Lancer Partnership, Ltd

Lancer Corporation

John D Santy

Alfred A Schroeder

Michael Romanyszyn

Merrill R Good

Darren W Simmons

George E Hernandez

Ronald Ray Hoch

Jeffrey A Blansit

Harlan R Davis

An evacuation system including an evacuation member engages a product package and applies pressure thereto, such that a product in the product package moves toward an outlet in the product package for dispensing. A controller monitors the force applied by a driver to the product package, thereby ensuring that the pressure remains below a particular threshold to protect the integrity of the product package. The controller further monitors the evacuation member location, thereby enabling the controller to recognize when the product package is empty. The evacuation system further includes a package carrier including a pinch-off area that moves product out of an unrecoverable portion of the product package. The evacuation member may be utilized as a stand-alone device or with a primary device, wherein the primary device provides signals to the evacuation system and the evacuation system provides product to the primary device.

Method of calibrating a dispensing station

Evacuation system

A method and apparatus for a beverage dispensing nozzle equipped with at least one flow director dispenses at lower flowrates. In a first embodiment, a single flavor beverage dispensing nozzle equipped with at least one flow director segments the flow and reduces the cross sectional area of the fluid stream, thereby forcing product to move downward. A second embodiment provides an improvement to an existing beverage dispensing nozzle, by adding at least one flow director in an annular channel of the beverage dispensing nozzle. The addition of the at least one flow director in the annular channel provides the beverage dispensing nozzle with the ability to dispense product at lower flowrates by increasing the velocity component of the exiting product. The exiting product now has sufficient energy to separate from the beverage dispensing nozzle. Methods for using the beverage dispensing nozzles with the at least one flow director are also presented.

Method and apparatus for beverage dispensing nozzle

A dispenser with features for enhanced maintainability generally comprises a lower unit having therein an ice bin; an upper unit atop the lower unit for providing an interface for dispensing ice from the ice bin to the public; a conveyor having and inlet in the ice bin and an outlet in the upper unit; an ice distributor in a lower portion of the ice bin for conveying ice within the ice bin to the inlet; and a drive motor operably associated with the ice distributor, the drive motor being located in a space above the lower unit for ready access. A plurality of optical emitter assemblies are disposed upon a wall of the ice bin and a plurality of optical receiver assemblies are oppositely disposed upon a second wall of the ice bin. Each optical emitter assembly comprises an emitter housing and a selectively removable emitter body comprising an optical source. Each optical receiver assembly comprises a receiver housing and a selectively removable receiver body comprising an optical receiver. Modular flow control valves are adapted for substantially simultaneous electrical and fluid connection with mounting blocks on the upper unit.

Dispenser with features for enhanced maintainability

In a beverage dispensing nozzle, a cap member includes first, second, and third beverage syrup inlet ports coupled to a respective first, second, and third beverage syrup sources and a mixing fluid inlet port coupled to a mixing fluid source. A first annulus coupled with the cap member includes discharge channels, wherein the first beverage syrup inlet port communicates beverage syrup to the discharge channels for discharge from the beverage dispensing nozzle. A second annulus disposed within the first annulus and coupled with the cap member includes discharge channels, wherein the second beverage syrup inlet port communicates beverage syrup to the discharge channels for discharge from the beverage dispensing nozzle. A third annulus disposed within the second annulus and coupled with the cap member includes discharge channels, wherein the third beverage syrup inlet port communicates beverage syrup to the discharge channels for discharge from the beverage dispensing nozzle. An outer housing coupled to the cap member defines a mixing fluid channel with the first annulus, wherein the mixing fluid inlet port communicates mixing fluid to the mixing fluid channel for discharge from the beverage dispensing nozzle and mixing with exiting beverage syrup.

Multiple flavor beverage dispensing air-mix nozzle

Growing community of inventors

Converse, TX, United States of America

John D Santy