Post-mix beverage dispenser with nozzle

A method of flushing a post-mix beverage dispensing system comprising the steps of:

• (a) concurrently opening a syrup valve and water valve in a syrup line and water line respectively, both lines leading to a dispensing nozzle;
• (b) connecting the water line to the syrup line at a connecting point upstream of the syrup valve;
• (c) operating a discrete flush lever underneath the dispensing valve to connect the water and syrup lines by squeezing the flush lever and a dispensing lever together with the thumb and a finger of one hand, to connect the water and syrup lines;
• (d) precluding reverse flow of syrup in the syrup line;
• (e) propelling all syrup from the connection point to the nozzle out of the nozzle with a flow of flushing water from the water line via the connection point;
• (f) flushing the syrup valve and nozzle with a further flow of the flushing water;
• and
• (g) then disconnecting the water line from the syrup line so that syrup can again be supplied to the nozzle, which has just been flushed and cleaned with water from the water supply line, by releasing the squeeze upon the flush and dispensing levers.

A mounting block for a post-mix carbonated beverage dispensing valve mounting block, comprising

• (a) a block body having means for being mounted to the exterior of a beverage dispenser, a water port having a water inlet extending to a water outlet, and a syrup port having a syrup inlet extending to a syrup outlet, the water port and syrup port being fluidly discrete from each other;
• (b) a disconnect valve in each of the outlets, each disconnect valve having means for being opened upon connection and locking of a dispensing valve body to the block;
• (c) lock means on the block for quick disconnect locking retention of the valve body to the block;
• (d) a flushing connector fluidly connected into the water port and into the syrup port in between respective disconnect valves and the inlets;
• (e) a flush valve normally closing the connector;
• (f) a flush valve actuator for opening the flush valve and fluidly connecting the water port to the syrup port through the flushing connector, said flush valve actuator being a discrete and dedicated flush actuator lever movably mounted to and dependent from said block, said flush lever remaining with said block during both installation and removal of the dispensing valve body to and from the block, said flush actuator being operable independently of any actuators or valves in said body.

A beverage dispensing valve comprising

• (a) a valve body having a nozzle, a water line, a syrup line, a normally closed water valve in the water line, a normally closed syrup valve in the syrup port, and a dispensing actuator for opening both the water and syrup valves concurrently;
• (b) means upstream of the water and syrup valves and in between the water and syrup lines for fluidly connecting the water line to the syrup line;
• (c) a normally closed flush valve in said connecting means for normally fluidly closing said connecting means;
• (d) a discrete flushing actuator for opening the normally closed flush valve for direct fluid connection of the water line to the syrup line, said flushing actuator being a discrete lever adjacent to the valve body and independent of the dispensing actuator, with both actuators being concurrently operable;
• and in
• (e) which said dispensing actuator is a discrete lever depending downwardly from the valve body, said flush actuator lever and said dispensing actuator lever being squeezeable together for flushing the dispensing valve.

A flush valve for a post-mix carbonated beverage dispensing valve, comprising

• (a) a flush connector body having a flush fluid port there through, a fluid inlet to the flush port, a fluid outlet from the flush port, means for fluid connection of the inlet to a water line of the dispensing valve, and means for fluid connection of the outlet to a syrup line of the dispensing valve, and a valve seat in the port in between the inlet and outlet,
• (b) a flush valve in the port, said flush valve having a valve member normally closing the seat and a stem extending to outside of the connector body through a first end of the body;
• (c) a plug which is mounted in and is fluid tightly closing a second end of the body;
• (d) a spring biasing the flush valve closed;
• (e) a lever fulcrum on the exterior of the connector body;
• and
• (f) a flush actuator lever pivotally mounted on the fulcrum and having a first work end engaging the valve stem and a second handle end manipulatable by a finger for opening of the flush valve.

