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US 12,193,625 B2Granted
High speed reusable beverage container washing system with pop-up ultraviolet sanitizer
AssigneeMidea Group Co., Ltd.
InventorsJoel Boyer, Robert M. Digman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A beverage container washing system may be used for rapid washing and/or sanitizing of beverage containers, e.g., for use in a retail environment to wash and/or sanitize customer-provided beverage containers prior to filling the beverage containers with purchased beverages, among other applications. The beverage container washing system may include a pop-up ultraviolet sanitizer that may be used to sanitize an interior of a beverage container by extending into an opening of the beverage container and emitting ultraviolet light onto an interior surface of the beverage container.
Claims18
An apparatus for washing a beverage container, comprising:
- a housing defining a wash chamber;
- a holder disposed within the wash chamber and configured to hold the beverage container during a washing operation;
- a sprayer disposed in the wash chamber and including at least one nozzle, the at least one nozzle oriented to spray wash fluid onto the beverage container when the beverage container is held by the holder;
- and
- a pop-up ultraviolet sanitizer disposed in the wash chamber and including at least one ultraviolet light, the pop-up ultraviolet sanitizer configured to move between retracted and extended positions along an axis of extension thereof, wherein when in the extended position at least a portion of the pop-up ultraviolet sanitizer extends into an opening of the beverage container when the beverage container is held by the holder to emit ultraviolet light onto an interior surface of the beverage container;
- wherein the sprayer includes a pop-up sprayer configured to rotate about an axis of rotation and to move between retracted and extended positions along the axis of rotation;
- wherein the pop-up ultraviolet sanitizer and the pop-up sprayer are disposed on a pop-up sprayer/ultraviolet sanitizer assembly, and wherein the axis of extension of the pop-up ultraviolet sanitizer and the axis of rotation of the pop-up sprayer are substantially coaxial with one another;
- and
- wherein the pop-up ultraviolet sanitizer is movable relative to the pop-up sprayer along the axis of extension.
6 more elements
An apparatus for washing a beverage container, comprising:
- a housing defining a wash chamber;
- a holder disposed within the wash chamber and configured to hold the beverage container during a washing operation;
- a sprayer disposed in the wash chamber and including at least one nozzle, the at least one nozzle oriented to spray wash fluid onto the beverage container when the beverage container is held by the holder;
- and
- a pop-up ultraviolet sanitizer disposed in the wash chamber and including at least one ultraviolet light, the pop-up ultraviolet sanitizer configured to move between retracted and extended positions along an axis of extension thereof, wherein when in the extended position at least a portion of the pop-up ultraviolet sanitizer extends into an opening of the beverage container when the beverage container is held by the holder to emit ultraviolet light onto an interior surface of the beverage container;
- wherein the sprayer includes a pop-up sprayer configured to rotate about an axis of rotation and to move between retracted and extended positions along the axis of rotation;
- and
- wherein the at least one nozzle includes an interior nozzle disposed on the pop-up sprayer and oriented to spray wash fluid into an interior of the beverage container when the beverage container is held by the holder and a lip nozzle disposed on the pop-up sprayer and oriented to spray wash fluid onto an outer lip of the beverage container when the beverage container is held by the holder.
5 more elements
A pop-up sprayer/ultraviolet sanitizer assembly for washing a beverage container disposed in a wash chamber, the assembly comprising:
- a sprayer configured to rotate about an axis of rotation, the sprayer disposed in the wash chamber and including at least one nozzle, the at least one nozzle oriented to spray wash fluid onto the beverage container when the beverage container is positioned in the wash chamber;
- and
- at least one ultraviolet light;
- wherein each of the sprayer and the at least one ultraviolet light is configured to selectively extend along the axis of rotation of the sprayer, wherein when the sprayer is extended, the at least one nozzle is positioned to extend through an opening of the beverage container and spray wash fluid into an interior of the beverage container, and when the at least one ultraviolet light is extended, the at least one ultraviolet light is positioned to emit ultraviolet light onto an interior surface of the beverage container and
- wherein the ultraviolet light is movable relative to the sprayer along the axis of rotation.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.