chargesof carbonated "water" and 11a second charge. aof syrup while causing zthe first charges of water. and .syrup to :begdirectedfto the dispensing outlet of 'I'lil'l. apparatus when the handleis moved into :another operating position.

Fig/2: schematically illustrates. such a charge .;measuring:system which is embodied in the valve iassembly ifl. This :system generally comprises a carbonatedwater; intake: conduit525 connected .to the. coil i1, acwater measuring: cylinder 26;.1having conduits 2? and 28 connected to thetrrespective: endsthereof, .-a water-discharge;conduit 3B eaex tending to the mixing chamber houSingFa valve .-element 31. on. the. shaft- 53. (Figure; 3) under the control of the-handle. l5 having passages 32 theret in: for-- alternately connecting the conduitszi! land 28 to the conduits 25 and 35, a syrup intake conduit 35 connected the syrup supply receptacle 16, a syrupmeasuring cylinder 36 having conduits 3! and 38 connected to the respective ends thereof, a syrup discharge conduit 4!) extending to the mixing chamber housing and a valve element 4! on the shaft 13 (Figure 3) under the control of the handle 15 having passages 42 therein for alternately connecting the conduits 31 and 38 to the conduits 35 and 40.

The cylinders 26 and 36 each have a connected piston therein (not shown) which is moved to one side by the pressure of the carbonated water to admit charges of water and syrup, respectively, by way of conduits 21 and 3?, for example, while expelling charges of water and syrup respectively, by way of conduits 28 and 38. Since such mechanism is illustrated in Patent No. 2,427,429, detailed illustration and description thereof herein are believed to be unnecessary.

As shown in Fig. 3, the valve assembly M has a depending sleeve section 45 surrounding the outlet ports of the water and syrup conduits 39 and 40 against which the mixing chamber housing i9 is positioned. The mixing chamber housing comprises an upper hollow body section 46 having a mixing chamber ii formed therein, and a lower nozzle section 39 provided with a dispensing outlet 50 under which the receptacle is positioned.

Th upper edge of the body section 46 is sealed against the lower edge of the sleeve section 45 by a gasket 5!, and has an inwardly extending portion 52 providing a shoulder for supporting a mixing element 55 about to be described.

The mixing element 55, in accordance with the present invention, is in the form of a disc-like body having an enlarged upper section fitting into the sleeve section 45 and providing an outwardly extending shoulder portion 56 supported on the portion 52, and having a lower section fitting into the upper end of the mixing chamber d1 (Figure 3).

The element 55 (see Fig. 4) has a pair of radial passages 51 and 58 in fluid flow communication with each other at the inner ends thereof, approximately at the center of the body, which passages are provided with inlet ports 69 and 5! at the upper face of the body, respectively, in fluid I flow connection with the conduits and 45 in the valve assembly. An enlarged passage or chamber 62 is in radial alignment with the passage 57, and has its inner end in fluid flow connection with the passage 57 and ha its outer end sealed ofi by a plug 54 screw threaded therein. A bafile member such as a perforated tubular sleeve 65, is mounted in the passage 62 and is retained therein by the plug 64.

The lower face of the body is formed with a notch-like recess 55 having a vertical wall 61 substantially parallel to the axis of the passage 51 and a curved wall section 69 extending from the side of the lower body section to the lower face of the body and converging at H3 (Figure 5). An outlet port H of smaller diameter than the passage 62 extends from this passage through the wall 61 in a downwardly and tangential direction into the recess 66, whereby the recess 66 is adapted to cooperate with the inner wall of the mixing chamber housing l9, as about to be described.

In operation, when charges of carbonated water and syrup are respectively expelled from their cylinders 26 and 36 and flow through the conduits 30 and 45, these charges enter the respective passages 51 and 58 and merge at the juncture 4 of passages 57 and 58 within the mixing element and are next directed into the enlarged passage 62. As the carbonated water and syrup enter the passage 62 expansion of the gas in the water takes place which produces turbulence and a mixing action, and such turbulence is enhanced by the perforated sleeve baifie element 65 and the inner face of the plug 64 against which these charge are impinged and caused to change direction. The mixed charges are then directed through the restricted outlet port H which increases the velocity of the mixing and impinges the same against the wall section 69 to produce further turbulence.

The curved converging wall section 69 and the inner wall of the mixing chamber housing surrounding the recess 66, cooperate to impart swirling motion to the stream of the mixture issuingfrom the port H, whereby the stream is swirled with a rotary motion around the inner wall of the mixing chamber 4'! to so thoroughly mix the carbonated water and syrup prior to leaving the outlet 55 that further mixing in the drinking vessel 26 is unnecessary.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the present invention provides a simple, practical and effective mixing device for dispensing flavored carbonated beverages and the like from apparatus of the type described herein. The mixing element is readily removed and taken apart for cleaning to maintain it in sanitary condition without any inconvenience.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matters are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in any limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. In a beverage dispensing apparatus, the combination of a valve assembly having a water outlet port and a syrup outlet port, a housing secured to said valve assembly over said ports having a mixing chamber provided with a dispensing outlet, and mixing means between said chamber and said ports having a pair of intersecting inlet passages with respective inlet ports in fluid flow connection with said outlet ports and having an outlet passage in fluid flow connection with said inlet passages formed with an opening constructed and arranged to direct water and syrup against the inner wall of said mixing chamber.

