Patent Application
20250230964
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The disclosure relates to water coolers and more particularly pertains to a new multi-function water cooler for combining multiple functions of dispensing cold, hot, and room temperature as well as ice all in one single machine that includes a computer control for easy operation.
The prior art relates to water coolers. The prior art, as best understood, does not disclose a multi-function water cooler having an integral ice maker, a cooling arrangement, a heating arrangement, a dispensing arrangement at a variety of temperatures, and an arrangement for tracking or measuring water dispensed.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above in a multi-function water cooler generally comprising a housing, a water dispensing arrangement, a cold water arrangement, a hot water arrangement, an ice maker and dispenser arrangement, a room temperature water arrangement, a water monitoring and control system, a water dispensing control system, an ice level sensor, a computer processor, and a user control and display arrangement. The housing includes a recessed front portion includes a top wall, a back wall, and a bottom wall. The bottom wall includes a dispensing shelf designed to permit a user to place cups or containers thereon. The water dispensing arrangement is mounted at the back wall and designed to dispense water into cups or containers. The cold water arrangement is positioned in the housing and designed to cool and conduct cold water to the water dispensing arrangement. The hot water arrangement is positioned in the housing and designed to heat and conduct hot water to the water dispensing arrangement. The ice maker and dispenser arrangement is designed to make and dispense ice into cups or containers. The ice maker and dispenser arrangement includes: a freezer unit designed to make ice, an ice reservoir positioned in an upper portion of the housing and designed to store ice, an ice dispenser mounted at the top wall to dispense ice into cups or containers, and an ice chute connecting the ice reservoir to the ice dispenser. The room temperature water arrangement is positioned in the housing and includes a water supply at room temperature and designed to conduct water to: the cold water arrangement to be cooled, the hot water arrangement to be heated, the water dispensing arrangement to be dispensed at room temperature, and the ice maker and dispenser arrangement to be made into ice. The water monitoring and control system includes level sensors, flow sensors, and temperature sensors operatively connected to each of the cold water arrangement, the hot water arrangement, and the room temperature water arrangement. The water dispensing control system is operatively connected to the water dispensing arrangement and designed to control flow of water thereto. The ice level sensor is operatively connected to the ice maker and dispenser arrangement. The computer processor is operatively connected to: the water monitoring and control system to monitor and control water levels, water flow, and water temperature in each of the cold water arrangement, the hot water arrangement, and the room temperature water arrangement; and the water dispensing control system to monitor and control flow of water to the water dispensing arrangement; and the ice level sensor and the ice maker and dispenser arrangement to monitor and control making of ice. The user control and display arrangement includes manual controls and a digital display screen positioned in a front wall of the housing above the recessed front portion and designed to permit a user to monitor the volume and type of water dispensed over a time period and set and select at least the temperature of water to be dispensed into a cup or container. In accordance with at least one possible embodiment, the manual controls comprise buttons and/or a touch screen.
In accordance with at least one possible embodiment, the multi-function water cooler is designed to permit a user to dispense ice and water from a single machine, as well as select and set different water temperatures to be dispensed from one nozzle. The user can operate the multi-function water cooler like a traditional water cooler or ice machine by activating and dispensing water or ice, whether using the manual controls, the automatic functions, or a combination of the two. However, the user can also select via the user control and display arrangement hot water, cold water, or room temperature water to be dispensed from the dispensing nozzle. In addition, the user can adjust via the user control and display arrangement the temperature of the hot water, the cold water, or the room temperature water. In other words, the user could set the cold water at a higher or lower temperature within a “cold” range of temperatures, the hot water at a higher or lower temperature within a “hot” range of temperatures, or the room temperature water at a higher or lower temperature within a “room temperature” range of temperatures.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
In accordance with at least one possible embodiment, the water dispensing arrangement 14 includes at least one dispensing nozzle 48 mounted on and projecting from the back wall 30. The water dispensing arrangement 14 includes a three-way valve (not shown) designed to permit the flow of cold, hot, or room temperature water to the at least one dispensing nozzle 48 as selected by a user.
In accordance with at least one possible embodiment, the room temperature water arrangement 22 includes a valve manifold 50 and a pump 52 designed to pump 52 water from the water supply and to the valve manifold 50. The cold water arrangement 16 includes a cold water tank, a cooling arrangement, and cold water pipes operatively connected to the valve manifold 50 and the water dispensing arrangement 14. The hot water arrangement 18 includes a hot water tank, a heating arrangement, and hot water pipes operatively connected to the valve manifold 50 and the water dispensing arrangement 14. The room temperature water arrangement 22 includes room temperature pipes operatively connected to the valve manifold 50 and the water dispensing arrangement 14. The ice maker and dispenser arrangement 20 includes ice maker pipes operatively connected to the valve manifold 50 and the freezer unit 36.
In accordance with at least one possible embodiment, the at least one dispensing nozzle 48 includes a nozzle valve and dispenser lever 54 connected thereto. The dispenser lever 54 is designed and positioned to be temporarily moved by a cup 34 or container to open the nozzle valve and permit water to be dispensed into the cup 34 or container.
In accordance with at least one possible embodiment, the at least one dispensing nozzle 48 includes a nozzle valve. The water monitoring and control system is designed to automatically control the opening and closing of the nozzle valve in accordance with an amount of water selected by a user, so the dispenser lever 54 may be omitted as shown in
In accordance with at least one possible embodiment, as shown in
In accordance with at least one possible embodiment, as shown in
In accordance with at least one possible embodiment, the multi-function water cooler 10 is designed to permit a user to dispense ice and water from a single machine, as well as select and set different water temperatures to be dispensed from one nozzle. The user can operate the multi-function water cooler 10 like a traditional water cooler or ice machine by activating and dispensing water or ice, whether using the manual controls, the automatic functions, or a combination of the two. However, the user can also select via the user control and display arrangement 26 hot water, cold water, or room temperature water to be dispensed from the dispensing nozzle 48. In addition, the user can adjust via the user control and display arrangement 26 the temperature of the hot water, the cold water, or the room temperature water. In other words, the user could set the cold water at a higher or lower temperature within a “cold” range of temperatures, the hot water at a higher or lower temperature within a “hot” range of temperatures, or the room temperature water at a higher or lower temperature within a “room temperature” range of temperatures.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
