Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BEVERAGE DISPENSING DEVICE WITH CLEANING VALVE
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Non-Provisional Patent
Application No.
17/685,686 , filed on March 3, 2022, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application
No. 63/156,323,
filed on March 3, 2021, which are incorporated herein by reference in their
entirety
FIELD
[002] The present disclosure relates generally to a device for dispensing
beverages, and
particularly to a beverage dispensing device that allows for easier cleaning
of the beverage path.
BACKGROUND
[003] Many beverage dispensing devices are bag-in-box (BIB) systems that
produce a
beverage by mixing a product that is often in the form of a syrup, with a base
liquid such as
water. The product syrup is often provided in a bag typically made of a
flexible plastic or other
material, which is contained within a box that may be made of cardboard or
other materials.
Such devices typically use a pump to draw the syrup out of the BIB, and mixes
the syrup with
liquid and/or gases to form a beverage that is dispensed via an outlet port.
[004] The BIB typically includes a coupling by which the BIB can be coupled
to the
pump and a product line through which the product syrup is transported to a
mixer where it is
mixed with a base liquid. The path of the product syrup from the BIB to the
outlet port
frequently needs to be sanitized to prevent bacteria growth. To sanitize the
product path, the BIB
is de-coupled from the sanitizing path, and sanitizing equipment is coupled to
the sanitizing path.
Sanitizer is then circulated through the product path and discarded through
the outlet port.
However, it is inconvenient to disconnect BIBs and connect sanitizing
equipment, especially for
dispensing devices that may have several BIBs and associated product paths
that need to be
sanitized. De-coupling and re-coupling BIBs can be messy and time-consuming.
In addition,
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sanitizing equipment is often separate from the beverage dispensing device,
and requires
components in addition to the beverage dispensing components, such as a
sanitizer container,
adapter hoses, and various couplings to couple the sanitizer equipment to the
product paths.
Accordingly, there is a need to overcome these challenges and others in
dispensing various
products.
SUMMARY
[005] According to an aspect of one or more exemplary embodiments, there is
provided
a cleaning valve that may include a valve body having a valve opening, a valve
lever coupled to
the valve body and configured to move the valve body between a product
dispense position and a
sanitize position, a product port configured to alternatively output a
beverage product and a
sanitizer based on the position of the valve lever, and a sanitizer port
configured to receive the
sanitizer from a sanitizer reservoir. The valve opening may be configured to
create a first fluid
communication path when the valve lever is in the product dispense position to
allow the
beverage product to output from the product port, and the valve opening may be
configured to
create a second fluid communication path when the valve lever is in the
sanitize position to allow
the sanitizer to output from the product port. When the valve lever is in the
product dispense
position, the valve body may prevent the sanitizer from being output from the
product port.
When the valve lever is in the sanitize position, the valve body may prevent
the beverage product
from being output from the product port. The valve body may be configured to
rotate between
the product dispense position and the sanitize position. The dispense position
may be located at
an approximately ninety degree rotation with respect to the sanitize position.
[006] According to an aspect of one or more exemplary embodiments there may
be
provided a beverage dispensing device that may include a shuttle configured to
receive a
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beverage-in-box (BIB) container containing a beverage product, a sanitizer
reservoir configured
to contain sanitizer, a cleaning valve coupled to the shuttle and in fluid
communication with the
BIB container and the sanitizer reservoir, wherein the cleaning valve may
include a valve lever
configured to switch between a product dispense position and a sanitize
position. The beverage
dispensing device may also include an actuator configured to cause the
beverage product to be
output when the valve lever is in the product dispense position, and
configured to cause the
sanitizer to be output when the valve lever is in the sanitize position. The
beverage dispensing
device may also include an outer housing and an internal compartment contained
within the outer
housing. The shuttle may be configured to be disposed in a first position at
least partially within
the internal compartment when the valve lever is in the product dispense
position. The valve
lever may be configured to engage a rim portion of the internal compartment
when the valve
lever is in the sanitize position, and maintain the shuttle in a second
position when the valve
lever is in the sanitize position. The beverage dispensing device may also
include a lid. At least
one of the shuttle and the BIB container may be configured to prevent the lid
from fully closing
when the valve lever is in the sanitize position. The shuttle may be hingedly
coupled to the outer
housing, and may be configured to rotate between the first position and the
second position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[007] FIG. 1A illustrates a top view of a cleaning valve of a beverage
dispensing device
in a product dispensing position according to an exemplary embodiment.
