Beverage supply device

Abstract

To prevent a guide member for guiding beverages generated in a beverage generating part to a drinking container placed on a placing part from becoming displaced to the left or right with respect to a beverage delivery port of the beverage generating part.SOLUTION: A beverage supply device 10 comprises: a plurality of beverage generating parts 31 that generate the beverages arranged side by side in a longitudinal direction inside a housing 11; a placing part 23 that places a drinking container for receiving the beverages generated in the beverage generating parts 31 inside the housing 11; and a guide member 40 that is placed and installed on an upper side of the placing part 23, and has a plurality of guide parts 41 for guiding respective beverages generated in the plurality of beverage generating parts 31 to the drinking container placed on the placing part 23. The guide member 40 includes movement regulation parts 44b, 44c that regulate the guide member 40 from moving in a longitudinal direction, provided in a position opposite to a side part of a beverage delivery part 33a of the beverage generating part 31 in a beverage introduction port 44a. Thus, the guide member 40 is regulated from moving in the longitudinal direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a beverage supply device that supplies a beverage produced in a beverage production unit to a drinking container such as a cup placed on a placing unit, and to a beverage supply device that guides and supplies the beverage produced in the beverage production unit to a drinking container placed on the placing unit using a guide member installed on the upper side of the placing unit. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an invention for a beverage dispenser (drink supply device) that provides tea, coffee, or other beverages to users. This beverage dispenser has a housing that forms the exterior, and the interior of the housing is divided by a partition into a mixing mechanism chamber in the front and a machine chamber in the rear. The mixing mechanism chamber in the housing contains three canisters arranged side by side to store powdered ingredients for the beverage as a beverage preparation unit, and three mixing cases arranged side by side below the three canisters that stir and mix the powdered ingredients with water to prepare the beverage. The mixing mechanism chamber in the housing also contains a cup stage at the bottom on which a drinking container such as a cup is placed, a pouring section cover that covers the left and right sides, rear, and top of the drinking container such as a cup placed on the cup stage, and a drink guide (guiding member) above the cup stage that guides each beverage prepared in the three mixing cases to the drinking container on the cup stage.

[0003] In this beverage dispenser, when the powdered ingredients in the canister and the water to be used as the raw material are supplied into the mixing case, the powdered ingredients and water are stirred and mixed in the mixing case to produce a beverage, and the produced beverage is guided by the drink guide to the top of a beverage container such as a cup placed on the cup stage and poured into the drinking container such as a cup through the pouring outlet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-102786 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the beverage dispenser of Patent Document 1, the mixing case, drink guide, spout cover, and cup stage are removably attached to the housing to enable maintenance such as cleaning. The drink guide, spout cover, and cup stage are attached to the housing without fasteners such as screws to improve ease of attachment and detachment when performing maintenance such as cleaning, and can be removed from the housing without tools such as a screwdriver. In particular, the drink guide is installed below each mixing case so as to rest on top of the spout cover.

[0006] While this type of beverage dispenser is capable of dispensing beverages into low-height drinking containers such as cups, there is a demand for it to be capable of dispensing beverages into taller drinking containers such as small water bottles and tumblers. In this case, by increasing the height of the spout cover and positioning the drink guide higher, taller drinking containers such as small water bottles and tumblers can be placed on the cup stage. In this type of beverage dispenser, the cup stage and spout cover are made of molded resin, and increasing the height of the spout cover can cause the top of the spout cover to be distorted and tilted left and right. Because the drink guide is installed to rest on top of the spout cover, tilting the top of the spout cover left or right can cause the drink guide, which is placed on top of the spout cover, to shift left or right, causing the beverage inlet of the drink guide to shift left or right from the beverage outlet of the mixing case, potentially preventing the beverage produced in the mixing case from being received by the beverage inlet of the drink guide. The present invention aims to make it difficult for a guide member that guides a beverage prepared in a beverage preparation unit to a drinking container placed on a placement unit to shift left and right relative to the beverage delivery port of the beverage preparation unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a drinking apparatus including a plurality of beverage producing units arranged side by side in a housing for producing beverages, a placing unit for placing drinking containers for receiving the beverages produced by the beverage producing units in the housing, and a plurality of guide units arranged above the placing unit for guiding each of the beverages produced by the plurality of beverage producing units to the drinking containers placed on the placing unit. a beverage dispenser that dispenses the beverage guided by the guide into a drinking container placed on the placement portion; and a guide member having a plurality of inlets arranged directly below each of the outlets of the beverage production units for introducing the beverages delivered from each outlet into each of the guide units, wherein the beverage production unit has a cylindrical delivery unit with a delivery outlet at its lower end for delivering the produced beverage to the guide unit, and the guide member has a plurality of inlets arranged directly below each of the delivery outlets of the beverage production units for introducing the beverages delivered from each delivery outlet into each of the guide units, and the guide member is provided with a movement restriction portion at a position facing the side of the delivery unit at at least one of the plurality of inlets, which restricts the guide member from moving in the left-right direction.

[0008] In the beverage supply device configured as described above, the guide member is provided with a movement restriction portion at a position opposite the side of the delivery portion of at least one of the multiple inlets, which restricts the guide member from moving left and right.This makes it difficult for the guide member to move left and right, and prevents the beverage inlet of the guide member from shifting left and right from the position directly below the beverage delivery outlet of the beverage supply portion.

