Dispensing Valve

Abstract

A dispensing valve includes a valve body within which is disposed a valve which is reciprocated by an actuator acting through a lost-motion connection. Locking means hold the valve in a closed position to prevent unauthorized opening thereof, and the actuator disables or unlocks the locking means before reciprocating the valve. The valve has a tip contoured to combine a tubular flow of liquid into a solid stream and to clear the outlet of any remaining liquid and to throw off such liquid from the tip by inertia. A flavoring passage extends through the body and through the valve to an outlet in the tip. Further, a number of such valve bodies are combined to receive liquid from a single source.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to dispensing valves of the solenoid type, and more specifically to one having automatic locking means.

2. Prior Art

Solenoid dispensing valves are known per se and are used in various types of coin-operated beverage-dispensing machines. With some types of construction, it is possible to push a wire up through the outlet and to unseat the valve and thereby obtain a serving of beverage without the deposit of a coin. Where a viscous beverage, such as semifrozen carbonated beverage is to be dispensed, the problem becomes more acute since the valve seat itself must be very close to the cup into which it discharges.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The valve assembly includes locking means for preventing the valve from being moved out of engagement with its seat, the locking means being responsive to initial movement of an actuator to be rendered ineffective or unlocked. Such unlocking is automatic by virtue of a lost-motion connection by which a solenoid actuator unlocks the locking means before it opens the valve. Such locking means comprises a shoulder on the valve which is blocked in closed position by a locking pawl that is swung away by a cam carried by the actuator. The valve has a tip by which a tubular flow is combined into a solid stream, and a flavoring passage leads to the tip through the valve. The tip also removes all product from the valve outlet and cleans itself by being abruptly closed. A number of such valves are combined to receive nonflavored liquid from a common source and flavoring from separate sources.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a dispensing valve for dispensing a viscous liquid such as a slush type of beverage.

Another object of this invention is to provide a dispensing valve construction which will resist unauthorized opening of the valve.

Another object of the present invention is to provide means by which flavoring may be added to a semifrozen carbonated beverage.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a dispensing valve assembly by which a number of different flavored beverages may be dispensed from a single source of nonflavored beverage with flavoring added automatically.

Many other advantages, features and additional objects of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheet of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.

ON THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a dispensing machine having a pair of dispensing valves provided in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a dispensing valve assembly incorporating a plurality of dispensing valves of the type shown in FIG. 2, but slightly modified as shown in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 3.

AS SHOWN ON THE DRAWINGS

This invention is particularly useful when embodied in a valve assembly 10 such as illustrated in FIG. 1 where the same forms a part of a coin-operated frozen-carbonated-beverage-dispensing machine generally indicated by the numeral 11. The dispensing machine 11 has a first source 12 of semifrozen carbonated beverage and a second such source 13 for a different type or flavor of such beverage. In response to the deposit of suitable coinage, and the pressing of an appropriate selection button, one of the dispensing valves 10 is opened to discharge product into a cup 14 which has been previously vended automatically from above to the position illustrated. In order to facilitate vending of the cup 14 by gravity, and in order to enable two different flavors to be dispensed into the cup 14 alternatively, the dispensing valves 10 are mounted above and to the rear of the cup 14 and each aimed at approximately the center of the cup. The lower ends of the dispensing valves 10 are inclined slightly toward the viewer.

As best seen in FIG. 2, the dispensing valve 10 includes a valve body 15, a valve 16 guided by the body 15, an actuator 17 which is a plunger of a solenoid 18, and locking means generally indicated at 19.

The valve body 15 has a passage 20, the upstream end of which is ordinarily horizontal. The angle illustrated between the axis of the valve 16 and the upstream end of the passage 20 is an indication of the angle that the discharge of the valves 10 is directed toward the viewer. The passage 20 extends into the valve body 15 and includes a cylindrical bore 21 which is counterbored at 22, the interior of the valve body or the passage including means defining a valve seat that encircles the passage 20. In this embodiment, there are two such valve seats. The first one of these is an annular valve seat 23 which faces in an upstream direction, and the second of these is a cylindrical outlet portion 24.

Correspondingly, the valve 16 has two portions which engage the valve seats respectively and close the passage 20. The first of these is a circular elastomeric seal 25 which has a cylindrical projection that extends upwardly into a counterbore in a stem portion 26 of the valve 16, the second of these is an O-ring 27 disposed in a groove 28 carried by a valve tip 29 which is threaded through the circular seal 25 into the valve stem 26. The O-ring 27 has a sliding sealing fit with the cylindrical outlet portion 24 and when the valve 16 is retracted, the ring moves out of such portion 24.

The lower end of the valve stem 26 is provided with a number, such as 3 or 4, of centering ears 30, which slidably engage the interior of the bore 21 to hold the valve 16 is concentric relation with the seats 23, 24 when the valve 16 is in an open position. The opposite end of the valve stem 26 is slidably guided in a bushing 31 which in turn is received in the counterbore 22. A pair of O-rings 32, 33 respectively comprise dynamic and static seals for sealing the upper end of the bore 21.