2. In beverage dispensing apparatus, the combination of a valve assembly having a water outlet port and a syrup outlet port, a housing secured to said valve assembly over said ports having a mixing chamber provided with a dispensing outlet, mixing means between said chamber and said ports having a pair of intersecting inlet passages with respective inlet ports in fluid flow connection with said outlet ports and having an outlet passage in fluid flow connection with said inlet passages formed with an opening constructed and arranged to direct water and syrup against the inner wall of said mixing chamber, and means in said outlet passage between said inlet ports and said opening for producing turbulence.

3. In beverage dispensing apparatus, the combination of a valve assembly having a water outlet port and a syrup outlet port, a housing secured to said valve assembly over said ports having a mixing chamber provided with a dispensing outlet, mixing means between said chamber and said ports having a pair of intersecting inlet passages with respective inlet ports in fluid flow connection with said outlet ports and having an outlet passage in fluid flow connection with said inlet passages formed with an opening constructed and arranged to direct water and syrup against the inner wall of said mixing chamber, and bafile means in said outlet passage.

4. In beverage dispensing apparatus, the combination of a valve assembly having a water outlet port and a syrup outlet port, a housing secured to said valve assembly over said ports having a mixing chamber provided with a dispensing outlet, and mixing means between saidchamber and said ports having a pair of intersecting inlet passages with respective inlet ports in fluid flow connection with said outlet ports and having an outlet passage in fluid flow connection with said inlet passages formed with an opening constructed and arranged to direct water and syrup against the inner wall of said mixing chamber, said opening being substantially tangentially disposed with respect to the wall of said chamber to swirl the water and syrup mixture within said chamber.

5. In beverage dispensing apparatus, the combination of a valve assembly having a water outlet port and a syrup outlet port, a housing secured to said valve assembly over said ports having a mixing chamber provided with a dispensing outlet, and a mixing element between said chamber and said ports having a pair of inlet ports in fluid flow connection with said outlet ports and having a pair of inlet passages connected respectively with said inlet ports, said passages intersecting each other to form a single passage, said mixing element also having an outlet passage in fluid flow connection with said single passage formed with an opening constructed and arranged to direct water and syrup against the inner wall of said mixing chamber, said mixing element being formed with a wall portion adjacent said opening cooperating with said chamber wall to provide a deflector upon which the mixture of water and syrup is impinged.

6. In beverage dispensing apparatus, the combination of a valve assembly having a depending sleeve section and having a water outlet port and a syrup outlet port within said section, a

housing connected to said section formed with an inwardly extending portion at its upper end and having a mixing chamber therein provided with a dispensing outlet at the lower end thereof, and a mixing body having an outwardly extending portion supported by said inwardly extending portion to mount said body between said mixing chamber and said valve assembly, said body having a pair of inlet ports in fluid flow connection with said outlet ports and having an outlet passage in fluid flow connection with said inlet ports, said outlet passage having an opening for directing water and syrup outwardly against the wall of said chamber.

7. A water and syrup mixing element comprising a disc-like body having a pair of radial passages in fluid flow connection at the inner end thereof and each formed with an inlet port at one face of said body, said body having a passage in fluid flow connection at one end thereof with said pair of passages and formed with an outlet port adjacent the other face of said body adjaone face of said body, said body having a passage in fluid flow connection at one end thereof with said pair of passages and formed with an outlet port adjacent the other face of said body adjacent its periphery and facing in a substantially tangential direction with respect to said body, and baffle means in said last mentioned passage between said pair of passages and said outlet port.

9. A Water and syrup mixing element comprising a disc-like body havinga pair of radial passages in fluid flow connection atthe inner end thereof and each formed with an inlet port at one face of said body, said body having an enlarged passage in fluid flow connection at one end thereof with said pair of passages and formed with an outlet port of smaller diameter than said passage adjacent the other face of said body adjacent its periphery and facing in asubstantially tangential direction with respect to said body, and a perforated sleeve in said enlarged passage of smaller diameter than said passage.

10. A water and syrup mixing element comprising a disc-like body having a notch-like recess at the periphery on one face thereof including a said recess, said body having a pair of passages connected at their inner ends and each formed with an inlet port at their outer ends and having a passage connecting said pair of passages and said outlet port, and baflie means in said last mentioned passage.

12. A water and syrup mixing element comprising a disc-like body having a notch-like recess at the peripher on one face thereof including a wall portion formed with an outlet port facing said recess, said body having a pair of passages connected at their inner ends and each formed with an inlet port at their outer ends and having an enlarged passage connecting said pair of passages and said outlet port, and a perforated sleeve in said enlarged passage of smaller diameter than said passage.

JACK VAN HORN WHIPPLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,140,548 Vogelsang May 25, 1915 1,429,574 England et al. Sept. 19, 1922 1,743,738 Travis Jan. 14, 1930 1,842,377 Muller et al. Jan. 26, 1932 2,981,496 Buttner Nov. 20, 1934 2,284,255 Bauerschmidt May 26, 1942

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