High speed reusable beverage container washing system with slip ring for supplying power to a rotatable ultraviolet light
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a system that can rapidly and sanitarily wash reusable beverage containers, particularly in retail environments, to address concerns about germ transmission and contamination, while existing commercial dishwashers are unsuitable due to their size, noise, and slow operation.
Innovation Solution
A beverage container washing system featuring multiple concentric housing members, a slip ring for powering ultraviolet lights, and a rotatable sanitizing assembly that uses hot water, high-pressure spray, and ultraviolet irradiation to sanitize containers quickly, minimizing space and interaction between customers and employees.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If commercial-style dishwashers are used to wash reusable beverage containers, then washing capability is provided, but the system becomes too large, noisy, and slow for retail environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential sanitizing function from traditional commercial dishwashers, creating a standalone ultraviolet sanitizing assembly that can be integrated into beverage dispensing systems. This removes the need for large, noisy, slow commercial dishwashers while maintaining sanitization capability through UV irradiation in a compact format
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical washing system (water spray, mechanical agitation) with an ultraviolet light-based sanitizing system. The ultraviolet lights emit UV radiation to sanitize beverage containers without requiring large amounts of water, mechanical movement, or complex washing mechanisms, thereby reducing system size and noise while increasing speed
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively sanitizes beverage containers in under a minute, reducing germ transmission risks and fitting within a compact, customer-facing design suitable for fast-paced retail environments.
Implementation Method 1
an ultraviolet sanitizing assembly including at least one ultraviolet light coupled to the rotatable concentric housing member for rotation therewith and configured to emit ultraviolet light toward the beverage container
Implementation Method 2
high-pressure spray
Data Source
AI summary
A beverage container washing system may be used for rapid washing and/or sanitizing of beverage containers, e.g., for use in a retail environment to wash and/or sanitize customer-provided beverage containers prior to filling the beverage containers with purchased beverages, among other applications. The beverage container washing system may include multiple concentric housing members supported on a base, and a slip ring configured to supply power to one or more ultraviolet lights of an ultraviolet sanitizing assembly and disposed on a rotatable one of the concentric housing members.