Dispenser for beverages including juices
AssigneeThe Coca-Cola Company
InventorsEdwin Petrus Elisabeth van Opstal, Arthur G. Rudick, Mark Andrew Wilcock, Andrew Zipsin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A beverage dispenser for combining a number of micro-ingredients, one or more macro-ingredients, and one or more water streams. The beverage dispenser may include a micro-mixing chamber for mixing a number of the micro-ingredients and the water into a micro-ingredient stream and a macro-mixing chamber for mixing the micro-ingredient stream, the macro-ingredients, and the water into a combined stream.
Claims32
A beverage dispenser for combining a number of micro-ingredients, one or more macro-ingredients, and a plurality of water streams, comprising:
- a micro-mixing chamber for mixing a plurality of the number of micro-ingredients and one of the plurality of water streams into a micro-ingredient stream;
- a macro-mixing chamber for subsequently mixing the micro-ingredient stream, the one or more macro-ingredients, and a second of the plurality of water streams into a combined stream;
- a nozzle;
- and
- wherein the macro-mixing chamber comprises an agitator.
A beverage dispenser for combining a number of micro-ingredients, one or more macro-ingredients, and a plurality of water streams, comprising:
- a micro-mixing chamber for mixing a plurality of the number of micro-ingredients and one of the plurality of water streams into a micro-ingredient stream;
- and
- a macro-mixing chamber for subsequently mixing the micro-ingredient stream, the one or more macro-ingredients, and a second of the plurality of water streams into a combined stream;
- wherein the micro-mixing chamber comprises:
- a plurality of micro-ingredient ports leading to an ingredient manifold;
- a water channel;
- a membrane valve positioned between the ingredient manifold and the water channel;
- and
- a fluid displacement device positioned within the ingredient manifold to pump the number of micro-ingredients through the membrane valve and into the water channel.
A beverage dispenser for combining a number of micro-ingredients, one or more macro-ingredients, and a plurality of water streams, comprising:
- a micro-mixing chamber for mixing a plurality of the number of micro-ingredients and one of the plurality of water streams into a micro-ingredient stream;
- and
- a macro-mixing chamber for subsequently mixing the micro-ingredient stream, the one or more macro-ingredients, and a second of the plurality of water streams into a combined stream;
- wherein the macro-mixing chamber comprises:
- a water entry leading to the macro-mixing chamber;
- an ingredient entry leading to the macro-mixing chamber;
- the macro-mixing chamber comprising a top concave section leading to a bottom narrowed section;
- and
- an agitator positioned within the macro-mixing chamber;
- the agitator comprising a top convex section leading to a bottom narrowed section.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.