Beverage dispenser
By designing a beverage dispenser with an adjustable cooling plate and a shell adapted to different types of beverage containers, the problem that the beverage dispenser in the prior art cannot adapt to different types of beverage containers is solved, and the effectiveness of different types of beverage containers is achieved Cooling and adaptation.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202420581404.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-03-25
- Publication Date
- 2025-02-11
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-03-25
AI Technical Summary
Existing beverage dispensers can only fit the same type of beverage container with the same size and capacity, cannot adapt to different types of beverage containers, and the cooling function cannot effectively adapt to different types of beverage containers.
A beverage dispenser is designed including a housing and a cooling plate, which can accommodate different types of beverage containers. The cooling plate is designed through the special design of its first and second parts, which can adapt to different types of beverage containers and pass cooling. Components and fluid ducts enable effective cooling of beverage containers.
This beverage dispenser can adapt to different types of beverage containers, provides good cooling functions, and improves user selectivity and user experience.
Smart Images
Figure CN222454548U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a beverage dispenser, and in particular to a beverage dispenser with a cooling function. Background Art
[0002] The beverage dispenser can be used to receive a beverage container that stores a beverage, and can be used to dispense the beverage stored in the beverage container. As required, the beverage dispenser can provide pressure in the beverage container so that the stored beverage can be sucked out from the beverage container using a pressure difference. Summary of the invention
[0003] According to an embodiment according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, a beverage dispenser is provided, comprising: a housing and a cooling plate. The housing is configured to accommodate beverage containers. The beverage containers include a first type of beverage container and a second type of beverage container. The housing includes a side wall and a bottom wall. The cooling plate is positioned on the bottom wall of the housing and the cooling plate includes a first portion and a second portion. The first portion extends in a first direction away from the center of the cooling plate. The second portion extends in a second direction from a peripheral portion of the first portion. The cooling plate is configured to hold the first type of beverage container by the first portion and to hold the second type of beverage container by the peripheral portion of the first portion.
[0004] The beverage dispenser according to the present disclosure can be adapted to two beverage containers of different sizes and capacities. This allows users to purchase beverage containers of various types, rather than being limited to only allowing the purchase of beverage containers of the same type corresponding to the beverage dispenser.
[0005] According to one or more embodiments, the first portion of the cooling plate forms a first surface that contacts all or part of a bottom area of a first type of beverage container.
[0006] According to one or more embodiments, the first direction is determined such that a contour of the first surface substantially conforms to a contour of a bottom region of a first type of beverage container.
[0007] According to one or more embodiments, the beverage dispenser may further include a cooling component and a fluid conduit. The cooling component is used to cool water flowing therethrough. The fluid conduit includes a first path. The first path is fluidly connected from the cooling component to the housing and is configured to guide water into the housing so that the beverage container is at least partially submerged by water.
[0008] According to one or more embodiments, the fluid conduit includes a second path. The second path has an upper opening and a lower opening located on a side wall of the housing, and the second path includes a water pump disposed between the upper opening and the lower opening.
[0009] According to one or more embodiments, the beverage dispenser further comprises at least one temperature sensor. At least one temperature sensor is configured to measure the temperature of the beverage contained in the beverage container. The beverage dispenser further comprises a user interface. The user interface is configured to display the measured temperature and receive an input signal.
[0010] According to one or more embodiments, the beverage dispenser further comprises a controller. The controller is configured to adjust the temperature of the cooling plate in response to an input signal.
[0011] According to one or more embodiments, the power of the cooling component is adjusted according to the temperature of the cooling plate.
[0012] According to one or more embodiments, adjusting the power of the cooling component includes adjusting the power of the cooling component so that a temperature of water flowing through the cooling component is equal to or lower than a temperature of the cooling plate.
[0013] According to one or more embodiments, the beverage dispenser further includes a cover connected to the housing.
[0014] According to one or more embodiments, the beverage dispenser further comprises a discharge device. The discharge device can be connected to the beverage container and is configured to dispense the beverage.
