Patent Application
20130042941
The present invention is in the field of beverage dispensers that are used in combination with water coolers. The invention also relates to a method for preparing a beverage, a method for modifying a water cooler, a water cooler and a kit for modification of a water cooler.
Water coolers can be found in many offices and workplaces. Typically water coolers are provided for the supply of a fresh cup of cold or ambient water to a consumer. These water coolers generally consist of a cooler housing upon which a water bottle is put upside down. Usually the cooler housing contains a cooling device, a reservoir for cold water, and two water taps, for cold water and ambient water respectively. Part of the water from the bottle is cooled by the cooling device and temporarily stored in the reservoir prior to serving.
In general, in addition to water, the consumer may like to have a larger choice of beverages in order to quench his or her thirst. This would generally require that an additional beverage dispenser or a set of bottles containing, for example, fruit juice concentrates or syrups will be placed into the office. However, floor space is usually limited in offices, and additional dispensers are expensive and cost, in addition to space, a lot of energy for cooling. Therefore there is a need for cheap beverage dispensers which can be fitted to existing conventional water coolers, and with which beverages, in addition to water, can be supplied. Nowadays one of the beverages that is becoming more and more popular is ice tea, as this is a refreshing drink, containing healthy antioxidants and may contain less sugar than regular soft drinks.
A conventional way of making beverages in a dispenser is dilution of a concentrate with water. The concentrate is contained in a separate container, and after mixing a fixed amount of concentrate with a fixed amount of water, a ready to drink beverage is obtained.
Numerous types of beverage dispensers and water coolers are available on the market.
GB 2,403,710 discloses a dispenser for fruit concentrate in conjunction with a known water cooler. The dispenser comprises means into which a conventional concentrate bottle can be screwed by its neck whilst upright, then rotated to a vertical dispense position. The dispenser is attached to the side of a water cooler.
US 2005/0121466 discloses a device for dispensing a beverage comprising a mixture of liquid, e.g. water, and at least one liquid concentrate, comprising at least two liquid nozzles connected respectively to at least one liquid source for producing a first jet of liquid in air along first path and a second jet of liquid in air along a second path, at least one concentrate nozzle connected to at least one liquid concentrate source for delivering a stream of liquid concentrate in air along a third path, wherein the liquid nozzles and the concentrate nozzle are oriented with respect to each other so that the first, second and third paths intersect above a container at a common intersection point, whereby the mixture is formed by collision of the respective jets and the stream(s).
Furthermore, beverage mixers and dispensers which may use a conventional bottled water cabinet supporting a conventional bottle have been described.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,723,851 discloses a beverage mixer and dispenser utilizing a bottled water holding cabinet which supports a water container and a plurality of flavor liquid containers; all of said containers being disposed for gravity-responsive delivery of liquids therefrom; and a dispensing and mixing valve below all of said containers; said valve having a rotatable and reciprocable valve member which may be rotated to any one of several selective positions communicating with any one of said flavor liquid containers; and said valve member may be reciprocably actuated against spring pressure to cause concurrent communication of said water container and one of said flavor liquid containers with a common outlet, of said valve, through which the water and a selected flavor liquid may be mixed and dispensed to a drinking receptacle.
Unfortunately the use of a common outlet to mix the flavour liquid and water as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,723,851 may result in contamination of the dispensing valve with the final beverage which, unless complex cleaning means are included in the dispenser, may result in hygiene problems and/or carry-over of flavour from one type of beverage to another. We have recognised that including cleaning means in a dispenser for use with a water cooler would add unwanted complexity, weight, and cost thereto.
The object of the present invention is to provide a simple beverage dispenser that can easily be fitted to a conventional water cooler, therewith creating an extra choice of beverage for the consumer. Another object is to provide a beverage dispenser that is hygienic, in order to minimise cleaning requirements. A further object is to provide a beverage dispenser that dispenses a beverage into a cup without splashing.
It was found that one or more of these objects could be achieved by a beverage dispenser that is fitted to a conventional water cooler, by positioning it between the water bottle and the cooling device and which is provided with a specific configuration of the dispensing means.
In a first aspect the present invention provides a beverage dispenser for use in combination with a water cooler, wherein the water cooler comprises a cooling device and a water bottle, and the beverage dispenser is intended to be positioned between the cooling device and the water bottle, wherein the beverage dispenser comprises:
and wherein the water nozzle and the concentrate nozzle are arranged such that water dispensed from the water nozzle and concentrate dispensed from the concentrate nozzle intersect, and wherein the angle (β) of the concentrate nozzle relative to the horizontal is from 25° to 90°, and the angle (β) of the water nozzle relative to the horizontal is from 45° to 90°.
