U.S. patent application number 12/646241 was filed with the patent office on 2010-04-22 for beverage dispenser.
This patent application is currently assigned to THE COCA-COLA COMPANY. Invention is credited to Graham Frederick Williams.
Application Number | 20100096406 12/646241 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 9900023 |
Filed Date | 2010-04-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100096406 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Williams; Graham Frederick |
April 22, 2010 |
BEVERAGE DISPENSER
Abstract
Apparatus for storing water, especially purified water, for use
in a beverage dispenser is provided with a microbiological agent to
kill or deter microbiological growth and maintain the quality of
the water. The agent is provided in a physical form to promote
contact with the water and may be renewable to maintain
effectiveness of the agent over a period of time. In one
arrangement, the agent is contained in a cartridge 92 arranged in a
re-circulation loop 89 through which the water in a reservoir 80 is
passed and returned to the reservoir 80. The cartridge 92 and/or a
carrier for the agent within the cartridge 92 may be replaceable to
renew the agent. The agent may also be provided within the
reservoir 80 and various arrangements for this are also
disclosed.
Inventors: |
Williams; Graham Frederick;
(West Midlands, GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SUTHERLAND ASBILL & BRENNAN LLP
999 PEACHTREE STREET, N.E.
ATLANTA
GA
30309
US
|
Assignee: |
THE COCA-COLA COMPANY
Atlanta
GA
|
Family ID: |
9900023 |
Appl. No.: |
12/646241 |
Filed: |
December 23, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10343889 |
Jul 17, 2003 |
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PCT/GB01/04238 |
Sep 24, 2001 |
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12646241 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
222/1 ; 210/615;
222/129.1; 222/190; 222/318 |
Current CPC
Class: |
C02F 1/50 20130101; C02F
2103/02 20130101; C02F 2201/006 20130101; C02F 2301/046
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
222/1 ;
222/129.1; 222/190; 210/615; 222/318 |
International
Class: |
B67D 7/00 20100101
B67D007/00; B67D 7/74 20100101 B67D007/74; B67D 7/76 20060101
B67D007/76; C02F 3/00 20060101 C02F003/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 23, 2000 |
GB |
0023394 |
Claims
1. A beverage dispenser comprising: a water tank having a water
inlet and a separate water outlet; a microbiological agent
comprising a biocide, a biostatic agent, or combination thereof; a
circulation means within or attached to the water tank, which
circulation means comprises a recirculation loop; and a source of a
beverage component for mixing with water flowing from the water
tank, wherein the microbiological agent is disposed in the water
tank and the circulation means is configured such that both water
that flows into the water tank through the water inlet and water
that flows into the water tank from the recirculation loop contact
the microbiological agent before flowing out of the water outlet or
before mixing with the beverage component.
2. The beverage dispenser of claim 1, wherein the water tank
comprises walls, which are formed of material in which the
microbiological agent is present or onto which it is coated, and
the circulation means further comprises an agitator provided in the
water tank to promote increased contact between the walls and water
therein.
3. The beverage dispenser of claim 1, wherein the water tank
comprises walls, which are formed of material in which the
microbiological agent is present or onto which it is coated.
4. The beverage dispenser of claim 1, wherein the recirculation
loop includes a treatment station containing further
microbiological agent.
5. The beverage dispenser of claim 4, wherein the station includes
a labyrinth to further increase contact time between the
microbiological agent and the liquid.
6. The beverage dispenser of claim 1, wherein the microbiological
agent is present in the water tank in or on a carrier, which
carrier is in open-cell foam, fiber, or granular form having a
surface area for contact with the liquid.
7. The beverage dispenser of claim 1, wherein the microbiological
agent is incorporated in a plastics composition.
8. The beverage dispenser of claim 1, wherein the tank is unvented
and contains a collapsible membrane as a barrier to atmosphere.
9. The beverage dispenser of claim 6, wherein the open-cell foam,
fibers or granules are in the form of a layer through which the
water must pass on its travel from the inlet to the outlet of the
water tank.
10. The beverage dispenser of claim 9, wherein the layer is
attached to the walls of the water tank.
11. The beverage dispenser of claim 1, wherein the microbiological
agent comprises a foam material used in a compressed state.
12. The beverage dispenser of claim 11, wherein the recirculation
loop includes a treatment station containing further
microbiological agent.
13. The beverage dispenser of claim 1, wherein the microbiological
agent is renewable.
14. The beverage dispenser of claim 13, wherein the microbiological
agent is provided by a replaceable support medium.
15. The beverage dispenser of claim 1, wherein the beverage
component is a beverage concentrate or carbonation.
16. The beverage dispenser of claim 1, wherein the beverage
component is selected from the group consisting of flavoring
agents, coloring agents, and sweeteners.
