Beverage supply device

Abstract

To prevent a cover part from tilting to the left or right without increasing cost or impairing attachment / detachment, even if a height of the cover part of a placing part becomes high to enable placement of a tall drinking container such as a small canteen or a tumbler.SOLUTION: A beverage supply device 10 comprises: a beverage generating part 31 provided in a front part inside a housing 11; a beverage pour-out part 42 that pours out a beverage generated in the beverage generating part 31; a placing part 23 for placing the drinking container that receives the beverage poured out from the beverage pour-out part 42; and a partition plate 22 provided on a rear side of the placing part 23 inside the housing. The placing part 23 includes a receptacle part 24 for placing the drinking container, and a cover part 27 provided on an upper side of the receptacle part 24, and having a rear wall 27b that covers a rear portion of the upper side of the receptacle part 24. An engagement part 27f is provided on a rear top part of the rear wall 27b of the cover part 27. An engaged part 28 that engages with the engagement part 27f is provided in the partition plate 22. The engagement part 27f is engaged with the engaged part 28 such that a top part of the cover part 27 does not tilt in a horizontal direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a beverage dispenser that dispenses a beverage prepared in a beverage preparation unit from a beverage dispensing unit into a drinking container such as a cup placed on a 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 has a canister in the upper part that stores powdered ingredients for the beverage, and a mixing case below the canister that stirs and mixes the powdered ingredients with water to produce a beverage. The mixing mechanism chamber in the housing also has a cup stage (receiving part) at the bottom on which a drinking container such as a cup is placed, a pouring part 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 above the cup stage that guides the beverage prepared in the mixing case 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 from the pouring outlet (beverage pouring section). [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 cup stage and the pouring portion cover are prone to overflowing or splashing during pouring, so the cup stage and the pouring portion cover are detachable from the housing, allowing for cleaning and other maintenance with the cup stage and the pouring portion cover removed. While this type of beverage dispenser is capable of dispensing beverages into low-height drinking containers such as cups, there is a need for a dispenser that can also dispense beverages into taller drinking containers such as small water bottles and tumblers. In this case, increasing the height of the pouring portion cover and positioning the drink guide higher allows taller drinking containers such as small water bottles and tumblers to be placed on the cup stage. In this type of beverage dispenser, the cup stage and the pouring portion cover are molded from a resin material, and increasing the height of the pouring portion cover may cause the top of the pouring portion cover to be distorted and tilted in the left-right direction, potentially causing the pouring outlet on the drink guide to be misaligned to the left or right from the center in the left-right direction. In response to this, if the thickness of the spout cover is increased or if the spout cover is fixed to the rear partition plate with screws or the like, the upper part of the spout cover becomes less likely to tilt left and right. However, if the thickness of the spout cover is increased, manufacturing costs increase, and if the spout cover is fixed to the partition plate with screws or the like, it becomes difficult to attach and detach and the appearance becomes unattractive. The object of the present invention is to make it difficult for the cover part to tilt left and right without increasing costs or impairing attachment and detachment, even if the height of the cover part of the mounting part is increased to allow for the placement of tall drinking containers such as small water bottles and tumblers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a beverage preparation unit that prepares a beverage at a front portion of a housing, a beverage dispensing unit that dispenses the beverage prepared by the beverage preparation unit at a front portion of the housing, and and disposed at a position spaced apart from the side wall of the housing.A beverage dispenser including a placing section for placing a drinking container that receives a beverage dispensed from a beverage dispenser, and a partition plate disposed behind the placing section in the housing to separate the housing into front and rear sections. The placing section includes a receiving base portion disposed in the front section of the housing for placing a drinking container, and a partition plate disposed above the receiving base portion. The front and bottom are open, and the left and right side walls, rear wall and top wall cover the upper left and right sides, rear and top of the receiving part. and a cover portion having an engaging portion and an engaged portion are provided at one and the other of a rear upper surface of the rear wall of the cover portion and a position of the partition plate facing the rear upper surface of the rear wall of the cover portion, the engaging portion and the engaged portion being engaged with each other to restrict the rear upper surface of the cover portion from moving in the left-right direction. The upper wall is formed with a positioning recess for positioning the beverage dispensing portion horizontally relative to the pedestal portion. The present invention provides a beverage supply device characterized by the above.