[0009] In the beverage dispenser configured as described above, the movement restricting portion preferably includes a rightward movement restricting portion provided in at least one of the plurality of inlets at a position facing the left side of the delivery portion to restrict rightward movement of the guide member, and a leftward movement restricting portion provided in at least one of the plurality of inlets at a position facing the right side of the delivery portion to restrict leftward movement of the guide member. In this manner, the guide member is less likely to move in both left and right directions, and the beverage inlet of the guide member does not shift in both left and right directions from a position directly below the beverage outlet of the beverage preparation portion.

[0010] In the beverage dispenser configured as described above, it is preferable that the rightward movement restricting portion is provided on the left side of the inlet located on the leftmost side of the guide member, and the leftward movement restricting portion is provided on the right side of the inlet located on the rightmost side of the guide member. In this case, when the guide member is placed on the top of the mounting portion, the rightward movement restricting portion is positioned to the left of the leftmost outlet portion, and the leftward movement restricting portion is slid back and forth so that the rightward movement restricting portion is positioned to the right of the rightmost outlet portion, thereby making it easier to move the guide member back and forth using the rightward movement restricting portion and the leftward movement restricting portion as guides. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a beverage supply device according to the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 2 is a front view of the housing of FIG. 1 with the front panel and right panel removed. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along line AA. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the beverage guide moved forward. [Figure 6] This is an oblique view showing the state where the legs of the beverage guide engage with the protrusions and the engaging protrusions on the upper wall of the cover part of the mounting part at the position cut along line BB, positioning the beverage guide relative to the mounting part. [Figure 7] This is a perspective view of the partition plate as seen from the rear side, and the enlarged view of the circle indicated by the dashed line is a view in which the engaging plate portion and the engaged protrusion portion are indicated by solid lines so as not to show the partition plate. [Figure 8] 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a hot water supply section and a cold water supply section are connected to a raw water supply port formed in the base. FIG. [Figure 9] 1A is a perspective view of a beverage guide, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the beverage guide with the lid portion removed. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a hot water supply section and a cold water supply section. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] An embodiment of a beverage supply device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The beverage supply device 10 of the present invention is also called a beverage dispenser, and is capable of supplying five types of hot beverages, such as hot tea, including hot water, and five types of cold beverages, such as cold tea, including cold water (water), into a drinking container such as a cup. Furthermore, this beverage supply device 10 can supply beverages not only to low drinking containers such as cups, but also to tall drinking containers such as small water bottles and tumblers.

[0013] 1 to 4, beverage dispenser 10 has a housing 11 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and includes a beverage preparation chamber 20 at the front of housing 11 for mixing powdered ingredients such as tea with hot and / or cold water to prepare a beverage such as tea, and a machine chamber 21 at the rear of housing 11. A partition plate 22 is provided within housing 11 to separate the interior into front and rear, and the interior of housing 11 is divided into beverage preparation chamber 20 and machine chamber 21 by partition plate 22.

[0014] 1 to 4, the housing 11 includes a housing main body 12 that is open at the front side, and a front panel 13 that closes the front opening of the housing main body 12. The front panel 13 is pivotally supported on the right side of the housing main body 12 so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an opening 13a is formed in the center of the lower part of the front panel 13 in the left-right direction, and a placing portion 23 for placing a container such as a cup is provided at the lower part of the beverage preparation chamber 20 in the housing 11, at the position where the opening 13a is formed. The placing portion 23 in this embodiment is capable of placing taller drinking containers such as small water bottles and tumblers in addition to low drinking containers such as cups.

[0015] 2 to 5, the placing portion 23 is detachably provided on the front bottom of the housing 11. The placing portion 23 includes a receiving base 24 on which a drinking vessel such as a cup is placed, and a cover 26 that covers the upper side of the receiving base 24. The receiving base 24 is provided with a drainboard 25 on which a drinking vessel such as a cup is placed so that water can flow through, and any beverage that overflows from the drinking vessel on the receiving base 24 can be drained downward by the drainboard 25. A marker portion 25a consisting of a circular recess is formed in the center of the front of the drainboard 25 in the left-right direction, serving as a marker for placing a drinking vessel such as a cup, and this circular recess marker portion 25a is located directly below the beverage outlet portion 42 of the beverage guide 40 from which the beverage produced in the beverage production unit 31 described below is poured.

[0016] 3 to 5, the cover portion 26 is open at the front and bottom and includes left and right side walls 26a, a rear wall 26b, and a top wall 26c so as to cover both the left and right sides, rear, and top of the upper side of the receiving base portion 24. The cover portion 26 is formed by integrally molding the left and right side walls 26a, the rear wall 26b, and the top wall 26c from a resin material. The cover portion 26 in this embodiment has a height that allows taller drinking vessels to be placed on it than low drinking vessels such as small water bottles and cups, including tumblers.

