Vending machine with self contained water supply
AssigneeRefreshment Machinery Incorporated
InventorThomas E. Meacham, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vending machine such as a coffee vending machine has a hot water tank connected to the outlet side of a pump. The inlet side of the pump is selectively connected to one of a plurality of water storage containers by way of a valve. Water for the hot water tank is pumped thereto from the storage containers. When a storage container is empty, the valve is moved to a position so as to communicate with another one of the containers.
Claims7
An improvement in a vending machine with a self-contained water supply comprising a vending machine having a water tank from which water is to be dispensed, a pump having its outlet connected to said tank, said tank having a means for controlling operation of said pump in response to the level of water in said tank so that the pump is operative when the water level in said tank is below a predetermined level, a plurality of water storage containers, a valve having a plurality of inlets and a single outlet, said valve outlet being connected to the inlet side of said pump, each valve inlet being connected to one of said storage containers, said valve including a valve member for selectively controlling flow from said inlets to said valve outlet, a motor connected to said valve member, circuitry interconnecting said valve motor and said pump with said liquid level responsive means so that when water in one storage container is depleted, the valve member is moved by said motor to communicate said pump inlet with another of said containers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.