Patent Application
20170081163
Modern product dispensers provide enhanced functionality such as custom beverages and user interface displays. The modern product dispenser includes multiple ingredient packages so that each of the ingredients is separated from one another. The ingredient packages may typically be housed within an ingredient tower. The ingredients tower may include a corresponding number of pumps and valves for each of the ingredient packages. The pumps deliver the required ingredients to the nozzle of the dispenser based on a request for a particular beverage received at the user interface. Product dispensers are sized for different types of environments and needs. For example, scaling up in size can increase the variety of product offerings which results in additional ingredient packages. The ingredient packages and the associated pumps take up space when included as part of the dispenser or when positioned above the counter, which limits the type and number of dispensers that may be used in an economy of space.
It should be appreciated that this Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
According to one embodiment disclosed herein, a product dispensing system is provided. The product dispensing system includes at least one dispenser having a nozzle for dispensing a product about the nozzle. The product dispensing system also includes at least one micro-ingredient and at least one macro-ingredient. At least one pump or metering device communicates with each of the micro-ingredient and the macro-ingredient. The micro-ingredient, the macro-ingredient and the pumps or metering devices are remotely positioned from the dispenser. The product dispensing system also includes a heat exchanger for cooling the macro-ingredient. The heat exchanger may be positioned on the dispenser, in the dispenser, below the counter or within the counter.
According to another embodiment disclosed herein, a beverage dispensing system is provided. The beverage dispensing system includes a dispenser having a nozzle for dispensing a beverage about the nozzle. The beverage dispensing system also includes a plurality of micro-ingredients, a plurality of macro-ingredients, and a plurality of pumps or metering devices. Each of the plurality of pumps or metering devices communicates with a corresponding one of the plurality of micro-ingredients and the plurality of macro-ingredients. The beverage dispensing system also includes a core dispensing module (CDM) for controlling each of the plurality of pumps or metering devices. The system includes a still water source communicating with the dispenser and a carbonated water source communicating with the dispenser. A heat exchanger cools the plurality of macro-ingredients, the still water source and the carbonated water source and the plurality of micro-ingredients, the plurality of macro-ingredients, the plurality of pumps or metering devices, the CDM, and the carbonated water source are remotely positioned from the dispenser.
According to yet another embodiment disclosed herein, a method of dispensing a beverage is provided. The method includes providing a dispenser having a nozzle, remotely positioning at least one micro-ingredient, remotely positioning at least one macro-ingredient, and cooling the at least one macro-ingredient. The method also includes receiving a request for a beverage and, in response to receiving the request, pumping at least one of the at least one micro-ingredient and the at least one macro-ingredient to the dispenser. The method then includes dispensing the beverage about the nozzle.
According to still yet another embodiment disclosed herein, a method of dispensing a beverage is provided. The method of dispensing a beverage includes providing a first dispenser and a second dispenser, providing a micro-ingredient, and providing a macro-ingredient. The method also includes cooling the macro-ingredient and receiving a first request for a beverage at the first dispenser. In response to receiving the first request, the method includes pumping at least one of the micro-ingredient and the macro-ingredient to the first dispenser. The method also includes receiving a second request for another beverage at the second dispenser, and in response to receiving the second request, pumping at least one of the micro-ingredient and the macro-ingredient to the second dispenser.
According to another embodiment disclosed herein, a product dispenser is provided. The product dispenser includes a user interface configured for requesting a product and a nozzle configured for dispensing the product. The user interface and the nozzle are oppositely disposed from one another on the product dispenser. Upper and lower portions of the dispenser may be rotatably coupled together such that the upper portion rotates at least partially relative to the lower portion.
The features, functions, and advantages that have been discussed can be achieved independently in various embodiments of the present disclosure or may be combined in yet other embodiments, further details of which can be seen with reference to the following description and drawings.
The embodiments presented herein will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The plurality of figures presented in this application illustrates variations and different aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the detailed description on each illustration will describe the differences identified in the corresponding illustration.
The following detailed description is directed to product dispenser systems such as beverage dispenser systems for mixing and dispensing beverages. The present inventions are susceptible of embodiment in many different forms. There is no intent to limit the principles of the present inventions to the particular disclosed embodiments. In the following detailed description, references are made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments or examples. Referring to the drawings, in which like numerals represent like elements throughout the several figures, aspects of the present disclosure will be presented.
The term “beverage,” as used herein, includes, but is not limited to, pulp and pulp-free citrus and non-citrus fruit juices, fruit drink, vegetable juice, vegetable drink, milk, soy milk, protein drink, soy-enhanced drink, tea, water, isotonic drink, vitamin-enhanced water, soft drink, flavored water, energy drink, coffee, smoothies, yogurt drinks, hot chocolate and combinations thereof. The beverage may also be carbonated or non-carbonated. The beverage may comprise beverage components (e.g., beverage bases, colorants, flavorants, and additives).