[0017] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, a positioning recess 26d consisting of a notch is formed in the front part of the upper wall 26c of the cover part 26 in the center in the left-right direction, and the positioning recess 26d is located directly above the marker portion 25a formed on the bottom board portion 25 of the receiving base part 24 and serving as a marker for placing a drinking container. As shown in Figure 3, the beverage dispensing part 42 of the beverage guide 40 is located in the positioning recess 26d of the upper wall 26c, and the beverage dispensing part 42 is located in the positioning recess 26d and is therefore located directly above the marker portion 25a for placing a drinking container. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, a reinforcing ridge 26e is formed on the periphery of the upper wall 26c and protrudes upward, and this ridge 26e engages with the outer parts of the legs 43 of the beverage guide 40, described below, to position the beverage guide 40 in the left-right direction. As shown in Figure 6, engagement protrusions 26f, 26g that can engage with the front and rear parts of the legs 43 of the beverage guide 40 are formed on the front and middle parts of both the left and right sides of the upper wall 26c, and these engagement protrusions 26f, 26g engage with the front and rear parts of the legs 43 of the beverage guide 40 to position the beverage guide 40 in the front-to-back direction.

[0018] As shown in Figure 7, a pair of left and right plate-shaped engaging plates (engaging portions) 26h that protrude rearward are provided on the upper rear surface of the rear wall 26b of the cover portion 26, and the partition plate 22 is provided with engaged protrusions (engaged portions) 27 made of the heads of screw members that protrude forward at positions opposite the pair of left and right engaging plates 26h. The engaging plates 26h are plate-shaped and extend rearward and up and down so that their thickness direction is the left-right direction, and the pair of left and right engaging plates 26h are arranged spaced apart so that a width in the thickness direction is slightly larger than the distance between the engaged protrusions 27 made of the heads of the screw members. The engaged protrusions 27 are engaged between the pair of left and right engaging plates 26h, preventing the upper part of the cover portion 26 from distorting and tilting in the left-right direction.

[0019] As shown in Figure 3, the beverage preparation chamber 20 is provided with a beverage supply unit 30 that supplies beverages into containers placed on the placement unit 23. In this embodiment, the beverage preparation chamber 20 is provided with four beverage supply units 30 for supplying hot or cold water and powdered ingredients for four types of hot or cold beverages other than hot or cold water. Since the four beverage supply units 30 other than the hot or cold water supply units 30 have substantially the same configuration, the following explanation will mainly be made using one beverage supply unit 30.

[0020] 3 and 4, the beverage supply unit 30 supplies beverages to containers placed on the placing unit 23, and includes a beverage production unit 31 that produces beverages from raw water consisting of hot and / or cold water (cold water) and powdered beverage ingredients, and a beverage guide 40 that guides the beverage produced in the beverage production unit 31 to the container on the placing unit 23. The four beverage production units 31 are arranged side by side on the left and right above the beverage production chamber 20, and each beverage production unit 31 includes a powdered ingredient container 32 that stores powdered beverage ingredients, a mixing container 33 that mixes the powdered beverage ingredients with the raw water, and an agitator 34 that agitates and mixes the powdered ingredients with the raw water in the mixing container 33.

[0021] The powdered raw material container 32 stores powdered raw materials for a powdered beverage such as tea, and is detachably attached to a base 14 provided in the beverage preparation chamber 20. A powdered raw material outlet 32a is provided at the bottom of the powdered raw material container 32, and the powdered raw materials are discharged from the outlet 32a into the mixing container 33. A screw 32b is provided at the bottom of the powdered raw material container 32, and the drive of a motor 32d is transmitted to the screw 32b via a coupling member 32c. When the screw 32b is rotated by the rotation of the motor 32d, the powdered raw materials in the powdered raw material container 32 are discharged from the outlet 32a into the mixing container 33.

[0022] As shown in Figure 4, the mixing container 33 stirs and mixes the powdered ingredients with raw water consisting of hot and / or cold water, and is detachably supported on a base 14 provided in the beverage preparation chamber 20. The mixing container 33 is open at the bottom of the powdered ingredient container 32, and the powdered ingredients discharged from the discharge port 32a of the powdered ingredient container 32 are carried into the mixing container 33. A cylindrical beverage delivery section 33a that protrudes downward is formed at the bottom of the mixing container 33, and a beverage delivery port 33b is formed at the bottom end of the delivery section 33a. The beverage stirred and mixed in the mixing container 33 is delivered from the delivery port 33b to a beverage guide 40 provided below.

[0023] 8, base 14 is provided with raw water supply port 14a for supplying raw water consisting of hot and / or cold water (cold water) into mixing container 33. Hot water supply unit 50 and cold water supply unit 60, which will be described later, are connected to raw water supply port 14a, and hot and / or cold water as raw water sent from hot water supply unit 50 and / or cold water supply unit 60 is supplied to mixing container 33 through raw water supply port 14a.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 4, the mixing vessel 33 is provided with an agitator 34. The agitator 34 includes an agitator motor 34a mounted on the base 14 at the rear of the mixing vessel 33, a rotating shaft 34d rotated by the agitator motor 34a, and a disk 34e attached to the tip of the rotating shaft 34d. A coupling magnet 34b is attached to the output shaft of the agitator motor 34a, and a coupling magnet 34c is attached to the base end of the rotating shaft 34d that faces the agitator motor 34a. The rotating shaft 34d is detachably coupled to the agitator motor 34a via the coupling magnets 34b and 34c, and the agitator motor 34a rotates the rotating shaft 34d via the coupling magnets 34b and 34c. The rotating shaft 34d extends above the delivery section 33a at the bottom of the mixing vessel 33, and a disk 34e is attached to the tip of the rotating shaft 34d above the delivery section 33a. A stirring blade 34f is provided on the underside of a disk portion 34e at the tip of the rotating shaft 34d, and the powdered ingredients and raw material water in the mixing container 33 are stirred and mixed by the rotation of the disk portion 34e to produce a beverage.

