Claims
- 1. A low-cost, postmix, beverage dispenser comprising:
- (a) a housing;
- (b) a water tank located in said housing;
- (c) said housing having a concentrate package chamber therein adjacent said water tank;
- (d) a manually operable pump handle having a proximal end inside of said housing and extending out through said housing to a distal end thereof for manual movement thereof for pumping a beverage out of said dispenser, said handle including an inside portion inside said housing and an outside portion outside said housing;
- (e) means for supporting said proximal end of said pump handle inside of said housing;
- (f) a water pump located inside of said housing;
- (g) said water pump being a volumetric pump;
- (h) said water pump having an inlet port for receiving water from adjacent the bottom of said water tank and an outlet port for feeding water out of said water pump;
- (i) means for connecting said pump handle to said water pump for driving said water pump when said pump handle is manually operated;
- (j) said pump handle including means for connecting said pump handle to a concentrate pump;
- (k) said dispenser including means for adding water to said water tank; and
- (l) said housing having a concentrate package access door for allowing the insertion into said chamber and the removal from said chamber of a concentrate package.
- 2. The dispenser as recited in claim 1 wherein said housing includes at least one substantially circular opening therethrough and said pump handle includes a rotatable shaft extending through said opening.
- 3. The dispenser as recited in claim 2 wherein said outside portion of said pump handle is adapted for up and down reciprocating movement and said water pump is a reciprocating piston pump.
- 4. The dispenser as recited in claim 3 wherein said housing includes a pair of said openings, one through each of opposed sidewalls thereof, and said pump handle includes a pair of said shafts, each one extending through a respective one of said openings, and said outside portion of said pump handle extends from said pair of shafts toward the front of said housing.
- 5. The dispenser as recited in claim 4 wherein said housing includes a front wall and wherein said outside portion of said pump handle includes a pair of side bars located outside of said housing and a front cross piece adjacent to but in front of said front wall of said housing connecting the distal ends of said side bars.
- 6. The dispenser as recited in claim 5 wherein said inside portion of said pump handle includes a shaft pivotally supported for arcuate movement in said pump handle supporting means and also includes a cantilevered portion connected to said water pump.
- 7. The dispenser as recited in claim 6 wherein said inside portion includes water pump piston connection means and separate concentrate pump piston connecting means.
- 8. The dispenser as recited in claim 3 including holding means inside of said housing adjacent said chamber for holding a concentrate pump against vertical movement when located in said chamber.
- 9. The dispenser as recited in claim 8 wherein said water pump is located inside of said water tank and includes a vertically extending, reciprocable piston rod connected at its distal end to said pump handle.
- 10. The dispenser as recited in claim 9 wherein said water pump is removably connected to a bottom wall of said water tank.
- 11. The dispenser as recited in claim 10 wherein said water pump is pivotably connected to said water tank for pivotal movement thereof as said piston rod reciprocates.
- 12. The dispenser as recited in claim 9 including a water outlet line connected at its proximal end to said water outlet port and at its distal end to a retainer means located on a top edge of a front wall of said water tank.
- 13. The dispenser as recited in claim 9 wherein said water tank includes an upper edge and includes a pair of vertically upstanding supports on opposite sidewalls thereof and extending above said upper edge, and means for pivotably connecting said proximal end of said pump handle adjacent the top end of said supports.
- 14. The dispenser as recited in claim 8 wherein said holding means includes retaining means on a top edge of a front wall of said water tank.
- 15. The dispenser as recited in claim 8 wherein said chamber is located between a front wall of said water tank and a front wall of said housing.
- 16. The dispenser as recited in claim 8 wherein said housing includes a removable top cover, said cover being said water adding means and also said access door.
- 17. The dispenser as recited in claim 3 including a disposable concentrate package located in said chamber.
- 18. The dispenser as recited in claim 17 including a disposable concentrate pump located inside of said package and having a reciprocable piston rod extending exteriorly of said package.
- 19. The dispenser as recited in claim 18 wherein said package includes a beverage dispensing nozzle extending exteriorly of said housing.
- 20. The dispenser as recited in claim 18 including holding means inside of said housing adjacent said chamber for holding said concentrate pump against vertical movement during pumping.
- 21. The dispenser as recited in claim 20 wherein said package holding means includes retainer means on a top edge of a front wall of said water tank, and said concentrate pump includes a retainer element that mates with said retainer means to hold said concentrate pump against vertical movement during pumping.
