Automatic draw valve freezer with multiple flavor option
AssigneeFlavor Burst Co., L.L.P.
InventorErnest C. Gerber
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A conventional frozen carbonated beverage freezer is modified to eliminate the draw handle to facilitate better performance at the hands of an untrained customer in a serve yourself setting. A conventional FCB freezer, with or without a draw handle, is modified to enable dispensing different flavors of frozen carbonated beverages by a customer for a self-serve setting.
Claims19
On a frozen carbonated beverage freezer which has a dispensing head with an inlet for entry of a soft-frozen beverage and an outlet for discharge of said beverage into a drinking receptacle, and a first cylinder with a draw valve piston movable longitudinally in said cylinder to start and stop passage of said beverage from said inlet through a passageway to said outlet, the improvement comprising:
- a second cylinder attached to said first cylinder, and which has a piston rod;
- and
- at least a first member connecting the piston rod to the draw valve piston whereby longitudinal movement of said member resulting from longitudinal movement of the piston rod along a first axis is operable to move said draw valve piston longitudinally along a second axis to alternately start and stop passage of said beverage;
- wherein said first and second axes are offset and parallel.
On a frozen carbonated beverage freezer which has a dispensing head with an inlet for entry of a soft-frozen beverage and an outlet for discharge of said beverage into a drinking receptacle, and a first cylinder with a draw valve piston movable longitudinally in said cylinder to start and stop passage of said beverage from said inlet through a passageway to said outlet, the improvement comprising:
- a second cylinder attached to said first cylinder, and which has a piston rod;
- at least a first member connecting the piston rod to the draw valve piston whereby longitudinal movement of said member is operable to move said draw valve piston to alternately start and stop passage of said beverage;
- a second piston in said second cylinder;
- and
- ports on said second cylinder to opposite ends of said second piston for selectively admitting into said second cylinder on opposite ends of said second piston, pressurized fluid, to selectively start and stop passage of said beverage from said inlet to said outlet.
On a frozen carbonated beverage freezer which has a dispensing head with an inlet for entry of a soft-frozen beverage, and an outlet for discharge of said beverage into a drinking receptacle, and a first passageway for said beverage from said inlet to said outlet, and a first cylinder with a draw valve piston movable longitudinally in said cylinder to start and stop passage of said beverage from said inlet to said outlet, the improvement comprising:
- an apparatus coupled to said head for admission of at least one flavoring liquid into said passageway for blending into a beverage base flowing from said inlet toward said outlet when said draw valve piston is in position to start flow of said beverage base from said inlet toward said outlet;
- wherein said apparatus includes two tubes extending into said passageway to deliver the at least one flavoring liquid into said passageway, wherein each of said tubes defines an open end in communication with said passageway and at least one slot in communication with said passageway.
On a frozen carbonated beverage freezer which has a dispensing head with an inlet for entry of a soft-frozen beverage, and an outlet for discharge of said beverage into a drinking receptacle, and a first passageway for said beverage from said inlet to said outlet, and a first cylinder with a draw valve piston movable longitudinally in said cylinder to start and stop passage of said beverage from said inlet to said outlet, the improvement comprising:
- modification of said head, and an apparatus coupled to said head for admission of a flavoring liquid into said passageway for blending into a beverage base flowing from said inlet toward said outlet when said draw valve piston is in position to start flow of said beverage base from said inlet toward said outlet;
- wherein said apparatus further comprises:
- a source of pressurized CO2;
- a first valve coupled to said source and operable to cause said draw valve to open and close;
- a second valve coupled to said source to said second passageway and operable to cause said CO2 to purge said flavored liquid from said second passageway.
On a frozen carbonated beverage freezer which has a dispensing head with an inlet for entry of a soft-frozen beverage, and an outlet for discharge of said beverage into a drinking receptacle, and a first passageway for said beverage from said inlet to said outlet, and a first cylinder with a draw valve piston movable longitudinally in said cylinder to start and stop passage of said beverage from said inlet to said outlet, the improvement comprising:
- modification of said head, and an apparatus coupled to said head for admission of a flavoring liquid into said passageway for blending into a beverage base flowing from said inlet toward said outlet when said draw valve piston is in position to start flow of said beverage base from said inlet toward said outlet;
- wherein said head further comprises:
- a first port in the exterior of said head;
- and
- a second passageway in said head and communicating with said first port and said first passageway;
- wherein said apparatus further comprises:
- a tube in said second passageway from said first port into said first passageway for injection of said flavoring liquid into said beverage base, wherein said tube has outlets in said first passageway for blending said flavoring liquid into said beverage base across the cross sectional area of said first passageway;
- a third passageway in said head and communicating with said first port and said first passageway;
- a second tube in said third passageway and which has outlets in said first passageway, and wherein:
- said outlets are spaced from each other longitudinally in said first passageway and offset toward opposite sides of a longitudinal axis of said first passageway;
- and
- said outlets comprise slots in sides of said tubes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.