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(11) | EP 0 288 302 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Nozzle assembly for beverage dispenser |
| (57) A nozzle assembly (12) for use in a post-mix beverage dispenser valve assembly of
a post-mix beverage dispenser, including a hollow generally cylindrical vertically
oriented nozzle (16), and a tubular diffuser assembly (14) positioned centrally inside
of the nozzle and providing an annular carbonated water flow path between the diffuser
assembly and the nozzle, and providing a syrup passageway through the diffuser assembly.
The diffuser assembly includes a diffuser (18) and a diffuser plate (22). Carbonated
water flows through the diffuser plate and then into a pressure and speed reducing
chamber (52) and is then mixed with syrup; the mixture is then discharged from the
nozzle. |
[0001] This invention relates to a nozzle assembly for a carbonated beverage valve assembly used on a post-mix beverage dispenser.
[0002] Nozzle assemblies for carbonated beverage valve assemblies for post-mix beverage dispensers are well known, as shown for example in U.S. Patents 4,266,726 and 4,509,690. The carbonated water and the syrup are mixed together in the nozzle assembly and the mixture is dispensed therefrom into a cup. The nozzle assembly must reduce the pressure and the speed of the carbonated water without causing an unacceptable amount of foaming and without losing too much carbonation.
[0003] According to the present invention there is provided a nozzle assembly for a post-mix beverage dispenser valve assembly comprising:
(a) a hollow nozzle;
(b) a diffuser assembly positioned centrally inside of said nozzle and providing an annular carbonated water flow path between the diffuser assembly and said nozzle, the diffuser assembly including:
(i) a tubular diffuser including an upper cylindrical portion and a lower, enlarged disc portion, and also including a central syrup passageway extending therethrough down from an upper syrup inlet port at the top of said cylindrical portion to a lower syrup sprayhead below said disc portion; and
(ii) a flat diffuser plate extending across said annular flow path and positioned in a plane perpendicular to said syrup passageway and extending between said diffuser and said nozzle, said diffuser plate having a plurality of equally spaced-apart, identical water flow openings therethrough;
(c) said disc portion of said diffuser having a smooth concave upper surface for directing the flow of carbonated water at the bottom of said flow path outwardly toward said nozzle, said disc portion having an outer edge spaced apart from said nozzle to provide an annular slot for carbonated water to flow therethrough;
(d) the inside nozzle wall adjacent to said edge of said disc portion having a smooth concave surface, for directing the flow of carbonated water underneath said disc portion and toward said syrup sprayhead; and
(e) said nozzle including a lower, completely open portion below said sprayhead.
[0004] In use of such a nozzle assembly, the syrup flows down through the syrup passageway inside of the diffuser, while the carbonated water flows down the annular flow path between the diffuser and the nozzle. The syrup and carbonated water streams are then directed toward each other below the diffuser where they mix together in a lower portion of the nozzle, before being discharged into a cup.
[0005] An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Fig. 1 is a partly broken away perspective view of a valve assembly showing the nozzle of the present invention: and
Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the nozzle assembly of the present invention.
[0006] With reference now to the drawing, Fig. 1 shows a valve assembly 10 which can be of any known type for use on any known post-mix beverage dispenser (not shown). The valve assembly 10 includes a nozzle assembly 12 of the present embodiment for mixing together syrup and carbonated water and for dispensing the mixture into a cup (not shown).
[0007] The nozzle assembly 12 includes a diffuser assembly 14 positioned inside of a nozzle 16. The diffuser assembly 14 includes a diffuser 18, an O-ring 20 and a diffuser plate 22.
[0008] The O-ring fits in groove 24 and seals against a wall 26 of the valve assembly 10 into which the diffuser slip-fits. The diffuser plate 22 snaps onto the outside of the diffuser 18, against a shoulder 28 thereon. A ridge 30 on the diffuser plate 22 snaps into a groove 32 on the diffuser. The diffuser 18 includes a syrup passageway 34 therethrough from a syrup inlet port at the top end thereof to a syrup sprayhead 36 at the bottom end thereof. The syrup sprayhead 36 preferably consists of four identical, equally spaced-apart discharge ports 38. The diffuser plate 22 includes a plurality of equally spaced-apart openings 40. The diffuser 18 includes a generally cylindrical upper portion 41 and a lower enlarged disc portion 43. The disc portion has an outer edge spaced from the nozzle to provide an annular flow path for the carbonated water, and also includes a plurality (preferably four) lugs 46 which seat against the inside nozzle wall.
[0009] The nozzle assembly 12 is attached to the valve assembly 10 by first pressing the diffuser assembly 14 into the wall 26 and then separately attaching the nozzle 16 over the diffuser assembly 14 and into an opening 42 in a wall 44 of the valve assembly 10, and turning the nozzle 16 in a known manner to engage the wall 44 between lugs 47 and flange 48 on the nozzle 16.