A flush valve for a post-mix carbonated beverage dispensing valve, comprising

• (a) a flush connector body having a flush fluid port there through, a fluid inlet to the flush port, a fluid outlet from the flush port, means for fluid connection of the inlet to a water line of the dispensing valve, and means for fluid connection of the outlet to a syrup line of the dispensing valve, and a valve seat in the port in between the inlet and outlet, said seat facing towards the inlet;
• (b) a flush valve in the port, said flush valve having a valve member normally closing the seat and a stem extending to outside of the connector body through a first end of the body;
• (c) a plug which is mounted in and is fluid tightly closing a second end of the body;
• (d) a spring biasing the flush valve closed;
• (e) means outside of the connector body for operation of the flush valve to open the seat;
• (f) said valve member comprising an elastomeric ring fixed on and co-movable with the stem, said ring having a relatively narrow annular sealing face seated against said valve seat;
• and
• (g) means in said stem and said port for hydraulically neutralizing pressure in the outlet port upon the valve so that normally encountered syrup pressures applied through the outlet port cannot open the valve.

A method of flushing at least part of the syrup components of a carbonated beverage dispensing valve in a post-mix carbonated beverage dispensing system with carbonated water, said dispensing valve having a mounting block affixed on a dispenser and a separable valve body locked to the mounting block, comprising the steps of:

• a. concurrently opening a syrup dispensing valve and carbonated water valve in a pressurized syrup line and pressurized carbonated water line respectively, both lines leading from sources of syrup and carbonated water respectively through a respective discrete opened disconnect valve to a dispensing nozzle;
• b. selectively and intermittently connecting the carbonated water line to the syrup line at a connecting point in said dispensing valve and upstream of the syrup disconnect valve by manually and mechanically opening a normally closed discrete flush valve in said dispensing valve;
• c. precluding reverse flow of syrup in the syrup line by checking against reverse syrup flow upstream of the connection point;
• d. propelling all syrup from the connection point to the nozzle out of the nozzle with a displacing flow of carbonated flushing water from the carbonated water line via the connection point;
• e. flushing the syrup dispensing valve and the nozzle with a further flow of the carbonated flushing water;
• f. concurrently flushing a syrup flow control in the dispensing valve with the carbonated flush water;
• g. concurrently flushing said syrup disconnect valve in the syrup line and between said valve body and said mounting block, with the carbonated flush water;
• h. then disconnecting the carbonated water line from the syrup line by closing the flush valve so that syrup can again be supplied to the nozzle, said nozzle, syrup dispensing valve, syrup flow control, and syrup disconnect valve having been completely flushed of syrup and cleaned with carbonated water from the carbonated water supply line with said valve body being devoid of syrup after flushing;
• and
• i. neutralizing syrup pressure upon the normally closed flush valve so that if and when syrup pressure exceeds the carbonated water pressure the syrup pressure cannot open the flush valve.

A post-mix beverage dispensing system comprising

• (a) a dispensing valve having a nozzle, a normally closed syrup valve, a normally closed water valve, and a dispensing actuator for concurrently opening both valves;
• (b) a syrup line extending from a syrup supply to the nozzle, said line extending through the syrup valve, and a water line extending from a water supply to the nozzle, said water line extending through the water valve;
• (c) connecting means between the water and syrup lines for fluidly connecting the water line to the syrup line upstream of both valves;
• (d) a normally closed flush valve in said connecting means for normally closing said connecting means;
• (e) means in said syrup line and upstream of said connecting means for preventing reverse flow of syrup in the syrup line;
• (f) a flush actuator for opening the flush valve, said flush valve being openable concurrently with the syrup and water valve so that a normal flow of syrup to and through the nozzle is replaced by a flow of flush water for flushing all syrup from the syrup valve and the nozzle;
• and
• (g) in which said flush valve actuator includes a discrete flush actuator lever underneath and immediately adjacent to the dispensing valve.