[0015] According to one or more embodiments, the beverage container includes a beer keg. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] In order to better understand the technical solution of the present disclosure and to more clearly illustrate how to implement the technical solution of the present disclosure, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings by way of example only, in which:
[0017] Figure 1 schematically depicts a beverage dispenser according to one example;
[0018] Figure 2 Provides a Figure 1 a plan cross-sectional view of a beverage dispenser shown with a first type of beverage container received in the beverage dispenser;
[0019] Figure 3 Provides a Figure 1 a three-dimensional cross-sectional view of a beverage dispenser shown with a first type of beverage container received in the beverage dispenser;
[0020] Figure 4 A plan cross-sectional view showing a beverage dispenser according to another example is provided;
[0021] Figure 5 Provides a Figure 4 a plan cross-sectional view of the beverage dispenser shown with a second type of beverage container received in the beverage dispenser;
[0022] Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating connectivity between components of a beverage dispenser according to one example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] The present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0024] It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, although indicating exemplary embodiments of the device, system and method, are only for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. These and other features, aspects and advantages of the device, system and method of the present disclosure will become better understood from the following description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the drawings are only schematic and are not drawn to scale. It should also be understood that the same reference numerals are used in all drawings to represent the same or similar parts.
[0025] Conventional beverage dispensers are only compatible with beverage containers of the same type with consistent size and capacity. And therefore the cooling function provided by conventional beverage dispensers is only provided for beverage containers of the same type. Different types of beverage containers may not be installed in such beverage dispensers, or the cooling function in the beverage dispenser may not work or have the same effect on different types of beverage containers. In addition, such beverage dispensers require users to select beverage containers that are compatible with the beverage dispenser. This limits the user's choice.
[0026] The present disclosure aims to provide a beverage dispenser, which can accommodate different types of beverage containers and can provide a good cooling function for the beverage containers regardless of which type of the different types of beverage containers is accommodated in the beverage dispenser.
[0027] The following will be combined Figures 1 to 6 An exemplary beverage dispenser 1 provided by the present disclosure will be described.
[0028] refer to Figure 1 , a beverage dispenser 1 is provided. The beverage dispenser 1 comprises a housing 2. The housing 2 comprises a side wall 21 and a bottom wall 22.
[0029] The housing 2 is configured to accommodate a beverage container 3, such as a beer keg. The beverage container 3 includes a first type beverage container 31 and a second type beverage container 32. The housing 2 and the beverage container 3 will be described in detail below. Figures 2 to 5The first type of beverage container 31 and the second type of beverage container 32 may be different in size or shape. For example, the first type of beverage container 31 may have one or more of the length-width-height dimensions that are different from the second type of beverage container 32. The first type of beverage container 31 and the second type of beverage container 32 may be used to hold the same or different types of beverages.
[0030] The beverage dispenser 1 may further include a user interface 8. The user interface 8 may include a digital display or a graphic display portion and a touch input portion. The digital display or the graphic display portion is used to provide visual output information. The touch input portion can be operated by the user to generate input information. The function of the user interface 8 will also be described in more detail below in conjunction with the cooling function provided by the present disclosure.
[0031] The beverage dispenser 1 may further include a cover 9. The cover 9 is used to cooperate with the housing 2 to form a closed space. In some embodiments, the cover 9 may be detachably connected to the housing 2.
[0032] The beverage dispenser 1 may further include a tapping device 10. The tapping device 10 can be connected to the beverage container 3 and is configured to dispense the beverage in the beverage container 3. The tapping device 10 can provide a passage for the beverage so that the beverage contained in the beverage container 3 can flow to the outside of the beverage dispenser 1 including the beverage container 3. The tapping device 10 may include a conduit extending to the interior of the beverage container 3 and a valve connected to the conduit fluid. The valve is arranged on the outside of the housing 2 so that the user can access the valve, and the valve can be operated by the user to open / close the flow of the beverage to the outside of the beverage dispenser 1.