[0025] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, beverage guide (guide member) 40 guides the beverage produced in beverage production unit 31 to a drinking container placed on mounting unit 23, and is supported on the upper side of cover unit 26 of mounting unit 23. As shown in Figure 9, beverage guide 40 comprises a shallow, box-shaped guide unit (guide portion) 41 extending from below delivery outlet 33b of mixing container 33 to the center in the left-right direction at the front of mounting unit 23, a beverage extraction unit 42 for extracting the beverage, and a pair of left and right legs 43 for placing beverage guide 40 on the upper side of upper wall 26c of cover unit 26 of mounting unit 23, these guide unit 41, beverage extraction unit 42 and legs 43 being integrally formed. In addition, beverage guide 40 comprises a lid unit 44 that detachably covers the upper side of guide unit 41, and the upper opening of guide unit 41 is covered by lid unit 44 except for beverage inlet 44a.

[0026] As shown in Figures 3, 4, 5 and 9, the beverage guide 40 has four guide sections 41 corresponding to the four beverage production units 31, and each guide section 41 has a beverage passage extending from below the beverage outlet 33b of the beverage production unit 31 to the left-right center at the front of the mounting section 23, with this beverage passage sloping downward so that the left-right center at the front of the mounting section 23 is at the bottom. The beverage produced in each beverage production unit 31 is guided by each guide section 41 to the left-right center at the front of the mounting section 23. The guide section 41 is provided with a beverage extraction section 42 located downstream of the beverage passage. The beverage inlet section of each guide section 41 is located directly below (directly below) the beverage outlet 33b of the corresponding beverage production unit 31, and the lid section 44 has a beverage inlet 44a formed directly below the beverage outlet 33b. In this embodiment, the lower end of the cylindrical delivery portion 33a of the beverage preparation unit 31 is slightly inserted into the inlet 44a of the lid portion 44. A gap is formed between the delivery portion 33a and the inlet 44a. The four inlets 44a formed in the lid portion 44 are arranged side by side on the left and right, similar to the beverage preparation unit 31.

[0027] 3 and 9, the lid 44 is formed with a rightward movement restricting portion 44b on the left side of the leftmost beverage inlet 44a, facing the left side of the beverage delivery portion 33a of the leftmost beverage preparation unit 31, to restrict rightward movement of the beverage guide 40. The lid 44 is formed with a leftward movement restricting portion 44c on the right side of the rightmost beverage inlet 44a, facing the right side of the beverage delivery portion 33a of the rightmost beverage preparation unit 31, to restrict leftward movement of the beverage guide 40. These rightward movement restricting portion 44b and leftward movement restricting portion 44c restrict leftward movement of the beverage guide 40, preventing each beverage inlet 44a from shifting left or right from directly below the beverage delivery port 33b of each beverage preparation unit 31.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 10, hot water supply unit 50 supplies hot water as a raw material for a beverage to be received in a container such as a cup on mounting unit 23. Hot water supply unit 50 is provided with hot water storage tank 51 that stores hot water as a raw material for a beverage, and first water supply pipe 52 leading from a water supply source such as a tap is connected to hot water storage tank 51. First and second water supply valves 52a, 52b are installed in first water supply pipe 52, and water from the water supply source is supplied to hot water storage tank 51 by opening first and second water supply valves 52a, 52b.

[0029] The hot water storage tank 51 is provided with a heater 53 and a temperature sensor 54. The heater 53 heats the water (hot water) in the hot water storage tank 51 to generate hot water. The temperature sensor 54 detects the temperature of the water (hot water) in the hot water storage tank 51. The heater 53 is controlled to operate based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 54, and the hot water in the hot water storage tank 51 is heated (kept warm) by the heater 53 to a temperature suitable for drinking. In addition, the hot water storage tank 51 is provided with a water level sensor 55, which detects the water level in the hot water storage tank 51. The first and second water supply valves 52a, 52b are controlled to open and close based on the water level detected by the water level sensor 55, and the water (hot water) in the hot water storage tank 51 is maintained within a predetermined water level range.