17. A method of dispensing a beverage from a post-mix beverage
dispenser comprising: flowing water into a water tank of the
post-mix beverage dispenser through a water inlet in the water
tank; recirculating the water in the water tank through a
recirculation loop; contacting the water from the recirculation
loop with a microbiological agent to kill or deter microbial growth
in the water to form treated water; and mixing the treated water
with a beverage component.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising flowing the treated
water out of the water tank through a water outlet before mixing
the treated water with the beverage component.
19. The method of claim 18, further comprising carbonating the
water.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein the beverage component is
selected from the group consisting of flavoring agents, coloring
agents, and sweeteners.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 10/343,889, filed Feb. 4, 2003, which is a national stage
application of PCT Application PCT/GB01/04238, filed Sep. 24, 2001,
which claims the benefit of GB 0023394, filed in Great Britain on
Sep. 23, 2000. The applications are incorporated herein by
reference in their entirety.
[0002] This invention relates to the storage of liquids,
particularly but not exclusively water. For convenience it will be
described below with specific reference to water.
[0003] There have been numerous proposals for the treatment of
water to purify it and many of these proposals have been devised
bearing in mind that water quality and purity vary considerably
from location to location and that a relatively simple treatment
means is required that can be used in a wide variety of situations
and that is, preferably, renewable.
[0004] Many of the known treatments involve filtration and heat
stages and are successful to greater and lesser degrees in
providing a convenient, economical means of providing water of
acceptable purity in respect not only of content of chlorine, heavy
metals, organics, carbonates and the like but also in respect of
microbiological quality.
[0005] Regardless of the actual treatment method used, many
treatment processes are devised to provide a reservoir of treated
water which can be drawn off for use as and when required, i.e. the
treated water is not used immediately but must be stored for
varying periods of time. One specific example is in the treatment
of water for post-mix beverage dispensers in which a beverage is
mixed from a concentrate and a diluent, usually water, at the point
of sale. The water to be used may have been subjected to a
purification treatment and it may then be stored in a suitable
reservoir before being drawn off in a required amount for each
beverage dispense.
[0006] Although such stored water may be of high purity and of high
microbiological quality on entering the reservoir or other storage
system, neither it nor the reservoir will normally be sterile.
There is, therefore, always a risk that the microbiological state
of the stored water will deteriorate with time. Simple addition of
microbiocidal material to the reservoir has not proved to be a
satisfactory solution as adequate contact is difficult to
achieve.
[0007] It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to
provide a liquid storage apparatus in which this problem may be
ameliorated or eliminated.
[0008] Accordingly the invention provides a liquid storage
apparatus, the apparatus comprising a reservoir for the liquid, the
reservoir containing a microbiological agent to kill or deter
microbiological growth, the microbiological agent being in a
physical form to present a sufficient contact area with the liquid
to provide the required effect.
[0009] In a first general embodiment the wall of the reservoir may
be formed of material, usually plastics material, in which the
microbiological agent is present or onto which it is coated. Thus
the agent may conveniently have been compounded into the
composition used to form the walls of the reservoir. The "walls"
may, of course, include the floor and roof and the agent may
similarly be incorporated in conduits and fittings of the
reservoir. However, we have found that such an arrangement does not
by itself provide the desired degree of contact time and area to
effectively treat all the water or other liquid that may be
contained in the reservoir.
[0010] Thus in this embodiment of the invention, we have found that
it is preferable to provide agitation means within the reservoir to
promote increased water/wall contact or recirculation means to pass
the water out of and back into the reservoir. Both means may be
used in combination. Where the water is recirculated, it may also
be passed through, e.g. a cartridge, containing further
microbiological agent, to further improve the treatment and contact
time. The further microbiological agent may be in any convenient
form, e.g. granular or in a reticulated foam. A labyrinth may be
provided in the cartridge in the recirculation line to further
improve flow path contact time with the agent.
[0011] In a second general embodiment, the microbiological agent is
present in the tank in an open cell, e.g. reticulated, foam, in
fibre, or in granular form to provide the required surface area to
allow adequate contact. It may be coated onto the foam, fibres or
granules but it may be found more convenient for it to be
compounded into the compositions from which these bodies are
formed.
[0012] The microbiological agent may be any suitable biocide or
biostatic agent and examples include triclosan, zinc pyrithione,
silver compounds and KDF. The latter is a metallic combination of
copper and zinc, which is available in a variety of forms including
granules, wool and reticulated foam.
[0013] The agent may be incorporated in a variety of readily
available plastics materials which can be processed by conventional
means including injection moulding, blow moulding, rotational
moulding and extrusion for use in the first embodiment of the
invention. Alternatively it may be incorporated in plastics
compositions which are processed to a carrier form, e.g.
reticulated foam, granule or fibrous form for insertion into the
reservoir in the second embodiment.