The term “beverage base” refers to parts of the beverage or the beverage itself prior to additional colorants, additional flavorants, and/or additional additives. According to certain embodiments of the present inventions, beverage bases may include, but are not limited to syrups, concentrates, and the like that may be mixed with a diluent such as still or carbonated water or other diluent to form a beverage. The beverage bases may have reconstitution ratios of about 3:1 to about 6:1 or higher. According to certain embodiments, beverage bases may comprise a mixture of beverage base components.
The term “beverage base component” refers to components which may be included in beverage bases. According to certain embodiments of the present inventions, the beverage base component may comprise parts of beverages which may be considered food items by themselves. According to certain embodiments of the present inventions, the beverage base components may be micro-ingredients such as an acid portion of a beverage base, an acid-degradable and/or non-acid portion of a beverage base, natural and artificial flavors, flavor additives, natural and artificial colors, nutritive or non-nutritive natural or artificial sweeteners, additives for controlling tartness (e.g., citric acid or potassium citrate), functional additives such as vitamins, minerals, or herbal extracts, nutraceuticals, or medicaments. The micro-ingredients may have reconstitution ratios from about 10:1, 20:1, 30:1, or higher with many having reconstitution ratios of 50:1 to 300:1. The viscosities of the micro-ingredients may range from about 1 to about 100 centipoise.
Thus, for the purposes of requesting, selecting, or dispensing a beverage base, a beverage base formed from separately stored beverage base components may be equivalent to a separately stored beverage base. For the purposes of requesting, selecting or dispensing a beverage, a beverage formed from separately stored beverage components may be equivalent to a separately stored beverage.
By “separately stored” it is meant that the components of the present inventions are kept separate until combined. For instance, the components may be separately stored individually in a container or package or instead may be all stored in one container or package wherein each component is individually packaged (e.g., plastic bags) so that they do not blend while in the container or package. In some embodiments, the container or package, itself, may be individual, adjacent to, or attached to another container or package.
The product ingredients may include beverage bases or beverage base components (e.g., concentrated syrups) as well as flavors (i.e., flavoring agents, flavor concentrates, or flavor syrups), which may be separately stored or otherwise contained in individual removable containers. In accordance with one or more embodiments, each of the beverage bases or beverage base components and each of the flavors may be separately stored or otherwise contained in individual removable containers, cartridges, packages or the like which may generally be referred to simply as a “package” or “ingredients package” with one or more applicable reference numbers.
Examples of such a user interface 18 are described in U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/877,549, titled Product Categorization User Interface for a Dispensing Device, filed on Sep. 13, 2013, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. The micro-ingredient tower 14 includes packages of micro-ingredients 20. The product dispensing system 10 also includes packages of macro-ingredients 22. Although
The dispensing tower 12 may automatically identify the ingredient packages holding the micro- and macro-ingredients 20, 22 upon installation by a user or the user may be prompted to identify the ingredient packages when they are installed. It should be appreciated that the aforementioned beverage components (i.e., beverage bases or beverage base components and flavors) may be combined, along with other beverage ingredients, to dispense various products which may include beverages or blended beverages (i.e., finished beverage products) from the dispensing tower 12. It should be understood, however, that the dispensing tower 12 may also be configured to dispense beverage components individually. In some embodiments, the dispensing tower 12 may be configured to dispense beverage base components so as to form a beverage base or finished beverage. The other beverage ingredients may include diluents such as still or carbonated water, functional additives, or medicaments, for example.
The product dispensing system 10 may also include any number of pumps, nozzles, valves, carbonation systems, ice handling systems, and other fluid handling systems for dispensing a beverage product.
The product dispensing system 10 may further include a control architecture having a human machine interface (HMI) module 40 and a core dispense module (CDM) 42. An example of a control architecture for the product dispensing system is described in U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/987,020, titled Dispenser Control Architecture, filed on May 1, 2014, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. A machine bus (MBUS) facilitates communication between the HMI module 40 and the CDM 42. The HMI module 40, the MBUS, and the CDM 42 may collectively comprise common core components, implemented as hardware or as combination of hardware and software, which may be adapted to provide customized functionality in the product dispensing system 10. The product dispensing system 10 may further include memory storage and a processor.
It should be understood that the common core components in the control architecture described herein may be utilized across a number of dispenser types/platforms, each having different equipment requirements. For example, the common core components may be utilized in a family of dispensers comprising a small beverage dispenser (e.g., for use in a home or small office setting) comprising a limited number of beverage pumps and associated equipment (e.g., nozzles, etc.), a medium sized beverage dispenser (e.g., for use in a commercial setting) comprising a larger number of beverage pumps and associated equipment, and a large beverage dispenser (e.g., for use in a large commercial or industrial setting) comprising an even larger number of beverage pumps and associated equipment. In some embodiments, the pumps in each of the different dispensers in a family of dispensers may be different types or sizes of pumps. The HMI module 40 and the CDM 42 may be customized through the use of adapters (e.g., configuration files comprising application programming interfaces (APIs)) to provide customized user interface views and equipment behavior for the product dispensing system 10.