[0030] A hot water supply pipe 56 is connected to the bottom of the hot water storage tank 51, and a hot water supply pump 57 is installed in the hot water supply pipe 56. Hot water in the hot water storage tank 51 is sent to the hot water supply pipe 56 by the hot water supply pump 57. In addition, first to fifth hot water delivery valves 58a to 58e, each consisting of a three-way valve, are installed in the hot water supply pipe 56, and first to fifth hot water delivery pipes 59a to 59e are connected to the first to fifth hot water delivery valves 58a to 58e. The outlet end of the first hot water delivery pipe 59a is connected to the raw water supply port 14a of the left beverage supply unit 30, the outlet end of the second hot water delivery pipe 59b is connected to the raw water supply port 14a of the second beverage supply unit 30 from the left, the outlet end of the third hot water delivery pipe 59c is connected to the raw water supply port 14a of the third beverage supply unit 30 from the left (second from the right), and the outlet end of the fourth hot water delivery pipe 59d is connected to the raw water supply port 14a of the right beverage supply unit 30. The outlet end of the fifth hot water delivery pipe 59e is connected to the beverage outlet 42 for hot or cold water of the beverage guide 40.

[0031] By operating the hot water supply pump 57 and opening any one of the first to fourth hot water delivery valves 58a to 58d, the hot water in the hot water storage tank 51 passes through the hot water delivery pipe 56 and the first to fourth hot water delivery pipes 59a to 59d corresponding to the opened first to fourth hot water delivery valves 58a to 58d, and is supplied into the mixing vessel 33. In addition, by operating the hot water supply pump 57 and opening the fifth hot water delivery valve 58e, the hot water in the hot water storage tank 51 passes through the hot water delivery pipe 56 and the fifth hot water delivery pipe 59e and is supplied to a container such as a cup placed on the placement portion 23.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 10, water supply unit 60 supplies cold water (water) that will be used as raw water for the beverage received in a container such as a cup on mounting unit 23. Water supply unit 60 is provided with a cooling tank 61 for generating cold water that will be used as raw water for the beverage, and cooling water is stored in cooling tank 61. Also, an evaporation pipe 62 of a refrigeration device is provided within cooling tank 61, and the cooling water in cooling tank 61 is cooled by the heat of vaporization of a refrigerant circulating through evaporation pipe 62 of the refrigeration device. A water cooling pipe 63 is provided within cooling tank 61 for cooling the water that will be used as raw water.

[0033] A second water supply pipe 64 extending from the first water supply pipe 52 immediately downstream of the first water supply valve 52a (between the first water supply valve 52a and the second water supply valve 52b) is connected to the water inlet end of the water cooling pipe 63, and water from a water supply source such as a city water supply is delivered to the water cooling pipe 63 in the cooling tank 61 through a part of the first water supply pipe 52 and the second water supply pipe 64. A water supply pipe 65 is connected to the water outlet end of the water cooling pipe 63, and cold water cooled by the water cooling pipe 63 is delivered to the water supply pipe 65. Four branch portions 65a to 65d are provided on the water supply pipe 65, and first to fifth cold water delivery valves 66a to 66e are installed in the pipe portions extending from the branch portions 65a to 65d and in the tip 65e of the water supply pipe 65. The first to fifth cold water delivery valves 66a to 66e are connected to the first to fifth cold water delivery pipes 67a to 67e, and the outlet ends of the first to fifth cold water delivery pipes 67a to 67e are connected to the middle parts of the first to fifth hot water delivery pipes 59a to 59e.

[0034] By opening the first water supply valve 52a and any one of the first to fourth cold water delivery valves 66a to 66d, water from the water supply source is sent through a part of the first water supply pipe 52 and the second water supply pipe 64 to the water cooling pipe 63 of the cooling tank 61, where it is cooled and becomes cold water. The cold water cooled in the water cooling pipe 63 in the cooling tank 61 is supplied into the mixing vessel 33 through the water delivery pipe 65, the first to fourth cold water delivery pipes 67a to 67d corresponding to the opened first to fourth cold water delivery valves 66a to 66d, and the first to fourth hot water delivery pipes 59a to 59d connected to correspond to the first to fourth cold water delivery pipes 67a to 67d. In addition, by opening the first water supply valve 52a and the fifth cold water delivery valve 66e, water from the water supply source is sent through part of the first water supply pipe 52 and the second water supply pipe 64 to the water cooling pipe 63 of the cooling tank 61, where it is cooled and becomes cold water, and the cold water cooled in the water cooling pipe 63 in the cooling tank 61 is supplied to a container such as a cup placed on the placement portion 23 through the water supply pipe 65, the fifth cold water delivery pipe 67e, and the fifth hot water delivery pipe 59e.

[0035] 1 and 2, an operation panel unit 70 for dispensing a beverage from the beverage supply unit 30 is provided above the opening 13a on the front surface of the front panel 13. A display panel 71 for displaying the type of beverage is provided in the center of the operation panel unit 70 in the left-right direction, and a contact-type supply operation unit 72 and a non-contact-type supply operation unit 73 are provided adjacent to both the left and right sides of the display panel 71 on the operation panel unit 70 as supply operation units for operating to dispense a beverage from the beverage supply unit 30.

[0036] In this embodiment, five contact-type supply operation units 72 for supplying five types of cold beverages are arranged vertically on the left side of display panel 71, and five non-contact type supply operation units 73 for supplying the same beverages as contact-type supply operation units 72 are arranged to the left of contact-type supply operation units 72. Furthermore, five contact-type supply operation units 74 for supplying five types of hot beverages are arranged vertically on the right side of display panel 71, and five non-contact type supply operation units 75 for supplying the same beverages as contact-type supply operation units 74 are arranged to the right of contact-type supply operation units 74. Contact-type supply operation units 72, 74 and non-contact type supply operation units 73, 75, except for the bottommost, output operation signals to supply beverages from each beverage supply unit 30 arranged from left to right, and the bottommost contact-type supply operation units 72, 74 and non-contact type supply operation units 73, 75 output operation signals to supply cold water or hot water.