The upper end of the valve 16 has a lost motion connection 34 with the actuator 17, and to that end includes an eyelet 35 adjustably threaded into the upper end of the valve 16, the lower end of the actuator 17 being split to receive the eyelet 35 and carrying therein a pin 36 of a smaller diameter than the opening 37 in the eyelet. The specific construction of lost-motion connection is exemplary of one way of constructing a pin and slot type of lost-motion connection. A snapring 39 provides a shoulder on the lower end of the actuator 17 on which there rests a portion of the lock means 19 described below. A spring 40 acts between the solenoid housing and the snapring 39 to urge the actuator 17 in a downward direction and also for positively moving the valve 16 to a point where the O-ring 27 enters the cylindrical outlet portion 24. As such closing involves releasing considerable energy from the spring 40, the valve 16 moves by inertia to a closed position and is aided by fluid inlet pressure in maintaining such closed position.

The locking means 19 includes a shoulder 41 on the valve 16, a locking pawl 42 and a cam 43. The shoulder 41 faces generally in the direction in which the valve 16 moves on being opened, and if desired, as shown in FIG. 2, there may be a series of successive shoulders to provide a stairlike appearance or construction involving annular concentric shoulders that together have an effective slope. The locking pawl 42 is pivotally supported indirectly on the valve body 15 and is biased as by a spring 44 so that its lower end pivots in a path that intersects or converges with the slope of the shoulder 41. Therefore, no matter where the valve 16 comes to rest either initially or following wear, the locking pawl 42 can pivot to the extent needed to overlie the shoulder 41. By use of a proper angle at the lower end of the locking pawl 42, a type of vernier effect is thus obtained. The cam 43 is urged by the spring 40 in a downward direction as illustrated so as to clear the locking pawl 42 leaving a cam follower surface 45 thereon disengaged.

Without the lockin means 19, an unauthorized force could be applied to the valve tip 29 to unseat the valve 16 and thus obtain an unauthorized serving of beverage. However, with the present structure, any such force is completely blocked by the locking means 19. On deposit of proper coinage, the solenoid 18 is energized causing its plunger, namely the actuator 17 to move upwardly as drawn, thereby urging the cam 43 against the cam follower surface 45 and hence thereby pivoting the pawl 42 to a position where it clears all of the shoulders 41. Such clearance is obtained before there is any driving relation through the lost-motion connection 34 whereby immediately following such unlocking or disabling, the valve 16 is positively driven in an opening direction to obtain the authorized serving. Thus, the lost-motion connection 34 delays opening of the valve 16 to enable the prior unlocking or disabling. The locking means 19 clearly prevents unauthorized unseating of the valve 16 and is responsive to initial actuator movement to be rendered ineffective or unlocked.

The tip 29 normally projects from the cylindrical outlet portion 24 and when the valve 16 is retracted, the tip 29 is retracted, thus enabling the product to flow about the entire circumference of the tip 29 and in an axial direction. During such flow, adjacent to the tip 29, the liquid flows as a tubular stream, and the lower end of the tip 29 has a contour 46 that serves as a means for combining the tubular flow into a solid stream of liquid. The contour illustrated accomplishes this purpose. The contour 46, though, merges into a shoulder 47 so that on closing, the body of the valve tip 29 serves as a squeegee or scraper to remove all product from the cylindrical outlet portion 24, and the contour 46 of the lower end of the valve tip 29 also is such that when the valve 16 is abruptly closed, the liquid product adhering to such valve tip is propelled by inertia to fly off the tip and into the cup 14, thereby keeping the dispensing station sanitary and preventing postdispensing drip.

The beverage dispensed from the sources 12 or 13 is flavored before it enters the valve. Only one such source is necessary where a nonflavored beverage is used if the flavoring be subsequently added. Heretofore, such flavoring has been manually added to a cup and then nonflavored beverage added later. Not only is there a problem in adequate mixing, but such a procedure is impractical for a coin-operated machine. Accordingly, the structure of FIG. 2 can be provided with a flavoring passage 48 which extends through the body 15a and the bushing 31a to the surface of the valve stem 26a of the valve 16a. A flavor source 49, which is a substantially sugar-free extract in liquid form, is connected to the upstream end of the passage 48 which, when the valve 16a is open, extends to an annular groove 50, and thence axially through a portion 51 of the passage 48 to one or more outlets 52 which intersect the contour 46a of the valve tip 29a to be added to the interior of the tubularly flowing liquid and to merge into the solid stream as explained before. In this manner and as shown in FiG. 3, a number of the dispensing valves 10 may be in effect combined with the upstream ends of their main passages connected together to receive liquid from a single source. The flavoring passage 48 is interrupted and sealed when the valve 16a is not open, as shown in FIG. 4, such sealing being augmented by a number of O-rings 53--55.

Although various minor modifications might be suggested by those versed in the art, it should be understood that I wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted hereon, all such embodiments as reasonably and properly come within the scope of my contribution to the art.