In some embodiments, the user interface 18 in the dispensing tower 12 may be utilized to select and individually dispense one or more beverages. The beverages may be dispensed as beverage components in a continuous pour operation whereby one or more selected beverage components continue to be dispensed while a pour input is actuated by a user or in a batch pour operation whereby a predetermined volume of one or more selected beverage components are dispensed (e.g., one ounce at a time). The user interface 18 may be addressed via a number of methods to select and dispense beverages. For example, a user may interact with the user interface 18 via touch input to navigate one or more menus from which to select and dispense a beverage. As another example, a user may type in a code using an onscreen or physical keyboard (not shown) on the dispensing tower 12 to navigate one or more menus from which to select and dispense a beverage.
The user interface 18, which may include a touch screen and a touch screen controller, may be configured to receive various commands from a user (i.e., consumer input) in the form of touch input, generate a graphics output and/or execute one or more operations with the dispensing tower 12 (via the HMI 40 and/or the CDM 42), in response to receiving the aforementioned commands. A touch screen driver in the HMI module 40 may be configured to receive the consumer or customer inputs and generate events (e.g., touch screen events) which may then be communicated through a controller to an operating system of the HMI 40.
The dispensing tower 12 may be in communication with one or more external devices 46. In some embodiments, the communication between the dispensing tower 12 and the external devices 46 may be accomplished utilizing any number of communication techniques known to those skilled in the art including, but not limited to, near-field wireless technology such as BLUETOOTH, Wi-Fi and other wireless or wireline communication standards or technologies, via a communication interface.
The external devices 46 may include, without limitation, a smartphone, a tablet personal computer, a laptop computer, biometric sensors and the like. In some embodiments, the external device 46 may be utilized to receive user interface views from the HMI 40 which may be in lieu of or in addition to user interface views displayed in the user interface 18 of the dispensing tower 12. For example, in some embodiments, the dispensing tower 12 may be configured for “headless” operation in which graphics and other user interface elements are displayed on a customer's smartphone instead of on the dispensing tower 12.
In one embodiment, the dispensing tower 12 may have a physical separation of at least one foot from the micro-ingredient tower 14. In another embodiment, the dispensing tower 12 may have a physical separation of at least ten feet from the micro-ingredient tower 14. In one or more embodiments, the macro-ingredients 22, the pumps 30, 32, the still water and carbonated water sources 36, 38, and/or the CDM 42 are also remotely positioned from the dispensing tower 12. For example, the macro-ingredients 22, the pumps 30, 32, the still water and carbonated water sources 36, 38, and/or the CDM 42 may have a physical separation of at least one foot, or at least ten feet, from the dispensing tower 12. In one or more embodiments, the micro-ingredients 20, the macro-ingredients 22, the pumps 30, 32, and/or the CDM 42 are further away from the dispensing tower 12 than is the heat exchanger 52. In one or more embodiments, the micro-ingredients 20, the macro-ingredients 22, the pumps 30, 32, and/or the CDM 42 are closer to the still water source 36 or the carbonated water source 38 than to the dispensing tower 12.
The product dispensing system 10 of
It is desirable to have the distance of the lines between the nozzle 16 and the heat exchanger 52 be as short as possible to prevent heat loss. Products sitting in uninsulated lines at ambient temperature could adversely affect the quality of the dispensed beverage. Therefore, it is preferable to have the heat exchanger 52 be on the dispensing tower 12, incorporated into the dispensing tower 12, incorporated into the counter, or under the counter close to the dispensing tower 12. In some embodiments, the broken line 50 corresponds with the counter upon which the dispensing tower 12 sits. In such case, the heat exchanger 52 in
In the example shown, a manifold 23 is positioned between the micro-ingredient 20, macro-ingredient 22 and the pumps 30, 32. The manifold 23 generally dispenses micro- and macro-ingredients from a single source to multiple pumps. For instance, the micro-ingredient 20 can be a pouch or bag located within a package or box or carton. The pouch or bag can include a fitment, probe or other connector that interfaces with the manifold 23. The manifold 23, in turn, is coupled to each of the pumps 30 through fitments, probes, or other connectors. Other configurations are possible.
The CDM 42 is programmed to control various aspects of the product dispensing system 60, including one or more of the HMI modules 40, pumps 30, 32, and still and carbonated water sources 36, 38. While the schematic view shows control signals delivered generally to these components, such as the still and carbonated water sources 36, 38, the control signals can be provided to various valves associated with these components to control the flows, as described below.