[0007] In the beverage dispenser configured as described above, the placing section comprises a receiving section disposed at the front of the housing for placing a drinking container thereon, and a receiving section disposed above the receiving section. The front and bottom are open, and the left and right side walls, rear wall and top wall cover the upper left and right sides, rear and top of the receiving part. and a cover portion having an engaging portion and an engaged portion are provided at one and the other of a rear upper surface of the rear wall of the cover portion and a position of the partition plate facing the rear upper surface of the rear wall of the cover portion, the engaging portion and the engaged portion being engaged with each other to restrict the rear upper surface of the cover portion from moving in the left-right direction. The upper wall is formed with a positioning recess for positioning the beverage dispensing portion horizontally relative to the receiving portion. By engaging the engaging portion with the engaged portion, the upper part of the cover of the mounting portion is less likely to be distorted and tilted left and right. This makes it possible to prevent the upper part of the cover from being distorted and tilted left and right, even if the cover is tall, without increasing the thickness of the cover, which would increase manufacturing costs, or without fixing the cover to the partition plate with screws or the like, which would make it difficult to attach and detach the cover. In addition, the cover portion has an upper wall that covers the top of the receiving base portion, and the upper wall has a positioning recess formed therein that positions the beverage dispensing portion horizontally relative to the receiving base portion.This prevents the upper part of the cover portion from tilting left or right, and therefore the positioning recess in the upper wall of the cover portion does not shift left or right relative to the receiving base portion, preventing the beverage dispensing portion, which is positioned in the positioning recess, from shifting left or right relative to the receiving base portion.

[0009] In the beverage dispenser configured as described above, it is preferable that the rear wall of the cover has a pair of left and right engaging plate portions protruding rearward as engaging portions at the upper rear surface thereof, and the partition plate has a pair of engaged protrusions protruding forward as engaged portions at positions opposite the pair of left and right engaging plate portions and engaging between the pair of left and right engaging plate portions. In this case, when attaching the mounting portion to the housing, the mounting portion is moved rearward so that the engaging protrusions of the partition plate are inserted between the pair of left and right engaged plate portions, and then the mounting portion can be attached to the front bottom of the housing by moving it downward, which makes it easy to attach and detach the mounting portion. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [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] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the state in which the front panel of FIG. 1 is removed. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along line AA. [Figure 5] 4 is an exploded perspective view in which the placing portion, the engaged protrusion, and the beverage guide in FIG. 3 are moved forward. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the placement unit as seen from the front. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cover of the placement unit as seen from the rear. [Figure 8] 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 9] 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 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

[0011] 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.

[0012] 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.

[0013] 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.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 5, the mounting portion 23 is detachably attached to the front bottom of the housing 11. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the mounting portion 23 includes a receiving base 24 on which a drinking vessel such as a cup is placed, and a cover 27 that covers the upper side of the receiving base 24. The receiving base 24 includes a shallow, dish-shaped receiving tray 25 made of resin, and a drain board 26 made of resin and installed on top of the receiving tray 25. A drain outlet (not shown) is formed in the receiving tray 25 slightly rearward and leftward from the center in the front-rear and left-right directions, and the receiving tray 25 is inclined downward so that the drain outlet is at the bottom. The drain outlet of the receiving tray 25 is connected to a drain outlet 12a (shown in FIG. 5) formed in the front bottom of the housing main body 12. Legs 25a that protrude downward are formed on the underside of the four corners of the receiving tray 25, and the front leg 25a has a cylindrical shape with a column-shaped recess formed inside. 5, a positioning protrusion 12b for positioning the mounting portion 23 is provided on the front bottom of the housing main body 12, and the positioning protrusion 12b is detachably fitted into a recess of the front leg portion 25a. With the positioning protrusion 12b fitted into the recess of the front leg portion 25a, the mounting portion 23 is restricted from moving in the horizontal direction (front-back and left-right directions) at the front bottom of the housing 11, and is positioned in the horizontal direction.

[0015] 4 to 6, the drainboard portion 26 is provided for placing a drinking vessel such as a cup on it so that water can pass through, and is detachably attached to the upper side of the tray portion 25. A circular recessed marker portion 26a is formed in the center of the front of the drainboard portion 26 in the left-right direction, serving as a marker for placing a drinking vessel such as a cup, and this circular recessed marker portion 26a is located directly below the beverage outlet portion 42 of the beverage guide 40 from which the beverage produced in the beverage production portion 31 described below is poured.

