Grindmaster Corporation

Charles M Fisher

Krzysztof Struminski

Thomas Joseph Pfeifer

Robert C McNeill

William M Topar

The pre-mix beverage dispensing apparatus (,) includes an ice bank assembly (,) connected to a remote system of potable water at line pressure for the chilling of the potable water. The chilled water is carried at a regulated line pressure from the ice bank assembly (,) to a mixing valve/dispensing assembly (,) where the chilled water is metered into a prescribed amount and mixed with a proportionate amount of syrup metered from a syrup holding tank (,). The syrup tank (,) is provided with an agitating element (,) that periodicially agitates the syrup to prevent syrup constituents from precipitating out of solution or stratification of the syrup into various concentration levels. In one embodiment, the apparatus is provided with a hopper assembly (,) that stores and meters a powder flavorant to the syrup tank and components that deliver chilled water to the tank proportional to the powder flavorant metered into the tank (,).

Beverage dispenser with syrup concentrate container

The apparatus of the present invention pertains to a post mix multi-station dispensing apparatus which is isolated from the fluctuations experienced in using outside supplies of water. The apparatus is provided with a single reservoir of water and, associated with each serving station, a hopper storing powder flavorant, a metering device for metering the flavorant, a holding tank for holding a beverage to be dispensed at a predetermined rate at the associated serving station, and a water delivery system. While a beverage is being dispensed from the holding tank, the water delivery system delivers water from said reservoir at a rate essentially the same as the predetermined rate to a mixing area where the water and powder flavorant is mixed in a predetermined ration of powder flavorant-to-water ratio. This newly mixed beverage is added to the holding tank at the same rate as the beverage is being dispensed.

Beverage dispensing apparatus having consistent mix delivery of beverage

A coffee grinding apparatus for grinding coffee beans and distributing said beans into a basket for subsequent brewing of coffee having a pair of grinding disks where one of the disks is fixed to the housing and has an annular configuration with a central opening and the other disk further removed from the rotates with the drive shaft of the grinder motor. However, the rotating disk is mounted to the shaft so that it rotates with but is free to axially slide along the drive shaft. A coffee bean feed drive is mounted over the distal end of the drive shaft and moves coffee beans from the opening at the front end of the housing through the central opening of the stationary grinding burr. The feed drive is mounted to the shaft so that it rotates with but is also free to slide axially along the shaft. An adjusting mechanism is positioned adjacent to one end of the feed drive and functions to move the feed drive relative to the drive shaft. A biasing element yieldably biases the rotating burr in a direction toward the stationary grinding burr and the distal end of the drive shaft thereby causing the feed drive to continuously abut the adjusting mechanism. The yieldably biasing element permits the gap between burrs to widen during grinding in the event jamming is experienced.

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Louisville, KY, United States of America

Charles M Fisher