# US 9,750,835 B2 · Liquid dispenser with sanitizing control functions

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 9,750,835 B2
- Document ID: US9750835B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/278,382
- Filed: 2016-09-28
- Published: 2017-02-23
- Granted: 2017-09-05
- Earliest claimed: 2012-04-12
- Assignees: MTN Products, Inc.
- Applicants: MTN Products, Inc.
- Inventors: Chun-Yen Wang; Gregory N Spear
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9750835B2

## CPC

- A61L 2/24: Apparatus using programmed or automatic operation
- A61L 2/06: Hot gas
- A61L 2/07: Steam
- A61L 2/18: Liquid substances
- A61L 2/183: Ozone dissolved in a liquid
- A61L 2/202: Ozone
- B67D 1/0004: {the beverage being stored in a container, e.g. bottle, cartridge, bag-in-box, bowl}
- B67D 3/00: Apparatus or devices for controlling flow of liquids under gravity from storage containers for dispensing purposes (separating and dispensing metered quantities of liquids G01F)
- C02F 1/78: with ozone {(C02F1/4672 takes precedence)}
- A61L 2202/12: Apparatus for isolating biocidal substances from the environment
- A61L 2202/14: Means for controlling sterilisation processes, data processing, presentation and storage means, e.g. sensors, controllers, programs
- B67D 2001/0094: {Valve mountings in dispensers}
- B67D 2210/00013: Sterilising means
- C02F 2303/04: Disinfection
- A61L: METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS IN GENERAL; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES (preservation of bodies or disinfecting characterised by the agents employed A01N; preserving, e.g. sterilising, food or foodstuffs A23; preparations for medical, dental or toiletry purposes A61K)
- B67D: DISPENSING, DELIVERING OR TRANSFERRING LIQUIDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (cleaning pipes or tubes or systems of pipes or tubes B08B9/02; emptying or filling of bottles, jars, cans, casks, barrels, or similar containers, not otherwise provided for B67C; water supply E03; pipe systems F17D; domestic hot-water supply systems F24D; measuring volume, volume flow, mass flow or liquid level, metering by volume G01F; coin-freed or like apparatus G07F)
- C02F: TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE (separation in general B01D; special arrangements on waterborne vessels of installations for treating water, waste water or sewage, e.g. for producing fresh water, B63J; adding materials to water to prevent corrosion C23F; treating radioactively-contaminated liquids G21F9/04; regeneration of reactants for recirculation into processes, see the relevant places for the processes)

## Abstract

Liquid dispensing systems which automatically sanitize the liquid and liquid-contacting parts of a liquid dispensing system, by periodically flushing the system with a sufficiently heated, liquid and/or gas.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for automatically sanitizing a liquid dispensing system having waterways providing paths for the liquid to flow to a dispenser, comprising the steps of:
providing cold and hot liquid storage tanks;
providing a first liquid pathway allowing chilled liquid to flow between the cold tank and the dispenser, and a second liquid pathway allowing heated liquid to flow between the hot tank and the dispenser;
providing one or more dispensing valves permitting hot and cold liquid to be selectively dispensed through the dispenser; and
sanitizing the waterways within the system, including the first and second liquid pathways, an interior surface of the cold and hot tanks, and an interior surface of the dispenser, when the one or more dispensing valves are closed, and no dispensing is occurring, by automatically introducing an ozone-containing, sanitizing liquid or gas to the waterways during a period when no dispensing occurs, wherein the step of introducing the ozone-containing, sanitizing liquid or gas occurs when a user manually places the liquid dispensing system into a sanitizing mode, thereby closing the one or more dispensing valves and contemporaneously locking out dispensing from occurring during the sanitization process.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the step of introducing the ozone-containing, sanitizing liquid or gas is accomplished by providing a liquid or gas originating from a source outside of the system.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid dispensing system comprises either a pump-fed or a gravity-fed liquid dispensing system.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the step of introducing the ozone-containing, sanitizing liquid or gas is accomplished by obtaining the liquid or gas from a source within the system.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the step of introducing the ozone-containing, sanitizing liquid or gas occurs at predetermined periodic intervals.

### Claim 6

A method for automatically sanitizing a liquid dispensing system having waterways providing paths for the liquid to flow to a dispenser, comprising the steps of:
providing cold and hot tanks, wherein liquid within the cold tank is cooled using a compressor, and wherein liquid within the hot tank is heated using intermittent heating cycles, with each cycle ending with a cut-off;
providing a first liquid pathway allowing chilled liquid from the cold tank to flow between the cold tank and the dispenser;
providing a second liquid pathway allowing heated liquid from the hot tank to flow between the hot tank and the dispenser;
providing a third liquid pathway allowing an unrestricted flow of heated liquid from the hot tank into the cold tank when a user has placed the liquid dispensing system into a sanitizing mode;
providing one or more dispensing valves permitting the hot and cold liquid to be selectively dispensed through the dispenser, and providing one or more liquid pumps permitting cold and hot liquid to be pumped from the cold and hot liquid storage tanks to the one or more dispensing valves; and
sanitizing the waterways within the system, including the dispenser, the cold and hot tanks, and the first, second and third liquid pathways, by providing heated liquid from the hot tank to the waterways, when the one or more dispensing valves are closed, and no dispensing is occurring, wherein the step of introducing the heated liquid occurs when a user manually places the liquid dispensing system into the sanitizing mode, thereby contemporaneously locking out dispensing from occurring during the sanitization process, and wherein during the sanitizing mode the one or more liquid pumps are energized causing cold liquid from the cold tank to flow into the hot tank and then, for a preselected time following the cut-off of the next heating cycle for the hot tank, causing the heated liquid to flow into and to sanitize the cold tank and the other waterways.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the sanitizing liquid is heated to a temperature of between about 165° F. and 180° F., and using the liquid or gas to sanitize for at least about 20 minutes.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the sanitizing liquid is heated to a temperature of at least about 180° F.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the preselected time is about 40 minutes.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the sanitizing step automatically occurs.

### Claim 11 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the sanitizing step occurs when a user manually selects the step.