Orange juice dispensing system
AssigneeThe Coca-Cola Company
InventorsJonathan Kirschner, Kenneth G. Smazik, Gary V. Paisley
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An orange juice dispensing system including a pump driven by a d.c. motor for pumping concentrate through a concentrate conduit to a mixing chamber of a dispensing valve, a water line for feeding water to the mixing chamber and including a flow meter and a motorized control valve therein, sensors connected to the pump for sensing concentrate flow rate, and a microcontroller receiving signals from the pump sensors and the water flow meter for controlling the mixture ratio and flow rate by controlling the motorized control valve in the water line and the d.c. motor connected to the concentrate pump. The concentrate is preferably contained in a nonreturnable, plastic, semi-rigid container.
Claims7
Apparatus for reconstituting and dispensing juice comprising:
- (a) a pump having a variable speed drive motor connected thereto and having an inlet port for receiving juice concentrate;
- (b) a mixing chamber for mixing water and concentrate and for dispensing the mixture therefrom as a beverage;
- (c) a concentrate conduit extending from said pump directly to said mixing chamber with no control valve or flow meter therein;
- (d) a water line connected to said mixing chamber and a motorized, variable flow, control valve in said water line;
- (e) first means for sensing the water flow rate and second means for sensing the speed of the pump and thus the concentrate flow rate;
- and
- (f) a microcontroller for controlling the mixture ratio of the beverage dispensed from said mixing chamber, said microcontroller being connected to said first and second sensing means for receiving signals therefrom, to said motor for controlling the speed thereof and therefore the concentrate flow rate through said pump, and to said motorized, variable flow control valve in said water line for controlling the water flow therethrough.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.