In a second aspect the present invention provides a method of preparing and dispensing a beverage into a receptacle at the dispensing station of the dispenser of the first aspect, the method comprising dispensing a jet of water in air from the water nozzle and a jet of concentrate in air from the concentrate nozzle, wherein the jets are directed to intersect and mix in air before contacting the receptacle.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a method for modifying a water cooler using the beverage dispenser of the first aspect, the method comprising the following steps in any order:
In a further aspect the present invention provides a water cooler, wherein the water cooler comprising a cooling device and a water bottle, and wherein the beverage dispenser of the first aspect is positioned between the cooling device and the water bottle.
In a still further aspect, the present invention provides a kit for modification of a water cooler, comprising the beverage dispenser of the first aspect, a conversion set, and written instructions on how to modify the water cooler with the beverage dispenser.
The present invention provides one or more of the following advantages: The beverage dispenser can easily be fitted to an existing water cooler and gives the consumer an alternative choice of beverage. Moreover neither an additional beverage dispensing machine nor appended bottles containing (fruit) concentrates are needed. In one single action, by pressing one button on the beverage dispenser of the invention, the consumer receives a ready to drink beverage that is well-mixed, with an optimal taste, as the dispenser supplies the correct amount of water and concentrate to make a beverage having the right composition. The beverage dispenser of the present invention makes use of the facilities of the water cooler, hence no additional cooling machine and cold water supply are required, and additionally no extra floor space is needed for the beverage dispenser. Due to the design of the dispenser, the beverage dispenser can have minimal cleaning requirements, making it a hygienic device. The beverage dispenser does not need a mixing chamber where the water and concentrate are mixed. Usually such a mixing chamber needs daily cleaning, which is not needed for the present invention. Concentrate from a container in the beverage dispenser and water from the water cooler can each be connected to dedicated nozzles, pump heads and conduits. Jets of water and concentrate flowing from the nozzles can be mixed in air when dispensing a beverage. This all can lead to prevention of contamination of parts of the beverage dispenser. A cup that is standing underneath the mixing point of the jets, can be filled with the ready-to-drink beverage, after mixing the concentrate with water.
The following terms have the following meaning in the context of the present invention.
The invention is illustrated by the drawings, in which:
The water cooler as illustrated in
A preferred embodiment of the current invention is illustrated in
A more detailed understanding of the relationship between the bottle (1), dispenser (11) and housing (2) of the modified water cooler shown in
Although the modified water cooler illustrated in
The beverage dispenser may be suitable to be used in conjunction with existing conventional water coolers, and the beverage dispenser can easily be fitted to the cooler housing using the conversion set. In addition, the present invention also encompasses a beverage dispenser that is integrated in the cooler housing, therewith forming an inseparable cooler housing and beverage dispenser. The beverage dispenser and water cooler then have the same characterising elements as in the case when a beverage dispenser is put on top of an existing cooler housing. Also in this case one or more beverage dispensers may be put on top of the existing cooler housing with integrated beverage dispenser. Therefore another aspect of the present invention is a water cooler, wherein at least one beverage dispenser according to the invention is integrated with the cooler housing, and wherein the dispensing station is comprised by the cooler housing. Preferably said water cooler, wherein at least one beverage dispenser according to the invention is integrated with the cooler housing, may comprise 1 to 4 beverage dispensers according to the invention that are positioned between the cooling device and the water bottle.
The beverage dispenser is illustrated in
The beverage dispenser according to the invention preferably comprises at least one container containing a concentrate, more preferably two or more containers containing concentrate. In the embodiment that is schematically illustrated in
A beverage dispenser according to the invention comprises a connector for attachment to a container comprising concentrate. As illustrated in
Water may be supplied directly from the water bottle or from a supply in the cooler housing. Preferably, a conduit (13) for supply of water is arranged to be in fluid communication with water in the water cooler. In the embodiment illustrated in
Pump heads (14) and (15) may be driven by a single dual-head pump, or by two separate pumps each with one pump head. On actuation of button (20), the pump heads (14, 15) are started simultaneously, and a preset amount of concentrate flows out of the concentrate nozzle (16) as a jet into air and a preset amount of water flows out of the water nozzle (17) as a jet into air. The nozzles (16) and (17) are oriented such that the two jets are mixed at a common intersection point (21), before falling as the mixed beverage into a receptacle (18), standing in dispensing station (19).
The relative position of the nozzles (16) and (17) is optimised in order to obtain good mixing, while preventing splashing of beverage and therewith avoiding extra cleaning requirements. The positioning of the nozzles is illustrated with reference to
Preferably the diameter of the concentrate nozzle (16) is chosen smaller than the water nozzle (17) to create a high velocity out of the concentrate nozzle (16) and so being able to accurately direct the concentrate jet at the water jet. The internal diameter of the water nozzle (17) is preferably between 2 and 15 mm, more preferably between 4 and 10 mm. The internal diameter of the concentrate nozzle is preferably between 0.5 and 10 mm, more preferably between 1 and 5 mm.