- 22. A disposable beverage concentrate package for use in a beverage dispenser comprising:
- (a) a flexible bag concentrate container having and opening;
- (b) a fitment attached to said container at said opening;
- (c) a reciprocal pump attached to said fitment and extending therefrom down into said container and having a piston rod extending up away from said fitment exteriorly of said container;
- (d) said pump including a pumping chamber, an inlet port into said chamber and in liquid communication with the interior of said container and a one-way valve in said inlet port allowing flow into said chamber, an outlet port from said chamber and a one-way valve in said outlet port allowing flow out of said chamber, a reciprocatable piston in said chamber and said piston rod being connected to said piston;
- (e) said fitment including holding means thereon for connection to a package holder;
- (f) a dispensing nozzle connected to said fitment and extending exteriorly of said bag, said nozzle having a liquid passageway therethrough, and said outlet port being in liquid communication with said passageway; and
- (g) wherein said nozzle includes a water inlet port wherein water can be fed into said passageway.
- 23. The package is recited in claim 22 wherein said nozzle is rotatably connected to said fitment whereby said nozzle has a shipping position wherein it overlies said bag during shipment and whereby it can be turned to a dispense position in which it does not overlie said bag.
- 24. The package as recited in claim 23 wherein said nozzle includes a valve that controls liquid communication between said bag and said passageway, said valve being closed when said nozzle is in its shipping position and said valve being open when said nozzle is rotated to its dispense position.
- 25. A disposable beverage concentrate package for use in a beverage dispenser comprising:
- (a) a concentrate container having and opening;
- (b) a fitment attached to said container at said opening;
- (c) a reciprocal pump attached to said fitment and extending therefrom down into said container and having a piston rod extending up away from said fitment exteriorly of said container;
- (d) said pump including a pumping chamber, an inlet port into said chamber and in liquid communication with the interior of said container and a one-way valve in said inlet port allowing flow into said chamber an outlet port from said chamber and a one-way valve in said outlet port allowing flow out of said chamber, a reciprocatable piston in said chamber and said piston rod being connected to said piston;
- (e) said fitment including holding means thereon for connection to a package holder; and
- (f) wherein said fitment includes a canoe-shaped body sealed in a top edge of said bag, and said holding means includes a pair of spaced-apart tabs on a top surface of said body.
- 26. A disposable beverage concentrate package for use in a beverage dispenser comprising:
- (a) a flexible bag concentrate container having and opening;
- (b) a fitment attached to said container at said opening;
- (c) a reciprocal pump attached to said fitment and extending therefrom down into said container and having a piston rod extending up away from said fitment exteriorly of said container;
- (d) said pump including a pumping chamber an inlet port into said chamber and in liquid communication with the interior of said container and a one-way valve in said inlet port allowing flow into said chamber, an outlet port from said chamber and a one-way valve in said outlet port allowing flow out of said chamber, a reciprocatable piston in said chamber and said piston rod being connected to said piston;
- (e) said fitment including holding means thereon for connection to a package holder; and
- (f) including a beverage dispensing nozzle connected to said fitment exteriorly of said bag, said nozzle including a concentrate inlet, a water inlet, and a beverage outlet.
- 27. The package as recited in claim 26 wherein said nozzle includes a manually operable shut-off valve movable back and forth between a first position closing said concentrate inlet and opening said water inlet and a second position opening both said concentrate inlet and said water inlet.
- 28. The-package as recited in claim 27 wherein said pump includes a pair of elongated hollow cylinders extending downwardly from said fitment into said bag, said pair including a first, larger diameter cylinder enclosing said pumping chamber, and a second, smaller diameter cylinder enclosing a concentrate outlet passageway.
- 29. The package as recited in claim 28 wherein said fitment includes a canoe-shaped body sealed in a top edge of said bag, and said holding means includes a pair of spaced-apart tabs on a top surface of said body.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This is a continuation-in-part to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/257,756 filed Jun. 8, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,791, and having the same assignee as this application.
US Referenced Citations (22)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0339110 |
Nov 1989 |
EPX |
0448394A2 |
Mar 1991 |
EPX |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
Expresso Machine, Domus, Apr. 1977 (D. 7/309) p. 725. |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
257756 |
Jun 1994 |
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