A post-mix carbonated beverage dispensing system comprising

• a. a carbonated beverage dispensing valve having a discrete mounting block and a discrete valve body, said valve body having a nozzle, a normally closed syrup valve, a normally closed water valve, and a dispensing actuator operatively connected to both the syrup and water valves for concurrently opening both the syrup and water valves.
• b. said discrete mounting block being securely mounted on and fastened to a carbonated beverage dispensing machine, said valve body and said mounting block jointly having means for locking said body to said block and for selectively releasing said body from said block and for subsequently relocking said body to said block;
• c. a syrup line extending from a syrup supply to the nozzle, said syrup line extending through the mounting block and the syrup valve, and a carbonated water line extending from a carbonated water supply to the nozzle, said carbonated water line extending through the mounting block and the water valve;
• d. a disconnect valve in each of the carbonated water and syrup lines, said disconnect valves being in said mounting block and having means for being kept open when the valve body is locked to the mounting block;
• e. flush connecting means fluidly connected to the carbonated water line upstream of said water disconnect valve and fluidly connected to the syrup line upstream of the syrup disconnect valve and fluidly extending between the carbonated water and syrup lines for fluidly connecting the carbonated water line to the syrup line upstream of both of the carbonated water and syrup dispensing valves, said flush connecting means being mounted directly to and being ported through said mounting block;
• f. a normally closed flush valve in said flush connecting means for normally fluidly closing said flush connecting means, said flush valve and said connecting means having pressure neutralizing means for neutralizing syrup pressure upon the flush valve so that normally encountered syrup pressures cannot open said flush valve;
• g. a discrete syrup flow control in the syrup line between the syrup valve and the connection of the flush connecting means;
• h. a discrete carbonated water flow control in the water line between the nozzle and the connection of the flush connecting means to the carbonated water line;
• i. means in said syrup line upstream of the connection of said connecting means to the syrup line for preventing reverse flow of syrup and for preventing upstream flow of flush water in said syrup line;
• and
• j. a discrete manually manipulatable mechanical flush valve actuator independently and movably mounted on said valve and operatively connected mechanically and directly to said flush valve for mechanically moving said flush valve to an alternative open position in said flush connecting means, said flush valve being openable concurrently with said syrup valve so that a normal flow of syrup to and through the nozzle is replaced by a flow of carbonated water from upstream of the syrup disconnect valve for flushing all syrup from the syrup disconnect valve, the syrup flow control, the syrup valve, the nozzle, and all that part of the syrup line downstream of the connection of the flush connection means to the syrup line, with said valve body being removable from said mounting block and said flush connecting means after flushing and with the valve body being devoid of syrup, while said syrup and carbonated water lines remain pressurized.

A carbonated beverage dispensing valve comprising

• a. a discrete valve body having a nozzle, a carbonated water line, a syrup line, a normally closed carbonated water valve in the water line, a normally closed syrup valve in the syrup line, and a dispensing actuator for opening both the carbonated water and syrup valves concurrently;
• b. a discrete valve mounting block to which the valve body is attached, said block having means for mounting the valve to a beverage dispenser, said block and said removable body having lock means for normally locking said body to said block, said body being unlockable and separable from said block while said lines and said block remains pressurized;
• c. a disconnect valve in each line, each disconnect valve being in said block;
• d. flush connecting means on said block and upstream of the water and syrup disconnect valves and ported through said block into the water and syrup lines for fluidly connecting the water line to the syrup line in the block;
• e. a normally closed flush valve in said flush connecting means for normally fluidly closing said connecting means, said flush valve and said flush connecting means having means for neutralizing syrup pressure upon the flush valve so that syrup pressure cannot open the flush valve;
• and
• f. a discrete mechanical flushing actuator operatively discrete from said dispensing actuator and discretely mechanically connected at said mounting block to said flush valve for opening the normally closed flush valve for direct fluid connection of the water line to the syrup line.

A post-mix carbonated beverage dispensing valve mounting block, comprising

• a. a block body having means for being fixedly mounted to the exterior of a dispenser, a water port having a water inlet extending from a backside of the block to a water outlet on the front side of the block, and a syrup port having a syrup inlet extending from the block backside to a syrup outlet on the block front side, the water port and syrup port being fluidly discrete from each other;
• b. a disconnect valve in each of the outlets, each disconnect valve having means for being opened upon connection and locking of a complementary dispensing valve body to the block;
• c. means on the block for locking the valve body to the block;
• d. a flushing connector secured to the block and fluidly connected into the water port and into the syrup port fluidly in between respective disconnect valves and the inlets;
• e. a mechanical flush valve normally closing the connector;
• f. a discrete and dedicated independently and manually operable mechanical flush valve actuator movably mounted and retained on said block and mechanically connected to said flush valve for manually opening the flush valve and fluidly connecting the water port to the syrup port in the mounting block and through the flushing connector;
• and
• g. pressure neutralizing means in the connector for neutralizing the syrup pressure upon the flush valve, so that normally encountered syrup pressures cannot open the flush valve in the absence of water pressure.