US2871892A - Apparatus for dispensing beverages - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 3,1959 J. G. JESSEL 2,871,892

' APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING BEVERAGES Filed May 1, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1

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Feb. 3, 1959 J. G. JESSEL APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING BEVERAGES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 1, 1956 United States Patent APPARATUS FOR-DISPENSING BEVERAGES Jonas Geolfrey Jessel', London, England Application May 1, 1956, Serial No. 581,977 Claims priority, application Great BritainMay 4, 1955 2 Claims c1. 141 100 This invention relates to apparatus for dispensing beverages such as tea or coffee and has for its -main object to provide an arrangement for enabling measured quantities of such beveragesto be served at high speed and a predetermined strength.

The invention accordingly consists in an apparatus for the purpose referred to in the preceding paragraph comprising a measuring chamber for the beverage to be dispensed communicating by means of separate valves with a reservoir or other supply means, and a delivery device, said valves being controlled by means which is adapted to be actuated by the placing of a receptacle under said delivery device so as to bring about the opening of one valve and the closing of the other valve and thereby efiect the discharge of the contents of said measuring chamber through said delivery device.

If desired, two or more measuring chambers may be provided having inlet valves communicating with reservoirs containing different liquids and outlet valves communicating with one or more delivery devices, the control means being so arranged as to actuate the valves of all the measuring chambers simultaneously and thereby elfect the discharge of the contents of all the measuring chambers.

According to the preferred arrangement, the valves controlling each measuring chamber are attached to slidably mounted valve rods which are operatively connected with the opposite ends of a pivotally mounted T-shaped lever which is adapted to be actuated by the placing of a receptacle under said delivery device, the swinging movement of said T-shaped lever being adapted to effect the movement of said valve rods in opposite directions so as to close the valve communicating with the reservoir or other supply means and open the valve communicating with the delivery device.

If desired, coin controlled means may be provided for preventing the actuation of the valve control means until a coin or coins have been inserted.

The invention will be more completely understood from the following detailed description which is given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which Figures 1 and 2 are front and sectional side views respectively of the working parts of a dispensing apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention. 7

Referring now to these drawings, I provide my dispensing apparatus with two reservoirs 1, 1 which may contain brewed tea and milk respectively, and I provide the base of each of these reservoirs with a measuring chamber 3, 3 which communicates with its respective reservoir through an inlet valve 5, 5' and is provided with an outlet valve 6, 6 by means of which it communicates with a elivery pipe or nozzle 7, 7 disposed at some convenient point in the apparatus. The two valves 6, 6 in the measuring chambers are controlled by slidably mounted valve rods 8, 8 and 9, 9 which are arranged vertically so that the rods for each chamber are disposed one inside the other, the rod for each outlet valve passing through the inlet valve and through the rod for such valve, which latter rod takes the form of a sleeve. The inlet valve rods 8, 8 for the two chambers are connected at their upper ends to a common cross-bar 10 and the outlet valve rods 9, 9 for the chambers are also connected to a similar cross-bar 11 disposed slightly above the other cross-bar, and the two cross-bars are connected by two pivoted links 12, 12 to the opposite ends of the cross-arm of a pivotally mounted T-shaped lever 13 so that when the latter is rocked about its pivotal point 14, the two cross-bars 10, 11 together with the inlet and outlet valve rods move in opposite directions. The T-shaped lever 13 is mounted in such a way that when it is in its normal position with the inlet valves 5, 5 open and the outlet valves 6, 6 shut, the stem of the lever is inclined to the vertical with the foot i the lever pointing forwards, and the lever is so positioned with respect to the delivery pipes or nozzles 7, 7 that when a'receptacle is pushed under these nozzles it automatically acts upon the foot 16 of the T- shaped lever 13 so'as to swing the stem of the lever 13 into the vertical position and actuate the valve rods 8, 8 and 9, 9 in such a way as to close the inlet valves 5, 5 and open the outlet. valves 6, 6 thus allowing the contents of the two measuring chambers 3, 3 to discharge into the receptacle 17 placed under the delivery nozzles. The cross rods 10, 11 pass through slots 18; 19 in the valve rods, these slots being so designed as to ensure that the inlet valves 5, 5 close before. the outlet valves 6, 6 open. The T-shaped" lever l3 or someother part of the mechanism is suitably spring or gravity loaded, for example by a weight 15, so that when the receptacle 17 is removed, the reverse process takes place, the outlet valves 6, 6 being closed and the inlet valves 5, 5 being reopened thus recharging the two measuring chambers 3, 3 with a fresh supply of liquid from the two reservoirs 1, 1 in readiness for the next dispensing operation. The slots 18,

19 in the valve rods now ensure that the outlet valves 6, 6 close before the inlet valves 5, 5 open.