[0037] As shown in Figure 11, the beverage supply device 10 is equipped with a control device 80 that controls the supply of beverages to containers placed on the placement section 23, and the control device 80 is connected to the beverage ingredient delivery motor 32d, the stirring motor 34a, the first and second water supply valves 52a, 52b, the heater 53, the temperature sensor 54, the water level sensor 55, the hot water pump 57, the first to fifth hot water delivery valves 58a to 58e, the first to fifth cold water delivery valves 66a to 66e, and the operation panel section 70.

[0038] The control device 80 is equipped with beverage supply means for supplying beverages produced in the beverage supply unit 30, including a cold beverage supply means for supplying a cold beverage using cold water (cold water) cooled in the cooling tank 61 in an amount corresponding to the capacity of a container such as a cup, a cold water supply means for supplying cold water cooled in the cooling tank 61 to a container such as a cup, a hot beverage supply means for supplying a hot beverage using hot water in the hot water storage tank 51 in an amount corresponding to the capacity of a container such as a cup, and a hot water supply means for supplying hot water in the hot water storage tank 51 to a container such as a cup.

[0039] When an operation signal is input to control device 80 when any one of the top four contact-type supply operation units 72 is pressed down, or when an operation signal is input to control device 80 when any one of the top four non-contact-type supply operation units 73 is pressed down and an object such as a finger is held in front of the front side of the non-contact-type supply operation unit 73, control device 80 executes the cold beverage supply means corresponding to the operated contact-type supply operation unit 72 or non-contact-type supply operation unit 73, and controls to supply a cold beverage from beverage supply unit 30. When an operation signal is input to control device 80 when the lowest contact-type supply operation unit 72 is pressed down, or when an operation signal is input to control device 80 when an object such as a finger is held in front of the lowest non-contact-type supply operation unit 73, and a non-contact-type supply operation unit 73 is pressed down and an operation signal is input to control device 80 when the lowest non-contact-type supply operation unit 73 is pressed down and an operation signal is input to control device 80, control device 80 executes the cold water supply means and controls to supply cold water from beverage supply unit 30.

[0040] When an operation signal is input to control device 80 when any one of the top four contact-type supply operation units 74 is pressed down, or when an operation signal is input to control device 80 when any one of the top four non-contact-type supply operation units 75 is operated without contact by holding an object such as a finger in front of the unit, control device 80 executes the hot beverage supply means corresponding to the operated contact-type supply operation unit 74 or non-contact-type supply operation unit 75 to supply a hot beverage from beverage supply unit 30. When an operation signal is input to control device 80 when the lowest contact-type supply operation unit 74 is pressed down, or when an operation signal is input to control device 80 when an operation signal is input to control device 80 when the lowest non-contact-type supply operation unit 75 is operated without contact by holding an object such as a finger in front of the unit, control device 80 executes the hot water supply means to supply hot water from beverage supply unit 30.

[0041] Next, the control of the cold beverage supply means, cold water supply means, hot beverage supply means, and hot water supply means will be described. When an operation signal is input to the control device 80 by pressing one of the top four contact-type supply operation units 72, or by holding an object such as a finger over one of the top four non-contact-type supply operation units 73, the control device 80 executes the cold beverage supply means. By executing the cold beverage supply means, the control device 80 activates the beverage ingredient delivery motor 32d of the beverage supply unit 30 corresponding to the operated contact-type supply operation unit 72 or non-contact-type supply operation unit 73, and opens the first water supply valve 52a and the first through fourth cold water delivery valves 66a-66d corresponding to the operated contact-type supply operation unit 72 or non-contact-type supply operation unit 73. The powdered ingredients in the powdered ingredient container 32 are delivered to the mixing container 33, and cold water cooled in the cooling tank 61 is supplied to the mixing container 33. In addition, by operating the stirring motor 34a of the stirring device 34, the powdered ingredients of the beverage and the cold water supplied into the mixing container 33 are stirred and mixed to become a cold beverage, and the resulting cold beverage is poured through the guide section 41 from the beverage pouring section 42 into a drinking container such as a cup on the placing section 23, and the cold beverage is supplied to the user.

[0042] When an operation signal is input to the control device 80 by pressing the lowest contact-type supply operation unit 72, or by non-contact operation by holding an object such as a finger in front of the lowest non-contact type supply operation unit 73, the control device 80 executes the cold water supply means. By executing the cold water supply means step, the control device 80 opens the first water supply valve 52a and the fifth cold water delivery valve 66e for a time period corresponding to the container. The cold water cooled in the cooling tank 61 is dispensed from the beverage dispensing unit 42 into a drinking container such as a cup on the mounting unit 23, and the user is provided with cold water (cold beverage).