[0016] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , the cover portion 27 is open at the front and bottom and includes left and right side walls 27a, a rear wall 27b, and a top wall 27c that cover the upper left and right sides, rear, and top of the basin portion 24. The cover portion 27 is formed by integrally molding the left and right side walls 27a, the rear wall 27b, and the top wall 27c from a resin material. The cover portion 27 of 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 tumblers. As shown in FIG. 4 , the lower end of the cover portion 27 is fitted inside the periphery of the tray portion 25 and rests on a step 25b formed on the periphery of the tray portion 25. Because the cover portion 27 rests on the step 25b on the periphery of the tray portion 25, it can be attached and detached by moving it up and down relative to the tray portion 25.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 6, a positioning recess 27d consisting of a notch is formed in the front part of the upper wall 27c of the cover part 27 in the center in the left-right direction, and the positioning recess 27d is located directly above the marker portion 26a formed on the bottom board portion 26 of the receiving base portion 24 as a marker for placing a drinking container. As shown in Fig. 3, the beverage dispensing portion 42 of the beverage guide 40 is located in the positioning recess 27d of the upper wall 27c, and the beverage dispensing portion 42 is located in the positioning recess 27d so as to be directly above the marker portion 26a for placing a drinking container. As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, a plate-shaped locking protrusion 27e protruding rearward is formed at the rear end of the upper wall 27c of the cover part 27, and the locking protrusion 27e abuts against the partition plate 22, thereby preventing the upper part of the cover part 27 from tilting rearward.

[0018] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, a pair of left and right plate-shaped engaging plate portions (engaging portions) 27f protruding rearward below the locking protrusions 27e are provided on the upper rear surface of the rear wall 27b of the cover portion 27, and as shown in Figures 5 and 8, the partition plate 22 is provided with engaged protrusions (engaged portions) 28 formed of the heads of screw members and protruding forward at positions opposite the pair of left and right engaging plate portions 27f. The engaging plate portions 27f 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 plate portions 27f are arranged spaced apart so that a width in the thickness direction is slightly larger than the distance between the engaged protrusions 28 formed of the heads of the screw members. The upper ends of the pair of left and right engaging plate portions 27f are connected to the lower surfaces of the locking protrusions 27e, so that the locking protrusions 27e and the pair of left and right engaging plate portions 27f reinforce each other and are less likely to be damaged. An engaged protrusion 28 is engaged between the pair of left and right engaging plate portions 27f, preventing the upper portion of the cover portion 27 from being distorted and tilted 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 a beverage to a container placed on the placing unit 23, and includes a beverage production unit 31 that produces a beverage from raw water consisting of hot and / or cold water (cold water) and powdered ingredients for the beverage, 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 beverage production unit 31 includes a powdered ingredient container 32 that stores the powdered ingredients for the beverage, a mixing container 33 that mixes the powdered ingredients for the beverage with the raw water, and an agitator 34 that agitates and mixes the powdered ingredients and 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 outlet 32a of the powdered ingredient container 32 are carried into the mixing container 33. A discharge outlet 33a is formed at the bottom of the mixing container 33, and the beverage stirred and mixed in the mixing container 33 is discharged from the discharge outlet 33a into a beverage guide 40 provided below.

[0023] 9, 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 discharge port 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 discharge port 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] 3 and 4, the beverage guide 40 guides the beverage produced in the beverage production unit 31 to a drinking container placed on the mounting unit 23, and is supported on the upper side of the cover unit 27 of the mounting unit 23. The beverage guide 40 comprises a shallow, box-shaped guide unit 41 that extends from below the discharge port 33a of the mixing container 33 to the center in the left-right direction at the front of the mounting unit 23, and a beverage dispensing unit 42 that dispenses the beverage, and the guide unit 41 and beverage dispensing unit 42 are integrally formed.

[0026] The guide section 41 has a beverage passage that extends to the left-right center at the front of the mounting section 23, and this beverage passage is inclined 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 producing section 31 is guided by the 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 at a downstream position of the beverage passage.

[0027] 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.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] 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.

[0034] 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.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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.

[0039] 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.

[0040] 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.

[0041] 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).

[0042] 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.

[0043] 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.

[0044] In this beverage dispenser 10, when the beverage dispenser described above is used to dispense a beverage into a drinking container such as a cup, the beverage overflowing from the drinking container may adhere to the receiving base 24 of the mounting portion 23, and the beverage splashing up when dispensed from the beverage dispensing portion 42 may adhere to the receiving base 24 and cover 27 of the mounting portion 23. This beverage dispenser 10 is equipped with a cleaning means for cleaning the mixing container 33 and the beverage guide 40, and when this cleaning means is used, the washed hot water is discharged into the receiving base 24 of the mounting portion 23, and the powdered beverage contained in the washed hot water remains on the receiving base 24 as dirt.