Claims

I claim as my invention:

1. A dispensing valve, comprising:

a. a valve body having a passage therethrough including means defining a valve seat encircling said passage;

b. a valve reciprocably guided in said body, having a first portion normally engaging said seat and closing said passage, and having a second portion extending out of said body at the upstream side of said seat;

c. an actuator disposed outside of said passage and connected to said second portion of said valve for reciprocating it; and

d. locking means disposed outside of said passage and preventing said valve from being moved out of engagement with said seat, and responsive to initial movement of said actuator to be rendered ineffective.

2. A dispensing valve according to claim 1, including a lost-motion connection disposed outside of said passage by which said actuator is connected to said second portion of said valve and by which said valve reciprocation in an opening direction is delayed until after said locking means has been rendered ineffective.

3. A dispensing valve according to claim 1, wherein said actuator is the plunger of an electric solenoid.

4. A dispensing valve according to claim 1, wherein said valve seat faces generally in an upstream direction, and said first valve portion includes a circular elastomeric seal.

5. A dispensing valve according to claim 1, said valve having a tip normally projecting from the outlet end of said passage, said valve tip having a contour in the direction of flow which constitutes means for combining a tubular liquid flow of liquid into a solid stream.

6. A dispensing valve, comprising:

a. a valve body having a passage therethrough including means defining a valve seat encircling said passage;

b. a valve reciprocably guided in said body and having a portion normally engaging said seat and closing said passage;

c. an actuator connected to said valve for reciprocating it; and

d. locking means preventing said valve from being moved out of engagement with said seat, and responsive to initial movement of said actuator to be rendered ineffective, said locking means including

1. a shoulder on said valve facing generally in the direction in which said valve moves in going from a closed to an open position;

2. a locking pawl movably supported on said valve body and normally being in a position to abut said shoulder; and

3. a cam driven by said actuator to displace said locking pawl from said shoulder.

7. A dispensing valve according to claim 6, in which said shoulder comprises one of a series of successive shoulders arranged in a stairlike manner.

8. A dispensing valve according to claim 7, in which said series of shoulders are annular and concentric with each other.

9. A dispensing valve according to claim 6, in which said locking pawl is pivotably supported.

10. A dispensing valve according to claim 9, including a spring biasing said pawl to said normal position, and said cam being secured to said actuator.

11. A dispensing valve according to claim 6, which includes a spring biasing said pawl to said normal position.

12. A dispensing valve according to claim 6, wherein said shoulder has an effective slope, said locking pawl being pivotally supported to intersect said slope.

13. A dispensing valve according to claim 6 wherein said cam is secured to said actuator.

14. A dispensing valve according to claim 6 including a spring biasing said cam and said actuator in a valve-closing direction.

15. A dispensing valve, comprising:

a. a valve body having a passage therethrough including means defining a valve seat encircling said passage, said valve seat being a cylindrical outlet portion of said passage;

b. a valve reciprocably guided in said body and having a portion normally engaging said seat and closing said passage, said valve portion having a groove with an O-ring slidable into and out of said cylindrical outlet portion;

c. an actuator connected to said valve for reciprocating it; and

d. locking means preventing said valve from being moved out of engagement with said seat, and responsive to initial movement of said actuator to be rendered ineffective.

16. A dispensing valve, comprising:

a. a valve body having a passage therethrough including means defining a valve seat encircling said passage, said passage having a cylindrical outlet portion;

b. a valve reciprocably guided in said body and having a portion normally engaging said seat and closing said passage, said valve having a tip normally projecting from said cylindrical outlet portion and retractable into said outlet portion when said valve is open, said tip having a shoulder for removing liquid from the wall of said cylindrical outlet portion, and having a shaped contour from which any liquid on said tip will freely fly in consequence of abrupt closing of said valve;

c. an actuator connected to said valve for reciprocating it; and

d. locking means preventing said valve from being moved out of engagement with said seat, and responsive to initial movement of said actuator to be rendered ineffective.

17. A dispensing valve, comprising:

a. a valve body having a passage therethrough including means defining a valve seat encircling said passage;

b. a valve reciprocably guided in said body and having a portion normally engaging said seat and closing said passage, said valve having a tip normally projecting from the outlet end of said passage, said valve tip having a contour in the direction of flow which constitutes means for combining a tubular liquid flow of liquid into a solid stream;

c. means defining a flavoring passage when said valve is open, said flavoring passage extending into said body and through said valve and terminating in an outlet leading to the atmosphere in said tip, said flavoring passage being interrupted and hence sealed in consequence of movement of said valve out of the open position;

d. an actuator connected to said valve for reciprocating it; and

e. locking means preventing said valve from being moved out of engagement with said seat, and responsive to initial movement of said actuator to be rendered ineffective.

18. A dispensing valve assembly comprising a plurality of valves according to claim 17 wherein the upstream ends of said first-named passage of the valve bodies are connected together to receive liquid from a single source.