Claims
- 1. An on-demand heated wet food or beverage product dispenser, comprising:a housing configured and dimensioned for receiving the product; product delivery tubing connected with the housing for delivering the product from the housing; an elongated wave-guide having first and second opposite longitudinal ends, the second end being shorted, wherein the wave-guide comprises an inlet for supplying the electromagnetic energy at the first end; a heating device including an electrical power supply and a magnetron configured to supply electromagnetic energy in the microwave range to the wave-guide inlet, wherein the heating device and wave-guide are configured for guiding the electromagnetic energy substantially in standing waves along the longitudinal direction of the wave-guide, wherein the shorted second end is configured for shorting the electromagnetic energy to produce a standing wave of a predetermined wavelength; a heating passage configured to supply the product from the product delivery tubing and intersecting the wave-guide between the first and second ends at about a ¾ wavelength station of the standing wave to heat the product when electromagnetic energy is applied within the wave-guide, wherein the heating passage is inclined with respect to a longitudinal direction between the first and second ends at an angle for increasing exposure of the product to the electromagnetic energy; and a dispensing head associated with the heating passage to receive the heated product from the heating passage and arranged to dispense the heated product in a condition for consumption thereof; wherein the dispenser is configured for dispensing the product on-demand.
- 2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the heating passage is arranged with respect to the wave-guide at an angle between 22 degrees and about 45 degrees for exposing the product received in the heating passage to the electromagnetic energy.
- 3. The dispenser of claim 2, wherein the heating passage is disposed at an angle between about 30 and about 35 degrees with respect to the wave-guide.
- 4. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the heating passage is arranged to intersect the longitudinal centerline of the wave-guide at a distance of about ¾ of a wavelength of the standing wave from the first end.
- 5. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the housing is configured to receive a package containing the product, and the dispenser is adapted for dispensing the product from the package into the heating passage.
- 6. The dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a pump configured for pumping the product from housing to the dispenser head.
- 7. The dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a dispensing head heater associated with the dispensing head to maintain the product above a predetermined temperature in the dispensing head.
- 8. The dispenser of claim 7, wherein the dispensing head heater comprises an electric resistance configured for maintaining the product above about 60° C. during dispensing.
- 9. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the heating passage comprises microwave-reflecting tubes disposed adjacent and on opposite sides of the wave-guide and a flexible product delivery tube extending through the microwave reflecting tubes and through the wave-guide.
- 10. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the frequency of the electromagnetic energy is between about 300 and 30,000 MHz.
- 11. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the heating device and heating passage are operable on demand for supplying and heating the product to a heated temperature and for allowing the product to remain at a temperature lower than the heated temperature between demands.
- 12. The dispenser of claim 1, comprising a switch controllable by a user configured for activating and deactivating the magnetron and the product flow through the heating passage.
- 13. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the heating passage is tubular.
- 14. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the heating device is configured for reducing or eliminating multi-modal electromagnetic fields.
- 15. A method of producing a heated wet food or beverage product on demand, comprising:producing microwave electromagnetic energy in a standing wave in a wave guide; conveying a wet food or beverage product through a heating passage at about a ¾ wavelength station of the standing wave in the wave guide and at an inclination with respect to the wave guide at an angle to increase exposure of the product to the electromagnetic energy to heat the product; and dispensing the heated product through a dispenser head in a condition for consumption thereof.
- 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the providing of electromagnetic energy comprises applying the electromagnetic energy in the wave guide at a first wave-guide end and producing a standing wave with a shorted second wave-guide end, wherein the product is conveyed through the heating passage at about ¾ of the wavelength of the standing wave from the first end.
- 17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:dispensing the heated product from the dispenser head; and heating the dispenser head to maintain the temperature of the dispensed product at above about 60° C.
- 18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:placing in a housing a package containing the product; and conveying the product from the housing to the heating passage.
- 19. The method of claim 15, wherein the conveying of the product comprises conveying the product through the wave-guide at an angle to the wave-guide in the between about 22 degrees and about 45 degrees.
- 20. The method of claim 15, wherein the conveying of the product beverage comprises pumping the product through the heating passage.
- 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the pump and electromagnetic energy are activated and upon receiving a demand for the product.
- 22. The method of claim 15, wherein the flow and standing wave are started and stopped substantially together in response to a demand.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/EP00/01735, filed on Feb. 25, 2000, which is a continuation in part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/258,767, filed on Feb. 26, 1999, now abandoned. The content of each of these related applications is expressly incorporated herein by reference thereto.
US Referenced Citations (15)
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number |
Date |
Country |
679722 |
Mar 1992 |
CH |
30 18 956 |
Nov 1981 |
DE |
196 739 |
Oct 1986 |
EP |
62186770 |
Aug 1987 |
JP |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
PCT/EP00/01735 |
Feb 2000 |
US |
Child |
09/933853 |
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US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09/258767 |
Feb 1999 |
US |
Child |
PCT/EP00/01735 |
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US |