In this example, the fluids communicated between the back room and the heat exchanger 52 can be delivered using a link 75 commonly referred to as a python bundle or multiplexed conduit. The link 75 is described further below in reference to
At least some of the fluids from the back room 74 can be delivered to the heat exchanger 52 and/or the nozzle 16 by the link 75. In the context of the product dispensing system 90, the refrigerant recirculator 92 and still and carbonated water sources 36, 38 are delivered by the link 75.
Referring now to
Referring now to
As noted previously, the link 75 may commonly be referred to as a “python bundle” or a “multiplexed conduit” by those skilled in the art, comprising of a recirculation outlet connector 320 and a recirculation inlet connector 325, which define part of the recirculation loop 94, as well as a water output 360 and a water output 370. The exterior of the bundle of the recirculation outlet connector 320, the recirculation inlet connector 325, the water output 360 and the water output 370 is surrounded by insulation.
All or part of the exterior length of the insulation is then surrounded by one or more of the micro-ingredients μl-μ20. The micro-ingredients μl-μ20 may be on the outside of the insulation because the micro-ingredients μl-μ20 do not need to be refrigerated. All or part of the length of the one or more micro-ingredients μl-μ20 may then be surrounded by a protective layer or sheathing. The water output 370 may extend from the still water source 36 through the link 75 to the nozzle 16. Each of the micro-ingredients μl-μ20 may independently passed through the link 75 via connectors.
Also, in some embodiments, the recirculation loop may also serve to chill the macro-ingredients or the still water passing through the link 75 utilizing the chilled carbonated water. The macro-ingredients 22 may pass though the link 75 inside of the insulation along with or as part of the inner bundle of the recirculation outlet connector 320, the recirculation inlet connector 325, the water output 360 and the water output 370.
Referring now to
The pump 32A pumps the macro-ingredient 22 through another optional heat exchanger 52A to the nozzle through a valve 404. When the pump 32A is a positive displacement pump, the valve 404 can be a shut-off valve. Otherwise, the valve 404 can be, for example, a volumetric valve or variable orifice valve that provides more control over the amount of macro-ingredient 22 that is delivered to the nozzle 16.
In an optional embodiment, a recirculation line 406 is also provided. In some embodiment, the pump 32, heat exchanger 52, and the vacuum regulator 402 are eliminated. Some or all of the components shown in
Referring now to
The still water from the still water source 36 can be boosted by a water booster 502 that provides an additional source of water at a given pressure. This mixture flows through the heat exchanger 52 and is measured by an optional flow meter 504 as the still water is delivered to the nozzle 16. A valve 506, such as a volumetric valve or variable orifice valve controls the flow of the still water. In another embodiment, a shut-off valve in combination with a flow restrictor can be used.
The carbonated water from the carbonated water source 38 can be boosted by the water booster 502. Another heat exchanger 52 can be provided, or chilled water from a diverter line 512 can be provided from the still water source 36. The carbonated water flows through a carbonator 510 for carbonation. The carbonated water thereupon flows through another heat exchanger 52A (which can be the same heat exchanger 52), and through the flow meter 504 to the nozzle 16. The valve 506 again controls the flow of the carbonated water.
The micro-ingredient 20 is pumped by a pump 32, such as a positive displacement pump like a piston pump, etc. The micro-ingredient 20 is pumped to the nozzle 16.
In
The method 200 starts at operation 210 with providing a dispenser having a nozzle 16. Operation 220 includes remotely positioning at least one micro-ingredient 20 and operation 230 includes remotely positioning at least one macro-ingredient 22. The method 200 also includes the operation 240 of cooling the at least one macro-ingredient 22. Operation 250 includes receiving a request for a beverage and operation 260 includes pumping at least one of the at least one micro-ingredient 20 and the at least one macro-ingredient 22 to the dispenser in response to receiving the request. Operation 270 includes dispensing the beverage about the nozzle 16.
The method 200 may also include the operation of positioning a heat exchanger 52 in a counter to cool the at least one macro-ingredient 22. Alternatively, the method may include the operation of positioning the heat exchanger 52 under the counter to cool the at least one macro-ingredient 22. Another alternative includes the operation of positioning the heat exchanger 52 in the dispenser to cool the at least one macro-ingredient 22. The method 200 may also include the operation of remotely positioning a carbonated water recirculator and recirculating carbonated water. Alternatively, the method 200 may include the operation of recirculating refrigerant and exchanging heat between cold refrigerant, still water and carbonated water to cool the still water and the carbonated water.
The subject matter described above is provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed as limiting. Various modifications and changes may be made to the subject matter described herein without following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure, which is set forth in the following claims.
This application is being filed on May 12, 2015, as a PCT International Patent application and claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/991,956 filed on May 12, 2014, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2015/030315 | 5/12/2015 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61991956 | May 2014 | US |