[008] FIG. 1B illustrates a cross-sectional view along line A-A of the
exemplary
cleaning valve of Fig. A.
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[009] FIG. 2A illustrates a top view of a cleaning valve of a
beverage dispensing device
in a sanitize position according to an exemplary embodiment.
[0010] FIG. 2B illustrates a cross-section view along line B-B of
the exemplary cleaning
valve of Fig. 2A.
[0011] FIG. 3 illustrates a bottom view of a cleaning valve of a
beverage dispensing
device in a product dispensing position according to an exemplary embodiment.
[0012] FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of a cleaning valve
of a beverage dispensing
device according to an exemplary embodiment in a dispense product position.
[0013] FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a cleaning valve
of a beverage dispensing
device according to an exemplary embodiment in a sanitize position.
[0014] FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of a beverage
dispensing device according to
an exemplary embodiment.
[0015] FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of a beverage dispensing
device according to an
exemplary embodiment.
[0016] FIG. 8 illustrates an alternate perspective view of a
beverage dispensing device
according to an exemplary embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0017] Reference will now be made in detail to the following
exemplary embodiments,
which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference
numerals refer to like
elements throughout. The exemplary embodiments may be embodied in various
forms without
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being limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. Descriptions of
well-known parts
are omitted for clarity.
[0018] Figs. 1A and 3 show top and bottom views, respectively, of
a cleaning valve of a
beverage dispensing device according to an exemplary embodiment. Referring to
Figs. 1A and 3,
the cleaning valve of the exemplary embodiment includes a valve base 5, a
valve body 6 disposed
within the valve base 5, a valve lever 6A extending outside the valve base 5,
an axle 7 about which
the valve body 6 can rotate, and a valve cover 4 coupled to the valve base 5
via two bolts 9 and
two nuts 8 that are configured to be coupled to the two bolts 9, respectively.
The cleaning valve
may also include a product port 3A having a first end disposed within valve
base 5 and a second
end that extends outside of the valve base 5. The product port 3A may be
configured to allow a
beverage product, such as concentrate syrup, to flow through it. For example,
the product port 3A
may be in fluid communication with a pump that transports the beverage product
so that it can be
mixed with a base liquid, such as water. The cleaning valve of the exemplary
embodiment may
also include a sanitizer port 3B having a first end located within the valve
base 5 and a second end
that extends outside of the valve base 5. The sanitizer port 3B may be in
fluid communication
with a sanitizer reservoir, and may be configured to allow a sanitizer, such
as a liquid sanitizer, to
fl ow through it.
[0019] The cleaning valve of the exemplary embodiment may include
a beverage coupler
that is configured to receive a beverage product. For example, the beverage
coupler 10 may be
a BIB fitment configured to receive beverage syrup from a BIB. The beverage
coupler 10 may
include a beverage opening 10A that may be located near the bottom of the
beverage coupler 10,
and may allow the beverage product to flow out of the beverage coupler 10, as
explained in more
detail below with reference to Fig. 1B.
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[0020] Fig. 1B shows a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A
of the exemplary
cleaning valve of Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1B, beverage opening 10A is in
fluid communication
with a channel 13 that allows the beverage product to flow to a lower
compartment 12, from which
it is extracted via a vacuum force provided by the pump (not shown) through
product port 3A.
When the valve lever 6A is in the product dispense position (as shown in Figs.
IA, I B, 3, and 4),
a valve opening 6B contained within the valve body 6 is in fluid communication
with the beverage
opening 10A and the lower compartment 12 to allow the beverage product to flow
through a first
fluid communication path that includes the beverage opening 10A, channel 13,
valve opening 6B,
lower compartment 12, and product port 3A. The pump (not shown) may draw the
beverage
product out of the lower compartment 12 and through product port 3A, after
which the beverage
product may be mixed with a base liquid, such as water or coffee, and
dispensed through an outlet
port.