It will thus be seen that by means of this arrangement a measured quantity of beverage is automatically withdrawn from the apparatus by the insertion and removal of the receptacle and that by maintaining a supply of brewed tea orother liquid in one reservoir and either hot or cold milk in the other reservoir, a beverage of substantially constant predetermined strength is obtained from the discharge nozzles.

In order that the cost of obtaining measured quantities of the beverage may be prepaid, a coin operated mechanism may be arranged in conjunction with the T- shaped lever 13 and so constructed as to prevent such lever from being operated until a coin or coins has been inserted in a suitably arranged slot.

This mechanism conveniently takes the form of a rotatable member 20 which is normally disposed in the path of movement of the T-shaped lever 13 and is keyed to the shaft 21 of a centrally pivoted lever 22 in which a coin receptacle 23 is provided, the arrangement being such that a coin on being inserted in a suitably arranged slot drops into the receptacle 23 and swings the lever 22 about its pivotal axis and thus moves the rotatable member 2d out of line of the path of movement of the T-shaped member 13 thus allowing the latter to swing. This T-shaped lever 13 in moving into its operative position acts upon the member 20 so as to effect a further movement of the lever 22 so that the latter swings into a further position against the action of a spring 24 and allows the coin tofall into a suitable cash box 25. The lever 22 now relieved of the weight of the coin or coins returns to its original position when the T-shaped lever 13 swings back on the withdrawal of the receptacle 1?.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for dispensing beverages comprising two measuring chambers having inlet valves communicating with reservoirs for the liquids to be dispensed and outlet valves communicating with delivery devices for discharging the measured quantities of liquids, said valves being attached to slidably mounted valve rods which are operatively connected to the opposite ends of a pivotally mounted lever member which is operable by the placing of a receptacle under the delivery device, the swinging movement of said lever member being adapted to effect the movement of said valve rods in opposite directions so as to close the valves communicating with the reservoirs and open the valves communicating with the delivery devices and thus eflect the discharge of the contents of said measuring chambers, said lever member comprising a T-shaped lever, the stem of which serves as an actuating member and the cross bar of which is connected by two pivoted links to a pair of cross shafts slidably arranged in slots in said valve rods and so positioned as to prevent the cross shaft controlling the outlet valve from reaching the end of its slot until the cross shaft controlling the inlet valve is moved sufficiently to allow said inlet valve to close whereby said outlet valves are prevented from opening until said inlet valves have been closed.

2. Apparatus for dispensing beverages comprising two measuring chambers having inlet valves communicating with reservoirs for the liquids to be dispensed and outlet valves communicating with delivery devices for discharging the measured quantities of liquids, said valves being attached to slidably mounted valve rods which are operatively connected to the opposite ends of a pivotally mounted lever member which is operable by the placing of a receptacle under the delivery device, the swinging movement of said lever member being adapted to effect the movement of said valve rods in opposite directions so as to close the valves communicating with the reservoirs and open the valves communicating with the delivery devices and thus effect the discharge of the contents of said measuring chambers, said lever member comprising a T-shaped lever, the stem of which serves as an actuating member and the cross bar of which is connected by two pivoted links to a pair of cross shafts which comprise linkages between the corresponding valve rods of the two chambers, said cross shafts being slidably arranged in slots in said valve rods and so positioned as to prevent the cross shaft controlling the outlet valve from reaching the end of its slot until the cross shaft controlling the inlet valve is moved sufficiently to allow said inlet valve to close whereby said outlet valves are prevented from opening until said inlet valves have been closed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 791,755 Dorman June 6, 1905 1,489,840 Lyons Apr. 8, 1924 2,165,398 Mazzanobile July 11, 1939 2,201,545 Mazzanobile May 21, 1940 2,201,808 Berwick et al. May 21, 1940 2,379,532 Lloyd July 3, 1945

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