[0014] In the second embodiment of the invention, the carrier form
of the agent may be of volume to completely fill the reservoir, in
which case a vent will be needed to allow filling of and drawing
from the reservoir. For example, the reservoir may be completely
filled with reticulated foam containing the agent and the water
enters to fill the voids in the foam and thereby ensures a good and
sufficient contact area for the agent to work. An air filter may be
fitted into the vent.
[0015] Alternatively the reservoir may be a sealed tank, i.e.
unvented, with sufficient headspace left during use to allow
filling and emptying to take place or it may contain a collapsible
membrane as a barrier to atmosphere.
[0016] Alternatively the carrier may form a layer in the reservoir
through which the water must pass on its travel from the reservoir
inlet to the outlet. The layer may be attached to the reservoir
walls or take the form of a floating layer of, e.g., foam or
granules. Again the reservoir may be vented, with a filter, if
desired.
[0017] In another arrangement the carrier may form a layer on the
floor of the reservoir or be in a "sump" in the base of the
reservoir.
[0018] Where a foam is used as the carrier for the agent, it may be
used in compressed or uncompressed state whereby the volume to
surface area ratio may be enhanced by changing the cell size.
[0019] It will be appreciated that the carrier, e.g. the foam, can
present an extremely large surface area to contact the water.
Reticulated foam, for example, can absorb almost up to its own
volume of liquid thereby ensuing maximum effective use of the
microbiological agent.
[0020] Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of
example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in
which:
[0021] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a reservoir tank
according to the invention;
[0022] FIG. 1A is an enlarged view of an alternative form of a
portion of the apparatus of FIG. 1;
[0023] FIG. 2 is a similar view to FIG. 1 of a second reservoir
tank of the invention;
[0024] FIG. 3 is a similar view of a third reservoir tank of the
invention;
[0025] FIG. 4 is a similar view of a fourth reservoir tank of the
invention;
[0026] FIG. 5 is a similar view of a fifth reservoir tank of the
invention;
[0027] FIG. 6 is a similar view of a sixth reservoir tank of the
invention; and
[0028] FIG. 7 is a similar view of a seventh reservoir tank of the
invention.
[0029] FIG. 8 is a process flow diagram view of one embodiment of a
beverage dispenser apparatus as described herein.
[0030] FIG. 9 is a process flow diagram of one embodiment of a
beverage dispenser apparatus as described herein.
[0031] FIG. 10 is a process flow diagram of another embodiment of a
beverage dispenser apparatus as described herein.
[0032] In FIG. 1 a reservoir for water is a tank 10 having an inlet
11 in its roof 12 and an outlet 13 in its floor 14. The tank is
filled with reticulated foam 15 which has been impregnated with a
biocide and/or a biostatic agent. A vent 16 in roof 12 of the tank
allows water to be filled into and drawn out of the tank. The
reticulated foam, which may be polyurethane foam, may be replaced
by granules which have been poured in to fill the tank.
[0033] As shown in FIG. 1A, vent 16 may contain an air filter 17
of, for example, 0.2 micron pore size.
[0034] In FIG. 2 a tank 20 has an upper housing 28 which leads into
a smaller "sump" housing 29 extending below the floor 24 of housing
28. As above, the tank has an inlet 21 in its roof 22 and in this
instance has an outlet 23 from the base of sump 29. The sump 29 is
filled with reticulated foam or granules containing the
microbiological agent.
[0035] A vent 26 is provided in roof 22. This may again contain a
filter, if desired.
[0036] In FIG. 3 a tank 30 has an inlet 31 in its roof 32 and an
outlet 33 in its floor 34. A vent 36, with or without a filter, is
again provided in roof 32. A blanket 35 of foam, fibre or granules
impregnated with the desired microbiological agent floats on the
surface of water 37 in the tank.
[0037] In FIG. 4 a tank 40 again has an inlet 41 in its roof 42 and
an outlet 43 in its floor 44. A vent 46 with a filter 47 is also
provided in roof 42. In this embodiment a non-floating layer 45 of
foam, granules or fibre, suitably impregnated with the desired
agent lies on the floor 44 of the tank.
[0038] It will be appreciated that the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4
are all variants of the second general embodiment of the invention
and that in each instance, the water, or other liquid, must pass
through the microbiological agent carrying layer on its journey
from the inlet to the outlet. Good contact is, therefore, ensured
for all the water before it is drawn off for use.
[0039] FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 represent embodiments within the first
general embodiment of the invention.
[0040] In FIG. 5 a tank 50 is made of a material containing a
microbiological agent or has a coating of such an agent applied to
its internal surfaces. Water can enter through inlet 51 in roof 52
and leave through outlet 53 in floor 54. The roof contains a vent
56 with an optional air filter 57.
[0041] Inside the tank a paddle 58 attached to an arm 58A is
rotatable by external motor 59. Thus when the paddle 58 is
submerged in water in the tank, it can be rotated to agitate the
water and to cause improved contact between the water and the
treated tank surfaces.