[0043] When an operation signal is input to the control device 80 by pressing any one of the top four contact-type supply operation units 74, or by non-contact operation by holding an object such as a finger over the front of any one of the top four non-contact-type supply operation units 75, the control device 80 executes the hot beverage supply means. By executing the hot beverage supply means, the control device 80 activates the beverage ingredient delivery motor 32d of the beverage supply unit 30 corresponding to the operated contact-type supply operation unit 74 or non-contact-type supply operation unit 75, operates the hot water pump 57, and opens the first to fourth hot water delivery valves 58a to 58d corresponding to the operated contact-type supply operation unit 74 or non-contact-type supply operation unit 75. The powdered ingredients in the powdered ingredient container 32 are delivered to the mixing container 33, and hot water in the hot water storage tank 51 is supplied to the mixing container 33. In addition, by operating the stirring motor 34a of the stirring device 34, the powdered ingredients of the beverage and the hot water supplied into the mixing container 33 are stirred and mixed to become a hot beverage, and the resulting hot beverage is poured through the guide section 41 from the beverage pouring section 42 into a drinking container such as a cup on the placing section 23, and the hot beverage is supplied to the user.

[0044] When an operation signal is input to the control device 80 by pressing the lowest contact-type supply operation unit 74, or by non-contact operation by holding an object such as a finger in front of the lowest non-contact type supply operation unit 75, the control device 80 executes the hot water supply means. By executing the hot water supply means, the control device 80 operates the hot water pump 57 for a time period corresponding to the container and opens the fifth hot water delivery valve 58e. The hot water in the hot water storage tank 51 is dispensed from the beverage dispensing unit 42 into a drinking container such as a cup on the placing unit 23, and the hot water (hot beverage) is supplied to the user.

[0045] In this beverage dispenser 10, the mounting portion 23 and the beverage guide 40 are detachably attached within the housing 11 without using fasteners such as screws to facilitate easy attachment and detachment during maintenance such as cleaning. In particular, the beverage guide 40 is installed on the upper side of the cover portion 26 of the mounting portion 23, and there is a risk that the beverage guide 40 will shift left and right above the cover portion 26 of the mounting portion 23. If the beverage guide 40 shifts left and right, each beverage inlet 44a of the beverage guide 40 will shift left and right from its position directly below the beverage delivery outlet 33b of each beverage preparation unit 31, and there is a risk that the beverage delivered from the beverage delivery outlet 33b will not be received by the beverage inlet 44a.

[0046] In this beverage supply device 10, reinforcing protrusions 26e on top wall 26c of cover section 26 engage with the left and right outer sides of left and right legs 43 of beverage guide 40, so beverage guide 40 is positioned in the left-right direction above cover section 26 and is therefore less likely to move. Furthermore, engaging protrusions 26f, 26g on top wall 26c of cover section 26 engage with the front and rear parts of left and right legs 43 of beverage guide 40, so beverage guide 40 is positioned in the front-back direction above cover section 26 and is therefore less likely to move. In this way, beverage guide 40 is positioned in the front-back and left-right directions above cover section 26 of mounting section 23 and is therefore less likely to move, so that each beverage inlet 44a of beverage guide 40 is less likely to shift left or right from its position directly below beverage outlet 33b of each beverage preparation section 31.

[0047] However, when leg portion 43 of beverage guide 40 disengages from reinforcing ridge portion 26e and engaging ridges 26f, 26g, there is a risk that each beverage inlet 44a of beverage guide 40 may shift left or right from a position directly below beverage outlet 33b of each beverage preparation unit 31. Furthermore, beverage dispenser 10 of this embodiment is designed so that tall drinking containers such as small water bottles and tumblers can be placed on receiving base 24 of placing unit 23, making it easy for the upper portion of cover portion 26 to distort left or right and tilt. A pair of left and right plate-shaped engaging plate portions (engaging portions) 26h that protrude rearward are provided on the upper rear surface of the rear wall 26b of the cover portion 26 of the mounting portion 23, and a forward-protruding engaged protrusion (engaged portion) 27 made of the head of a screw member is provided on the partition plate 22 at a position opposite the pair of left and right engaging plate portions 26h, and the engaged protrusion 27 is engaged between the pair of left and right plate-shaped engaging plate portions 26h, making it difficult for the upper portion of the cover portion 26 to tilt left and right. However, if the engaged protrusion 27 comes out from between the pair of left and right plate-shaped engaging plate portions 26h, the upper portion of the cover portion 26 of the mounting portion 23 will tilt left and right, and there is a risk that the beverage guide 40 placed on the top of the cover portion 26 will also shift left and right.

[0048] In contrast, in this beverage dispenser 10, the beverage guide (guiding member) 40 is provided with a rightward movement restricting portion 44b and a leftward movement restricting portion 44c as movement restricting portions that restrict left-right movement of the beverage guide 40, at a position facing the side of the beverage delivery portion 33a of the beverage preparation unit 31 at at least one of the four (plural) beverage inlets 44a. The rightward movement restricting portion 44b is provided at a position facing the left side of the delivery portion 33a of the beverage preparation unit 31 at the beverage inlet 44a, and restricts rightward movement of the beverage guide 40. The leftward movement restricting portion 44c is provided at a position facing the right side of the delivery portion 33a of the beverage preparation unit 31 at the beverage inlet 44a, and restricts leftward movement of the beverage guide 40.