[0010] In operation, when the valve assembly 10 is energized to dispense a beverage, carbonated water flows into an upper chamber 50, and syrup flows into the syrup passageway 34. The syrup flows straight down to the syrup sprayhead 36. The carbonated water, on the other hand, which is swirling in the chamber 50, is forced through the openings 40 in the diffuser plate 22. These openings are long enough to cause the carbonated water to flow straight down into a pressure reducing and velocity reducing chamber 52. When the carbonated water reaches the bottom of chamber 52, it hits a smooth, concave surface 54 of the diffuser 18 which forces the carbonated water to change direction and flow outwardly where it then hits the nozzle 16 and is forced to again change direction and flow down through an annular slot 56 between the diffuser disc portion 43 and the nozzle 16. As the carbonated water flows through the slot 56, the smooth concave surface 58 of the nozzle causes it to again change direction and flow radially inwardly, where it impinges against syrup flowing out of the syrup sprayhead 36. At this point, the syrup and carbonated water mix together in a lower, completely open portion 64 of the nozzle. The mixture is then discharged from an outlet opening 60 of the nozzle 16 and into a cup (not shown). The underside of the disc portion of the diffuser also has a smooth concave surface 62.
[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the diffuser plate 22 and 12 openings 40, each having a diameter of about .080 inch, and a length of about 0.90 inch. The syrup sprayhead 36 has four openings, each having a diameter of about .077 inch. The syrup passageway 34 has a diameter of about .140 inch. The radius of the curved surface 54 is about .164 inch and the radius of the curved surface 58 is about .117 inch. The radius of the curved wall 62 is about .250 inch. The width of the annular slot 56 is about .235 inch. The height of the diffuser 18 is about 1.002 inch. The axis of the discharge ports 38 in the sprayhead 36 is about 45° to the vertical. The outside diameter of the larger part of the cylindrical portion 41 of the diffuser 18 is about .473 inch and the inside diameter of the adjacent nozzle wall is about 1.035 inch, to provide a width of about .280 inch for the annular water flow passageway 52. The lower, completely open portion 64 of the nozzle has a height of about .500 inch.
[0012] The nozzle assembly 12 can be easily converted for use with a gravity dispenser by removing the diffuser assembly, and placing an orifice (or washer) inside the wall 26, and having the correct sized opening for the particular syrup being used.
[0013] The nozzle assembly of this invention, at least in its preferred forms, requires fewer parts and can be made at a lower cost than comparable known valve assemblies, while providing performance that is at least as good. Furthermore it can be used at both the standard flow rate of 1.5 oz/sec. and the fast flow rate of 3.0 oz/sec. Furthermore it can be easily disassembled and cleaned. Furthermore it can be modified for use in a gravity dispenser.
[0014] It is to be clearly understood that there are no particular features of the foregoing specification, or of any claims appended hereto, which are at present regarded as being essential to the performance of the present invention, and that any one or more of such features or combinations thereof may therefore be included in, added to, omitted from or deleted from any of such claims if and when amended during the prosecution of this application or in the filing or prosecution of any individual application based thereon. Furthermore the manner in which any of such features of the specification or claims are described or defined may be amended, broadened or otherwise modified in any manner which falls within the knowledge of a person skilled in the relevant art, for example so as to encompass, either implicitly or explicitly, equivalents or generalisations thereof.
(a) a hollow nozzle;
(b) a diffuser assembly positioned centrally inside of said nozzle and providing an annular carbonated water flow path between the diffuser assembly and said nozzle, the diffuser assembly including:
(i) a tubular diffuser including an upper cylindrical portion and a lower, enlarged disc portion, and also including a central syrup passageway extending therethrough down from an upper syrup inlet port at the top of said cylindrical portion to a lower syrup sprayhead below said disc portion; and
(ii) a flat diffuser plate extending across said annular flow path and positioned in a plane perpendicular to said syrup passageway and extending between said diffuser and said nozzle, said diffuser plate having a plurality of equally spaced-apart, identical water flow openings therethrough;
(c) said disc portion of said diffuser having a smooth concave upper surface for directing the flow of carbonated water at the bottom of said flow path outwardly toward said nozzle, said disc portion having an outer edge spaced apart from said nozzle to provide an annular slot for carbonated water to flow therethrough;
(d) the inside nozzle wall adjacent to said edge of said disc portion having a smooth concave surface, for directing the flow of carbonated water underneath said disc portion and toward said syrup sprayhead; and
(e) said nozzle including a lower, completely open portion below said sprayhead.