[0045] The mounting portion 23 is detachably attached within the housing main body 12, and can be removed from the housing main body 12 to perform maintenance such as cleaning of the mounting portion 23. When reinstalling the mounting portion 23 within the housing main body 12 after maintenance such as cleaning, the mounting portion 23 is moved rearward from the front side of the housing main body 12 toward the front. An engaged protrusion 28 formed from the head of a screw member provided on the partition plate 22 is engaged with the lower part between the pair of left and right engaging plate portions 27f at the upper part of the rear surface of the rear wall of the cover portion 27, and the mounting portion 23 is moved downward with the engaged protrusion 28 engaged between the pair of left and right engaging plate portions 27f. Because the engaged protrusion 28 uses a circular head of a screw member, it is easy to engage the engaged protrusion 28 between the pair of left and right engaging plate portions 27f even if there is a left-right misalignment between the pair of left and right engaging plate portions 27f and the engaged protrusion 28. Furthermore, since the pair of engaging plate portions 27f are formed below the locking protrusion 27e, by moving the mounting portion 23 rearward using the locking protrusion 27e as a marker, it becomes easier to engage the engaged protrusion 28 between the pair of engaging plate portions 27f.

[0046] The engaging projection 28 engages with the upper portion between the pair of left and right engaging plate portions 27f, and the positioning projection 12b of the housing main body 12 fits into the recess of the front leg 25a of the receiving tray 25, so that the placing portion 23 is attached in a positioned state to the front bottom of the housing main body 12. In this state, the engaging projection 28 of the partition plate 22 engages between the pair of left and right engaging plate portions 27f, so that the upper portion of the cover portion 27 does not tilt left or right. This prevents the positioning recess 27d of the upper wall 27c of the cover portion 27 from shifting backward or left or right, and prevents the beverage dispensing portion 42 of the beverage guide 40, which engages with the positioning recess 27d, from shifting backward or left or right relative to the mark portion 26a of the receiving base 24.

[0047] The beverage dispenser 10 configured as described above comprises a beverage producing section 31 that produces a beverage in the front part of the housing 11, a beverage dispensing section 42 that dispenses the beverage produced in the beverage producing section 31 in the front part of the housing 11, a placing section 23 that places a drinking container in the front part of the housing 11 to receive the beverage dispensed from the beverage dispensing section 42, and a partition plate 22 that is disposed behind the placing section 23 within the housing 11 and separates the housing 11 into a front and a rear part. In this beverage dispenser 10, the placing section 23 comprises a receiving base section 24 that is disposed in the front part of the housing 11 and on which a drinking container is placed, and a cover section 27 that is provided above the receiving base section 24 and has a rear wall 27b that covers at least the rear of the upper side of the receiving base section 24.

[0048] In this beverage dispenser 10, a pair of left and right engagement plate portions 27f are provided as engagement portions on the upper rear surface of rear wall 27b of cover portion 27, and a non-engagement protrusion 28 is provided as a non-engagement portion on partition plate 22 at a position facing the upper rear surface of the rear wall of cover portion 27. Non-engagement protrusion 28 of partition plate 22 engages between the pair of engagement plate portions 27f on the upper rear wall of cover portion 27, thereby restricting left-right movement of the upper portion of cover portion 27. Even if cover portion 27 is tall to allow tall drinking containers such as small water bottles and tumblers to be placed on pedestal portion 24 as in this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the upper portion of cover portion 27 from being distorted and tilted in the left-right direction without increasing the thickness of cover portion 27, which would increase manufacturing costs, or reducing ease of attachment and detachment by fixing cover portion 27 to partition plate 22 with screws or the like. Although the cover portion 27 has both left and right side walls 27a, a rear wall 27b, and an upper wall 27c, the same effects as those described above can be obtained even if only the rear wall 27b is provided.