[0033] refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the beverage dispenser 1 may include a cooling plate 4. The cooling plate 4 is configured to support the beverage container 3 accommodated in the housing 2 and to adjust the temperature of the beverage in the beverage container 3. The cooling plate 4 may be positioned on the bottom wall 22 of the housing 2.
[0034] In some embodiments, the operating temperature of the cooling plate may range from -3°C to 25°C, preferably from -2°C to 20°C, and more preferably from 3°C to 18°C. Depending on the beverage, the cooling temperature of the cooling plate may be below 0°C or above 25°C. In particular, for beer, the cooling temperature of the cooling plate may preferably be from 3°C to 18°C.
[0035] The cooling plate 4 includes a first portion 41 and a second portion 42. The first portion 41 is arranged to extend in a first direction A away from the center of the cooling plate 4. The second portion 42 of the cooling plate 4 is arranged to extend from a peripheral portion 410 of the first portion 41 in a second direction B. The second direction B is different from the first direction A.
[0036] In some embodiments, the angle of the first direction A relative to the horizontal reference direction X is between 15 degrees and 45 degrees. The angle of the second direction B relative to the horizontal reference direction X is, for example, between 75 degrees and 105 degrees.
[0037] As an example, the first portion 41 extends continuously along the first direction A across 360 degrees around the vertical reference direction Y perpendicular to the horizontal reference direction X. Alternatively, the first portion 41 may include a plurality of segments, and the first portion 41 extends discontinuously along the first direction A across 360 degrees around the vertical reference direction Y perpendicular to the horizontal reference direction X at a predetermined angular distance.
[0038] The cooling plate 4 is configured to hold a first type of beverage container 31 via a first portion 41, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, and by the peripheral portion 410 of the first portion 41 to hold the second type of beverage container 32, such as Figure 5 As shown.
[0039] The first portion 41 of the cooling plate 4 forms a first surface that contacts all or part of the bottom area 310 of the first type of beverage container 31. The cooling plate 4 may also include a pocket located at the center of the cooling plate 4, such as Figure 2 Best shown. The pocket may be used to receive the bottom center projection of the first type of beverage container 31 (if any) to facilitate securing the first type of beverage container 31 in place.
[0040] The first portion 41 of the cooling plate 4 may also be configured according to the contour of the bottom surface of the first type beverage container 31. In some embodiments, the first direction of the first portion 41 is determined so that the contour of the first surface formed by the first portion 41 is substantially consistent with the contour of the bottom area 310 of the first type beverage container 31. With such an arrangement, the first surface can be in full contact with the bottom area 310, and in use, the heat transfer efficiency between the cooling plate 4 and the first type beverage container 31 can be improved.
[0041] The peripheral portion 410 of the cooling plate 4 may include a corner 411. The corner 411 is formed by an abrupt change in the extension of the cooling plate 4 from the first direction to the second direction. The peripheral portion 410 may be used to support a second type of beverage container 32, such as Figure 5The corner 411 may have a sharp edge, which is advantageous when the second type beverage container 32 has a positioning feature 321 that can rely on the corner 411 for positioning, because the sharp edge can extend into the groove formed by the positioning feature 321.
[0042] In some embodiments, reference Figure 3 and Figure 6 , the beverage dispenser 1 may further include a cooling component 5 and a fluid conduit. The cooling component 5 is used to cool the water flowing therethrough. The cooling component 5 may be installed in a chamber adjacent to the housing 2. The cooling component 5, for example, includes a heat exchanger for releasing the heat of the water outside the beverage dispenser. The fluid conduit includes a first path 61. The first path 61 is fluidly connected from the cooling component 5 to the housing 2 and is configured to guide water into the housing 2 so that the beverage container 3 is at least partially submerged in water. The first path 61 may include a pump configured to draw water away from the housing 2 and provide a water flow into the housing 2 at a predetermined rate.
