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US 4,917,831 AGranted
Buoyant tank carbonator pump control for post-mix beverage apparatus
AssigneeThe Coca-Cola Company
InventorsLawrence B. Ziesel, Robert D. Hughes
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A carbonator unit for a post-mix beverage dispenser having a carbonator tank immersed in a liquid flotation tank. The carbonator tank floats up and down with changes in the amount of water and head space in the carbonator tank to actuate a switch device mounted externally of the carbonator tank. Actuation of the switch causes a water pump to become operative to supply uncarbonated water to the carbonator tank. When the volume of carbonated water increases to a predetermined amount, the carbonator tank sinks to deactivate the switch.
Claims20
Carbonator apparatus, comprising:
- a first container for holding a predetermined volume of liquid therein;
- a second container holding a variable volume of carbonated water resulting from mixing a quantity of water and carbon dioxide, said second container being constrained to move in a vertical direction and floatable in said volume of liquid in said first container;
- means for feeding carbon dioxide from an external source into said second container;
- control means for feeding water from an external source into said second container to vary said volume of carbonated water and thus the flotation level of said second container in said first container;
- means for feeding carbonated water out of said second container;
- and
- means responsive to the flotation level of said ;, second container for causing said control means to maintain the volume of carbonated water at a predetermined quantity.
4 more elements
Carbonator apparatus, comprising:
- an outer flotation tank comprising a first container including a predetermined volume of liquid;
- an inner carbonator tank comprising a second container containing a variable volume of carbonated water resulting from mixing a quantity of water and carbon dioxide gas, said carbonator tank being buoyant in said volume of liquid in said flotation tank;
- conduit means for feeding carbon dioxide gas from an external source into said carbonator tank;
- pump means and conduit means connected thereto for feeding water from an external source into said second container to vary said volume of carbonated water and thus the flotation level of said second container in said first container;
- conduit means for feeding carbonated water out of said second container;
- and
- means responsive to the flotation level of said carbonator tank for controlling said pump means to maintain the volume of carbonated water at a predetermined quantity in said carbonator tank.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.