The nozzles (16, 17) each have a dispensing opening (16a, 17a) and the horizontal and vertical distances between the centres of the openings of concentrate nozzle (16a) and water nozzle (17a) may also be optimised to prevent splashing. Preferably the horizontal distance (d) between the centres of the openings (16a, 17a) is between 5 and 20 mm, more preferably between 5 and 15 mm. The vertical distance (h) between the centres of the openings (16a, 17a) is preferably between 0 and 20 mm, more preferably between 0 and 10 mm. Preferably also, the opening (16a) of the concentrate nozzle (16) is positioned higher than the opening (17a) of the water nozzle (17).
In a preferred embodiment the beverage dispenser comprises two or more containers containing concentrate. Two or more containers, filled with different concentrates, connected with pump heads, conduits and nozzles, can be present in the beverage dispenser, to give the consumer more choice than only a cup of water from the water cooler and one beverage from the dispenser. Preferably each container (12) is connected to a dedicated pump head (14) a dedicated conduit (23) and dedicated concentrate nozzle (16). Also preferably the conduit (13) for supply of water from the water cooler is connected to a dedicated pump head (15) and a dedicated water nozzle (17). Each container can be connected to dedicated pump heads, conduits and nozzles, analogous to the first container (12), in order to prevent cross-contamination between different concentrate flavours. Consequently, the number of buttons (20) on the beverage dispenser is preferably at least equal to the number of containers in the beverage dispenser. The number of containers is limited by the space available within the beverage dispenser, and is preferably from 1 to 4, most preferred the number of containers is 2. Where a plurality of containers may be employed then the dispenser will comprise a plurality of connectors (22). Thus in a preferred embodiment the dispenser comprises at least two connectors, wherein each connector is for attachment to a container comprising concentrate. More preferably the dispenser comprises from 2 to 4 connectors.
To ensure a constant mix ratio of water and concentrate, pump heads (14, 15) are preferably used for both liquids so as to be independent of gravity's influence on flow speed. In order to facilitate mixing, the pump heads can operate in a constant flow mode, or in a pulsating flow mode while dispensing water and concentrate. Positive displacement pumps and peristaltic pumps can be applied, where the peristaltic pumps are most suitable for pulsating flow. Preferably the water flow is operated in a constant flow mode, while the concentrate flow is operated in a constant or pulsating flow mode. Most preferably both concentrate pump head (14) and water pump head (15) operate in constant flow mode when beverage is dispensed.
The volumes that pump heads (14) and (15) discharge are based on the required dilution ratio and required total beverage volume, and can be adjusted by an operator. Preferably the concentrate is a tea-based concentrate, from which a fresh and cool ready to drink ice tea beverage can be made after dilution with water. Preferably at least one of the containers (12) contains a tea-based concentrate. If more than one container (12) is present, possibly the first concentrate is a regular ice tea concentrate, while a second concentrate may be any concentrate to be diluted to make a beverage. Examples of this are fruit juice concentrates, or lemonade syrups, and they may be sweetened using regular sweeteners like sugar, or non- or low-caloric sweeteners like aspartame or sucralose. The required dilution rate is dependent on the strength of the concentrate. The dilution ratio of concentrate to water is preferably between 1:1 and 1:20 (by volume), more preferably between 1:1 and 1:10 (by volume). The total volume of the dispensed beverage can be adjusted, and is preferably between 100 and 300 millilitres, more preferably between 150 and 250 millilitres per serving.
It should be noted that parts of the beverage dispenser like conduits, connectors, valves and an electronic control unit are not all indicated in the drawings. The omitted parts have been left out for clarity but these parts would be apparent to the person skilled in the art.
The following non-limiting example illustrates the present invention.
A beverage dispenser (11) as schematically indicated in
Various arrangements of relative positions of water nozzle (17) and concentrate nozzle (16) were tested, see table 1, wherein the horizontal (d) and vertical (h) distances between the centre of the nozzle openings (16a, 17a) were varied, as well as the angles (α, β) of the nozzles relative to horizontal. In all cases the arrangement of the nozzles was such that they were positioned in such a way that openings (16a, 17a) were present in the same vertical plane.
Table 1 Results of variation of the arrangement of the nozzles (16) and (17) on quality of dispensing.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09180292.6 | Dec 2009 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2010/068397 | 11/29/2010 | WO | 00 | 10/2/2012 |