[0021] When the valve lever 6A is rotated, as shown in Figs. 2A,
2B, and 5, the valve
opening 6B moves approximately 90 degrees so that it is substantially aligned
with a sanitizer
opening 11 disposed at the first end of the sanitizer port 3B to form a fluid
communication path
with the sanitizer opening 11. By rotating the valve opening GB to the
sanitize position shown in
Fig. 5 (by moving valve lever 6A), the valve body 6 prevents the beverage
product from passing
through beverage opening 10A and channel 13 to the lower compartment 12.
Rather, as shown in
Fig. 2B, the valve opening 6B creates a second fluid communication path with
sanitizer port 3B
and lower compartment 12 to allow sanitizer to enter the lower compartment 12
from the sanitizer
port 3B. The sanitizer is then further pumped from the lower compartment 12
out through the
product port 3A to sanitize the valve opening 6B, the lower compartment 12,
and the product port
3A.
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[0022] Figs. 4 and 5 show perspective views of a cleaning valve
according to an exemplary
embodiment with the valve lever 6A in the product dispense position and the
sanitize position,
respectively. As shown in Fig. 4, the valve lever 6A is rotated to the right
so that it substantially
abuts the side of the valve base 5 and the valve cover 4. In this position,
the valve opening 6B is
in fluid communication with the beverage opening 10A, so that the beverage
product can be
transported from a BIB coupled to the beverage coupler 10, through beverage
opening 10A,
channel 13, and valve opening 6B to the lower compartment 12, as shown in Fig.
1B. The pump
(not shown) provides a vacuum force to draw the beverage product from the
lower compartment
12 through product port 3A, after which the beverage product is ultimately
mixed with a base
liquid and output via an outlet port. In the product dispense position, the
valve body 6 prevents
sanitizer from entering the product path by blocking the fluid communication
path from the
sanitizer port 3B to the lower compartment 12.
[0023] As shown in Fig. 5, the valve lever 6A is rotated to the
left so that it extends
substantially perpendicularly with respect to the valve base 5 and the valve
cover 4. When the
valve lever 6A is in this position, the valve opening 6B provides a fluid
communication path from
the sanitizer port 3B to the lower compartment 12, as shown in Fig. 2B. In
this position, sanitizer
can be provided from a sanitizer reservoir through sanitizer port 3B, and
further through valve
opening 6B into the lower compartment 12, from which it is pumped through the
product port 3A.
After the sanitizer exits the product port 3A, the sanitizer continues along
the product path through
the portion at which the beverage product is mixed with a base liquid, and is
dispensed through
the outlet port. Therefore, the sanitizer is able to traverse and sanitize the
entire product path that
the beverage product contacts during dispensing. When the valve lever 6A is in
the sanitize
position, the valve body 6 prevents beverage product from entering the product
path by blocking
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the fluid communication between the beverage opening 10A (and channel 13) and
the lower
compartment 12.
[0024] Fig. 6 depicts a beverage dispensing device 600 according
to an exemplary
embodiment, which may include the cleaning valve according to the exemplary
embodiments
shown in Figs. IA-S. Referring to Fig. 6, the exemplary beverage dispensing
device 600 may
include an outer housing 605, a lid 610 that may be hingedly coupled to the
outer housing 605, a
drip tray 615 removably coupled to the outer housing 605, a plurality of
outlet ports 625 coupled
to a front face of the outer housing 605, a backsplash 620 coupled to the
front face of the outer
housing 605 between the drip tray 615 and the plurality of outlet ports 625.
The beverage
dispensing device 600 may also include a plurality of actuators 655 that may
be respectively
coupled to the plurality of outlet ports 625, and configured to activate a
pump to draw a beverage
product or sanitizer from the lower compartment 12 of the cleaning valve. The
beverage
dispensing device 600 may include an internal compartment 635 that is
configured to include one
or more shuttles 640 that are each configured to receive a BIB containing a
beverage product. A
cleaning valve, such as the exemplary cleaning valve shown in Fig. 1A, may be
coupled to the
bottom of each of the one or more shuttles 640 so that the beverage coupler 10
of each cleaning
valve may be coupled to an output fitting of the BIB. The internal compartment
635 may also
include a sanitizer reservoir 650 that is configured to contain a sanitizer,
such as a liquid sanitizer,
that may be provided via one or more tubes to the sanitizer port 3B of the one
or more cleaning
valves.
