Touch-less beverage dispenser
AssigneeSmart Soda Holdings, Inc.
InventorsLior Shafir, Eliyahou Shafir
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Beverage dispensers, systems, and methods are provided for producing a beverage flavored mixture/solution based on instructions from a mobile device (also referred to as an electronic device) and without requiring a user to touch the beverage dispenser (e.g., reducing the spread of germs through touching shared surfaces). The beverage dispensers, systems, and methods described may also be advantageous in allowing for monitoring of use of a beverage dispenser, billing users, and tracking liquid intake. The beverage dispensers, systems, and methods may enable a greater tracking and control compared to conventional beverage dispensers.
Claims23
A beverage dispenser comprising:
- a liquid enclosure that includes a liquid control valve and that is configured to contain a liquid;
- a mixing receptacle that is fluidly connected with the liquid control valve and includes a flavored mixture outlet;
- a product enclosure that includes a flavor control valve and is configured to contain at least one flavored product separately from the liquid, wherein the flavor control valve is fluidly connected to the mixing receptacle for mixing the at least one flavored product with the liquid to form a flavored mixture that is dispensed from the flavored mixture outlet and a control valve;
- a communication interface configured to wirelessly receive instructions from a mobile device;
- and
- control system including circuitry communicatively coupled with the liquid control valve and the flavor control valve for maintaining a predetermined amount of each of the at least one flavored product in the dispensed flavored mixture based on the received instructions.
A beverage dispenser system comprising:
- a beverage dispenser including:
- a liquid enclosure that includes a liquid control valve and that is configured to contain a liquid;
- a mixing receptacle that is fluidly connected with the liquid control valve and includes a flavored mixture outlet;
- a product enclosure that includes a flavor control valve and is configured to contain at least one flavored product separately from the liquid, wherein the flavor control valve is fluidly connected to the mixing receptacle for mixing the at least one flavored product with the liquid to form a flavored mixture that is dispensed from the flavored mixture outlet and a control valve;
- a communication interface configured to wirelessly receive instructions;
- and
- a control system including circuitry communicatively coupled with the liquid control valve and the flavor control valve for maintaining a predetermined amount of each of the at least one flavored product in the dispensed flavored mixture based on the received instructions.
- a mobile device including:
- a network interface configured to wirelessly send instructions to the communication interface of the beverage dispenser;
- a processor configured to execute an app stored in a non-transitory computer readable memory and send the instructions to the beverage dispenser via the network interface, wherein the instructions include a user identifier (ID) and at least one selected flavor of the at least one flavored product.
The beverage dispenser system of claim 19, wherein:
- the beverage dispenser further comprises a display including a user interface for receiving beverage selections from a user;
- and
- the app is configured to display an interface based on the user interface of the display of the beverage dispenser for receiving beverage selections from the user.
A method of controlling an amount of a flavored product in a flavored mixture of the flavored product and a liquid that is dispensed from a beverage dispenser, the method comprising:
- wirelessly receiving, using a communication interface, instructions from a mobile device;
- supplying a liquid to a mixing receptacle by using the circuitry to control a liquid control valve based on the received instructions;
- supplying at least one flavored product to the mixing receptacle to be dissolved in the liquid and form a flavored mixture by using the circuitry to control a flavor control valve based on the received instructions;
- and
- modulating an amount of the at least one flavored product that is dissolved in the liquid to maintain a predetermined solution of the flavored mixture that is dispensed from the beverage dispenser by using the circuitry to control a control valve based on the received instructions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.