[0043] refer to Figure 4 and Figure 6 , the fluid conduit may further include a second path 62. The second path 62 has an upper opening 621 and a lower opening 622 located on the side wall 21 of the housing 2. The second path 62 further includes a pump 63 disposed between the upper opening 621 and the lower opening 622. Water may be pumped from the lower opening 622 to the upper opening 621 by the pump 63, so that the upper portion of the beverage container 3 may experience a shower to promote cooling of the beverage in the beverage container 3. In addition, the second path 62 may also promote the circulation of water within the housing 2, so that the water near the upper portion of the housing 2 is the same temperature as the water near the bottom wall 22 of the housing 2.
[0044] The beverage dispenser 1 may further include at least one temperature sensor 7. The temperature sensor 7 is configured to measure the temperature of the beverage contained in the beverage container 3. In some embodiments, the temperature sensor 7 may include an infrared temperature sensor and be arranged on the side wall 21 of the housing 2. In the case where the number of the temperature sensors 7 is more than one, several temperature sensors 7 may be arranged at a plurality of different positions of the side wall 21, and the temperature information sensed by the several temperature sensors 7 may be considered in combination to determine the temperature of the beverage contained in the beverage container 3.
[0045] In embodiments where the beverage dispenser 1 further comprises a user interface 8, the user interface 8 is configured to display the measured temperature. In some embodiments, the display of the measured temperature may comprise displaying a numerical value of the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 7 or displaying a graph of the temperature over time.
[0046] The beverage dispenser 1 may further comprise a controller 100. The controller 100 is configured to adjust the temperature of the cooling plate 4 and / or the power of the cooling element 5 in response to an input signal. The input signal may comprise a selection of a desired temperature from a user.
[0047] The controller 100 may be configured to generate a control signal associated with the operation of the cooling plate 4 and the cooling component 5 based on an input signal received from a user via the user interface 8 to turn on and / or off the cooling plate 4 and the cooling component 5. The control signal may include a first control signal for controlling the cooling plate 4 and a second control signal for controlling the cooling component 5.
[0048] The controller 100 can also be configured to receive temperature information from the temperature sensor 7 and a selected desired temperature received via a user interface, perform a comparison between the desired temperature and the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor 7, and operate one or both of the cooling plate 4 and the cooling component 5 according to the result of the comparison.
[0049] In some embodiments, the controller 100 is configured to adjust the power of the cooling component 5 in association with the temperature of the cooling plate 4. In one example, the controller 100 may be configured to set the power of the cooling component 5 according to the determined temperature of the cooling plate 4. Mapping information between the power of the cooling component 5 and the temperature of the water flowing through the cooling component 5 may be predetermined according to a priori knowledge and stored in a non-volatile memory 200 that can be accessed by the controller 100. The controller 100 may be operable to load the mapping information from the memory 200 and control the power of the cooling component 5 according to the mapping information, thereby coordinating the temperature of the water flowing through the cooling component 5 with the temperature of the cooling plate 4.
[0050] In some embodiments, adjusting the power of the cooling component 5 may include adjusting the power of the cooling component 5 so that the temperature of the water flowing through the cooling component 5 is equal to or lower than the temperature of the cooling plate 4. In this way, the cooling effect on the beverage container 3 can be promoted. This is particularly advantageous when the second type of beverage container 32 is accommodated in the housing 2, because Figure 5 As shown, the contact between the cooling plate 4 and the second type beverage container 32 is smaller than the contact between the cooling plate 4 and the first type beverage container 31, and thus the cooling plate 4 of the same temperature cools the second type beverage container 32 more slowly than the first type beverage container 31. In such a case, adjusting the power of the cooling component 5 is beneficial to improving the cooling effect on the second type beverage container 32.