[0025] In operation, when the valve lever 6A is in the product
dispense position (see Fig.
4), the one or more shuttles 640 fit within internal compartment 635 so that
the lid 610 can be
closed. For example, as shown in Fig. 8, the beverage dispensing device
includes multiple shuttles
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640 each containing a BIB 645, and each disposed in a first position within
the internal
compartment 635 to allow the lid 610 to close. Although the shuttles 640 are
described as being
disposed "within" the internal compartment 635, one skilled in the art would
understand that the
shuttles 640 may not be fully enclosed by the internal compartment 635, as
shown in Fig. 8 When
one or more actuators 655 are engaged, for example, by being pulled toward the
user facing the
beverage dispensing device 600, a pump is activated to provide a vacuum force
that draws a
beverage product from the BIB 645, through beverage coupler 10, beverage
opening 10A, and
valve opening 6B into lower compartment 12. The vacuum force further extracts
the beverage
product through product port 3A, where it is mixed with a base liquid and
output through an output
port 625 corresponding to the actuator 655 that was engaged.
[0026] Drip tray 615 may include a perforated top surface that
allows excess beverage to
enter a drain that may be located at the bottom of the drip tray 615. The drip
tray 615 may be
removably coupled to a drain line (not shown) that may be contained within the
outer housing 605
that may output the excess beverage to a sink or other drainage line or
receptacle. Backsplash 625
may be magnetically coupled to the front surface of the outer housing 605, and
may include a
bottom lip portion that extends outwardly from the outer housing 605 to direct
any liquid that
contacts the backsplash 625 to the drip tray 615. The internal compartment 635
may also include
a drain, which may be located at the bottom surface of the internal
compartment 635. The internal
compartment drain may also be coupled to a drain line contained within the
outer housing 605,
which allows the internal compartment 635 and the components contained within
it to be cleaned
more easily.
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[0027] Fig. 7 shows a top view of the internal compartment 635 of
a beverage dispensing
device according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in Fig. 7, the valve
lever 6A is in the
sanitize position (see also Fig. 5) and is extended substantially
perpendicularly with respect to the
BIB 645 and the cleaning valve underneath the BIB 645. The shuttle 640 may be
hingedly coupled
to the back of the internal compartment 635 so that the shuttle 640 can rotate
to allow a front end
of the BIB 645 to be raised upward, partially out of the internal compartment
635. When the valve
lever 6A in the sanitize position, the valve lever 6A contacts a rim portion
660 of the internal
compartment 635 that prevents the shuttle 640 from lowering into the
dispensing position within
the internal compartment 635. Therefore, according to the exemplary
embodiment, the valve lever
6A prevents the shuttle 640 from being lowered down into internal compartment
635, which
prevents the lid 610 from closing. A user attempting to dispense a beverage
would therefore be
more likely to notice that the valve lever 6A is not in a product dispensing
position if the lid 610
is open and shuttles 640 are disposed partially outside of the inner
compartment 635.
[0028] Referring to Figs. 2A, 2B, 6 and 7, when the valve lever
6A is in the sanitize
position and the shuttle 640 is raised partially out of the internal
compartment, the valve opening
6B creates a fluid communication path between the sanitizer port 3B and the
lower compartment
12. When actuator 655 is engaged (e.g., by the user pulling the actuator 655
away from the outer
housing 605), a pump is engaged to provide a vacuum force that draws the
sanitizer from the
sanitizer reservoir 650, through valve opening 6B, into lower compartment 12,
out through product
port 3B, through a mixing location where the beverage product is typically
mixed with a base
liquid (not shown), and out through outlet port 625. By incorporating the
sanitizer reservoir 650
within the beverage dispensing device 600, and including a cleaning valve that
can switch between
allowing beverage product and sanitizer to flow, the product path can be
sanitized without
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connecting and disconnecting sanitizing equipment every time the beverage
dispensing device
needs to be sanitized.
[0029] Although the inventive concepts of the present disclosure
have been described and
illustrated with respect to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is not limited
to the exemplary
embodiments disclosed herein and modifications may be made therein without
departing from the
scope of the inventive concepts.
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