[0042] In FIG. 6 a tank 60 is made of similar material to that of
tank 50. It has an inlet 61 in its roof 62 and an outlet 63 in its
floor 64. It also has a vent 66 with a filter 67 in its roof 62.
Outlet 63 leads via a non-return valve 68 to the desired end use,
e.g. a dispense nozzle, not shown, for the water. A recirculation
loop 69 runs from between outlet 63 and non-return valve 68 to a
further inlet 70 in roof 62 of the tank. A pump 71 in the
recirculation loop enables water in tank 60 to be pumped either
continuously or intermittently from the tank around loop 69 and
back to the tank, thereby improving contact time with the internal
surfaces of the tank for all the water.
[0043] In FIG. 7 a tank 80 is made of similar material to that of
tanks 50 and 60. It has an inlet 81 in its roof 82 and an outlet 83
in its floor 84. It also has a vent 86 with a filter 87 in its roof
82. As in FIG. 6, outlet 83 leads via a non-return valve 88 to the
desired end use for the water. A recirculation loop 89 leads back
into the tank via inlet 90 in the tank roof. Again loop 89 runs
from between outlet 83 and non-return valve 88. A pump 91 enables
water to be recirculated from the tank and around the loop.
[0044] In this embodiment the recirculation loop also contains a
chamber or cartridge 92 filled with a microbiological agent, e.g.
in foam or granule carrier form 93. Thus the recirculation not only
improves contact with the tank walls but provides a further
microbiological contact zone in the cartridge 92.
[0045] The cartridge 92 and/or an insert carrying the
microbiological agent within the cartridge 92 may be replaceable
after a period of use. In this way, the microbiological agent may
be renewed to maintain the effectiveness of the agent to kill or
deter microbiological growth in the water. In a variation of the
FIG. 7 arrangement, the microbiological agent may be present in the
re-circulation loop only, e.g. in cartridge 92.
[0046] The cartridge 92 and/or insert may be replaced at regular
intervals of time. Alternatively, the cartridge 92 and/or insert
may be replaced after a pre-determined volume of water has been
drawn off. In this way, variations in use of the apparatus are
taken into account before replacing the cartridge 92 and/or
insert.
[0047] Means may be provided to give a visual and/or audible
warning locally or at a remote location when the cartridge 92
and/or insert needs to be replaced. For example a light or buzzer
may be activated on the apparatus or a signal may be transmitted to
a remote location when the cartridge 92 and/or insert needs to be
replaced.
[0048] FIG. 8 shows one embodiment of a beverage dispenser
apparatus 100 which includes water tank 102, having water inlet 110
and discharge outlet 112, and a separate beverage component source
106. The apparatus 100 further includes a pump 118 and a
recirculation loop 122 that has a cartridge 104 containing an
antimicrobial agent. Water flowing through non-return valve 120 can
be mixed with a beverage component from the beverage component
source 106.
[0049] FIG. 9 shows one embodiment of a beverage dispenser
apparatus 200 wherein the top of the water tank 102 includes a
collapsible membrane 108 as a barrier to atmosphere.
[0050] FIG. 10 shows one embodiment of a beverage dispenser
apparatus 300 wherein cartridge 104 includes an internal labyrinth
114 to increase contact time between water and the antimicrobial
agent as the recirculated water flows through the cartridge.
[0051] It will be understood the invention is not limited to the
embodiments above- described.
[0052] For example, features in any of the embodiments may be
employed separately or in combination with features from any of the
other embodiments to provide apparatus with a microbiological agent
to kill or deter microbiological growth.
[0053] Thus, the re-circulation arrangements shown in FIGS. 6 and 7
may equally be used in conjunction with any of the tank
arrangements of the other Figures.
[0054] Where the microbiological agent is provided by a carrier or
other support medium arranged internally or externally of the tank,
it is preferably renewable to maintain the effectiveness of the
agent. In other words, the carrier or support medium is
replaceable.
[0055] The apparatus may include means to monitor the quality of
the water in the reservoir and/or re-circulation loop where
provided. The monitoring means may provide a warning of
microbiological growth outside acceptable limits. The monitoring
means may provide a warning locally or generate a signal for
transmission to a remote location. The monitoring means may
activate a shut-off valve to prevent dispense of water if the
detected quality is outside acceptable limits.
[0056] The invented apparatus may be used to provide a source of
water in a beverage dispenser for hot and/or cold drinks. The water
may be mixed with other components e.g. flavouring agents,
colouring agents, sweeteners etc, to produce different beverages
for user selection. The dispenser may include a carbonator for
dispense of still or carbonated water with or without additional
components added.
[0057] Other modifications and improvements will be apparent to
those skilled in the art and are deemed within the scope of the
invention.
* * * * *