[0049] In this embodiment, the cover portion 27 has an upper wall 27c that covers the top of the pedestal portion 24, and the upper wall 27c is formed with a positioning recess 27d that positions the beverage dispensing portion 42 horizontally relative to the pedestal portion 24. Since the upper portion of the cover portion 27 is prevented from tilting left or right, the positioning recess 27d of the upper wall 27c of the cover portion 27 does not shift left or right relative to the pedestal portion 24, and the beverage dispensing portion 42 positioned in the positioning recess 27d can be prevented from shifting left or right relative to the pedestal portion 24. In particular, the drainboard portion 26 of the pedestal portion 24 is provided with a marker portion 26a that serves as a marker for placing a drinking container, and the positioning recess 27d is located directly above the marker portion 26a. Since the upper part of the cover part 27 does not shift left or right, the positioning recess 27d of the upper wall 27c of the cover part 27 does not shift left or right relative to the mark part 26a of the receiving base part 24, and the beverage dispensing part 42, which is positioned by engaging with the positioning recess 27d, also does not shift left or right relative to the mark part 26a of the receiving base part 24. Although the cover part 27 has both left and right side walls 27a, a rear wall 27b, and a top wall 27c, the same effects as those described above can be obtained even if the cover part 27 has only the rear wall 27b and the top wall 27c.

[0050] In the beverage dispenser 10 of this embodiment, a pair of left and right engaging plates 27f are provided as engaging portions on the upper rear surface of the rear wall 27b of the cover portion 27, and engaged protrusions 28 are provided on the partition plate 22 as engaged portions, but the present invention is not limited to this and may alternatively provide an engaged protrusion that protrudes rearward as the engaged portion on the upper rear surface of the rear wall 27b of the cover portion 27, and a pair of left and right engaging plates that protrude forward and extend up and down and engage with the engaged portions on both left and right sides of the engaged protrusions at positions facing the engaged portions on the partition plate 22. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the shape of the engaging portions being a pair of engaging plates provided on both left and right sides of the engaged protrusion, and the shape of the engaged portion being an engaging protrusion provided between the pair of engaging plates, and the engaging portion and the engaged portion may have other shapes as long as they can engage with each other to restrict left and right movement of the upper part of the rear wall 27b of the cover portion 27.

[0051] In the beverage dispenser 10 of this embodiment, a rear end of the upper wall 27c of the cover portion 27 is provided with a locking projection 27e that projects rearward, and the locking projection 27e abuts against the partition plate 22, thereby preventing the upper portion of the cover portion 27 from tilting rearward. The pair of left and right engagement plate portions 27f that serve as engagement portions provided on the upper rear surface of the rear wall 27b of the cover portion 27 have the same rearward protruding length as the locking projections 27e, so that the engagement plate portions 27f can have the function of the locking projections 27e, and the locking projections 27e may be eliminated.

[0052] 10...beverage supply device, 11...housing, 22...partition plate, 23...placing portion, 24...receiving base portion, 27...cover portion, 27d...positioning recess, 27f...engaging portion (pair of engaging plate portions), 28...engaged portion (engaged protrusion portion), 31...beverage production portion, 42...beverage extraction portion.

Claims

1. a beverage preparation unit for preparing a beverage at a front portion within the housing; a beverage dispenser located at a front portion of the housing and configured to dispense the beverage prepared by the beverage preparation unit; a placing portion disposed at a front portion of the housing at a position spaced apart from a side wall of the housing, on which a drinking container for receiving a beverage dispensed from the beverage dispenser is placed; a partition plate disposed behind the placing portion in the housing to separate the interior of the housing into front and rear sections, The placing section includes a receiving section disposed in the front part of the housing and on which the drinking container is placed, and a cover section having left and right side walls, a rear wall, and a top wall that is open at the front and bottom sides above the receiving section and covers the left and right sides, rear, and top of the upper side of the receiving section, an engaging portion and an engaged portion are provided on one side of an upper rear surface of the rear wall of the cover portion and a position of the partition plate facing the upper rear surface of the rear wall of the cover portion, the engaging portion and the engaged portion engaging with each other to restrict movement of the upper rear wall of the cover portion in the left-right direction; The beverage dispenser is characterized in that a positioning recess is formed in the upper wall to position the beverage dispensing portion horizontally relative to the pedestal portion.

2. The beverage supply device according to claim 1, a pair of left and right engagement plate portions protruding rearward as the engagement portions on the upper rear surface of the rear wall of the cover portion; A beverage supply device characterized in that the partition plate is provided with an engaged protrusion at a position opposite the pair of left and right engaging plate portions, which protrudes forward as the engaged portion and engages between the pair of left and right engaging plate portions.

Images