[0051] The controller 100 may perform a comparison between the desired temperature and the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor 7 at predetermined time intervals, and determine whether there is still a difference between the desired temperature and the sensed temperature after the predetermined time period has passed based on the comparison result and the time information. When the difference is determined to exist, the controller 100 is configured to simultaneously adjust the temperature of the cooling plate 4 and adjust the power of the cooling member 5, thereby achieving accelerated cooling of the beverage container 3.
[0052] Alternatively, the controller 100 is configured to determine whether there is still a difference between the desired temperature and the sensed temperature after the predetermined time period has passed based on the comparison result and the time information, and in response to determining that the difference still exists, adjust the temperature of the cooling plate 4 at a first time and adjust the power of the cooling component 5 at a third time after the second time based on the comparison result of the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor 7 at a second time after the first time with the desired temperature. This can minimize the activation of the cooling component 5, because the cooling arrangement including the cooling component 5 may generate relatively large noise due to the flowing water.
[0053] It should be understood that the disclosed methods performed by the controller 100 may be computer-implemented methods. Thus, the concept of a computer program comprising code means for implementing any method when the program is run on a processing system is also proposed.
[0054] By studying the drawings, the disclosure and the appended claims, other variations of the disclosed embodiments may be understood and implemented by those skilled in the art when practicing the claimed invention of the present disclosure. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality.
[0055] The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.
[0056] If the term "suitable for" is used in the claims or the specification, it should be noted that the term "suitable for" is intended to be equivalent to the term "configured to".
[0057] Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.
Claims
1. A beverage dispenser (1), characterized in that: include: A housing (2) configured to accommodate beverage containers (3), wherein the beverage containers (3) include a first type of beverage container (31) and a second type of beverage container (32), wherein the housing (2) includes a side wall (21) and a bottom wall (22), and A cooling plate (4) positioned on the bottom wall (22) of the housing (2) and comprising a first portion (41) and a second portion (42), wherein the first portion (41) extends in a first direction away from the center of the cooling plate (4), and the second portion (42) extends from a peripheral portion (410) of the first portion (41) in a second direction, The cooling plate (4) is configured to hold the first type of beverage container (31) by the first portion (41) and to hold the second type of beverage container (32) by a peripheral portion (410) of the first portion (41).
2. The beverage dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first portion (41) of the cooling plate (4) forms a first surface that contacts the entire or a portion of the bottom area (310) of the first type of beverage container (31).
3. The beverage dispenser according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first direction is determined so that the contour of the first surface substantially coincides with the contour of the bottom region (310) of the first type of beverage container (31).
4. The beverage dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: a cooling member (5) for cooling water flowing therethrough, and A fluid conduit comprises a first path (61) which is fluidly connected from the cooling component (5) to the housing (2) and is configured to guide the water into the housing (2) so that the beverage container (3) is at least partially submerged by water.
5. The beverage dispenser according to claim 4, characterized in that The fluid conduit comprises a second path (62) having an upper opening (621) and a lower opening (622) located on a side wall (21) of the housing (2), and The second path (62) includes a water pump (63) disposed between the upper opening (621) and the lower opening (622).
6. The beverage dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: at least one temperature sensor (7) configured to measure the temperature of the beverage contained in the beverage container (3), A user interface (8) is configured to display the measured temperature and receive an input signal.
7. The beverage dispenser according to claim 6, characterized in that Also includes: A controller (100) is configured to adjust the temperature of the cooling plate (4) in response to the input signal.
8. The beverage dispenser according to claim 4, characterized in that The power of the cooling component (5) is adjusted according to the temperature of the cooling plate (4).
9. The beverage dispenser according to claim 8, characterized in that Adjusting the power of the cooling component (5) comprises The power of the cooling component (5) is adjusted so that the temperature of water flowing through the cooling component (5) is equal to or lower than the temperature of the cooling plate (4).
10. The beverage dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that include: a cover (9) connected to the housing; as well as A discharge device (10) is connectable to the beverage container (3) and is configured to dispense the beverage.
11. The beverage dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that: The beverage container (3) comprises a beer keg.