[0049] Because rightward movement restricting portion 44b is provided in a position facing the left side of delivery portion 33a of beverage preparation unit 31, even if beverage guide 40 attempts to move rightward above cover portion 26 of mounting portion 23, rightward movement restricting portion 44b engages with delivery portion 33a, thereby restricting beverage guide 40 from moving rightward. Furthermore, because leftward movement restricting portion 44c is provided in a position facing the right side of delivery portion 33a of beverage preparation unit 31, even if beverage guide 40 attempts to move leftward above cover portion 26 of mounting portion 23, leftward movement restricting portion 44c engages with delivery portion 33a, thereby restricting beverage guide 40 from moving leftward. This makes it difficult for beverage guide 40 to move in both left and right directions, and prevents beverage inlet 44a of beverage guide 40 from shifting left and right from a position directly below beverage outlet 33b of beverage preparation unit 31.

[0050] In this embodiment, the beverage dispenser 10 includes both a rightward movement restricting portion 44b and a leftward movement restricting portion 44c. However, this is not limited thereto, and the movement restricting portion may include only one of the rightward movement restricting portion 44b and the leftward movement restricting portion 44c. While the rightward movement restricting portion 44b is formed on the left side of the leftmost beverage inlet 44a of the beverage guide 40, this is not limited thereto, and the movement restricting portion may be formed on the left side of another beverage inlet 44a. Similarly, the leftward movement restricting portion 44c is formed on the right side of the rightmost beverage inlet 44a of the beverage guide 40, but this is not limited thereto, and the movement restricting portion may be formed on the right side of another beverage inlet 44a. While one rightward movement restricting portion 44b and one leftward movement restricting portion 44c are provided in the beverage guide 40, this is not limited thereto, and two or more rightward movement restricting portions 44b and two or more leftward movement restricting portions 44c are provided in the beverage guide 40.

[0051] Further, rightward movement restricting portion 44b is provided on the left side of inlet 44a located on the leftmost side of lid portion 44 of beverage guide 40, and leftward movement restricting portion 44c is provided on the right side of inlet 44a located on the rightmost side of beverage guide 40. When beverage guide 40 is placed on top of cover portion 26 of mounting portion 23, rightward movement restricting portion 44b is positioned to the left of delivery portion 33a of beverage preparation unit 31 located on the leftmost side, and leftward movement restricting portion 44c is slid back and forth so that delivery portion 33a of beverage preparation unit 31 located on the rightmost side is positioned, thereby making it easier to move beverage guide 40 back and forth using rightward movement restricting portion 44b and leftward movement restricting portion 44c as guides. Although the lower end of the beverage dispensing portion 33a of the beverage preparation unit 31 is slightly inserted into the beverage inlet 44a, the beverage guide 40 can be slid forward by slightly lifting the front of the beverage guide 40 upward and pulling it forward. Furthermore, because the movement restricting portion is provided only on the side of the inlet 44a, the beverage guide 40 is less likely to get caught on the delivery portion 33a of the beverage extraction unit 31. In particular, because no locking portion such as a movement restricting portion is provided at the rear of the inlet 44a, the beverage guide 40 can be moved back and forth without getting caught on the delivery portion 33a of the beverage extraction unit 31.

[0052] 10...beverage supply device, 11...housing, 23...placement portion, 31...beverage production portion, 33a...delivery portion, 33b...delivery outlet, 40...guide member (beverage guide), 41...guide portion (guide portion), 44a...inlet, 44b...movement restriction portion, rightward movement restriction portion, 44c...movement restriction portion, leftward movement restriction portion.

Claims

1. a plurality of beverage preparation units arranged side by side in the left-right direction within the housing, each of which prepares a beverage; a placing portion for placing a drinking container for receiving the beverage prepared by the beverage preparation portion within the housing; a guide member having a plurality of guide sections that are placed on the top of the placement section and that guide each beverage produced by the plurality of beverage production sections to a drinking container placed on the placement section, and a beverage dispensing section that dispenses the beverages guided by the guide sections into the drinking containers placed on the placement section; the beverage preparation unit has a cylindrical delivery unit having a delivery port at its lower end for delivering the prepared beverage to the guide unit, The guide member is disposed directly below each of the outlets of the plurality of beverage producing units, and has a plurality of inlets for introducing the beverages delivered from each of the outlets into each of the guide units, A beverage supply device characterized in that the guide member is provided with a movement restriction portion at a position opposite the side portion of the delivery portion at at least one of the multiple inlets, which restricts the guide member from moving in the left-right direction.

2. The beverage supply device according to claim 1, The beverage supply device is characterized in that the movement regulating portion comprises a right movement regulating portion provided at a position opposite the left side of the delivery portion at at least one of the multiple inlets, which regulates the guide member from moving to the right, and a left movement regulating portion provided at a position opposite the right side of the delivery portion at at least one of the multiple inlets, which regulates the guide member from moving to the left.

3. 3. The beverage supply device according to claim 2, A beverage supply device characterized in that the rightward movement regulating portion is provided on the left side of the inlet located at the leftmost position of the guide member, and the leftward movement regulating portion is provided on the right side of the inlet located at the rightmost position of the guide member.

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